Schloss Zumbrunnen is long gone now, and its site is uncertain, but there are two leading possibilities for where it might have stood.

Option 1: On a Hill in Brunnen, Switzerland

A number of books about the town of Brunnen, Switzerland, say that the Castle Zumbrunnen once stood upon a small hill close to the shore of Lake Lucerne. The town of Brunnen is also identified in Hans Jacob Leu’s 1750 Swiss lexicon. The site is not hard to find today, and is circled in the aerial photo below. For many years, the site was the location of a hotel called the Park-Hotel Hellerbad (you can find many historic postcards of the hotel online). Today, the site is the the location of the Aeskulap Seeklinik, an upscale lake-side clinic where people go to relax for treatment of stress-related illnesses such as burnout, depression and sleep disorders.

Aerial photo of the village of Brunnen, Switzerland. Some sources say that the Castle Zumbrunnen was located atop the small hill circled in red, where a tuft of trees is growing.
via Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-2.0

Here’s the location on Google Maps:

A journal article from 1906 on the morphology of Brunnen said of this hill:

According to tradition, a castle was said to have stood here, the castle and courtyard of the noble Zumbrunnen family, which in 1209 was held by the family of Attinghausen through inheritance. [The historian] W. Oechsli mentions the site in 1891 in his book “The Beginnings of Switzerland” but gives no corresponding evidence. In a discussion of the Zumbrunnen family from Liebenau, the hill in Brunnen as a castle site is not mentioned. If such had existed, it should be expected on the dominant hill of the time. On the southern entrance of the Park-Hotel, on Gersauer Street, for quite a distance behind the houses there is large rubble, which could have been taken from the castle hill. According to the present owner of the castle hill …more than 1000 cubic meters of rock have been demolished in three periods.

So it seems that, if indeed a castle once stood here, many of its stones have been carried away, used in the construction of other buildings and retaining walls and the like.

An old drawing of this spot from the year 1833, before the hotel was built and before the big shorefront buildings were constructed, shows that the hill was once quite a bit more pronounced. Even at the time of this drawing, the Castle Zumbrunnen that once stood at this location had likely been abandoned for hundreds of years, perhaps 500 or even 600.

The hill on the right, with a large house and barn, is associated with the site of the Castle Zumbrunnen.
via the Swiss National Library

The stone rubble upon a hill is good and logical evidence that a castle once stood here, but it’s not certain that this was the same castle as Castle Zumbrunnen. For one thing, if the family possessed a mighty castle here, why were all their feudal lands and other early historical evidence place the family in the Canton of Uri?

Uri and Brunnen are not far from each other. The castle was originally passed to Walter Zumbrunnen, but Walter’s son Burkhard became a leader in Uri. This is just speculation, but perhaps Burkhard moved to Uri to work with his uncle Werner II, Baron of Attinghausen, and this is how Burkhard became a leader of the people of Uri. Perhaps at some point, they sold the Zumbrunnen Castle to acquire more lands in Uri.

Brunnen (bottom left circle) and Uri (top right circle) are not far from each other, and can be reached via a quick sailing trip on Lake Lucerne, or via a roughly 9 mile trail along the edge of the mountains.

Option 2: Near a Fountain in Uri

While it’s fun to imagine a mighty castle upon a hill in Brunnen, the other possibility is that the “Schloss Zumbrunnen” was a more modest stone house near one of the fountains in Uri. (This location was cited in an 1830 book on Swiss castles.) The name “Zumbrunnen” is somewhat more suggestive of this possibility. “Zum” means “to the” and “Brunnen,” in addition to being the name of a village, also means “fountain” or “town well.” If the name referred “to Brunnen” the town, then in German it would typically be rendered “Zu Brunnen” rather than “Zum Brunnen.”

We also know the Zumbrunnen family in Uri associated their name with fountains. They used a picture of a fountain on their coat of arms. When they were in Italian speaking regions, they even sometimes translated their name to Fontana, the Italian word for fountain. (This is not definitive proof, however, as many Swiss liked wordplay and puns.)

There are a number of ancient fountains in the town of Altdorf, Uri. These would have been logical sites for a stone house too, and make sense as a division of inheritance, as they are across the river from the Attinghausen Castle. Here’s an old fountain near the hospital in Altdorf, Uri. A number of the Zumbrunnen were later involved with the hospital in Uri.

A fountain outside the hospital in Altdorf, Uri.
Roland Zumbuehl via via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0

The most likely candidate, however, is the old fountain in the main town square of Altdorf. A famous status of William Tell was built next to the fountain. This fountain has since been moved, but you can see it in this old postcard. It closely resembles the fountain that the Zumbrunnen family later used in their coat of arms.

The fountain in the town square of Altdorf, next to a monument to William Tell.

If the Zumbrunnen Castle was, in fact, a more modest stone residence in Altdorf, it would explain why the earliest historical records of the family all point to Altdorf. One site in particular is a possibility: there is a road called Zumbrunnenweg, only about 1,200 feet from the town square, that could have been the location of this stone residence.

This is likely not the last word on the Castle Zumbrunnen. Future research may be able to shed some light on these two locations. If the castle was located in Brunnen then what became of it? Why did it leave the family and when was it ruined? Did some members of the Zumbrunnen family stay in Brunnen? If not for a historic Zumbrunnen residence, then why is the street in Altdorf, not far from the fountain, known as Zumbrunnenweg?

Sources

The General Helvetic, Confederate and Swiss Lexicon of 1750

The fourth volume of his work (titled the General Helvetic, Confederate and Swiss Lexicon) was published in 1750 and contains an entry on the Zumbrunnen family. At the time Leu was writing, the Zumbrunnen family no longer lived in Uri, but he was aware that a branch of the family had moved away to Parma.

His entry on the Zumbrunnen family is not long, but importantly, his work was published several decades before these archives were destroyed by fire in 1799.

What follows is a sentence-by-sentence translation of his entry on the Zumbrunnen. (My own commentary, provided for context, is in parentheses and highlights like this) The original is on Google Books and, as always, any improvements to the translation would be welcomed.

zum Brunnen

A noble family formerly from the country of Uri, of which Bucelin notes in his genealogy, has the same origin as the von Attighausen. Werner von Aetting or Ettighausen in 1209 distributed his estates among his two sons, to Werner, the Schloss Attinghausen and to Walter, the Schloss zum Brunnen (Schloss typically translates as “castle” but generally applied to any respectable stone house. The post on Zumbrunnen family castles contains examples of castles both grand and more modest). Some say this Schloss was located where the village Brunnen stands in the canton of Schweiz. Both men became known by the names of their estates.

The family Von Attinghausen were landammann, as were those of the family zum Brunnen. Among the zum Brunnen family there were several Landammann of Uri:

Burkhard in 1273.

Johannes, who had previously been bailiff (the Swiss title of “landvogt.”) in the free states in 1468, 1470, was landammann in 1482.

Hans, in 1477 the bailiff to Baden and in 1484 an envoy at the agreement between the Confederates and the cities of Bern and Fribourg. He fought in the Battle of Marignano where, according to Jove, he killed a number of enemies with his great battle sword before dying.

Mansuetus in 1548.

Hans in 1579. Also bailiff to Baden in 1536 and 1564. (the date of 1536 might refer to Mansuetus, rather than Johann) Also, at some time, he was involved in the business of the Catholic confederates to Rome, and was an envoy to King Henry the III of France in 1582. His brother Walter became a papal guard captain, and his nephew Josua became captain of Uri.

In 1621 and 1637 the Landammann of Uri was Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen, who was also at the same time the captain of Uri, and a Knight in the Order of St. Michael. In 1622 he was sent to the House of Austria during the violent disputes of the Gray League in Lindau. In 1625 he owned a regiment in the French services, recruited into the Valtellina(This was a brutal conflict in the Thirty Years’ War).

This family is now extinct in the land of Uri, but there is still a fund, founded by the family, at Altdorf, which is called the zum Brunnische Pfründe (A “Pfründe” is a German word that refers to an endowment that sponsors a priest. The English word for this is prebendary.). Some of the family moved to Parma, and there they are still propagating.

There was also a Conrad zum Brunnen who was Abbot of St. Urban from 1349 to 1356, but whether he is of the same family is not known.

Also, this family sometimes was called Lowenstein.

This family never became large. Many Swiss migrants disliked Germany and found the opportunities lacking. The children or grandchildren of these migrants, disconnected from their homeland, often migrated again. So it was with Heinrich Zumbrun, person #8 in the genealogy below.

1. Founder of the Zumbrunnen family in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Around the early-to-mid 1600s, two Zumbrunnen men appear to have lived in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany (at the time, this was the Duchy of Württemberg, a part of the Holy Roman Empire) which was immediately to the north of Switzerland. They were likely born near the end of the Thirty Years’ War. The war devastated this region of Germany. When the war ended, many migrants were needed to rebuild. There’s no evidence the family has early roots in Germany, so the unknown founder was likely a Swiss emigrant who came at the end of the war or the beginning of the rebuilding process.

His children were:
  +  2  i.   Johann Zumbrunnen was born about 1645.
  +  3  ii.  Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen was born about 1648.

2. Johann Zumbrunnen(Son of Founder) was born about 1645. His name is attested to on both children’s marriage certificates.

His children were:
  +  4  i.  Johann Peter Zumbrunnen was born about 1678 and died about 1727 naer Crailsheim, Baden-Württemberg about age 49.
  +  5  ii. Balthasar Zumbrunnen was born in Walthann.

 
3. Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen(Son of Founder) was born about 1648. His name is known from the marriage certificates of his children. The ages of his children suggest he was likely a younger brother of Johann Zumbrunnen.

His children were:
  +  6  i.  Johann Jacob Zumbrunn was born about 1690.
      7  ii. Anna Catharina Zumbrunn was born about 1690. Anna married Johann Melchior Eckstein on 11 Jun 1713 in Marbach, Neckarkreis, Württemberg.

4. Johann Peter Zumbrunnen(Son of Johann, Founder) was born about 1678 and died about 1727 near Crailsheim, Baden-Württemberg about age 49. He married Anna Ursula Schens, daughter of Georg Schens, on 26 Aug 1715 near Crailsheim. Anna Ursula was born about 1683, died in 1756 about age 73, and was buried on 26 Dec 1756 near Crailsheim.

Children from this marriage were:
  +  8  i.   Heinrich Zumbrun or Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen was born in 1717 near Crailsheim, immigrated to Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1754, and died before 1799 in Pennsylvania or Maryland.
  +  9  ii.  Johann Georg Zumbrunnen was born about 1720 near Crailsheim.
     10  iii. Anna Maria Magdalena Zumbrunnen or Magdalena Zumbrunn was born on 5 Feb 1724 near Crailsheim. A Magdalena Zumbrunn was the sponsor of a baptism at her brother’s church in Berks County, Pennsylvania, suggesting that she may have immigrated with her oldest brother, or followed him a few years later.

 
5. Balthasar Zumbrunn(Johann, Founder) was born near Crailsheim. Marriage records of his children say that he worked as a tailor. Balthasar married Barbara Enzlöhners on 1 May 1722 near Crailsheim.

Children from this marriage were:
      11  i.  Catharina Barbara Zumbrunnen was born in 1722. Catharina married Johann Georg Schörrler on 16 Jun 1750 in Speyer, Bavaria.
      12  ii. Georg Michael Zumbrunn was born about 1727, died on 18 Aug 1728 about age 1, and was buried on 19 Aug 1728 near Crailsheim.

Balthasar next married Anna Barbara Hofmann on 5 Aug 1734 near Crailsheim.

Children from this marriage were:
      13  i.   Georg Michael Zumbrunn was born in 1736. Georg married Regina Stechhöfer on 4 Dec 1785 in Ansbach St Johannis, Bavaria. No known children.
  +  14  ii.  Johann Georg Zumbrunn was born in 1739 in near Crailsheim, died on 26 Apr 1806 at age 67, and was buried on 28 Apr 1806 in Kirchberg (Oa. Gerabronn), Württemberg. Birth years suggest he was a twin.
      15  iii. Johann Christian Zumbrunn was born in 1739. Johann married Anna Maria Brand on 16 Dec 1768 in Ansbach, Bayern, Deutschland. No known children.
 
 
6. Johann Jacob Zumbrunn (Johann Heinrich, Founder)was born about 1690. Johann married Anna Judith Grampp daughter of Johann Jerg Grampp, on 26 Jul 1711 in Marbach, Neckarkreis, Wuerttemberg.

Children from this marriage were:
      16  i.   Margretha Dorothea Zumbrunnen was born in 1712.
      17  ii.  Anna Elisabetha Zumbrunn was born in 1715.
      18  iii. Johann Jacob Zumbrunn was born in 1717.
 
 

8. Heinrich Zumbrun(Johann Peter, Johann, Founder)was born in 1717 or 1718 near Crailsheim, Baden-Württemberg and died before 1799 in Pennsylvania or Maryland. His full name was Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen but records suggest he primarily used the name Heinrich Zumbrun.

Heinrich married Maria Eva Lehr, daughter of Sebastian and Anna Lehr, on 22 Apr 1749 in Schwegenheim, Germersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Records suggest she mostly used the name Eva. Eva was born about 1720 in Schwegenheim. She previously had married Johann David Degen who died in 1748. They had one daughter, Anna Barbara Degen.

Heinrich and Eva had three children in Schwegenheim:
      19  i.   Anna Dorothea Zumbrunn was born on 22 Jan 1750 in Schwegenheim.
      20  ii.  Johann Andreas Zumbrunn was born on 31 Oct 1751 in Schwegenheim, died on 20 Aug 1753 in Schwegenheim, at age 1, and was buried on 21 Aug 1753.
  +  21  iii. Apollonia Zumbrunn was born Nov 1753 in Schwegenheim, died on 18 Oct 1821 at age 67, and was buried in Ladiesburg, Frederick County, Maryland.

In 1754, Heinrich and Eva left Schwegenheim, traveled to Rotterdam, and sailed to Philadelphia aboard the ship “Brothers.” They arrived in Philadelphia on 30 Sep 1754, where ship records list Heinrich as 36-years-old and in good health. Genealogies saying Heinrich died in 1754 are erroneous. Heinrich and Eva had three or four children in America. The last known record of Heinrich comes in 1761 when he receives payment from the estate of Johann Leicht, administered by Balthasar Ream and Anna Catherine Leicht. A Balthasar Ream also traveled to America on the ship “Brothers.”

They had four more children:

  +  22  iv.  Johann Zumbrun was born in the 1750s. A very muddled oral history suggests he could have been born on the ship. He died in 1819 in Taneytown, Carroll, Maryland.
      23  v.   Catharina Zumbrun was born on 1 Dec 1755. She was baptized 19 Dec 1755 at Zions Moselem Lutheran Church in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Sponsors were Balthasar Ream and Anna Catherine. (This appears to be the same Balthasar Ream, mentioned above, who traveled on the ship Brothers.) It’s unknown what became of her.
      24  vi.  Anna Dorothea Zumbrun was born on 8 Feb 1759. She was baptized 18 Mar 1759 at Zions Moselem Lutheran Church in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Sponsors were Johann Wolfgang Mohring and Anna Maria. (Johann Wolfgang Mohring also immigrated to America on the ship “Brothers.”) It’s unknown what became of her. She appears named after her older sister who likely died young.
      25  vii. Anna Elizabetha Zumbrun was born on 7 Dec 1760. She was baptized 29 Mar 1761 at Zions Moselem Lutheran Church in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Sponsor was Andreas Frey. It’s unknown what became of her.
 
 
9. Johann Georg Zumbrunnen(Johann Peter, Johann, Founder) was born about 1720 near Crailsheim. He married Maria Elisabetha Kayser on 23 Mar 1756 in Mariäkappel, Württemberg, Deutschland.

The child from this marriage was:
  +  26  i. Anna Barbara Zumbrun was born on 26 May 1760 and died on 11 Nov 1824 at age 64.
 
 
14. Johann Georg Zumbrunn(Balthasar, Johann, Founder) was born in 1739 near Crailsheim, baptised 10 Jan 1740, and died on 26 Apr 1806 at age 67, and was buried on 28 Apr 1806 in Kirchberg (Oa. Gerabronn), Württemberg, Germany. Johann married Anna Magdalena Balbach on 2 May 1781 near Crailsheim. Anna was born on 7 Jun 1745 in Weikersweiler, died on 13 Nov 1818 at age 73, and was buried on 1 Dec 1818 in Gerabronn, Kirchberg u. Oa, Württemberg.

The child from this marriage was:
      27  i. Johann Michael Zumbrunn was born on 4 Mar 1783 in Kirchberg, died on 28 Feb 1854 at age 70, and was buried on 2 Mar 1854 in Wiesenbach, Württemberg. Johann married Eva Magdalena Weinbrennerin on 27 Apr 1819 in Gerabronn, Kirchberg u. Oa, Württemberg, Deutschland. Eva was born on 2 Oct 1774, died on 20 Jan 1849 at age 74, and was buried on 22 Jan 1849 in Wiesenbach, Württemberg.
 
 

21. Apollonia Zumbrunn(Heinrich, Johann Peter, Johann, Founder) was born in Nov 1753 in Schwegenheim, baptized 25 Nov 1753 in Schwegenheim, died on 18 Oct 1821 at age 67, and was buried in Ladiesburg, Frederick County, Maryland.

Apollonia married Christian Schmidt. Christian was born in 1754, died on 15 Sep 1825 at age 71, and was buried in Ladiesburg, Frederick County, Maryland. Their burial place in Ladiesburg is no more than half a mile from the farm of her brother Johann, suggesting they moved to Frederick County together. They gradually anglicized their name from Schmidt to Smith.

Christian and Apollonia appear as sponsors for a number of baptisms at the Rocky Hill Grace Lutheran Church in Frederick: Elisabeth Roesler on 27 Nov 1785, Maria Fuchs on 24 Aug 1788, Abraham Ernst on 8 Sep 1793, Abraham Lock on 24 Sep 1794, and Thomas Eder on 24 Sep 1797.

The names of Christian and Apollonia’s children are established in the probate records of Christian’s estate in 1825.

Children from this marriage were:
      28  i.   Elizabeth Smith was born on 4 Oct 1780, died on 11 Mar 1816 in Ladiesburg, Frederick, Maryland, at age 35, and was buried in Ladiesburg. Elizabeth married John Rheam, son of George and Catherine Ream, on 27 Mar 1812 in Frederick County, Maryland. John was born on 7 Nov 1787 died on 25 Jun 1853 in Carroll County, Maryland, at age 65, and was buried in Union Bridge, Maryland.
      29  ii.  Mary Smith was born on 26 Nov 1792, died on 30 Sep 1863 at age 70, and was buried in Johnsville, Maryland. Mary married Henry Repp. Henry was born on 12 Oct 1792 in Maryland, died on 13 Jul 1874 at age 81, and was buried in Johnsville, Maryland.
      30  iii. William Smith died before 1825. Christian’s will says that William has died and gives his share of the estate to William’s (unidentified) children.
      31  iv.  Solomon Smith was born about 1780 in Maryland. Solomon married Margaret Ream, daughter of George and Catherine Ream. Margaret died on 3 Mar 1824 in Ladiesburg, Maryland.
      32  v.   Phillip Smith was born about 1780 in Frederick, Maryland and moved to Kentucky.
      33  vi.  Susanna Schmidt was born on 4 Dec 1788, died on 10 Apr 1839 at age 50, and was buried in Ladiesburg, Maryland. Susanna married Jacob Repp on 13 May 1811 in Frederick County, Maryland. Jacob was born on 8 Aug 1785.
      34  vii. Samuel Schmidt was born on 6 Dec 1790 in Frederick County, Maryland, and died about 1827 in Frederick County, Maryland, about age 37.
 
 
22. Johann Zumbrun (Heinrich, Johann Peter, Johann, Founder) was born about 1755 and died in 1819 in Taneytown, Carroll, Maryland. His name is said in many genealogies to be Johann Heinrich Zumbrun, although I haven’t yet found a record proving this.

In 1783 Johann purchased a 10-acre farm in Frederick County, Maryland named “Shoemaker’s Lot.” He also acquired farms named “Brotherly Love,” “Brooks Discovery on the Rich Lands,” “Brooks Second Discovery on the Rich Lands,” “Ebon Forest,” “Neglect” and “Watson’s Delight.” At his death, his land holdings totaled about 250 acres. He was a deacon at the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Taneytown, Maryland. He appears in the 1790, 1800 and 1810 Census.

Johann married Maria Elizabeth Angel daughter of Philip Charles Angel and Juliana Reneker, in 1773. Maria was born on 6 Oct 1754 in Frederick County, Maryland, and died on 21 Jan 1821 in Taneytown, Carroll, Maryland, at age 66. She appears in the 1820 Census as “Widow Zumbrun.”

Johann was the only son of Heinrich who lived to adulthood. He is the ancestor of nearly all Zumbruns and Zumbrums (and some Zumbrunns) living in America today. He had 10 children, with Zumbrun (m, nn) descendants coming from just four: Henry, George, David and Jacob.

Children from this marriage were:
      35  i.    John Zumbrun was born in 1775 and died in 1824 in Frederick, Maryland, United States at age 49. John married Catharine Stimmel. Catharine was born on 25 Jun 1777, died on 25 Jan 1846 in Greenville, Darke, Ohio at age 68, and was buried in Darke County, Ohio. His widow moved the family to Darke County, Ohio in about 1833. He has many living descendants, but none named Zumbrun.
      36  ii.   Charles Zumbrun was born in 1776 and died after 1840. Charles married Rebecca Rheam, daughter of George and Catherine Ream on 12 Mar 1821 in Frederick County, Maryland. Rebecca was born on 13 Aug 1793. He married relatively late in life, and appears to have had no children.
      37  iii.  Henry Zumbrun was born on 25 Jan 1783 in Frederick, Maryland, died on 4 Apr 1857 in Darke County, Ohio, at age 74, and was buried in Montgomery County, Ohio. Henry married Susanna Ream, daughter of George and Catherine Ream. Susanna was born on 28 Mar 1779 in Frederick County, Maryland, died on 6 Apr 1840 in Montgomery County, Ohio, at age 61, and was buried in Montgomery County, Ohio. Henry and Susanna have a very large number of Zumbrun descendants who largely live/lived in Ohio and Indiana. One branch of their descendants adopted the spelling Zumbrum.
      38  iv.   Mary Magdalena Zumbrun was born in 1784 in Maryland, died before 1870, and was buried in Schellsburg, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Mary married Jacob Hiteshew. Jacob was born in 1780 in Frederick County, Maryland, died in 1840 in Napier, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, at age 60, and was buried in Schellsburg, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. They have a large number of living descendants.
      39  v.    George Zumbrun was born on 24 Aug 1787 in Frederick, Maryland, and died on 30 Oct 1865 in Kuhns Trotwood Cem, Madison, Ohio, United States at age 78. George married Susanna Myers, daughter of John George and Anna Maria Myers, on 6 Jun 1815. Susanna was born about 1792 in Maryland. They have at least some descendants.
      40  vi.   Elizabeth Zumbrun was born on 31 Dec 1790 in Fredrick Co, Maryland, died on 28 Sep 1868 in Clyde, Sandusky, Ohio, at age 77, and was buried in Clyde, Sandusky, Ohio. Elizabeth married Daniel William Rife on 8 May 1811 in Frederick County, Maryland. Daniel was born about 1786, died on 11 Oct 1841 in York Twp, Ohio, about age 55, and was buried in Clyde, Sandusky County, Ohio. For now, I’m not sure if they have any living descendants.
      41  vii.  David Zumbrun was born on 1 Oct 1791 in Taneytown, Frederick Co, Maryland, died on 2 Mar 1863 in York County, Pennsylvania, at age 71, and was buried in Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania. David married Elizabeth Myers, daughter of John George and Anna Maria Myers. Elizabeth was born on 19 Nov 1794 in Carroll County, died on 22 Oct 1872 in York County, at age 77, and was buried in Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania. David and Elizabeth have a very large number of descendants. Many largely lived around the area of York, Pennsylvania.
      42  viii. Jacob Zumbrun was born on 13 Jul 1793 in Taneytown, Frederick, Maryland, died on 13 Sep 1868 in Taneytown, Frederick, Maryland, at age 75, and was buried in Taneytown, Carroll County, Maryland. Jacob married Margaret Cornell on 30 Oct 1815 in Frederick County, Maryland. Margaret was born on 16 May 1794 in Maryland, died on 16 Jan 1852 at age 57, and was buried on 18 Jan 1852 in Taneytown, Carroll County, Maryland. Their children mostly lived in Maryland and Nebraska. They had many descendants, some of whom use the spelling Zumbrunn.
      43  ix.   Daniel Zumbrun was born on 20 Sep 1795 and died before 1800.
      44  x.    Juliana Zumbrun was born on 7 Oct 1802 in Taneytown, Frederick, Maryland, United States,(122) died on 26 Jun 1879 in Taneytown, Frederick, Maryland, at age 76, and was buried in Taneytown, Carroll County, Maryland. Juliana married Gideon Hiteshew on 12 Dec 1820 in Frederick County, Maryland. Gideon was born in 1794 in Maryland, died on 9 Apr 1865 at age 71, and was buried in Taneytown, Carroll County, Maryland. They had at least some descendants.
 
 
26. Anna Barbara Zumbrun (Johann Georg, Johann Peter, Johann, Founder) was born on 26 May 1760 and died on 11 Nov 1824 at age 64. Anna married Johann Friederich Munz. Johann was born on 7 Sep 1760 and died on 15 Apr 1826 at age 65. They lived in Honhard, Germany. She was the first cousin of Apollonia (#21 above) and Johann (#22). If they kept in touch with any relatives in Germany, she would have been their closest Zumbrun relative, possibly the only first cousin on the paternal side of their family.

Children from this marriage were:
      45  i.   Johann Michael Hofmann was born on 22 Jul 1787 and died on 30 Aug 1817 at age 30.
      46  ii.  Georg Friedrich Munz was born on 13 Jan 1793.
      47  iii. Katharina Barbara Münz was born on 25 Dec 1802.

Sources
More information on the sources used in this genealogy are available here.

• Known Records of Heinrich Zumbrun and Maria Eva Lehr
• The Zumbrunnen Family in Lutheran Church Records in Baden-Württemberg
• The Last Will and Testament of Johann Zumbrun
• The Passenger List and Records for the Ship “Brothers”
  

The books have been transcribed by historians. The lists below draw on a transcription published in 1910 in the Journal of Swiss Church History. Not all the death years were written down but, because the people were listed in chronological order of death, the historians were able to infer many of the dates from the surrounding people on the list. The data added by historians is in [brackets] whereas the rest of the information is the direct transcription. Below are all the entries for our ancestors; a relatively small slice of the overall necrology.

• [1515] Hans Zum Brunnen, was Landammann [Fallen 13/14 Sep 1515 in the battle of Marignano]
• Werni Zberg [Von Erstfeld. Margrith Zumbrunnen is his wife]
• [Abt. 1549] Andreas Zum Brunnen [son of Landammann Johann Zumbrunnen and Dorothea von Beroldingen; Katharina Kas was his wife]
• [1549] Mansuetus Zum Brunnen, was Landammann [Elected in 1548 and died
  At the end of this year or at the beginning of 1549]
• [Abt. 1555] Erasmus Zum Brunnen [Son of Landammann Mansuetus, Gertrud Kluser is his wife.]
• [Abt. 1564] Hug Dauid Zum Brunnen, was landschrieber [Son of Landammann Mansuet]
• [1588] Johannes Zum Brunnen, was landammann [1579-1581]
• [1588] Josue Zum Brunnen, is landschreiber
• 1618 Ensign Heinrich Zum Brunnen, of the council
• 1629 Johannes zum Brunnen, is bailiff of Bolenze [1626-1628]
• 1639 Ensign Caspar Zum Brunnen [son of bailiff of Bolenze Johann Zumbrunnen and Veronika Rueplin]
• 1645 Captain Antoni zum Brunnen
• 17 Apr 1648 died Johann Heinrich Zum Brunnen, was a Knight in the Order of St. Michaels, Landammann [1621, 1622, 1637, 1638] and general of Uri.

Sources

The church at the Collège Saint-Michel, built 1606-1613, was the heart of the college.
via Wikimedia Commons/(CC BY-SA 3.0)

Their alma mater was the Jesuit Collège Saint-Michel[1], or the College of St. Michael, in Fribourg, Switzerland. The school was founded by Father Peter Canisius, S.J., in 1582. Amazingly, the school has some alumni records dating back to its founding. Nine different Zumbrunnen boys, all from Uri, enrolled in these early decades.

Obviously this “college” was much different than the modern American or European university experience. Boys enrolled between the ages of 10 and 21. Many of the pupils were local and lived at home, but the boys from far away places like Uri would board with private hosts or sometimes with clergy. In addition to religion, the curriculum included courses in the humanities, rhetoric, dialectic and logic.

While much of Switzerland was becoming Protestant at this time, Uri and Fribourg were holdouts of the Catholic faith, explaining the link between the two far-flung areas. Another advantage was that Uri was German-speaking, but Fribourg was in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, so attendance was also a French immersion program.

The information is not extensive. In most cases, the records only say the year of enrollment, the boy’s name, age, parents and hosts. In some cases, the history journal cited below added information about their subsequent careers. Here are the nine Zumbrunnen men who are alums of Collège Saint-Michel:

1. Enrolling in 1610: Johann Zumbrunnen, age 15, son of Heinrich, who became a captain in the French service during the Thirty Years War.
2. In 1612: Erasmus Zumbrunnen, age 12, son of Josue
3. In 1613: Jacob Zumbrunnen, age 12, son of Josue. Host: Burgknecht.
4. In 1613, Fridolin Zumbrunnen, age 12, son of Henry. Host: Haberkorn. He later became a priest in the Order of St. Benedict, and a professor of theology.
5. In 1620, Franz Zumbrunnen, age 11, son of Josue. He became a Capuchin priest and assumed the name Paschal. Host: Lutenschlager.
6. In 1624, Andreas Zumbrunnen, age 11, son of Martin.
7. In 1624, Conrad Zumbrunnen, age 11, son of Josue. Host: Burgknecht.[2]
8. In 1660, Franciscus Zumbrunnen, age 18, son of Burkhard and Ana Catharina Behsler. He became a Marian priest.
9. In 1661, Johann Anton Zumbrunnen, age 14, son of Burkhard and Ana Catharina Behsler. He became a Capuchin priest and assumed the name Primus.

I’m not sure if Johann Anton was the last member of the family to attend because the records I found end in 1663. The Zumbrunnen family was dying off in Uri by this point. A number of the men perished in the Thirty Years War, while others emigrated away from Uri and converted to Protestantism.

Notes
1) Yours truly also has a Jesuit education!
2) A peculiar story explains the 36-year gap between Conrad’s enrollment in 1624 and Franciscus in 1660. In 1628, the plague struck Fribourg, and over 30 of the college students died. Classes were suspended for six months, and most students returned home. Conrad, apparently after four years at the school (the records contain no indication of how long students typically enrolled), was prevented from leaving by his hostess, Ursula Burgknecht, because of unpaid debts to her. Apparently, the dean of the school intervened to negotiate the boy’s release. Conrad’s father later filed some sort of grievance with the city over the incident with the hostess. The story is recorded as this combination of pestilence and the bad hostess kept the Zumbrunnen and many other boys from Uri away from the school for several decades.

Sources

• “Students from Uri at the Jesuit college in Fribourg from 1582 to 1663″ by F. Gisler and O. Perler. Published 1944 in the Swiss history journal Historisches Neujahrsblatt.
• The University of Fribourg (partially in English) and the The Collège St-Michel website (in German and French). Both institutions developed from the original Jesuit College. Despite retaining its original name, the Collège St-Michel is no longer associated with the Catholic church and is now the equivalent of a public high school.

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.

Group One: Heinrich Zumbrun from Schwegenheim to Philadelphia

Heinrich Zumbrun (b. 1717) and family arrived in Philadelphia aboard the ship “Brothers” in 1754. This family had lived in Schwegenheim, Germany before immigration, though Heinrich was born in Crailsheim. His family initially settled in Berks County, Pa., before moving to Frederick County, Md. Over the course of the 1800s they mostly lived in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Indiana.

Heinrich was born Zumbrunnen, his family shortened the spelling to Zumbrunn while living in Germany and he used Zumbrun in America. His children and grandchildren also spelled the name Zumbrun. Most of his living descendants use the spelling Zumbrun but one branch in Pennsylvania and one in Ohio adopted the spelling Zumbrum. Most, but not all, people who spell the name Zumbrun or Zumbrum are descended from Heinrich. One branch of Heinrich’s family also changed the spelling back to Zumbrunn (but most people named Zumbrunn are descended from one of the immigrants below). As far as I know, none of Heinrich’s descendants use the Zumbrunnen spelling.

Group Two: Jacob ZumBrunnen family from Zweisimmen to Wisconsin

Nearly 100 years after Heinrich arrived on the ship “Brothers”, Jacob ZumBrunnen (b. 1802-1869) of Zweisimmen, Switzerland (in the Bernese Highlands region) immigrated to the U.S. He arrived in New York on 4 Oct 1852 aboard the ship “Gallia” and his family almost immediately immigrated to Green County, Wisconsin.

He had 5 sons and nearly 30 grandsons. One of his sons, Gottlieb ZumBrunnen, served in the Civil War (I’m working on a post on the Zumbrun/Zumbrunnen family in the Civil War). There’s no evidence that Jacob had any ties to the Zumbrun family that had arrived nearly a century earlier. This ZumBrunnen family was, however, related to several of the groups that followed (including Groups 3, 5 and 6).

This branch largely used the spellings Zum Brunnen/ZumBrunnen or zumBrunnen/zum Brunnen.

Group Three: Several Zumbrunnen families to Ohio

This is the most complicated group and I haven’t figured out all their relationships.

In the 1860s and 1870s, a string of Zumbrunnens migrated from Switzerland to Ohio. The first seems to be a John Zumbrunnen (b. 1832-1907) who immigrated in 1862 and settled in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. His obituary says he was from Canton Bern and that he had a brother who lives in Indiana. The brother appears to be Rudolf Zumbrunnen (b. 1842-1922) who immigrated in 1874, and Census Records show settled in De Kalb, Indiana. (Immigration dates according to Census records, I don’t know at this point what ships they traveled on.)

The cemetery in which John is buried has an Elizabeth Bemunger Zumbrunnen (1804-1877) who is presumably his mother. Marriage records in Switzerland say an Elizabeth Baenninger, from the town of Embrach, near Zurich was married to a Johann Zumbrum of the town of Wimmis.

These two brothers appear to also be connected to Anton Zumbrunnen (1813-1890) of Zweisimmen who immigrated to the U.S. with sons Jacob (1844-1931) and Anton (1856-1917). I believe Anton was a second cousin of the Zumbrunnen family that immigrated to Wisconsin. Anton’s oldest son Jacob applied for his passport on the same day in 1869 as Christian Zumbrunnen (1849-1924), with both listing Aeschi bei Spiez as home town. (These towns of Wimmis, Aeschi and Zweisimmen are all just a few miles from each other in the Bernese Highlands).

Christian and Jacob appear to have immigrated together, suggesting that they too may have been relatives. Jacob Zumbrunnen is listed as a passenger on a ship named “City of Dublin” that arrived in New York on May 7, 1869. It’s likely he sailed with Christian and it’s possible that others of the group traveled on this ship, but I don’t have proof.

Finally, a John Zumbrunnen (1850-1917) arrived 15 Mar 1892 aboard the ship “La Normandie,” also settling in Alliance, Ohio, suggesting some sort of relation to the others.

Most descendants of this family use the spelling Zumbrunnen, but Jacob sometimes went as Jacob Brunner, and some of his descendants used the name Brunner, instead of Zumbrunnen.

Group 4: Johann Zumbrunn family from Ringgenberg to Nebraska

Johann Zumbrunn (1827-1903) immigrated from Ringgenberg, Switzerland to Platte County, Nebraska, with at least four sons: John, Peter, Christian and Mathias. They arrived 26 Mar 1874 in New York aboard the ship
“Westphalia.” Their genealogical connection to the rest of the family is unclear.

His family had already shortened the name to Zumbrunn in Switzerland and his descendants use that spelling.

Group 5: Albrecht Suter Zumbrunnen from Zweisimmen to Idaho
Albrecht Suter Zumbrunnen (1841-1919), the son of Albrecht Suter and Catherina Zumbrunnen, immigrated to Idaho in 1877. He and his wife Martha (or Magdalena) Kunz had 9 children, at least some of whom were born in Switzerland. I don’t know why he would have used his mother’s surname as his own, and only used his father’s surname as a middle name. This family settled near Bear Lake, Idaho. Albrecht was a distant cousin (I think a fourth cousin) of the Zumbrunnens who immigrated to Wisconsin and Ohio in Groups 2, 3 and 6.

Some of his descendants used the spelling Zumbrunnen but others use Zumbrennen.

Group 6: Gottfried and Christian Zumbrunn families from Zweisimmen to Kansas

Gottfried (1853-1916) and Christian Zumbrunn (1850-1944), apparently brothers and possibly the sons of Christian Zumbrunnen (1821-1904) of Zweisimmen, Switzerland arrived together in New York on 12 May 1880 aboard the ship “Labrador.” They almost immediately settled in Geary, Kansas. They are distant cousins of Groups 2, 3, and 5. (Fourth cousins to each.)

They appear to have shortened their name from Zumbrunnen to Zumbrunn upon arrival, and their descendants use that spelling.

Group 7: Gottfried Emanuel Zumbrunnen family from Erlenbach im Simmental to Utica, New York

Gottfried Emanuel Zumbrunnen (1837-99), married to Susanna Katharina Abbuehl, immigrated in the 1880s to Utica, New York, with children Gottfried “Fred” (b. 1867), Gottlieb (b. 1873-1954), Louise (b. 1870-1957) and Albert (b. 1875-1945). There were originally from the town Erlenbach im Simmental, also in the Bernese Highlands. A large group of 9 Zumbrunns arrived aboard the ship “Canada” in 1880, possibly this family.

They shortened the spelling to Zumbrun upon arrival and descendants of this family continue to use that spelling.

Group 8: Albert Zumbrunn family from Switzerland to Nebraska
Albert Zumbrunn (b. 1847-1916) arrived 4 Apr 1883 in New York on the ship “Canada” and quickly immigrated to Thurston, Nebraska. His genealogical connection to the rest of the family is unclear but he is possibly related to Group 8 as they both traveled on different voyages of the ship “Canada” and both have the name Albert in the family, but this is just circumstantial. It’s also possible that he’s connected to group 4 who also immigrated to Nebraska, although these parts of Nebraska are about 100 miles apart.

Albert changed his name to Zumbrum upon arrival, and his descendants spell the name Zumbrum.

By the late 1600s, the Zumbrunnen family was in decline in Uri, and there are only a handful of Zumbrunnen baptisms. The surviving branches of the Zumbrunnen family seem to have left Uri by this point. Below I’ve transcribed the Zumbrunnen entries and translated them from Latin as best I could. There are many more entries for other families that had close ties to the Zumbrunnen, such as the Beroldingen, Crivelli, Zwyer, Puntener family, etc., that I haven’t transcribed.

Most of these entries include some additional identifying information which I’ve included below, such as titles. (My own commentary, which is provided for context, is in parentheses and highlights like this). The commentary in the history journal introducing this information scoffs at the use of titles, however, noting that basically everyone who is not a cobbler is identified as a lord.

• May 23, 1649: Sebastian Peregrin zum Brunnen, child of Lord Captain Sebastian zum Brunnen and Lady Maria Salome Rizard. Sponsors: Lord Colonel Sebastian Peregrin Zwyer, landammann and general captain of Uri. and Lady Maria Elisabetha von Beroldingen. (Sebastian Peregrin Zwyer was a very prominent political and military leader in Switzerland in the 1600s and a close associate of Landammann Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen.)
• April 17, 1654: Anna Maria Magdalena, child of Lord Carl Ernst von Roll and Lady Maria Magdalena Zumbrunnen. Sponsors: Carl Emanuel von Roll, landammann and supreme captain of Uri, and Lady Maria Magdalena Rheding.
• November 8, 1655: Maria Barbara, child of Nicolao An der Halden and Agatha Klan. Sponsors: Reverend Lord Stephen Straumeyer and lady Maria Magdalena Zumbrunnen. (A Maria Magdalena Zumbrunnen was married to Johann Martin Straumeyer. Perhaps Stephen was her brother-in-law. A close familial tie to the clergy may explain why she appears in multiple baptisms below, along with a clergy member.)
• August 10, 1668: Maria Magdalena, child of Lord Antonio Schmidt, a centurion in the Savoy guard, and Lady Maria Anna Zwyer von Evebach. Sponsors: the pastor and Lady Maria Magdalena Zumbrunnen.
• January 16, 1679: Maria Margaretha, child of Francis Alexander Besler and Lady Maria Magdalena von Montenach. Sponsors: Lord Captain Johann Anthoni Schmidt and Lady Maria Magdalena Zumbrunnen.
• August 14, 1684: Melchior Joseph, child of Johann Carl Besler, prefect of Lugano, and Lady Maria Anna von Beroldingen. Sponsors: Reverend Johann Melchior Imhoff and Lady Maria Magdalena Zum Brunnen.
• April 10, 1688: Anna Maria Margaritha, child of Lord Sebastian von Beroldingen and Lady Regina Gasser. Sponsors: R.D. Franz von Beroldingen, of the monastery of Seedorf, and Lady Anna Maria Margaritha zum Brunnen.
• October 10, 1691: Johann Baptist Anton Zum Brunnen, child of Lord Johann Heinrich zum Brunnen and Lady Maria Hyacintha, born in Parma on October sixth and baptized Catholic on October 10. Sponsors: Lord Joanne Herardo de Naithuldt and Lady Anna de Buffalini. (This branch of the family had moved to Italy, and must have written back to their home priest asking for the baptisms to be recorded in their “home” church. They may have used the name Fontana in Italy. The names Buffalini, Fratini, Ballarini, etc., suggest that they were integrating into Italian society.)
• October 15, 1694: Anna Maria Theresia Salome Zum Brunnen, child of Lord Johann Heinrich Zum Brunnen and lady Maria Hyacintha, born in Parma and baptized Catholic on October 15, 1694. SponsorsL Lord Bartholomaeo de Ballarini and Lady Angela de Fratini.
• September 19, 1697: Franz Heinrich, son of Lord Johann Sebastian Jauch, landschreiber, and Lady Maria Anna Troger. Sponsors: Reverend Lord Franz Troger, abbot of Fischingen, and Lady Maria Magdalena zum Brunnen.
• There are also records of a “Bell Baptism” that took place in 1582. This was apparently a ceremony to consecrate beautiful new church bells and to honor their donors. Landammann Johann zum Brunnen and his brother Josue zum Brunnen are identified as the benefactors for one of these bells.

A copy of this record was published in the “Journal for Swiss Church History” in 1911. As far as I can tell, this record isn’t available on any of the various genealogy websites. The deaths of 16 members of the Zumbrunnen family are recorded in this church book (I think, strictly speaking, most of these are the dates of funeral services rather than death dates), and are listed below:

Note: I’ve preserved the different renderings of the name. It seems the family during this period was inconsistent in the spacing and capitalization of the name (sometimes Zumbrunnen vs zum Brunnen vs Zum brunnen) although I don’t know if there’s any significance to this; it could merely reflect different styles of handwriting. Most of these entries include some additional identifying information which I’ve included below. (My own commentary, which is provided for context, is in parentheses and highlights like this).

• April 17, 1648, Lord Johann Heinrich zum Brunnen, knight, old Landammann and captain.
• March 2, 1649, Captain Josue Zumbrunnen. (There are several Josue’s and I’m not sure which one this record refers to. The Josue who was Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen’s brother is said in other sources to have died in 1643.)
• May 8, 1655 Carolus Ernestus a Roll. Born 1631 and married to Magdalena zum Brunnen
• April 20, 1657, father P Bernhardi Zum brunnen.
• September 12, 1667, Joannes Gualtherus Rothuet, married to Anna Barbara Zum Brunnen.
• February 18, 1672, Captain Burkardus zum Brunnen. Married 1st to Anna Katharina Behsler and 2nd on October 3, 1651 to the widow Maria Elisabetha Blatler von Unterwalden.
• January 7, 1678, Captain Sebastianus zum Brunnen.
• December 21, 1684, Josue zum Brunnen.
• October 10, 1687. Henrichus Burkardus zum Brunnen. (Because there are three different people named Heinrich Burkhard Zumbrunnen — I, II and III — it’s unclear which one this is.)
• June 23, 1689. Anna Maria Margaritha Zumbrunnen, wife of Josue Zumbrunnen (Her maiden name was also Zumbrunnen; Josue was her second cousin once removed.)
• March 21, 1690. Maria Magdalena Zum brunnen, wife of Ernst von Roll and married a second time to Johann Karl von Schmidt.
• May 8, 1690. Henrichus Burkardus Zumbrunnen. Listed as mentally incompetent. (As above, there are three different Heinrich Burkhards — I, II and III — and it’s unclear which one this is.)
• May 9, 1699. Maria Magdalena zum Brunnen. (There was a Maria Magdalena Zum Brunnen married to Johann Martin Straumeyer, although if this is her it’s unclear why her married name isn’t mentioned.)
• September 30, 1700. Anna Barbara zum Brunnen.
• March 26, 1705. R. D. Franciscus Zum Brunnen, died at age 62. Son of Burkhard and Anna Catherine Behsler.
• September 3, 1729. Maria Elisabeth Crivelli, born zum Brunnen. Wife of Heinrich Anton Crivelli.

Many of the records this far back are fairly muddled. While parts of this tree are very clearly established, other pieces are in dispute. At some point, I’ll create links to the individual members of this tree that will discuss which links are secure and which are more speculative or uncertain. For more about the origins of this interesting family, read here.

Lord Lamprecht, Knight of Attinghausen
                  ║
1100s             ║
                  ║ 
        Albrecht of Attinghausen
                  ║  
        Heinrich of Attinghausen
                  ║
      Werner, Baron of Attinghausen ════╦════ Richenza von Löwenstein
                                        ║
                ╔═══════════════════════╩═══════════════════════╗
                ║                                               ║  
             Werner II                                       Waltert                         
          Von Attinghausen                                 Zumbrunnen                   
1200s           ║                                               ║                                              
                ║                                     Zumbrunnen Family Tree
                ║  
             ╔══╩══════════════════════╦══════════════════════════╗                  
             ║                         ║                          ║                    
          Ulrich                   Richenza                    Conrad                             
     Von Attinghausen          m. Von Brunberg           Von Attinghausen                   
    & Von Schweinsberg            and Pundt             & Von Schweinsberg
             ║                                                    ║
          ╔══╩════════════════╦═══════════════╗                   ║              
          ║                   ║               ║                   ║              
       Werner I            Rudolf           Ulrich             Egloff
   Von Attinghausen       V. Atting.       V. Atting.             ║           
  & Von Schweinsberg     & V. Schwein.    & V. Schwein.       ╔═══╩════╗         
             ║                                                ║        ║
         ╔═══╩════════╦═════════════╦═══════════╗         Johannes   Bertha,                 
         ║            ║             ║           ║                    Elizabeth
    Werner II      Conrad         Anne          ║             
       Von                                   Diethelm               Elisabeth
   Attinghausen                           Von Schweinsberg ════╦════ Von Kempten
         ║                                                     ║ 
1300s ╔══╩══════════╦════════════╦══════════╦══════════════╗   ╚═══════╗                  
      ║             ║            ║          ║              ║           ║ 
   Johann          Anna      Ursula      Margarita    Willlebirgis     ║ 
     Von       m. Heinrich  m. Johann    m. Rudolf      m. von         ║
 Attinghausen   von Rudenz  von Simpeln  von Freiberg  Grunenberg      ║ 
      ║                                                                ║
     ╔╩══════════════╗                                        ╔════════╩═══╗
     ║               ║                                  Diethelm II     Thuring
   Conrad          Jacob                              von Schweinsberg
    Von             Von                                       ║
Attinghausen    Attinghausen       ╔══════════════════╦═══════╩═════════╗ 
                                   ║                  ║                 ║
                                 Conrad             Rudolf            Ulrich
                            von Schweinsberg   von Schweinsberg   von Schweinsberg
                                   ║
       ╔══════════════╦═════════╦══╩════════╦══════════╦════════════╗
       ║              ║         ║           ║          ║            ║
    Thuring        Kungold     Anna     Anastasia   Adelheid    Elizabeth
      von         m. Ulrich             m. Ulrich               m. Conrad
  Schweinsberg   v. Walstetten        v Grunenberg           von Burgenstein
       ║
1400s  ║
     ╔═╩═══════════════╦════════════════╗ 
     ║                 ║                ║ 
   Johann          Benignola          Ursula
von Schweinsberg   m. Ulrich
                  von Balmoos

Beginning in 1716, the church kept a detailed handwritten record of attendees at church services. The first list here seems to be people who took communion at the Epiphany service.

In the early 1700s, a small Zumbrunnen family was living in Baden-Württemberg, the German state just to the north of Switzerland. This post is an overview of the records pertaining to this family found in the church book of the Lutheran Parish Waldtann, located outside the town of Crailsheim, Germany.

This book includes baptisms, marriages, deaths, and church attendance. The attendance records begin in 1716 and almost immediately there are at least four different Zumbrunnens in the church books: Johann Peter (Petrus) Zumbrunnen, Anna Ursula Zumbrunnen, Balthasar Zumbrunnen and Barbara Zumbrunnen.[1]

The handwritten records can be very hard to read. The surname appears to be written variously as Zumbrunnen, Zumbrunnenin, Zumbrunn, and Zumbrunnin. (German-speakers in this region added “-in” to women’s surnames in this era). Sometimes there’s a space after Zum and sometimes not. Later in the records, they tend to favor the shorter spellings. These records support the theory that the family was originally named Zumbrunnen and that this branch truncated the spelling in the early 1700s.

The records contain detailed attendance lists that appear to be the people who took communion at the major holidays like Advent, Pentecost, and so on.

Balthasar and Barbara appear to have been in the front row for attendance at Pentecost in 1726. Note her name appears to be written as Zumbrunnenin and she’s identified as a widow.

In 1729, for the first time, we find a new name in these records: Johann Heinrich Zumbrunnen. Johann Heinrich Zumbrunn was the immigrant ancestor of the Zumbrun family in America. He was married in Schwegenheim, Germany in 1749, but prior to his marriage, neither Heinrich nor any other Zumbrun was listed in their church books. Heinrich’s hometown was somewhere else. These records have finally revealed where.

Joh. Heinrich Zumbrunn on the top line, below him is Ursula Zumbrunn.[2]

In some of his early records you can see his name written pretty clearly as Zumbrunnen, but as the records go on the family shifts toward the spelling Zumbrunn.

The second name on this list from 1732: “Joh. Heinrich Zumbrunnen Serv.”[4]

Heinrich is the fourth person listed on this attendance record from 1732.[5]

The second name on the list: “Johann Georg Zumbrunnen Serv.”[6]

The first is Heinrich’s name in the church records; the second is his signature upon arrival in Philadelphia. While clearly written in different hands, they both write capital H’s that look like G’s or L’s, big swoopy concluding h’s, both write swoops over their u’s, and both insert a space after the Zum.

So what is the relationships of all these Zumbruns? There are enough baptisms and marriages in these records to make sense of it.

• On Aug 26, 1715, Peter Zumbrunn marries Anna Ursula Schens. His father’s name appears to be Johann and hers George. (p 588 of 1216 on the microfilm)
• On May 1, 1722, Balthasar Zumbrunn marries a Barbara. Her last name is illegible to me. (p. 723 of 1216)
• On Aug. 22, 1722, Catharina Barbara Zumbrunnen, daughter of Balthasar and Barbara Zumbrunnen is baptized.(p. 647 of 1216)
• On Feb. 5, 1724, Anna Maria Magdalena Zumbrunn, daughter of Peter Zumbrunn and Anna Ursula Zumbrunn is baptized. (p. 648 of 1216)
• In 1727, Ursula Zumbrunn is identified as a widow. I haven’t found a burial for Peter but he also doesn’t appear in attendance anymore.
• On Feb. 10, 1727, Georg Michael Zumbrunn, son of Balthasar and Barbara Zumbrunn is baptized. (p. 651 of 1216)
• On Aug. 18, 1728, Georg Michael Zumbrunn, son of Balthasar Zumbrunn, dies. He is buried on Aug. 19, 1728. (p. 755 of 1216)
• In 1729, Johann Heinrich Zumbrunn first attends services with Ursula Zumbrunn.
• In 1732, Johann Georg Zumbrunn first attends services, sometimes sitting with Heinrich.
• On Aug. 5, 1734, Balthasar Zumbrunn’s wife is identified as Anna Barbara Hoffman. Two possibilities from this record. One is that this is the same Barbara listed on the baptisms. Second, is that his first wife died and he married a second woman also named (Anna) Barbara. (p. 731 of 1216)
• On Aug. 3, 1736, Georg Michael Zumbrunn, son of Balthasar Zumbrunn and Anna Barbara is baptized. (p. 662 of 1216)
• In 1736, Catharina Barbara Zumbrunnen first attends services (we know from her baptism that she would be about 13 or 14).
• In 1737, Maria Magdalena Zumbrunn first appears with Ursula Zumbrunn. (Magdalena would be about 13)
• On Dec. 1, 1739, Johann Christian Zumbrunn, son of Balthasar Zumbrunn and Anna Barbara is baptized.
  (p. 665 of 1216)
• In a nearby German church called Mariäkappel, there’s a record from March 23, 1756 of Johann Georg Zumbrunn marrying Maria Elisabetha Rescher. His father is identified as Johann Peter Zumbrunn.
• Anna Ursula Zumbrunnin dies at age 73 and is buried on Dec. 26, 1756. (This makes her year of birth approximately 1683).

The church book has a lot more material that’s completely unindexed (several hundred pages, at least). There might be earlier church books too. The church archive in Stuttgart, where these records are kept, would almost certainly have more information. But the above records are enough to mostly untangle two family units:

• (Johann) Peter Zumbrunnen (d. 1727) and Anna Ursula Schens (b. 1683-1756)
  1. (Johann) Heinrich Zumbrunnen (b. abt 1717)
  2. Johann Georg Zumbrunnen (b. abt 1720)
  3. Magdalena Zumbrunn (b. Feb. 5, 1724)
• Balthasar Zumbrunnen and Barbara/Anna Barbara Hoffman
  1. Catherine Barbara Zumbrunnen (b. Aug. 22, 1722)
  2. Georg Michael Zumbrunn (b. Feb. 10, 1727, d. Aug. 18, 1728)
  3. Georg Michael Zumbrunn (b. Aug. 3, 1736)[7]
  4. Johann Christian Zumbrunn (b. Dec. 1, 1739)

I could not find a baptism record for Heinrich but his family was attending church in Waldtann by 1715, and so if he was born in 1717 as these records (and his immigration records) suggest, then he was born in Crailsheim, Germany.

Some Questions for Further Research

• What other information can be deciphered from these handwritten and un-indexed records?
• Are there other records from Crailsheim, Germany and Baden-Württemberg during this period and earlier that might tell us more about what the family was up to during this period?
• How many Barbara Zumbrunn’s are there? Did Balthasar’s first wife Barbara die, and then he married Anna Barbara? Or is this the same woman? Was there a third “widow Barbara” who was perhaps from an earlier generation?
• What’s the relationship between Balthasar Zumbrunnen and Johann Peter Zumbrunnen. Two relationships seem likely: either that Balthasar was a brother of Peter (who was much younger or lived much longer), or that Balthasar was Peter’s older son.
• Are there other ties between this Lutheran Parish Waldtann and the Lutheran Church in Schwegenheim or the Zions Moselem Lutheran Church that Heinrich attended in America?

Footnotes
1)The attendance records have not yet been indexed, so you cannot search them with a text query. They are available on Ancestry.com if you have a paid subscription to the international records. The originals are at the State Church Archive in Stuttgart. There are four or five different church books that have been digitized into a single file on Ancestry.com. The church attendance records in Waldtann, referred to throughout, begin on page 150 of the Waldtann Church Book (page 799 of 1216 on the digitized microfilm.)

2) I don’t know what this abbreviation “Serv” means. This is page 836 of 1216 on the microfilm.

3) Here’s a useful guide to German church book handwriting. Two letters that are helpful to study are the “H” which looks more like an English “L” or “G” and the German “u” which was typically written with a swoop over it. You can often distinguish Zumbrunnen from Zimmerman because Zumbrunnen will have two swoops, and Zimmerman will just have a single dot.

4) This is from page 853 of 1216 of the microfilm.

5) This is from page 845 of 1216 of the microfilm.

6) Page 848 of 1216 of the microfilm.

7) It was common at the time, when a child died in infancy, to give a subsequent child that same name, like with the two Georg Michael Zumbrunns here. Heinrich Zumbrunn and his wife Eva Lehr also gave two daughters the name Anna Dorothea Zumbrun, after the first died young.