Christian Zimmermann (abt. 1714 - abt. 1776)

Born about 1714 in Baden, Germany

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1776 at about age 62 in Denzlingen, Baden, Germany

Biography

Christian Zimmermann's Father

The Zimmermann family was Amish, originally from Steffisburg, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Several Zimmermanns settled in St. Marie-Aux-Mines toward the end of the 17th Century. Then, in 1712, the King of France expelled all the Amish from Alsace. Perhaps for his first decade or so in Baden, Christian Zimmermann (with only one son?) was a farm worker on the Hochburg estate leased by Christian Rupp (later to be his son Christian's father-in-law) starting in 1712. Christian appears as the leaseholder of a farm belonging to the heirs of Martin Dölder in Sexau, Baden in 1728. This lease lasted through 1738, when Christian paid a protection fee because he was a foreigner.^[1] The professional genealogist John Hüppi mistakenly conflated father and son (both named Christian), as the son didn't have to pay the protection fee the following year (1739), because he was born in Baden (see below).

Christian Zimmermann

Christian Zimmermann was born in Baden, presumably after the Amish were expelled from France in 1712. In 1739 Christian Zimmermann began to lease the Zehnthof in nearby Denzlingen, Baden. “The community of Denzlingen petitioned the margrave on 1 August 1739 that Christian Zimmermann be exempted from the protection fee required of Anabaptists. The community fathers stated that he was ‘born in the land,’ perhaps in order to obtain a favorable response.”^[2]

Christian Zimmermann died by 1776. “This file includes a copy of the lease agreement from 26 September 1776 between the community of Denzlingen, on the one part, and Christian Zimmermann’s widow and their son Andreas, on the other. Unfortunately, the widow was sick in bed at the time. Andreas signed both for himself and on his mother’s behalf. Her name is not given in the document. The previous lease, 1765-1775, had been in Christian’s name.”^[3]

"There is reason to believe that Christian Zimmermann’s wife was a daughter of Christian Rupp, original Amish leaseholder at the Hochburg estate near Sexau. Christian Zimmermann’s son Jacob was co-leaseholder at the Hochburg with his apparent first cousin Jacob Müller. Huppi mentions an 1785 Hochburg report which “mentions that Christian Rupp, the first Anabaptist leaseholder, was ‘maternal grandfather of the present leaseholders.’ The reference is plural, but without their names. A number of other documents in the file show the lease now belonged to Jacob Müller and Jacob Zimmermann. While earlier records show that Müller’s father, Michael, was indeed a son-in-law of Christian Rupp, the connection between Rupp and the Zimmermanns is not yet proven beyond reasonable doubt, despite tantalizing evidence. A petition of 29 June 1772 drawn up in the names of both Jacob Müller and Jacob Zimmermann states: ‘For already sixty years have we and our foreparents (Voreltern) been living on this property.’ A report of 27 February 1792 treats the subject of winter grain these two are required to plant when they move away, a responsibility deriving from the first lease, of 29 November 1712, awarded to ‘their grandparents.’ It appears the two Jacobs were first-cousins, although these records are concerned with the management of the estate, not the genealogy of the leaseholders….No Zimmermanns before Jacob are mentioned in the Hochburg leases."^[4]

“Following Jacob as co-leaseholder was his son Michael Zimmermann. On 14 November 1820 Michael, answering an inquiry of the district government, stated that Jacob, his father, was born in Denzlingen, but he was unable to also name his grandparents or where they were born. In 1828 the government addressed the matter of community citizenship (welfare rights) for the Anabaptists. That year, on August 28, the same Michael Zimmermann answered the inquiry of the district executive in these words: ‘My parents and foreparents and I have been residing as tenants (Pächter) at the Hochburg for already more than one hundred years, and I can therefore only consider and recommend the community of Sexau, to which we have hitherto been assigned in political matters, as the community of citizenship of my family.’”^[5]

“If Christian Rupp was indeed Michael Zimmermann’s great-grandfather, the statement of 1828 is more or less truthful and does not contradict the one made in 1820. Michael’s probable grandfather, Christian Zimmermann, had died before he was born. While Michael did not know his grandfather’s given name or birthplace, he still may have learned much about these grandparents from his father, Jacob. Jacob may have explained that his mother was a daughter of the first fellow-believer to lease the Hochburg. Christian Rupp did not die until sometime after 1745, when he signed his last nine-year lease. Jacob Zimmermann, born 1835 and participating in the bi-weekly church services at the Hochburg, certainly knew him.”^[6]

Probable children (order uncertain):

1. Johannes, of Niederemmendingen; m. Anna Müller; d. by 1797.

2. (possibly) Christian, b. c. 1734; of Ungersheim and Froeningen, Haut-Rhin.

3. Jacob, 1735-1805/7; of Hochburg estate in Baden; m. Barbara Schneider.

4. Anna Maria, b. c. 1738; d. 21 Oct. 1755 Denzlingen, age 17.

5. Michael, bur. 20 Feb. 1741 Denzlingen, a small child.

6. Michael, of the Laberhof, Tennenbach, Baden.

7. Andreas, of Denzlingen; m. Anna Maria Eissen; d. 1793.

8. Barbara, b. 1752 Denzlingen; m. Abraham Lauber, who died 1810 at Denzlingen. Barbara died 26 Nov. 1819 at Kingersheim, Haut-Rhin.

9. Heinrich, b. 1759; d. 29 Oct. 1761 Denzlingen, age 2.

Sources

1. ↑ English translation of protection fee record uncovered by Helmut Gingerich in Germany, scanned copies sent from Larry Zimmerman to John Schmeeckle Apr. 3, 2015.
2. ↑ John Hüppi, The Laubers, a journey of faith, European genealogy : preliminary draft V (2000), note 127, referring to Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe, 350/1908/104 I/65, Bezirksamt Emmendingen: Die Wiedertäufer, deren Abgaben und Verhältnisse zum Staat, 1699-1806.
3. ↑ Hüppi, note 128, referring to Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe, 229/17614, Die Erbauung des Denzlinger Meierei-Hauses und die hiezu erforderlichen Kosten, 1781.
4. ↑ Hüppi, note 129, referring to Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe, 399/1166, Die von Zeit zu Zeit geschehene Verlehnung und Verpachtung des herrschaftlichen Meiereihofs und –guts zu Hochburg, 1710-1798, above all the document entitled Erläuterung der Ammerkungen über den 1785er Ertrag des Hochburger Guths, which is an explanation of the yield realized on the Hochburg farm in the year 1785.
5. ↑ Hüppi, note 129, referring to Staatsarchiv Freiburg im Breisgau, B 698/6 Nr. 135, Landratsamt Emmendingen: Heimatsverhältnisse der Wiedertäufer 1820-1831.
6. ↑ Hüppi, note 129.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to John Schmeeckle for creating Zimmermann-227 on 9 Dec 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by John and others.