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Birth: September 7, 1673, Wattenwil, Bern Canton, Switzerland. [1]
He emigrated from Bockschaft in 1732 and arrived in Philadelphia on the ship "Pink Plaisance" on 21 Sep 1732.
Six feet tall, black hair and black eyes, and a very dark complexion. Also known as “der Schwarze Heinrich,” the black Henry.
In 1698, Heinrich went to London to find out about the land William Penn had in the colonies and then went to Germantown near Philadelphia to check out the land.
Born Heinrich Zimmerman, emigrated from Berne 1708 to America, obtained a grant of land from William Penn in Lancaster County, Pa, when name was anglicized to Henry Carpenter under Proprietary Charter.
Brought family from Berne to Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1706.
Bought land in Pequa, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1710.
By 1717 he had something over 3,000 acres at Pequea, Lancaster County. He built a house of hewed walnut logs, 24 ft square and two stories high, with an adjoining kitchen, 18 by 20 feet, one story and 6 Redemptioners to do the work on the estate.
Practiced medicine in Pennsylvania from 1698 to 1747, excepting the six years spent in Switzerland.[2]
He established himself in the practice of medicine in Germantown, where he bought a house and some land in the vicinity. He became friends with Pastorius and Wistar, and the other founders of the German community. In 1717 he moved to the Pequa in Lancaster County, now a fully established German and Swiss community, where he again opened a practice. However, he sent all of his sons back to Philadelphia to study under Pastorius (one of the original Anabaptist Mennonites from the Palatinate and the most brilliant scholar of the day in America, he could read and write fluently in Greek, Latin, German, French, Dutch, English, Italian, and Spanish), where they learned both English and German, which was unusual for that part of Lancaster, where only German was spoken. [3]
Note: The communal records show that the Zimmermans had been Burghers of the Commune, for several centuries; in fact, as far back as the records extend.
Heinrich Zimmerman married Salome Rufener 1701 in Wattenwil, Bern, Switzerland. [4]
Naturalization: 1729, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, “by an act of the General Assembly he and his sons, Emanuel and Gabriel, who were born in Switzerland, were admitted, with other aliens, to full citizenship”
“When the first patents for land were issued, Penn arbitrarily changed the name of Zimmerman, to its English equivalent, Carpenter, and the naturalization papers did the same. It took at least fifty years to complete the change, because in every-day speech the family was known as “Zimmerman,” while legally their name was “Carpenter.” [5]
Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania:
Heinrich Zimmerman (the translation of which is Carpenter), who came from the Canton of Berne, Switzerland, about 1698, with his family, and settled in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, about 1703. He had a son Daniel, a grandson Daniel, a greatgrandson John, and a great-great-grandson Jeremiah Murry Carpenter, the father of Mrs. Mcjunkin
Heinrich Zimmerman, born September 7, 1673 in Wattenwyl, Berne Canton, Switzerland, was called "der Schwartz Heinrich (the black Henry)" because he was dark haired, dark eyed and dark complected. He was a mischievous child, often in trouble at the public school.
Heinrich became a pikeman (soldier) in the army, as a mercenary for France. He returned to Switzerland after his term of service, probably in 1696, after the Peace of Ryswick, and was apprenticed to a doctor. He also was active in local politics. He heard about Penn's efforts to colonize Pennsylvania in the New World, and believed that his future lay in emigration to the New World. He left Switzerland in 1698 and, arriving in Philadelphia, settled in the nearby settlement of Germantown, while he searched for land. He returned home in late 1700 and shared his experience with his fellow villagers. They formed an Emigration Society which sent another villager to confirm Heinrich's findings. This villager, Franz Louis Michel, decided that North Carolina was better suited to their needs. A group left the Canton of Berne for North Carolina, founding the settlement of New Berne. Heinrich did not go to New Berne, wanting still to settle in Pennsylvania.
In the meantime, he married a girl from the neighboring village of Blumenstein, Salome Rufener, on 1701, and had two sons, Emmanuel and Gabriel, with her. He was still active in local politics and sided with the wrong party in a dispute with the government. Heinrich was forced to leave Switzerland with Salome and the children, heading to London, and finally arriving in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1706.
Soon after arriving in Germantown, he bought a house in town for his medical practice and land outside of town for farming. Heinrich and Salome had six more children after arriving in Pennsylvania - Salome, Christian, Daniel, Henry, Mary and Jacob. he continued to acquire land until, around 1717, his acreage approached 3,000. He had begun buying contracts on "Redemptioners," similar to the English indentured servants, and he put these people to work on his plantations.
In about 1717, Heinrich built a log cabin on that portion of his property that ran along the Pequea and moved the family there. It was two day's hard ride from Germantown, but he made the trip frequently, dividing his time between his medical practice and his family. He sent his children to Germantown to be schooled. He insisted that his children learn both German and English, although this was an unpopular move in his Swiss-German community. Several of his children attended the small college established there by his friend Pastorius.
In 1729, Heinrich and his two Swiss-born sons, Emmanuel and Gabriel, were naturalized as citizens with full rights by an act of the General Assembly. In the naturalization papers, their names were converted from Zimmerman to Carpenter, although it was fifty years before all members of the family used the English name in their German-speaking community.
As Heinrich's children grew to adulthood, he decided he needed more land. About 1728, he staked a claim to a large parcel along the Conestoga River. His eldest son Emmanuel settled there after his marriage and later, his brother Gabriel did the same. In 1735, Heinrich built a large stone house on the Conestoga property, near his sons, and moved the family to this new home. He and his sons built and operated a grist mill on the Conestoga.
Heinrich's wife, Salome is presumed to have died after 1743. Her signature appears on a land transaction in that year, but not on any of the following deeds. Heinrich's last land transaction was dated 1747. His exact date of death is not known, and he left no will. All his land was divided and transferred to his children before his death. Heinrich Zimmerman is buried in the family graveyard on his original property, near present day Lampeter. If there was a headstone, it has since disappeared.
Children of Heinrich Zimmerman and wife Salome Rufener:
Emmanuel Zimmerman, later known as Emmanuel Carpenter, born in 1702 in Berne Canton, Switzerland, and married Caroline Line. Gabriel Zimmerman, born in 1704 in Berne Canton, Switzerland, married Appolina Herman Salome Zimmerman, born in 1711 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, married John Wistar in 1731 and made her home in Germantown. She died there in 1736. Henry Zimmerman, born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, later known as Henry Carpenter, was educated as a doctor in Basle, Switzerland and married Susan Forney after returning to Pennsylvania. Daniel Zimmerman, born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, married his sister-in-law Magdalena Forney. Mary Zimmerman, born in Pequea, Pennsylvania, married Daniel Fiere, Jr., in 1739. Her marriage document states that she "took his name as a proof of the marriage, as was the custom" in that area. Jacob Zimmerman, born in Pequea in 1724, married (1) Elizabeth Herr, who died after a couple of years. Married (2) Susan Miller, who died after four years. Married (3) Magdalena Kendrick, who survived him.
Heinrich was born in 1673. He passed away in 1749.
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Z > Zimmerman > Heinrich Zimmerman M.D.
Categories: Swiss-German and Mennonite Immigrants to Pennsylvania | Plaisance, Arrived 21 September 1732
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