(from Holdeman Descendants, A Compilation of The Genealogical and Biographical Record of The Descendants of Christian Holdeman 1788-1846, by Edwin L. Weaver, 1937)
The Haldeman family apparently originated in Switzerland. The name appears in records of the year 1538 in Eggvil, an early Mennonite center in canton Bern, Switzerland. In this year Thuring Haldeman, a Mennonite Church Father, was asked to leave the country or suffer death. He was a spokesman and teacher of the people, and bold in his stand against the tyranny of the government. The name was again left on record in the year 1670 when the authorities of Bern ordered two Mennonites, Doris Eaby from Trachselwald and Hans Haldeman from Hotchiken to be banished. In the year 1671 Katharina Haldimann of Hochstetten was included in the list of those who entered Holland from Switzerland due to severe persecutions in the latter country. It is thus evident that members of the Haldeman family were prominently connected with the Anabaptist movement of the 16th century, and suffered the severe persecutions to which adherents of Anabaptist principles were subjected.
There is also record of a Caspar Haldeman who had lived 21 years at Thun, near Eggvil, and who in 1671 removed to Yverdun near the border of France. There is no evidence that he was connected with the Anabaptist movement. He is known in history by the French form of the name, Honnete Gaspard Haldimand, which also tells something about his character. Both in Europe and America he has had distinguished descendants, among them being Sir Frederick Haldimand, the first governor-general of Canada.
Nicholas Haldeman came in 1727 to Pennsylvania from the canton Bern, Switzerland, by way of Holland, accompanied by his two brothers, Hans and Michael, as well as by his wife and children. Hans Haldeman and Michael Haldeman each purchased 150 acres of land in Chester County, the deed for the purchase of the latter being recorded February 8, 1734, and for the former May 7, 1737. They undoubtedly bought other tracts later. The land obtained by Michael was in Coventry Township.
Nicholas Haldeman purchased a tract of land in Salford Township, in the vicinity of Skippack, Montgomery County, which was then, and until September 10, 1784, a part of Philadelphia County. The records of the original homestead are entirely complete, dating from the William Penn grant in 1695, through the several successive ownership’s before being conveyed to Nicholas Haldeman. The land was deeded to him August 13, 1728. He held the property 14 years, and in 1742 sold it to his son, Nicholas, Jr., who in 1765 transferred the title to Isaac Markley for the sum of 800 pounds sterling. All records are clear through four additional transfers, the last being made in 1882 from Abraham Landis to Franklin S. Tyson, Lower Salford Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Nicholas Haldeman was one of the trustees in the founding of the Lower Salford Mennonite Church in 1738. His name heads the list of those to whom the meetinghouse, and tract of land on which it stood, was transferred by the ministers and deacons of the congregation. He was also one of the 77 signers to a petition to Governor Patrick Gordon, dated May 10, 1728, in which the inhabitants of the frontier asked for protection from the Indians. The signers called themselves “the back inhibitors about Falkner’s Swamp and New Goshenhoppen.” The name of Nicholas Haldeman is included in a list of German, Dutch, and French inhabitants of Philadelphia County who owned land and paid quit rents prior to 1734. One hundred acres are ascribed to him.
At a session of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, held April 12th and 13th, 1743, in Philadelphia, a number of persons were naturalized who had conscientious scruples against taking the oath. Among them were Nicholas Haldeman of Chester County, and Nicholas Haldeman, Jr., and Christian Haldeman, both of Philadelphia County. The latter two were sons of Nicholas, and had been born in Switzerland.
After Nicholas Haldeman had sold his farm in Salford Township, Montgomery County, then Philadelphia County, he removed to Chester County, where he purchased on April 12, 1743, a tract of land containing 200 acres.
Nicholas Haldeman died in 1762, and his will shows that he and his wife, Mary, had seven children, four sons and three daughters: John, Christian, Nicholas, Jr., Christopher, Barbara, Mary, and Maley. Some of these children were born in canton Bern, Switzerland. Christian married Catherine Krey, and they continued to live in Montgomery County. He is said to have been a Mennonite minister, and among his descendants have been a number of Church leaders, including Bishop Abraham Haldeman and Bishop Noah Halteman Mack. Nicholas Haldeman, Jr., married Elizabeth Cassel. After selling in 1765 the farm purchased from his father, they moved to Chester County, where they purchased land in Charlestown Township. They had four children. Christopher Haldeman purchased land in Coventry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, and at the time of his death was a large landholder. He had ten children.
John Haldeman and wife, Mary, removed from Salford Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, to Bucks County. On May 27, 1762, he purchased from Benjamin Austin 278 ½ acres located in Lower Milford Township, Bucks County, and on April 10, 1790, purchased from William Roberts 223 acres located in New Britain Township, Bucks County. He died in 1806 and at the time of his death owned 180 acres in New Britain Township.
Christian Haldeman, (1752-1836) son of John and Mary Haldeman, married Catherine Bergey. They had four children: Margaret, Daniel, Magdalena, and Cornelius. Another son, John Haldeman, (1738-1815) whose wife was also named Mary, had ten children, five sons and five daughters: Christian, Joseph, Jacob, John, Abraham, Barbara, Catharine, Mary, Elizabeth, and Susanna.
Jacob Haldeman, son of the elder John and Mary Haldeman, and his wife, Elizabeth, had two sons and three daughters: John, Susanna, Catherine, Mary, and Christian. John Haldeman was married December 10, 1809 to Catherine Benner, Susanna Haldeman was married to Andrew Wisler, Catherine Haldeman was married May 4, 1800 to Daniel Selner, and Christian Haldeman, whose lineage is recorded in this book, was married to Christiana Buzzard, daughter of George and Rachel (Godshalk) Buzzard.
At the time of his death, April 2, 1813, Jacob Haldeman owned three tracts of land in New Britain Township, bucks County, Pennsylvania. Lot number One, containing 89 acres, assessed at $54.00 per acre, was adjudged to his son, Christian Haldeman; lot number Two, assessed at $50.50 per acre was adjudged to his son, John Haldeman; and lot number Three, assessed at $44.50 per acre, was adjudged to his son-in-law and daughter, Andrew and Susanna (Haldeman) Wisler.
The name Haldeman has had various forms, and has appeared as Haldemann, Haldimann, Haldeman, Haldiman, Haldimand, Halteman, Halderman, Halterman, Holdiman, Holderman, Holdeman, etc. With regard to the correct spelling, Milton L. Halteman of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, writes, in a personal letter: “The original spelling of the name, as I found it in the city of Bern directory, when making an extended trip to Europe many years ago, was “Haldemann”, -two “n’s”. There were dozens by that name in that directory. It would appear that the name became distorted by the English magistrates, and other authorities, in the handling of documents, by spelling phonetically on a guess, from the obvious German accent of our ancestors. This is almost certain, as have seen documents with the names spelled in two or three ways, thus almost establishing the above conclusions as to how the name became changed. Except for the double ‘n’ final, ‘Haldeman’ is the correct way of spelling.”
Another pertinent fact is that the changes in spelling are true phonetic changes. The changes of “a” to “o” and of “d” to “t” are perfectly normal, and common in the Old English and Middle English periods of the language. In earlier periods of the English language words were spelled to harmonize with pronunciation, spellings were approximations to sounds, and even in the 18th century spelling was not as fixed as now.