Yes, Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines (Markirch) was where Jakob Ammann separated from
the Mennonites to form the Amish. When the Swiss first came in the 1690's
to Alsace, they considered themselves Mennonite. The religious lines
between the various religious groups where not as clearly defined. For
example, both in Europe and America many people moved from Mennonite to
Dunker Brethren to Seventh Day Brethren to Moravian then back to Mennonite.
Denominational lines were more fluid. Lutherans and Reformeds worshipped
with one another. The Pietist movement further blurred distinctions.
I suspect that Alsace may have been the refuge that the Deppens, Zimmermans,
Ruchtis, and Brickers may have met. Did I understand in your comments that
the Duchy of Zweibrucken owned parts of Alsace during this period? If that
were the case, then Peter Bricker could have been from Zweibrucken even
though he actually lived in Alsace in what is today France.
You are also correct. We need proof through parish records to locate these
families.
Robert Carpenter
----- Original Message -----
From: <dbricker(a)cyburban.com>
To: <ZIMMERMAN-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2001 12:10 PM
Subject: Re: [ZIMMERMAN-L] Hans Zimmerman, 1732 on ship Pink Plaisance,from
where?
Thanks for everyone's responses.
Yes, I am a descendent of Peter Bricker, last of Cocalico Township,
Lancaster County. The point of departure for posting my question to
the Zimmerman mailing
list was the names of all those mentioned in P.B.'s last will &
testament of December 29, 1760. I have been told that there was a
strong likelihood that he had settled among other Mennonites of Swiss
descent, not only in America but previously in either the
Palatinate/Pfälz or Alsace, and so I've been trying
to obtain as much information as possible on the backgrounds of:
Hans and Christian Zimmerman (family origin Seftigen or Steffisberg,
Bern Canton, but born ?)
Christian Deppen (Riggisberg, Bern Canton)
Albrecht Graff (Thierachern, Bern Canton)
Hans Ober (?)
Didier [Detrich] and Jean Caquelin (Waldersbach, Alsace)
I believe all of them were Mennonite.
As far as I have been able to ascertain so far, P.B. came from the
Brügger family of Frutigen, Bern Canton, Switzerland, although there
is a tradition
that he himself came from "Zweibrücken". This could refer to the town in
the Pfälz, or it could vaguely refer to somewhere within the larger Duchy
of Zweibrücken, which extended from the southwestern Pfälz down into
Alsace.
There is unconfirmed information to the effect that P.B.'s
parents
and grandparents left the Frutigen area around 1687 due to religious
persecution, but I have little on their whereabouts afterward until
his name and the names
of his wife Christina (Deppen, sister of Christian, above) and two
children appeared on the ship's list of the Pink Plaisance along with
the names of Christian, Hans, and various other Zimmermans. Not
necessary incidentally, Christian Deppen, the Caquelins, (and
Christian Ruchti, of Steffisberg,
Bern Canton, I believe) all came over on the Princess Augusta
together four years later.
>From page 230 of the book "Counting Kindred":
"The first record of Peter Bricker in connection with Christian
Deppen is found in Lancaster County, Pa. records. Book B, Page
330, a tract of land had been patented to Christian Ruchty -
father in law of Christian Deppen and Hans Zimmerman Jr. This
patent was dated Dec. 5, 1739, land in Tulpehocken Twp, Lancaster
Co., Pa. A. placed on record, June 3, 1746. This tract was
conveyed to Christian Deppen and Hans Zimmerman, after the death
of Christian Ruchty, probably by verbal agreement, as no
proceedings can be found prior to 1755, when to clarify the
situation and insure title the same conveyed to Frederick Weiser,
who in turn on this date, conveyed to Christian Deppen and
Peter Bricker, 121 acres to each. April 1743 at a Supreme Court
held at Philadelphia for the Provence of Pa. At this court held
April 11, 12, 13, 1743, 244 persons being Quakers or such, who
conscientiously scruple to take the oath, these gave their
affirmation to become naturalized subjects of Great Britain,
among these were John [Hans] Zimmerman, Peter Bricker, and
Christian Deppen, all of Lancaster Co., Pa. These people were
all Mennonites."
I think the fact that the Zimmerman, Deppen, and Bricker surnames arise
in conjunction with one another repeatedly in American....wills, land
transations, giving solemn affirmations to become naturalized citizens
....may point to a relationship that existed between the families prior
to the emigration from Europe. But where?
>In the 1690's a number of the Zimmermans left Steffisburg. While some
went
>to the Rhine-Pfaltz, a number went to a village in Alsace. Its
French
name
>(which is what it is known today) was Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines.
Its German
>name was Markirch. The Zimmermans apparently stayed in Alsace for a
>generation or so and then removed to America from there. Another member
of
>the family resided in Monbeliard, also in Alsace.
I cannot find Monbeliard on a map, but I thought that
Sainte-Marie-Aux-Mines
was a Amish settlement. Were there also Mennonites there? This might
be a
clue, if there were. From "Zweibrücken, A city and a Duchy", by Hermann
Guth,
in "Mennonite Family History, April, 1988:
".....the Counts Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkefeld assumed
the rule at Zweibrücken. Together, with the Duchy of
Zweibrücken, they also owned the County of Rappoltstein
in the Upper Alsace, which gained significance for the
Mennonites because of the division by Jacob Ammann at
St. Marie-aux-Mines (Markirch). Here, one must note, that
after the Thirty Years' War in 1648, parts of the Alsace
came under French supremacy by the Peace of Munster and
Osnabruck. One of these parts was the territory of the
County of Rappoltstein. In 1712, the French King Louis
XIV, ordered the "Anabaptists" to be expelled from the
Alsace. Although the Counts Palatines of Zweibrücken
resisted, they finally were forced to comply....However,
they did grant asylum to the St. Marie-aux-Mines refugees
in their own Duchy."
Perhaps the Zimmermans, Brickers, and Deppens were in the Alsace together,
then migrated to the Duchy of Zweibrücken or the town itself as of 1712?
I had read that Hans and Christian Zimmerman were born in "Germany".
It might be worth sitting down and going through the LDS-owned microfiled
parish records of these various places.
Regards,
Dale Bricker
By the way, I think Hans Zimmerman and Christian Deppen were brothers-in-
law, having married two Ruchti sisters, while I have heard that some
Zimmerman of that time married an "Ann Bricker", relationship to my
Bricker
family unknown.
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