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Spouse
Hans Konrad Brungger was
born March 5, 1724 in Elsau Parish, Canton, Zurich, Switzerland.
He was the third
child of Andreas Brungger and Regula Herter. Source: Globally unique Identifier: E5E41F53-4727-4C91-B569-33D1C096931C Record
ID Number: MH:IF1072834
On November 4, 1734 at the age of 10, Conrad
and his family left their home in a tiny village in the foot hills of the Swiss Alps on the banks of the Rhine River, in
route to America. No doubt, at the age of ten Conrad, like his brother Henry, knew of the oppression being
put on his father and realized that their home was being taken away from them but, as we read the story of his father's hardships, we can only imagine what it was like for a boy ten years old, traveling 375 miles to a huge
bustling city, were the people treated him like common cargo or live stock. Then being loaded on a ship with very little room
to move around, over looking nothing but the waters of the Atlantic Ocean for 8-10 weeks and watching his four year old sister,
Maria Elizabeth, die and be thrown over board.
On June 28, 1735 again we can only immagine the excitement this
young child felt when he spotted land, as the Brigantine Mary pulled into the Bay of Delaware and docked at Fishbourne's Wharf
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Source: STRASSBURGER, RALPH BEAVER.
Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808.
With 41 passengers, 8-10 crew members, all of their baggage and enough
food and supplies to last the 8-10 week voyage on board that 88 foot boat, imagine what Conrad felt as he stepped out
on solid ground and began to walk, with his family, two blocks up the street to the courthouse, where his father was
required to take the oath of allegiance to the state of Pennsylvania.
The State of Pennsylvania required all male immigrants over the age
of sixteen to take this oath immediately, upon arrival. Conrad being only ten years old, he did not have to
take the oath.
It
was at this point that his name was changed to the English translation “Hans Conrad Brinker”. In the German language
the name Hans for many generations was short for Johannes, but later became a legal name in its self, thus
Hans Conrad or as some spell it Hans Konrad. The Brinker surname was spilled Brungger in the German dialog and Braucker
in the Swiss dialog.
Along with his father and brothers Conrad may have been one of the first Brinkers recorded in the United States.
The
Pennsylvania Early Census Index shows Conrad
and each of his family living in Philadelphia Twsp. Philadelphia County in 1735 but, we do not know the date the census was enumerated. We do know he arrived
there June 28, 1735.
(Source: Jackson, Ronald V., Accelerated Indexing Systems,
comp.. Pennsylvania Census, 1772-1890 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999)
No records that I have found
show evidence of the exact location were Conrad and his family lived in Philadelphia,
but as we seen in the story of his father all indication are that this family temporarily lived in Germantown, on the northwest
side of Philadelphia, until moving to Bucks County, Pa.
On March 5, 1739 Conrad’s
father, Andreas, received a land warrant for fifty acres located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, about
51 miles north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (near the modern day town of Easton, Pa.)
It was here, at the age of fifteen, that Conrad
lived and began helping his father clear land and build a home and farm until he was twenty years old.
Begining His Family
The
exact date is unknown but, in the early part of 1744, some time before June 15, at the age of 21 Henry, Conrad's brother, left
home and headed southwest. We find record of him again in Stouchsberg, Berks Co. Pa, about 71 miles west of his father’s
home, about a one or two day journey by horse.
His reason for leaving home is
only a speculation of this author but, in studying his movement we find that Jost Hite had acquired several thousand acres
of land in Frederick
Co. Virginia and according to his contract he had to
settle one family for every thousand acres with-in a given time. At the time of Henry’s journey Jost Hite was persuading
many German families in Pennsylvania to move to Frederick Co. Virginia. It is also believed that Henry and Conrad both left home in the same year. It
is unknown whether they left together or not but, they both aparantly settled in Virginia with-in
that same year. (If this is true) then we can prove Conrad was in Frederick Co. as early as
1746.
Henry had a daughter Mildred Brinker in 1745 but, her date of birth is
yet to be proven but, Henry's second child George Madison Brinker was born on Sept. 29, 1746 in Early Frederick town,
Frederick Co. Va. (Now Winchester).
By
stopping in Stouchsburg they give a good indication that they were on the road to Virginia, because Strouchsburg is on modern day
U.S. Hwy 22, a direct route from Bucks Co. Penn. to Frederick Co. Va.
We can verify this stop by a record showing that on June
15, 1744 Henry Brinker (Sadler) married Anna Catherine Kreutzberger at Christ Lutheran Church in Stouchsburg, Berks
Co. Pennsylvania.
(Source: "Berks Co. PA Marriages, 1730-1800, Vol. 2", 1987, Edited
by Frederick Paul & Jeffrey J. Howell. Page 1, Henry Brenker, sadler, and Anna Catharina
Kreutzberger. Marr. 15 June 1744, Christ Luth. Ch., Stouchsburg in Marion Twp.,
Berks Co., PA)
We don't know the exact date or location but, some time between June
1744 and 1758, Conrad Brinker married Barbara _____, who was born in 1725.
On ___, 1759 Conrad and Barbara's first child Mary Brinker was born in Frederick Co. Virginia .
1760-1761 Conrad was in the military.
Source, "Virginia`s Colonial Soldiers" by Lloyd D. Bockstruck, 1988 shows both Henry and
Conrad Brinker as Colonial soldiers in 1760 & 1761, page 350-352, where they were fined for being absent
On ___, 1761 Conrad and Barbara's second child Henry Brinker was born in Frederick Co. Va.
On April 26, 1762 Conrad purchased lot #83, a half acre lot in the new town of Woodstock in Fredrick Co.
Va. This was a half acre lot facing King St (now Main St) between Court St and Fairfax St (now Locust St).
Woodstock was a new town layed out by Jacob Miller.
This was about 30 miles south of his brother Henry in Winchester, Va.
On ____, 1764 Conrad and Barbara's third child Jacob Brinker was born in Frederick Co. Va.
On ____, 1767 Conrad and Barbara's fourth child Andrew Brinker was born in Frederick Co. Va.
On ____, 1768 Conrad and Barbara's fifth child John Brinker was born in Frederick Co. Va.
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