I was born near Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in the Alsace are of France. My father was an Anabaptist Minister who had escaped from Winterkraut, Switzerland to avoid religious persection. He was a neighbor of Jacob Amman, who is the namesake and founder of the Amish Culture and Religion. I emmigrated to the United States, arriving in Philadelphia in 1738 and was one of the founding elements of the Amish/Mennonite Culture in the United States. My family was victimized by a vicious Indian Massacre in 1757. My descendants commemorate my humble legacy through the Jacob Hochstetler Family Association.