Godshalk is a family name found especially in the Franconia Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church) in southeastern Pennsylvania. The progenitor of the family was an immigrant of 1701 from Goch, Germany named Jacob Gottschalk (Gaedtschalck). Jacob was a preacher in the Germantown congregation (1702-1712) and later at Skippack (1713-1763), and was the first Mennonite bishop in North America.

Two Godshalk family histories had been published by the early 1950s: The Godshalk Family History by Abraham Godshalk (Harrisburg, Pa., 1912), and A Genealogical History of The Gottshall Family by N. B. Grubb (Harrisburg, Pa., 1924). The family has included a number of bishops, ministers, and deacons. Well-known members of the family include the preacher-author Abraham Godshalk (1791-1838), Bishop Moses Gottshall (1815-1888) of the Eastern District Conference (General Conference Mennonite), and his son, Elder William S. Gottshall (1865-1941) of the same district.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 534. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

To cite this page:

MLA style: Wenger, John C. "Godshalk (Godshall, Gottschall, Gottshall, Gottschalk, Godtschalch, Gaedtschalck) family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 October 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/G660ME.html>

APA style: Wenger, John C. (1956). "Godshalk (Godshall, Gottschall, Gottshall, Gottschalk, Godtschalch, Gaedtschalck) family." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 12 October 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/G660ME.html>