Other Possible Roots

 John Galle and Debbie Walsh like to look at many other Galle's around the world and try to find connections.  We have spoken with Galle's from Brazil, Chilie, France, Italy, Australia, Poland, Russia, and many other areas. We are constantly being contacted.  I have encouraged them to take a DNA test, which would be our quickest answer to being related.

Also found were some notes from history.  I have a map from my bible that shows the area NW of Italy in biblical times as Gallia. This was also part of the Western Roman Empire and was ruled by a Gallienus from 253 to 268 AD (John has a coin with his picture on it). Later this area was called Gaul, which I find interesting since our name in Switzerland was pronounced in that way (Gaulley).  This area called Gaul was then invaded by the Germanic Tribes and this part was taken over by the Francs and later called France.  Many Galle's come out of that area as well as Galileo who was rumored to be a Galle.  Many of the the Galle families left France as it was run by Catholics.

There is also an Irish Missionary St. Gallus in the area of lake Constance Switzerland who bulld a monestary. His name was in the Canton and city of St. Gallus in Eastern Switzerland, however given the Galle/Galley family features which are most dominantly dark eyes and hair, my personal opinion is that we came from France and Italy areas although there have been some dark Irish. 

These are just a few things we have collected and ponder, but chances are we may never know for sure where Peter Galli came from before Switzerland.

NEW Land Record Found

I just received an e-mail from Edward Galle that was from Audrey G. Risser-Snyder
 of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. 

She writes: "I have a photocopy of an unrecorded deed for 134 acres of land Peter
 GALLY purchased before 1784 in Donegal township, Lancaster county Pennsylvania
 (present - day Conroy township, but died before a deed was executed ... in settling 
Peter's estate the deed was issued on 4 Dec. 1784 to his son, Philip GALLY, of 
Washington county, Maryland." She also says that she was doing research in Conroy
 township, Lancaster county, when she uncovered numerous old and unrecorded 
deeds of which this is one, and felt the deed to be a very important document to the 
family." 

There is the connection to his wife Magdalena Newcomer of Washington county. 
I think then that they were probably married in Washington county, Maryland. There
was a settlement of Mennonite families in that area. HDG 2002 

My thoughts on Peter's surname is that in his inventory his surname was GALLY plus 
in this unrecorded deed his son's surname was GALLY. Over the years when Philip 
was in Fayette county, Pennsylvania the "E" was added because of the many Galley's
 in Pennsylvania. The surname "ran" from GALLE to GALLY to GALLEY, much easier 
to spell and pronounce and very English". Peter must of become a very wealthy farmer 
in being able to purchase 134 acres. That is a lot of land in those days. He died approx-
-imately in September of 1781 and was probably in the process of purchasing the land 
in the middle of 1781. He was only in the country for 10 years 1772 to 1781. He did all 
right for himself. Finally, because of the several records that we have on Peter GALLY,
 I now know that he never served in the Revolutionary War. His name proves that - GALLY. 
This is great news to receive about our forefather and I am very happy to pass this on to all 
of you.  Harry Galley

We just received copies of the land deed. This information was discovered by researcher 
Audrey G. Risser-Snyder of Elizabeth town Pa.  Thanks to her we have copies of these 
documents.   Below are two of the documents associated with it. I will have to scale down 
the original copy to get it on here. Click on the thumbnails below for a larger photo then use
 the back button to return.

     This photo shows the land inherited by Philip Gally and the
 surrounding lands

photo shows the information that is on the unrecorded land deed

Top of Page

Current Projects

Top of Page

Illegitimate kids in the Switzerland Galli Line

Deutschen (German Translation)

Harry Galley had been working with Urs Hostettler on some questions they had about the Galli line in Switzerland.  Urs had gone over some of this questionable data at a meeting
 in Worb and as of June, 2001 has confirmed the following (what they suspected to be true).

Urs confirms a double adultery on the Giebel in 1664.  Peter Galli was baptized 5/13/1664 as an illegitimate child of Hans Galli and Elisabeth Salzmann, while Han's wife, Verena Hofer was accused for adultery with Christen Salzmann. (Taufrodel, church record, Eggiwil 1664)

The Galli family, Hans and Verena (who were really not married) with children, left the Giebel around 1665.  In 1666 they are found in Aeschau, a group of houses further down 
the Eggiwil valley.

The exact birth date for Verena Hofer is unknown because there is a lack in the Signau Taufrodel (church book) after 1623, but she was definitely from the Schwendi, opposite to
 the Giebel.  She was born sometime after 1623, probably very young in 1649, as she bore children until 1681.

This new information gives us corrections to Verena's birth date and Parentage as well as the birth date of Hans Galli.  There was a Han's Galli b. 1614, oldest son of Ueli Galli but due to the Bernese custom and law (which states that the youngest son gets the house and land after the father's death) Hans on the Giebel must be younger than Peter, who was b. in 1616.  The first Han's b. 1614 may have died as a child.

*The Bernese Church contain no noting of dead persons, as reformator Ulrich (Huldreich)Zwingli forbid any kind of cults for the dead. This keeps us from knowing the death of Han's 
Galli b. 1614 (Ur Hostettler)

Our Hans Galli fathered 17 children, some of which were out of wedlock including our Peter.  Men, in those days, were not brought to court but the women were and the children were 
probably not treated well. (HDG)

This information has lead Harry to ask some interesting questions.  Who took care of our Peter?  Was it Elisabeth Salzmann?  Is this the reason Peter learned the occupation of we
aving?  Is this why, after visiting his real father Hans in Aeschau, Peter was rejected by his step mother shunning him because his father had him out of wedlock?  Possibly for these reasons, Peter left the valley to see his Aunt Barbara in Germany where his father's past would not effect his life and Peter embraced the Mennonite faith there.

Top of Page

Connecting to the German Galle's

Harry Galley, in his years of research, has uncovered the link of our Peter Galley tohis German family.  The Genealogy itself can get a little confusing because the same names are used generation after generation.

A quick view of our direct line from our Peter Galley back is as follows:

*Note: lines in green indicate recent changes 6/7/01

     Name                              D.O.B.     Birth place

This will add about 8 generations back from our Peter and take us into Germany, Switzerland, and possibly France.  The genealogy includes siblings and their families in all these generations, as much as could be gotten, which means you have to sort through some of those to find Peter's direct descendants above. I have cut the German and Swiss genealogies to the bare bones for the web but the full genealogy will be printed later and also available on CD.

Top of Page

Swiss Genealogy

Harry is working on this latest connection which is that of our earliest ancestor Ulrich Galli to a Peter Galli (French Huguenot) b. about 1490 and is also called Ueli in the book Der Rebell vom Eggiwil written by Urs Hostettler in 1991 which Harry has just secured a copy of.  Ueli was the leader of the farmers revolt in 1653 in the Emmental valley of the Canton Bern, Switzerland, he was living in Eggiwil at the time.He was captured and brought to Bern where he was brutally killed - an historic figure.
The family surname is said to have come from Bern and that a Peter Galli or Galdi served on the Great Council in 1518.  As of March 28th Harry has been corresponding with the author of this book.  Urs wrote to Harry and said, " He (Ueli Galli) was the 
only Galli in the Eggiwil at this time, and all Eggiwilian Gallis' are his descendants."  

Anyone wanting a copy of this book Der Rebell vom Eggiwil can order it from Urs Hostettler 
at the web site below.  The book is all in German! I think the cost is around $42.

http://www.dplanet.ch/users/uhostettler

Top of Page

Documents

Below are copies of some of the documents we have found click on a photo to enlarge 
then use back button to return.

                    
Peter Galley                        Peter Galley Signature
Inventory           

Ship Crawford Passenger list

Copies of the Land Deed for Peter Galley forth coming.
Scanner problems.