The first President of the National Congress was Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, and his Pennsylvania German brother, General Peter Muhlenberg, Revolutionary patriot, is one of Pennsylvania's two representatives in the Hall of Fame in the nation's capitol.

Other facts from history contain noteworthy Pennsylvania Germans, such as:

• A Pennsylvania German named Michael Hillegas was the first Continental Treasurer.
• Conrad Weiser was a pioneer Indian interpreter.
• Pennsylvania Germans were among the first troops to meet Washington at Cambridge after the Battle of Lexington. The earliest effort in America on behalf of the federal Constitution was a petition from 250 residents of Germantown.
• George Washington was first called "Father of His Country" in a German almanac printed in Lancaster in 1779.
• The first approximately accurate calculation of the distance from the earth to the sun was made by David Rittenhouse in 1769.
• In 1690 William Rittenhouse built the first paper mill in America, on a branch of the Wissahickon Creek, near Philadelphia.
• Pennsylvania German Christopher Sauer, earliest type founder in America, published the first Bible in German, 1743, and the first religious magazine in America, 1764.  The magazine was published by Christopher Sauer II, who took over the print-shop after his father died in 1758.
• In 1749 the first premium for excellence in printing was awarded by the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Society to the Lancaster publishers of a book printed in German.

The Pennsylvania German Society is proud to be part of this tradition for the last 125 years, and still growing!
 

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Our mailing address is:

The Pennsylvania German Society

P.O. Box A
Marion, PA 17235
(717) 597-7940
E-mail: pgs@innernet.net

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updated 4/1/2020 TJG