| Christian Erb 1703 - If this person exists at all, he is the mysterious Christian Erb said to have married Maria Wenger in Lancaster Co., PA about 1725. Ezra E. Eby, among others, gives 1722 as his immigration date. But, with no ship lists or oaths required before 1727, there is no way of confirming this, and the same 1722 immigration date has also been assigned in error by several sources to a Nicholas Claus Erb 1680. For a full discussion of the confusion surrounding this shadowy figure, go here. |
| Lorentz Erb bef 1710- In 1735 Lorentz (anglified to "Lawrence") received a warrent for land in that part of Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania which later became Northampton County in 1752. So he must have immigrated before 1735. Since his name does not appear on any of the manditory passenger lists that were first required in 1727, and given his early birth date, he may well have come to America some time before 1727. (Though it should be kept in mind that even after 1727 not every immigrant's name was recorded.) He left a will that was probated in Philadelphia in 1750. To see a list of his decendants, go here. This line of Northampton County ERBs is distinct from the line of Montgomery County ERBs descended from Casper Erb 1724, who must be distinguished from Lorentz's son Johann Casper 1730. So far as I know, neither of these lines are directly related to Nicholas Claus Erb 1680. (Pennsylvania Erb researchers are lucky that the Erbs of Montgomery Co., the Erbs of Northampton Co., and for the most part the Erbs of Lancaster Co. remained geographically distinct for at least the first three or four generations.)
|
| Christian Erb 1685 - Christian may or may not have been the younger brother of Nicholas (Claus) Erb. He arrived in Pennsylvania a year before Nicholas, but died within six weeks of landing -- possibly of an illness contracted at sea. The sole beneficiary of his 1736 will was his shipmate Peter Rensch, which suggests that he was not accompanied on the voyage by a wife or children. You can read a summary of that will and a discussion of his possible relationship to Nicholas here.
|
| Hans Rudolph Erb 1709- This is probably the Hans Rudolph Erb that was born in Röthenfluh, Canton Baselland, Switzerland, the son of Hemmen Erb and Maria Jti. Despite the similarity of names, the Röthenfluh Erbs of Baselland have been separate from the Röthenbach Erbs of Bern since the 16th century -- so Hans Rudolph is not directly related to Christian Erb 1685 or his brother Nicholas Claus. What happened to him after he arrived in Pennsylvania is unknown to me. |
| Nicholas Claus Erb 1680 - The descendants of Nicholas Claus Erb 1680 are the main focus of the ERB / LARKINS database. He was born in the Emmenthal Valley of Canton Bern Switzerland and brought his entire family with him to Pennsylvania on the ship "Charming Nancy" of London which arrived in Philadelphia on October 8th 1737, Charles Stedman, Master, from Rotterdam. They were one of 19 Swiss-Amish families aboard. The voyage must have been a difficult one since a contemporary shipboard diary says that at least 21 children died en route. His party included his wife Katrina, his two adult sons John 1713 and Nicholas Claus Jr. 1721, his three younger sons Jacob 1724, Christophel c1730?, and Christian 1734 (who was only 3 years old at the time), and his daughters Anna 1716 and Catherine 1731. Missing from the passenger list is his daughter Magdalena, though she later appears in Lancaster County as the wife of one of the Shantzes who were aboard the "Nancy". Christophel may have died either on the voyage or shortly after arriving in Pennsylvania. You can read more about the confusion surrounding this person here. To read the passenger list of the "Charming Nancy" go here. For a complete list of the descendants of Nicholas Claus, go here.
|
| John Hans Erb 1713 - John, the oldest son of Nicholas Claus Erb 1680, accompanied his parents and siblings on the "Charming Nancy" that arrived in Philadelphia on October 8th 1737. His future wife Barbara (Johns) Shrantz 1716 also immigrated on the same ship.
|
| Nicholas Claus Erb Jr 1721- Nicholas Claus Jr. arrived on the October 8th 1737 "Charming Nancy" along with his father (Nicholas Claus Sr.), mother, brothers, and sisters. He and his wife subsequently settled in Lebanon Twp. in Lancaster County. They had no children. You can read the complete text of his 1769 will here.
|
| (Hans) Peter Erb 1710 - A "Hans Erb" is listed among "Foreigners imported in the ship Crown, Michael James, Master, from Rotterdam, last from Cowes--in all 500 persons", which arrived in Philadelphia Aug. 30, 1749. This "Hans" may have actually been Peter Erb (said to have been born 1710 in Germany), whose formal name could have been "Hans Peter", with the "Peter" dropped by an English-speaking ship's captain. At any rate, Peter 1710 is the only Erb known to me that fits this immigration date. He and his two sons, Peter Jr. and Christopher were in York Co., PA in 1756 and then settled in Frederick Co., MD by 1767. He was apparently the progenitor of all the ERBs who settled in Maryland. To see lists of some of his descendants, go here and here. |
| Freiderich Erb bef 1734- Nothing is known about this person except for the ship list and immigration oath. The ship's passengers were described as "Foreigners from Wirtemberg, Alsace and Zweibruecken", so he would appear to be a Palatine Erb, possibly distantly related to Nicholas Claus Erb, possibly not. (His estimated birthdate is based on the fact that he had to be at least 16 in 1749 to appear on the adult ship list.) |
| Casper Erb 1724 -
He arrived in Philadelphia at the age of 30 on the ship "Edinburgh", James Russel, Master, from Rotterdam, last from Cowes. The ship's passengers were described as "Inhabitants from the Palatinate and Wirtemberg, five Roman Catholics, and one Mennonite." Casper, who was born in Wurtemberg and attended the Faulkner Swamp Reformed Church for the rest of his life, would appear to have been the Mennonite. He was listed as "Caspar" and signed the oath of allegiance with his mark. He married and settled in New Hanover, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania and was the progenitor of a full line of Montgomery Co. Erbs who are not related to the descendants of Nicholas (Claus) Erb. It is not clear whether Casper's ancestors were indiginous to the Palatinate region or immigrated there from Switzerland. To see a list of Casper's descendants, go here.
This Casper Erb is to be distinguished from Johann Casper Erb 1730, the son of Lorentz Erb 1710, who settled in Northampton Co., Pennsylvania.
|
| Henry Erb abt 1740-
The only contemporary evidence we have for the existence of this person is the 1773 ship list and loyalty oath. What happened to him after he arrived in Pennsylvania is undocumented, but one possibility is that he died not long after arriving. Probably accompanying him on the Britannia were his possible son Meshack Erb 1758 and his possible daughter Esther Erb 1760. For a full discussion of these relationships and a complete list of Henry's possible descendants, go here. Although they first settled in Lancaster County, this line of Erbs appears to have no direct connection to Nicholas Claus Erb 1680.
|