A correspondent asks questions about John Deer , including whether a supposition of his might be correct. He (the correspondent) suggests that John Deer may have arrived on the ship Lydia at Philadelphia in 1743. John Deer had a brother whose name was Martin.
Gary Zimmerman and Johni Cerny found the Hirsch brothers at Täbingen and Dautmergen, two close villages in Württemberg. Martin was born in 1715, and Johannes was born in 1718, to Andreas Hirsch and Eva Glaser. Their baptisms are recorded at Täbingen. Andreas, the father, was baptized at Dautmergen, in the Catholic Parish Church. Eva Glaser was born at Täbingen and was baptized in the Evangelical (Protestant) Church.
Is the John Deer who came in 1743 the John Deer of the Robinson River Valley? Additionally, is the 1743 Deer (or Hirsch) the same as the Johannes Hirsch born at Täblingen?
One piece of evidence is that Martin left a record of 16 April 1749 at Täbingen, which states that he was a native and that he had left for America. This would be consistent with George Long deeding Martin Deer 300 acres in 1751 in the Robinson River Valley. Zimmerman and Cerny suggest that this deed shows that Martin was George Long’s son-in-law. If so, than Martin was certainly moving fast. It also suggests that he had a plan when he arrived in Philadelphia as to where he was going to live. Presumably, he was going to join his brother John.
It is thought that John Deer married Catherine Baumgartner, the widow of Frederick Baumgartner, in 1747. This would place John Deer in the Robinson River Valley at least two years before his brother arrived in 1749.
My correspondent would have John Deer arriving in 1743 and this is reasonable, but hardly proof. It would be good to have some idea of why John Deer chose to go to the Robinson River Valley. Did he have some relatives there already?
If this were my family, I would like to look at the church records in Germany, especially at Täbingen, to see if there is any record of John there before and after 1743. Perhaps there is no record saying he went to America as there is for his brother, but does he appear in the records at all?
Apparently, he was unmarried, since he married in Virginia. Single men do not leave many records, but possibly he appeared as a sponsor at a baptism.
(24 May 04)
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