Born 1705 in Germany. A Mennonite or Pennsylvania Dutch; arrived prior to 1731; became naturalized citizen in 1735 in Bucks Co, PA

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Notes for GEORGE ZAVITZ (ZAVIETZ): [Combined Families.FTW] From the Sherk Genealogy:

George S. Zavitz, the first to come to America, is reported to have "lived within sight of the spires of the famous cathedral in Strasbourg, France." As a Protestant he and his family were part of a flood of immigrants to the William Penn Colony where rights to religious freedom had been included in the founding constitution as early as 1681. There is no specific documentation that the Zavitz's were Mennonites on arrival although they were part of that community once in America and after 1797 in Canada. Strasbourg seemed to be a "safe haven" for many years to Anabaptists like the Mennonites. There is no record of the death sentence against these individuals in Strasbourg.

Nevertheless, Protestants in that city felt the pull from the new world. The Rhine was just two miles away with its access to Dutch religious freedom, ships to America and there was news of British support for settlement. Undoubtedly the Zavitz's had heard much about the migration of tens of thousands of Palatine Protestants down the Rhine to Holland and Britain and then on to settlement areas in the Pennsylvania and New York colonies. Promoters were advertising the "good life" in these colonies and Anabaptists, much attracted to the prospect of escaping the harshness of European society, the lack of productive farm land and the security to raise a family. They must also have been aware of the long waits in refugee camps before ships would be available to take them, the thousands who embarked who never made it to the new world, many as forty percent of those attempting the crossing died of disease at sea and the settlement mismanagement that plagued many who did survive the Atlantic crossing.

There is no record of GEORGE ZAVITZ, and his wife BARBARA on the immigrant ship list nor of his arrival in Philadelphia. Since these records were started in 1727 we may assume he arrived before that time. The first record of him in the new world is his purchase of three hundred acres in 1732 from a Caspar Wistar, near Center Valley about 50 miles north of the ciry in a new district in a fertile valley along the Saucon Creek, Upper Bucks County, about 6 miles south of what was later to be the site of Bethlehem. As a miller he looked for mill sites. He and the small group of Mennonite settlers he was with were also influenced by the opening of the Durham Iron Works about 15 miles away. The local Indian tribes, Saucon, Lenni-Lenapes and Shawnees were friendly at this time, and did not resist the arrival of these "whites" in their hunting grounds.

About 1731, George built a grist mill in Center Valley, PA. He was naturalized on March 29,1735. George and Barbara died on the homestead, he in 1759, she about 1766. George's will was probated on June 13,1759. He is buried in a Mennonite Cemetery less than a mile south of his homestead. As the immigrant progenitor he had lived about half of his life in Europe, and half in PA where he experienced religious toleration. All of their eight children lived to adulthood and married. Most were still in Bucks Co. close to their parents. All probably spoke German exclusively.

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Notes for George Zavitz: Taken from Book 1972, proceedings Lehigh County Historical Society, p.46:

George was the first of the Zavitz family in America. He appears to have arrived in Pennsylvania shortly before 1727. His name does not appear on any ships' lists in the port of Philadelphia, and these lists started in September, 1727. George sought naturalization in 1735 when he was already established in Bucks County at Center Valley. He needed the naturalization in order to have land registered in his name. He had made a deal for the land in 1730, but the patent was not issued in his name until 1737, when apparently, he had fully paid for it. Most of his children were born before he came to America. We know that the youngest, son Joseph, was born in 1735 in Pennsylvania, but we have no certain dates for any of the others.

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The George Zewitz Mill, by L.Gray

The stone mill at Centre Valley, Pa. Highway 309 east 10 miles of Allentown, was built by George Zeivitz, owned by Harry Geissinger, Modhill Chevilier, as a restaurant. Was torn down about 1965. It may have been built by George Zevitz as early as 1731 (Aug.6) when he first acquired the land (1730) or soon after. Records of Pa. show John Chapman surveyed in name of George Zewitz, 150 acres of land on both sides of Saucon Creek at present Centre Valley. Also J. Chapman received an order for the survey from Jacob Taylor, July 3, 1731, by order of Casper Wister, Apr 23, 1730. This was part of 300 acre tract, a warrant from the Penns to Casper Wister. Transfer in 1737 of full 300 acres to Zewitz, an additional 50 acres was added in 1738. From Germany it was advertised to sell 200 acres with a good deed. It had 90 acres cleared, 20 acres sewn with wheat, 1 good house, barn and grist mill. Did not sell but in 1752 a sale of 150 acres to John Yoder. George Zewitz died in 1759 leaving his wife, Barbara, 6 sons and 2 daughters. George Jr. got the mill, sold land 105 acres but left mill 44 1/2 acres including mill. In 1768 sold and went to North Carolina.

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From: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Pa/BucksWill?read=7

Extract from the will of George Zewitz written May 24, 1759 probated June 13, 1759

I do value my plantation with all the building theron erected and the appurtances theunto belonging at the rate of seven hundred pounds, My son Joseph shall remain in possession of my place as long as his agreement, concerning the rent metions. My loving wife, Barbara shall possess the house wherin I dwell durin her life, also three beds and two cows. Also meadow near the small house, and orchard near the mill, both to go back to the place on her death. Also the chest in the room which I occupy, also all my pewter, my table, bedstead, my irson, and earthen pots. To my daughter Esther, f6 as wages in place of the cow I promised her. My children Henry, John, George, Jacob, Mary, Abraham, Joseph, and Esther shall divide residue of my personal estate equally. My children shall divide all whatsoever equally between them real and personal estate, deducting whatever any of them has already received. My place shall be charged with f150 interest from which my wife Barbara shall receive annually. My children, or such child as can pay others their share, shall have my plantation, and maintain it; otherwise it is to be sold.

Execrs. Joseph Zewitz and Henry Weber, who are to have 5 shillings per day.

Signed with mark....X... George Zewitz

Witnesses Hans Musselman and Valentine Young

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It says: " The family of Jacob & Magdalene ZEWITZ (ZAVITZ):

1. Henry m.??

2. Christian m. Mary McCARTHY

3. Barbara m. Jacob OTT

4. Sarah m. ?? FINK

5. Jacob m. Catherine LEARN

6. George -remained in the U.S.

Christian, his bride, and parents (Jacob & Magdalene) lived together in Humberstone. Jacob & Magdalene died in the early 1800's."

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Notes for JACOB ZAVITZ:

[Combined Families.FTW] from the Sherk Genealogy

Jacob Zavitz l was the first American born Zavitz. Oldest son of George and Barbara, he was a miller. Jacob l appears in the records as an ambitious almost compulsive type. He was constantly on the move. His various locations are: A deed dated December 9,1748 for a 100 acre farm and mill at Spring Valley, 2 miles from his fathers place in Center Valley. Jacob was 20 years old. From 1748 to 1751 he was the Overseer of Highways for that portion of PA and for part of that time was also a Constable. He sold this property to John Yoder, in 1752. He moved to Williams Twp. not far from Easton, at 24 years of age. He had a family of three sons, Henry, Christian and Jacob ll. In either 1761 or 1763, Jacob l moved into Indian Territory north of the Blue Mountains in Smethfield Twp. found land on an excellent mill stream and built a m ill at the present village of Kellersville known as the Keller Mill. This building was still standing in 1971.

Jacob's father George had died before this move, in 1759. Jacob was 33 years old. Both probably communicated with each other in German, as George was probably not fluent in English, Jacob, however being born in PA, was most likely bilingual. In the fall of 1763, warnings came of Indian uprisings in Smithfield twp. and about outlying homes being bruned with settlers killed or taken captive. Settlers for several miles around collected together for protection. In September 1763 nineteen people appealed to a Timtohy Horsfield, one of the colonial officials for assistance and protection with a petition. Written in its entirety in the Sherk book. As a result of this petition, 24 soldiers under the command of Captain Weatherholt were sent to patrol the area, but when the arrived, found no Indians.

In 1764 Jacob bought 150 acres in Hamilton Twp.and about the same time, bought 155 acres about a mile below Teannersville in the McMichael's Creek/Pocono Creek/Cranberry Creek area. After the start of the American Revolution probably in 1788, he moved to Humberstone Twp. near Port Colbourne in Upper Canada. He was in his 60th or 61st year. He was to spend the rest of his life in the British colony.

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Notes for Jacob Zavitz: Jacob moved first to a mill at Spring Valley, Pa. (2 miles east of Center Valley) and then in 1952 to Williams Twp., not far from Easton, and started farming again. Then into Indian territory north of the Blue Mountains about 1763. This was in Hamilton Twp. and he built a mill at Kellersville on Appenzell Creek (this mill and adjoining house and stable were still standing in 1979). In 1764 he bought 150 acres in Pocono Township and an additional 155 acres about a mile below Tannersville in the Pocono Creek/Cranberry Creek area. During the revolution he moved back to Quakertown and was the proprietor of a tavern. It was from here his daughters married. Jacob was not one of the "originals" *; they were his sons Jacob II, Henry and Christian.

* Originals must mean those individuals that moved from the United States to Canada.

I do not think there is a Township called Sugarloaf, it is, instead, the name of an area: Sugarloaf Hill. Probably in Humberstone Township.

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Notes for CHRISTIAN ZAVITZ:

[Combined Families.FTW] From the Sherk Genealogy:

Christian Zavitz, second son of Jacob l ,went to Canada on a scouting trip in the Niagara Peninsula in 1783 and returned to his family in Bucks Co. PA. After marrying Mary, he returned to Niagara in 1784. According to family tradition, built one of Upper Canada's first water-powered mills on the Niagara River in 1786 above the Falls known as the Bridgewater Mill. He applied for land at that time and later was given 200 acres in Sugarloaf Twp. As a Loyalist. he returned to Pennsylvania in 1787, married Mary McCarty, a descendant of the Lancasters of England, and persuaded his family to return to Canada with him. Two of his brothers, including Jacob ll, his parents, Jacob l and wife Magdalene, and a number of nephews and neices came to Upper Canada with him at that time. Christian's Loyalist status is interesting considering that two of his uncles, Abraham and Joseph Zavitz were active in the army on the other side. Christian subsequently migrated to Elgin Co., continued to build mills ,near Port Stanley, Sparta and Union. Christian was generous to a fault, and all were treated hospitably at his house, which was never closed to the needy. Christian and his sons built a gristmill for Jonathan Doan about 1819 in Elgin co. On January 30,1820 Christian sold, for 200 pounds, 296 acres of Lot 3 and the N Pt. of Lot 4, Con. 4 of Yarmouth Twp. to his son Jesse. Christian Zavitz and Mary died within 2 months of each other and are buried in the Plains Cemetery just east of Union, Ontario.

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http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/v/a/s/David-D-Vaseau/GENE1-0001.html

Notes for Christain Zavitz: Christian Zavitz first came to the Niagara area of Ontario (Upper Canada as it was then referred to) in 1783. Apparently he had come to this area from Pennsylvania to "scout" the land, and later returned again to Pennsylvania. He married Mary McCarty in 1788 and the same year returned with his new wife to the Niagara peninsula, bringing with him his brothers Henry and Jacob (Jacob II), and his mother and father, Jacob (Jacob I) and Magdelene.

Not long after their arrival, Christian, with the help of Jacob and Henry, built a grist mill at Schofield Creek in Humberstone Twsp., just south and west of what is now Port Colborne, and close to the present Maple Leaf Flour Mills. A millstone that was used in this first mill, The Sugar Loaf Grist Mill, is now displayed in Port Colborne, Ontario, as a memorial to Christian as an early settler of the Niagara area.

Prior to the construction of Christian's mill, nearby settlers had to travel as far away as Niagara Falls to have their grain milled. The winding road known as Chippewa Trail is said to have been blazed by the settlers of Humberstone Twsp. in order to reach the Zavitz Mill. In the opposite direction, people from haldimond County had to travel as far as 50 miles to reach the mill. Christian and his wife lived in the Welland area for 30 years and eventually moved to Yarmouth Twp. in Elgin county. His son, Jesse had moved there sometime earlier in the area of the Doan settlement where he and Christian built and operated mills near Port Stanley, Sparta and Union.

He and Mary had 11 children, the last being born when Christian was 64 years of age.

It has been said by descendants that Christian was a generous and kind man and offered hospitality to any needy person that came by. Christian and his wife both dies in the spring of 1826 and are buried in the Plains Cemetery near Union.

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From: Debi Smeltzer [dsmelt@shipshenet.com]

He assisted in building the first mills in the province and at an early date settled at Sugarloaf Hill, in Humberstone Twp. The Surveyor-General of the District of Nassau reported on November 7, 1792 "a Gristmill on a Creek near the Sugar Loaf Hills, Lake Erie, by Christian Savitz". In Upper Canada Land Books dated July 30, 1811 is reported "Christian Zavitz, of Humberstone, Millwright - praying for a grant of Lots numbers One and Two in the 14th Concession of the Township of Bertie. The Prayer of the Petitioner cannot be recommended".

In July of 1816, with Jonathan Doan acting on their behalf, Christian and a son Jesse petitioned for 2 grants of land in Yarmouth Twp., Elgin Co. Whether these petitions were granted or not is not known, but Christian eventually did build mills near Port Stanley, Sparta and Union. Christian and Mary died within 2 months of each other in 1826 and are buried in the Plains Cemetery just east of Union, Ont. He was generous to a fault, and all were treated hospitably at his house, which was never closed to the needy. Christian Zavitz and his sons built a gristmill for Jonathan Doan about 1819 in Elgin Co. On January 30 1820 Christian sold, for 200 Pounds, 296 acres of Lot 3 and the N Pt. of Lot 4, Con. 4 of Yarmouth Twp. to his son Jesse.

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From David Zavitz: "The original research was probably done by Leslie Robb Gray whose papers were donated to the University of Western Ontario. More recently Helen Clark has updated much of his work and I have added to some lines."

Christian Zavitz (notes from Leslie Robb Gray) Christian was a millwright and was a great traveler building many mills in both Pennsylvania and Canada. He was in Canada as early as 1786 returning to Hamilton Township to marry Mary McCarty, then moving to Canada as a permanent resident only a few week's after their marriage. This was in 1788, and his brothers Henry and Jacob and their families came at the same time. They settled near the shores of Lake Erie a short distance west of what is now the town of Port Colborne. They held land on both sides of the boundary between Humberstone and Wainfleet townships. At the time of their coming these townships were called east and west Sugarloaf, taking their names from the prominent sand ridge which runs along the lake in that area.

Shortly after his arrival in Canada, Christian assisted by his brothers, built a grist mill at Schofield's Creek in Humberstone Township just south and west of what is now Port Colborne and very close to the present Maple Leaf Flour Mills, the largest in the British Empire. The Zavitz mill was the first industrial development in the whole area and became one of the most noted mills in Ontario. Previously the settlers had to travel all the way to Streets Mill at Niagara Falls. The winding road, now known as the Chippewa Trail, is said to have been blazed by the settlers of Humberstone Township in order that they might reach the Zavitz mill. In the other direction people 50 miles away in Haldimond County came to Sugar Loaf Mill. In the public park in Port Colborne is a monument consisting of a millstone with a bronze plate inscribed "a millstone used in the Sugarloaf grist mill a notable factor in the development of the Niagara district built A.D. 1790 by Christian Sevitz (Zavitz) a settler from Pennsylvania".

It was natural that the Sugar Loaf Mill would become a sort of headquarters for the district where the settlers would meet each other and discuss the questions to the day. Thus we find it recorded that a second meeting of the inhabitants of Humberstone and the lake side of the township of Wainfleet was held at the home of Christian Zavitz who built the first mill in that township. This meeting, held in 1818, was for discontent arising out of the war of 1812.

In Toronto archives there is a record of Christian being granted an additional 150 acres in consideration of having cleared 200. This was in 1794 and he is described as a loyalist. Another deed dated Sept. 15 1803 was from the Crown to Christian Zavitz of the rear part of Lot 15, Concession 1, Wainfleet. It is recorded that Christian Zavitz the elder disposed of this last-mentioned property to Jacob Ott on April 26 1814. The following deed is a copy of one held by Mrs. Clara Ott of Port Colborne. It shows that Christian continued to hold considerable property in Welland County right up to the time of his death. It also shows that he died without a will and that his son Jesse was his legal heir. Jesse sold out the Sugar Loaf properties in 1830.

"Whereas Christian Zavitz late of Yarmouth in the District of London and Province of Upper Canada, deceased, was seized in his lifetime and at the time of his death those parcels of land in the township of Humberstone and Wainfleet in the District of Niagara being composed of lot 2 and parts of lots 1,2,3,4,5, 1st concession of Wainfleet and south parts of lots 30, 31, 32, 33 in Humberstone containing by measurement 667 acres and 1 rood including the mill pond and whereas said Christian Zavitz died interstate and whereby the said lands descended to Jesse Zavitz of Yarmouth as heir at law to said Christian Zavitz, now this indenture made May 6 1830 at Chippawa between the said Jesse Zavitz and John Steel of Humberstone for the consideration of 450 pounds etx."

It is seen that Christian Zavitz after having lived at Sugar Loaf for over 30 years decided to move west to Yarmouth Elgin County. This was in 1819 and Christian was now an old man. But Yarmouth was still a pioneer district and needed the services of a millwright (the first settler in Yarmouth was Jonathan Doan, a Quaker from near Philadelphia, who came in 1813). Christian was not, however, moving into entirely strange territory for his son Jesse had settled there several years before. In fact all of Christian's children moved to Yarmouth at one time or another although one daughter later returned to Welland County.

Christian Zavitz took up a large tract of land in Yarmouth and erected another mill on the property. He also built other mills. One of which was for the above mentioned Jonathan Doan. Prior to this the settlers of South Yarmouth had to go to the mill at Long Point. Probably by this time Christian's sons, to whom he had taught the millwright trade, were doing most of the actual work while the father supplied the experience drawn from his long career as a millwright. It is said that Christian was generous to a fault and all were treated hospitably at his home, which was never closed to the needy.

Mary MC CARTY (AFN:X2G6-NS) Burial: Plains Cemetery

From David Zavitz: "The original research was probably done by Leslie Robb Gray whose papers were donated to the University of Western Ontario. More recently Helen Clark has updated much of his work and I have added to some lines."

Mary Zavitz, 11th child of Christian and Mary Zavitz born Aug 7 1814 at Sugar Loaf, Welland County, Died 1900. Married in 1834 to William Lowell, born 1811 at St. David's, Ontario, died 1888. He was a son of Francis Lowell and Catherine Clement, who were natives of Massachusetts. From 1828 to 1831, William Lowell lived in the London District where, no doubt he met his future wife. In 1831 he returned to Niagara Falls where he founded a general store which he operated until his retirement in 1860, In 1884 he and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. At the time of his retirement, William Lowell had amassed a fortune and became a well known personage in the Niagara Peninsula. He provided funds for the Drummond Hill Presbyterian Church and built a handsome new home on Main Street. He was also Justice of the Peace.

Verbal Notes to David Seaborn by Catherine (Cass) Lowell Butters Harvey abt 1960:

-married Herbert Green against her father's wishes;

-died in childbirth

Granny; link between Lowells and Butters; perpetuated the 'Lowell' name