Johann Christopher ZENTMEYER

Notes:

There is much additional material related to Christopher on the York Co. and Franklin Co. pages on this web site.



The deed by which Christopher conveyed his farm to his son Daniel was also his will, a shrewd legal strategy, see 'Third' below. But it is an interesting document for several reasons.

First, John Wesley Zentmyer was a special grandson to Christopher and Barbara Zentmeyer. When the will was written in 1824, there was a special provision for John to receive two hundred dollars from the estate at Christopher's death. By 1824 Christopher had as many as eighteen additional grandchildren, none of whom were similarly provided for. The will also indicates that one John Zentmyer was living nearby at that time, and since Christopher's son John was living in Brownsville, Virginia by then, one must conclude the John residing near Christopher's farm must have been John Wesley Zentmyer. The will also provided for a shed to be built and finished adjoining John Zentmyer's house for Christopher to enjoy during the remainder of his natural life. So it appears John Wesley Zentmyer and his wife Eleanor cared for grandparents Christopher and Barbara into their old age, and were therefore rewarded in the will.

Second, the will illuminates for us the diversity of economic activity on the farm. There are references to crops of wheat, rye, corn, hay, and apples; a stable with cows, horses, cattle, and hogs; a weaver shop, and wool, so presumably sheep; and firewood production indicating logging.

Third, the will presented an interesting legal question, namely do certain economic provisions in a grant deed survive a foreclosure. The deed stated that "Daniel Zentmeyer engages to give to his father Christopher Zentmeyer yearly and every year during his natural life and the life of his wife Barbara twenty bushels of wheat, twenty bushels of rye, and twenty bushels of corn, also two good loads of hay, and one third of the rows of apple trees divided the short way and pasture two cows and one horse with his own cattle also to let them keep four hogs which are to run with his hogs." Neighbor George Harbaugh took title to the farm in 1828 after a foreclosure sale, and ceased fulfilling the provisions Christopher had specified in the deed. The Zentmeyers sued Harbaugh. The court held: "I look upon it as a covenant to pay rent in kind; and if it be, it is a covenant running with the land, and the defendant is clearly liable; for, upon such covenants, which concern real property, or the estate therein, the assignee of the lessee is liable for an action for a breach of covenant after the assignment of the estate to him." So Harbaugh was required to continue to supply the goods and services to Christopher as required in the deed, a much better result than had Christopher simply written a will.

Johann married Barbara LAUMAN 22 Apr 1777, St. James Episcopal Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania by Rev. Barton. Barbara was born Abt 1750, Pennsylvania; died Jan 1844, Washington Twp., Franklin Co., Pennsylvania; was buried Zentmyer Cemetery, Washington Twp., Franklin Co., Pennsylvania. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Bernhard was the Patriarch of the Zentmeyer/ Zentmyer/ Zentmire/ Santmyer/ Santmyers families in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and later into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska.

There is a Bernhard Nicholas Santmyer listed in FamilySearch records and elsewhere as a member of this family, but he never actually existed, he is an unfortunate synthesis of several records by an unidentified compiler. I am working diligently with FamilySearch to remove this fabrication from the record.

Bernhard is also not related to Henricus Zentmaÿr of Brilon, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany, an actual person, who had been incorrectly linked to this family in good faith by Dorothy Zentmyer Jones

Penn Township was formed out of Warwick Township in 1846.

Johann married Maria Salome ROTH 16 Feb 1739, Bischwiller, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France. Maria (daughter of Jacob ROTH and Catharina WALTHER) was born 16 Mar 1712, Bischwiller, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; died 1774, Warwick Twp., (now Penn) Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania; was buried Union (White Oak) Cemetery, Penryn, Penn Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Headstone Inscription:
(East Face) Here lies with God Salome Zentmeyer was buried in the year 1774
(West Face) Was 61 Years Old
Salome was born 16 Mar 1712 per church records (Kirchenbücher) in Bischwiller, so she must have died before March 1774.

Other Events:

• Possessions: 1703, Roigheim, D-74255; farmland
• Possessions: Bef 1716, Roigheim, D-74255; farm called Peterslehen
• Status: 1726, Roigheim, D-74255; citizen (Bürger)

Notes:

The Surname was also frequently seen as Centmeyer. In German, words beginning with Z and C both begin with an identical "TS" sound, so the name was recorded as the scribe chose to write it.



According to the note from Marlies Kibler in 2017, Jacob had been a soldier at some point.

Possessions:
Lagerbuch der Stiftungspflege Möckmühl, S. 238 (StadtA Möckmühl).

Possessions:
Sells the Peterslehen to Michael Vierling for 18 fl. in 1716, pays 54 x. purchase tax (HStA Stuttgart, Best. A 302, Bd. 8494, S. 62).

Johann married Ursula WALTER 1699, Roigheim, Württemberg, Germany. Ursula was born Bef 1681; died 2 Jul 1720, Roigheim, D-74255. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Died:
Inventory no. 130, 1720 Aug 19.

Notes:

27 Aug 2017

Heimatkundlicher Arbeitskreis Möckmühl

"Hi Gary,
It is a long time since I heard from you. Wednesday is the day when we meet at the Archive. Ilse Saur is just re-sorting old documents and came across a paper concerning Roigheim. Joseph Walter had died about 10 years ago (inventory dated February 19, 1695, unfortunately this does not exist anymore) and he owed money to the church which he had borrowed. His possessions were very unimportant, some property in a bad condition or place that nobody wanted to buy, until finally one daughter (he had 9 children) got married to Jacob Centmayer, now bürgher (citizen -Ed) of this place, a former soldier. Unfortunately, it does not say where from. So, it was Ursula née Walter who Jacob Centmayer married in 1699.
It is not much information but I wanted to pass it on to you.
With best regards,

Marlies Kibler"

(This is the source for the surname of Jacob's wife Ursula)

Jacob — Catharina WALTHER. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Status: Unterschlauersbach, D-90613 Großhabersdorf; smallholder (Köbler)
• Status: 1656, Ammerndorf, D-90614; inhabitant (Mund- und Verspruchsleute)
• Status: Bef 1661, Brünst (Fernabrünst), D-90613 Großhabersdorf; tenant (Hintersasse)
• Possessions: 7 May 1661, Unterschlauersbach, D-90613 Großhabersdorf; land holding (Grundbesitz)

Notes:

We have normalized the surname to Zehntmeyer, but spellings in the records for Simon also include Zehendmeyer, Zehentmeyer, Zehetmeyer, and Zechetmayr.



Simon first appeared in the record obtaining a job in 1650 at the Ammerndorfer Mühle in Ammerndorf, Bavaria owned at the time by Johann Preuss. This mill was built in 1607 and continues to operate, under the ownership of Albert Stinzendörfer, whose family has owned it since 1878. We visited this mill and drank beer with the Stinzendörfer family in 2010. The mill owner's daughter, Maria Preuss, became pregnant by Simon, and the two married in 1654. This explains the atypical union between Catholic and Lutheran. No further traces of the couple can be found in Ammerndorf after 1657. The year after son Jacob was born, Simon and Maria bought a house at Hauptstrasse 33 in Unterschlauersbach, Bavaria. The purchase contract lists Simon's place of origin as 'Pfaffenhofen in Bavaria.' We visited this house in 2011 and met the owners, Herr Kolb and his wife. They were very kind, and gave us a photo of the original house which had been demolished in the 1990s. This photo of the original house was taken in 1906.

Birth:
The Unterschlauersbach purchase protocol gives his place of origin as "Pfaffenhofen auß Bayern" (Pfaffenhofen in Bavaria)

Status:
No further trace of this family in Ammerndorf after Maria's appearance among the communicants in January 1657.

Possessions:
Kl.Verw.Amt. Heilsbronn, Rechnungen, fol. 42.

Simon married Maria PREUSS 23 May 1654, Ammerndorf, D-90614. Maria (daughter of Johann PREUSS and Margaretha LNU) was born Bef 1638; died Aft 8 Mar 1692. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Simon first appeared in the record obtaining a job in 1650 at a mill in Ammerndorf, Bavaria owned at the time by Johann Preuss. This mill was built in 1607 and continues to operate under the ownership of Albert Stinzendörfer, whose family has owned it since 1878. We visited this mill and drank beer with the Stinzendörfer family in 2010. The mill owner's daughter, Maria Preuss, became pregnant by Simon, and the two married in 1654. This explains the atypical union between Catholic and Lutheran. No further traces of the couple can be found in Ammerndorf after 1657. The year after son Jacob was born, Simon and Maria bought a house at Hauptstrasse 33 in Unterschlauersbach, Bavaria. The purchase contract lists Simon's place of origin as 'Pfaffenhofen in Bavaria.' We visited this house in 2011 and met the owners, Herr Kolb and his wife. They were very kind, and gave us a photo of the original house which had been demolished in the 1990s. This photo of the original house was taken in 1906.

Birth:
Not found in Ammerndorf from the beginning of christening entries in 1636 to 1643. Was probably born before the beginning of records.