This website is dedicated to Philipp Zimmermann and his descendents.
HIS LIFE
"Little do we know about him, all those who had any knowledge of his life have long since
passed away."
That is how the original text of this website started. We now know that Philipp emigrated to the USA in 1853 from
Baden in Germany, from the town of Menzingen southwest of Heilbronn, to the Great Lakes area. It is quite possible that he moved to his final destination of Lake
County, Indiana via Wooster in Wayne County, Ohio, as he had 2 nephews in the US prior to his arrival. One of them was John
Zimmerman of Wooster.
Philipp's ancestors had lived in Richen, in the Grand Duchy of Baden for nearly 2 centuries when he was born there on Nov. 8, 1807. He learned the saddler and
harness maker trade and married Catharina Charlotta Breusch of Menzingen in Baden on Dec. 18, 1832 . Philipp and Catharina lived
in Menzingen where they had 6 children, 2 girls and 4 boys - 2 of whom died in infancy. Catharina passed away on Feb 16, 1853 when her
youngest daughter Auguste was 15 months old. That summer, Philipp and all four children emigrated to the US, arriving in New
York on Aug. 15, 1853 aboard the Helvetia.
From there his path is lost until he surfaces in Hanover Township in Lake County, Indiana. Here he is a supporting member
of the newly founded German United Evangelical Zion Church, Dyer. His youngest daughter, Auguste is confirmed here on March 25, 1866.
He was widowed when he emigrated to the USA and remarried to a Margarethe Feltiner (spelling?). She passed
away on July 3, 1864.
Philipp remarried to Maria Witteman, a widow, on Sept. 24, 1864. Maria, born Rube, arrived in the USA with
her family in 1851 from Prussia.
Philipp and Maria's marriage was blessed with two children, Karoline Henriette on June 6, 1866 and Martin
Julius on May 18, 1868. Both were born in St. Johns, Indiana and baptized at the German United Evangelical Zion Church, Dyer.
Philipp passed away sometime between 1870 and 1878. Maria remarried in 1878, a Thomas Hetzler, whom she outlived.
Karoline "Etta" married John Meyn on March 24, 1886 after which the whole family, Etta and John, Martin
and Maria moved to Scotia, Nebraska. John and Etta's first two children were born there before they moved on
to Washington state to the Chehalis area where their descendents live today.
Martin remained in Scotia where he married Tomena Larsen. Maria passed away on Nov. 2, 1900, a year before
the birth of Martin's and Tomena's fifth child, my father Chester Leanord Zimmerman. In 1907 Martin began moving from farm
to farm, finally winding up in Minnesota where both he and Tomena are buried. His descendents are spread all over the world,
from Germany to Arizona.
The puzzle Philipp Zimmerman is still missing many pieces. All four children from Germany are still eluding my efforts
to find their story. Any help finding a piece would be greatly appreciated!
