One of the problems facing researchers of the Brotzman/Prutzman family in Montgomery County Pennsylvania is that there are two Jacob Prutzmans, living within close proximity, at about the same time. Complicating research further, both of these Jacob Prutzmans had wives by the name of Sarah. This article will separate the two Jacob and Sarah couples and their families.
This branch of the Brotzman family traces its roots in the new world to the immigrant, Johann Friedrich Brotzman and his wife Maria Barbara Weber. This couple brought their family to Pennsylvania from their native town of Vinningen, near Pirmasens in the Palatinate (present day German state of Rheinland-Pfalz).
Johann Friedrich and Maria Barbara had a son named George Adam Brotzman. He was born 28 March 1728 in Vinningen. George Adam married Anna Martha Seeler/Sahler on 22 March 1750, recorded in the records of Augustus Lutheran Church, Trappe, Montgomery County (then Philadelphia County), Pennsylvania.
George Adam and Anna Martha had 10 known children. They were parents of, Jacob Prutzman Sr., and his twin Johannes, who were born 23 October 1752. Their birth and baptism were recorded in the records of Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe.
Jacob Prutzman, Sr. was married to Hanna Merkle on 11 January 1774. Hanna was the daughter of Jacob Markle (Markley) and his second wife, Barbara Rausch. Jacob and Hannah's marriage was recorded at New Hanover Lutheran Church, New Hanover Township. Hanna died in August of 1792 and was buried at Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe. Jacob died nearly 38 years later, on 17 March 1830. He is also buried at Augustus Lutheran Church.
Jacob Prutzman Sr. and Hanna had two sons that lived to adulthood, Adam and Jacob. Adam Prutzman was born 16 August 1781. Adam's younger brother Jacob Prutzman, Jr. was born 2 March 1787. Both sons survived their father and are mentioned in his will (Montgomery County Will Book Vol. 7, pg. 3).
Jacob Prutzman, Jr. (1787-1864)
Jacob Prutzman Jr. was the son of Jacob Prutzman Sr. and Hannah Markle. He was born 2 March 1787, according to his tombstone. Jacob was married to Sarah about 1815. He would have been about 23 years old. Currently, Sarah's family name and the identities of her parents remain illusive. Their marriage record has not been located. It was likely that the couple married at Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe. Sadly, there is a gap in the known church marriage records for that period (1774-1823).
Jacob Prutzman Jr. and Sarah had the following children:
Isaiah Prutzman (1816-1866)
Zachariah Prutzman (1819-1883)
Mary M. Prutzman (1820-?)
Jeremiah Prutzman (1825-1895)
Augustus Prutzman (1828-?) (probably died young)
Susanna Prutzman (1829-1863) m. George H. Shaner
All of the children of Jacob and Sarah, with the exception of Isaiah, appear in the baptismal record of Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe. Isaiah's exception may be due to a gap in the birth/baptismal record during that time period (November 1816-January 1819).
In 1840, Jacob lived with his wife and family in Pottsgrove Township, Montgomery County. The household consisted of one male between the ages of 10 to 15 (probably Jeremiah), one male 20 to 30 (probably Zachariah), and one male 50 to 60 years old (Jacob). The females of the household included one between the ages of 10 to 15 (probably Susanna), one 15 to 20 (probably Mary M.), and one female 40 to 50 years old (Sarah).
Ten years later, in 1850, the family still lived in Pottsgrove Township. Present at the time were: Jacob (62), Sarah (53), Mary M. (29), Jeremiah (25), Susanna (20) and Emma Lloyd (2 or 7). Emma's relation to the family is currently unknown. Both Isaiah and Zachariah had established their own households by this time. In 1860, at the age of 73, Jacob lived in Pottsgrove Township with his wife Sarah (62), and Emma Lloyd (12 or 17).
Jacob Prutzman died on 13 June 1864, likely at Crooked Hill (present day Sanatoga), in Lower Pottsgrove Township, Montgomery County. He is buried at St. James Union Cemetery, Limerick Township, Montgomery County. Nearby burials also include his children and the Lindermans, the family of his son Zachariah's wife Margaret Ann Linderman.
Sarah Prutzman, Jacob's wife, lived with her son Zachariah Prutzman and his family in 1870. Ten years later Sarah is again found living with her son Zachariah and his family in Lower Pottsgrove Township. Her son Zachariah was a farmer and hotel keeper. Sarah died on 7 September 1881. She is buried at St. James Union Cemetery, Limerick Township beside her husband Jacob. Sadly Sarah's tombstone has broken at its base and lies face down on the ground (for long as the author has visited the cemetery, beginning in 2002).
Jacob Prutzman (1813-1881)
The brother of Jacob Prutzman Jr., Adam Prutzman, and his wife Anna (aka Nancy) had a son named Jacob Prutzman. According to the death date and age at death on his tombstone, Jacob was born on 9 May 1813. His birth and baptism date fall slightly before the Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe records resumed following the above mentioned gap.
At the age of 22, Jacob Prutzman married Sarah Smith on 17 November 1835 at Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe. Sarah was the daughter of Henry and Mary Smith, of New Hanover Township, Montgomery County.
Jacob Prutzman and Sarah Smith had the following known children:
Mary Prutzman (1836-1871)
Amanda Prutzman (1842-1885)
Henry Adam Prutzman (1845-1901)
William Warren Prutzman (1847-1912)
Horace S. Prutzman (1851-1911)
In 1840 Jacob's young family was living in New Hanover Township, Montgomery County. The household had one male between the ages of 20 and 30 (Jacob), and two females, one under 5 years of age (Mary), and one between 20 and 30 years old (Sarah). Ten years later, in the 1850 Census, Jacob was living with his family in Limerick Township. The family had expanded to include four children: Mary (14), Amanda (8), Adam (5), and Warren (3). Also living with the family in 1860 was Ann Prutzman, presumably Jacob's Mother at the age of 69.
Jacob Prutzman died on 19 December 1881 while visiting the home of his daughter Amanda Krause in Lyons, Berks County.
Jacob Prutzman was buried at Pottstown Cemetery in a family plot with his wife Sarah and their daughters Mary and Amanda.
For researchers of the Prutzman family, hopefully this article helps clarify and separate the Uncle and Nephew pair or Jacob Prutzmans, their wives and families.