The church records show that Valentine was living in the small village of Oberhochstadt in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany at the time of his baptism. More records, still to be translated, suggest he spent several years there.
Oberhochstadt borders Niederhochstadt, another small village. Today, both are part of the unified municipality of Hochstadt. The church that served both villages prior to 1727 was the Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche (Evangelical Reformed Church). It is in this church that we find records of Valentin’s family.
A tidbit of church history…
The Roman Catholic church once dominated the ancient world until Martin Luther publicly denounced the church for selling pardons for sins, thus kicking off the Protestant Reformation. As Lutheran churches spread, they were referred to as “Evangelical” churches. Over time, the Reformation continued to grow and another key figure emerged, John Calvin. It could be said that Calvin was Reformation 2.0. These Calvinist churches were further labeled “Reformed”. In other words, the name Evangelical Reformed Church of Niederhochstadt indicates that it was a Lutheran church that followed Calvin’s teachings.
Find-a-grave shows the Evangelical Reformed Church of Niederhochstadt and cemetary at coordinates: 49.24179, 8.21943.
The current church is located at the original location. The old cemetery is partially covered by a parking lot.
The church registers date from 1708 to 1766 but has large gaps of information missing. Luckily, Valentin’s birth and parents’ marriage are both found in the registers.
Below is a picture of the record of Valentin’s birth from the church register:
I hired a translator to translate the record into English. Although the handwriting was very poor, she was able to read most of the record:
Raw Translation:
Oberhochstadt March 2, 1712: Hans Jacob Brock and his wife Anna Maria brought a son for holy baptism, Gestatter has been Johann Valentin [Merck th] and Elisabetha, has been called – Johann Valentin
It begins by identifying the village in which the family lives and the current date. “Gestatter” is an old German word that means someone who allows something (according to the translator). This is probably someone from the church with authority witnessing the baptism and formally recording it.
Johan’s family is thought to have migrated from Bern, Switzerland. I still have a lot of digging to do on this one.
References
- “Deutschland Heiraten, 1558-1929”, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VC1Y-B4Q : 24 October 2021), Hans Jacob Brack, 1710.
- “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
- Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Niederhochstadt in Rheinland-Pfalz – find a grave cemetery. Find a Grave. (n.d.). https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2568771/evangelisch-reformierte-kirche-niederhochstadt
- Sophie, Marlen – Translator. “Marlensophie | Profile | Fiverr.” Fiverr, July 2019, https://www.fiverr.com/marlensophie.
