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One theory supported only by family stories is that the Musselman surname is derived from the word Meuse as in River Meuse, which runs between Holland and Germany. Meus-el-man i.e. the man from the River Meuse gradually changed into …Meusselman…then to Musselman. In our family Bible, it is written Muffelman with a 1799 entry. The double "ff" is an old style writing of "ss".Research indicates a name change occured when leaving the old world. One can only speculate on the name change.
Fleeing religious persecution, Hans Musselman, birth date 1690, of the Mennonite faith, together with his wife Margaret, from village of Lauperswil, Berne Canton, Switzerland sailed to North America. Hans family can be traced back to early 16th century when the original family name was Mosiman. The oldest family research to date states Peter Mosiman married Elizabeth about 1545 in Lauperswil. "Peter's descendants were fined for being anabaptists and imprisioned in Trachselwald castle and probably exiled in the 1670's to the Palantinate of Germany." [Emigrants,Refugees,and Prisoners by RichardWarren Davis 1992] research by Janet Musselman Hall
The son of William Penn granted Hans Musselman 10 square miles along Mill Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was not uncommon for vast sections of land to be granted to the original settlers. They in turn sold to others. That process is still happening today. The original deed was on deerskin and the original house was of logs.

Musselman Homestead 1792 Lancaster County research by Elizabeth Moyers

Hans and Margaret's son Christian born 1723 married Maria Schenk about 1745 in Pennsylvannia. Their son, Christian Jr., born 1752 married Magdalena Shelly in 1781 in the First Reformed Mennonite Church, in Lancaster, PA. Christian Jr. built the present Swiss bank style, fieldstone homestead, in 1792 in Lancaster County, replacing the original log house of his grandfather Hans and is still lived in by a Musselman family today.There are 4 bedrooms upstairs and 4 spacious rooms downstairs. A family room addition, together with kitchen and laundry room was added to the side of the house in 1983. A fresh water spring still runs beneath the homestead.

David Musselman, {1799-1870} the youngest of Hans' 11 great grandchildren immigrated to Waterloo County, Ontario from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania following cousins who settled near Musselman Lake north of Toronto. In 1830, David purchased 800 acres of forest from Abraham Martin. He married Abraham's daughter, Esther Zimmerman Martin, and had 12 children. research by Elizabeth Moyers

David started Musselman's Mills settlement and was the first permanent settler north of the Conestogo River. That settlement was later renamed, Conestogo. An entrepreneur, David started grist, flour and saw mills, in addition to, Waterloo County's first distillery with oak pipes powered by a mile long millrace. as told by Claude Musselman

David's son Solomon 1840-1891 married Barbara D. Martin .He farmed in Woolwich County and lived on the old Musselman homestead near Conestogo.He lived in matrimony 30 years and was the father of 11 children ,of whom 5 of them proceeded him to the Spirit land. research by Janet Musselman Hall

Claude's Catch of Bass beside Stone BBQ on Rock Pier ready for Fish Fry

David's great grandson, Claude Henry Musselman {1899-1996] of St. Jacobs/Kitchener/Huntsville…was also an entrepreneur and ventured into real estate, retail, hotel, mining and manufacturing. In 1933, he purchased Woodland Springs, built in 1908 on the Springsyde shore of Penlake, from Montheith Hall, owner of Hall's Lumber Yard in Kitchener, Ontario. Claude became one of Penlake's most enthusiastic fishermen! as told by George Musselman

Alex Thomson and George together with headless horse dragging stone slabs to build the present rock pier in 1942.	photo by David Cale

The Musselman family have lovingly preserved and enhanced the cottage for over 72 years of ownership. Adventurous guests will be able to sight evidence of an old farmstead, now gone wild over the past 50 years, in the 40 acres of trailed spring fed woodlands. The once open, wrap-around porch easily slept 20 guests and their record catches of Penlake bass fed the crowds of returning guests. The rock pier built with flat rock pulled in by horses, was the site for many a "fish fry" with fresh bass sizzled in butter in a giant fry pan. as told by George Musselman

B&B guests marvel at the number of nooks & crannies where they can tuck away to read a good book.Breakfast dining in front of the crackling fire is an experience to savour. Antique lighting in addition to the warmth from the fire adds a glow to the ambience.   Muff in front of pink granite fireplace built in 1936 by same Scottish stone mason who built fireplaces at Bigwin.

A family song passed along :

Zeg ken jij de mosselman de mosselman de mosselman
Do you know the Musselman the Musselman the Musselman

Zeg ken jij de mosselman?
Do you know the Musselman?

Die komt uit Scheveningen.
He comes from Scheveningen.

Ja ik ken de mosselman,de mosselman,de mosselman

Yes I know the Musselman , the Musselman ,the Musselman

Ja ik ken de mosselman

Yes I know the Musselman

Die komt uit Scheveningen

He comes from Scheveningen

Samen kennen wij de mosselman de mosselman de mosselman
Together we know the Musselman the Musselman the Musselman

Samen kennen wij de mosselman

Together we know the Musselman

Hij komt uit Scheveningen.
He comes from Scheveningen.

NOTE* Scheveningen is a small town on the north side west coast of Holland where "the man" collected and sold mussels "mossels" from the sea. All children in Holland grew up with this song (along many many other 'Old Dutch' folk songs).It is fun that a whole nation was brought up with a song with our family's name in it.

A musselman is a fisherman, who obviously fishes for mussels. Scheveningen used to be a fishing village ,and like the other fishing villages in the Netherlands, has its own specific traditional constumes. If you would visit Scheveningen today, some older ladies still wear this traditional costume. It is now a busy town, a seaside resort visited by many tourists and beach lovers 'next door' to The Hague, the world international court.

Researchers say the Dutch link is not there, only a Swiss German origin, but our father via word of mouth said there was a Dutch link. The Pennsylvania Dutch are not Dutch but German in origin and this historical error has persevered amongst the family .

It is interesting to note 6 years before his death Christian had the family fieldstone homestead pictured above built and one year after his death David was born. Not only was his wife left the use of his dwelling and one third of his personal estate but her yearly sustenance was reasurred.

From Lancaster County will book G vol 1, page 288: examined 7 February 2001 by Janet Musselman Hall and copies acquired from Lancaster County Archives.

Christian Musselman 1723-1798

Whereas I Christian Musselman of Earl Township Lancaster County Pennsylvania am in good health and sound mind and memory do make this my last will and testament in the manner following :

First I will allow that all my debts and funeral expenses be fully paid out of my personal estate undivided.

First I give to my wife Mary the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds money of Pennsylvania in gold or silver together with the third part of my personal estate, further I will and allow that she shall be privilege to live in my dwelling house wherein I now live, together with the stable and garden thereto belongong to use as she sees cause,and that during her natural life and no longer and that my son Christian Musselman shall give to my said wife yearly and every year out of my real estate as followeth: that is to say fifteen bushels of wheat and one hundred weight of hog meat and twenty five pound of beef, ten pound of good spackled hemp and keep a cow and a sheep for her both summer and winter, and firewood as much as she may use, and the fruit of three roes of apple trees of the orchet next to the house, all of which she shall have during her natural life and no longer.

Further I will allow that all my personal estate be equally divided to and among all my children shear and shear alike that is to say to my son John Musselman one equal shear, to my son Christian Musselman one equal shear, to my son Joseph Musselman one equal shear, to my daughter Barbara one equal shear, to my daughter Mary one equal shear, to my daughter Christina one equal shear: to them and their heirs forever allowing that they and every one of them be made equal to what they have already get from me according as they stand charged in my book, first allowing to my wife as before mentioned.

Further I give and bequeath to my son Christian Musselman all my real estate, land and tenements with all the appertainance thereto belonging to have and to hold to him the said Christian Musselman his heirs and assigns forever; giving to his mother as before mentions.
On 15 of March 1798

Woodland Springs Penlake Bed and Breakfast
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1231 Put in Bay Rd.
Box 5242
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