A Holt Family Reunion (in particular, descendants of Nicholas) is planned for October in Alamance County, North Carolina. Descendants of Michael (the immigrant) populated that part of North Carolina. The Historical Museum there was the home of one of Michael’s descendants. As I receive more information, or as the organizers tell us, we will have a firmer date in October.
I regard the Holt family as relatives of the Blankenbakers (perhaps they reciprocate and regard the Blankenbakers as relatives of the Holts). We do know that Michael, the immigrant married one of the Scheible daughters. The Scheible family is enumerated in Alexander Spotswood’s patent application, see page 385 in Beyond Germanna . The family was Hans Jerich Chively, Maria Clora Chively, Anna Martha Chively, Anna Elizabetha Chively, and Anna Maria Chively. (The spelling of some of the names in the patent application is “imaginative”.)
George Scheible had a land patent amongst the Blankenbakers and their proven kin in the Robinson River Valley. We know also the Scheibles came from the same village in Germany, namely Neuenbürg, as did the Blankenbakers.
The Blankenbakers have been proven to have their origin in Gresten-Land in Austria. When one stands on the Plankenbichl farm, their ancestral farm, and looks down into the valley, one can see the Scheiblau farm less than one-half mile away. (The “farm” today is a wood products plant, but it is still marked on the maps as Scheiblau farm.) I am betting that the Blankenbakers and the Scheibles (to use more modern spellings) emigrated, probably together, from Austria almost to the Rhine River, probably initially to Langenbrücken, and then to Neuenbürg. (I emphasize that this is a personal belief and proof of this total suggestion is not known now.) They left Neuenbürg in 1717 and went first to London, where they eventually obtained passage with Capt. Tarbett in the ship Scott .
In London, both George and Maria Eleanor Scheible participated in services at the German Lutheran Church, St. Mary le Savoy/Strand, where their actions are recorded in the church book, see page 905 of Beyond Germanna .
Michael Holt, as one of the three fund raisers sent to Europe, has had his name recorded is several places.
Perhaps you might want to forward your address to Carolyn Gibbs who seems to be the contact person for the Reunion. Her email address is "Carolyn Gibbs"
godlovesgibbsc@msn.com
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(17 May 04)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.