Genealogy of the Hiester (Heister) Family

Escutcheon: Azure, a sun or crest: between two horns,surmounting a helmet affronté. A sun as in the Arms.

The origin of the Hiester Family was the Silesian knight, Premiscloros Hásterniz, who flourished about 1329, and held the office of Mayor, or Town Captain of the city of Swineford.

A. D. 1480, the Patrician and Counsellor of Swineford, Adolphus Louis, called 'der Hiester,' obtained from the Emperor Frederick, letters patent whereby he and his posterity were authorized to use the coat-of-arms he had inherited from his ancestors, to whom it 'was formerly granted. with the faculty of transmitting the same as an hereditary right and a privilege to all his descendants.

Dr. Lawrence Heister, b. Frankfort-on -the-main, September 19, 1683, d. Helmstedt April 18, 1758.A German surgeon, professor of surgery at Helmstedt from 1720. and founder of modern, German surgery, was a member of this family, also, doubtless, General von Hiester commanding the Hessian contingent in the British army during the Revolutionary war.

The American branches spring from three brothers, John, Joseph and Daniel, who were the sons of Johannes Hiester and wife Catharine. Their native place was the town of Elsoff, in the Grafschaft, County of Wittgenstein, province of Westphalia, Germany. The first of the brothers to reach America was John, the eldest, in 1732, who settled at Goshenhoppen, then in Philadelphia, now Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was followed by Joseph and Daniel, on the ship St. Andrew from Rotterdam, who took the oath of allegiance at Philadelphia on September 26, 1737, and immediately joined their brother. Here Daniel purchased a farm, already somewhat improved. Having thoroughly acquainted themselves with the nature of the country the brothers united in purchasing a tract of land from the Proprietary Government, between two and three thousand acres in size, in Bern Township of the present Berks County, Penna., extending from the old stone Bern church to the Tulpehocken creek. On this property the two elder brothers located whilst Daniel remained temporarily at Goshenhoppen until 1774 when he, also, removed to Berks County and took up his residence in the town of Reading.

More to come.............