Second Generation

3. Christian ZIMMERMAN^1,2 was born in 1649 in Steffisburg, Switzerland. He died on 26 March 1703 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The six hundred and fifty-ninth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

Christian Zimmermann's father was another Christian so we will use the designation of Junior and Senior though the German records do not make this distinction. Christian, Jr. was the father of Christopher, the 1717 Virginia immigrant. Christian Zimmermann, Sr. married Maria Schuchter on 25 Jan 1669 in Sulzfeld. Christian, Sr.'s father was Michael and his mother was Benedicta unknown. Maria Schuchter's father was Johann (Hans) Schuchter and her mother was Maria unknown. Maria Schuchter, the wife of Christian Zimmermann, Sr., was born 21 May 1648. She lived until 13 Aug 1708 when she died at the age of 60 years and two months. Christian, Sr. lived until 26 Mar 1703 but we do not know his birthdate.
Christian, Sr. and Maria were the parents of nine children:
1. Christianus, b. and chr. 30 Dec 1669. (This is our Christian, Jr.),
2. Johann Petrus, chr. 24 Dec 1672, d. 1 Apr 1673 at 13 weeks,
3. Anna Maria, b. 9 Mar 1674, chr. on the 10th, d. 15 Jan 1675,
4. Anna Margretha, b. 29 Oct 1677, nfi,
5. Anna Catharina, b. and chr. 10 Mar 1680, d. 25 Jun 1685,
6. Jacob, b. and chr. 26 Nov 1682, d. 27 Nov 1682, bur. 28 Nov 1682,
7. Johannes Andreas, b. 4 Nov 1683, nfi,
8. A boy, b. and d. 14 Feb 1686,
9. Andreas, chr. 6 Feb 1687, d. 25 Feb 1691, b. 26 Feb 1691.

Of the nine children, only one lived past five years of age (assuming that the nfi probably means death occurred). That was Christian, Jr., the father of the Virginia immigrant, Christopher. This case, in an extreme way, shows how bad infant mortality could be.
Michael Zimmermann, the great-grandfather of Christopher, was born in Steffisburg, Bern, Switzerland in the year 1607. It was he who emigrated from Switzerland to Germany. He had married Bendicta unknown who died on 4 Oct 1665 at Sulzfeld. On the next 1 May he married Elisabetha Albrecht (she was the widow of Hanns Lehemann). Michael had immigrated rather early in life from Switzerland to Germany because his first child, Johannes, was born in Sulzfeld in 1636. (Johannes married Regina Wegmon or Wegmann.) Several children probably followed Johannes before Christian (Sr.) was born but we have no record of them. Christian had at least one younger brother, Michael, who married Maria Spengler.
It is surprising to me that Michael moved to Sulzfeld in the period of 1607 to 1636 (his birth to his son's birth) because the Thirty Years' War went on from 1618 to 1648. This was a most unsettled period in Germany and it would hardly have been an inviting time to move. It could be that the move was made by Michael's father in the period 1607 to 1618.
All of this Zimmermann history is fascinating to me because it is contemporaneous with major events in European history. Another reason is that many of the surnames that one reads in the Zimmermann history occur in the Germanna history. Were they accidents or were they deliberate?

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
http://www.rootsweb.com/
The notes on the above and all other Germanna Notes by John Blankenbaker can be found @
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html

Christian ZIMMERMAN and Maria SCHUCHTER were married on 25 January 1668/9 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Maria SCHUCHTER was born on 13 June 1648 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.¹ She died on 13 August 1708 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Christian ZIMMERMAN and Maria SCHUCHTER had the following children:

9
i.
Johann Peter ZIMMERMAN was born on 24 December 1672. He died on 1 April 1673.
+10
ii.
Christian ZIMMERMAN.
11
iii.
Anna Maria ZIMMERMAN was born on 9 March 1674 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.⁴ She died on 15 January 1675 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
12
iv.
Anna Margaretha ZIMMERMAN was born on 29 October 1677 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
13
v.
Anna Catharina ZIMMERMAN was born on 10 March 1680 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She died on 25 June 1685 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
14
vi.
Jacob ZIMMERMAN was born on 20 November 1682 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He died on 27 November 1682 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
15
vii.
Johann Andreas ZIMMERMAN was born on 4 November 1683 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
16
viii.
Jagtorn ZIMMERMAN was born on 14 February 1685/6 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He/she died still born on 14 February 1686 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.³
17
ix.
Andreas ZIMMERMAN was born on 6 February 1687 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.⁴
18
x.
Johann Georg ZIMMERMAN³ was born on 23 April 1688 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He died on 8 May 1688 in Sulzfeld, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.¹