Easy access to information is one of my favorite things about modern technology. When I began researching our family history, I was amazed by the wealth of resources available online. Over the past few decades, countless paper and microfiche archives have been digitized and indexed. Websites such as Ancestry, WikiTree, and FamilySearch make it simple to browse these records and collaborate with other researchers. It didn’t take long before I was able to trace our lineage all the way back to the first Brock to arrive in the British colonies, our family’s progenitor.
Johan Valentine Brock (also spelled Johan Valentin Brack) was born on or before March 2, 1712, in Oberhöchstadt, (Ba. Landau), Bayern, Germany. He traveled aboard the Queen of Denmark commanded by George Parish from Rotterdam, Netherlands to Cowes, England, and then to Philadelphia, PA. The ship docked in port on Friday, October 4th, 1751. There were 252 passengers on board who made the 4,000-mile journey in approximately nine weeks. With him were his wife Anna Margaretha Lischer, daughter Eva Barbara, and son Valentine. Eva Barbara, who was five years old at the time, died three months later. Anna Margaretha also died sometime prior to 1760. It’s highly likely that the extremely poor conditions on board the ship contributed to the deaths.
Here is a typed page of the ship’s manifest showing a list of male passengers.
Upon arrival, the male passengers were escorted to the courthouse. They signed their names and took the Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown at Philadelphia’s Court House. The typed record is on the left below, while the actual signatures are on the right. Valentine and others, who were illiterate, had their name written by someone else and they signed with X.
Valentine lived for several years in the Germantown area of Lancaster County, PA. It is possible that he was indentured to pay for the passage to America for himself and his family. At this point, it is only conjecture. In the future, I hope to develop a deeper understanding of this topic and may update this article accordingly.
Valentine married Susanna Blaester on November 11, 1760, in Germantown, PA. As of 1790, he and his family had migrated to Richmond County, North Carolina. Children were born to them who also moved to Chesterfield, South Carolina. A cousin of ours, Charlie Purvis, runs a website called Carolina Family Roots. He has been researching his family history for several years and has a treasure trove of information about the Brocks.
William Brock was one of Valentine and Susanna’s children. He migrated his family from Chesterfield County, South Carolina to Hinds County, Mississippi around 1817. James, the son of William Brock would move to Simpson County, MS where we all grew up.
Here is the lineage from Valentine down to myself so that we can all see it.
Johan Valentine Brock
1712 – 1781
William Brock
1775 – 1844
James Brock
1802 – 1860
William L. Brock
1832 – 1900
James William “Jim” Brock
1850-1923
James Monroe Brock
1873–1954
James Gussie Brock
1900–1984
Lonnie Brock
1943–2004
Brian Brock
1964
Further Reading
References
- “Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPKR-SLHJ : 18 August 2023), Joh. Valentin Brock, 2 Mar 1712; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Niederhochstadt, Landkreis Landau in der Pfalz, Bayern, Deutschland, , German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
- Purvis, C. (2023, May 12). The beginning of our “Brock” lineage in america. The Beginning of Our “Brock” Lineage in America. https://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-beginning-of-our-brock-lineage-in.html
- Strassburger, R. B., & Hinke, W. J. (1934). In Pennsylvania German pioneers: A publication of the original lists of arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808 (Vol. I, pp. 557–558). essay, Pennsylvania German Society.
- Rupp, I. D. (1880). A collection of upwards of thirty thousand names of German, Swiss, Dutch, French, and other immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727-1776 (pp 265 – 266). Ig. Kohler. Reproduction: Microfilm. University Park, Pa. : Pennsylvania State University, 1994. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm. (Pennsylvania history on microfilm https://digital.libraries.psu.edu/digital/collection/digitalbks4/id/1306/) Filmed with: The life of William Penn / by M.L. Weems. Philadelphia : Uriah Hunt, 1852.
