Link: https://archive.org/details/ascendingdescend00chri
What it is and what it says
A short family booklet (no date; written “two hundred years since our first ancestors came over”, so about 1940) by a granddaughter of Joseph Kurtz (1808) and Lydia Zook, from her father Bishop Jonathan Kurtz’s letters and notes. Mostly fold-out charts (OCR unusable); the narrative pages read well.
- Abraham Kurtz (first generation) came on the Robert and Alice, 3 Dec 1740, with his wife, “Miss Bolinger”, and two small sons, Christian and Jacob. His wife died; he went back and married her sister, Barbara Bolinger, and returned on the Phoenix in 1749. They settled near Reading and had six sons and two daughters. A Mennonite (Amish) minister.
- Abraham Kurtz (third generation), born 22 Feb 1769, was a grandson of the first Abraham through one of the two older sons (Christian or Jacob); which one the family never learned (“possibly” John of the second marriage, which the compiler’s father doubted). He married Miss Fisher about 1793 in Lancaster County; they moved to Mifflin County; she died 2 Jun 1808 leaving seven children, the youngest Joseph (b. 1808). He then married Mrs. Madelene Zook, née Lantz, moved to Wayne County, Ohio, near Wooster, sold land to Wooster College, and died in 1830; buried 1½ miles east of Wooster.
Table I, Ascending (image 11; read 2026-11-01)
- I: Abraham Kurtz, born in Germany; came 1740 with two sons and his wife, Miss Bolinger, who died soon after; returned to Germany, married Barbara Bolinger, came back 1749.
- II: Christian Kurtz (?) and Jacob Kurtz (?), “not sure which of above was our ancestor”; with the second wife: Abraham (m. Barbara Ritter), John (m. Barbara Garver), Peter (m. Miss Plank), Joseph (m. Fanny Miller), David (m. Barbara Lapp), Samuel, Sara, Catherine (m. Christian Zug).
- III: Abraham, b. 22 Feb 1769, d. 5 May 1831 (the text says 1830), m. Miss Fisher about 1793; she d. 2 Jun 1808 in Mifflin Co.; then m. Mrs. Madelene Zook, née Lantz; moved to Wayne Co., Ohio.
- IV (first wife): Barbara 1794, Jacob 1796, Elizabeth 1798 (m. Christian Plank), Abraham 1801–54, Magdelena 1803 (m. Samuel King), Anna 1805–67 (m. M. Plank), Joseph 1808–84 (m. Lydia Zook). Second wife: Fanny b. 1810, 78 yrs, m. Jeptha Plank; John 1812 (d. in Iowa); Lydia 1813–87; David 1824–1905.
Cited on
- Abraham Kurtz (1769–1830)
- Magdalena Lantz (wife of Abraham Kurtz)
- Veronica Fanny Kurtz (1811–1889)
- Abraham Kurtz (arr. 1749)
Record compiled 1 November 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.