Emigrated to America on the ship "Hope" in 1733. New evidence from recent research indicates that he lived in the Alpine Mountains in an area of Aedermannsdorf called Solterschwand. Some older references indicate that he may have been from Freinschein Germany, however, it is now regarded as probable that he among a group of other immigrants from Freinschein aboard the ship Hope, which arrived in Philadelphia on Aug. 28, 1733
This, then, was the basic situation in 1733 when Joseph Flory set sail with a group of Mennonites and Palatine Germans on the Hope. While we know little of Joseph, circumstantial evidence suggests that like many of his fellow travelers he was born in Switzerland and had been exiled to Germany, probably during the period of the second expulsion from 1709-1717. His wife's name, Anna Maria Bugh, appears to be German, suggesting that he married her in exile. His first four children were probably those that he had with another wife, presumably Swiss. The name of his second daughter, Anneli, a Swiss diminutive, indicates that this first hypothetical marriage may have taken place in Switzerland. While his exact hometown is not known, it may have been in the area from the Emmanthal Valley to Matzendorf Parish in the Canton of Solothurn. He may have been related to a Fluri Mennonite family in a mountain area called the Solterschwand in the Canton of Solothurn that goes back to an Arnold Fluri in the late 17th century (see second essay below). This family had lands confiscated and suffered imprisonment because of their steadfastness to their religious beliefs. Undoubtedly, Joseph had a fair idea in Germany where he was headed in America once he arrived here. He may have even purchased land before his journey. He probably had enough money to cover expenses himself, but he may have been aided by the contributions of Dutch Mennonites or by relatives over here. There is no evidence that he had necessarily settled in Zweibruecken in Germany after leaving Switzerland, but since at least four of his shipmates had come from that town, the possibility is there. And this is what we either know or can speculate about Joseph in Europe. Some of this speculation will undoubtedly be changed or altered as more facts become known.
Joseph's Flory family may be descended from a group of farmers known as Senns, who lived in remote alpine valleys which are only seasonally accessible by single high winding paths. Many Senns were being persecuted for their Anabaptist religion in Switzerland, and for awhile it seemed as if Germany was more tolerant to people of their faith. He probably married first in c1711, to a woman, probably named Catherina, in Switzerland. His first wife may have died in Europe after the birth of Johannes (John). Joseph probably remarried to Anna Maria "Mary" Bugh, age 21, who emigrated to America on the same ship as he. He emigrated to Philadelphia with a group of Germans from the Palitinate, perhaps sharing a common Anabaptist religious faith, on the ship Hope. He signed an oath of allegiance on Aug. 28, 1733. See the on-line link to the Flora Family.
