GERMANNA_COLONIES-L Archives

From: John Blankenbaker <>
Subject: (724)Germanna Colonies, History of
Date: Sat, 09 Oct 1999 05:36:33 -0400

The seven hundred and twenty-fourth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

Information pertaining to the German origins of the Lotspeich family is to
be found in various sources. Friedrich Krebs published a note in German in
1969. This was translated and edited by Don Yoder and published in the book
"Rhineland Emigrants" authored by Yoder in 1985. Cerny and Zimmerman
published a short note, drawing especially upon the church records, in
volume 11 of the monograph series, "Before Germanna."

Johann Willhelm Lotspeich was living in Virginia prior to his father's death
in 1778. He appears in a Culpeper deed with his wife Magdalena in 1774. Of
special note is the Rev. Klug's estate record (he died in 1764) that
mentions his son-in-law, William Lutspike and daughter Magdalena.

The father of William was Johann Conrad Lotspeich who is sometimes called
Lotschberg in the Frankenthal (Palatinate) records. Conrad married Catharina
Elizabeth Wilhemina, the daughter of Jörg Andreas Ladenberger of
Frankenthal. Conrad was a tailor and church deacon at Frankenthal and died
there 30 September 1778. His estate papers mention six children of whom
three were in America. These were Johann Wilhelm, Johann Christoph, and
Johanna Friederika. Christopher was mentioned in the last of the notes here.

In America, only the arrival of Christopher is known. William, born in 1740,
came as a young man to Culpeper Co., VA and soon married Magdalena Klug but
the details remain unknown. Johanna Friederika, his younger sister by four
years, could have come with William or perhaps with Christopher. She is not
listed on the ship's manifest with Christopher, but women and children were
usually omitted. In Virginia, she married John Francis Lucas Jacoby.
Christopher was the youngest child in the family, born in 1750. He arrived
at Philadelphia when he was twenty-four years old.

The mother of these children was Catharina Elisabetha Wilhelmina who had a
brother Rudolff. He moved to England where he adopted the name Ralph and
married twice. But he left no children. He wrote a will in 1784 in which he
named as heirs the three children of his deceased sister Susan Dietz of
Frankenthal, the son, George Andreas, of his deceased brother Philipp
Leonhard Ladenberg, five children of his deceased brother Johannes Ladenberg
at Arnemuide near Middleburg in Zeeland, six children of his deceased sister
Catherine Lotspeich of Frankenthal, his surviving sister Anna Maria Drislein
of Frankenthal and her two children by two husbands.

Ralph himself was described in his as a wine merchant, formerly of Easter
Street in the parish of St. Martin in the Fields, now living at Salisbury,
Wiltshire. The family has always impressed me for its international flavor.
Ralph's will mentions the countries, Palatinate, Holland, England, and the
United States. He was the uncle of the three Lotspeichs of America.

John Blankenbaker ()
P.O. Box 120, Chadds Ford, PA 19317-0120
http://www.germanna.com
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/johnsgermnotes/germhis1.html
for information on a CD of the Germanna History

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