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Note: Birth-Chr: Maar parish register; FHL Film 1195834; Item 2; vol 8; p 77 #22. Christened: August 30, 1836, Maar, Hessen, Germany. Researcher A. Boyd Nielsen reports that there is no marginal entry in George's birth record on when he left Germany as is sometimes evident in these records. There is no evidence, save his gravestone in the Collegeville cemetery that George Zinn's middle name was Wilhelm. LDS records of his baptism in Maar show him as Georg Zinn, the records of the Lutheran churches in Philipsburg, Baden, and Alexander all show George Zinn. His will as located in the archives of the Arkansas History Commission also reads as George Zinn. It is probable that Wilhelm was taken by him, possibly to help distinguish him from his first born son, George who, likewise, demonstrates no basis for a middle initial of "A". The records of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Alexander, AR in 1889, 90, 91, 93 and 94 show the Zinn family regularly in attendance. They are not shown in regular attendance at Avilla. One explanation may be that The Avilla church had not yet been built; it will be necessary to check the date of construction. We know the family was in the Collegeville area from available records; it may be that they were closer to Alexander. One family source indicated they settled on a farm located at a junction known as Avilla. The family appears in the 1880 census; FHL film 1254055, National Archives Film T9-0055, Page 481C. This is Ellis TWP, Pulaski County, AR. There are several errors in this enumeration, the major one being that he was born in C.W., or Canada West. Clearly, this is incorrect. Similarly, his wife's name is shown as Betty, an error unless it is a nickname for Charlotte and this may be. It also shows her being born in C.W. and we now know it was New York City through her christening record. 1890 Tax records show George Zinn owned or leased and was taxed for 160 acres in Salem School District, at Section 14, Township 1S, Range 15W. George A., his son owned property in Section 33, Township 1N, Range 14W. Letter dated May 15, 1996 from Sudie Wimberly: " Mildred, our baby sitter, knows people in the area of the Zinn farm so I asked her to find out about the location. She called me at noon today and told me she called a Victor Helmich who lives about 3 miles from the Zinn place. He said Richard Acree purchased the land from the Zinn's. His son or grandson, James Richard Acree, has a Avilla Hardware Store and his son James Acree Jr. runs the Avilla grocery store next to it. It is located on the Congo-Ferndale Road off of Lawson Road". At the time of his birth, the village of Maar was part of the Grand Duchy of Hessen. Germany did not come into being as a nation until the mid to late 1800's when Chancellor Bismarck unified the land. First Lutheran Church, 8th and Rock (314 E. 8th) Little Rock 372-1023 Immanuel Lutheran Church, 15224 Alexander Rd. Alexander, AF 455-0464 Zion Lutheran Church of Avilla LCMS, 300 Avilla E., Avilla, AR 794-2709 According to David Zinn of Canada, George came to Canada in 1856. Letter from David Zinn, son of Heinrich Zinn: New Hamburg, Ontario February 18, 1936 Dear Nephew: I was glad to hear from you to know that you had not forgotten me and that I showed you how to tie your shoes. I suppose you are lacing them the same way yet; now in return you want to make a historian out of me, well--I will start with my Grandfather Conrad Zinn, Mitcha Conrad was given only as a nickname, there was a hotel which was called Mitcha Haus and as a result he went by the name Mitcha Conrad--this is as best as I can remember, for there were so many Conrad Zinns in Maar. He was born abou 1797 and died at age 45, he was a member of the "Gemeina Raat" or "Village Council", died in the year about 1842 or thereabout. My father was born May 16, 1828 and was 14 years of age when his father passed away, father came to America in the Spring of 1848 with Wilhelm Eifert, they arrived at New Orleans and came up the Mississippi and Ohio River to Covington Ky., where Mr. Eifert stayed and made his home. My father came up to Buffalo and then on to Berlin, Ontario, which is now named Kitchener. Father had one brother George, he was born in 1836 and came to Canada in 1856, he died about 8 or 10 years ago. He has a grandson and granddaughter living in Kitchener, Ontario and the rest are over in USA, also a daughter, Mrs. Charles Highgate of Chicago, if she is alive yet, and the rest of his family are in or near Little Rock, Ark. USA. Father had two sisters both stayed in Ger. One is Catharine the name of the other is forgotten, one of the sisters was married to a Mr. Eifert a brother of Wilhelm Eifert that came along with father to America. This Mr. Eifert got the old home in Maar where my father was born and raised. My grandfather had the Village Hotel before he died. My mother was the oldest daughter of Johannes Mueller the first, her mother died when she was about 2 1/2 yrs. of age, her father married again and there were some half-sisters one of them was married to a Mr. Kalbfleisch, his brother came to Canada and lived in Stratford, Ont. until he died, mother came to America in 1850. She was born Mar 1st 1830 and came to Canada alone at the age of 20, she was married Feb 11-1851, died Feb 21-1912, at the age of 81 yrs. 11 mo's. 21 days. Father died at age 65 yrs. 8 mo's 11 days. The dates as given herein are as near correct as I can remember. ss David Zinn A letter from David Zinn to Roger Zinn dated February 18, 1936.
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