About This Site

Over 250 years ago, Heinrich Zumbrun stepped off a boat in Philadelphia to begin a new life in America. He started the Zumbrun family that would spread all across the United States, with roots especially in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Indiana. If you’re a Zumbrun (or Zumbrum as some branches spell it) in America, the chances are that you descend from Heinrich too.

I’ve always been intrigued by Heinrich, who abandoned whatever he knew in Europe to board a ship to a strange new land. What sort of world did he and his children find in America? What sort of world had they let behind? How did this unbroken lineage of parents and children lead to the extended Zumbrun family being where we are today? How did it make us who we are today?

In researching the Zumbrun family in America, I became interested in the family’s roots in Switzerland, where the name was originally Zumbrunnen, and where the family tree can be traced back nearly 1,000 years into the past. The Zumbrunnen/Zumbrun family, though never particularly large, is fascinating and ancient.

I quickly discovered that many historical and genealogical records are hidden behind paywalls or difficult to find. Many have never been transcribed. Indeed most of the history about the Swiss Zumbrunnen family has never been translated into English before. But there’s a lot of information out there. This site will be a place to share it.

Hopefully this will be an intriguing resource for any Zumbrun or someone who, for whatever reason, is interested in the Zumbrun or Zumbrunn or Zumbrum or Zumbrunnen family. Genealogical research is inherently tricky and uncertain, especially over an entire millennium. I’ve tried to cite sources and explanations for the information and theories on this site, but mistakes are certainly possible.

If you have any questions, spot any mistakes, want to share any information or theories, or wish to assist in the research, don’t hesitate to get in touch. My email is:

JHZumbrun

3 Comments

  1. Chris Zumbrunnen says:

    Josh I have had a man in Switzerland doing some research for me on my Great Grand Father ” Christian Zumbrunnen” He has uncovered some very interesting info for me and maybe some for you as well. He idnetified the town where my GG Father filed for Immigration to the USA . Aeshi bei Spoetz . He also found a Jakob Zumbrunnen that file dfo rimmigration on tghe same day and year as My GG Father Christian. I will try and send you the info he has given me to your email above

  2. […] I’ve since learned, however, that in fact at least 8 different groups of our extended family had arrived in the U.S. by the late 1800s. Here’s an overview of these different immigrations, when and where they initially settled, and the different permutations of how people spell the name. This page is a work in progress, so if you have any more information on any of these families, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. […]

  3. James E Forward says:

    Looking for a connection to Jakob Jakob Zumbrunnen II Jr
    1768–1808 BIRTH 25 AUG 1768 Zweisimmen, Bern, Switzerland
    DEATH 30 MAR 1808 Zweisimann, Bern, Switzerland. Thank you, James Forward Grandson of Jacob Harold Zumbrunnen

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