Family Reunions: The Heinly Family
Source: Morton Montgomery, p. 317
Surnames: HEINLY, PENN, HEINLE, HEINLEY, ADAM, HELLER, HEFFNER
Heinly.-The Heinly Family Association was organized in August, 1898.
Its members are the descendants of David
Heinly, who emigrated from the Duchy of Wurtemberg, Germany, sailing in
the ship “Patience,” Hugh Steel,
Captain, and landing in Philadelphia Sept. 19, 1749. On July 21, 1774,
he received from Thomas and John Penn,
sons of William Penn, a patent for about 300 acres, now in Greenwich
township, Berks county, a portion of which
land is still owned by his descendants.
The original ancestor lies buried in Dunkel’s Church cemetery, about
three miles from Virginville, and the original
tombstone of sandstone still remains, in a fair state of preservation.
On the obverse side the following appears, in
German with English letters: “Hir ligd Dafid Heinle, Ist geboren 1728
den 17 Ockdober und gestorben den 3rd
Ockdober, 1784.” On the reverse side appears the following from an old
German hymn published in the “Leipsiger
Gesangbuch,” written in 1638:
“Die Krone des Gerechdigkeid
Ist mein schmuck und ehrenkleid,
Damid will ich for Got bestehen,
Wan ich werd in himmel eingehen.”
On Aug. 15, 1903, the descendants erected a memorial to their first
ancestor, adjacent to the old tombstone. It
consists of a granite base rough hewn and a granite top in the shape of
a large book with old-fashioned clasps, on the
open pages of which appear the following inscriptions:
On the left-hand page-
“In memory of
David Heinly,
Born October 17, 1728.
Died October 12, 1784.
Emigrated from Germany in 1749″
On the right-hand page-
“Erected by his descendants, to their
First American Ancestor,
August 15, 1903,
at the
Fifth Annual Heinly Family Reunion.”
The Family Reunion was first held along the banks of the Maiden creek on
the original homestead, but latterly at
Kutztown Park, Kutztown, Pa. It is held annually in August, and
attended by from 400 to 500 descendants. The
Association was organized mainly through the efforts of David Heinly,
formerly of Albany township, latterly of
Kutztown, who was its treasurer until his death in 1907. A complete
Family Record has been compiled.
The present officers of the Association are as follows:
President, David L. Heinly, Reading, Pa.
First Vice-President, G. Henry Heinly, Blandon, Pa.
Second Vice-President, Chas. H. Heinley, East Texas, Pa.
Third Vice-President, Henry Heinly, Schnecksville, Pa.
Secretary, Harvey F. Heinly, Reading, Pa.
Assistant Secretaries, Calvin H. Adam, Fleetwood, Pa., Charles H. Heinly, Klinesville, Pa., Titus Heinly, Reading, Pa., Phares S. Heller, Allentown, Pa.
Treasurer, Prof. Charles B. Heinly, York, Pa.
Executive Committee, William Heinly, Manatawny, Pa., Enoch Heinly, Virginville, Pa., Samuel D. Heinly, Reading, Pa., John W. Adam, Fleetwood, Pa., Jarius Heffner, Kutztown, Pa.
Historian, Samuel G. Heinly, Reading, Pa.
Director of Amusements, William O. Heinly, Hamburg, Pa.
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