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Archiver > CARPENTER > 1998-03 > 0888850585


From: john carpenter <>
Subject: Re: CARPENTER (Zimmerman) Switzerland>PA 1600s F Y I
Date: Mon, 02 Mar 1998 09:56:25 -0500


>You might want to forward this to Bill. (message below)

>>
>>Would appreciate sharing any information on the ZIMMERMAN surname. I
>have
>>traced the line back to Benard ZIMMERMAN b: 1740 Pa d:1822 Wilkes Co. Ga
>>married Salome (unknow madien name) thier children :
>>Philip b:1760 Pa
>>Simon
>>Elizabeth
>>John
>>Haven't been able to find out anything about the line in Pa. Have some
>>information on them in GA.
>>Bill McAllister
>>Florence, SC
>>
>>
>
>On Sat, 20 Feb 1988 07:40:02 -0500 john carpenter <>
>writes:
>>>Resent-Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 19:14:41 -0800 (PST)
>>>To:
>>>cc:
>>>Subject: Re: CARPENTER (Zimmerman) Switzerland>PA 1600s
>>>Date: Wed, 18 Feb 98 19:18:04 PST
>>>From: Tom Lincoln <>
>>>Resent-From:
>>>X-Mailing-List: <> archive/latest/673
>>>X-Loop:
>>>Resent-Sender:
>>>
>>>
>>>Well... here goes...
>>>
>>>The Zimmerman-Carpenters
>>>
>>>4) Mary Carpenter (b. 16 Nov 1755), was the daughter of Jacob
>>Carpenter
>>>(3 Apr 1726 - 3 Dec 1772) and Elizabeth Herr (d. 17 Mar 1760) who
>>were
>>>married on 12 May 1746 and granddaughter of Heinrich Carpenter (born
>>>Zimmerman) (7 Sep 1673 - 1750) and Salome Ruffner (bapt. 28 Dec 1675;
>>>d. 1743) two redoubtable Swiss from the Bernese Oberland who had fled
>>>their homeland for political reasons. hc @
>>>
>>>1) Heinrich Zimmerman and his wife Anna Mogert were simple,
>>hardworking
>>>members of the Swiss landed gentry in the village of Wattenwyl,
>>Canton
>>>Bern, where their families had lived for many generations. It is
>>>located in the shadow of the Jungfrau mountain range, with old home
>>of
>>>wood in the mountain style extending up green hills. An independent
>>>parish 26 kilometers from Bern on the road to Thun, it had been for
>>>some time under the control of Count Von Graffenried (who was to
>>found
>>>New-Bern in North Carolina in 1710). His castle looked down on the
>>>village, its meadow land and orchards. The Zimmermans had four sons
>>and
>>>five daughters: Elsbeth (1672 - <1680); Heinrich (b. 7 Sep 1673);
>>Hans
>>>(b. 1675); Benedict (b. 1677); Anna (b. 1679); Elsbeth (b. 1680);
>>>Barbara (b. 1683); Catherine (b. 1686); and David (b. 1690).
>>>
>>>2) Heinrich was a large, powerful man, six feet tall, with black hair
>>>and eyes and a dark complexion, leading to the nickname 'Der
>>schwartzer
>>>Heinrich'. In many respects he was the wild black sheep of the
>>family.
>>>Once old enough to wield a pike and use a sword, he gave his father
>>no
>>>peace until he gave his consent for his son to enroll as a mercenary
>>>soldier for Louis XIV of France, positions recruited and provided in
>>>part by Count Von Graffenried.
>>>
>>>Louis XIV wanted troops badly, and Switzerland was willing to furnish
>>>them, as he protected the Swiss against the Holy Roman Empire and
>>>against Savoy. Following the alliance of 1658, between 6,000 and
>>15,000
>>>men were enrolled in the French army, and by 1690 there were as many
>>as
>>>30,000. The king did not, however, always pay his debts, leading to
>>the
>>>famous battlefield confrontation: "Pas d'argent, pas de Suisse!". In
>>a
>>>further story, a Swiss, taunted for his mercenary position, asked a
>>>Frenchman what he fought for. The reply: "I fight for honor". The
>>>retort: "I fight for money. Each fights for what he has not got."
>>>
>>>Heinrich was probably mustered out in 1696 at 23 following the peace
>>of
>>>Rijswijk [in which, among other things, Louis XIV recognized William
>>of
>>>Orange as king of Great Britain, and an agreement was reached that
>>the
>>>Palatinate, already boiling with Mennonite Protestants, would remain
>>>Catholic]. Likely impressed with the importance of surgeons in war
>>and
>>>the portability of their skills, he apprenticed himself to a doctor.
>>>About this time he fell in love with Salome Ruffner [or Rufener]
>>(bapt.
>>>28 Dec 1675, d. 1742) from the neighboring village of Blumenstein.
>>[She
>>>is also said to have been a widow, and the daughter of the Marquis de
>>>Fontenoy, but this is highly unlikely.] Experience abroad also led to
>>>political activity, and Heinrich allied with the small landowners and
>>>town residents in an uprising against the ruling large land owners
>>>(Bauerkrieg), including the Count Von Graffenried, which failed.
>>>Thereafter he may have fled to Zurich to continue his medical
>>studies.
>>>
>>>Rufener, Rufiner, Raffinen
>>>
>>>Familiennamenbuch der Schweiz gives Rufener as "old" citizens (i.e.
>>>prior to 1800) in Blumenstein and Sigriswil (both BE). Rufiner have
>>>been in Eyholz, Valais. The Swiss Genealogical Index [LDS# 1183607]
>>>asserts that the Rufener family from Blumenstein first appears as
>>Hans
>>>Rufener in der Polern in 1535, and came earlier from Wallis. It is
>>>asserted that they are closely related to Zen Raffinen zur Leuk, a
>>>family with similar heraldic devices. The family flourished in
>>>Blumenstein, with 30 baptisms between 1560 and 1600, then 90 between
>>>1600 and 1650, and 150 from 1650 to 1700, spreading out to
>>neighboring
>>>towns and villages. Most are townsfolk, with numerous veterinarians,
>>>physicians and officials among them. In the Bauerkrieg they were not
>>in
>>>the first ranks, but generally supported the uprising, led by those
>>>with war expertise who had fought in France, such as Joseph Wenger
>>(and
>>>Heinrich Zimmerman.)
>>>
>>>In 1698, with the permission and possibly the help of his family,
>>>Heinrich went down the Rhine to Rotterdam and took ship for
>>>Philadelphia, establishing himself in Germantown where there were
>>many
>>>Swiss settlers. From there he explored the surrounding country,
>>>traveling up the Susquehanna to the present site of Harrisburg. In
>>the
>>>latter part of 1700 he returned home, where his family had made peace
>>>with the government, and opened a practice of medicine, and, in 1701,
>>>married Salome. His stories of the New World stimulated the formation
>>>of an Emigration Society, and in 1703 two representatives were sent
>>to
>>>check out the situation in Pennsylvania, but their interest was
>>>diverted to North Carolina by other speculators in London, and, to
>>his
>>>disgust, that group went on to found New Bern NC.
>>>
>>>By 1706 the Zimmermans had two children, Emanuel and Gabriel. Once
>>>again he participated in an unsuccessful uprising, and was forced to
>>>flee, this time by night, leading his wife and children on horseback
>>>toward Lake Thun. Just short of their goal they were pursued by two
>>>Hussars on horseback, armed with sabers and spears, who overtook them
>>>in a narrow defile. He dropped behind and held them off with a cudgel
>>>and by throwing stones while the family gained a boat at the edge of
>>>the lake. As he tried to join his family in the boat, one of the
>>>Hussars caught up to him and grabbed his coat just as he was climbing
>>>aboard, but Salome felled the pursuer with a well place blow from an
>>>oar, and they made their escape. They first went to Zurich, but
>>>attracted by Pennsylvania and fearing to remain in Switzerland, they
>>>left for Philadelphia. They preceded the Bernese mentioned in a
>>letter
>>>from Penn himself, dated April 4 1710, which indicated that fifty or
>>>sixty 'Swissers called Menonists' were then on their way from
>>>Holland..." [ quote from C. Henry Smith.]
>>>
>>>He established himself in the practice of medicine in Germantown,
>>where
>>>he bought a house and some land in the vicinity. He became friends
>>with
>>>Pastorius and Wistar, and the other founders of the German community.
>>>As early as 1710 he acquired 200 acres of land in Lancaster County,
>>>which he began to develop with the aid of two redemptioners, whose
>>time
>>>he bought. Two years later he bought 572 acres of land, partially
>>>improved, from Christopher Franciscus, including a fine spring near
>>>what is now Lampeter Square, and set four more redemptioners to work
>>on
>>>it, commuting the sixty miles to oversee the project. In 1717, having
>>>Anglicized his name to Carpenter, and extended his holdings to 3000
>>>acres of land, he moved to the Pequa in Lancaster County, now a fully
>>>established German and Swiss community, where he again opened a
>>>practice. However, he sent all of his sons back to Philadelphia to
>>>study under Pastorius [one of the original Anabaptist Mennonites from
>>>the Palatinate and the most brilliant scholar of the day in America,
>>he
>>>could read and write fluently in Greek, Latin, German, French, Dutch,
>>>English, Italian and Spanish], where they learned both English and
>>>German, which was unusual for that part of Lancaster, where only
>>German
>>>was spoken. The sons born in Switzerland, Emanuel (1702 - 1 Apr 1780)
>>>and Gabriel (1704 - before 1776), were naturalized by an act of the
>>>Assembly in 1729. They had six more children: Salome (1707 -1736),
>>>Henry (d. 1773), Christian (1707 at Germantown, died Huntingdon Co.,
>>>date unknown), Daniel (1718 in Lancaster County -1776), Mary (or
>>>Marion) (b. 1720) {The "Carpenter Cemetery," also known as the Mary
>>>Ferree graveyard is cared for by the Mary Ferree Society in
>>Lancaster.
>>>Buried there are: Daniel Ferree and wife Mary Carpenter, 1722-1750,
>>Dr.
>>>John Carpenter, 1737-1798 and wife Mary Ferree, 1743-1764.}, and
>>Jacob
>>>(1726-1772). In 1734 he received a patent for the 2700 acres of land
>>>near Earlville and built a stone house there. Soon thereafter, his
>>sons
>>>built a grist mill and a saw mill on Conestoga Creek, which were
>>>rebuilt in stone in 1768. When he died in ca. 1748 at about 75, he
>>left
>>>a very large estate.
>>>
>>>Emanuel Carpenter married Catherine Line (d. 1785) and they had six
>>>children. He started out as a surveyor and a scrivener (or notary)
>>and
>>>went on to be an arbiter on all matter of disputes among his
>>neighbors.
>>>He was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin, and together they
>>recruited
>>>teams of horses for the ill fated Braddock Expedition against Fort
>>>DuQuesne in the French and Indian Wars. After the debacle, when many
>>of
>>>the teams were lost, they were both involved in claims and
>>>counterclaims. He served 17 years in the Provincial Assembly, and in
>>>1759 was appointed President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of
>>>Lancaster County by the Crown, an office which he held until 1776,
>>>when, under the new Constitution, he was appointed Presiding Judge of
>>>the Supreme Executive Council. He sided with the Revolutionaries. He
>>>was among the guests at a dinner for George Washington at the Black
>>>Bear Tavern in Lancaster in 1777, along with General Lafayette. For
>>>this he dressed in rough clothing, and tied his gray hair back with a
>>>thong.
>>>
>>>3) Jacob Carpenter (1719 [Official Mennonite Soc. Date 1994] or 3 Apr
>>>1726 - 3 Dec 1772) lived and died in Lampeter Township, Lancaster
>>>County, where he was a surveyor and a farmer. He was elected to the
>>>Provincial Assembly in 1765 and annually thereafter until his death
>>in
>>>1772. He was married first on 12 May 1746 to Elizabeth Herr, then
>>>secondly on 21 Jul 1761 in the St. James Episcopal Church, Lancaster,
>>>PA to Magdalena Miller (d. 1803), daughter of Martin and Magdalena
>>>Miller.
>>>
>>>I descend from there...
>>>
>>>Any additions or corrections??
>>>
>>>Tom
>>>
>>>
>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>>
>>JOHN L. CARPENTER
>>PO BOX 912
>>WALPOLE ,NH 03608-0912
>>
>>BE SURE TO CHECK MY WEB SITE OF 3,300 CARPENTER DECENDANTS OF WILLIAM
>>CARPENTER WHO CAME TO PROVIDENCE RI IN 1636
>>
>>http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/c/a/r/John--L-Carpenter/index.html
>>
>>for good places to check on the web for Carpenter or other genealogy
>>check
>>my Carpenter Links page @
>>http://expage.com/page/carpenterlinks
>>Please sign the guest book.
>>
>
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<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

JOHN L. CARPENTER
PO BOX 912
WALPOLE ,NH 03608-0912

BE SURE TO CHECK MY WEB SITE OF 3,300 CARPENTER DECENDANTS OF WILLIAM
CARPENTER WHO CAME TO PROVIDENCE RI IN 1636

http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/c/a/r/John--L-Carpenter/index.html

for good places to check on the web for Carpenter or other genealogy check
my Carpenter Links page @
http://expage.com/page/carpenterlinks
Please sign the guest book.

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