Johan Adam Bolch and his wife Anna Christina (last name unknown) landed in Philadephia on 24 September 1753 on the ship Neptune (John Mason, Master) from Rotterdam, last from Cowes. They had two children with them, Jacob who was born in Germany prior to the voyage and Sebastian who was born during the journey. They settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Sometime prior to 1770 the family migrated to Lincoln County, North Carolina. The last name has been spelled in various ways through the generations including Balch, Balich, Boalich, Bohlich, Bohlig, Bolch, Boleck, Boley, Bolich, Bolick, Boliek, Bolig, Boligh, Bolih, Bolish, Bollich, Bollick, Bollig, Bolligh, Bolock, Bolsch, Boulch. Johan Adam was a shoemaker by trade. According to family stories, he had considerable property in Germany. Germany had strict limits on the amount of property immigrants were allowed to take with them when they left the country. Johan Adam converted his property into gold which he then melted into thin plates. He made new shoes for the family, with an extra pair for each. He placed the sheets of gold between the soles of the shoes and the family carried the gold to America. Andreas Balch arrived in Philadelphia on the same ship as Johan Adam Bolch. The next year a Johan Georg Bohlich arrived in Philadelphia on December 13, 1754 also on the Neptune (Walliam Malane, Master) from Hamburg, Hanover and Saxony. It has been theorized that these three men, Johan Adam Bolch, Andreas Balch and Johan Georg Bohlich were either cousins or brothers. As far as I know, this has yet to be proven. Johan Georg Bohlich and his son Johan Peter were shoemakers by trade. At this time I do not know what profession Andreas pursued.
| ![]() This is my Great-Great-Grandfather, Ephriam Lawrence Bolch, Sr. (sitting on the left) and five of his children. My Great-Grandfather, Ephriam Lawrence Bolch, Jr. is sitting on the far right. |
The reason for this website is simple: I want to find all of the descendants and all of the ancestors of Johan Adam Bolch and Anna Christina. Someone out there has the missings pieces of the puzzle. Someone out there has the clue that will lead us to Johan Adam and Anna Christina's birthplaces. We even have a mailing list set up on RootsWeb to help us stay in contact. Would you like to join?
![]() | bolch-l@rootsweb.com A mailing list for the discussion and sharing of information regarding the Bolch surname and variations in any place and at any time is available on RootsWeb. |
bolch-l-request@rootsweb.com (for individual messages) bolch-d-request@rootsweb.com (for a digest of multiple messages) In the body include only one word: subscribe
bolch-l@rootsweb.com |
![]() | Due to the unfounded concerns of various relatives regarding the information contained here, all genealogy charts have temporarily been removed. Information about living people can easily be obtained from a variety of sources on the web and will contain far more information than that found here. For example, in less than 10 minutes on the web, and without spending any money, I found the following information for the last relative to contact me: the cell phone service provider used, their birth date, the name and age of their spouse, their home address and how long they have lived there. If I had been willing to spend $20 I could have found previous addresses, jobs, credit history, names and birthdates of all family members, criminal record and much more—perhaps even the name of the family dog. However, it was never my intention to alienate my extended family so I will comply with their naive requests. To that end, this page has been suspended until a complete review can be made of the information. Rest assured that this page will return within the next few weeks, although without the complete family. I apologize to the bona fide researchers who are searching for their ancestors. Please contact me directly if you have a question. I still have my database and will be very happy to share information. Mom & Dad: I'm sorry I can't honor you and your parents here.
Melanie Willis Coyl | ||||||||||
![]() Wills | Johan Adam Bolch (Thanks to Tom Bolick) Jacob Bolick, oldest son of Johan Adam Bolch. (Thanks to Tom Bolick) Sebastian Bolick, second son of Johan Adam Bolch. (Thanks to Jane and Alex Woschenko) Marcus H. Bolch, a great-great grandson of Johan Adam Bolch through Johan Adam Bolch, II. (Thanks to Tom Bolick) ![]() Marriage Records | Please be patient. Each of these contains an image of the actual record so it may take a few seconds to load. Jonas Bolick & Sarah Bolick 12 January 1842 Henry Miller & Mahalia Bolch 8 January 1843 Hiram Bolch & Suzannah Miller 8 January 1843 Franklin Bolick & Anna Cline 4 April 1844 Philip Bolick & Sarah Cline 15 August 1844 Elijah Killian & Catherine Bolick 24 May 1845 John Kent & Harriet Bolch 28 December 1846 Elisha Miller & Jemima Bolch 16 March 1847 Philip Bolick & Ann Dietz 22 April 1847 Jacob Bolick & Mariam Ries 13 June 1847 Logan Bolch & Martha Ann Mauney 12 July 1847 Hiram Bolch & Elizabeth Ikerd 18 September 1847 Daniel Bolch & Fanny Yount 31 August 1848 Joseph Bolick & Evoline Pitts 23 December 1857 ![]() Bibles | Abner Bolick's Bible This is a transcript of the bible belonging to Abner Bolick from Cynthia Gilbert. ![]() Bolch Relatives and Researchers | A list of others researching the Bolch family.
| Other Webpages | Other Bolch and related family webpages
| Books | The Bolich Family in America by Mary Margaret Bolich |
© Copyright 1996-2007 by Melanie Coyl. All rights reserved.