The first European settlements in Maryland were made in 1634 when English settlers created a permanent colony.
Lush forests in Colonial America allowed settlers to build wooden homes.
Johann Mathias Brandstetter was born on February 16, 1711/12 in Aichau, Ansbach, Bayern, Germany. His parents were Andreas Sigismund Brandstetter and Appolonia Egle Dosenbau. His Godfather was Melchior Belli, a small farmer from Steinbach.
He married Maria Magdalena Scharr on November 7, 1741 in Fröschen, Sudwestpfalz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Her father was Conrad Scharr, an umbrella maker.
Their children born in Germany were Anna Barbara Brandstetter (1744) and Andreas Brandstetter (1747).
They immigrated to America on May 1, 1749. Their son Mathias Brandstetter was born in America in 1750
Mathias, Sr. died in 1770 in Maryland.
Ansbach or Anspach is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is 25 miles southwest of Nuremberg and 90 miles north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main.
Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.
The Palatinate is a region in south-western Germany. Many thousands of Palatine immigrants were driven out of Germany by war, famine, despotic rule and disease. They were attracted to Pennsylvania by the first settlers who sent back favorable reports.
Europeans who made the voyage to America faced a difficult journey of several months.
