The Name’s the Same

Like many of us, I imagine, I never knew the origin of my family name. I find family names to be of the upmost importance when seeking the history of our ancestors; some versions of a name may carry information that may have otherwise been hidden to us. When it comes to Sawn, there have been many variants suggested, and family lore from different branches has hinted over the years at Van Sawn, or alternatively, Van Saun.

The history of the Lutheran Church in Germantown dates back to 1728 when the first pastor died and was buried here.  It is believed that there have been Churches on the lot where the current Church stands going back to the 1730’s.  The current St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, seen here in 2010 was built in 1896-1897 while the parsonage on the right was built in 1855.

In my more recent research, I came across a baptismal record for St. Michael’s Church in the Germantown area of Philadelphia. This church has birth dates that match up to my 4th great-grandfather, Henry Sawn, and another Sawn named Daniel. I knew both men had lived in Germantown and have based an assumption that were related to one another on this.

Records for St. Michael’s Lutheran Church note the baptism of four young children under the surname Zahn, on August 23, 1779. Heinrich, Daniel, Johannes, and Elizabeth were all under ten years of age at the time of their baptism. They had unfortunately lost their father, Christian Zahn, in April of that year. He originally immigrated from Prussia, and died aged 46.

Their mother, Susanna Zahn, remarried in January 1, 1784. She was wed to a man named Johann Lutz, in St. Michael’s Church.

Elizabeth Zahn, who was born just 25 days before her father died, would tragically die just three months after him, in November 1779. Heinrich, Daniel and Johannes were apprenticed in various trades, which they would continue to practice for the remainder of their lives.

Lt. John Trout Greble, great grandson of Andrew Greble.
January 19, 1834 – June 10, 1861

Heinrich Zahn, or Henry as he went by in later years, apprenticed in Philadelphia with a carpenter named Andrew Greble, who was a veteran of the Revolution. Interestingly Andrew’s great grandson, John Greble, was a West Point graduate and the first regular Army Officer killed in the American Civil War. Henry eventually settled in Camden, New Jersey as a successful cooper. He passed this trade down to his own three sons.

Daniel Zahn remained in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. It is thought that he apprenticed in the paper-making business with Jacob Rittenhouse, whose grandfather, William Rittenhouse, opened the first paper-making mill in America. We do know that Daniel worked at the mill for Jacob from 1798-1803, before moving to Belleville, New Jersey. Daniel ultimately settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, exercising his trade as a paper-maker.

Johannes, later adopting the name John, apprenticed on a farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He married and moved to practice agriculture in Loudon County, Virginia. It was here that his children were born and raised.

So, what is it that binds the descendants of these three men? The answer is written in their DNA.

While Johannes continued to go by the last name Zahn, Heinrich and Daniel started going by the last name Sawn at some point during the 1790’s. Matches on a recent DNA test I took with AncestryDNA show positive matches between myself and the descendants of four of Johannes’s children. Though there may yet be more undiscovered matches to Johannes’s family, I am now convinced that their father, Christian Zahn, is indeed my fifth great-grandfather.

I have learned though this experience that, unfortunately, paper trails can at times become stretched or circumstantial. If this happens, it is important to take advantage of ever-developing technology.

When required, DNA evidence can step in, to ultimately provide a solid link that ties relatives together.

One Comment

  • Daniel Sawn

    May 7, 2021 at 10:56 am Reply

    Hello John. My name is Daniel, I recently tried to re-register as I have lost my first login information. But I cannot get a password rest sent to email. Could you assist?

    Thank you, first off for the remarkable work you have accumulated here, and secondly for giving my valued understanding of who I am.

    Kindly,
    Master Sergeant (Retired)
    Daniel Paul Sawn

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St Michaels Church - 1910

About the Blog

This website was established to assist in the research the Sawn family name as well as the many surnames associated with it. It was set up to assist in the research of these families and contains related documents and photos collected over the year. The blog represents the stories and histories uncovered about our ancestors during this research.

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