Casper [Peter] settled in what is now Washington, and the account of his descendants will be found in that township. He built the present house in 1761, and placed in the wall a stone with the year marked upon it... p. 549. Caspar Peters, one of the earliest settlers in that part of Heidelberg which is now Washington, came here about 1741, from Switzerland, and took up three hundred acres of land between Unionville and Slatington, and about four miles distant from the latter place. His log house was built where is now the residence of his great-grandson, Daniel Peters. The date of the death of this pioneer progenitor of the Peters family is not known. He was buried in the Union Church Cemetery. He left several sons, among others, John [Peters] and Caspar. The name of Jacob Peters appears in a list of warrants, in which it is indicated that he took up land Jan 28, 1752. Rudolph Peters took up land in 1754. It is not known that these two men were sons of the first Peters, but is presumable that they were...
Rudolph Peter settled in Heidelberg, where Henry Handwerk now lives. He took out a warrant for seventy-four acres of land on the 28th of January, 1754. Eve Elizabeth, a daughter, became the wife of Adam German, who settled at Germansville. It is not known who his other children were. He died in 1813, aged fifty-seven years, and is buried in Heidelberg churchyard.
Jacob Peter, to be a brother of Rudolph and Casper, took out a warrant for thirty-one acres of land on the 12th of March, 1752; nothing is known of his descendants. In 1781 Casper Peter, Casper Peter, Jr., William, Jacob, John, and the Widow Peter were assessed on real estate, and in 1812, John, Daniel, Johannes, Jacob, Theobald, William, Casper, Sr., Casper, Jr., John, Sr., Nicholas, George, Michael, Jacob, Henry, Sr., Henry, Jr., and John Peter, Jr.
It must be born in mind that Heidelberg in 1781 and 1812 embraced Washington. The line of Casper Peter, one of the three brothers, has been well traced. Of the other brothers, Rudolph and Jacob, but little is known of the generation following. Nicholas Peter, whose name appears in 1812, had three sons, - Daniel, Elias, and John Jacob (2d). The latter lived where his son, Joseph, now resides.
A John Jacob Peter (1st) lived on the farm now owned by Aaron Peter. He executed the mason work of the county jail at Allentown in 1816. He married Maria Krum, sister of Michael. They had seven children; Jeremiah, Adam, Polly (Mrs. Dutton), Henry, Abram, Jacob, and Reuben.
