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Note: Sylvester (Holbe) Holben arrived in Philadelphia from Amsterdam via Cowes in 10/5/1737 on the Ship "Billinder Townsend" (Thomas Thompson, Master)- along with Conrad (Holbe) Hulvey. The Oath of Allegience taken in Philadelphia when he arrived in 1737 lists his name as "Balthasar Holben". There is no evidence he used this name in the USA nor is the middle name Balthasar given in the baptism records, land deeds, 1779 Will and Ltrs of Adm.
Sylvester had a 12/4/1740 Land Warrant for 151 acres on a branch of the Maiden Creek in what is now Berks Co, Pa (now 206 Kunkel's Dahl Road, Kempton, Pa 19529) and then moved to Lynn Township, Lehigh Country, Pa in 1750 (now 7927 Bausch Road, New Tripoli, Pa 18066) with 200 acres on land originally warranted to Adam Weis, sold to George Michael Kuntz and then to Silvester.
We believe Sylvester first married a widow , Anna Maria Stumpf, of Johann Christian (Jonas) Holbe, his brother who died enroute or shortly after his arrival in 1750. Johann Christian may have been called Jonas or Johannes and had a son named Johannes Wilhelm Holbe born in 1742. Sylvester raised Johannes Wilhelm (Holbe) Holby as his step-son.
Sylvester's second wife was Clara Derr and she definitely had two sons by Sylvester ( Christian and Jacob). Three daughters (Elizabeth, Maria Magdalena and Margaret) have no known birthdates-so I have listed them as the children of Silvester and the "unknown widow of Johannes Holbe". However, Maria and/or Margaret could have been the daughter of Clara and Sylvester. Clara Derr was the widow of Michael Bittner and had a son, Andreas. Andreas was raised by Silvester as a step-son. Also, two sisters of Andreas were probobly raised as step-children by Sylvester. Clara had a sister, Rosina Barbara Derr, who married Sebastian Werley.
Sylvester had a will dated 7/5/1779 that was filed with Northampton County and witnessed by Johann Helman Carl and Jacob Hantz. George Michael Kuntz & Christian Seiberling were the Executors of the Will. Christian Seiberling (1733-1820) married Ernestine Louisa Holben b1728. We do not know her parents or siblings.
After Sylvester's death, his land was divided between William (his step-son) and Peter Weiss (his son-in-law). After Sylvester's wife Clara died in mid-1780's his minor children, Christian and Jacob, were probably raised by Peter Weiss and his daughter Elizabeth.
Conrad Holbe first purchased land in Lower Milford Twp, Pa on 1738 and sold it in 1749. He had property next to Sylvester in Lynn Twp as shown by a Land Warrent map and adjacent to Sebastian Werley in 1767. Around 1768 Conrad moved to Shenandoah County, VA. The surname of this family thereafter was spelled three ways- "Hulvey", "Hulver" and "Hulva". The original surname spelling was Holbe. See rootsweb.com for Holbe file in Rothenbergen, Gruendau, Germany,
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