Sixth Generation

65. Margaret ZIMMERMAN (private).

Mathais HOUSE¹⁷ was born on 8 August 1739 in Germany. He died on 20 October 1829 in Madison Co., VA. Was burried in Slate Mills, Madison County, Virginia. Note_1563
The fifteen hundred and sixty-third note in a series on the Germanna Colonies
The Bunger and House families were close, perhaps related. Let's look at four baptisms of House children.
Matheus Haus & wife Maria Margaretha (parents) Saloma, born 28 Feb 1776 Valentin Bunger and wife Elisabetha (sponsors)
Matheus Hauss & wife Maria Margaretha (parents) Cath. Eliz., born 14 Feb 1778 Valentin Bunger and wife Elisabetha (sponsors)
Matheis Haus & Margretha (parents) Moses, born 20 Apr 1787 Joseph Holskla, Elisabetha Holskla (sponsors)
Matheis Hauss & Margaretha (parents) Sara, born 4 Jul 1789 Christopher Zimmerman & wife An. Maria
These are the only baptisms recorded at the German Lutheran (Hebron) Church for Matheus House. Immediately, some questions are raised. Are all the four fathers the same person? Matheus Haus, Sr. did have a son, Matheus Haus, Jr. The younger Matheas was confirmed in 1785 at the age of 19. While he might have been a parent in 1787 and in 1789, the sponsors do not seem appropriate. They were at least middle aged. Also there is a civil record of a marriage in Culpeper County of Matthias to Susannah Floyd in 1792 which would also suggest that the father of Moses and Sara above was Matheis, Sr. I conclude the father of all four children above was the same.
The mother's name above is slightly different but not enough different to raise concerns. The difference merely suggests, "Look out."
The problem that raises my concerns to the serious level is the choice of sponsors for the last two children. We know that the Bunger and House families seem to be related. Just the consecutive sequence of five names being confirmed in 1782 of John Bunger, Adam House, Michael House, Margaret Bunger, and Margaret Bunger would alert us to the possibility. (See "Hebron Communion Lists," second edition, by Mielke and Blankenbaker.) Many other records tell us a similar story.
What do Joseph Holtzclaw, Elisabeth Holtzclaw, Christopher Zimmerman, and Ann Mary Zimmerman have in common? And what does that suggest about Margaret House, the mother?

The fifteen hundred and sixty-seventh note in a series on the Germanna Colonies
I am continuing the discussion of Matthias House who had three wives, the second of which was Margaret Zimmerman, the daughter of John Zimmerman and Ursula Blankenbaker. This Margaret had two nieces named Margaret, both of which were younger. Using the "Hebron Communion Lists," we see that a Margaret Zimmerman attended communion services in 1775. She was sitting next to Mary Zimmerman, her sister. In order to participate in a communion service, one had to be confirmed. We have no record of this but it would not be unreasonable to put her age at about twenty considering a number of factors.
She attended the communion on the 17th Sunday after Trinity in 1776 sitting next to Rosina Blankenbaker. For the Easter 1777 communion she attended and sat next to Anna Barbara Fisher (nee Blankenbaker). Then she attended the 25th Sunday after Trinity in 1782. Don't think that she was lax or not attentive to her church going since in these years there was no minister.
The next appearance of a Margaret Zimmerman is the 19th Sunday after Trinity in 1800 when a Margaret Zimmerman was confirmed. This, of course, is a different Margaret. Or to put it differently, for eighteen years there was no Margaret Zimmerman at church. She either died or changed her name and I suggest that she changed her name to House.
Matthias House and his wife Mary Margaret had children baptized in 1776 and 1778. In 1787 and 1789, Matthias House and his wife Margaret had two children baptized (for the details on the baptisms, see Note 1563). In between these events there were, apparently, three other House children who baptized but not recorded. For the spacing of the House children which was rather "tight," probably the oldest or perhaps the two oldest of these three children was the child of Mary Margaret. It could have been that all three of the children of the unrecorded children were the children of Mary Margaret Unknown (some say Jeckel). As I have been writing this note, the last statement is the conclusion I have came to.
To understand the events at the church, one needs to know what was happening there in the decade after 1778 which was the last year that Jacob Franck was present as pastor. Briefly though, one should not too much into an appearance or nonappearance of people at the church during this period. There was one other appearance of Margaret Zimmerman (d/o of John and Ursula) in the church records. That was in 1778 when she was a sponsor with her brother and sister for a child of Joseph Holtzclaw and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was another child of John and Ursula. Joseph and Elizabeth returned the favor in 1787 when they were sponsors for a child (Moses of Matthias House and Margaret).