As I have been doing research on the Zelsman - Zelsmann family name, stories and facts have been told to me.

So for the name Zelsmann has been researched back to 1494 in when a T. Zöltzmann was given a deed to land in the Phanstangen Germany. During our last visit to Germany we visited the village of Phanstangen and found a Günter Zölsmann family still living there. He stated his ancestor purchased his farm in 1600.

The name was always Zelsmann although different families from father to son changed different letters in the name by using ö for e or tz for s or a double s, but it still read as Zelsmann. In the locality where Gottfried settled in Jefferson County Missouri the pronunciation for Zelsman is sellsman as in seltzer.

I found the Zelsmann ancestors to be above average intelligence for their time as many were Burgermeister of their village.  They needed to know Latin fluently so they could trade with other towns and converse with Burgermeister from other areas of the country, because Latin was the language of commerce.  It showed that they received some formal education as the earliest report of a school in Gefell was in 1463.  By the mid 1500's children from a large area outside of the town were also attending school in Gefell. The Zelsmann's seemed to have been religious as their children were all christened soon after birth and some were Elders in their church, which was the highest office a lay person could hold in their church at that time.  They were hard working people.  Many worked as blacksmiths, grain millers, butchers, etc.  Gefell was one of the larger thriving communities for those early days and was in the middle of an important 4-way road.  Many market days and festival days where held.  I believe our ancestors not only worked hard but I am sure they also had the opportunity to play hard.

I will continue to research the Zelsmann family name, as one is never finished. So for now I will start my ancestral line with --

T. Zöltzmann had a son named Christoph Zölzmann born in Phanstangen.  Christoph had a son born in the mid 1500's named Erhart Zölzmann. Erhart married Margarethe Encke in 1612.  They had a son named Erhardt born in 1621 in Phanstangen.  He married Anna Oefner in 1644. 

Anna and Erhardt Zölzmann had a son in 1651 whose name was also Erhardt Zeltzmann. This Erhardt married Eva Rudiger in 1676 in Bohmsdorf. They had two sons.  The oldest son was Erhard Zelzmann, born in 1679. Their youngest son was Johannes Zelssmann, born 1682. Johannes married Maria Reissig in 1705. They had a son named Johann Erhard Zeltzmann, born in 1712.

Erhard Zelsmann born 1679 in Phanstangen Prussia.  Burgermeister of Oberkoskau Prussia, died 29 July 1742 Oberkoskau, married 21 Nov. 1702 in Oberkoskau to Johanna Eva Eiller b. 15 Jan. 1679 Oberkoskau d. 19 May 1745 Oberkoskau: They had 7 children:


1.  Johann Adam   b.  26 Feb. 1704  Oberkoskau
2.  Johann Georg   b. 16 Jul. 1706 Oberkoskau
3.  Johanna Christina  b.  22 Sep. 1708 Oberkoskau
4.  Maria Catharina   b.  26 Nov. 1711  Oberkoskau
5.  Maria Elizabeth   b.  01 Nov. 1714  Oberkoskau
6.  Catharena Elizabeth  b.  13 Nov. 1720  Oberkoskau
7.  Johann Nicol   b. 23 May. 1723  Oberkoskau
 
Hans Johann Nicol Zelsmann, born 1723, died Jul 26, 1804. 9 Feb. 1747 married Anna Eva Lonitzen, b. Dec. 7, 1714, and d Dec. 17, 1757. They were married in Unterkoskau, February 9, 1747.  They had 2 children. The first was Johann Adam Zelsmann - born in Oberkoskau on December 16, 1747 - died August 19, 1821. Johann Adam, married in Unterkoskau on Jan.30 1781 to Catherina Erdmutha Seyfert, born?  Spilmes Germany died?     The second child was Maria Elizabeth b. 10 Mar. 1753 Oberkoskau she married John Christoph Rudolph.

Johann Adam b. 1747 and Erdmutha Seyfert had 4 + Children: