Spouse: Hans Christopher ZIMMERMAN. Hans Christopher ZIMMERMAN and Elizabeth ALBRECHT were married on Sep 4, 1714 in Bietigheim, Wurttemberg.¹¹ They lived in Germanna in 1717. The following is compiled from The History of the Hebron Lutheran Church, Madison County, Va., From 1717-1907. By Rev. W.P. Huddle, Pastor. Printed by Henkle & Company, New market, Virginia, 1908

In the year 1717 a little band of German Lutherans set sail from Germany to settle in Pennsylvania. Their vessel stopped in London. The captain of the ship was imprisoned several weeks for debt. By this delay part of the ship's provisions were consumed. What remained was insufficient to meet the needs of the passengers and many died of hunger. After a stormy trip, they were driven south by a storm and 20 families consisting of 80 persons were landed on the Virginia coast instead of Pennsylvania. Their captain's (Scott?) heart had not been softened by his own recent experiences, but he sought to replenish himself at the expense of the friendless Germans. He claimed that they had not paid their passage money, which claim may have been true owing to the fact that the voyage had taken much more than the usual time, through no fault of their own. He refused to allow them to land until Gov. Spotswood gave him the amount demanded. Gov. Spotswood, however, before doing this secured the assent of the Germans to a contract which they apparently did not fully understand. He established them at or near Germanna, where the 1714 colony was already located. * Here until 1724 they worked for Spotswood as indentured servants. This period is described as one of great hardships. In 1724 they seem to have attempted to escape from this bondage but Col. Spotswood sued them and compelled most of them to serve another year, so that they labored eight years to gain their freedom. In 1725 the entire colony, now released, moved to the Robinson River near the foot of the Blue Mountains, in present Madison County. Here in June, 1726, they received large patents of land. They had chosen for their home a place that stood on the very border of civilization. Surrounded thus by the dangers and difficulties of the frontier life they made their homes and reached a certain degree of prosperity. There is no evidence that any of them wearying of their lot sought an easier life in the already settled portions of Virginia and Pennsylvania. Other Germans were added to them from time to time. Later, members of this community, inspired by the wanderlust, went out for new homes, but still they turned toward the frontier, to the unsettled parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. * They were settled by him (Spotswood) on the south side of the Rappidan River near Germanna, about twenty miles above Fredericksburg. This settlement is not to be confused with the German reform at Germanna.

The names of eight of these settlers; Christopher Zimmerman Mathew (Michael) Smith Michael Cook Andrew Kerger Henry Snyder Christopher Pavlur Hans Herrenberger John Motz The other twelve were: Conrad Amburger Balthaser Blankenberger Nicholas Blankenberger Matthias Blankenberger Michael Clore George Shible (Scheible?) George Mayer Michael Keifer Michael Holt George Utz Zerichias Fleshman Andrew Bellenger

The last twelve names together with six others were being sued in the courts of Spotsylvania county in 1724 for money, which Colonel Spotswood claimed was given them for their transportation. Three of them made oath that they came to this country in 1720. (Virginia magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XII pp. 350 and 351

The part of Germany from which they came can not be stated positively. The Moravian Diary states that most of the members of this church came from Wurtenburg. Rev. John Casper Stover, pastor from 1733 to 1739, states that they came from Alsace, the Palatinate and neighboring districts. The cause of their immigration was, "on account of the then well known persecutions." This was the time of the war of the Spanish succession and the wars of Louis XIV.

On April 23, 1724, Zerichias Fleshman and George Utz layed a petition before the Colonial Counsel at Williamsburg in behalf of themselves and 14 other High-Germans, then living near Germanna, in which they complained that Colonel Spotswood had unjustly sued them in the courts of Spotsylvania County for the non-performance of a certain agreement claimed to be made with him for money advanced them upon their transportation into the colony. The suits against three of them were dismissed but no record was found of how the others were finally settled.

In the year 1724, we found that Spotswood's suit against four of them, Michael Holt included, had been dismissed showing that they had served out the time for transportation and were free to move. 1724, July 7 - It was ordered by the Spotsylvania County Court that the action of debt brought by Col. Spotswood against Michael Holt be dismissed, "the plaintiff not appearing to prosecute". These people were very religious and brought their Bibles, hymn books and religious books with them. In 1725, they sent two of their members ,Michael Cook and Ziriakus Fleshman, to Germany to get a pastor and while they were gone, they built a chapel. The initial attempt to gain a pastor was unsuccessful.

1726, June 24 - George I of England granted 400 acres to Michael Holt of St. George Parish in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

1726, Nov. 1 - On petition of the Germans, Francis Kirkley and George James were ordered "to lay out and make the most convenient way for ye Germans' Mountain Road," which was done, and Michael Holt was appointed overseer.

1727, Aug.2 - Robert Spotswood asked the Court to remove Michael Holt as surveyor of the "Mountain Road," which was done, and Michael Clore was appointed in his place.

1728, September 28 - George II of England granted 245 acres to Michael Holt of Saint Georges Parish, Spotsilvania County, Virginia. Deed was witnessed by "our Trusty and Welbeloved William Gooch Esq. Our Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of our said Colony and Dominion at Williamsburg under the Seal of our said Colony the twenty eight day of September One Thousnd Seven hundred and Twenty Eight In the Second Year of Our Reign.

As previously stated, The Rev. John Casper Stover was their first regular pastor of this church in 1733. In 1734, the congregation decided to send to their brethern in Europe for funds to help build a church. Accordingly, in the Fall of 1734, Rev. Stover, Michael Schmidt - and elder, and Michael Holt - a member of the congregation, were sent to Europe to solicit funds to aid in building a church, establishing a school and supporting an assistant pastor. Before they started across the ocean, they tried to get a recommendation from the governor of the province. As the governor did not know their poverty, they laid a petition before the court of Spotsylvania County. The court certified to the truth of what they affirmed as to their condition and circumstances. See Court Order Book 1730-1738, Spotsylvania County, page 337.

With this certificate, they applied to Governor Gooch who certified to the truth of what they had done and their need of help. The seal of the colony was affixed and signed by William Gooch, September 18, 1734.

This time their effort was successful. John Casper Stoever died on the return voyage, but his place was taken by a young man, Rev. George Samuel Klug, who came to Virginia for this very purpose, that is, to minister to the German flock in the wilderness.

They went to England but we have no record of the gifts or subscription they received there. From England they went to Holland, through Germany and finally came to Danzig on June 11, 1736. Here Michael Holt left them and returned by way of London to Virginia. It appears that he brought a Mr. Klub with him as an assistant pastor. The commission gathered about 15,000.00, one third paid the commission's expenses and the remainder was used to finish the church and to buy land for the congregation and slaves to work.

On August 29, 1740 we find the congregation accepting the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. This is signed by George Samuel Klub, Pastor, Michael Cook, Michael Smith, Michael Holt, Michael Klore and Michael Utz. In 1740 Hebron Lutheran Church was built, which, with some few alterations and additions, still stands as a monument to the heroism and devotion of these early pioneers.

Submitted by Cornelia Holmes Descendant of Michael Holt Note_27
More information about the names of the Germans who came is provided by the Proofs of Importations, commonly called Head Rights. These originated early in the 1600's when it was desired to encourage immigration (to Virginia). For every person, man, woman and child, who came into the colony of Virginia, one could claim 50 acres of the Crown's land. These rights were transferrable and it quickly became the practice that the person who paid the transportation would get the headright. To actually get the headright certificate, one went to court and swore to his arrival. A certificate was issued to whomever was designated.
A number of these are recorded in Spotsylvania Co., Virginia. Twelve heads of family from the First Colony went on either the 7th Apr or the 3rd June, both in 1724 and told who came and when they came; however, not all forty-two people are identified; there are gaps.
Among the Second Colony families, the following made their proofs of importations
John Motz, wife Maria Pelona (Appollonia)
Hans Herren Burgud (Harnsberger), wife Anna Purve, son Stephen
Christopher Zimerman, wife Elizabeth, sons John and Andrew
Henry Snyder, wife Dorothy
Matthew Smith, wife Katherina
Michell Cook, wife Mary
Andrew Kerker, wife Margeritta, dau. Barbara
Christopher Parlur (Barlow), wife Pauera
All of the above stated they came in the year "one thousand seven hundred and seventeen". Next there are a group of people who stated they arrived "nine years since in Capt. Scott". These statements were made 2 May 1727. Exactly nine years earlier would have been May of 1718; however, just two months prior to that would have been, by the calendar then in use, 1717. Thus it would appear that the following people also arrived in 1717 with the others
Jacob Bryoll, (alone, but a member of the following family)
John Bryoll, wife Ursley, children Conrad and Elizabeth
Nicholas Yager, wife Mary, children Adam and Mary
Phillip Paulitz, wife Rose, children Margarett and Katherin.
Also, one man testified in 1729 (October, actually) that he came "about twelve years since in the ship called the Mulberry". Exactly 12 years earlier would have been October 1717 and it is very unlikely that the 1717ers had even left London yet. For a couple of reasons, including the above, it is doubtful that the following are 1717ers but for completeness here are names
Georg Lang, his wife Rebecca.
At this point the evidence is an embarrassment of riches and there is evidence of still others.

Note_30
Before the Second Colony had moved from New Germantown to their new and permanent homes, more immigrants were moving in. Some of these individuals came in a remarkably short time. Remember that the Second Colony members had planned to go to Pennsylvania so if more Germans arrived in Virginia within a couple of years, they were either accidentals (as the bird watchers say) or they knew they wanted to go to Virginia.
Apparently, the Second Colony members wrote home immediately after their arrival so their friends and relatives knew where they were. That they were friends or relatives (or even both) seems obvious by the case of Christopher Zimmerman and Nicholas Kabler. Both of these families were from Sulzfeld. Christopher said he came in 1717 while Nicholas said he came in 1719. Both settled in the Mt. Pony area and both were described as being coopers. It would appear that Christopher Zimmerman wrote home as soon as he arrived and told the folks in Sulzfeld where he was. Considering the pace of mail then which had a hit or miss aurora to it, it seems that Nicholas Kabler must have made his decision to go almost immediately upon receiving the news. It is certainly hard to escape the conclusion that he wasn't influenced by a knowledge of Christopher Zimmerman.
Some writers have referred to a Third Colony and even implied that it was larger than the either of the first two colonies. It does not appear that there was an organized group that came in the time period of 1718 to a few years later. It is a mistake to refer to a Third Colony. But the Germans did continue to come. By 1724 Spotswood could say there were about a hundred Germans, implying they were at New Germantown. Since the original contingent was seventy-odd, the increase would probably consist of two elements, natural net growth of the original group plus new comers.
The new comers are best described as a series of individuals who either were coming at the invitation of friends and relatives or of accidentals who, for one reason or another, found themselves in Virginia. At the same time, it appears that some individuals were already leaving Virginia, perhaps under the cover of a dark night. On a net balance the German communities grew steadily until the time of the Revolution when both immigration from Europe stopped and migration within the Colonies probably slowed.
Many, perhaps most, of these new individuals never lived anywhere near the fort at Germanna which, strictly speaking, is the one spot that can be called Germanna. So the question is raised and debated, "What is a Germanna Colonist?"
Readers Comments
Elke Hall points out that among the reasons our ancestors came was "forced deportation". Sometimes a city council would become so fed up with the behavior or the cost of maintaining a family that they sponsored a trip to the New World as a cheaper alternative. (Christoph von Graffenried got started in colonizing plans because he had a contract with the city fathers of Bern to take a number of Anabaptists out of Bern.) Elke also points out that when a person left Germany, he surrendered his citizenship and could not go back to his old home. This was the case of the First Colony members in London when Graffenried defaulted on his promises and suggested they go home. At that time, they had no home.
Note_45
On September 8, 1721, the Lord Commissioners for Trade and Plantations sent a representation to the King [George I] upon the State of His Majesties Colonies & Plantations on the Continent of North America.
The State of Virginia in 1721.
"The Government of this Colony was at first under the direction of a Company; but they being dissolved upon the mal-administration, in the year 1626, His Majesty King Charles the first took the Government into his own hands and settled such laws and constitutions in that province, as were agreeable to those in this Kingdom. Accordingly the nomination & appointment of the Governors, as well as the Council which consists of 12 persons is in your Majesty, & the General Assembly consisting of fifty-two Burgesses has been always chosen by the freeholders.
"The strength and security of this Colony, in a great measure, depend upon their Militia; their plantations being usually at too great a distance from one another to be covered by forts and towns. James Town and Williamsburg are the only Towns [they could be considered as twin cities] in the whole Country; & there is no Fort of any consequence for the security of their great navigation & trade, but at James Town.
"However for their protection against the Indians, who inhabit amongst them, & that live to the Westward they have erected Christianna, & some other Forts; & the Council & Assembly have lately proposed to your Majesty a scheme for securing the passes over the great ridge of Mountains which lie on the back of this Province . . ."
The militia in 1690 was 6,570; in 1703, 10,556; and in 1715, about 14,000 in all. The report used the ratio that the militia (all white males 16 to 50) were one-sixth of the whole population; the total number of white inhabitants was computed as 84,000. The entire province is divided into 25 counties but 5 of these counties belong to the late Lord Colepepper. In the King's 20 counties, 2,619,773 acres of land have been taken up. The holders pay an annual quit rent of two shillings [about a day's wages] or 24 pounds weight of tobacco for every hundred acres. The proceeds to the King vary widely because the price of tobacco can vary almost two to one from year to year.
Levies are made upon every person over 16 years of age except white women. In 1714 the number of tithables was 31,540. [From this, one concludes a large fraction of the population was under 16 years of age.]
"The principal product of Virginia is tobacco . . .the Virginia planters [have] exported to this Kingdom at least 30,000 hogsheads per Annum . . . The other branches of trade between this kingdom & Virginia consist in pitch & tar, pipe & hogsheads staves, skins & furrs, & a few drugs. . . their dependence is almost wholly on the produce of tobacco."
This material was taken from J.R. Brodhead, "Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York", edited by E.B. O'Callaghan, vol. V, p.591f, Albany, 1855.
Note that every member of the militia produced about two hogsheads of tobacco. A good trade to be in would be cooperage. Christopher Zimmerman and Frederick Kabler of the Germanna Mt. Pony settlement were coopers. No iron is mentioned in the trade items. Probably the furnaces had not come on line yet. The Second Colony members were involved in the Naval Stores. There is no mention of Fort Germanna which probably had been destroyed by then so Spotswood could build his home. The trip to and over the Blue Ridge Mountains had been five years earlier and no progress had been made on security. Most likely the Virginians were more motivated by land speculation than by security.
Note_66
We continue to be indebted to Margaret James Squires for research into the German church records. Today's subject is Christopher Zimmerman, member of the Second Germanna Colony.
The Zimmermann family came from Steffisburg, canton of Bern, Switzerland, before 1665 to Ravensburg, Baden, Germany. Ravensburg is very near Sulzfeld where John, the son of Christopher, stated he was from. The Sulzfeld Evangelische Church Parish (Lutheran) shows the birth of Johann Christoph Zimmermann on 16 Mar 1692 and his baptism as the 17th. He was the third son of Christian (Christian, Michael) Zimmermann and Eva Dünstler of Langenbruck, the daughter of Michael Dünster (as written).
When Christopher was six years old, his mother died. His father remarried nine months later. The new wife was Maria Barbara Edel, the daughter of Englehard Edel and his wife Anna Maria of Sulzfeld. A large second family followed.
Johann Christopher, at the age of eighteen years (on 27 Jul 1710), marrried a woman five or six years older than he was. This was Dorothea Rottle, the daughter of Martin Rottle of "Horndorff". Their first child, Johannes, was born 11 April 1711 and was baptized the next day. There were no other surviving children before Dorothea died on 16 January 1714 at twenty-seven years of age. Christopher was a widower at twenty-two years of age with a son Johannes of less than three years of age.
A year and a half later, Christopher appears in the same parish with a wife, Anna Elizabeth, when their first child, Johann Martin, was born 15 June 1715. Where the marriage took place and Anna Elizabeth's maiden name are unknown. At the age of 25, Christopher decided to leave his father and several half-siblings and to go to America. He landed in Virginia with Elizabeth and John and Andrew. It is presumed that during the trip Johann Martin died and Andrew was born. Still there is no doubt that this is the same family in Virginia as in Sulzfeld.
Later in Madison Co., VA, John Zimmerman and Elizabeth Weaver swore that Frederick Zimmerman was the only brother of "the whole blood" and heir at law of Christopher Zimmerman (II), deceased. This shows that the John Zimmerman who came to Virginia was not the son of Elizabeth (see Madison Co., VA Order Book #1-3, 1793-1798).
Other families came also from Sulzfeld in the typical pattern that the emigration of one family often led, if not simultaneously, to the eventual emigration of other families. One family that may have been from Sulzfeld (or from the nearby villages) is the Fisher family.
When the son, Johannes, of Christoph and Dorothea Zimmermann was baptized in Sulzfeld on 12 April 1711, one of the godparents was Anna Barbara Fischer. On 16 June 1715, the parents, Christoph and Anna Elisabeth Zimmermann had their child, Johann Martin, baptized with one of the witnesses being Ludwig Fischer. Though one of the later families in Virginia was Lewis and Anna Barbara Fisher, this later family could not have been the Sulzfeld family. They could be related though. As noted it was often the tendency to travel together. Also it might be noted that Johannes, b. 1711, married Ursula Blankenbaker and that Lewis Fisher (in Virginia) married Anna Barbara Blankenbaker.
Note_67
Johann Christopher Zimmerman was a 1717 colony member from Sulzfeld in Baden. His father was Christian Zimmermann (a Junior) who was christened 30 December 1669 and who died 22 May 1735 after the son above had moved to Virginia. He had married on 28 January 1688 Eva Dünstlerin who was the daughter of Michael Dünster and by whom he had four children
Johann Georg, b. 23 April 1688, d. 8 May 1688
Johann Conrad, b. 22 January 1690, d. 18 April 1700
Johann Christopher, b. 16 March 1692, will dated 30 November 1748 in Orange Co.
Maria Eva, b. 15 May 1697, fate unknown.
Christian Zimmerman (Junior) was the son of Christian Zimmerman (Senior) and Maria Schucter.
Depending upon the church records, a history or ancestry can sometimes be carried back several generations, but information in the 1500's is hard to come by. In the following notes, one family will be carried back several generations in more than one branch.
In the names above, Eva Dünstlerin has the "in" added to her father's name. This is a feminine ending showing that she was a female. Her name and her father's name are also spelled differently, apart from the feminine ending. This is not unusual.
Another family from Sulzfeld was the Kabler family as it sometimes spelled in Virginia. In Virginia, Christopher and Frederick Kabler lived close together in the Mt. Pony settlement. Thus an association which began in Sulzfeld is continued in Virginia. This is not an unusual pattern. Also, in Virginia, Christopher Zimmerman and Frederick Kabler are both given as coopers. Christopher was also a large land owner.
Note_81
The members, including one conjectured family, of the First Germanna Colony has been given. A list of names which are the candidates for the Second Germanna Colony has also been given. A few other families have also been mentioned in an incidental way. It is the intention now to add to these names those families who came in the time up to about 1733. I do not believe there were any additional Germans who were added to the First Colony in this period. There were, though, several marriages to the people in the English community.
The frequency of mixed nationality marriages is very much a function of the size of the communities. The Second Colony which has the largest number of Germans had the fewest marriages to the English in the early years. The First Colony which had fewer Germans had more marriages sooner with the English. There is another group of Germans, very few in number, who lived in the Mt. Pony area. This group moved the most rapidly to become assimilated into the English speaking world. They learned to speak English very quickly and adopted the Church of England as their church. By the 1730's, Christopher Zimmerman, from the Mt. Pony group, was a Lt. in the militia. At the other extreme, in the Robinson River community which had the most Germans, the elders forbid the pastor, William Carpenter, from speaking English in the community. This was after the Revolutionary War, a full fifty years after the community was formed.
Several Germans probably came in 1719. One who testified at his headright application that he did come then was Fredrick Cobler (Kabler) who came with his wife Barbara. The Germanna Record (6) suggests that Nicholas and Christopher Kabler came also but the headright application does not support the idea.
Another, probably from that same year, was Johann Michael Willheit (Wilhite, Willhoit, etc.) with his wife Mary (Hengsteler) and children Tobias, John, and Adam who was born about the time of arrival. No date exists to pin down his arrival except his land patent was 1728 while the people with the best claim to First Colony membership had their patents in 1726.
Other Germans who came early include William Carpenter and his brother John. It appears that these Zimmermans found there was already a Zimmerman family here so William and John anglicized their name almost at once to Carpenter. By 1726, William Carpenter used the Carpenter name in applying for his headright, saying he came in 1721. William testified he came with his wife Elizabeth. John Carpenter was not yet married.
Robert Turner or Tanner (Gerber) testified he came in 1720 with his wife Mary and children Christopher, Christiana, Katherine, Mary and Parva (Barbara). Just recently we were looking at one of his land patents.
A John Broyles, supposed son of John and Ursula Broyles, who were Second Colony members, never existed, as is reported in the Germanna Records. There was no such individual; the court records for a John Bell were misread as John Broyles (Briles).
Another individual who was granted land in 1728 was John Rouse (Rausch?).
Thomas Wayland testified in his headright application that he came with his wife Mary and children, Jacob and Catherine, but he did not give a date. Like Michael Willheit and John Rouse, he too received his land patent in 1728 so he also may have arrived about 1719.
Christopher Yowell also got his land in 1728 so he is another candidate for arrival in 1719.
Perhaps because it does appear that several families came in 1719, there has arisen the idea there was a Third Germanna Colony of as many as forty families. Probably it would be best to note that individuals did arrive that year but they do not seem to be an organized or even a connected group of people. At this time, it seem best to drop the phrase, "Third Colony", and not to use it.
Germanna Record Six gives some individuals in the context that they were slightly later arrivals after the First and Second Colony members. John Justus Albrecht (Albright) came with the First Colony as the "Head Miner". The Folg family was represented only by children, and they came with the Second Colony. They were stepdaughters of George Utz.
Note_100
The extant Hebron Lutheran church building was built in 1740 using a portion of the funds raised by the solicitors in Europe. By coincidence, the 1739 tithe list for the part of Orange County which includes the Robinson River community has been preserved. This gives us an excellent reading on who was living in the community and who might very well have been present at the dedication of the building.
In James Pickett's Precinct, which was south of the Robinson River, there were Michael Holt, Lau Crees, Cortney Browel (Conrad Broyles), George Lung (Long, Lang), John Hoffman, Jon Carpenter, Mathias Castler, Michael Cook, Henry Snider, Robert Tanner, George Tanner, Lodowick (Lewis) Fisher, George Teeter, Adam Carr (Garr), William Carpenter, Nicholas Yager, Daywall (Theobald) Cristler, Adam Yager, Matthew Smith, Henry Crowder (?Krauter?), Christley Browel (Broyles), John Hansborgow (Harnsberger), Michael Smith, Daywat (Theobald) Cristler, Michael Keiffer, George Moyers, John Rowse, Thomas Weyland, and Mark Finks. There were groups of English names mixed in with this sequence of names.
In John Mickell's Precinct, which was north of the Robinson River, there were Tobias Wilhite, John Stolts, Frederick Bumgarner, Christopher Moyers, Peter Weaver, Mitchell (Michael) Wilhite, George Woods (Utz), Pals Plunkabeaner (Balthasar Blankenbaker), Ludwick Pfisher (Lewis Fisher), Mathias Plankabeaner (Matthias Blankenbaker), Nicholas Pluncabeaner (Blankenbaker), George Shively (Sheible), Conrat Pater (?), Jacob Broil (Broyles), Zacharias Flefhman (Cyraicus Fleshman), Richard Birdine (Burdyne), John Wilhide (Willheit), Michael Claur (Clore), David Ouell (Yowell), John Thomas, Henry Sluter (Slucter), John Zimmerman, John Full (John Paul Vogt), Christian Clemon, and Jacob Manfpoil (Manspiel). Again several English names occurred among these names.
Over in the Mt. Pony area, the 1737 tithe list shows Frederick Cobbler and Christopher Zimmerman.
There are some problems in these names. Note that Lewis Fisher occurs twice. Theobald Crisler also occurs twice. By the usual genealogy, we would have expected Conrad and Jacob Broyles. We have these but also Christley. The name Crowder is an unknown to us as is the name Conrad Pater. The identity of George Tanner is unknown; he appears to be in the family of Robert Tanner.
Two families are missing, probably because the head of the family is dead. The two families are the Criglers and the Barlows. Perhaps John Jacob Aylor should also be in this category. Other families which present a mystery include Matthias Kerchler (his importation was proven in 1736 in Orange Co.), Paul Lededer (came in 1733 and was in Orange Co. by 1735), Jacob Miller (grant in 1733 adjoining Adam Yager), Leonard Ziegler (came in 1732, died in 1757) and Martin Walke (came in 1728).
On the whole though, the count of families in 1739 is approximately equal to the number 62 that had been given in a 1735 petition.
Note_110
Conrad Delph (Delp, Telph, Telp) was probably born about 1720-25 in an unknown location. His mother was perhaps a Mary Delp ( who was ordered to be paid as a witness in Orange Co., in 1745, in a suit of George Moyer, Jr., and Sarah his wife, against Conrad Broyle). Conrad married, about 1744-45, Anna Magdalena Castler, daughter of Mathias Castler, Germanna pioneer. The Hebron Church records show there were eleven children of Conrad and Anna Magdalena.
Daniel Diehl (Deal, Deals), with his wife Elizabeth brought their daughter Mary for baptism on 28 Jul 1776. Besides Daniel, there was also a John Deal in 1787 in Culpeper Co. John and Daniel were probably brothers as they seem to be of about the same age. The origins of the Diehl family are unknown.
The Dikons (Dickens) family was probably English but intermarried with the Germanna people. Benjamin Dikons and Rosina his wife had a daughter, Rhode, baptized 22 Jun 1777, at the Hebron Church, with Adam Fisher, Elisabeth Fisher, and Eva Yager as sponsors. Often the sponsors were relatives but no relationship is known at the present. An Elizabeth Dickens married John Burdyne, son of Richard and Catherine (Tanner) Burdyne. Elizabeth was the daughter of Christopher Dickens, Sr. and Sarah Pallium of Culpeper Co. Christopher was a witness to the will of Anne Mary Gabbard (1762) and an appraiser of her estate (same year). Elizabeth has a brother William and sister Winifred.
Dosser, Doser, Dozer are the names of Daniel and his wife, who were sponsors of the child Anna Barbara Urbach (Arbaugh) on 22 Sep 1776. A Friedrich Dosser was confirmed in 1777, and Henrick Dosser was confirmed in 1782 at age 14. Leonard Dozier received cash of the estate of Philemon Kavanaugh (1752), as did Christopher Zimmerman. The family appears to have moved to Greenbrier Co., now WV, and some information is available in Larry Shuck's "Shuck, Fleshman, Sydenstricker & Other Families".
Elizabeth Eberhart was a communicant at Hebron Church in 1775.
Caspar Faehr and his wife Catherina had Adam baptized on 2 Nov 1777, with Adam Wayland and his wife Mary (Finks) as sponsors.
Michael Finder died intestate in Culpeper Co. in 1760. The appraisers of the estate were James Barbour, Jr., Adam Garr and Adam Wayland.
This note has mentioned several families or individuals about whom little is known. Several of the citations have a date of 1777 plus or minus a year. There is a known reason for this which will be the subject of future notes. The fact remains that we know very little about these people and many others; however, in some cases the individual or family has been identified. These names are put forth with a similar hope. They are probably the ancestors of somebody.
Note_142
Jeanne B. Cox, a Germanna descendant, asked if I could pinpoint the location of Culpeper Classes 25 and 27. In general, I can't give the locality of the names. I can find some. In class 27, there was a name that I recognized immediately and that was Reuben Zimmerman. I also happened to know that he lived in Stevensburg, a small village along Virginia State Highway 3, the Germanna Highway, a few miles east of the town of Culpeper and not far from Mt. Pony.
Out of the people in the two classes, there is only the one German name, Zimmerman. Why they happened to be there is not entirely known. In the late 1720's and early 1730's there were a few German families living in the area southeast of Mt. Pony. But most of them moved away until only two families were left, the Zimmermans and the Kablers. Records indicate that both Christopher Zimmerman and Frederick Kabler were coopers. Also both families were known to each other in Germany, in particular around Sulzfeld.
Possibly, there were good stands of trees which would yield the material for building barrels. Christopher Zimmerman took out several land patents so that he ultimately owned several hundred acres of land. If it were for the purpose of having raw materials, he would have been a very busy cooper. Another reason for living apart from the main body of the Lutherans may have been a marketing decision. Being in the Robinson River community would have been at the extreme edge of the market as the Blue Ridge mountains to the west would not have had many customers for the barrels. Being located at Mt. Pony may have been closer to the center of things.
Other early residents of the Mt. Pony, such as Amberger (Amburgey) and Bloodworth moved closer to the Robinson River community.
One of the lessons of a very small ethnic community such as the Germanic Mt. Pony settlement is that the values of the larger community quickly become the values of the smaller community. The smaller the community is, the quicker the process. Large ethnic communities maintain their values (language and religion, for example) for longer periods of time. The Robinson River community was still holding church services in German nearly a hundred years after the founding of the church. The influx of new people who had not left Germany long before helped to maintain the old order.
The Zimmermans and the Kablers quickly adopted the English church and language and married the English. Before long they were not to be easily distinguished from their neighbors. Reuben Zimmerman was the grandson of the immigrant, Christopher Zimmerman. He kept an inn, or ordinary, in Stevensburg which was widely accepted as the place to meet. In fact the Church of England Vestry used to hold their meetings at Zimmerman's ordinary.
So we can say that Culpeper Class 27 is to be identified with Stevensburg. Near numbers to 27 were probably not far away. I have good ideas about the location of the "Madison Co." and the Little Fork classes. If any of you have ideas about the location of classes, I would like to know your thoughts.
Note_143
Christopher Zimmerman, see the last note, was married twice. From the first wife, Dorothy Rottle, there was one surviving son, John. Christopher married again in Sulzfeld, Baden, and came with his second wife, Anna Elizabeth Albrecht, and the son, John. Later in Virginia, Andrew, Frederick, Barbara, Christopher (Jr.), Elizabeth and Katherine were born. The last of these births was probably around 1730.
The eldest son, John, may not have gotten on well with his stepmother for he moved out of the Mt. Pony area to the Robinson River community where he married Ursula Blankenbaker. But maybe the sequence was just the opposite, to find a wife, he had to go to the Robinson River community. Then he stayed there taking out a land patent in 1734 when he was 23.
John and Ursula (Blankenbaker) had seven children, John, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Christopher, Mary (did not marry), Margaret (marriage unknown) and Rosanna. Generally the children married Germans such as Tanner, Holtzclaw, etc.
In the second family There is no record for Andrew after 1717; Frederick married Sarah ___, and they had three children; Reuben may have married Mary Yates Carter, Frederick who married Judith Bourne and moved to Kentucky in 1792; and Christopher (no further information).
Also in the second family, Barbara married Leonard Ziegler, but details past this point are scarce. Still in the second family, Christopher, Jr. did not marry, but he had close relationships to the Brown and Kabler family to judge by his will. The families for Elizabeth and Katherine are not clear, even starting with their husbands.
The great-grandchildren of the immigrant Christopher through the son, John, who lived in a Germanic community, married these surnames Huffman, Penager, Ziegler, Ziegler, Scott, Ziegler, Fewell, Chilton, and Sutton. Also, House, Tanner, Rouse, Crigler, Crigler, Rouse, Beeman, Crisler and Taylor. This does not trace out the descendants of Dorothy (John, Christopher) who married Jacob Tanner or Elizabeth (John, Christopher) who married Joseph Holtzclaw.
The great-grandchildren through the second family include ones who married Carter, Felder, Somergall, Twisdell, Twisdell, Bourne, Jennings, Dinwiddle, Coiner, Combs, and Lessly. Thus, when the great-grandchildren of the immigrant married, the choice of the spouse was reflected strongly by the nature of the community where they lived. Some of these choices were reflected in the first generation after the immigrant where there was a split in the nationalities. In the second generation, the differences are more pronounced and by the third generation after the immigrant, the choice is not based on origin but on the current community.
But this process is strongly influenced by the character of the community. In my own personal case, my grandfather, who died in 1918, was descended only from the Germanna people. Up to his birth, the community contained a large percentage of Germans. But when he was married, he was living in a community which was decidedly English so he married a woman of English descent (a Mayfield).
There was a real effort to hold the immigrants' culture for as long as possible. It amazes us how long this process can go on. Klaus Wust recounts the internal cultural battles in his excellent book, "The Virginia Germans". One German man in his will offered fifty pounds to a son if he married a German woman.
Note_207
The last notes have discussed the confusion concerning the Lewis Fisher family. There is more than has been given. But to recap some, the Garrs gave the wrong set of children. The claim that Lewis was the son of Sebastian Fisher of Tulpehocken, Pennsylvania is not born out by the facts. And the estate worth millions of dollars did not pan out. Or as the gold miners might say, "It showed only sand."
There is more potential confusion. First, in the 1739 tithe list for Orange County, there are two Lewis Fishers, one living north of the Robinson River and one living south of the Robinson River. Two different men wrote down his name as a tithe. What is one to make of this situation?
One theory is that there was only one Lewis Fisher who had homes on both sides of the river. Each roll taker thought he was responsible for the man and entered his name on the tithe list. Presumably under this scenario, Lewis Fisher was absent when one of the tithe takers came around and this census reporter used information from neighbors. Had Lewis been present, he surely would have made the point that he had been counted already. After all, it did cost money to be counted or enrolled on the tithe list.
I know of no other evidence that there were two Lewis Fishers. Except ---
Mrs. Margaret James Squires, in researching her Christoph Zimmermann in Germany, reports that at the baptism of one of the Zimmermann children the sponsors were Ludwig and Anna Barbara Fischer. But since Christopher Zimmerman came with the Second Colony, this would make the sponsoring couple too old to be the Lewis and Anna Barbara Fisher that we have been talking about. Now suppose that the parents in Germany, at Sulzfeld, to be more exact, had a son Ludwig who came with them to Virginia. The son married Anna Barbara Blankenbaker and they were the parents of the family that we have been talking about.
Under this condition, there might be two Lewis Fisher families, each with a wife named Anna Barbara. Except for the poll list where the duplicated names stand out, it would be easy to merge the two families into one and to think there was only one family. Especially if the elder family was not too active in generating records.
I have put forth this suggestion before, but I must say it has not generated a lot of enthusiasm. One reason is that people hate to see a family changed or upset. The evidence in the Lewis family shows that people, even when presented with good, solid evidence are reluctant to accept new information if it upsets their previous conceptions; however, if I were a Fisher family descendant trying to find its German origins, I would start around Sulzfeld. Presumably Cerni and Zimmerman of the "Before Germanna" monographs did look in the area. They did not mention anything; however, not all church records have been filmed. Also, a name as common as Fischer might have discouraged them.
Note_245
Whom Did Adam Yager Marry?
Adam Yager was the son of Nicholas Yager. Except for the possibility that Adam's sister Mary did live and have heirs, all of the descendants of Nicholas Jäger are through Adam. Adam is said to have married Susannah Kabler, the sister of Frederick Kabler. The last point is quoted very widely by descendants and by historians. However, evidence for this is unknown (to me). Let's examine pro and con points for this purported marriage.
AGAINST Fred Zimmerman, in his research into the German church records, found the birth record for Frederick (Hans Friedrich) Kappler. but evidence on other family members is extremely poor. It is not clear why this is so. Frederick Kappler called on Christoph Zimmermann to be a sponsor (godfather) for Kappler's son, Christoph. This tie between the Kabler and Zimmerman families continued in Virginia as these were two of the very few families who lived in the Mt. Pony area. Also, both men were coopers. No where in the church records in Germany does Susannah appear. Because the Kabler and Zimmerman families were associated in Germany and later in Virginia, it seems that the right families have been found.
Before looking at one piece of positive evidence, a short digression on Mt. Pony is warranted. When some of the Germans moved to the Robinson River area, a few of them moved to a distinctly different area, the Mt. Pony region. Most historians had failed to recognize there was a geographical difference which was significant. In my own research, I noted the difference and plotted some of the land.
FOR Adam Yager lived in the Mt. Pony area for more than ten years. He had one hundred acres on the southern slope of Mt. Pony not far from the tract that Frederick Kabler owned. Adam's father, Nicholas, had moved to the Robinson River area. It seems likely that Adam lived in the Mt. Pony area, because his wife would be near to her family. This, in itself, does not make her a Kabler. The people, though, who had been calling Adam's wife a Kabler had not realized that Adam was living apart from his father. They failed to recognize that geography did support them (though it was not proof). Perhaps Susannah was named as a Kabler in handed-down family lore and the source of the information has been lost. In short, the idea that Adam Yager married Susannah Kabler is supported by geography but this is very weak evidence.
It pains me to say that Susannah Kabler was Adam Yager's wife because the evidence is practically nonexistent.
Mt. Pony has been the news recently. During the cold war, the Federal Reserve Board dug out an underground bunker in Mt. Pony as a haven for federal officials in case there was an atomic attack. With the thaw, it has been decided to discontinue the use of it.
Note_297
How does one know if a name is German? The question is a good one which can be illustrated by an example. In the next paragraph, I believe we are talking about one person.
In 1726, Joseph Cooper patented 400 acres of land in the Fork of the Rappahannock (in the area of Mt. Pony). In 1728, as Joseph Kooper, he patented 404 acres on Potato Run in the same general area. A Barbara Cooper died in Orange County, Virginia in 1735. Jacob Prosie gave bond as her administrator in 1735 with Jacob Miller and John Vaught as securities. Her estate was appraised by Christopher Zimmerman, Frederick Cobler, and Charles Morgan.
John Vaught (he lived several miles away), Christopher Zimmerman, and Frederick Cobler were certainly Germans. Jacob Prosie and Jacob Miller are less certain. Charles Morgan was probably English. The question though is whether Joseph Cooper was German. The surest way of telling would be his signature but we have no examples of that.
The spelling Kooper suggests a German origin. And the fact that so many Germans were in the administration of his wife's estate suggests that she, at least, was German. Probably Joseph Kooper (sp?) was a German but we do not know for certain. At this point, we could only hope to find the name in some of the German church records, especially records where Zimmerman, Cobler, or Vaught were to be found.
Here is another name, Charles Frady. Is he English or German? On the surface, the name looks English. But down at the Hebron church they were writing one name there as Karl Vrede. Now if Vrede were pronounced by a German, it would sound very much like Frady. Or vice-versa, if a German heard the name Frady, he would write it down as Vrede. Another name at the church was Preiss which an Englishman would probably write as Price. So was he German or English?
One of the rules I use in estimating nationality are the names used by the person as neighbors. For example, When John Kains or Kines patented land on a branch of Deep Run, the neighbors were given as Christian Clayman (Clements), John Huffman, and Edward Ballenger. My theory is that a man most often lives with his own nationality. And when he gives neighbors, he is most apt to name people of his own nationality. The grounds for this latter claim are that a man becomes acquainted sooner and better with people who speak his own language. However, I am not sure about Kains. The spelling with the K also suggests a German as the name would more likely be Caines in English (I would think).
In the last paragraph, there was a Ballenger. This is a good English name (I think). But was Edward Ballenger English? An Andrew Ballenger was sued by Spotswood when he sued many members of the Second Colony. In a similar category is Joseph Bloodworth. I assume he was German.
I have thrown out examples or questions. I would appreciate responses as to the rules you use to estimate whether a man is German or English. Reply privately or to the list.
Note_373
22 October 1776
To the Honorable, the President and Delegates of the Convention of the Common Wealth of Virginia
The Petition of the German Congregation of the County of Culpepper Showeth
Our Fathers lived under an arbitrary Prince in Germany and were invited by the Honorable William Penn to settle in his Province. By the faith they had in the Charter and by the word of the Germans that lived there, we could enjoy freedom in the exercise of Religion, supporting only our own Church and the Poor. Our Fathers ventured their lives and fortunes to come into a Land of Liberty to enjoy the Sweets of Freedom which God created for all Men. They journeyed from Germany to London and there agreed with a Captain to land them in Pennsylvania. The Captain proved false and landed them against their will and agreement in Virginia where he sold them for Servants.
Soon they gathered to the Place where we now live and they concluded to erect a Church and a School House. They were granted a License to collect money, build a church, call a minister, worship God in a congregation, and practice their religion as they were taught by their parents in Europe.
In our poverty we are obliged to pay Parochial Charges as well as support our own Church which leaves many of us distressed. Now, with our fellow citizens, we are obliged to bleed for Freedom and contribute to the expense of the War. We are not breaking from the established Church as do the common Dissenters.
We humbly pray that we may be exempted from further payment of the Parochial Charges except to support our own Church and Poor
Adam Gaar, Adam Wayland, John Yager, Andrew Carpenter, John Weaver, Nicholas Crigler, Christopher Blankenbaker, Conrad Delph, George Cook, Valentine Bunger, Mathias House, Michael Fleshman, Michael Utz, John Gaar, Zacharias Blankenbaker, Bernard Fisher, Rudolph Urbach, Michael Smith, Mathias Rouse, Adam Cook, Nicholas Broyles, Adam Moyer, Samuel Rouse, Michael Yager, Zachariah Broyles, Michael Lederer, Nicholas Smith, Phillip Snyder, Eberhard Reiner, Frederick Tanner, John Winegard, Mark Fink, Jacob Broyle, John Wayland, Jr., Jacob Broyles, Adam Barlow, William Carpenter, Michael Utz, Jr., Adam Bender, John Fink. Martin Rouse, Henry Crisler, Paul Lederer, John Smith, John Zimmerman, Nicholas Yager, Christian Reiner, George Utz, Jr., Jacob Hendrickson, Mathias Weaver, Henry Aylor, George Crisler, Daniel Dosser, Stephan Fisher, Jacob Blankenbaker. Nicholas Wilheit, John Carpenter, John Fleshman, Frederick Lipp, John Broyles, Robert Fleshman, Philip Chelf, George Utz, Christopher Crigler, Adam Broyles, Christopher Zimmerman, Zacharias Smith, Christopher Moyer, Jr., John Yager, Jr., John Zimmerman, Adam Yager, Sr., John Carpenter, Sr., Joseph Rouse, Benjamin Gaar, Jurt Tanner, Joseph Holtzclaw, John Wilhoit, John Backer, John Dear, Sr., Henry Miller. Conrad Kenszle, Michael Gaar, Andrew Gaar, Peter Clore, Michael Utz, Daniel Delph, Christopher Tanner, Michael Swindle, Ziriakus Broyles, George Rieser, Peter Weaver, Adam Crigler, Henry Aylor, Adam Utz, Michael Clore, Michael Snider, John Clore, Jr., Adam Clore, Peter Broyles, Rudolph Crecelius, John Frey, Martin Deer, Michael Zimmerman, George Lehman, John Clore, Christopher Barlow, John Smith, Michael Carpenter, Daniel Beemon, John Swindle, Christopher Moyer, George Wilheit, Nicholas Lederer, Nicholas Smith, Jr., Michael Cook, Lewis Nunnamaker, Michael Blankenbaker, and Benjamin Gaar.
[In preparing this, some editing was done to conform more closely to modern usage. The text of the petition was simplified. Names were spelled with a common usage.]

The six hundred and fifty-seventh note in a series on the Germanna
Colonies

In the Robinson River Valley of present day Madison County, Virginia, there were two families of the early eighteenth century who are often confused.
The German name of both families was Zimmermann. The first to arrive in Virginia, in 1717, was Christoph Zimmermann and he and his descendants kept the name Zimmerman. A few years later, Wilhelm and Johann Zimmermann came.
Whether to distinguish themselves from the earlier family or whether they wished to adopt English customs and name is not clear, but they almost immediately took up the name of Carpenter in lieu of Zimmermann. In the civil records, I believe they are were always referred to as Carpenter. The confusion arises because down at the German church the records were often kept with the German version of the name, not the anglicized version of the name. Thus, the Carpenter family at the church is sometimes called Zimmermann but not always. Sometimes they are Carpenters and this has been the source of confusion. One has to study the records for a while to learn the first names that distinguish them. Even experts such as B. C. Holtzclaw have confused the two and called some of the Carpenters "Zimmermans."
I will discuss the Zimmerman family for a few notes. They did drop the second "n" but otherwise they kept the German name. Strangely enough, one part of this family, with the German version of the name, was among the first to adopt the English language, customs, and religion. This came about because the immigrant patriarch, Christopher, did not live in the Robinson River Valley but lived southeast of Mt. Pony with only a few other Germans in the neighborhood. When surrounded by English neighbors, German families usually adopted English customs very quickly. As an example, within ten years of settling in the Mt. Pony area, one of the Germans was a Lt. in the militia.
One part of this family moved from the Mt. Pony area to the Robinson River Valley. Members of this branch appear in the Evangelical German Church records, i.e., the "Dutch" church now known as Hebron Lutheran Church. This branch is headed by John Zimmerman, the son of Christopher. Why should this physical separation have come about? It perhaps originated with the fact that John, the eldest child, was a son of the first wife while his siblings had a different mother. There is no evidence, other than the physical separation, that there may have been some strong feelings. Maybe John did not wish to adopt the English ways and wanted an environment that was more German.
The source of the Zimmerman family in Germany is known. When one looks in the records there, it is found that they had immigrated to Germany from Switzerland. (Several of our Germanna families have a connection to Switzerland when they moved from there after the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648.)


The six hundred and fifty-eighth note in a series on the GermannaColonies

In studying the Rector family, we saw that the history had to be revised when more evidence was discovered. There is a similar situation with the Zimmerman family about whom B. C. Holtzclaw wrote in "Germanna Record Six" (about four pages). [He left later notes and admitted that identifying John Zimmerman and wife Susanna with the Zimmerman family was a mistake; he was a member of the Carpenter family.] In these later notes, he wrote that Christopher Zimmermann was born in Germany about 1685-90 and came to America in 1717 with his wife Elizabeth and two sons, John and Andrew. Without information from Germany, these suppositions or guesses were very good. But when the German information became available, some modifications were necessary. Like John Rector, Christopher Zimmerman was married twice and Elizabeth (actually Anna Elisabetha) was his second wife. John was the son of the first wife and Andrew was the son of the second wife. [Again, this is a lesson for us about the probability that our information is correct.]
The son John, when he was naturalized, said that he was born in a place in Germany which has since been identified as Sulzfeld. German locality spellings, especially as written by an English clerk in the eighteenth century, are sometimes a problem to match with the current names. The problem is compounded by many similar names in a German atlas. Margaret James Squires was able to identify the village and she examined the church records. She found that Hans Christoph Zimmermann had been born there on 16 Mar 1692. His parents were Christian Zimmermann and Eva Dünster (or Dünstler) of "Langenbruck," the daughter of Michael Dünster.
Christian Zimmerman was born (more exactly, christened) 30 Dec 1669 in Sulzfeld. Eva Dünster was born about 1662. They were married 28 Jan 1688 at Sulzfeld. They were the parents of four children. Johann Georg was born 23 Apr 1688 and he died two weeks later on 8 May. Johann Conrad was born 22 Jan 1690 and he lived until 18 Apr 1700, not long past his tenth birthday. Then came (16 Mar 1692) Johann (Hans) Christoph, the Virginia immigrant. A girl, Maria Eva, was born and christened on 15 May 1697. No further records appear for her and the christening on the day of birth may indicate that she was not expected to live. The mother, Eva Dünstler Zimmermann, died six months later on 15 Feb 1698. Christian Zimmermann was a widower at 28 years of age with two young sons. He married, later in the year on 22 Nov 1698, Maria Barbara Edel. Christian died 22 May 1735 at 75 years of age. (This does not compute correctly.) [I have no information about Maria Barbara Edel or any family that she and Christian may have had.]
The ancestry of Christian can be carried back for two generations and I will do that before following the life of Christopher, the Virginia immigrant.
The six hundred and sixty-first note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

The name of the village from whence the Virginia immigrant Christopher Zimmerman came has been given here as Sulzfeld which is the spelling that I see on modern maps. Through history, it has had other spellings such as Sultzfeld and Sülzfeld.
Christoph was born 16 May 1692 in Sulzfeld and before he was grown he had experienced death many times in the Zimmermann family. When he was barely past his eighteenth birthday, he married Dorothea Rottle who was a few years older than he. Their first child was Johannes born 11 Apr 1711. He was an immigrant to Virginia. A second child in 1713 was stillborn and Dorothea died 16 Jan 1714.
Christoph married in that year, Anna Elisabetha unknown. Nothing more than her given names are known. They were the parents of seven children, the first born in Sulzfeld, the second appears to have been born enroute to Virginia, and the other five were born in Virginia. The first of the seven, Johann Martin, died very young. It was this child who had a Ludwig Fischer as a sponsor. The other children were Andrew (born in enroute apparently), Barbara, Frederick, Christopher, Elizabeth, and Katherine. As the family arrived in Virginia, there was Christopher, Anna Elizabeth, John who was now six, and Andrew who less than a year.
Christopher was not sued by Alexander Spotswood but we do know he came in 1717 because he gave this date in his naturalization. He did have a land patent for 400 acres at an early date and he added other land patents within a few years. Christopher was one of a few Germans who chose to live in the Mt. Pony area, actually a few miles to the southeast of it on Potato Run. This was at a considerable distance from the Robinson River Valley where the majority of the Second Colony moved.
A neighbor of Christopher was Frederick Kabler who was also from Sulzfeld. Each of the men appears in the records as a cooper. The choice of Mt. Pony as a home may have been influenced by the trees used in barrel making. But perhaps more likely, they were closer to their markets for the casks. Virginia needed tens of thousands of barrels or casks each year to ship their tobacco back to England. Living and working in the Mt. Pony area put them at least twenty-five miles closer to the market for their products (than the Robinson River Valley would have).
Christopher was a Lieutenant in the militia in 1735 and 1742 showing that he adapted to his English neighbors very quickly. His will, dated 30 Nov 1748, and probated the next spring mentions his wife Elizabeth and his six children, Christopher, Jr., John, Barbara Ziegler, Frederick, Elizabeth, and Catherine. The last two girls were unmarried. Andrew or descendants of Andrew are not mentioned.

The six hundred and sixty-fifth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

A family which became closely associated with the Zimmermans was Ziegler who often became Ziglars in some of the later generations. It is believed that the Germanna family entered the colonies at Philadelphia in 1732 in the person of Johann Leonhart Ziegler. He moved to Virginia and became the husband of Barbara Zimmerman, the daughter of the immigrant Christopher Zimmerman. He lived in the Mt. Pony area where he had land on Stoney Run adjacent to Frederick Zimmerman, son of Christopher Zimmerman.
Johann Leonhart Ziegler died as a younger man, age 46, in Culpeper Co. where his will is recorded in Will Book A for 1757. Children who are mentioned are Christopher, Leonard (Jr.), Elizabeth, Ann, and Susanna. One of the appraisers of his estate was Nicholas Kabbler, another Mt. Pony neighbor.
Leonard, Jr. also died as a young man in 1772 and his will, not mentioning children, leaves all of his estate to his wife Ann. A Revolutionary War application (W 4107) exists on behalf of Leonard Ziglar (or his widow) who was born 2 Jul 1762. Presumably this was Leonard III. Leonard III married 1783/4 Nancy Zimmerman, born 3 Jan 1766, the daughter of John. This John was the son of John who was the son of the immigrant Christopher.
John Zimmerman, the father of Nancy, lived in the Robinson River area whereas the Ziglars lived in the Mt. Pony area. I had suggested that the physical separation between the branches of the Zimmermans might have been due to son-step mother dissension. However, the marriage of Nancy from the Robinson River community with Leonard Ziglar in the Mt. Pony area suggests that the Zimmermans did maintain contact.
In 1787, Leonard (III) and Nancy moved to Surry Co., NC. The area later became Stokes Co. in 1789 and Forsyth Co. in 1849. Leonard and Nancy had fourteen children, Elizabeth, John, Anna, Christopher, William, Leonard (IV), Susanna, Mary, Reuben, Michael, James, Daniel, and Benjamin. This is only thirteen children and my notes say that the fourteenth child was named Zimmerman, an unusual first name.
A Johann Leonhardt Ziegler of Sinsheim in Germany was denied permission to emigrate in 1750. The relationship of these two individuals of the same name is not clear but it would appear that the origins of the family have been found. It was from the same area that the Pinnegar (Benninger) family originated. They were associated with the Zieglers in Virginia. Thus, research on the Ziglar and Pinnegar families should be directed to the records in the Sinsheim area which is a good day's walk from Sulzfeld, the home of the Zimmermans.

The six hundred and sixty-sixth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

The general framework recently of the discussion has been the Zimmerman family. We introduced the Ziglar family (as the name developed) which in turn led to the Pinnegar family. We continue on this detour before returning to the main line on the Zimmermans. On 12 Aug 1778, Peter Pinnegar purchased 275 acres in the Gourd Vine Fork of the Rappahannock from John Deer and his wife Catherine of Culpeper County, Virginia. The land had been a part of a grant to Francis Brown in 1749.
Peter Pinegar (Jr.) married Anna Magdalena. One of their sons was William, Sr. who married Elizabeth Zimmerman, the daughter of John and Ursula (Blankenbaker) Zimmerman. Another son of Peter was Matthias, Sr. There was a daughter Mary who married Robert Flincham. The Pinegars moved to Stokes Co., North Carolina in the company of Finchams, Zimmermans, and Ziglars where they lived together and intermarried.
The German origins of Peter Benninger (Sr.) of Epfenbach (Kreis Sinsheim) are given in Don Yoder's "Rhineland Emigrants." Peter was permitted to emigrate in the year 1751 with wife and four children. In the previous year, the blacksmith Leonhardt Ziegler of Sinsheim was denied permission to emigrate to Pennsylvania. The coupling of the family names in the same locality in Germany and in Virginia, increases the probability that the families have been identified. Epfenbach is about fifteen miles north of Gemmingen and Schwaigern, the homes of many Germanna families. Sinsheim, the town, is only five miles from Gemmingen.
Peter (Jr.) Pinegar's father and mother were Peter Beninger and Anna Christina Ziegler. This gives us a connection between the Beninger and Ziegler families. Names in the ancestry of Anna Christina include Schütz and Stein. Peter, Jr. was born in 1735 at Epfenbach and arrived at Philadelphia on the ship St. Andrew. He was in Page Co., VA by 1755.He died in Stokes Co., NC in 1794. Peter's (Jr.) maternal grandfather was the mayor of Epfenbach but this was only a part-time activity as he was a farmer. Peter's great-great-great-grandfather, Michael Stein, was mayor of Spechbach.
The confusion of the letters "P" and "B" shows quite clearly in the Pinegar history.

The six hundred and sixty-eighth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

In reviewing the Ziglars (Zieglers) in the last note, we were reviewing the Zimmerman family also for Leonard Ziegler married Barbara Zimmerman. Her father, Christopher, the immigrant, gave Barbara Ziegler 200 acres of land on 25 Aug 1737. She was less than twenty years old then for she was born after the family arrived in Virginia. Leonard died in 1757, so Barbara was less than forty years old and she probably did remarry. She gave 200 acres to her unmarried daughter, Elizabeth, on 16 Nov 1758. Less than a year later, "Tebald" Fite and Barbara his wife deeded 100 acres of land to John Zimmerman, Jr. on 20 Sep 1759. This was her nephew, son of John of the Robinson River community. (It might be profitable to study this land transaction in more detail.)
Tebald Fite has not been identified satisfactorily. The name "Tebald" suggests a German. "Fite" might be Vite, Wite, or White. The family, if any, of Tebald and Barbara is unknown.
Another son of the immigrant Christopher was Frederick who was born perhaps about 1721, probably after Barbara. The eldest son of Frederick, Reuben Zimmerman, was perhaps born about 1745 to 1750. Frederick appears in the personal taxes of Culpeper Co. until 1798. He was freed from levies by 1794. Deeds show that his wife was Sarah, otherwise unknown. B.C. Holtzclaw made the comment once Frederick did not appear in the records of the German Lutheran Church (Hebron) as did his brother John. He did not realize that the two (half) brothers lived apart from each other. Frederick was about twenty miles from the church living in a neighborhood of very few Germans. He and his full brothers and sisters adopted the culture of the neighborhood which was English. Very likely, Frederick's wife Sarah was English.
Frederick did not leave a will so his family has to be reconstructed from other evidence. He seems to have had three sons, Reuben who was probably the eldest, Frederick, and Christopher.
Christopher Zimmerman, the immigrant, had a son Christopher who was born about 1725 and died in 1781 as a single man. The younger Christopher's will left his property to Pollard and Robert Brown and appointed his friends Thomas and Robert Brown executors. It was witnessed by Nicholas Kabler, John Brown, and William Kabler. Christopher had owned land (some at least from his father's original patents) and he deeded some of this away in 1757 and 1776 (on the last date to William Kabler).
Elizabeth, a daughter of Christopher Zimmerman, married James Conner. On 21 July 1757 James Conner and Elizabeth deeded 102 acres that she had inherited from her father. The family is unknown at this time. Elizabeth had a sister Catherine who may have married William Slaughter but again no family is known.

The six hundred and sixty-ninth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

The previous note referenced a land transaction in which Theobald Fite and his wife sold land. I had suggested in a tentative way that the wife was Barbara Zimmerman who had earlier married Leonard Ziglar. Craig Kilby sent me information which suggests that Theobald's wife may not have been Barbara.
Barbara had a brother Frederick and they were children of the immigrant Christopher Zimmerman. Frederick had a son Frederick. The grandson Frederick, or more exactly his widow, applied for a pension (W8374) for services during the Revolutionary War. Frederick served from Culpeper County, Virginia, from January 19, 1779, to June 1, 1780 in the western campaigns under George Rogers Clark. Several people from the Germanna community had gone to Kentucky around then.
On 14 Jun 1784, Frederick obtained a Culpeper Co. license to marry Judith Bourn, daughter of Andrew and Jane (Morton) Bourn(e). They were married by John Leland, a Baptist minister. During some of the time after marriage, Frederick kept a school. He moved his young family from Culpeper Co. to Jessamine Co., KY about 1792. Several other Culpeper families, including the Finneys, Lowens, and Bourns, may have moved about the same time. In Kentucky, Frederick is known to have had surveying assignments.
On 10 Dec 1804, Frederick was riding his horse to Lexington when he was thrown and killed. He was buried the next day in Jessamine Co. Frederick and Judith had nine children:
1. Sarah Zimmerman, b. ca 1785, m. Andrew Bourne,
2. William Zimmerman, b. ca 1787, m. Frances Reed,
3. Morton Zimmerman, b. ca 1797, m. Mildred Barnett,
4. Polly Zimmerman, m. John Lessley,
5. Jane P. Zimmerman, m. Thomas C. Jennings,
6. Fanny Zimmerman, m. Robert Dinwiddle,
7. Agustis Zimmerman, m. Betsy Barnett,
8. Nancy Zimmerman, m. John Coiner, and
9. Judith Zimmerman, m. Francis H. Combs.

Judith remained unmarried for a few years, then married George Bourn by whom she had one child who died in infancy. Judith died 29 Jun 1844 in Jessamine Co. and George died 12 May 1836.
On 25 June 1839, Morton Zimmerman, William Zimmerman, and John Coiner were in Green Co., IL. In 1855, Sally, William, and Morton were the only living children of Frederick and Judith. (I have some names for the children of deceased children.) The information here comes principally from Gene Dear using the pension application. Other descendants contributed information to Gene.
We have the larger Zimmerman family that, within two generations, lived in many different states in the south and west. Their motives in choosing a state were probably very mixed and other individuals might have chosen different states. We have diversity in the United States and it does no good to cast aspersions on someone else's choices. Rather we should enjoy our differences.

The twelve hundred and eighty-fifth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

Johny Cerny and Gary Zimmerman found the birth record of Hans Christoph Zimmermann (no relation) at Sulzfeld, Baden. He was born 16 Mar 1692 (this might have been either an old style date or a new style date and they did not specify which) to Christian Zimmermann and Maria Eva Unknown. His paternal grandmother was Maria Schuchter, a surname very similar if not the same as the second husband of Anna Barbara Schön who married first a Blankenbühler and thirdly a Fleischmann. (Cerny and Zimmerman have much more information in Before Germanna, volume 9. For pictures of Sulzfeld, see the web pages below.)

Christoph Zimmermann married Dorothea Rottle, daughter of Martin Rottle, baker, on 27 July 1710. Christoph was 18 years old and Dorothea was about 23. They had one child, Johannes (John in Virginia) who was born in 1711. Dorothea died in 1714 and Christoph married Anna Elisabetha Albrecht that same year. Several children were born to this marriage, mostly in Virginia.

In 1725 Christopher moved to the first of his land patents in the Mt. Pony area of (today) Culpeper County. A near neighbor of his was Friedrich Kabler who also came from Sulzfeld. These families had known each other in Sulzfeld. John Zimmerman, the eldest son of Christopher, moved to Robinson River Valley where he married Ursula Blankenbaker, the daughter of Johann Nicholas Blankenbaker. The other children of Christopher lived near their father. One wonders if John Zimmerman did not like his stepmother and if this was the motivation for moving to the Robinson River Valley. It may be nothing more than John having a liking for the German language which was not used very much in the Mt. Pony area.

The Zimmerman family is to be distinguished from the Carpenter families of William Carpenter and John Carpenter who lived in the Robinson River Valley. Generally, the Carpenter family used the name Carpenter but some of the writers at the German Lutheran Church would write the name as Zimmerman which has confused investigators. One must learn to distinguish the Zimmermans who are Carpenters from the Zimmermans who are Zimmermans.

The recent report about the Zimmerman family was in error on the location of Christopher’s birthplace. It was Baden, not Alsace which are on the opposite sides of the Rhine River. They did not leave because of religious persecution but because they wanted to make a better life for themselves. Except for John Zimmerman, who lived in the Robinson River Valley, the other Zimmermans had nothing to do with the German Lutheran Church which eventually became known as Hebron. They were not opposed to the church; they simply lived too far away.

Christopher Zimmerman and his family who lived with him rapidly became Englishlike in their ways. When Christopher wrote his will, he had no problem with having two English persons as witnesses.

The twelve hundred and eighty-sixth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

Christopher Zimmerman filed for a proof of importation in 1727 at the Spotsylvania Courthouse in which he said he came with his wife Elizabeth and sons John and Andrew. The birth of John at Sulzfeld is recorded in the church books but Andrew's birth is not recorded at Sulzfeld. This is the only record for Andrew in Virginia. We presume that he died at an early age in Virginia but he might have lived up to the time of his father's will in 1748. This though is very improbable as he would have been about thirty years of age and probably a parent himself. Christopher would surely have recognized any heirs of Andrew. Since he did not, there probably were not any heirs of Andrew (nor was there any Andrew).
The Andrew Carpenter who married Barbara Weaver was the son of John Carpenter who lived in the Robinson River Valley. Christopher Zimmerman lived twenty-five miles away (plus or minus) from the Robinson River Valley. Incidentally, William Carpenter, brother of John Carpenter, said that he came in 1721 when he filed a proof of importation. Christopher Zimmerman said that he came in 1717. Christopher Zimmerman never had a land patent in the Robinson River area.
The statement that Andrew Zimmerman married Barbara Carpenter, the daughter of the Rev. William Carpenter is wrong. Rev. Carpenter was only a teenager during the Revolution and he did not become a Reverend until about 1791. The correct statement is that Andrew Carpenter, son of John Carpenter, married Barbara Weaver. (John Carpenter was the uncle of the Rev. William Carpenter.) Any references to Andrew Zimmerman at the church or otherwise should be read as Andrew Carpenter. No one knows now where the "Carpenter" family came from in Germany.
None of the members of the Christopher Zimmerman family ever adopted the name Carpenter. William and John Carpenter were apparently Zimmermans in the beginning but, almost from the very beginning in America, they adopted the name Carpenter. In their minds, there was never any doubt about what name they were using in America. At the church, where they liked to use the German form of names, they were sometimes, but not always, called Zimmerman.
John, the son of Christopher Zimmerman, was born in 1711 by Christopher's first wife. He did move from the Mt. Pony area where his father was living and moved to the Robinson River Valley. There he married Ursula Blankenbaker, the daughter of John Nicholas Blankenbaker. When the Revolution erupted, John Zimmerman was 66 years of age. It is doubtful that he served any military duties. He might have sold some supplies to the Americans. (He might also have sold some supplies to the British.) When Christopher gave land to his children, it was in Culpeper County.

The twelve hundred and eighty-seventh note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

The eldest son of Christopher Zimmerman, the immigrant, was John who was born in 1711. In Virginia he married Ursula Blankenbaker, the sister of Zacharias Blankenbaker who was also born in Germany. Both John and Zacharias lived until Madison County was formed so they lived in Germany, Essex County, Spotsylvania County, Orange County, Culpeper County, and Madison County yet they moved only twice (John may have moved three times).
John died in 1796, the father of seven children. In giving the children here, I am following Margaret James Squires who was a reputable researcher and who spent some time on this family. The eldest child of John was John, Jr. who was born about 1737. The second child was Dorothy, b. ca 1742, who married Jacob Tanner. The third child, Elizabeth, has a similar estimate for her birth year and she married Joseph Holtzclaw after his first wife, a Thomas, died. About 1746, Christopher was born and he married Mary Tanner. The next child was Mary, born ca 1752 and she never married. Another girl, Margaret, has an uncertain marriage. She was born about 1755. Rosanna, born ca 1757, married Moses Samuel.
Dorothy Zimmerman had a hard life in that she lost her husband, Jacob, when she was about forty years old with six youngsters in the home. I believe she was also physically handicapped. Jacob had been drafted in 1781 and died while he was in the army, just after the victory at Yorktown. In 1794, Dorothy filed a petition with the House of Delegates of Virginia asking for a pension which was granted.
Two of the Zimmerman children, a brother and a sister, married two Tanner children, a sister and a brother, respectively. The Tanner and the Zimmerman families lived not far from each other, a couple of miles north of the German Lutheran Church.
Perhaps John Zimmerman outlived Ursula, his wife, by about ten years for the last year she appears at the church is 1787.
Rosina (Zimmerman) Samuel appears at church with the Samuel surname name starting in 1789 and extending through 1796. She appeared as Rosina Zimmerman in 1775. A Rosina Zimmerman appeared as late as 1787 which is probably her. In the civil records, women who had the name Rosina at church usually were called Rosanna.

The twelve hundred and eighty-eighth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

I will close out my comments on the Christopher Zimmerman family with this note. We discussed the family of John, the eldest son of Christopher, in the last note. John was the son of Christopher's first wife. There appears to be five surviving children of Christopher's second wife who were Frederick, Barbara, Christopher, Jr., Elizabeth, and Katherine. Their brother Andrew seems to have died before his father did and left no heirs.

Except for Christopher, Jr., all of the children appear to have married. Frederick's wife is thought to be a Sarah and three children, Reuben, Frederick, Jr., and Christopher are usually assigned to Frederick even though little is known about Christopher. In fact, his existence is in question.

Barbara married Leonard Zeigler or Ziglar and the descendants of this family generally moved to North Carolina (I believe)..

Christopher, son of Christopher the immigrant, probably did not marry to judge by his will. In this will he mentions no wife or heirs and leaves property to Kablers and Browns.

Elizabeth has mistakenly been assigned to Matthias Weaver as a husband. It is more generally considered that Matthias married Elizabeth Finks to judge by the will of Mark Finks. One reason for doubting that Elizabeth married Matthias Weaver is that they lived about 25 miles from each other. Elizabeth was southeast of Mt. Pony almost next to Salubria. Matthias was in the Robinson River Valley. And there is some evidence that Elizabeth married a Conner.

Katherine married William Slaughter but nothing is known about their family. Nothing is known about the family of Elizabeth (Zimmerman) Conner either.

The best documented families are those of Frederick, Barbara, and John.

The reason that Christopher Zimmerman may have lived southeast to east of Mt. Pony is that he has been described as a cooper. He may have chosen land where he thought the trees would give him the best wood. But perhaps even more influential in his decision making was where the markets for barrels would be. Most of the "barrels" were casks for packing tobacco for storage and shipment. The Robinson River Valley would have been at the extreme edge of the market for barrels. The yearly demand for barrels was very high as more than 10,000 casks of tobacco were shipped to England each year. Just building the casks kept many men occupied. Frederick Kabler, Christopher's friend from Sulzfeld, was also given once as a cooper.

John Blankenbaker
http://www.germanna.com/
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html
http://members.home.net/genelea/gerhist/index.html

John Blankenbaker
P.O. Box 120, Chadds Ford, PA 19317-0120
Note:
This information was published on the Germanna - L list at Roots Web
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The notes on the above and all other Germanna Notes by John Blankenbaker can be found @
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html




Children were: Johann Martin ZIMMERMAN, Andrew ZIMMERMAN, Christopher ZIMMERMAN, Barbara ZIMMERMAN, Frederick ZIMMERMAN, Elizabeth ZIMMERMAN, Catherine ZIMMERMAN.

Spouse: Nannie Lee ROGERS. Vernon ALCORN and Nannie Lee ROGERS were married on Sep 9, 1916.

Spouse: Sarah Lucinda "Sally" BUTTRAM. William Frederick ALDERHOLT and Sarah Lucinda "Sally" BUTTRAM were married on Sep 20, 1874 in , St. Clair Co., Alabama. Children were: Ezrah "Eddie" ALDERHOLT, Annie Jane ADERHOLT, Mattie A. ALDERHOLT, Della ALDERHOLT, Bessie Lee ALDERHOLT, George Wilson ALDERHOLT, Mollie ALDERHOLT, Living, Living, Living, Living, Living.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married in 1969.^44,45 Children were: Living, Living, Living, Living.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married in 1946.^44,45 Children were: Living, Living.

Spouse: Isobell RUSSELL.

Spouse: Clark Emerson BUTTRAM. Children were: Living, Living, Living.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married. Children were: Living, Living, Living, Living.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married in 1974 in Reno, Clark, Nevada. They were divorced. Children were: Living.

Spouse: Minta Eula HILL. Dr. Lin ALEXANDER and Minta Eula HILL were married on Dec 23, 1897.^69,85

Spouse: Living.

Spouse: Living.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married. Children were: Living.

Children were: Living.

Spouse: Matilda C BROCK. J ALEXANDER and Matilda C BROCK were married about 1883 in Osage, Missouri. Children were: Infant ALEXANDER.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married. Children were: Living, Living, Living.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married. Children were: Living, Living, Living, Living.

Spouse: Living.

Spouse: Ella WELLS. Millard ALEXANDER and Ella WELLS were married WFT Est. 1908-1940.⁵⁵ Children were: Living, Living, Living, Living, Living, Living, Living.

Spouse: Floyd COPELAND. Floyd COPELAND and Myrtle L. ALEXANDER were married on Jul 20, 1910 in Of TX. Children were: Reba Lee COPELAND, Lewis F. COPELAND, Hazel Katherine COPELAND, Branton William COPELAND, Ray Floyd COPELAND.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married. Children were: Living, Living, Living, Living, Living.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married in 1982 in Ashland, Rosebud Co., MT. Children were: Living, Living.

Spouse: Living. A living couple were married. Children were: Living, Living.

Spouse: Douglas Alan POLLARD. Children were: Living, Living.

Spouse: Living. Andrew ALFORD and Sarah PADGETT were married on Jan 22, 1839. Children were: John M. ALFORD, Mary Emeline ALFORD, Elisa Jane ALFORD, James Lotus ALFORD, William Franklin ALFORD, Melville ALFORD, Albert ALFORD.