Zilpah, John and Mary Ann’s seventh child, was baptised on the 13th of August 1854, at St. Andrew’s Old Church, Hove.
Leaving England for America
In October 1860, when she was 7 years and 5 months of age, Zilpah (misspelled as Zelpha on the passenger list) accompanied her mother, father, and six of her siblings on their journey to New York.
Early Days in America
I am still trying to ascertain the Harmer family’s movements during their first few years in America. We know from the 1880 U.S. Federal Census that Mary Ann gave birth to a ninth child, Ada Harmer, at New York (or Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey) in Oct 1862, and that she was baptised in March 1863 at Newark, N.J. 1862/3, therefore, seems to be the latest time that the family settled in the Newark area.
John Harmer is listed in Holbrook’s street directory for Newark, N.J. for 1869 at ‘h Pike rd n Bridge, South Newark’, with the occupation of ‘Ornamental Plasterer’. This would seem to be where Zilpah was brought up.
Marriage
On 23rd September 1874, when she was about 20 years old, Zilpah married Henry Meyers at Newark, Essex, New Jersey. I cannot find any record of their lives after this. it is probable that Henry was of German or Dutch extraction, as per the other Meyers living in New Jersey at the time.
