Johann Jakob Korffman

     Johann Jakob was born on Thursday, 10 April 1749 in Stein-Bockenheim, Rheinhessen, Germany. Jacob immigrated from Germany in 1764 with his parents; the family settling in the Seven Valleys region of Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennyylvania. In 1772, he was living in Hopewell Township where he purchased 300 acres of land, which he sold to his brother, Philip in 1775. Jacob, however, by this time, had settled in Shrewsbury and was listed there in the tax records in 1774. Johann married Susannah (?) in 1775 at York County. The tax records of the early 1780s show that he owned a distillery and had a growing family of 5 individuals. While living there in Shrewsbury, he was a member of the York County Militia during the Revolutionary War under the command of his brother-in-law, Captain George Geiselman. During these years, he maintained a farm of 150 acres and operated a whiskey still resulting in a tax assessment of £193 5 shillings. Also, in 1783, he deeded land to the St. Peter’s Reformed Church which is located on the road to the Baltimore Turnpike and was also one of its first members along with his father and his uncle Daniel Corfman.
By 1789, Jacob had resettled his family in Washington County Maryland, as he was listed as co-administrator to his father’s estate. He hired his former Captain and brother-in-law as his attorney to assist with the documents. The 1790 U.S. Federal Census enumerates at Washington County, Maryland, the family of Jacob Curpman: 1 male over 16, 2 males under 16, 5 females.² Johann departed this life in 1790 in Washington County, Maryland.