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Linderman of Germantown


John Linderman, signature 1751 (likely John Henry Linderman)

John "Jan" Linderman settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania about 1698. He was originally from Mülheim an der Ruhr. Linderman may have been a silversmith and it is said that William Penn was one of his patrons. John Linderman likely married after his arrival in the new world, his wife's name was Catharine, her last name is unknown.


Sometime after 1698, John Linderman purchased 100 acres of land from Wickard Levering on the East side of the Schuylkill River. This land was part of 300 acre tract purchased by Levering from Christopher Sibthorpe by deed of July 5, 1697. Later in 1708, on the 7th of December, John Linderman purchased 43 acres of land in Roxborough from George Evans.

Earlier, shortly after his arrival in Germantown, on the 26th day of the 7th month of 1698, John Linderman submitted a claim to the court in Germantown against the estate of Herman op de Trap for the interest and principle which he had paid Arnold Stork in Duisburg. Herman op de Trap, also known as Trapman, drown in 1693. Apparently Linderman was only paid the interest by Jan Doeden, the rest remaining in Doeden’s hands for Trapman's estate.


In 1720 or 1721, John Linderman died and left a will which mentioned his wife, Catharine, and nine children: John Henry, Abraham, William, Christian, Sam, Hannah, Rachel, Elizabeth, Zachariah and another possible daughter, Elizabeth Powel. Only about a year later, John's wife Catharine died about 1721 or 1722. In March of 1721/22, William Dewees petitioned the court at Philadelphia on behalf of the children and was appointed their guardian. At that time only seven children are mentioned, excluding Elizabeth and Zachariah, who presumably died. The Children of John "Jan" Linderman and Catharine:

1 i. John Henry Linderman, (see below)

ii. Abraham Linderman - no further information

iii. William Linderman ( ? - 1747), married Anne

Elliot at Christ's Church, Philadelphia in 1735

iv. Christiann Linderman, first married William

Tunes, son of Abraham Tunes/Tunis/Tennis and

widower of Magdalena Levering, and married second

Henry Fry

v. Samuel Linderman, married Susanna and lived in

Roxborough and Whitpain Townships.

vi. Hannah Linderman, married William Nash at

the First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia in 1731

vii. Rachel Linderman, married Henrick Hendricks

viii. Elizabeth Linderman, likely died young

ix. Zachariah Linderman, died young


1. John Henry Linderman, who was known as John, married Sarah, last name unknown. There is speculation that she was a member of the Dewees family, however, there is no evidence to support this claim. In 1734, he was a landholder in Hanover Township, Philadelphia County.


On the 7th of November, 1738, Henry Dewees granted to John Linderman and his wife Sarah, 143 Acres in Hanover Township, Philadelphia County. This was the same acreage that William Dewees and his wife Christina, the former legal guardians of John Linderman, conveyed to their son Henry Dewees in June of the same year. William Dewees acquired the same tract of land from his brother Cornelius Dewees in 1732. Cornelius had purchased the land from John Henry Sprogell in 1723. This 143 acre tract fronted the Schuylkill River just outside of what became Pottstown, located in what is now Lower Pottsgrove Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.


John Henry Linderman died in 1757. He and his wife Sarah only had one son:

2 i. John Linderman


2. John Linderman, the only son of John Henry Linderman and Sarah, was likely born in the mid 1730's. He married Sarah Coulston, daughter of Henry Coulston and Rebecca Brown, on the 10th day of January, 1760 at Christ's Church in Philadelphia. John Linderman died at a young age, in March of 1764. John and Sarah Linderman had two known daughters. Sarah was also pregnant at the time her husband died, whether this child survived is not known. Their known children were:

i. Mary Linderman, married Israel Ortlip, son of

Andrew. Her daughter Sarah married John Coryell

3. ii. Rachel Linderman, likely the mother of Aaron

Linderman, who was the administrator of her

estate and heir to the estate of Grace (Coulston)

Naugle, sister of Sarah (Coulston) Linderman.

[See the Linderman page on Aaron Linderman]


 

Sources Consulted:

Deed of Israel Ortlip et. al. to Henry Missemer, Montgomery County Deed Book 19, pg. 392

Deed of John Henry Linderman et. al. to John Bald, Philadelphia Deed Book I-12, pg. 248

Deed of Rachel Linderman to Israel Ortlip, Montgomery County Deed Book 8, pg. 594 

Duffin.  Acta Germanopolis, p. 206, 247, 266 

Hull, William Isaac. William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Migration to Pennsylvania. [Whitefish, MT]: Kessinger, 2008. Reference to Jan Linderman, silversmith, pg. 257.  Note: I have not been able to verify this statement, the author may have Jan Linderman confused with Jan Neuss, also a silversmith from the Krefeld area to Germantown.

Levering, John.  Levering Family History and Genealogy. Indianapolis: Levering Historical Association, 1897, p. 61.

Orphans Court at Philadelphia, Bk. 1, pg. 14, PA State Archives Roll 2796. Guardianship of William Dewees.

Will of John Linderman. Philadelphia County Will Book D, p. 191.

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