As I have been doing research on the Zelsman - Zelsmann family name, stories and facts have been told to me.

So for the name Zelsmann has been researched back to 1494 in when a T. Zöltzmann was given a deed to land in the Phanstangen Germany. During our last visit to Germany we visited the village of Phanstangen and found a Günter Zölsmann family still living there. He stated his ancestor purchased his farm in 1600.

The name was always Zelsmann although different families from father to son changed different letters in the name by using ö for e or tz for s or a double s, but it still read as Zelsmann. In the locality where Gottfried settled in Jefferson County Missouri the pronunciation for Zelsman is sellsman as in seltzer.

I found the Zelsmann ancestors to be above average intelligence for their time as many were Burgermeister of their village.  They needed to know Latin fluently so they could trade with other towns and converse with Burgermeister from other areas of the country, because Latin was the language of commerce.  It showed that they received some formal education as the earliest report of a school in Gefell was in 1463.  By the mid 1500's children from a large area outside of the town were also attending school in Gefell. The Zelsmann's seemed to have been religious as their children were all christened soon after birth and some were Elders in their church, which was the highest office a lay person could hold in their church at that time.  They were hard working people.  Many worked as blacksmiths, grain millers, butchers, etc.  Gefell was one of the larger thriving communities for those early days and was in the middle of an important 4-way road.  Many market days and festival days where held.  I believe our ancestors not only worked hard but I am sure they also had the opportunity to play hard.

I will continue to research the Zelsmann family name, as one is never finished. So for now I will start my ancestral line with --

T. Zöltzmann had a son named Christoph Zölzmann born in Phanstangen.  Christoph had a son born in the mid 1500's named Erhart Zölzmann. Erhart married Margarethe Encke in 1612.  They had a son named Erhardt born in 1621 in Phanstangen.  He married Anna Oefner in 1644. 

Anna and Erhardt Zölzmann had a son in 1651 whose name was also Erhardt Zeltzmann. This Erhardt married Eva Rudiger in 1676 in Bohmsdorf. They had two sons.  The oldest son was Erhard Zelzmann, born in 1679. Their youngest son was Johannes Zelssmann, born 1682. Johannes married Maria Reissig in 1705. They had a son named Johann Erhard Zeltzmann, born in 1712.

Erhard Zelsmann born 1679 in Phanstangen Prussia.  Burgermeister of Oberkoskau Prussia, died 29 July 1742 Oberkoskau, married 21 Nov. 1702 in Oberkoskau to Johanna Eva Eiller b. 15 Jan. 1679 Oberkoskau d. 19 May 1745 Oberkoskau: They had 7 children:


1.  Johann Adam   b.  26 Feb. 1704  Oberkoskau
2.  Johann Georg   b. 16 Jul. 1706 Oberkoskau
3.  Johanna Christina  b.  22 Sep. 1708 Oberkoskau
4.  Maria Catharina   b.  26 Nov. 1711  Oberkoskau
5.  Maria Elizabeth   b.  01 Nov. 1714  Oberkoskau
6.  Catharena Elizabeth  b.  13 Nov. 1720  Oberkoskau
7.  Johann Nicol   b. 23 May. 1723  Oberkoskau
 
Hans Johann Nicol Zelsmann, born 1723, died Jul 26, 1804. 9 Feb. 1747 married Anna Eva Lonitzen, b. Dec. 7, 1714, and d Dec. 17, 1757. They were married in Unterkoskau, February 9, 1747.  They had 2 children. The first was Johann Adam Zelsmann - born in Oberkoskau on December 16, 1747 - died August 19, 1821. Johann Adam, married in Unterkoskau on Jan.30 1781 to Catherina Erdmutha Seyfert, born?  Spilmes Germany died?     The second child was Maria Elizabeth b. 10 Mar. 1753 Oberkoskau she married John Christoph Rudolph.

Johann Adam b. 1747 and Erdmutha Seyfert had 4 + Children:

1.  Johann Adam  born 1781 Oberkoskau
2.  Erdmutha   born 178? Oberkoskau   died?  Married? Roth, in Spilmes
3.  Maria Sophia  born 178? Oberkoskau  died? ? M - an Schnappauf in Unterkoskau
4.  Johann Nicol Gottfried  born 179?

The parents of Gottfried Zelsmann born July 13, 1819 were Johann Nicol Gottfried Zelsmann b.? D.?  And Johanna Christiana Maria Rudolph b. Nov. 14 1794. D.? 

On November 18, 1819, Christiana Maria Rudolph and Johann Gottfried Casper Thauwaldt were married in Gefell.  On August 20, 1820, Johann Nicol Gottfried Zelsmann married Marie Elizabeth Ecknerin at the church in Stelzen, Germany.  His father, Johann Nicol and his stepmother Maria Elizabeth in Oberkoskau raised Gottfried Zelsmann.  From this marriage Gottfried had stepbrothers and stepsisters, listed as follows:

1820 - July 16, twin sons were born.  They died the same day. They were baptized and named - Johann Heinrich and Johann Gottlieb Zelsmann.               
1822 - December 24, a sister Hanne Christiana Frederika Zelsmann.   
1823 - October 14, a brother Johann Heinrich Joseph Zelsmann.
1826 - April 23, a sister Caroline Sophia Dorothea Zelsmann.
1827 - December 27, a brother Johann Gottfried David Zelsmann.
1832 - February 18, a brother Carl Christian Wilhelm Zelsmann.
1834 - January 23, a sister Henrietta Caroline Wilhelmine Zelsmann.                                       
1836 - July 3, a sister Henrietta Clementine Wilhelmine Zelsmann.                 

Before marrying Gottfried Zelsmann, Johanna Christiana Frederika Bodenschatz married Christoff Gottfried Simon on April 24, 1836 in Gefell.

Christoff Gottfried Simon died July 10, 1844; He was a blacksmith in Gefell.   From this marriage four children were born: 
1. Johanna Christiana Henrietta Simon b. Jun. 30 1836,
2. Gottlieb August Heinrich Simon b. Aug. 23 1838, d. Aug. 31 1897,
3. Johann Friedrich Louis Simon b. Jan.7 1841 d. Aug. 28 1849,
4. Friedrika Sophia Margaretha Simon b. Feb. 14 1843.   

At this time we know very little about Johanna Christiana Henrietta Simon.  She and Sophia came to the U.S. with Gottfried and Johanna Christiana Zelsmann. While doing research in Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis we found a Christiana Dede was a witness to the baptism of one of Caroline Zelsmann Kuehner's children, we feel this was Johanna Christiana Henrietta Simon.  We traced her back to Altenberg Missouri where she married a Dede in 1864. 

Sophia Simon married Adam Vierheller on February 22, 1866 at the Holy Cross Church in St. Louis (Brother of George Vierheller curator of the St. Louis Zoo for many years).

Johann (Gottfried) Carl Zelsmann was born in the state of Sachsen, County Meiningen, City of Oberkoskau on the edge of the Thuringan Forest, Prussia. Married Johanna Christiana Frederika (Gretel) Bodenschatz Simon 1849 in the church in Gefell . Johanna Christiana was born Jan. 9, 1818 in Gefell. After their marriage they lived on a farm in the Gefell area raising goats. Feeding them the cut grass from the fields.  This is what my grandfather had said was how they made their living when times became difficult.  Click here to continue story