134 HISTORY OF 



one of whose grand-sons, Joseph Wenger, occupies the 

 Honiestead. 



From and after 1718, settlements, in their incipient 

 stages, had been pretty general throughout the greater 

 ]mvt of tlie county. The jNlill Creek Settlement, and 

 others, were commenced about the year 1719, or 20. 



About tlie year 170S, Alexander Mack, of Slmesheim*, 

 and seven others in Schwarzenau, Gennany, met in a 

 religious c^ipacity, from which society, arose, what is 

 well laiown, the Tunkers, or First Day German Bap- 

 tists; and who, though apparently inoffensive, were 

 made subjects of persecution, and were driven by force 

 of oppression into Holland, some to Greyfels, and the 

 mother church voluntarily removed to Serustervin, in 

 ^riesland, and thence emigrated to America, in 1719, 

 ^d dispei'sed to different parts in Pennsylvania, some to 



bnestoga, some to JNlill Creek, some to Oley, some to 



dppack, some remained at Germantown, where they 



3 father onahfty steed, rode in, took the young fellow on 

 . own horse behind him, and seizing the lines, drove safely 

 ;*ough the rushing stream. 



iHe raised six sons, Peter, David, the grandfather of John 

 ,raaf our informant, John, Daniel, Marcus and Samuel, 

 /ho was known as Graaf, der Jaeger, the huntsman. 



Hans Graaf, after having served his day and generation, the 

 public also on several occasions,! ^-^^1 having divided his land 

 among his sons, died, leaving a large family connection. — 

 Perhaps there is no family in the county, more numerous 

 respectable and useful citizens than tlie Graafs. So, v/ithout 

 doubt, tlic magistrates and inhabitants of Lancaster county 

 thought, when they met to settle upon the bounds and give 

 names to townships, June 9, 1729: they had regard to the worth 

 of this family in calling one of the townships, after the tlrst set- 

 tlers of Graaf, i. e. Earl township. 



fCol. Rec. III. 4-20—673. 



