INTRODUCTION
Legend has it that our Seabolt family lines descend from two brothers who came from Germany in the mid-1700's. Passenger lists from ships arriving at the Port of Philadelphia during this period reveal that Johannes Seyboldt and Philip Seybolt arrived together on October 21, 1754 aboard the "Friendship" last out of Gosport, England under the command of Captain C. Ross. Also on board was a Philip Seibolt, who may not have been related since he was listed separately from the other two on the manifest roster. Ages were not recorded but since they arrived without wives or children, they were probably in their early twenties. When I was about 7-10 years old my great-grandfather, Stephen Roland Seaboalt (1855-1944), related to me the story about two brothers from Germany who came to the New World during the 1700's...one stayed and became the founder of our Seabo(a)t family...while the other returned to Germany. The emmigration record of Johannes and Philip Seyboldt had their names recorded on adjacent lines, which mean they were very likely traveling together. Johannes first child was born in Philadelphia in 1756...just less than two years after he arrived aboard the "Friendship". I found no later records of Philip Seybo(d)t.
EARLY GERMAN SEABOLTS
The modern spellings of the Ellis County, Texas Seabolts have two basic forms: Seabolt and Seaboalt. The insertion of the second "a" seems to have been done after the family came to Texas with some of William Riley Seaboalt's children using the former and some the latter. The pronunciation is Se' bolt' and is of German origin. In 1396, a Hans Sibot is recorded living in Germany. Many variations appeared over the next three centuries. Names such as Sybot, Sybolt, Sybott, Seubott, Seybolt, Seyboth, Seibot, Seubolt, Seybott, Seybot, Seuboth, Seubeth, and Seubot have also been recorded there. The Seyboth family lived in Baveria and were known for the salt deposits on the family property which they mined and used to enhance their wealth and power in the region. The family crest shows a man in Bavarian costume with a miner's shovel in one hand and a bow arrow in the other (indicating the family's profession and willingness to bear arms in support of the state).
THE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH HERITAGE
The early varients of the Seabolt name first appeared in America in the British Colony of Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. Although there had been a trickle of German immigration to that colony prior to 1700, it had grown into a literal flood by 1730. By and large, these immigrants were of a fundamental protestant religious persuasion who were seeking freedom to practice their religious beliefs in America. The largest group of these were Reformed Lutherans but they also included such such lesser sects as the Mennonites and the Amish. But freedom of religion was not the only cause spuring this mass migration. Wars, overcrowding and generally poor economic opportunities in the old country caused many to overcome their fear of taking the "great leap" across the big water to the new world. Germans also found the rolling countryside, forrested hills and plush valleys of Pennsylvania so much like their native land that they had little difficulty adapting and feeling at home. Most of the emmigrating Germans were Palatines from an area which is part of modern day Bavaria. Palatia was one of the northern most states of old Roman Empire.
The German immigrants to Pennsylvania settled in the eastern portion of the colony; mainly in the counties of Berks, Lancaster, Dauphine, Lehigh, Northampton and York. Many towns in these regions were founded and given old world names such as Hanover, Hamburg, Berlin and Germantown. These settlers referred to themselves as "Deutsch" which means "people of Germany" in their language. To the English colonist, the pronunciation sounded like "Dutch", and thus these settlers became known as the "Pennsylvania Dutch".
EARLY SEABOLT EMMIGRANTS
Most known Seabolt emmigration to the English Colonies was through the port of Philidelphia where cargo declaration records reveal the size and extent of this migration and where the names of each adult male or family head was recorded. A Johann Philip Seebolt (age 26) arrived on the ship "Winter Gally" under the command of Edward Paynter on September 5, 1738. Also, there was Johann Peter Seboldt on the "Robert and Alice", December 3, 1740; Johann Wolfgang Seyboth on the "Minerva", December 12, 1768; and Lenhart Zebolt on the "Anderson", August 24, 1750. Others during this period were John Michael Sebald, Jacob Zebalt, Peter Siebold, Christina Friederica Seybot, Carl Friederic Seyboth and Jacob Seybold.
As far as is known today, the early Seabolt emmigrants were mainly farmers and craftsmen with very little record of any in the fields of law or medicine. A Sebott served in the Continenal Army during the Revolutionary War, reaching the rank of sargent.
The following records were extracted from the Pensylvania Archieves, Vol XVIII:
Johannes Seibold is shown in "PA Births Philadelphia Co. 1644-1765" as being born on 14 October 1759 to a Johannes Elizabeth Seibold. Johannes Sebold is listed as the father of Johaimer Sebold, born August 11, 1785, in the baptism records of St Paul's Lutheran Church, Windsor Twp, Berks County, Pennsylvania (#22079). Baptism date is 1786. He is listed as John Seabold in the 1780 "Return and Assessment" tax records of Greenwich Twp, Berks Co., PA. A tax of 1.7.6 for 1 cow is listed. No other property is shown. He is listed as Jno Seebolt in the 1781 "Return and Assessment" tax records of Greenwich Twp, Berks Co., PA. A tax of 3.6 for 1 cow is listed. Finally, he is shown as Jno Seabolt in the 1784 "Return and Assessment" tax records of Windsor Twp, Berks Co., PA. No property is listed. 3 persons are shown in family.
This Johaimer Sebold (b. 11 August 1785) is my ggg-grandfather. He immigrated from Berks County, PA to Wilson County, TN and married Mahaley Kelly on 14 Aug 1810. He then moved to KY and finally Newton County, Arkansas. I have his ORIGINAL PENNSYLVANIA DEUTSH (DUTCH) Artistic Birth Certificate which matches the baptismal records in both date and god parents names. His named was spelled John Sibolt on the birth certificate and John Seabolt on his marriage bond in 1810. His children added a second "a" to the name and many of their descendents go by the name Seaboalt while some use the spelling Seabolt. We know today, from this research, that there were a line of people who arrived later to GA directly from Germany who were called Seabolts and that the Seabolt name can be found today in Germany. However, those Seabolts/Seaboalts who came through Philidelphia and Berks County are really Seybold(t)s. As the family migrated through TN and AR during the 1800's, records show that they were generally illerate, with some learning to read and write as adults in later years. So the combination of initially being thrust into the English speaking Anglo world, then the migration through the Old South where they became isolated from the German culture of Penn, and finally the illiteracy issue caused the name to evolve into the more widely recognized name of Seabolt.
Anyone wanting an e-mail color copy of this Seabolt birth certificate please e-mail me at "
williamz@flash.net"