Johann Jacob Holbe was born December 25, 1717 in Rodenbergen, Gruendau, Germany (present day Rothenbergen) to Ulrich Holbe and Anna Maria Kessler. The Gruendau area is about 25 miles northeast of Frankfort am Main. Nearby villages are Niedergruendau and Lieblos. He was baptized in the Evangelischekirke auf dem Berg. He was one of eleven (11) children consisting of seven (7) daughters and four (4) sons. His brothers were Johann Conrad, born 1715, Johannes, born 1720 and Silvester, born 1723.

Ulrich Holbe, born June 14, 1676, was the son of Hans Casper Holbe, born about 1636, and Anna Heinrich and the grandson of Hans Holbe, born between 1600 & 1615, and Elisabeth (last name unknown). (For Hans Holbe's tree, click here)

All four brothers emigrated to America. Johann Conrad and Silvester arrived in the Port of Philadelphia on October 5, 1737 aboard the ship “Billinder Townsend”, Thomas Thompson, Master from Amsterdam, Netherlands via Cowes, England. On Passenger List 48A, they were named Silvester Holvert and Conraet Holber. Another Passenger List 48B lists them as Silvester Holbe and Conrath Holbe. List 48C names them as Balthasar Holben and Conrat Holbe. They were part of the heavy migration of Germans from the Palatinate to eastern Pennsylvania after the area west of South Mountain was purchased from the Indians in 1732 and 1736.

Land records show that Conrad owned a farm in Lower Milford Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1738 and sold it in 1749. Silvester had purchased a 151 acre property in Maiden Creek Township in Philadelphia County in 1740. Silvester then relocated to a 200 acre farm in Lynn Township in 1750 and Conrad purchased land adjacent to him at the same time. This area was a part of Bucks County until 1752 when it became a part of the new Northampton County. Lynn Township is about 12 miles west of Allentown, Pennsylvania and borders on the northwest side of Weisenberg Township. In 1753 both townships became incorporated as a part of Northampton County and then became part of Lehigh County, which was formed in 1812. This area is one of rolling hills and lush farming country very similar to the topography of Gruendau, Germany.

Johann Jacob Holbe followed on September 21, 1742 arriving in Philadelphia aboard the "Francis & Elizabeth", George North, Master, from Rotterdam, Netherlands via Deal, England. His name is recorded on the passenger list as “Johann Jacob Holbein” or what appears to be “Holbein”. There is no evidence that he ever used the name “Holbein” again and it is not known whether he signed his own name or it was signed for him. He is variously recorded as “Johann Jacob Holbe”, “Johann Jacob Holben” and “Jacob Holben” in church and county documents. Unfortunately, several publications have transcribed the name as “Holbein” with the result that a myth has grown over several years that this family is related to Hans Holbein the Younger, court painter to Henry VIII of England. The preponderance of recently found documents at the Evangelischekirke auf dem Berg strongly supports the name as “Holbe”. Johann Jacob was most likely single when he arrived in Philadelphia. The names of women and children were not noted on the passenger lists at this time so it is hard to verify that he was single.

Ernestine Louisa Holben is recorded as the wife of Christian Seiberling, a Private in the Northampton Co. Militia in the Revolution. She was born in 1728 in Baden, Wurrtemberg, Germany. This is an area some distance south of Gruendau. Their first child was born in 1760 in Weisenberg Township, so she must have been in Pennsylvania before that time. There has been no link found between Ernestine Louisa and the four Holbe brothers.

Conrad, Silvester and Johann Jacob settled in the same area in Bucks County, which became known as Holben's Valley. Lehigh County road LR39072 running from Route 100 westerly to Werley's Corner in Holben's Valley of Weisenberg Township was known as Hulwigstal Road and later changed to its current name of Holben's Valley Road.

The first use of the name Holben that I know of is recorded as the birth of Robert Holben on May 8, 1677 in Elsworth, Cambridgeshire, England. We know that Hans Holbein the Younger, a famous German portrait painter resided in England from 1526 until 1528 and then from 1532 until his death from the plague in 1543. He was the court painter to Henry VIII of England from 1536 until his death. In his will, Hans Holbein made a provision as follows: "I bequeythe for kyping of my two Chylder which be at nurse, for every month sewyne shyllynges and sex pence sterlyng". We do not know the sex of these children. If one or more were males, it is possible that the name Holben in England started here. We also know that the English often anglicized German names so that Holbein could have become Holben. The descendants of this line came into Skaneateles, New York area in 1850. Other branches of this line migrated from England directly to Iowa, Michigan and mid-western Canada in the late 1800's. Recent DNA tests of the descendants of the Holbe brothers and of the English Branch show a common ancestor for the brothers but NOT for the English Branch. There is no relationship between the "English" Holben's and the descendants of the Holbe family.

None of the immigrants from Germany to Pennsylvania arrived with the name Holben. Therefore, it appears that the name evolved here in North America. Most of these immigrants were illiterate and signed documents with an "X". Their names had to be transcribed by others onto documents. The scribe wrote what he heard. Furthermore, the German Script that was used for most documents was flowery so that copying names could result in all kinds of spellings.

The 1700's and 1800's in eastern America were characterized by families continually on the move. An average farm could only support two families because the families were large. As a result, the daughters married and joined their husbands while the sons, except generally for the first born son, left the homestead. Their destination was governed by availability of new land and/or availability of work. Other than remaining in the Lehigh Valley, they moved to the more populated Philadelphia area, into western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, north to the flat lands of upper New York State or to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. As the Indians were pushed out of Western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio in the 1770 to 1800 period, the settlers flocked in. In northern New York State, the construction of the Erie Canal from 1817 to 1825 provided work and the land in Seneca County and Onondaga County was cheap. A heavy migration of Eastern Pennsylvania Germans moved into the area. Upon completion of the canal and it's feeders, many of the settlers moved into southern Michigan, northern Ohio and northern Indiana as those lands opened up. So we see successive generations of the four original Holbe's showing up in these areas.

Conrad had purchased land in Lynn Township, Bucks County. The location of his property in Lynn Township is shown on an early tax map where his name appears as "Conrad Holber". Conrad married Elizabeth Keller about 1739 in Philadelphia. They had three sons and one daughter. Conrad, Jr., George, John and Mary. His wife Elizabeth died shortly after the birth of Mary and Conrad married Catherine whose last name in unknown. They moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia about 1767/1768 and the family name became Hulvey with variations appearing as Hulva, Hulvah, Holloweg and Hulver. (For Conrad Hulvey's tree, click here.)

Johannes was married in Germany and had a son Wilhelm (William), born November 4, 1741 in Rodenbergen, Duchy of Isenburgh, Germany (present day Rothenbergen, Gruendau, Germany). In 1750, the family emigrated to Philadelphia aboard the ship “Brotherhood”. Either Johannes died enroute or shortly after arrival in Philadelphia leaving a widow and the eight year old son. Being unmarried at this time, Silvester married his brother’s widow and William became his stepson.

Silvester had two wives. His first wife was the widow of his brother Johannes. Three daughters were born of this marriage before this wife died. They were Elizabetha, Margaret and Magdalena. We do not know the exact dates of birth of these daughters but it was probably in the 1750's. Silvester then married Clara Derr. By this marriage he had two sons named Christian and Jacob. The step-son William became known as William Holby. Silvester died in August 1779. It is not known when his first wife or Clara died or where they are buried. Their burial is most likely in or around the Ebeneezer Church in New Tripoli, Lynn Township which was closest to their farm and where Jacob, their son, is buried. (For Silvester Holben's tree, click here.)

William Holby, stepson of Silvester, married Susanna (last name unknown) and had nine children. He moved to Germantown, Penna. in 1782 where he was a member of the St. Michael's Evangelical Church and then the German Reformed Church. He died November 7, 1806 and is buried in the Lower Burial Ground (Hood Cemetery) in Germantown. (For William Holby's tree, click here.)

Johann Jacob married Catharine Weiss. The Weiss family had settled in Bucks County prior to his arrival. They had 6 children, 2 daughters and 4 sons. The daughters were Anna Margaret and Anna Catharine. Anna Margaret married Jost Gorg (George) and had 6 children born in or around Lowhill Township adjacent to Weisenberg Township. Anna Margaret died sometime before 1780 and Jost Gorg then married her sister Anna Catharine. They had 3 children. In 1793, Jost Gorg and his family moved to Greene County, Tennessee where the family name George became substantial.

The sons of Johann Jacob were Jacob, Theobald, Lorentz and Wendel. Of the four sons, only Theobald and Lorentz remained in the Lehigh County area. (For Johann Jacob’s tree, click here)

The first recorded purchase of land by Johann Jacob was 50 acres in Weisenberg Township on September 23, 1750. His property was assessed at 10 pounds in 1762. In 1768, he owned 50 acres of cleared land, 300 acres of woods, 3 horses and 3 cows for tax purposes. Johann Jacob was an elder in the Weisenberg Church which was a "union" (Reformed and Lutheran) church organized in 1747. The first church building was built in June 1754. The Reformed and Lutheran branches held separate services in the same building. In 1763, problems arose and the Reformed congregation seceded and formed the Lowhill Church about two miles away in Lowhill Township. The Holben family split between the two churches.

Johann Jacob died August 27, 1794 at the age of 76 and is buried in the original section of the cemetery of the Weisenberg Church. It is not known when his wife died or where she is buried. Upon Johann Jacob’s death, the homestead of about 320 acres was inherited by his son Lorentz.

The four sons lived to old age. All served in the local militia during the Revolutionary War. The 3rd Company, 3rd Battalion (later the 6th Battalion) consisting of approximately 50 men was from the Weisenberg area. Lorentz was a sergeant in the Battalion while Jacob was in the 4th Class, Theobald in the 6th Class and Wendel the 7th Class. They were called up on a rotating 2 or 3 month tour as required. On January 16, 1838, Lorentz applied for a pension. In his application he states that he was called up and “marched to Germantown, the British being in Philadelphia and were marching from place to place in the neighborhood but was not in any battle”. He was called up again in 1778 and stationed in the “Whoyiming Countery in the northern part of Northampton County and then in Luzern County against the Indians”. In 1780 he was mustered again and “marched behind the Blew Mountain where he was stationed along the Mahoney Creek against the savage Indians”. He served another two months muster but could not remember where it was.

Jacob, son of Johann Jacob, purchased 160 acres of land in Lynn Township and married Catharina Moresin. They had two daughters, Magdalena and Susanna and five sons, Daniel, Peter, Christian, John, and Jacob, Jr.. In 1804, Jacob, Sr. deeded his farm in Lynn Township equally to his sons Christian and Jacob, Jr. and the rest of the family moved to Mahanoy Valley in Northumberland County in central Pennsylvania. Jacob, Sr. died in 1820. Son John married Susannah (last name unknown) and raised thirteen children. In 1831, John sold his land in Mahanoy Valley and joined settlers in Armstrong County in western Pennsylvania. This line of Holben's remain in and around Armstrong, Jefferson and Clarion Counties to this day.

Jacob, Jr., son of Jacob, Sr., married Catharine Fenstermacher. Shortly after the marriage, Jacob, Jr. decided to join his father and siblings in Northumberland County. Jacob, Jr. relinquished his rights to his share of his father’s estate. Christian became the owner of the homestead.

Christian, son of Jacob, Sr., married Ann Catharine Hoffman and had seven children, four boys and three girls. Shortly after the last child was born in 1822, Christian sold the land he had inherited from his father and moved to Fayette Township, Seneca County, New York. The girls all remained in New York whereas, one son moved to Medina County, Ohio and the other son moved with Christian to Seneca Township, Lenawee County, Michigan where they are buried.

Lorentz married Eva Catherine Kramlich. He was a member of the Weisenberg Church and died June 23, 1842 at the age of 82. It is assumed that he is buried in the old cemetery of the Weisenberg Church since he was a life time member. It is fairly certain that they had at least 7 sons and possibly 3 daughters. Both the 1790 and the 1800 census' show 10 children at home. Their daughter, Sarah, was born July 26, 1797. Two adjacent gravestones in the old cemetery refer to "sisters" Marie Magdalena HOLBIGen, born May 13, 1787 and Elizabeth HOLBIGen, born May 7 1795. Marie Magdalena died at the age of 13 years, 6 months, 1 week and Elizabeth at the age of 1 year, 4 months, 12 days. It is evident that early death was quite common but if children survived teen age, they lived to old age. The sons were John, Christian, Peter, Frederick, Lorentz, Jr., Jacob, George, and Solomon. Of these living children, Christian moved to Medina County, Ohio, while Lorentz, Jr. and Frederick moved to Stark County, Ohio. Peter, Jacob and Solomon remained in Weisenberg Township, Lehigh County, PA.

Theobald married Sara Gerber and had no living children. He was a farmer, a blacksmith and a member of the Weisenberg Church. Sara died April 13, 1837 at the age of 88 years and Theobald died April 18, 1837 at the age of 90 years, 4 months, 4 days. They are both buried in the old cemetery at the Weisenberg Church. The last name on the headstones is Hollwing.

Wendel married Maria Magdalena Gerber and had four daughters and one son. Wendel farmed 140 acres in Weisenberg Township but then moved to Canton Township, Stark County, Ohio where he appears as a landowner in 1813. His family surname became Holwick. Wendel's family remained in the Canton, Ohio area.

Some of the Stark County, Ohio descendents moved to northern Indiana and southern Michigan in the mid-1830's and then into mid-Illinois as the land opened up. They were a part of the large body of Germans who moved farther west into Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas as land became available. Some of these large concentrations of Germans remain today.