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The six hundred and fifty-ninth note in a series on the Germanna ColoniesChristian 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
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The six hundred and sixtieth note in a series on the Germanna ColoniesWe have encountered a few names connected with the Zimmermann family in Germany that appear in the Germanna community. The name Wegman is not known well in the Germanna community and when it does occur it is often confused with Wayman. In Germany, the first born son (Johannes) of Michael Zimmermann, the immigrant from Switzerland to Germany, married Regina Wegmon or Wegmann.
Michael himself, as his second wife, married Elisabetha Albrecht. Albrecht is a common name. The only reason for perhaps taking note of the name is that Christoph von Graffenried hired Johann Justus Albrecht to recruit miners. Graffenried was a citizen of Bern, the general region of Switzerland from which Michael Zimmermann came.
The grandfather of the Virginia immigrant, Christopher, was Christian (Sr.) who married Maria Schuchter. Anna Barbara Schön, whose first husband was a Blankenbühler, married as her second husband, Johann Jacob Schluchter. Now the difference between Schucter and Schlucter is not much, just a one letter which might almost be considered redundant. It is interesting to note the physical distance between Sulzfeld (church of the Zimmermanns) and Neuenbürg (home of the Blankenbühlers). One could walk between the villages before breakfast (the actual distance is about eight miles). One thing that makes this thought worth considering is that the eldest son of the immigrant Christopher Zimmerman married Ursula Blankenbaker in Virginia. Was there a connection in Germany? Did the Zimmerman and Blankenbaker families know each in Germany?
There is another name in the Zimmermann history that appears in the Germanna community much later. That is the name Lehman (as it usually appeared in the Germanna community) and the name Lehemann in Sulzfeld. Michael Zimmermann's second wife was the widow of Hanns Lehemann. The Germanna Lehman is considered by his family to be a descendant of Swiss Anabaptists.
In Sulzfeld, there is at least one family name other than Zimmerman which appears in Virginia. That is the Kappler family, known by a variety of spellings in America but in the earliest days was most often Kabler. The Kabler and Zimmerman families were neighbors in the Mt. Pony area and both were called coopers at least once. Both came from Sulzfeld.
The eldest child in the second family of Christopher Zimmerman (immigrant to Virginia) was Johann Martin. At his baptism, one of the witnesses was Ludwig Fischer (or Lewis Fisher as we would spell it). Now the Ludwig Fischer in Germany would be too old to be the Lewis Fisher who married Anna Barbara Blankenbaker in Virginia, but were they related?The eighteen hundred and sixty-seventh note in a series on the Germanna Colonies
I spent some time Thursday at the local LDS Family History Center looking at the film for Sulzfeld, the home of Christopher Zimmerman just prior to emigration. I was especially interested to see if any other Germanna names turned up. In the decades starting about 1670, the records are especially rich in Zimmerman records.
Not long after the end of The Thirty Years' War (1648), Michael Zimmerman moved from Steffisburg, Canton of Bern (Switzerland) to Sulzfeld where he worked on the Rabenperg estate. Today, we call it Ravensburg. This translocation was probably due to the need for workers in southwest Germany due to the great loss of life during the war.
We know that Michael was from Steffisburg because his wife Bendicta died in Sulzfeld. Michael remarried and this marriage record tells us that Michael Zimmerman, widower, from Stiffisburg married Elisabetha, the surviving widow of Hans Lehman from Stiffisburg. It is not entirely clear yet whether Elisabetha was already living in Sulzfeld or whether Michael went back to Steffisburg. The marriage was performed in Sulzfeld suggesting that the Lehmans had moved also from Steffisburg to Sulzfeld.
Three sons of Michael, Johannes, Christian, and Michael, married in Sulzfeld. They appear as parents from 1669 to 1689. Starting in 1688, One of the grandsons starts appearing in the baptismal register in 1688 and his third child, Hans Christoph, was the emigrant for America.
A few names occur in connection with the Zimmermans that should be studied. Johannes Z. married Regina Wegmann and Christian Z. married Maria Schuchter. Among the head rights used by Alexander Spotswood (see page 385 in Beyond Germanna), was Hans Jerich Wegman, Anna Maria Wegman, Maria Margaret Wegman, Maria Gotlieve Wegman. We believe these were people who came in 1717. The Schuchter name was the surname of Anna Barbara Schoen's second husband (she married first a Blankenbaker and third a Fleshman).
I am interested in Steffisburg because it was a center of Anabaptist conversions in the 1660s. Among the names there is a Her (Herr). The name Lehman is a very honorable Anabaptist name in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (some members of this family lived briefly in the Robinson River Valley).
John Blankenbaker
http://www.germanna.com/
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html
http://www.germanna.net/The Zimmermann family was from Steffisburg, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
before they lived in Sulzfeld.
1 _UID 575AC46E803921489D921735B4BD3232555F
Died shortly after moving to Sulzfeld.
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2 _SDATE 14 JAN 1674
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2 _SDATE 22 MAR 1671
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2 _SDATE 14 JAN 1653
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2 _SDATE 15 MAR 1655
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The six hundred and sixtieth note in a series on the Germanna ColoniesWe have encountered a few names connected with the Zimmermann family in Germany that appear in the Germanna community. The name Wegman is not known well in the Germanna community and when it does occur it is often confused with Wayman. In Germany, the first born son (Johannes) of Michael Zimmermann, the immigrant from Switzerland to Germany, married Regina Wegmon or Wegmann.
Michael himself, as his second wife, married Elisabetha Albrecht. Albrecht is a common name. The only reason for perhaps taking note of the name is that Christoph von Graffenried hired Johann Justus Albrecht to recruit miners. Graffenried was a citizen of Bern, the general region of Switzerland from which Michael Zimmermann came.
The grandfather of the Virginia immigrant, Christopher, was Christian (Sr.) who married Maria Schuchter. Anna Barbara Schön, whose first husband was a Blankenbühler, married as her second husband, Johann Jacob Schluchter. Now the difference between Schucter and Schlucter is not much, just a one letter which might almost be considered redundant. It is interesting to note the physical distance between Sulzfeld (church of the Zimmermanns) and Neuenbürg (home of the Blankenbühlers). One could walk between the villages before breakfast (the actual distance is about eight miles). One thing that makes this thought worth considering is that the eldest son of the immigrant Christopher Zimmerman married Ursula Blankenbaker in Virginia. Was there a connection in Germany? Did the Zimmerman and Blankenbaker families know each in Germany?
There is another name in the Zimmermann history that appears in the Germanna community much later. That is the name Lehman (as it usually appeared in the Germanna community) and the name Lehemann in Sulzfeld. Michael Zimmermann's second wife was the widow of Hanns Lehemann. The Germanna Lehman is considered by his family to be a descendant of Swiss Anabaptists.
In Sulzfeld, there is at least one family name other than Zimmerman which appears in Virginia. That is the Kappler family, known by a variety of spellings in America but in the earliest days was most often Kabler. The Kabler and Zimmerman families were neighbors in the Mt. Pony area and both were called coopers at least once. Both came from Sulzfeld.
The eldest child in the second family of Christopher Zimmerman (immigrant to Virginia) was Johann Martin. At his baptism, one of the witnesses was Ludwig Fischer (or Lewis Fisher as we would spell it). Now the Ludwig Fischer in Germany would be too old to be the Lewis Fisher who married Anna Barbara Blankenbaker in Virginia, but were they related?The eighteen hundred and sixty-seventh note in a series on the Germanna Colonies
I spent some time Thursday at the local LDS Family History Center looking at the film for Sulzfeld, the home of Christopher Zimmerman just prior to emigration. I was especially interested to see if any other Germanna names turned up. In the decades starting about 1670, the records are especially rich in Zimmerman records.
Not long after the end of The Thirty Years' War (1648), Michael Zimmerman moved from Steffisburg, Canton of Bern (Switzerland) to Sulzfeld where he worked on the Rabenperg estate. Today, we call it Ravensburg. This translocation was probably due to the need for workers in southwest Germany due to the great loss of life during the war.
We know that Michael was from Steffisburg because his wife Bendicta died in Sulzfeld. Michael remarried and this marriage record tells us that Michael Zimmerman, widower, from Stiffisburg married Elisabetha, the surviving widow of Hans Lehman from Stiffisburg. It is not entirely clear yet whether Elisabetha was already living in Sulzfeld or whether Michael went back to Steffisburg. The marriage was performed in Sulzfeld suggesting that the Lehmans had moved also from Steffisburg to Sulzfeld.
Three sons of Michael, Johannes, Christian, and Michael, married in Sulzfeld. They appear as parents from 1669 to 1689. Starting in 1688, One of the grandsons starts appearing in the baptismal register in 1688 and his third child, Hans Christoph, was the emigrant for America.
A few names occur in connection with the Zimmermans that should be studied. Johannes Z. married Regina Wegmann and Christian Z. married Maria Schuchter. Among the head rights used by Alexander Spotswood (see page 385 in Beyond Germanna), was Hans Jerich Wegman, Anna Maria Wegman, Maria Margaret Wegman, Maria Gotlieve Wegman. We believe these were people who came in 1717. The Schuchter name was the surname of Anna Barbara Schoen's second husband (she married first a Blankenbaker and third a Fleshman).
I am interested in Steffisburg because it was a center of Anabaptist conversions in the 1660s. Among the names there is a Her (Herr). The name Lehman is a very honorable Anabaptist name in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (some members of this family lived briefly in the Robinson River Valley).
John Blankenbaker
http://www.germanna.com/
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html
http://www.germanna.net/The Zimmermann family was from Steffisburg, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
before they lived in Sulzfeld.
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Sources: Family data from Anderson Wells record; `The Big Wells Family', by
Joseph William Wells; `The History of Cumberland Co', by Joseph William Wells;
Jack Lusk pedigree chart by Bertalee Stailey, 27 Nov 1978; Nancy Wright GEDCOM
8/23/92.One of his descendants, Jack Ferrill, of Fort Worth, TX, writes of his is birth-
place, (card dated 9 Jan 1984): "Evidence indicates Wells Swamp, Clinton
County, Kentucky.". (This is probably meant to be Wells Bottom, Clinton, Co,
KY.) Of his death & place of burial, Jack writes: "He was living at Sidney,
Texas at the time & died while on a visit to Haskell County. Because of the
primitive transportation & embalming methods, it was decided to bury him in
Haskell County, Texas."He came to Comanche Co., TX from KY in 1882.
Judge William Wells placed their marriage date at 1840. That would have made
him only 14 years old when he married Lydia Story, and she would have been only
12 years old. It is unlikely that they would have been married nine years
before their first child was born in June 1849. It is more likely that they
were married in 1848 and someone misread 1848 for 1840. Therefore I have
recorded their marriage date as abt 1848.
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