Hans/John Christman, 1710 immigrant to NY
Elizabeth Christman, widow, 1710 immigrant to NY

Immigration

In 1709, tens of thousands of people fled the war-torn regions of their homelands in the region of southern Germany, known as the Palitinate, to London, England after a generous grant of asylum from Queen Anne. In 1710, a portion of these refugees were relocated in a work party to the Hudson River Valley of New York. Among these immigrants were the family of Hans Christman, a widow Elizabeth Christman and her children, and Jost Hite (who later gained fame as a pioneer settler of the Shenandoah Valley).

Church records in the town of Dalsheim (12 km. west of worms) record the baptisms of one or two sons of Hans Peter Christmann and his wife Anna Gertraud. These are Johann Jacob, baptised 12 Sep 1706, and Conrad (a son of Hans Peter Christman), bp. 7 July 1709. These church records start in 1690 and do not include any earlier records of the family. On 10 June 1709 in Holland [Rotterdam lists], Hans Krisman, his wife, and four children are recorded on Capt. John Howlentzen's ship. (Note, as Jones, 1985, points out in The Palatine Families of New York, 1710, there is a descrepancy with the baptism record of Conrad with the presence of the family in Holland on 10 June 1709 and the number of children listed in the enumerations). A partial census of the German immigrants taken in 1709 in London, shows Hans Krisman, age 41, a vinedresser, Memmomite, his wife Anna Gertraud, sons aged 7 and 5, and daughters 9 and 2. The "Hunter Lists" on 1 July 1710 in New York (an enumeration of Palatine debtors to the British Government) lists Johannes Christmuller [sic] (spelled Johannes Christmann on 4 Aug 1710) with 3 adults over 10 (i.e., himself, his wife, and his eldest daughter), and 3 children under age 10 (the two sons and youngest daughter). On 25 Mar 1711, the family increases to 6 persons over 10 and 3 persons under 10. Then on 24 Dec 1711 and at the end of 1712, he is listed with 5 adults above 10 and 3 children under 10. Johan Christman was naturalized in Albany on 17 Jan 1715/1716. Hanß Christmann and Anna Gertraud, with 6 children, are in Nau-Ans-berg in circa 1716/1717, and on 7 Nov 1728, Johannis Christman of the city of Albany obtained 300 acres in Burnetsfield in the county of Albany, NY.

The immigration also include the family of a widow Elizabeth Christman. The partial census of 1709 in London recorded only 20-50% of the immigrants, and she was among those missed. However, the 1710 subsistance lists in New York lists the family of Elizabeth Christman, 1 adult (i.e., indicating Elizabeth is alone, presumably a widow), with 2 children under 10 years. In 1712, she is listed with 3 adults (i.e., over age 10), no children.

Sources:

Johannes Christman Family

Johannes or Hans Christman
b. circa 1668, probably in Dalsheim near Worms in the Palatinate
d. after 1728, probably in Albany Co., NY. m. Anna Gertraud (d. aft 1728)

Children:

1. Daughter, born c.1700, living in NY at end of 1712.
2. Son born about 1701/2 (probably between 2 July 1701 and 25 Mar 1702). Possibly a John Christman who married Margaret Feller and settled in Herkimer Co., NY.
3. Johan Jacob, born Oct 1705, bp. 12 Sep 1706 Dalsheim, d. 29 April 1790 in Stone Arabia, NY age 84 years 6 months. Married Catharina (--).
4. Daughter, born c.1707, living in NY 1712.
5. (?) Conrad. The only record seems to be the baptism record in Dalsheim of Conrad Christamn, son of Hans Peter, on 7 July 1709. Since the parents were in Holland a month prior to this date, either the baptism date is wrong, or it was recorded Dalsheim by performed in London, or it was not a son of this same Hans Christman. Since a son of this age does not appear on any of the enumerations of 1709-1712, we should assume that this son, if he indeed was a son of this Hans Christman, died in 1709.
6. (?) possibly Frederick Chrisman, born between 1 July 1710 and 25 Mar 1711 in New York. Settled in Herkimer, NY.
7. (?) another child born in 1714. ["Early families of Herkimer Co., NY", Gen. Pub. Co., 1986, p. 36]

Elizabeth Christman Family

Elizabeth Christman
apparently a widow in 1710.

Children

1. Child, born between 1700 (under 10 in 1710) and 1702 (over 10 in 1712).
2. Child, born between 1700 and 1702. Likely the Jacob Chrisman who married c.1728 Magdalena Hite and settled in Opequon (near Winchester), Frederick Co., Virginia. Note that Jost Hite, father of Magdalena, was in the same 1709,1710 group of immigration to the Hudson valley, that Jacob Chrisman declared is place of birth as Worms in his 1745 naturalization, and that he cannot be the son of Hans and Anna (Gertraud) Christman, since their son Jacob settled in Stone Arabia, NY.

Another possibility is that Elizabeth could have been the widow of Bernhard Christmann of Sandhaussen (Heidelberg). In the parish that served Sandhausen and Leimen, the marriage of Bernhard Christmann (b. c1682 Sandhausen, son of Georg) to Elisabetha Meyer of Leimen (dau. of Hans Meyer) is recorded on 7 Feb 1702. The baptisms of Margaretha, 1702, Margaretha 1704, Anna Katharina 1706 and Anna Katharina 1708 are recorded there, along with a note "this family emigrated to America". Obviously the first Margaretha and first Anna Katharina would have died young, leaving two young children, consistent with the two children in the care of the widow Christman in 1710. In the Heimatbuch of Sandhausen, there is record of correspondence in 1743 between the widow of Bernhard Christman, living in NY, USA, with Hans Bernhard Hochhauser in Sandhausen for an inhertance that Mr. Hochhauser has occupied.

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