Hi Susan,
If you really want to find out the whole scoop of the Zeller and Zellers, then you must
join the Zeller Family Website. Many of the members are avid researchers. I am sure you
would fine out many answers to you questions as I did. Please contact David
dzellers(a)lrnet1.com
he is the coordinator of the site. It's free.
The following is a document that was given to me by my grandmother. I would say,
everything from Bishop Zeller to present is ok.
GENEALOGY OF THE ZELLER FAMILY
(Arrived in U.S. June 14, 1710)
re-typed by Sally Jane Wildasinn- Ward
The earliest record of the activities of this ancient and ennobled family is disclosed in
the text of the Copialbuch of the Kleister Monsee, the entry reading as follows: “A.D. 955
Capellam Cella in Parrechia Rurippe sitnn,” – showing that the Chapel of Zell was seated
in the Parish of Rab,
a. d. Pram, Upper Austria, from which foundation the Zeller famillly spread the teachings
of Christianity among the native tribes.
From 1130 to 1200 the following Lords flourished, all of whom were brothers of the de
Cella family (Zu, und von Zell, su Reidau, bei Hohenzell). There were six brother in all:
1. Lord Dietpeltus, de Leicheim
2. Lord Wernherus de Phelesau (Pfalsaue).
3. Lord Otto de Ezzenbach (Reissenbach). Von Patricheaheim
(near Rurippe)
4. Lord Albertus de Cella
5. Lord Geswinus de Osterhoven (d’Costeve)
6. Lord Odesoalch de Mechingen
We are descended from the 3rd son, Lord Otto, as follows:
1200 LORD OTTO de Cella (Nobilis vir hoc), his son was:
1250 HERBOT de Cella (von Zell), his son was:
1275 HEINRICH von Zell, his son was:
CHUNRAT 1300 - (Conrad) von Zell (der Zeller) – (wife) ELSBETH. In 1307 Chunrat der
Zeller was knighted for military service, and acquired the Castle of Riedau. In
1326 Chunrat der Zeller, von Zell und su Riedau, entered into an alliance with the Counts
von Schaunberg concerning Castle Riedau.
Shunrat’s son was:
STEPHAN 1362 – mentions his sons, Heinrich II (Heintzel) der Zeller zu Riedau, and
Christian (Christel der Zeller). In 1381 Stephan Zeller was living at Castellan, Fortress
and Kleister Newberg a. Inn.
His son was:
CHRISTIAN ZELLER 1387- (Christel der Zeller)- settled in St. Gallen, Switzerland. In
1469 Christian Zeller of St. Gallen was granted citizenship in Zurich, Switzerland.
His son Was:
STEPHAN ZELLER 1519 – was elected member of the great Council of Zurich, and in the
beginning of the Reformation was elected Official Censor by the aGreat Council of Zurich
to determine which pictures shuld be removed from the Churches.
In 1531, Stephan Zeller was elected Captain of the Swiss Confederates serving under the
Duke of Milan during his campaign in Italy against the Duke James de Medici. In 1552
Stephan Zeller died.
His son was:
STEPHAN ZELLER II 1584 - 1606 – (son of the above)- was a Judge and a member of the
Great Council of Zurich. In 1606 Stephan Zeller II died.
His son was:
HEINRICH ZELLER 15?? – 1600 (son of the above) – was Preacher, Professor, in the
University of Zurich, Ludi Moderator and Pastor of the Cathedral of Zurich. In 1645
Heinrich Zeller died.
His son was:
HANS HEINRICH ZELLER II 1609 – 1672 (son of the above) – was born in Zurich;
succeeded to his father’s various activities, in addition to which he was elected
Professor of Sacred Theology in the University of Zurich holding the same chair that was
held by Zwingli. In 1672 Professor Hans Heinrich Zeller II died.
His son was:
HANS RUDOLF ZELLER 1637 – 1693 (son of the above) – was born in Zurich. He was Court
Preacher to the Counts Palatine at Zweibrucken (Deux Ponts) preaching to large
congregations of Huguenots. His brother, Johannes, born in 1656 and died in 1669, was a
preacher in the Rheinpfalz. His younger brother, Jacob (James), born in 1639, was
appointed Royal Preacher in 1664 by the Bishop of London, and was made Rector of St.
Andrews, Jamaica, West Indies, under Colonel Morgan, first Governor of that island. His
first cousin, Heinrich Zeller, was Court Preacher to the Holland Embassy at Regensberg,
(Ratisbon on Danube), the Capital of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1693 Hans Rudolf Zeller
died.
His son was:
JAQUES ZELLER 1660 – 1710 (Jacob, James) (son of the above) – was born in Zurich,
Switzerland. In France he married about 1682 Lady Clothilda de Valeis (De Valois), a
French Huguenot noblewoman.
In 1707 Jacques Zeller and his wife, Lady Clothilde, crossed the Channel to England, and
by special act of Parliament of Great Britain, under Queen Anne, dated A. D. 1709, he
became a naturalized citizen of Great Britain.
Around 1710 Jacques Zeller died at sea en route to America. Jacques and Lady Clothilde de
Valeis Zeller had two sons: John George Zeller and John Heinrich Zeller.
His son, John George Zeller, was born in France in 1686. He married Catherin________, and
died at Fort Zeller, Berks County, Pennsylvania, near Wemelsdorf, in 1736.
Jacques Zeller also had a son:
JOHN HEINRICH ZELLER 1684 – 1756 son of the Jacques and Lady Clothilde de Valeis
Zeller, - was born in France in 1684. He served in the campaign against Canada in 1711 in
the Province of New York in the service of Queen Anne. He married Anna Maria Berigal
(Briegal) (daughter of James Berigal) (Von Breugel) of Holland.
John Heinrich Zeller came to America in 1710, settling with his mother, brother and wife
in the Schoherie Valley in New York state. In 1723 he came to Berks County, Pennsylvania,
where he became a leader in the religious life of the community. Church meetings were
often held in his home.
John Heinrich Zeller died in Berks County, Pennsylvania, about 1765. During his lifetime,
he lived in France, Holland, England, in the Schoherie Valley in New York, and at Fort
Zeller along the Swatara Creek in Pennsylvania.
(They had 14 children.)One of the sons of John Heinrich and Anna Maria Berigal Zeller
was:
JOHN GEORGE ZELLER 1732 – 1792 -son of the above John Heinrich and Anna Maria Berigal
Zeller, - was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1732. In 1753 he married Maria
Barbara Haas. His farm was north of Fort Zeller, near Mt. Aetna, Pa. He died in 1792.
One of his sons was:
(BISHOP) ANDREW ZELLER 1755 – 1839 son of the above John George and Maria Barbara Haas
Zeller – was born in Berks County, Pa. In 1755. He emigrated to German Twp., Montgomery
County, Ohio, from Pennsylvania, in 1805, and founded the first United Brethren church
west of the Alleghenies on his farm two miles north of Germantown, Ohio, along Little Twin
Creek. This has been the traditional claim.
Andrew Zeller was the first western Bishop of the United Brethren church.
In 1779, in Pennsylvania, he married Catharine Ferrer. The marriage was performed by the
Reverend William Hendel, brother-in-law of Philip William Otterbein. The name of his
second wife was Frances.
Bishop Zeller died at his residence in Germantown, Ohio, 1839. According to tradition, he
lived on the southwest corner of Main and Gunckel Streets. He is buried on the east side
of the Germantown cemetery.
Bishop Andrew and Catharine Ferror Zeller had the following children; from whom there are
many descendants in the Miami Valley. These children were:
1. Catharine about 1780 (had a daughter, Catharine Crider)
2. John Zeller 1780 – 1861
3. Elizabeth Kemp 1782 – 1865
4. George Zeller 1785 – (?)
5. Michael Zeller 1788 – 1838
6. Andrew Zeller 1791 – 1864
7. Barbara Zearing 1795 – 1846
8. Christina Kumler 1798 – (?) - after 1870 – her daughter, Salome, married
David Rike in 1855
9. Mary Antrim 1800 - 1859
MICHAEL ZELLER 1788 – 1838 - son of Bishop Andrew and Catherine Ferrer Zeller, - was
born in Berks County, Pa., on August 3, 1788. He died on Sept. 5, 1838, in Germantown,
Ohio – 9 months before the death of his father, Bishop Zeller.
Some time before 1820 he married Maria Melinda Brown, who was born in 1791, Nov. 3, and
died in Germantown, Ohio, in 1839. Her tombstone inscription gives the date of her death
as June 19,1839. Age 48. The “Telescope” of June 12,1839, states the date of her death as
May 22, 1839. Age 45. The year of her death, at least, is certain, - 1839.
Michael, Maria and Malinda, their daughter, lie buried side by side on the east side of
the Germantown cemetery, along the drive. The closemess of the dates of death of Michael,
Maria and Malinda suggests that the may have been victims of the familiar Zeller malady,
tuberculosis.
Michael Zeller, and his uncle, Adam Zeller,(brother of Andrew Zeller), were said to have
been the first druggists in Germantown, starting their store in 1824. To quote from J.P.
Hents’ history, “The History of Twin Valley,”-
“As physicians were but few then, they were often consulted in cases of sickness by those
who came to buy medicine of them. They gave advice when applied to, and in this way
acquired the name and reputation of physicians.”
“The faith reposed in the healing qualities of Hickory oil and one good effect. It led to
the erection of oil mills, and the manufacture and proper use of oil. Hickory oil was
found to be quite a useful article for culinary purposes. For this discovery we are
indebted to Dr. Adam Zeller.”
After Michael Zeller died in 1838, his son, Abia Zeller, continued the drug store in
Germantown. Somewhat later, Abia moved his bsiness to Dayton, Ohio, and operated his drug
store on the west side of Main Street, between Third and Second Streets north of the Court
House. The Abia Zeller drug store was widely know in Dayton for many years.
In Germantown, the old drug store where Michael and his Uncle Adam first practiced their
pharmacy was on the north-east corner of Plum and Market Streets. The German name for
APOTHECARY is still visible, dimly, above the doorway of this historic store. This large
edifice is one of the oldest buildings in Germantown, but is still in excellent
condition.
Michael and Maria Melinda Brown Zeller had one son and five daughters to survive them:
1. Mary Anne Zeller Kumler (Mrs. Elias)-
Elias was the son of Daniel C. Kumler (son of Bishop Henry Kumler, Sr.)
2. Abia Zeller-
Successful druggist in Germantown and Dayton, Ohio. Married Caroline Negley and had
the following five children:
1. Laura Zeller Marshall (Mrs. A.C.)
2. Anna Zeller- music teacher in Dayton for many years.
3. Caroline Zeller Udell (Mrs. )
4. William A. Zeller
5. Mattie Zeller Reed (Mrs. John H.)- lived in Germantown, Ohio.
She had 4 chldren:
1. Charles Reed
2. Albert Reed
3. Mary Reed Bennett
4. Lulu Reed Brown (Mrs. Colonel Orvon Graff) – her husband
was the founder and director of the Miami Military Institute
in Germantown, Ohio, an exclusive preparatory school for
boys. Their children were:
1. Mildred Brown Stapley- she had 2 daughters.
2. Mary Louise Brown Welday- (of Springfield, Ohio.) Children: David and Richard.
3. Martha Brown Saunders- (of Tippecanoe City,
Ohio.) She had one daughter.
4. Kennedy Brown – Children: Ann Brush, Dorothy
Pahe, Kennedy Knabe Brown (of
Florida)
5. Reed _____ Brown- Children: Reed Brown, Jr. of
Rochester, N.Y., and Celeste
Brown Price of
Tucson, Arizona.
6. Orvon Graff Brown, Jr. (of Dayton, Ohio)
3. Margaret (Ann) Zeller Kumler (1816-1893) (Mrs. Joseph)- She was born inMontgonery
County, Ohio.
4. (unknown female- Malinda Zeller 6//4/1819-1/17/1840- from Kummler Egroup)
5. (unknown female)
6. (unknown female)
MARGARET (ANN) ZELLER KUMLER (1816-1893) (Mrs. Joseph) - daughter of Michael and Maria
Melinda Brown Zeller, - married Joseph Kumler (1813-1894), son of Bishop Henry Kumler,
Sr., who (he) was born February 23, 1813. (They had seven children: Mary Ann Catharine
Kumler, Malinda Elizabeth Kumler, Juan Ruffina Kumler (Juan is pronounced “Jew-Ann”),
Miranda Fernandes Kumler, Isabella Jemima Kumler, Josepph Edwin Kumler and Franklin Abia
Zeller Kumler. This information was from the Kummler Egroup Website.) One of their
children was: Franklin Abia Zeller Kumler.
FRANKLIN ABIA ZELLER KUMLER (10/20/1854-7/20/1942) – son of Joseph and Margaret (Ann)
Zeller Kumler, died in 1942. F.A.Z. owned many properties in Dayton, Ohio. He was a
graduate of Otterbein College, class of 1885. His first wife was Emma Bender, of
Westerville, Ohio. After her death, he married (9/20/1894) Mattie Bender (1868-1955), of
Westerville. (F.A.Z. was president for 11 years at Avalon College in Avalon, Missouri. In
1888 Avalon College gave him the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy in recognition of
his work at that institution. He then founded the Eastern Indiana Normal School in Muncie,
Indiana of which he also designed the building which is now the administration building of
Ball State University. His wife Mattie taught music, and his sister, Juan, taught Latin at
Eastern Indiana Normal School. He resigned in 1902 and moved back to Dayton, Ohio,
purchased a broad tract of land, extending northward and westward from Lexington Ave., he
subdivided !
it into building lots to become the development of “Dayton View”. He was a teacher of the
Men’s Bible Class of the First United Brethren Church, in Dayton and he also belonged to
the Sons of the American Revolution. This information is from the Encyclopedia of
Biography.) Franklin and Mattie had two daughters, Emma and Margaret. (Margaret Ann
Kumler 7/17/1905-6/9/1990 married John Frederick Toedtman 4/10/1902-10/1955, they had
one son John Kumler Toedtman 1943.)
EMMA (JUANA) KUMLER WILDASINN (MRS. C.K.) (9/12/1902- 4/16/1986) Native of Dayton,
Ohio.) Daughter of Franklin Abia Zeller and Mattie Bender Kumler. Lived at 456 Whipp Road,
Dayton, Ohio. (Emma and her husband, Clarence Kaler Wildasinn (6/18/1896-12/17/1982),
originally lived on Oxford Ave. in Dayton View where her four sons were born.
This document was given to me, Sally Jane Wildasinn Ward, from my grandmother, Emy Lou
(Emma Juana) Kumler Wildasinn. I do not know where she got the information from. The
italicized information is what I have added.