Research Notes:
There might be more than one man named Jacob Kauffman referred to by these notes.
1558 The muster roll for Steffisburg, Switzerland did not include any Kauffman family, suggesting that Jacob moved there at a later date. [1]
1580 Anni, daughter of Jacob Kauffman and Christini Räber was baptised on April 3, at Steffisburg, Bern, Switzerland. [2] [3]
3 April Jackob Kauffmans und Christini Räber k. t. heist Anni | Züge Hans Farni Anni Bruggwiler Anna Ogg?
1581-82 Jacob Kauffman and Christini had two more children: Hans baptized February 19, 1581 [4], and Magdalena, baptized April 22, 1582 [5], both at Steffisburg. [6]
c 1582 Christini Räber died.
1584 Jacob Kauffman, from Schopfheim in the vicinity of Basel [127 kilometers north of Steffisburg], and Anni Burcki, of Trimstein [parish of Munsingen, 22 kilometers north of Steffisburg], were married on May 11 at Steffisburg. [7] They had 7 children.
Jacob Kauffman von Schopf… uff Basel biest, Anni Bürckis von Trim stein. 11 Maÿ
1585 Caspar, son of Jacob Kauffman and Anni Bürcki, was baptized at Steffisburg, the fifth of five children baptized on April 11. [8]
[11 Aprilus] Die fünfte ist Jagi Kauffmans und Anni Bürckis heist Caspar | Züg… Caspar Wendemiller | Hans ?ÿacher ??
1586 Margreth, child of Jackob Kauffman and Anni Bürckÿs, was baptized on May 29 at Steffisburg. [9]
29 Maÿ Jackob Kauffmans und Anni Bürckÿs k. t. heist Margreth Zügen Peter ? Margreth Moser | Anni ?
1590 Jacob, son of Jacob Kauffman and Anni Bürcki, was baptized at Steffisburg, the fourth of four children baptized on May 31. [10]
Die vieret ist Jackob Kauffmans Anni Bürckis heist Jackob | Zügen Nicklaus fru? | Frÿdli Himmel | Disheli? Frÿ
1593 Nicklaus, son of Jagi Kauffman and Anni Bürcki, was baptized on December 10 at Steffisburg. [11]
10 Decembris Nicklaus |: Jagi Kauffmans Anni Bürckis | Zügen Nicklaus Frÿ | Caspar Joder Verena Falkÿsen |
1596 Michel, son of Jacob Kauffman and Anni Bürcki, was baptized on May 30 at Steffisburg. [12]
30 Maÿ Michel | Jackob Kauffmans Anni Bürckis | Züge Michel Graf Niclaus Breutiger Verena Stutz.
1609 Jacob Kauffman and Adeli Ummel were married on January 1 at Steffisburg, Switzerland. [13]
1612 Son Caspar Kauffman and Barbli Knöüwbul were married at Steffisburg, Switzerland. No date was recorded, but the marriage is listed between marriages on July 13 and October 5. [14]
Steffisburg is near Grindelwald, Iseltwald and Erlenbach im Simmental, Bern, Switzerland.
The marriage record of Jacob Kauffman and Christini Raber has not been found in the parish books for Steffisburg.
A biosketch reports [15]:
There were numerous Kaufmann families in the Canton of Berne, Switzerland by the late 1500s. Our line of Kaufmanns were primarily from the Alpine area around Grindelwald, lseltwald, and Erlenbach im Simmental. The earliest record of our direct line ancestor is given in a baptismal book in the parish of Steffisburg—it states that Jacob Kaufmann and Christini Raber had a daughter Anna baptized 3 April 1580. The marriage must have been elsewhere since their marriage was not recorded in this parish. The church record also states that Jacob was from Schofheim. Jacob and Christini had two children—Anna and Hans-before Christini died in about 1582. On 11 May 1584, Jacob remarried a woman named Anni Burcki of Trimstein (Trimstein lies in the parish of Munsingen, two hours north of Steffisburg). Jacob and Anni had a family of 7 children: Magdalena, Caspar, Margareth, Jacob, Niklaus, Michael, and Verena. It is not known when Jacob and Anni Kaufmann died, but they are likely buried in Steffisburg, Switzerland--based on church records of their children continuing in this parish.
A Kauffman genealogy reports [16]:
In 1613-14 another muster roll was made in the vicinity of Thun, and Jacob Kaufman presented himself armed with a spear (see Wehrwesen I, 197, 1/70). The earliest known record of the family is recorded in a baptismal book in the parish of Steffisburg in which it shows that Jacob Kouffman and Christini Raber had a daughter Anna baptized April 3, 1580. The marriage must have been elsewhere. A few years later his wife died and he remarried May 11, 1584, to Anni Biircki of Trimstein. The church record states that Jacob Kaufmann was from Schopfen in the vicinity of Basel. Undoubtedly this refers to Schofheim, Baden, where the Kaufmann family had lived long before this time and no Schopfen being found in Switzerland at this early date. Jacob Kauffman or his son married Dec. 13, 1613, Verena Barb. Trimstein lies in the parish of Munsingen, two hours north of Steffisburg.
"Jacob Kaufmann III, born c1555. He was the son of Jacob II (born c1530) who was the son of Jacob I (born c1500). Jacob III was married to Anni Bürki of Trimstein near Munsingen, Bern on 11 May 1584 at Steffisburg, Bern, Switzerland. At his marriage he was from Schopfe, Canton Basel, Switzerland." [17]
[1] Charles Fahs Kauffman, A genealogy and history of the Kauffman-Coffman families of North America, 1584 to 1937 (1940), xi, [HathiTrust].
[2] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 79, Left, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[3] Charles Fahs Kauffman, A genealogy and history of the Kauffman-Coffman families of North America, 1584 to 1937 (1940), xii, [HathiTrust].
[4] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 85, left, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[5] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 94, right, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[6] Charles Fahs Kauffman, A genealogy and history of the Kauffman-Coffman families of North America, 1584 to 1937 (1940), xii, [HathiTrust].
[7] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 184, Right, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[8] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 119, Left, second from top, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[9] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 129, Left, second from top, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[10] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 151, Left, third from bottom, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[11] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 245, Right, second above 1594, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[12] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 1, Taufrodel (1557-1599), Eherodel (1551-1605), 259, Left, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[13] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 2, Taufrodel (1606-1644), Eherodel (1607-1639), 338, Left, first entry below 1609, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[14] Staatsarchivs des Kantons Bern, Steffisburg, Kirchenbuch 2, Taufrodel (1606-1644), Eherodel (1607-1639), 342, [BernStateArchivesImage], [BernStateArchivesCatalog].
[15] Stephen Harold Smith, Barshingers in America (Baltimore: Gateway Press, Inc, 2001), 553, [GoogleBooks].
[16] Charles Fahs Kauffman, A genealogy and history of the Kauffman-Coffman families of North America, 1584 to 1937 (1940), xiii, [HathiTrust].
[17] Richard Warren Davis, Mennosearch.com Family Notes, Kauffman A, [Website].