Matthes Bruch (Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob) was born about 1652, when baptismal records in the Wolfersweiler parish were sporadic. Alternatively, he could have been the child baptized in 1654 under the name “Hans Michael;” considering that child’s baptismal sponsors were all named Matthes, not Michael, the name could have been recorded in error. Regardless, we know that he was the son of Ulrich of Ellweiler since he was described as such when he sponsored the baptism of Susanna Catharina Bruch in 1681.
Matthes Bruch evidently married while in Ellweiler. The only record we have of his first marriage was when his wife, recorded as “Anna Lies [Anna Elisabetha]” sponsored the baptism of Anna Eva Bürger, daughter of Peter and Anna Martha. Peter was a miller in Ellweiler at the time. We do not know anything about Anna Lies or what her maiden name was. There is no marriage record and no death record, which is not surprising considering the sporadic nature of those type of records at the time in the Wolfersweiler parish. Presumably, she died before Matthes left Ellweiler. There is no record of them having children.
Per later tax records, we learn that Matthes Bruch moved away “during the French period,” which meant he left before the French occupation ended in 1697. He did not sell anything, so there were no taxes to collect on the sale of his property, and he did not pay the fee to be manumitted. He only took his clothes and his cookery with him.[1] The last record of him in Ellweiler was from January of 1696. Matthes Bruch’s departure from Ellweiler was contemporaneous with the departure of Andreas Neu and Andreas Federkeil from nearby Remmesweiler for Leistadt. Therefore, it is highly probable that Matthes Bruch of Ellweiler is the Matthes Bruch who appears in Leistadt around the same time.
In Ellweiler, he was a popular choice for baptismal sponsorship:
- Maria Catharina Bruch, daughter of Hans Nickel and Anna Maria of Wolfersweiler, on 5 May 1676.[2] This is the first unambiguous record of Matthes Bruch.
- Susanna Catharina Bruch, daughter of Andreas and Barbara of Nohfelden, on 7 Aug 1681.[3] In this record, he is described as the son of Ulrich Bruch of Ellweiler.
- Maria Susanna Sohn, daughter of Thomas of Dambach, on 11 Jun 1684 in Birkenfeld[4]
- Matthes Fries, son of Schweickhart and Catharina [Bruch], on 17 Feb 1687[5]
- Matthes Anthes, son of Johann and Anna Gretha, on 8 May 1689 in Achtelsbach[6]
- Johann Matthes Schumacher, son of Nickel and Maria Christina [Schwenck] of Rinzenberg, on 2 Jan 1692 in Birkenfeld[7]
- Matthes Anthes, son of Ulrich and Anna Eva [Bruch] of Ellweiler, on 8 Mar 1694[8]
- Hans Bernhard Böss, son of Georg Wilhelm and Anna Barbara [Leister] of Ellweiler, 2 Jan 1696.[9] This is the last record of Matthes Bruch in Ellweiler.
His wife “Anna Lies” sponsored the following baptism:
- Anna Eva Bürger, daughter of Peter (miller in Ellweiler) and Anna Martha, 25 Mar 1691[10]
In Leistadt, he married Anna Catharina, probably the daughter of the late Schultheiss Wolfgang Adam Freiermuth, and had the following children, all born in Leistadt:
- Johanna Margretha: b. 1 Feb 1703; bap. 4 Feb 1703 (sponsors were Felicitas Margretha, the wife of the cowherd Hans Peter Keiser; Johannes Gesell, widow from Kallstadt);[11] bur. 1 May 1709 in Leistadt[12]
- Andreas: b. 1 Sep 1705; bap. 6 Sep 1705 (sponsors were Andreas Federkeil, the court huntsman; the child’s mother’s sister, serving in Dürkheim);[13] conf. Easter 1719 in Freinsheim Reformed;[14] m. Anna Maria Müller of Neusaarwerden, 10 Nov 1739 in Kallstadt;[15] d. 6 Jan 1780; bur. 7 Jan 1780 in Kallstadt[16]
- *Johann Matthäus (Matthias): b. 28 Jul 1708; bap. 29 Jul 1708 (sponsors were Matthäus Mildenberger of Katzweiler, who was represented by Andreas Neu, the innkeeper; Catharina, his wife [unclear whose wife]);[17] m. Anna Barbara _ in Pennsylvania; d. Nov 1797; bur. 30 Nov 1797[18]
Matthes Bruch sponsored the following baptisms while living in Leistadt:
- Andreas Närgang, son of Johannes, on 17 Jul 1701[19]
- Johann Matthes Hanewald, son of Nicolaus and Elisabetha [Weihe], 13 Jul 1713 in Hardenburg (while taking refuge from a French army).[20] This is the last record of Matthes Bruch.
Anna Catharina (Freiermuth) Bruch sponsored the following baptisms:
- Anna Catharina Nolt, daughter of David and Anna Barbara, on 24 Aug 1709 in Leistadt[21]
- Tobias Böckel, son of Gotthardt and Maria Sibylla, on 19 Feb 1712 in Kallstadt[22]
- Justina Catharina Nolt, daughter of Melchior and Anna Margretha, on 14 Jun 1716 in Leistadt.[23] She is described as a widow. This is the last record of Anna Catharina.
Matthes Bruch died at some point between his sponsorship of Johann Matthes Hanewald in July 1713 and June 1716 when Anna Catharina sponsored the baptism of Justina Catharina Nolt and was described as a widow. Death records were not kept in Leistadt between 1710 and some of 1722. Anna Catharina also likely died during this period.
Second Generation
Andreas Bruch (Matthes, Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob) moved to Kallstadt and initially worked as a cooper for the Schultheiss Andreas Widdersheim. If the death record of Friedrich Karl is to be believed, Andreas’s first child was born about 1738, before his marriage to Anna Maria Müller was recorded in the Kallstadt Church Book. It is unclear if he had been married to her before it was recorded in Kallstadt, or Friedrich Karl was born to a different mother.
- Friedrich Karl: b. about 1738;[24] bur. 3 Mar 1751 in Kallstadt, age 12 years, 9 months, 28 days[25]
The following were certainly the children of Anna Maria:
- Louisa Margaretha: b. 24 Dec 1740; bap. 27 Dec 1740 (sponsors were Georg Philipp Scharr, citizen and master baker in Leistadt and Louisa Margaretha Barth, the proprietress of the Gilded Angel…);[26] conf. Pentecost 1754 in Kallstadt[27]
- Johannes: b. 12 Jan 1744; bap. 15 Jan 1744 (sponsors were Johann Wolfgang Schrank of Kallstadt; Johannes Gesell of Kallstadt; Elisabetha Sandhoff, the wife of the Leiningen Schultheiss of Kallstadt; and Maria Elisabetha Freiermuth of Leistadt);[28] conf. Pentecost 1756 in Kallstadt;[29] m. Elisabetha Schatz, widow of the late Rudolph Schatz of Mörsch, 12 Feb 1771 in Mörsch;[30]
- Johann Jacob: b. 20 Dec 1746; bap. 24 Dec 1746 (sponsors were Johann Jacob Maurer, a farmer in Leistadt, and Elisabetha Stauch);[31] conf. Pentecost 1761 in Kallstadt[32]
- Maria Eva: b. 15 Apr 1750; bap. 17 Apr 1750 (sponsors were Johann Jonas Gesell, single son of Johannes Gesell of Kallstadt, and Anna Eva Freiermuth, the daughter of the late Johann Georg Freiermuth of Leistadt);[33]
Andreas Bruch sponsored the following baptisms:
- Andreas Joachim, son of Michael Joachim and Anna Maria Kohl, on 15 Jul 1731 in Leistadt[34]
- Johann Andreas Freünd, son of Johann Michael Freünd and Anna Margaretha, on 28 Mar 1734 in Kallstadt[35]
- Andreas Freiermuth, son of Johann Georg Freiermuth, on 18 Jan 1739 in Leistadt[36]
- Johann Andreas Schrah, son of Johann Georg Schrah, on 7 Dec 1739 in Leistadt[37]
Anna Maria Müller was buried 9 Feb 1760, age 49.[38] Andreas died 6 Jan 1780 and was buried the next day in Kallstadt.[39]
Johann Matthäus (Matthias) Bruch (Matthes, Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob) sponsored the following baptisms in Leistadt:
- Johann Matthaeus Freiermuth, son of Johann Georg Freiermuth and Maria Elisabetha, on 25 Feb 1731[40]
- Jacob Matthaeus Schmidt, son of Johann Heinrich Schmidt, on 26 Apr 1733[41]
- Johann Matthaeus Hoffman, son of Ludwig Hoffman and Anna Dorothea Heintz, on 28 Feb 1734[42]
- Johann Matthaeus Joachim, son of Michael Joachim and Anna Maria Kohl, on 26 Jun 1735[43]
Matthias left Leistadt in early 1736 with nearly thirty other Leistadters who sailed from Rotterdam on the Harle. He was qualified in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 1 September 1736. He then disappears from the historical record until the 1740s when he appears in Williams Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. There he had a farm of about 100 acres called “Nootka.”
He married Anna Barbara, possibly Riesser, around 1742 and had the following known children, all likely born in Williams Township:
- Michael: b. about 1743; conf. 1757 “on the Forx near Easton;”[44] m. Maria Elisabetha _ , about 1763; d. after 1810
- John George: b. about 1746; m. Elisabeth _, about 1774; d. 25 Feb 1829 in Williams Township[45]
- Anna Maria: b. 14 May 1749; m. Christian Hertzel, about 1775; d. 6 Feb 1831
- Johannes (John): b. 20 Mar 1752; bap. 13th Sunday after Trinity 1752 (sponsors were Johannes Schuck and wife);[46] m. Anna Barbara Geist, 30 Mar 1779 at Tohickon Reformed, Bucks County[47]
- Susanna Catharina: b. 4 Sep 1757; bap. 4 Oct 1757 (sponsors were Jacob Best and his wife);[48]
- Maria Elisabeth: b. 1 May 1760; bap. 1 Jun 1760 (sponsors were Adam Riesser and wife Maria Elisabeth);[49] m. Peter Lattig, about 1776; d. 31 Jul 1824; bur. Hay’s Cemetery, now South Easton[50]
Matthias Bruch and Anna Barbara sponsored the following baptisms in Pennsylvania:
- Johann Anton Riesser, son of Paul Riesser and Anna Margaretha on 17 October 1742[51]
- Jacob Riesser, son of Adam Riesser and Margaretha on 16 October 1767[52]
- Elisabeth Miller, daughter of Heinrich Miller and Susanna Margaretha on 31 May 1773[53]
- Elisabeth Hertzel, daughter of Christian Hertzel and Anna Maria Bruch on 17 November 1776[54]
- Anna Barbara Lattig, daughter of Peter Lattig and Maria Elisabetha Bruch on 26 March 1784[55]
- Susanna Miller, daughter of Johann Miller and Barbara on 6 November 1785[56]
Matthias died in late November 1797 and was buried in Williams Township, apparently in the cemetery of what is now St. Luke’s Church, 30 Nov 1797.[57] It is not known when his wife Anna Barbara died.
Third Generation
Johannes Bruch (Andreas, Matthes, Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob)is difficult to find in the historical record after his marriage. He does not seem to have had any children with his wife, Elisabetha Schatz. He did, however, have twins with a Barbara Schatz outside of wedlock. Their baptismal record states that Barbara Schatz was their mother, and “the father of these children is Johannes Bruch, a widower.”
- Maria Magdalena: b. 22 Feb 1792; bap. 22 Feb 1792 in Mörsch (sponsors were Maria Mag[dalena] and Anna Ma[ria] Schatz);[58] d. 28 Feb 1792[59]
- Anna Mara: b. 22 Feb 1792; bap. 22 Feb 1792 in Mörsch (sponsors were Maria Mag[dalena] and Anna Ma[ria] Schatz);[60] d. 3 Mar 1792[61]
It is not known when Johannes or his wife died.
Michael Bruch (Matthias, Matthes, Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob) was likely born around 1743 if he was 14 when he was confirmed in the Reformed Church in 1757. He was likely the eldest son of Matthias Bruch and possibly his first child.
Michael married Maria Elisabeth, surname unknown, around 1763 and had the following children:
- Sarah Elizabeth (possible): b. abt 1766; m. John Eckert
- Anna Maria: b. 7 Jul 1768 probably in Plainfield Township; bap. 7 Aug 1768 (sponsors were Jacob Mombauer and Anna Maria Bruch)[62]
- Frederick: b. about 1771; m. Anna Catherine Repscher, daughter of Johannes, about 1794; d. about 1849
- John George: b. Sept 1773 in Williams Township; bap. 28 Nov 1773 (sponsors were Johann Georg Bonitz and Elisabeth Seiler);[63] m. Anna Barbara Repscher, daughter of Johannes, about 1797.
- Peter: b. 7 Jan 1780 in Whitehall Township, now Lehigh County; bap. 25 Mar 1780 (sponsors include Peter Traxel)[64]
- Maria Barbara: b. 6 Feb 1782 in Whitehall Township, now Lehigh County; bap. 29 Mar 1782 (sponsors were Philip Schaeffer and Barbara Traxel)[65]
- George Wendel: b. 13 Sept 1784 in Williams Township; bap. 27 Feb 1785 (sponsors were George Wendel Zeller and Elisabeth Rheinheimer)[66]
- Michael: b. 5 Sept 1788; bap. 24 Feb 1789 (sponsors were John Geringer and Maria Elizabeth)[67]
- Jacob: b. 12 May 1792 in Upper Mt. Bethel Township; bap. 13 May 1792 (sponsors were Jacob Riesser and Catherine Geringer)[68]
Michael and Maria Elisabeth sponsored the following baptisms:
- Elisabeth Rheinheimer, daughter of Daniel Rheinheimer and Eve on 12 May 1764[69]
- John Geringer, son of John Geringer and Maria Elisabeth on 4 September 1784[70]
- Maria Elisabeth Riesser, daughter of Conrad Riesser and Catharine on 10 June 1792[71]
John George Bruch (Matthias, Matthes, Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob) married Elisabeth, surname unknown, around 1774. He inherited Nootka from his father.
John George and Elisabeth had the following children, probably all born in Williams Township:
- Maria Catharina: b. 25 Nov 1775; bap. 7 Jan 1776 (sponsors were George Henry Kleinhans and wife Anna Maria)[72]
- John George: b. 5 Feb 1778; m. Anna Catharine _, about 1802; d. 13 May 1858.
- John: b. 10 Dec 1779; bap. 13 Feb 1780 (sponsors were John Wint and Susanne);[73] m. Catherine (prob. Messinger) about 1802; d. 18 Jan 1818 in Plainfield Township[74]
- John Jacob: b. 30 Jun 1782; bap. 21 Aug 1782 (sponsors were John Rohn and Veronica Sehler)[75]
John George sponsors the following baptisms:
- Elisabeth Kleinhans, daughter of Georg Heinrich Kleinhans and Anna Maria on ___1774[76]
- Rosina Lattig, daughter of Peter Lattig and Maria Elisabetha Bruch on 31 March 1782[77]
- Jacob Yates, son of William Yates and Maria on 22 March 1801[78]
- John George Bruch, son of John George Bruch (no. 23) and Catharine on 27 November 1803[79]
Anna Maria Bruch (Matthias, Matthes, Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob) married Christian Hertzel and had the following children:[80]
- Johannes Leonhardt: b. 3 Dec 1774
- Elizabeth: b. 6 Oct 1776
- Abraham: b. 14 Oct 1778
- John Peter: b. 11 Apr 1783
- John Jacob: b. 2 Dec 1785
- Samuel: b. 6 Sept 1793
- Anna Maria: b. 5 Oct 1794
Anna Maria sponsored the following baptisms:
- John Peter Lattig, son of Peter Lattig and Maria Elisabetha Bruch, on 4 May 1766[81]
- Anna Maria Bruch, daughter of Michael Bruch and Maria Elisabeth, on 7 August 1768[82]
Johannes (John) Bruch (Matthias, Matthes, Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob) married Anna Barbara Geist and had the following children:
- Maria Susanna: b. 11 Jul 1779; bap. 22 Aug 1779 (sponsors were Jacob Fehr and his wife)[83]
- John: b. 1 Jan 1781; bap. 27 Jun 1781 (sponsors were Georg Philip Larg and his wife)[84]
- Samuel: b. 27 May 1785; bap. 4 Sep 1785 (sponsors were Peter Schneider and wife Magdalena)[85]
Maria Elisabetha Bruch (Matthias, Matthes, Ulrich, Thomas, Jacob) married Peter Lattig and had the following children:
- Anna Maria: b. 23 Sept 1777; bap. 14 Dec 1777 (sponsors were Martin Rau and Anna Maria Sauberts)[86]
- Johann Jacob: b. 30 Aug 1779; bap. 17 Oct 1779 (sponsors were Jacob Lattig and his wife Elisabeth)[87]
- Rosina: b. 5 Nov 1781; bap. 31 Mar 1782 (sponsors were John George Bruch [1.2] and Elisabeth)[88]
- Anna Barbara: b. 26 Mar 1784; bap. 26 Mar 1784 [sic] (sponsors were Matthias Bruch and Anna Barbara)[89]
- Sarah Lattig: b. 27 Jan 1788; bap. 21 Mar 1788 (sponsors were Ludwig Knauss and Elisabeth)[90]
Maria Elisabetha sponsored the baptism of Peter Riesser, son of Philip Riesser and Margaret on 29 April 1781.[91]
[1] Heimatbuch des Kreises St. Wendel, 1955, p. 153, citing tax records in the Landesarchiv Speyer. He left “during the French period.” The French withdrew after the treaty of Ryswick in 1697.
[2] Wolfersweiler Church Book, baptisms, 1676.
[3] Wolfersweiler Church Book, baptisms, 1681.
[4] Birkenfeld Church Book, baptisms, 1684.
[5] Wolfersweiler Church Book, baptisms, 1687
[6] Achtelsbach Church Book, baptisms, 1689.
[7] Birkenfeld Church Book, baptisms, 1692.
[8] Wolfersweiler Church Book, baptisms, 1694.
[9] Wolfersweiler Church Book, baptisms, 1696.
[10] Wolfersweiler Church Book, baptisms, 1691.
[11] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1703.
[12] Leistadt Church Book, deaths, 1709.
[13] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1705.
[14] Freinsheim Reformed Church Book, confirmations, 1719.
[15] Kallstadt Church Book, marriages, 1739.
[16] Kallstadt Church Book, deaths, 1780.
[17] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1708.
[18] Records of the First Reformed Church of Easton, in Kieffer, Rev. Henry Martyn. Some of the First Settlers of the Forks of the Delaware…, p. 287.
[19] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1701.
[20] Hardenburg Church Book, baptisms, 1713.
[21] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1709.
[22] Kallstadt Church Book, baptisms, 1712.
[23] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1716.
[24] There is no birth record for Friedrich Karl. The age given at Friedrich Karl’s death may be mistaken, but it suggests he was born in June or July of 1738. Andreas and Anna Maria were married in November of 1739 and there was no indication of either of them having children. Perhaps Andreas had been married before?
[25] Kallstadt Church Book, deaths, 1751.
[26] Kallstadt Church Book, baptisms, 1740. The Gilded or Golden Angel was one of two taverns in Kallstadt.
[27] Kallstadt Church Book, confirmations, 1754.
[28] Kallstadt Church Book, baptisms, 1744.
[29] Kallstadt Church Book, confirmations, 1756.
[30] Kallstadt Church Book, marriages, 1771. The record states they were married in Mörsch, near Frankenthal. The records from Frankenthal confirm this and state that Johannes was a citizen of Mörsch at the time of his marriage.
[31] Kallstadt Church Book, baptisms, 1746.
[32] Kallstadt Church Book, confirmations, 1761.
[33] Kallstadt Church Book, baptisms, 1750.
[34] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1731.
[35] Kallstadt Church Book, baptisms, 1734.
[36] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1739.
[37] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1739.
[38] Kallstadt Church Book, deaths, 1760.
[39] Kallstadt Church Book, deaths, 1780.
[40] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1731.
[41] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1733.
[42] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1734.
[43] Leistadt Church Book, baptisms, 1735.
[44] Records of Tohickon Reformed.
[45] Records of the First German Reformed Church of Easton.
[46] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[47] Records of Tohickon Reformed.
[48] Records of Tohickon Reformed.
[49] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[50] Records of Hay’s Cemetery.
[51] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[52] Records of the First German Reformed Church of Easton.
[53] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[54] Records of the First German Reformed Church of Easton.
[55] Ibid.
[56] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[57] Records of the First German Reformed Church of Easton, in Some of the First Settlers of the Forks of the Delaware…
[58] Mörsch Church Book, baptisms, 1792.
[59] Mörsch Church Book, deaths, 1792.
[60] Mörsch Church Book, baptisms, 1792.
[61] Mörsch Church Book, deaths, 1792.
[62] Records of Plainfield Lutheran and Reformed.
[63] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[64] Records of Jordan Reformed, South Whitehall Township.
[65] Records of Zion Reformed, Allentown.
[66] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[67] Records of Dryland Lutheran and Reformed.
[68] Ibid.
[69] Records of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church, Easton.
[70] Records of the Dryland Lutheran and Reformed.
[71] Records of Mt. Bethel Lutheran and Reformed.
[72] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[73] Records of the Dryland Lutheran and Reformed.
[74] Records of the First German Reformed Church of Easton.
[75] Records of the Dryland Lutheran and Reformed.
[76] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township. The date of the baptism is not specified.
[77] Records of the First German Reformed Church of Easton.
[78] Ibid.
[79] Ibid.
[80] The births of their children are documented in Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Northampton County, 1733-1800.
[81] Records of the First German Reformed Church of Easton.
[82] Records of Plainfield Lutheran and Reformed.
[83] Records of Keller’s Lutheran, Tinicum.
[84] Records of the Congregation of Williams Township.
[85] Records of Nockamixon Lutheran, Nockamixon.
[86] Records of the First German Reformed Church of Easton.
[87] Ibid.
[88] Ibid.
[89] Ibid.
[90] Ibid.
[91] Records of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church, Easton.
Bruch Family History 