Johannes Zeh

about 1614 - March 8, 1674

MARRIAGE?: Lutheran Chbk of Oppenheim, Germany shows a Johannes ZACH (ZECH) of Openheim m 9 Apr 1678 Maria Magdaline SCHMITT, wid of Johan Daniel SCHMITT. [quote in "Even More Palatine Fam" Vol-3 by Hank Jones 2002. to which, Hank adds "Due to ages in fam @ London, this couple can not be the emigrants, but perhaps related". PALATINES in 1709 LONDON; ³1. List taken at St. Catherines, May 6, 1709, 852 persons. ³2. List taken at Walworth, May 27, 1709, 1193 persons. ³3. List taken at St. Catherine¹s June 2, 1709, 1745 persons. ³4. List taken at St. Catherine¹s and Deftford June 15, 11, 1709.² >From ³BOOK OF NAMES³ by Lou D. MacWerthy -- On pgs 75 to 111 inclusive will be found the London List of Palatines--1709. -- Page 75 -- LIST OF PALATINES IN 1709¹ Copied from the Manuscripts in London, England Palatine Emigrants into England to June 20, 1709.¹ Copies of notes taken at British Museum.

The original Lists are in C.O. 388:76, D. 57-70. "LONDON CHURCH BOOKS AND THE GERMAN EMIGRATION OF 1709." I find no mention of the name ZEH, any spelling. by JOHN P. DERN . 1/07 "akstaub" 1710 Palatines to New York, Third List has Ship: Fame Captain: Walter Houxton From: London Arrival: 14 Jun 1710 Johannes Zech, 43 [Hunter List #838] Anna Magdalena Johann Georg, 11 Johann Gerhardt, 6 Ignatius, 3 Johann Peter, 1 3-0 Zeg, Sea, Say, Zehe, Zee, Zehn; 3rd arrivals in London; Catholic; to Tulpehocken, PA; to Augusta Co, VA.

Documentation for Johannes Zeh of Schoharie, NY Descendants of Schoharie Zeh/See family: I just spent the last several of days compiling and annotating a list of documentary evidence for Johannes and Magdalena Zeh, which were found in various secondary sources including the Henry Z. Jones books on the Palatine families, Lou MacWethy's Book of Names and other sources. I have added a few explanatory notes for those not familiar with locations. If you have found other evidence on the Zeh family in Germany or NY, I would LOVE to know. And if you see any glaring errors, let me know that too. (I'm going blind reading this stuff!) I hope you will find this useful. Sara DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE for Johannes and Magdalena Zeh. Listed in Chronological Order compiled and annotated by Sara Stevens Patton 2010 [SSP comments in brackets] 1. "1690 Huldigung of Handschuhsheim" - lists Johannes Zehe Palatine Families of NY by Henry Z. Jones- p. 1202 [SSP note: . Huldigung is a feudal practice of paying homage (I don't know what form it took) to the local prince or overlord that ruled the region. Apparently Johannes Zehe is on the list of those paying homage. Handschuhsheim may have been the name of the principality or region. Today it is a suburb of Heidelburg. This gives a clue as to where the Zehes may have lived before 1704-1709 when they are listed in Oppenheim and Rudelsheim. A check on church books in the Heidelburg area may prove useful.] [The following 3 baptisms are listed in Jones under "The ch. of Johannes and Anna Magdalena Zehe". Jones states that these 3 baptisms are from the Oppenheim Catholic Churchbook but does not show the exact spelling of parents names or surname for each listing. He states they are written as Jois Zech, Zee and Zehn. I show them here as Zeh just so the reader will see they are the same family.] 2. 1704, Feb 17: Baptism of Joes[Johannes] Gerhardt [Zeh] born at Ruhlsheim/ Rudelsheim. Sponsor Joes Gerhard Firck (Oppenheim Catholic Churchbook) Palatine Families of NY by Henry Z. Jones- p 1127 3. 1706 Aug 14: Baptism of Ignatius [Zeh] born at Ruhlsheim/ Rudelsheim. Sponsor Ignatius Spath (Oppenheim Catholic Churchbook) [Note:Henry Z. Jone states that baptismal sponsors are either relatives or VERY close friends. Ignatius Spath was listed next to "John Seg" aka Johannes Zeh on the London list in 1709. Palatine Families of NY by Henry Z. Jones- p 1127 4. 1709, Jan 9: Baptism of Johannes Petrus [Zeh] born Rudelsheim. Sponsor Joes Petrus Benrath (Oppeneim Catholic Churchbook)Palatine Families of NY by Henry Z. Jones- p 1128 ************ [Note: I had little luck in located Ruhlsheim/Rudelsheim on the internet.

Historical Overview of Ludwigshöhe: It is thought that Rudelsheim was first settled during Merovingian times (5th-6th Centuries). The first written mention of Rudelsheim is in 766. As the Rhine changed course over the centuries, it drew close to Rudelsheim in the 16th Century. In the 16th and 17th Centuries, Rudelsheim was under the Barons (Freiherren) of Dienheim. The village was completely devasted in 1631, during the Thirty Years' War. In 1801, the Barons of Dienheim were dispossessed, and Rudelsheim came under French rule as part of the Departement of Donnersberg. In 1817, Rudelsheim came under the rule of the Grand Dukes of Hessen. To escape the rising waters of the Rhine, the villagers decided to move to higher ground in 1819, and in 1822, with the permission of the Grand Duke, the first foundation-stone was laid at the new village of Ludwigshöhe. The buildings of Rudelsheim were broken up to provide building materials for Ludwigshöhe, and over the next few years more and more families moved to the new location. The last occupants left Rudelsheim in October of 1830. The last building left standing in the old village, the Church of St. Vitus, burned during the night of 17-18 January 1837. All that remains of the old village is a memorial stone and the old cemetery cross. The inscription on the memorial stone reads: Gott gebe allen gestorbenen Seelen die ewige Ruhe und das ewige Licht leuchte ihnen. O Herr lass sie ruhen in Frieden. Amen. ("God give eternal peace to all departed souls, and illumine them with the eternal Light. O Lord, let them rest in peace. Amen.") Name: The name of the old village, Rudelsheim, means herd home. The present name, Ludwigshöhe, means Ludwig's height; this name was given in honor of Grand Duke Ludwig I (1753-1830), the first Grand Duke of Hessen. Some records from Rudelsheim are found among the Oppenheim records: ************ 5. "Johannes Sech -- Jo. Sech was a Palatine Convert from Popery when he was admitted to the Lord's Supper in the Protestant communion at the Luth. Church at the Savoy in London shortly after 9 Oct 1709." More Palatine Families by Henry Z. Jones 1991 p. 410 6. 1709, June 2: 3rd list (ship Fame?)-- John Zeg, wife sons aged 1,6, 1/2 (1st son should read 11)-list of Husbandmen and vinedressers (close to him on same list are Balzar Lesch and Ignatius Spehd p.22 London Lists in Public Records Office, London Third List of Palatines taken at St. Catherine's [London], June 2, 1709, 1745 persons VOL. 2, NO. D 68 Palatine Families of NY by Henry Z. Jones V no page number shows on photocopy of list. [Original Ships Lists are in the Public Records Office in London] Listings for Johannes Zehe #838 on the Hunter Lists 7. 1710, July 1: listed with 3 persons over 10 yrs old 8. 1710, Oct 4: child listed under 10(new birth?) 9. 1710, Dec 31: listed with 3 persons over 10 yrs old, 1 under 10 10. 1711, Mar 25: listed with 3 persons over 10 yrs old, 2 under 10 11. 1711, June 24: listed with 3 persons over 10 yrs old, 1 under 10 Palatine Families of NY by Henry Z. Jones-p.1126 [ Hunter Subsistence Lists were records kept by Gov Hunter in the Hudson River camps showing how much food or supplies were handed out to each family. Original Hunter Subsistence Lists are in the Public Records Office in London] From Kocherthal records http://threerivershms.com/nameskocherthal.htm p. 17 Baptisms At New York: 12. 1710, Sept. 24th: Maria Sophia, child of Gerhard and Anna Maria SCHAESTER: sponsors: Johann ZECH, Maria Apollonia WUEST, and Anna Sophia KOPP. 13. 1710, Sept 29th: Johann Adam, child of Johannes and Anna Magdalena ZECH: sponsor: Johann Adam LESCH. [The LESCH appears often on various lists with the Zehs in London, Schoharie and Tulpehochen Henry Jones lists a number of references to Adam Sea/Zahe in Schoharie including his marriage and children. But due to late marriage and children's births, Jones states that it may be a different Adam. See Jones, Palatine Families p. 1128.] Confirmation: 14. 1711, April 30: Johann George Zeh confirmed at New German Colony. (West Camp Lutheran Churchbook) "At the communion adminstered by me in the new colony of Germans...Johann Georg Zeh. (10 Germans, 5 others-German names-"formerly members of the Episcopal Church.") "A List of First communicants pp 81-86 [The Kocherthal records were published in the Lutheran Quarterly published at Gettysburg, Pa. The translation was made from the original now deposited in the archives at Albany, N. Y. and are the property of the West Camp Lutheran Church. Rev. Joshua Kochertahl was the pastor of the Palatines in West Camp and Schoharie. Kocherthal baptisms and confirmation took place in the West Camp - Livingston Manor on the Hudson River, before the Zehs left the for Schoharie. Kocherthal refers to Catholics as Episcopalians] 15 1716/1717- Simmendinger Register shows Johannes Zeh and Magdalena with 4 ch. at Neu-Stuttgardt Dorf aka "Weisers-dorf [photocopy of original in file; original in NY Public Library.) [SSP Note: "dorf" = village. Before he left to return to Germany, Simmendinger traveled to various settlements in NY and NJ where the Palatinate emigrants had settled. He compiled a list of the each family and their location so that when he returned to Germany he could tell relatives there where the various families had settled in America. By this time, the Zehs were living in Weisersdorf--headman Conrad Weiser, located in today's Middlebergh NY in the Schoharie region south of Albany.

It appears that the Weisers and Zeh families stayed close-- in Schoharie and later moving to Tulpehocken in PA. Conrad Weiser--about same age as our Johann Georg--became a famous Indian negotiator and translator.] 16. ca 1720 Excerpt from "A Brief Sketch of the First Settlement of the County of Schoharie by the Germans By John M. Brown - 1823" Near Albany, NY ca. 1720 Story of Magadalene Zee, captain of a mob of angry women, and her confrontation with the unfortunate Sheriff Adams. 17. 1725, Sep 25: Baptism of Anna Magdalena Rith b 25 Sep 1725. Sponsors: Conrad Weyser and his wife and Anna Magdalena Zeh. Reeds Church church book. Reeds Church was located 1 mile east of Stouchsburg, PA in Tulpehocken area. "Reed Church" (today Zion and Saint John's Lutheran Church) for the years 1742-1747 exists in the Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, PA.

At first glance, it appears that Anna Magdalena Zeh, aged 53 came all the way to the Tulpehocken area of PA for the baptism of this child and then returned to Schoharie in NY where she died in 1750 at the age of 78 as recorded in Schoharie church records. This seems to be a highly unlikely scenario. First, the Rieth or Reed's Church wasn't even established until 1727. Secondly, neither of the Conrad Weisers (father or son) moved to PA until after 1729. After looking at the original article, I note that the author explains that the Reed's Church records, which were for the years 1742-1747, followed Moravian custom, wherein "the entire family of members--including those baptised in Europe--was entered into the records." Thus the eleven entries made for Michel Rith's family, which extend from 1696 to1739, include earlier births and baptisms obviously occurring somewhere other than the Tulpehocken Valley. Without knowing when the Rith/Reed family actually came to PA, it is impossible to know where they were located in 1725. Michael Rith was not, however, on the early tax lists for the area the following January, making it highly unlikely he was in PA at that time. Thus I suggest that this mention of Anna Magdalena Zeh, as the baptismal sponsorof Michael Rith's child, was still located in Schoharie, and the occasion was simply included with the other records of the Rith family in the Reed Church record long after the fact. Johann Georg Zeh to goes to PA with hundreds of others from Schoharie, including Conrad Weiser, Jr. 18. 1725/26, Jan 10-11: Chester Co, Tulpehocken Twp. PA. Tax Assessments- Original document (PA State Archives Microfilm) Handwritten list of 36 names including "Hans Jery Say" who was charged £0.2.3 in tax. Handwriting probably by an English speaking clerk. Explanatory notes regarding tax assessment accompanying the microfilm states that the list of names was drawn up in the fall of 1725. [SSP note: Hans is short form of Johannes, aka John. The name "Jery" appears for other men as wellJery Stump, Hans Jery Heine, Jery Reed, Jery Lesh, all known in other documents by the name "George". (In German pronunciation, the "J" sound is like a "Y".) Henry Z. Jones also lists Jurie/Yurie as nicknames for George and Rupp mentions Jerg, Jurg, Yerrick, and Yerg. I've also seen "Jury" and "Jörch" used as a substitute for "George". In at least two cases, I've seen the two names run together as "Hansyerry".

Given his location in the Tulpehocken area in 1725 when only the Schoharie settlers are there, along with the fother records that confirm he is in Tulpehocken area from 1725-1744, I am pretty well satisfied that Johann Georg Zeh of Schoharie is Hans Jery Say of Tulpehocken and later George Zeh/Say/See of the South Branch of the Potomac.] Marriage Records of Dutch Reformed Church, Schoharie 1732-1755 < http://www.bettyfink1.com/ [Note: must be same as Schoharie Ref. Churchbk cited by Jones below? But also note that neither Christian nor Adam Zeh are on this list but from a different church.] 19. 1737 Sept 24: Markus Bellinger, widower and Maria Margareth Zeein, j.d. both living at Hondersfield [Huntersfield] [Note: "in" at the end of the name indicates a daughter or wife of...] 20. 1738 March 3: Johannes Zee, j.m. and Catharina Bellinger both living at Huntersfield, 21. 1738, Dec 27: John Frederick Carel Schel, b. Bissinger, Wirdebergerlant, Germany and Marie Barbara Zee, j.d., b. Schogharie [I couldn't find Huntersfield on Google but did find a Huntersfield State Park and town of Huntersland se of Middleburgh (Weisdorf) both close to Weisdorf where Zehs first located.] Jones lists 5 marriages of Zeh children that he found in the Schoharie Reformed Churchbook and he believes (but cannot prove) are children of Johannes and Magdalena Zeh. This seems likely since Johannes and Magdalena are the only Zeh family in the area at the time. Assuming the children are at least 18-20 yrs. old, they'd all have been born in Schoharie and are the right ages with possible exception of Christian and Adam.

No mention of marriage records for our George but I saw no references to any Tschudi there or in Tulpehocken. 1737 Sept 24: Maria Margaretha Zee md. Marcus Bellinger (Schoharie Reformed Churchbk.) 1738 March 3: Johannes Zee md. Anna Catharina Bellinger (Schoharie Reformed Churchbk.) [Jones lists 8 children with birth dates] 1738 Dec 27: Maria Barbara Zee md Friederich Carl Schell (Schoharie Reformed Churchbk.) [These above 3 are same as those found in Dutch Reformed Church above so I have not given them new numbers.] 22. 1750, April 5: Christian (Zeh) md. Sophia Bellinger (Schoharie Lutheran Churchbk.) {Jones lists 4 children and birthdates. Also gives other references for Christean Sea/Zahe. Christian Zahe d. 13 Sept 1763-(Schoharie Lutheran Churchbk.] 23. 1750 Aug 16: Adam (Zeh) md. Anny Meyer/Meir - An Adam Zahe d. 15 Dec 1771 [both cited in Schoharie Lutheran Churchbk. ] 24. 1744- Johannes Zähe: Schoharie Lutheran Church book-"enrolled on Pastor Sommer's Family List ca 1744" [SSP: I could not find any information on the "list."] 25. 1750. July 7: Death of Johannes Zeh aged 78 yrs. (Schoharie Lutheran Churchbk.) - Jones, Palatine Families p. 1127 [Elsewhere I have seen the exact same date and age attributed to wife Magdalena Zeh.--not sure which is correct. Many of the above citations are found in Lou McWethy "THE BOOK OF NAMES, Especially Relating to The Early Palatines, and the First Settlers in the Mohawk Valley" 1933: pp 65-72 has "Pal Heads of Fam fm Gov Hunter's Ration Lists, Jun 1710-Sep 1714" compiled fm Rec in London by Boyd Ehle, C. E. The incomplete list has abt 500 names including Johannes ZEHE in the East Camp. P-73 lists the various spellings encountered, including ZEHE-ZEH. Excerpts from McWethy can also be found on line: http://threerivershms.com/names.htm

Most of the citations also appear in the Henry Z. Jones series on Palatine Families where Jones supposedly corrected errors made by McWethy.

Source http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SEE/2010-03/1268080435