The circumstances and other surnames involved in the naturalization
indicate that it probably was. Johannes was not naturalized in
the previous groups of Naturalizations of 1691 and 1709. By 1740
the old Patents were dying out and the ownership was becoming
more personalized. The laws were tightening about selling or buying
land for those who were not naturalized. Johannes certainly fit
the qualifications of having been here over seven years, and not
out of the country.
Please remember that Berks Co. was not formed until 1752 and some
of the names listed as of Philadelphia County may have been in
the area of Berks County that was taken from Philadelphia County.
All of the names on the list below are of Philadelphia Co. as
it was at that time. The spelling, of course, is amusing....pronounce
the name and work like it is a puzzle, i.e. Omstadt is Umstadt,
Ritter is probably Rutter, Nees is Nice etc.! Note that the spelling
for John Omstadt is the same as for Eve in the Rev.Van Vleque
records: Evae Omstadt
Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. 2, Series 2, pp. 296-299, "PERSONS
NATURALIZED IN PENNSYLVANIA" (Selected Names from List...Names
have been reversed from list as given to last name first... Note
that the second list includes many, "or such", including
those we know to have been Lutherans, Reformed etc.)
"In pursuance of an Act of Parliament made in the thirteenth
year of the reign of his present Majesty King George, the second,
entitled an Act for Naturalizing such Foreign Protestants, and
others therein mentioned, as are settled or shall settle in any
of His Majesty's colonies in America.
At a Supreme Court held at Philadelphia for the Province of Pennsylvania, before Jeremiah Langhorne, Thomas Graeme and Thomas Griffiths, Esqrs., Judges of the said Court, the 25th, 26th, and 27th days of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty (1740), between the hours of nine and twelve of the clock in the forenoon of the same days, the following persons, being foreigners and having inhabited and resided the space of seven years and upwards in His Majesty's colonies in America, and not having been absent out of some of the said colonies for a longer space than two months, at any one time, during the said seven years, and having produced to the said court certificates of their having taken the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper in some Protestant or Reformed Congregation of this province within the three months before the said court, took and subscribed oaths, and did make and repeat the declaration prescribed by the Act, to entitle them to the benefit thereof, and thereby became natural born subjects of Great Britain, as the same is certified into this office by the Judges of the said court, viz:" Reinberg, Andrew, Hoffman, Jacob, Meyer, John George, Arent, Jacob, Frey, John, Bucks County, Geygar, Valentine, Sailor, Balthazar, Nees, Mattheus, Ritter, Peter, Peters, Hendrick, Dill, John Michael, Albright, George,
"And at the same court, the following persons, being Quakers,
or such who conscientiously scruple to take an oath, being also
foreigners, and having complied with the terms required by the
aforesaid Act of Parliament, took and subscribed the qualifications
for them appointed by the same Act of Parliament, viz:"
OMSTADT, JOHANNES, Cressman, John , Miller, Isaac, Snider, Christian,
Vanfossen, John, Nice, Mathias, Hows, George, Gotshall, Herman,
Souter, Jacob, Fisher, Andrew, Ritter, Michael, Wood, George,
Snider, Johannes, Writter, Barthlomew Peters, Jacob, Peters, Peter,
Sailer, Abraham, Rattenhausen, Garret, Bartholomew, John, Hoffman,
John George, Bard, Henry, Heiser, John, Rush, John,
1744 Bunn, Peter, was naturalized under this same plan.
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