Author: Charles W. Riegle, Sr.
John Daniel Riegel was the fourth son and sixth child of Johannes Cornelius Riegel and Anna Gertruitha. Daniel was born in Pfeffelbach, Germany. He immigrated with his father, mother, sister Sarah, and brothers Johannes and (Johann) Abraham on the Brigantine, "Pennsylvania Merchant", landing in Philadelphia on September 18, 1733.

Daniel was 63 when the Revolutionary War began. However, he was a Patriot, taking the Test Oath of Allegiance & Fidelity to the State of Pennsylvania, on May 26, 1778.

The Pennsylvania OATH OF ALLEGIANCE:
I, John Daniel Riegel, do swear or affirm, that I renounce and refuse all allegiance to George the Third, King of Great Britain, his heirs and successors: and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as a free and independent State, and that I will not at any time do or cause to be done any matter or thing that will be prejudicial or injurious to the freedom and independence thereof, as declared by Congress; and also, that I will discover and make known to some one Justice of the Peace of said State all treasons or traitorous conspiracies which I now know of hereafter shall know to be formed against this or any of the United States of America.”

At age 25 Daniel was warranted land in Tulpehocken Twp., July 21, 1738. Almost twenty years later, March 3, 1757, he purchased 219 acres, and he and his family lived on this farm until his death in 1786. Daniel married Maria Dorothea Beitler in Nordkill Creek area of Berks County, PA in 1744 and they had four sons and three daughters. All of his sons served in the Cause for Freedom we know as the American Revolution.

The Revolutionary War: The Pennsylvania Militia was organized under an act of March 7, 1777, which provided for compulsory enrollment by the constables of all able-bodied male whites between the ages of eighteen and fifty-three. Exemptions were extremely limited, and an estimated 60,000 men were enrolled. For purposes of administration and drill, Companies and Battalions of militia were set up on a geographical basis similar to the arrangement already familiar with the Associators. In many instances, members of the militia gave no military service beyond occasional routine drill, and some escaped even that. Only in extreme cases was any individual militia man required to drill with his neighbors as many as twelve times each year, and at most he was called upon to perform during the entire course of the war, two or possibly three, short tours of active duty. Many men listed on company rosters never drilled, and tens of thousands enrolled in the militia never experienced a single day of active duty. Avoiding militia calls was not difficult. A man who failed to report for drill merely paid an Exercise Fine. A militiaman called for active duty who found such duty inconvenient was permitted to hire a substitute to march and fight in his stead. Frequently no substitute was furnished, but instead a Substitute Fine was paid. Militia fines became an important source of revenue.

I am proud that my direct ancestor John Daniel Riegel is a recognized Patriot.