Get Sponsored
e-mail Donna Kilroy
My BROBST database
NEWS FLASH!!
Doctors have discovered a new disease that is very contagious to adults. They have named it Genealogy Pox.
SYMPTOMS: Patient continually complains of a need for names, dates, and places. Patient has a blank expression on his face, and often seems deaf to mate and children. Has no taste for work of any kind, except for feverishly looking through records, libraries, and courthouse. Has compulsion to write letters and spends hours sitting at a computer. Swears at mailman when he doesn't leave mail or threatens to kick computer if there is no e-mail. Frequents strange places such as cemeteries, ruins and remote desolate country areas. Makes secret night calls and hides the phone bills from mate. Patient mumbles to self and has a strange faraway look in his eyes. Has a strange compulsion to gather and scatter old papers all over the house, leaving piles of paper everywhere with strange numbers and names all over them.
TREATMENT: No known cure. Medication is useless. Disease is not fatal, but gets progressively worse. Disease is spreading throughout the country very fast, quickly becoming an epidemic. Patient should attend genealogy meetings, workshops, subscribe to genealogical magazines, and be given lots more forms and a computer situated in a quiet corner of the house where he or she can be alone. If family supports patient through this, patient will occasionally come out of strange trance and will act normal again unless you drive by a cemetery or courthouse.
REMARKS:The unusual nature of this disease is such that the more sick the patient becomes, the more he or she seems to enjoy it sometimes dancing with glee and yelling, "I found it!"
THE SWISS FAMILY PROBST The American Brobst family traces back into the 1500s near Bern, Switzerland, where Rudolph Probst was born in 1595. His father may have been Niklaus Probst (1554), and his grandfather Hans Probst (1531), although these two earlier generations are not certain. (Yes, the name Brobst was originally Probst.)
In the early 1600s, Rudolph moved to Wangen, Germany. In the mid 1600s, his only son, Barthel, floated down the Rhine to Kandel, in the Palatinate state of Germany, near the Alsace border of France. He had a large family, one of which was Christophel (1661). Because living conditions there were so deplorable, three of Christophel's children came to America in 1732.
THE IMMIGRANTS On October 17, 1732, after enduring a horrible voyage on board the ship "John and William", came the firsts Probsts to arrive in America. The ship arrived in Philadelphia carrying Philipp Jacob Probst and his wife, C'erine, and his three young sons--Jean Michael, Jean Valentine, and Jean Martin. Along with Philipp Jacob was his brother, Johann Michael Probst who was unmarried, and their sister, Elisabeth Margaretha and her husband Hans Erhardt Vossellmann. Also on the ship was a Hans Michael Probst who may have been an uncle or other relative.
Following their arrival in Philadelphia, these families made their way north to settle in the area now known as Berks and Lehigh Counties in Pennsylvania, about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Many of their German friends who sailed with them settled in the same area. They fought off starvation, poverty, unfriendly weather, and even less friendly Indians.
Philip Jacob Probst, The Immigrant and His Life In America, by William A. Brobst
All American Brobsts descend from one of those three children of Christophel. Many other Probsts came to America later in the 1700s and 1800s, but they retained the name Probst. Are they related to the Brobsts? Yes, in many cases. In other cases, the relationship has not been yet identified. Researchers are working on that. There were also German Propsts who came to America, but they were not of Swiss origin.
The ship "Samuel" arrived in Philadelphia on August 17, 1733. On this ship came a Johannes Probst with his wife. They settled in West Virginia about 1740. Along with Johannes on the ship "Samuel" were other Probst families. They were Hans Michael Propst and his wife Barbara and Johann Michael Propst and his wife Barbara. These Propst families settled in West Virginia. Other Probst arrivals included:
WHAT'S IN A NAME? The Germans followed some very definite naming patterns. In following the Probst descendants, certain names are repeated over and over making it difficult at times to identify who is who. These names included: John (Johannes or Jean), Michael, Martin, Christian, Valentine, and Philip or Philip Jacob. For the females the names were prefaced with Anna Maria and the third names were the names they were called by. The names that were the most common were Margaretha, Barbara, Elisabeth, and Catharina. These patterns of naming made it very difficult to correctly identify which children belonged to which parents.
The names "Probst" and "Propst" have a similar meaning in the Germanic languages. A propst is a lay administrator of a German Roman Catholic diocese or Lutheran synod. A probst is a lay administrator of a Swiss diocese or synod. The English term "provost" derives from this same origin.
ALLIED LINES The early immigrants didn't have the opportunities that we have today. They weren't able to travel far because travel was difficult, long and tiring. There were no fancy roads and they didn't have cars or air travel. This probably had a big influence on who married who in the 18th century. There also wasn't a lot of marrying outside of one's faith, so they were limited on who they could marry without offending all of their relatives. The Probsts intermarried a lot over the next few generations with many marriages between them and the STAMBACHS, KISTLERS, KUNTZES, FOSSELLMANS, HECHLERS, SCHMIDTS, FELTEROLFFS, and LEVANS. As with other families at that time, there were a lot of cousins marrying cousins.
My Stambach databaseMy Kuntz database
CURRENT BROBST EVENTS 
You can check out the latest edition of the "Brobst Genealogy News".
You can subscribe to the "Brobst Genealogy News" by contacting:
Paula
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet-her German page
German Genealogy PageThe Palatines To America HomepageIndex to Palatine Passenger Lists
Wayne Thomas's Pages with BROBST & REICHELDERFERS ahnentafel.
David Jones' Homepage-more BROBSTOLOGY.
Bob Kunkel's Homepage
Viki Mouse Collection-SUPER genealogy clipart
Cherished Memories-great genealogy graphics!
Donna E. Kilroy
Return to my homepageYou are free to link to, or use, any genealogy information found in these pages for NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. If you sell any of this information or use it on your own web page, or charge others for access to it, there is a little creature hidden deep within that will creep out and eat your whole web-site! Plus you will have to pay me money! LOTS OF MONEY!
