Johann Martin Zerbe (1671 - aft. 1739)

Born 17 Dec 1671 in Kettenbach, Aarbergen, Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Hessen, Heiliges Römisches Reich

Husband of Anna Elizabetha (Jungel) Zerbe — married 11 Feb 1697 in Kettenbach, Nassau, Hessen, Heiliges Römisches Reich

Descendants

Died after 22 Apr 1739 after age 67 in Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pennsylvania

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Biography

Johann Martin Zerbe was born and baptized on December 17, 1671 in Kettenbach, Aarbergen, Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Hessen, located 12 km north of Bad Schwalbach, in what is today Germany. He is the son of Martin and Anna Elisabetha Zirbe.^[1] His baptismal name was Zirbe, but it is found in most records as Zerbe--but also Zerbst, Zerben or Zwerbe (as well as Marte Serber). He was married to Anna Elizabeth Jungel (as Johan Mart Zerbe, born Germany, to Anna Elizabetha Jungel born 1674) on Feb. 11, 1697 in Kettenbach. The couple lived at Kettenbach until after the birth of their seventh child.

The family probably floated down the Rhine River to Rotterdam, where the parents and four children sailed for England in June 1709. The trip was made on Capt. Robbert Bulman's ship in the 4th party of Palatines; Martin's brother Johan Phillip Zerbe accompanied them.

Martin Zerbst, Lutheran, husbandman and vinedresser, age 34, and his family appeared on a list of Palatine refugees at St. Catherine's and Deftford, London from June 11 - June 15, 1709. Zerbe also appears on several Palatine Debtors Lists from St. Catherine's and Deftford. In 1710,^[2] he was shown with three adults and 4 children under 10. The Zerbe family spent the winter in the army tents outside London. The London list included four sons, aged 11, 8, 4 and 2 years, i.e. respectively Johan Jacob (1698), George Peter (1702), Johann Phillipp (1703) and Johann Japhet (1705).

In June or July of 1710, Martin migrated with his family on one of 11 ships provided by the British Crown to the province of New York. It is presumed that Martin's brother Johan Philip came to America on the same ship. They arrived in New York in poor health and were housed on Nutten Island.

Martin settled in Livingston Manor, New York, at East Camp, also known as Annsburg and Wormsdorff. In Livingston Manor, each settler got lots of 40 feet in the front and 50 feet deep. From 1710 to 1712 Martin appeared on Gov. Hunter's subsistence list, getting £91 in food and supplies. Martin, as Marte Server, was naturalized a British subject at the town hall at Albany, New York, on 17 January 1715/16. The last entry appears in February 1722, when the family moved to Tulpehocken Township in Berks County, Pa.

In the early 18th century, the Queen Anne's war broke out in the colonies, called the "War of the Spanish Succession". The settlers, including Martin Zerbe and his brother Philip, both of Annsburg, were required to serve, and on July 11, 1711 they marched to Canada. The men were enlisted from the village of Annsburg, New York and were in Captain Hartman Windecker's Company. After their return from the Queen Anne's War, the governor took their weapons fearing a revolt. After the war, the settlers had trouble with Governor Hunter and left Livingston's Manor, moving to Schoharie, New York. Here, they had problems with the Dutch, who defrauded them of their land. The Governor of Pennsylvania heard about their problems, and wanting to populate Pennsylvania, invited them to move to there. In all, 33 families led by friendly Indians came to Tulpehocken Township, which was then located in Chester County, Pa.

The last 3 children in the family, all daughters, were born while the family lived in New York. Martin Zerbe arrived on Tulpehaca Creek in the spring of 1723. In 1724 he was one of 15 signers who petitioned the Pennsylvania authorities for titles to the land on which they had settled. Martin signed as Toritine Serbo and settled in Fell's Manor. He was on Tulpehocken's tax rates of January 10-11, 1726 and January 2-4, 1727. Martin was still alive in 1737, when he was a baptismal witness for a grandson. Martin died in 1739 in (now Jefferson Township), Berks County, Pennsylvania. He is buried in North Heidelberg Church Cemetery, North Heidelberg, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA.

The children of Martin Zerbe (1671 and Anna Elisabetha Jüngel (~1674-1750)

1. Johann Henrich (1697-?); died in infancy
2. "a twin daughter"; died in infancy
3. Johann Jacob (1698-1782) m1 Catharina Winter (~1695-~1732); 8 children
4. Georg Peter (1702-~1780) m Anna Christina Lauks/Lauk (1715- ); 8 children
5. Japhet (1704-1704); died infancy
6. Johannes Japhet (1705-1797) m1 Eva Elizabeth Ilsons (1713-1749); many children, m2 Maria Elisabetha (Unknown) Niewench; 6 children
7. Johann Philipp (1708-1790) m Susanna (Unknown) Schamar (~1718-1782); 4 children
8. Elisabetha Maria (~1712-1749) m Henrich Beyer/Boyer (1708-1757); 8 children
9. Maria Margaretha (1715-1787) m Albrecht Strauss (1711-1787); 11 children
10. Barbara (1720- ) m George Meyer (~1720- ); 7 children
11. Elizabeth (1729- or 1719?) m Unknown Rieth (~1729- ); she may be a mis-attribution (from "Blue Book of Schuylkill County")-- as Elizabeth Knoll b. 10 Jun 1729 m Leonard Rieth (1723-1803), buried in Reed's Cemetery in Stouchsburg.

Martin died after 22 Apr 1739 when he and his wife sponsored the baptism of their granddaughter Anna Elizabetha Strauss, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albrecht Strauss in Northkill, Berks County, Pennsylvania.^[3]

Research Notes

Concerning a Lorentz Zerbe, a supposed brother of Martin and Philipp Zerbe:

I find absolutely no evidence that a Lorentz Zerbe ever existed, as propounded in "The Blue Book of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania." I believe this fictitious person came to life via a mis-reading of the name Martin ("Torritine Servo" is an example) in early Tulpehocken sources from the 1720s. ^[4]

Genealogy of the Wood and Ritts families includes a detailed biographical timeline for Johann Martin Zerbe, which is copiously sourced.

Sources

1. ↑ HZ Jones Jr., The Palatine Families of New York (1985), p. 1136-1140
2. ↑ New York, New York; Year: 1710; Page Number: 55; "Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s"; Gale Research; Online publication - Provo, Utah, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2009.Original data - Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA: Gale Research, 2009. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed. Passe
3. ↑ Pennsylvania Church Records - Adams, Berks, and Lancaster Counties, 1729-1881; Pastoral Records of John Casper Stoever; Ancestry.com; Ancestry.com Operations Inc; 2004; Provo, Utah, USA
4. ↑ HZ Jones Jr, The Palatine Families of New York (1985), p. 1140

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LT32-4TR

• https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/58459702/person/34085711474/facts

• https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48604/images/PAFamiliesIII-002582-456?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=418374

• Strausstown Roots
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/220164603/johan-martin-zerbe : accessed 28 August 2021), memorial page for Johan Martin Zerbe (17 Dec 1671–22 Apr 1739), Find A Grave: Memorial #220164603, ; Maintained by Mosslady (contributor 48895586) Burial Details Unknown.

• The Palatine Families of New York, Volume 2; Henry Jones Jr., Picton Press; Camden, Maine1985. pp. 1135-1138

• "Finding the Ancestral Home of a Palatine Forefather: The Case of Martin Zerbe"; Henry Z. Jones; The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Volume XXIX, No. 2. pp 129-132.

• "The Tulpehocken Bicentennial Commemorated in a four Day Celebration at Womelsdorf" 29 July 1923, p. 132

• Livingston Family Papers, FDR Library

• State of New York, Colonial Series, Vol 1, p. 442, Part 1

• Pennsylvania German Society Vol VII-IX, pp 117-118

• The History of the Zerbe Family in America, internet, Mark Zerbe, 2001

• Simmendinger Register;(http://immigrantships.net/v4/1700v4/simmendinger17100100A_L.html)

• Three Rivers; (http://threerivershms.com/knittlesubsistence.htm)

• Vallentine Family History; Jonathan Franklin Vallentine, Ph.d; 1980. P. 99

• "Mills along the Tulpehocken" XXVIII, November 1999 #1

• Zerby History, Part 2, "Blue Book of Schuylkill County", Mrs. Ella Zerbey Elliott

• Descendants of Johann Martin Zerbe, Rebecca Jenkins

• (http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/39548850/person/19383389001)

• (http://person.ancestry.com/tree/8967591/person/-195071646/facts)

• (http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=WorldMarr_ga&h=1381598&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t39548850_p19383389001_kpidz0q3d19383389001z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid)

• Zerby Ancestors

• The Al Dorr Family Zerby Ancestors [1] accessed by Margaret A. Kerns 6 Nov 2014 at 8:58 p.m. CST

• Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: DER. Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 (database on-line). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

• Tangled Wood family site