Nehrpage

Welcome to The Nehr Family Page, which furnishes historical detail beyond the site index, exploring four generations of Nehrs in the line of Frantz Ludwig Nohr of Germany.

10. Anna Maria Nehr (Feller) -- The mother of Zacharias Feller, Anna Maria Nehr (Neyer, Near, Naeher, Neher or Nohr) was born in 1717 in West Camp, Ulster Co., NY. In 1740, she married Johan Nicolas Feller. She died sometime after 1745 in NY. Her parents were Carl (Karl) Nehr and Anna Constantia Reichert of Germany.

11. Johann Carl Nehr --The father of Anna Maria Nehr (Feller), Carl Nehr was born ca.1675 (or 1671) in Birkenfield, Germany, the eldest of six children of Hans Jacob Nohr and Gertraud Sohn.. After two marriages and several children in Germany, Carl immigrated to NY. After his second wife died, Carl married Anna Constantia Reichart, the mother of Anna Maria, in 1715 in the Lutheran Church in Rhinebeck, NY. Carl died in Dutchess Co. NY, Jan. 25, 1732/3.

12. Hans Jacob Nohr --The father of Carl Nehr, Hans Jacob Nohr was born ca.1650 in Germany. His first marriage took place in Rintenberg, Germany in 1672 to Gertraud Sohn (ca. 1652-1682), daughter of Hermann Sohn (her mother is unknown). After Gertraud’s death, Hans remarried in Dammbach and presumably died in Germany. Hans’ father was Frantz Ludwig Nohr; his mother is unknown.

13. Frantz Ludwig Nohr --The German father of Hans Jacob Nohr. No details are known about him, his wife or his parents. We can estimate that he was born ca.1630 or earlier in Germany; died after ca.1650 in Germany.

The following is a link to another website featuring information on the historic Franz Nehr house, in Old Rhynbeck, NY: www.geocities.com/palatinefarmst

Johann Carl Neher -further notes

     "Carl Naher was a widower of Birckenfeld in the commune Trarbach in the Pfaltz. The European home of this family was at Birkenfeld, 26 km southwest of Kirn." "Carl Nehr of Queensbury was a soldier in 1711 (Palatine Volunteers to Canada). Carel Neiher was naturalized 8 and 9 Sep 1715(Kingston Nats.). Karel Neaher appeared on the tax rolls in the NorthWard in 1717/18 and continued until 1733/34 when the widow of Karel Maeher was recorded (Dutchess Co. Tax Lists). Carel Naher was a constapel in the North Ward in 1721, and an overseer of ye King's Highway there in 1729 (Dutchess Co. Supervisor's Records). Karell Neher was a representative of the Lutheran congregation at Rhinebeck in 1729 (History of Rhinebeck, by Edward M. Smith, p. 92)." "Carl Nahr was called widower and tanner of Bieckenfeld in Westerich when he married secondly Maria Apolonia Matthes, the daughter of the late Peter of Eckersweil near Zweybrucken." (Henry Z. Jones; The Palatine Families of New York)
      His gravestone is the oldest in St. Peter's Churchyard "Old Stone Church" in Rhinebeck, N. Y. The inscription reads: "1733 den 25 Januari 1st gestor WE Carel Neher und begraben al heir ald 61" Occupation: Tanner & Currier He arrived in America during the summer of 1710 on the "Midfort", one of the ten ships bringing about three thousand Palatines (of which Carl was one) and Huguenots here from ENGLAND under the auspices of Queen Ann. Her plan to help the unfortunates, who had been forced to flee to ENGLAND from ravaged homelands, met with varying results. The Catholics among the group were either settled in IRELAND (this enterprise working most successfully) or were among the many returned to GERMANY. Those willing to swear to the Protestant faith were brought to America, a few to Virginia, North Carolina, and New York City, but the majority were settled in Camps or villages on the Hudson River; near Saugerties on the west side and Germantown on the East Side. A contract was signed by this group, who agreed to the making of tar and pitch from the pine forests for the British Naval Stores and the gradual payment for their passage in return for forty acres of land per person with implements for farming. Unfortunately, by the close of 1711, the project of tar making proved a failure and resulted in Queen Ann's abandonment of the Palatines and failure to fulfill the contract. Governor Hunter assumed personal responsibility for feeding the people. The ration lists of the families fed have been preserved in London. Hunter was never reimbursed for his expenditures to keep the Palatines alive. Carl Naeher's name, with his family, appears in three existing records as follows: 1710 Carl Neher 1 over 10 3 under 10. 1712 3 over 10 2 under 10.
      The men had not been paid or in any way credited for their work on the pines, nor had they received any money or credit for their voluntary expedition against CANADA in 1711. Carl enlisted as a volunteer from Queensbury. In spite of Governor Hunter's assistance program, the food was woefully inadequate, and of very poor quality, resulting in near starvation and utter chaos. By 1712 the group started to scatter in all directions. Some built rafts on which they floated down the Hudson to New Jersey and Pennsylvania; a group of list masters from the Camps Purchased ten thousand acres of land from the Indians in the Schoharie Valley, to which place one hundred and fifty families moved in 1712 and 1713, with others following. Some families stayed at the Camps and by 1715 Carl Naeher was one of thirty five families allowed to lease lands for small farms on the Beckman Patent, now known as Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, N. Y. Due to their thrift, perseverance, and industry, they soon became prosperous and happy people, bustling about their activities, church building and the rearing of large families. Carl Naeher was naturalized in Ulster County, N. Y. in September 1715 - this to protect his land holdings. (G & B Quarterly Record April 1972)

The Palatines were never without their spiritual leaders. Rev. Joshua Kocherthal the Lutheran pastor of the West Camp Church, was one of those instrumental in organizing the Palatines for their venture to a new land, arriving with them administering to their needs in all possible ways, while Rev. John Haeger was pastor for those of the German Reformed faith. Unfortunately, the latter's records have never been found; therefore we turn to those of Rev. Kocherthal for information concerning the baptismals and marriages of the Palatines for the first nine or ten years of their existence along the Hudson and in the Schoharie Valley.

The name of Carl Naeher appears in the tax lists of the Northward of Rhinebeck from Jan 1717-18 until he died in 1733. His close neighbors are shown to have been Joseph Reichart, his father-in-law, and Barent Sipely, who had married Anna M. Reichard, a cousin to Carl's wife. Although the records do not show that Carl ever held public office, he is known to have been a list master, and a leader who had considerable following. (Hist. Old Rh. H. Morse) Like most of the other Palatine settlers he had a trade as well as being a farmer, his was that of a tanner and currier. The first church in Rhinebeck and probably in Dutchess County was the "High Dutch Reformed Protestant Church," thought to have been organized as early as 1715. The Palatines, both Lutherans and Calvinists (Reformed) built and worshipped together until 1729. In that year on December 10th the Lutherans sold out to the "Reformed Protestants" receiving for their interest in the church and four acres of land "twenty-five pounds current money of New York, USA." Hendrick Shever, Joseph Rykart, Barent Sipperly and Karell Neher paid the money, for the Lutherans. The first Lutheran Church (St. Peter's) was undoubtedly built in 1730 for we find in the archives of the church the following statement and receipts: "Anno 1730, cost of glass for the Lutheran church, four pounds twelve shillings. Received from Carl Nier two pounds." "Kingston June 14 1731, Received from Carl Nier two pounds eight shillings in part payment for plank for the church in Dutchess county." "September 21 1731, Received from Carl Nier the sum of forty golden hinges for the church." This is the English of papers written in Dutch. They tell us that Carl Neher whose tombstone tells us he died on 25 January 1733, (the oldest stone in the cemetery) was actively employed in the erection of the edifice of the church in 1730. Of the cost and character of this house there are no records to give us this information. "The Stone Church", the name by which it has been distinguished for more than a century was built sometime before the Revolution. (Documentary History of Dutchess Co., E M Smith - 1881). It is known that "Stone Church" was built to surround the earlier structure, so that services would not be disrupted, removing the older building afterward. (R. H. Near of Philmont, N. Y. to Louise Mills). The "Stone Church" has passed out of the hands of the Lutherans, but has been restored and in now used for worship each Sunday morning. (1973) Although Carl did not long survive to enjoy worshipping in the building he labored to complete, his descendants can feel great pride in his devotion to the task.

The name Near is of Saxon origin and has a number of corruptions, such as Neer, Nier, Neir, Naer, Neyer, Naeher, and Nehr. The original and most common in GERMANY is Naher, where it is found in the provinces along the Rhine, a fertile area of farmland and vineyards; the beauty spot of Europe. The Nehers were a God-fearing people, honest, and industrious. They were a happy contented people living in comfort until the Reformation. They were one of the hardiest groups of Pioneers that history has known.

1. "Our Canadian Nears and Early Kin - Descendants of Carl Naeher, Palatine immigrant to Colonial America 1710," Mary Near Frashuer, MFC Printing & Publishing Co., 1973.

Thanks to Craig E. Hubbard and Bonnie Hamilton who collected and originally posted most of these notes.

Author: Henry Z. Jones
Title: The Palatine Families of New York
Publication: Universal City, CA, 1985