Who Do You Think You Are? (2010) s06e02 Episode Script
Josh Groban
1 Narrator: On this episode, Josh Groban traces his mother's family all the way back to 17th-century Germany.
I had no clue that I was German.
He discovers an ancestor with a gifted mind and a shared interest - He was a singing instructor.
- Yeah.
Wow.
He would, himself, be singing, correct? - Yeah.
- It gives me chills.
whose brilliance was coupled with torment of dark predictions for the future.
Josh: I imagine he wrote under a fake name because this is a dangerous book.
He was crazy.
Narrator: Multi-platinum singing star Josh Groban first found his voice at the L.
A.
County High School For The Arts.
Launched into the spotlight at age 17, Josh has become one of the most popular artists in the world, selling more than 25 million records and earning numerous award nominations.
[ Reporters clamoring .]
His accomplishments also include songwriting, music-producing, and acting.
Offstage, Josh's deepest passion is his foundation "Find Your Light," which helps enrich the lives of young people through arts, education, and cultural awareness.
- Hello.
- Hi.
Good to see you.
He lives in Los Angeles, just a few miles from the home where he grew up.
- Father.
- Hi.
- How you doing? - I'm fine.
Good.
Come.
Sit.
Josh: I was born in Los Angeles, California.
My mom is Melinda Groban.
My dad is Jack Groban.
And my brother is Christopher.
I was very lucky that I had two very intelligent and also very artistic parents that were keen enough to make sure that we got our noses away from the television and got us out to see music in the city.
And I think that directly influenced me to go into the arts as a profession.
And my mom was an art teacher.
So, education's been a huge part of our belief system and family.
Both my parents were only children.
So, when you grow up with such a very small immediate family, the family tree -- it just doesn't come up in conversation.
My father's side of the family, I think, was better at keeping a real documented tree.
And on my mom's side of the family, there is no such thing.
I know that the Los Angeles roots go back.
My mom was born here, and my grandma lived here a very, very long time.
My grandpa, Lee, on my mom's side -- He was kind of like a James Dean kind of a guy.
You know, he worked at a gas station.
He died when I was very, very young, before I was the age of one.
And I don't know much about that side.
So I'm very curious.
My father was one of five children.
He was very much impacted by the depression.
And he had to quit school to help my grandmother.
I never met my grandfather.
He passed away suddenly when I was young.
And so he's a mystery.
I don't really know the Johnston history at all.
A huge part of why I'm doing this is for my family -- For my mom, specifically.
I think that this means a huge amount to her.
So I think, for me, this is a chance to kind of take the blinders off when it comes to my past, my history, my DNA.
I'm scared but I'm excited.
I'm hoping to learn more about who were the relatives from my mom's side of my family who originally came to this country, and why they came here.
I can't wait to be able to report back to my mom about what I find out.
And it's gonna be a great gift to all of us, but, I think, especially to her.
I'm heading to the L.
A.
Public Library to meet professional genealogist Kyle Betit.
Since I basically know nothing about my mother's father's side, I've asked Kyle to go back as far as possible on that tree.
Well, I have looked into the mother's father's side of your family.
I've used records like wills and deeds and newspapers to construct a tree for you on Ancestry.
Wow, okay.
So, if you like, we can look at the tree now.
I'd be fascinated.
Sure.
Of course.
Thank you.
Okay.
So, it starts with you.
All right, so That is my mom and dad -- Jack Groban, Melinda Groban.
And then up there -- So, her father -- Merrill Johnston.
And Dorothy, yeah.
So, my grandfather Lee -- His name was actually Merrill Lee Johnston? - That's right.
- Yeah.
My grandfather's father was also Merrill.
And it looks like Johnson without the "T.
" That's right.
Interesting.
Okay.
So, if I just go up a little further here So, my great-grandfather's parents' names were George Johnson and Mary Ann Zimmerman.
So, his mother's last name was Zimmerman.
That's right.
Was born in 1845 in Illinois.
I've never heard this name before.
Those would be my great-great-grandparents.
That's right.
Considering that my mom never even knew her own grandfather, what's exciting is that Kyle was able to go all the way back to my seven-times great-grandfather.
Jacob Christopher Zimmerman -- Jay-Z.
That's right.
The original Jay-Z.
[ Both laugh .]
That's pretty cool to be related to Jay-Z.
It is.
Born before 1694.
That's really cool to know that the American roots are that far back and that deep.
When it says, "born before 1694," is that generally saying that there are no specifics about when that could have been? I actually did find a source about Jacob Christoph Zimmerman, and we can look for some additional details.
Passenger and Immigration Lists Index -- 1500s through 1900s.
Name -- Jacob Christoph Zimmerman.
Arrival year to Pennsylvania -- 1694.
Mm-hmm.
The primary immigrant -- Maria Margaretha.
What is a primary immigrant? The words "primary immigrant" mean the head of the family emigrating together.
I see.
Okay.
And it says that one of her family members is her son -- Jacob Christoph.
Gotcha.
So she's the mother.
She is.
She would then be my eight-time great-grandmother.
Wow.
But if she was the primary immigrant traveling with her children, where is her husband? Does that mean that he took a hike? Does that mean that he passed away? Does that mean there was a divorce? What happened to him? Narrator: Josh Groban is at the public library in his hometown of Los Angeles searching for clues about his mother's paternal lineage.
He's just discovered that his ancestor Jacob Christopher Zimmerman immigrated to America with his mother, Maria.
But Jacob's father, Josh's eight-times great-grandfather, was nowhere to be found.
I would be very curious to know what happened.
Is that possible to know? If you look further, perhaps you can read the additional information and get more details about -- There you go.
Yeah, "source.
" Got it.
William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Migration to Pennsylvania.
William Penn was an English Quaker who established the colony of Pennsylvania.
- Of Pennsylvania.
- Right.
And he brought to the colony not only Quakers, but people of various religions.
Hmm.
So, what you have here is an abstract from this book.
In this case, this book compiled lists of immigrants to America based on various records.
I'm trying to wrap my head around what the origin of that name could possibly be.
I mean, German? Dutch? Where exactly they would have come over from is not clear from this abstract.
Okay.
But we may be able to learn more about this family from actually looking at the book.
Looking at the book.
Sure.
So, page 409.
So, then we're gonna find 409.
Here we are.
So, let's see here.
We are looking for Zimmermans.
Um Zimmerman.
Here we are.
Bietigheim.
[ Chuckles .]
Which, of course, is east of You actually said that right.
Plotzheim in Würtenberg.
Okay, so, help me dissect this.
It's one of the German-speaking states that eventually became part of modern-day Germany.
I had no clue that I was German.
I, uh, I had no clue.
So, Zimmerman, Maria Margaretha, widow of John Jacob Zimmerman.
So, that means John Jacob Zimmerman would then be my eight-times great-grandfather.
And it says here he died in or after leaving Rotterdam en route to Pennsylvania.
So, probably around 1694.
And Maria and four children trekked on.
I'd like to know how he died.
Also, do we have any information why John Jacob Zimmerman and his wife would have wanted to take the trek from this part of Germany to America? To find the answers to those questions, I think you're going to need to look in Germany.
The best places you could go for that kind of information would be the archives in the capital city of Würtenberg, which is Stuttgart.
Fantastic.
Auf wiedersehen.
Appreciate all your help.
Thanks, Kyle.
Thank you very much.
Have a great day.
Josh: My head is spinning.
My imagination's just going wild.
I learned for the first time today that I have German roots.
You know, the more answers you get, the more questions you have.
What happened to the Zimmermans back then? Something tells me that there was really a desperate need for them to make the journey they did.
So, now I'm off to Stuttgart, Germany, to find out more about my eight-times grandfather, John Jacob Zimmerman.
I can't believe that I'm here in Stuttgart.
It's one thing to think about it and go online, but to actually be in the city is exhilarating.
I've arranged to meet with archivist Peter Rueckert at the Würtenberg state archives.
I hope he's been able to track down some interesting information about John's life here in Germany.
I think I can help you because That's a beautiful book.
It's very old.
Oh, yes.
1630-1749.
"Ehebuch.
" This is a marriage book? Yes.
It's chronological.
Really? There we are.
I've traveled a long way to see this name written on this page.
It's really phenomenal.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
Pronounced "yo-han" or just Johan? It would just be changed to John in English.
But then I don't know what the rest says.
"1671.
On February 22nd, Mr.
M.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman, Deacon at Bietigheim, legitimate son of Mister Mattheus Zimmerman, citizen and hospital cooper married Maria Margaretha.
" Okay, so we know he's a deacon.
What was the religion? It was Lutheran.
What would be the responsibility of a deacon at that time? And then now we go back even further that his father was Mattheus Zimmerman.
So that would be my nine-times great grandfather.
[ Laughs .]
Fantastic.
Now, what is a hospital cooper? So, Johan, he's the son of somebody who was a craftsman, somebody who worked with his hands.
I'm curious, where does the "M" come from? So, Johan should have continued in the work of his father, but something inspired him to get a higher education and to become a master.
Do we know what he studied? Would it be theology, something along those lines? So, what you're saying by that -- If you're working for the church at that point, the higher ups at the church are looking over your shoulder.
They're taking notes as to the work you're doing there.
- Exactly.
- Okay.
Bietigheim Stadt.
1601.
Wow.
All the way to 1809.
Yes.
So, this document is 1676, which was five years after he was married.
Right.
Deacons.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
25 November.
November.
Wow, so, his birthday was November 25, 1642.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
So, he has two children at this time.
Okay! Everything was lovely.
Everything was wonderful.
So these are the schools and how many years he was at each school.
Before he was a deacon.
So, what is Tübingen? Oh, that would be university? So, Tübingen University? Yes.
To get his magister, he would have had to spend eight years there.
And he continued.
So he was expanding upon his knowledge.
So, he was a real thinker, as well as a believer.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's there.
I can't wait.
Thank you so much.
[ Chuckles .]
Have a nice trip.
It never ceases to amaze me how much history repeats itself.
The fact that my mom is all about education.
She was a teacher.
And her father worked with his hands, just as Johan's did.
So, she broke that cycle.
And Johan had to break the cycle, as well.
He went on and had this grand education, and he became a real scholar.
So, I'm curious to know what he accomplished at the university.
Narrator: Josh discovers his ancestor was on the brink of losing everything.
"Spare me, my family, and my poor, heavily pregnant wife.
" Wow.
Narrator: Josh Groban is in Tübingen, Germany, heading to the university where his eight-times great-grandfather, Johan Jacob Zimmerman, studied.
He's just found out that before Johan became a church deacon, he was a devoted scholar who spent eight years at the university.
Josh: I'm really excited today to be able to answer some more questions for myself as to what else he was studying here, what brought him here for those extra four years.
I've arranged to meet with Head Archivist Beate Martin.
I'm hoping she can give me some answers about Johan's studies here.
Hello, Beate.
Hello, Josh.
Nice to meet you.
Welcome in The Stift.
Yes, thank you.
Lovely to be here in The Stift.
This was a residential hall for students who are studying theology.
Oh, okay.
So, this is where my eight-times great-grandfather, Johan Jacob Zimmerman, lived.
- Yeah.
- It is? It is.
It is.
Wow.
And we can have a look in our archives.
We have documents about all the students.
Oh, yeah.
Cool.
There we are.
Wow.
Okay.
This is very cozy down here.
Yeah.
I have the archives of the university.
And this would be where we're looking -- 1625 to 1748.
A long period of time in this book.
Mm-hmm.
You can have a look in it.
We have here, "Candidatorium.
" Yeah, it's Latin.
"The Candidates.
" So, this is the candidates to get their master's.
- 1664.
Okay.
- Yeah.
I see a lot of Johans.
[ Laughs .]
- Aha.
- Ah! It's number 2.
Johannes Jacob Zimmerman.
Okay, so, he's listed second here.
Second, yeah.
- So, what would that mean? - It's a ranking.
- Ah.
Oh, really? - Yeah, it's a ranking.
Ah, he almost made it to number one.
[ Laughs .]
So close.
That must have eaten him up inside.
That's really tough.
- So, he did very well? - Yeah.
So, I know that he studied theology.
What else did he study after the first four years? I have a document.
There you go.
"Testimonia Angarium Arbi-- arbia" "Fabiani.
" "Fabiani.
" "Testimonia" -- that's evidence, a report of the students.
It's a report-card book.
His grades after all eight years.
Okay, let's see here.
Yeah.
Here he is.
- It's very hard to read.
- Yeah.
I see "Musica.
" Right? Mm-hmm.
"Musica en cura"? Mm-hmm.
"Precidet.
" "Precidet.
" Mm-hmm.
It means, "He instructs Mathematics very exactly and supervises Music with care.
" Oh, wow.
If you look at the other side, you don't see "Musica," no? It looks like he was the only one on here who did that.
Yeah.
It's only he who cares about music.
Cool.
Your Johan.
Yeah.
[ Chuckles .]
That's great.
So, what was he doing as a music teacher? He instructs the other students singing.
He was a singing instructor.
- Yeah.
- Wow.
He would, himself, be singing, correct? It gives me chills.
It's not just 'cause it's cold down here.
It's fantastic.
Look at this.
Johan hold this book in his hand for teaching music.
Oh, really? That's amazing.
So, he would have had this book in his hands and teaching his students.
I'm sure.
Wow.
So, he would have taught probably all of these songs to the students.
To have a book like this even in my own hands is extraordinary.
I'm so excited to know that he was passionate about music.
When I think about the music education that I was lucky enough to have, to know that he was the one music teacher at a time when there were no music teachers -- fantastic.
I have some other documents of the library of our university.
It's not the first page, but here -- the bookmark.
Oh, there he is.
- Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
- Yeah.
- Did he write this? - Yes.
Wow.
Very, very interesting.
And you can see the title.
"Theorie.
" "Theory," right? It would be the theory.
Yeah, theories.
"Secundorum Mobilium Perfectae.
" What does it mean? [ Chuckles .]
We have here a translation.
Thank goodness.
So, "With God," it says at the top.
"As it is our intention here to rectify the second motion of the planets, it is appropriate that we touch a little upon astronomical principles of secondary movements beforehand.
" Was he an astronomer? He was an astronomer.
He would have been considered an astronomer.
Yeah, mm-hmm.
And he was also Deacon.
That is so amazing to me.
That is just -- It's overwhelming.
Back then, would you say that the studying of the planets was a way for someone like Johan to be closer to God, to understand God more? Yeah, it was a unity between religion and sciences.
How many books did Johan write about astronomy? A dozen books.
- A dozen books? - Yeah, mm-hmm.
Really?! - He was prolific.
- Yeah.
I have here a book.
"Newton's Principia.
" Newton, the founder of modern physics.
Of course.
I already see his name.
I see his name in here.
My God.
He was mentioned by Newton.
So, November 23rd, "Mr.
Zimmerman saw the comet 2, 31, South latitude.
" That's amazing.
So, Newton knew him -- Knew of him.
This is incredible.
I'm completely blown away.
So, he was really interested in things that were not just about a belief system.
He wanted to know the facts.
As a deacon at the church, how would he have time to study the stars and also be a deacon? Maybe you can go to Bietigheim.
And it's still a fully functioning church.
- It is? - Yes.
Wow, thank you so much for having us here at The Stift today.
It was a great pleasure for me.
Josh: To know that he taught music, I hope that it brought him some kind of joy.
It was so cool walking in the footsteps of Johan.
To be in the city where he studied, it really gives you an idea of what it must have been like here.
So, I'm off to Bietigheim to visit the church where my eight-times great-grandfather was a deacon.
I can't wait to set foot in that place.
The thing that I'm suspicious of is that he seemed to really have his entire world made for him.
He was deeply involved in his studies and his writing.
He had a family.
He was number two in his class at school.
He was a good-standing deacon at this church.
What made him want to go to America and start new? Something happened, and I'm curious to know.
I'm meeting with historian Jonathan Clark.
I've asked him to research Johan's work with the Church.
Clark: Being a deacon was a nice position.
And it did allow him some free time.
And that's where he engaged in his own interests.
I have here a document that you might be interested in.
It's from the archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Würtenberg.
Okay.
It looks delicate.
Yes, it is.
It's an original letter.
Wow.
January 28, 1678.
That's right.
And the name is Magister Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
This is his handwriting.
This is his letter.
This is his letter.
Exactly.
I can't translate it.
We have an excerpt right here that you might want to take a look at right underneath there.
"Most Illustrious Duke" And the duke would have been of Würtenberg? He would have been the Duke of Würtenberg.
"Besides common clamor around here, I also hear from some spiritual and secular servants that I should be transferred elsewhere.
" So, he was gonna be moved -- Gotten rid of.
- Right.
- My goodness.
"I employ your High Princely Excellence, in all submissiveness, to spare me, my family, and my poor, heavily pregnant wife, also my little children.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
" Wow, that is quite a plea.
Narrator: Josh Groban is in Bietigheim, Germany, in the same church where his eight-times great-grandfather once served as deacon.
He's just read a letter written by Johan, who is pleading with the duke to keep his job.
Now Josh wants to know why.
He is appealing to the head of the church and the state in order to save his position.
What could have caused such tension back then? He's rubbed the pastor of this church the wrong way somehow.
Interesting.
Johan has also been warned.
What's he doing here? - So, this is a facsimile.
- Okay.
Perhaps we can take a look at the title page here.
I see the word "Comet.
" Exactly.
- I see the date -- 1682.
- Right.
Oh! Magister Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
- Right.
- Wow.
The first page after this is a translation of that title.
[ Chuckles .]
"The Comet From The North Foretelling Future Calamities.
" Right.
Interesting.
"New Comet-Star, which initially has shown itself in this 1682nd year.
" So, he saw a comet.
And you might know this comet as Halley's Comet.
This was Halley's Comet.
- This is Halley's Comet.
- Wow.
I didn't know until reading this front page that they viewed it as a sign of future calamities.
At least he felt that that was a sign of future calamities.
Does he mention what he thinks those calamities are? Well, I think that's gonna be evident when we take a look at this next document.
Okay.
So, why don't we go on out to the podium here? So, here's the book I was referring to here.
And if you open up to the title page, we can take a look at it.
- 1684.
- Yep.
Wow.
Okay, so, this would be two years after he saw Halley's Comet.
Where would I find the author? Down here? Right there.
Ambrosius Zehmann von Caminiez.
Yeah, exactly.
Who is that? If you notice, there are some 27 letters in this name.
Yes.
And the name of Johannes Jacobus Zimmerman also has 27 letters.
And this Zehmann refers to a seer -- Someone who sees the future.
- Really? - Yeah.
Are you saying that this is a pen name for him? Right.
So this book was written by Johan.
Yeah.
Here's the actual title right here.
You might want to take a look at it and see.
"Conjectural Time Determination of both Divine Hudgments on the European Babel and Anti-Christianity of this Century.
" What does that mean? He's saying the church will fall.
Wow.
"As well as the glorious dawn of Christ's Empire on Earth, Occasioned by the Appearance and Descriptions of Recent Comets" Okay, so he's continuing his looking at the sky, his interest in astronomy and its connection to God.
And even Newton, when he saw the comets, he linked that to religion.
He saw it in a religious context.
For most people, this meant something.
This was a sign from God.
Okay.
And the question is, what was that sign? And we saw, from his first letter, there was some suspicion that perhaps Johan is going in the wrong direction.
Now he's putting down some predictions in writing.
Okay, so, does he believe, then, "Here is the comet.
Everybody duck and cover.
The physical structures will fall, allowing for Christ's glorious dawn to begin"? Right.
He was crazy.
Narrator: Josh Groban is in Bietigheim, Germany, researching his eight-times great-grandfather's life.
He's just discovered that Johan wrote a book predicting the cataclysmic end of the church.
To me, this is the work of somebody who is mad by candlelight.
Can't stop writing about it.
Or who's truly enthused by what he knows.
And there's certain words in here that are pretty inflammatory.
Oh.
Page 33.
"I find myself wholly convinced that the aforementioned comets announce the complete destruction of the spiritual and the glorious dawn of Christ's realm in the whole wide world.
" Is it a doom and gloom kind of thing? Is it an apocalyptic, rapture kind of situation? I wouldn't call it rapture as much as, "Something grand is going to happen, which allows for the churches to be destroyed.
" And that's something we can perhaps get - out of the other passages.
- Okay.
Page 52.
"That there is no improvement among the people mostly has to be the fault of the ordinary ministry.
" Is he having a falling out with the Church? This is more fully explained in the context of a movement called Radical Pietism.
Narrator: Pietism originated within the Lutheran faith in late 17th-century Germany.
Followers believed one's personal relationship with God was more important than theChurch itself.
A number of Pietists even advocated for complete separation from the Church, which they saw as unnecessary and corrupt.
Some of these radical Pietists, including Johan Zimmerman, also believed that astronomical events foretold divine judgment and catastrophe.
Viewed as heretics, they often had to hide their beliefs.
I imagine he wrote under a fake name because this is a dangerous book.
Certainly to the group that he's in -- Certainly to the Church.
Obviously, based on the letter that he wrote to the duke pleading to stay here, the fact that he had to write such a radical view under a pen name, not being caught was of great importance to him, to his livelihood.
Let's take a look at one more passage out of this book.
Okay, sure.
"For just like the great comet that appeared in the year 1618, when the war erupted most forcefully in Germany, the greatest unrest will break loose in the year 1693.
" He's guessing 1693 is gonna be a year of real change.
Change.
Is he looking at that date because the stars told him that date, or? That's what he apparently thought.
I imagine seeing the comet would have thrown anyone for a loop.
This wasn't like looking at a star.
This was looking at a hugely bright apparition.
This was just Earth-changing.
Right.
And he saw it from the steeple.
Oh, he did.
So it would have been here.
Right.
Right up here.
Well, I'm curious to know how he was then able to maintain his decorum within the Church if he obviously had these radical ideas.
If this kind of material was found in his possession, what would be the consequence of that? I think to better answer these questions, you might visit the archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Würtenberg.
Okay.
Thank you so much.
No problem.
Josh: It's an extraordinary experience being in the church that he worked.
It opened up a whole side of him that I didn't know existed.
Wow.
Oh, man.
[ Bells chiming .]
This is where he would have had to stand to map the stars.
I can see why he liked it here.
He had his reputation at stake, yet he was being plagued by these other thoughts, that there was perhaps something more, there was perhaps something wrong.
Radical Pietism was considered heresy.
And I wonder if this had something to do with why Johan and his family had to leave Germany for Pennsylvania.
He might have feared for his life and feared for his family's life.
I am headed to the Archive of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Würtenberg to meet with Church Historian Jan Stievermann.
- I'm Josh.
- Very nice to meet you.
I'm hoping he can tell me if my eight-times great-grandfather faced consequences for condemning the Church under a pseudonym.
So, my questions today really revolve around this double life.
Why would he still even want to hold the position? He hates the Church.
I think he was genuinely conflicted.
He had a well-established position, and he was a father of several children.
He was a husband.
He had to take care of his family.
My question is of whether or not he kept his job, or did he get caught? This archive holds the records of the Würtenberg Consistory, which would have been the highest ruling body of the state church.
Okay.
So, if somebody expressed an unorthodox opinion or made any other kind of trouble in the Church, they would have called him in and interrogated him.
Hmm.
I want you to put on these because these are very delicate documents.
Let's see what we can find out.
"The Konsistorial Protokolle, 1680-1688.
" So, the minutes of the consistory meetings.
So, this is the period of time when Johan published his unorthodox work.
Little out there.
So, if he was suspected to be the author of this work, he would have been called in and interrogated.
So, why don't you turn to page 577? Okay.
Here we are.
- 1684.
- Yep.
- Is that "Bietigheim"? - It is.
This would be his church.
Mm, there he is.
Mr.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
Somebody found him out.
That's it.
Oh, my God.
Josh Groban is at the Archives of the Evangelical State Church in Stuttgart, Germany.
He's just learned that his eight-times great-grandfather's radical views got him in trouble with the highest office of the Würtenberg Lutheran church.
Why don't you read this? This is the translation of this? Yes, it is.
"Some time ago, a small treatise hiding the name of the author was published in print, and the deacon at Bietigheim, one Johan Jacob Zimmerman, may have been daring enough to have printed it.
" - So, it's about the book.
- Mm-hmm.
And his theories about the comet and the doom that it would bring.
Somebody brought the book to their attention.
And then how many troublesome theologians with astronomical training do you think there were in Würtenberg? Okay, so, they were suspicious.
"Therefore, it was deemed necessary to summon the deacon.
He has now confessed.
" Wow.
And there's more.
Okay.
[ Chuckles .]
"Zimmerman pleaded that his conscience should not be constrained.
He would rather suffer the annulment of his position.
He wanted to give his opinion in writing that the European Babel consisted in Lutherans, papists, and Calvinists.
" What really is so explosive about this -- He says, "All of the European State churches are so corrupt that they will fall when the judgment of God comes.
" Including his own church.
Then this answers the questions.
He was unequivocally a radical at this point.
What's the worst that could happen to him if they decided to lay down all of the law on him? Well, the worst-case scenario -- That they would have expelled him from the state.
From the state? Not just the church? Wow.
But we don't know that this is what actually happened.
We kind of lose track of him in Würtenberg.
He disappears, as far as these documents are concerned.
But this is a letter that we actually found in archives in St.
Petersburg.
Okay.
Wow.
Let's see here.
February 1688.
So, Johan was 45 years old.
That's right.
Four years have passed since the interrogation by the Consistory.
I see "Zimmerman.
" So, this is a letter he wrote.
This is the translation here? "Frankfurt.
February 14th of the year 1688.
" The reason why he would have been in Frankfurt is he had Pietist connections there.
- Oh, he did? - Yes.
"My beloved was hugely pregnant, but the child, barely seven days old, is now interred.
I am a debtor, having emerged from childbirth and funeral from my domestic upheavals.
I recommend everything to the divine power.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
" He had a child who died? Mm-hmm.
Ohh, man.
And I think you can tell that his situation is very precarious.
Horrible.
- He's in debt.
- Mm-hmm.
And he's basically on the move.
"I recommend everything to the divine power.
" There's more than a tinge of hopelessness in this.
So, is he just, at this point -- He's holding on so strongly to his beliefs and just hoping that it will keep him afloat.
Yeah.
So, would there have been a community that would have kept him afloat? Would there have been a helping hand, so to speak? Yes, Pietists everywhere were holding these private religious gatherings outside of the official church, where, you know, the truly faithful met and worshipped together.
Where would they take place? In private homes.
It was a space outside of the authority of the official church.
Interesting.
Do we know what happened after this? Yes, and I think I have the answers for you here.
This was written by a pastor at Hamburg.
I see his name here.
And I imagine that this section here is about him.
And this translation is that section? That is.
"September 1693.
Mr.
Zimmerman died on his journey to Pennsylvania" So, he would have been 50 years old when he died.
"And was buried at Rotterdam.
" Do we know how we died? No, we don't.
"I and every friend tried to faithfully dissuade him.
" So, they didn't want him to leave.
Why leave? Was he really that desperate? Pennsylvania -- It was like a magnet for people who had unusual religious convictions because it was this safe haven.
Wow.
"May God have mercy on his widow and children.
" Hmm.
[ Sighs .]
So, he died in 1693.
The year that he had prophesied about.
What?! It is a little strange.
It is a little strange, isn't it? I know it's a complete coincidence, but I find it incredible that he predicted the year of his own demise Accidentally, perhaps.
He had an incredibly interesting life.
Thank you so much for your help.
It's my pleasure.
The pleasure was mine.
Thank you.
Josh: I was fascinated by all that I learned today.
He was honest about the fact that he wrote that book.
He had everything to lose, truly.
But he then saw this beacon of light in America, where the entire rest of my lineage is on that side of the family.
I feel it's a sad story that he didn't make it there, but I feel that it's a triumph for the idea that one should believe what they believe at any cost.
One of the things that a trip like this does -- Walking in their footsteps -- Is that it takes it from a name on a page to feeling like you've really gotten to know these people.
My eight-times great-grandfather, Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
And he made the most of it.
He taught music "With great care.
" And he studied about mathematics.
And he became a real scholar.
He grew up to be great.
All these hundreds of years later, when I think about the opportunities that have been afforded to me and how important education has been to myself, as far as my foundation in giving those opportunities to young people, it's a reminder that the importance of those opportunities is timeless.
Johan stood strong in his beliefs, and I stand strong in mine.
I had no clue that I was German.
He discovers an ancestor with a gifted mind and a shared interest - He was a singing instructor.
- Yeah.
Wow.
He would, himself, be singing, correct? - Yeah.
- It gives me chills.
whose brilliance was coupled with torment of dark predictions for the future.
Josh: I imagine he wrote under a fake name because this is a dangerous book.
He was crazy.
Narrator: Multi-platinum singing star Josh Groban first found his voice at the L.
A.
County High School For The Arts.
Launched into the spotlight at age 17, Josh has become one of the most popular artists in the world, selling more than 25 million records and earning numerous award nominations.
[ Reporters clamoring .]
His accomplishments also include songwriting, music-producing, and acting.
Offstage, Josh's deepest passion is his foundation "Find Your Light," which helps enrich the lives of young people through arts, education, and cultural awareness.
- Hello.
- Hi.
Good to see you.
He lives in Los Angeles, just a few miles from the home where he grew up.
- Father.
- Hi.
- How you doing? - I'm fine.
Good.
Come.
Sit.
Josh: I was born in Los Angeles, California.
My mom is Melinda Groban.
My dad is Jack Groban.
And my brother is Christopher.
I was very lucky that I had two very intelligent and also very artistic parents that were keen enough to make sure that we got our noses away from the television and got us out to see music in the city.
And I think that directly influenced me to go into the arts as a profession.
And my mom was an art teacher.
So, education's been a huge part of our belief system and family.
Both my parents were only children.
So, when you grow up with such a very small immediate family, the family tree -- it just doesn't come up in conversation.
My father's side of the family, I think, was better at keeping a real documented tree.
And on my mom's side of the family, there is no such thing.
I know that the Los Angeles roots go back.
My mom was born here, and my grandma lived here a very, very long time.
My grandpa, Lee, on my mom's side -- He was kind of like a James Dean kind of a guy.
You know, he worked at a gas station.
He died when I was very, very young, before I was the age of one.
And I don't know much about that side.
So I'm very curious.
My father was one of five children.
He was very much impacted by the depression.
And he had to quit school to help my grandmother.
I never met my grandfather.
He passed away suddenly when I was young.
And so he's a mystery.
I don't really know the Johnston history at all.
A huge part of why I'm doing this is for my family -- For my mom, specifically.
I think that this means a huge amount to her.
So I think, for me, this is a chance to kind of take the blinders off when it comes to my past, my history, my DNA.
I'm scared but I'm excited.
I'm hoping to learn more about who were the relatives from my mom's side of my family who originally came to this country, and why they came here.
I can't wait to be able to report back to my mom about what I find out.
And it's gonna be a great gift to all of us, but, I think, especially to her.
I'm heading to the L.
A.
Public Library to meet professional genealogist Kyle Betit.
Since I basically know nothing about my mother's father's side, I've asked Kyle to go back as far as possible on that tree.
Well, I have looked into the mother's father's side of your family.
I've used records like wills and deeds and newspapers to construct a tree for you on Ancestry.
Wow, okay.
So, if you like, we can look at the tree now.
I'd be fascinated.
Sure.
Of course.
Thank you.
Okay.
So, it starts with you.
All right, so That is my mom and dad -- Jack Groban, Melinda Groban.
And then up there -- So, her father -- Merrill Johnston.
And Dorothy, yeah.
So, my grandfather Lee -- His name was actually Merrill Lee Johnston? - That's right.
- Yeah.
My grandfather's father was also Merrill.
And it looks like Johnson without the "T.
" That's right.
Interesting.
Okay.
So, if I just go up a little further here So, my great-grandfather's parents' names were George Johnson and Mary Ann Zimmerman.
So, his mother's last name was Zimmerman.
That's right.
Was born in 1845 in Illinois.
I've never heard this name before.
Those would be my great-great-grandparents.
That's right.
Considering that my mom never even knew her own grandfather, what's exciting is that Kyle was able to go all the way back to my seven-times great-grandfather.
Jacob Christopher Zimmerman -- Jay-Z.
That's right.
The original Jay-Z.
[ Both laugh .]
That's pretty cool to be related to Jay-Z.
It is.
Born before 1694.
That's really cool to know that the American roots are that far back and that deep.
When it says, "born before 1694," is that generally saying that there are no specifics about when that could have been? I actually did find a source about Jacob Christoph Zimmerman, and we can look for some additional details.
Passenger and Immigration Lists Index -- 1500s through 1900s.
Name -- Jacob Christoph Zimmerman.
Arrival year to Pennsylvania -- 1694.
Mm-hmm.
The primary immigrant -- Maria Margaretha.
What is a primary immigrant? The words "primary immigrant" mean the head of the family emigrating together.
I see.
Okay.
And it says that one of her family members is her son -- Jacob Christoph.
Gotcha.
So she's the mother.
She is.
She would then be my eight-time great-grandmother.
Wow.
But if she was the primary immigrant traveling with her children, where is her husband? Does that mean that he took a hike? Does that mean that he passed away? Does that mean there was a divorce? What happened to him? Narrator: Josh Groban is at the public library in his hometown of Los Angeles searching for clues about his mother's paternal lineage.
He's just discovered that his ancestor Jacob Christopher Zimmerman immigrated to America with his mother, Maria.
But Jacob's father, Josh's eight-times great-grandfather, was nowhere to be found.
I would be very curious to know what happened.
Is that possible to know? If you look further, perhaps you can read the additional information and get more details about -- There you go.
Yeah, "source.
" Got it.
William Penn and the Dutch Quaker Migration to Pennsylvania.
William Penn was an English Quaker who established the colony of Pennsylvania.
- Of Pennsylvania.
- Right.
And he brought to the colony not only Quakers, but people of various religions.
Hmm.
So, what you have here is an abstract from this book.
In this case, this book compiled lists of immigrants to America based on various records.
I'm trying to wrap my head around what the origin of that name could possibly be.
I mean, German? Dutch? Where exactly they would have come over from is not clear from this abstract.
Okay.
But we may be able to learn more about this family from actually looking at the book.
Looking at the book.
Sure.
So, page 409.
So, then we're gonna find 409.
Here we are.
So, let's see here.
We are looking for Zimmermans.
Um Zimmerman.
Here we are.
Bietigheim.
[ Chuckles .]
Which, of course, is east of You actually said that right.
Plotzheim in Würtenberg.
Okay, so, help me dissect this.
It's one of the German-speaking states that eventually became part of modern-day Germany.
I had no clue that I was German.
I, uh, I had no clue.
So, Zimmerman, Maria Margaretha, widow of John Jacob Zimmerman.
So, that means John Jacob Zimmerman would then be my eight-times great-grandfather.
And it says here he died in or after leaving Rotterdam en route to Pennsylvania.
So, probably around 1694.
And Maria and four children trekked on.
I'd like to know how he died.
Also, do we have any information why John Jacob Zimmerman and his wife would have wanted to take the trek from this part of Germany to America? To find the answers to those questions, I think you're going to need to look in Germany.
The best places you could go for that kind of information would be the archives in the capital city of Würtenberg, which is Stuttgart.
Fantastic.
Auf wiedersehen.
Appreciate all your help.
Thanks, Kyle.
Thank you very much.
Have a great day.
Josh: My head is spinning.
My imagination's just going wild.
I learned for the first time today that I have German roots.
You know, the more answers you get, the more questions you have.
What happened to the Zimmermans back then? Something tells me that there was really a desperate need for them to make the journey they did.
So, now I'm off to Stuttgart, Germany, to find out more about my eight-times grandfather, John Jacob Zimmerman.
I can't believe that I'm here in Stuttgart.
It's one thing to think about it and go online, but to actually be in the city is exhilarating.
I've arranged to meet with archivist Peter Rueckert at the Würtenberg state archives.
I hope he's been able to track down some interesting information about John's life here in Germany.
I think I can help you because That's a beautiful book.
It's very old.
Oh, yes.
1630-1749.
"Ehebuch.
" This is a marriage book? Yes.
It's chronological.
Really? There we are.
I've traveled a long way to see this name written on this page.
It's really phenomenal.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
Pronounced "yo-han" or just Johan? It would just be changed to John in English.
But then I don't know what the rest says.
"1671.
On February 22nd, Mr.
M.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman, Deacon at Bietigheim, legitimate son of Mister Mattheus Zimmerman, citizen and hospital cooper married Maria Margaretha.
" Okay, so we know he's a deacon.
What was the religion? It was Lutheran.
What would be the responsibility of a deacon at that time? And then now we go back even further that his father was Mattheus Zimmerman.
So that would be my nine-times great grandfather.
[ Laughs .]
Fantastic.
Now, what is a hospital cooper? So, Johan, he's the son of somebody who was a craftsman, somebody who worked with his hands.
I'm curious, where does the "M" come from? So, Johan should have continued in the work of his father, but something inspired him to get a higher education and to become a master.
Do we know what he studied? Would it be theology, something along those lines? So, what you're saying by that -- If you're working for the church at that point, the higher ups at the church are looking over your shoulder.
They're taking notes as to the work you're doing there.
- Exactly.
- Okay.
Bietigheim Stadt.
1601.
Wow.
All the way to 1809.
Yes.
So, this document is 1676, which was five years after he was married.
Right.
Deacons.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
25 November.
November.
Wow, so, his birthday was November 25, 1642.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
So, he has two children at this time.
Okay! Everything was lovely.
Everything was wonderful.
So these are the schools and how many years he was at each school.
Before he was a deacon.
So, what is Tübingen? Oh, that would be university? So, Tübingen University? Yes.
To get his magister, he would have had to spend eight years there.
And he continued.
So he was expanding upon his knowledge.
So, he was a real thinker, as well as a believer.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's there.
I can't wait.
Thank you so much.
[ Chuckles .]
Have a nice trip.
It never ceases to amaze me how much history repeats itself.
The fact that my mom is all about education.
She was a teacher.
And her father worked with his hands, just as Johan's did.
So, she broke that cycle.
And Johan had to break the cycle, as well.
He went on and had this grand education, and he became a real scholar.
So, I'm curious to know what he accomplished at the university.
Narrator: Josh discovers his ancestor was on the brink of losing everything.
"Spare me, my family, and my poor, heavily pregnant wife.
" Wow.
Narrator: Josh Groban is in Tübingen, Germany, heading to the university where his eight-times great-grandfather, Johan Jacob Zimmerman, studied.
He's just found out that before Johan became a church deacon, he was a devoted scholar who spent eight years at the university.
Josh: I'm really excited today to be able to answer some more questions for myself as to what else he was studying here, what brought him here for those extra four years.
I've arranged to meet with Head Archivist Beate Martin.
I'm hoping she can give me some answers about Johan's studies here.
Hello, Beate.
Hello, Josh.
Nice to meet you.
Welcome in The Stift.
Yes, thank you.
Lovely to be here in The Stift.
This was a residential hall for students who are studying theology.
Oh, okay.
So, this is where my eight-times great-grandfather, Johan Jacob Zimmerman, lived.
- Yeah.
- It is? It is.
It is.
Wow.
And we can have a look in our archives.
We have documents about all the students.
Oh, yeah.
Cool.
There we are.
Wow.
Okay.
This is very cozy down here.
Yeah.
I have the archives of the university.
And this would be where we're looking -- 1625 to 1748.
A long period of time in this book.
Mm-hmm.
You can have a look in it.
We have here, "Candidatorium.
" Yeah, it's Latin.
"The Candidates.
" So, this is the candidates to get their master's.
- 1664.
Okay.
- Yeah.
I see a lot of Johans.
[ Laughs .]
- Aha.
- Ah! It's number 2.
Johannes Jacob Zimmerman.
Okay, so, he's listed second here.
Second, yeah.
- So, what would that mean? - It's a ranking.
- Ah.
Oh, really? - Yeah, it's a ranking.
Ah, he almost made it to number one.
[ Laughs .]
So close.
That must have eaten him up inside.
That's really tough.
- So, he did very well? - Yeah.
So, I know that he studied theology.
What else did he study after the first four years? I have a document.
There you go.
"Testimonia Angarium Arbi-- arbia" "Fabiani.
" "Fabiani.
" "Testimonia" -- that's evidence, a report of the students.
It's a report-card book.
His grades after all eight years.
Okay, let's see here.
Yeah.
Here he is.
- It's very hard to read.
- Yeah.
I see "Musica.
" Right? Mm-hmm.
"Musica en cura"? Mm-hmm.
"Precidet.
" "Precidet.
" Mm-hmm.
It means, "He instructs Mathematics very exactly and supervises Music with care.
" Oh, wow.
If you look at the other side, you don't see "Musica," no? It looks like he was the only one on here who did that.
Yeah.
It's only he who cares about music.
Cool.
Your Johan.
Yeah.
[ Chuckles .]
That's great.
So, what was he doing as a music teacher? He instructs the other students singing.
He was a singing instructor.
- Yeah.
- Wow.
He would, himself, be singing, correct? It gives me chills.
It's not just 'cause it's cold down here.
It's fantastic.
Look at this.
Johan hold this book in his hand for teaching music.
Oh, really? That's amazing.
So, he would have had this book in his hands and teaching his students.
I'm sure.
Wow.
So, he would have taught probably all of these songs to the students.
To have a book like this even in my own hands is extraordinary.
I'm so excited to know that he was passionate about music.
When I think about the music education that I was lucky enough to have, to know that he was the one music teacher at a time when there were no music teachers -- fantastic.
I have some other documents of the library of our university.
It's not the first page, but here -- the bookmark.
Oh, there he is.
- Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
- Yeah.
- Did he write this? - Yes.
Wow.
Very, very interesting.
And you can see the title.
"Theorie.
" "Theory," right? It would be the theory.
Yeah, theories.
"Secundorum Mobilium Perfectae.
" What does it mean? [ Chuckles .]
We have here a translation.
Thank goodness.
So, "With God," it says at the top.
"As it is our intention here to rectify the second motion of the planets, it is appropriate that we touch a little upon astronomical principles of secondary movements beforehand.
" Was he an astronomer? He was an astronomer.
He would have been considered an astronomer.
Yeah, mm-hmm.
And he was also Deacon.
That is so amazing to me.
That is just -- It's overwhelming.
Back then, would you say that the studying of the planets was a way for someone like Johan to be closer to God, to understand God more? Yeah, it was a unity between religion and sciences.
How many books did Johan write about astronomy? A dozen books.
- A dozen books? - Yeah, mm-hmm.
Really?! - He was prolific.
- Yeah.
I have here a book.
"Newton's Principia.
" Newton, the founder of modern physics.
Of course.
I already see his name.
I see his name in here.
My God.
He was mentioned by Newton.
So, November 23rd, "Mr.
Zimmerman saw the comet 2, 31, South latitude.
" That's amazing.
So, Newton knew him -- Knew of him.
This is incredible.
I'm completely blown away.
So, he was really interested in things that were not just about a belief system.
He wanted to know the facts.
As a deacon at the church, how would he have time to study the stars and also be a deacon? Maybe you can go to Bietigheim.
And it's still a fully functioning church.
- It is? - Yes.
Wow, thank you so much for having us here at The Stift today.
It was a great pleasure for me.
Josh: To know that he taught music, I hope that it brought him some kind of joy.
It was so cool walking in the footsteps of Johan.
To be in the city where he studied, it really gives you an idea of what it must have been like here.
So, I'm off to Bietigheim to visit the church where my eight-times great-grandfather was a deacon.
I can't wait to set foot in that place.
The thing that I'm suspicious of is that he seemed to really have his entire world made for him.
He was deeply involved in his studies and his writing.
He had a family.
He was number two in his class at school.
He was a good-standing deacon at this church.
What made him want to go to America and start new? Something happened, and I'm curious to know.
I'm meeting with historian Jonathan Clark.
I've asked him to research Johan's work with the Church.
Clark: Being a deacon was a nice position.
And it did allow him some free time.
And that's where he engaged in his own interests.
I have here a document that you might be interested in.
It's from the archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Würtenberg.
Okay.
It looks delicate.
Yes, it is.
It's an original letter.
Wow.
January 28, 1678.
That's right.
And the name is Magister Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
This is his handwriting.
This is his letter.
This is his letter.
Exactly.
I can't translate it.
We have an excerpt right here that you might want to take a look at right underneath there.
"Most Illustrious Duke" And the duke would have been of Würtenberg? He would have been the Duke of Würtenberg.
"Besides common clamor around here, I also hear from some spiritual and secular servants that I should be transferred elsewhere.
" So, he was gonna be moved -- Gotten rid of.
- Right.
- My goodness.
"I employ your High Princely Excellence, in all submissiveness, to spare me, my family, and my poor, heavily pregnant wife, also my little children.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
" Wow, that is quite a plea.
Narrator: Josh Groban is in Bietigheim, Germany, in the same church where his eight-times great-grandfather once served as deacon.
He's just read a letter written by Johan, who is pleading with the duke to keep his job.
Now Josh wants to know why.
He is appealing to the head of the church and the state in order to save his position.
What could have caused such tension back then? He's rubbed the pastor of this church the wrong way somehow.
Interesting.
Johan has also been warned.
What's he doing here? - So, this is a facsimile.
- Okay.
Perhaps we can take a look at the title page here.
I see the word "Comet.
" Exactly.
- I see the date -- 1682.
- Right.
Oh! Magister Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
- Right.
- Wow.
The first page after this is a translation of that title.
[ Chuckles .]
"The Comet From The North Foretelling Future Calamities.
" Right.
Interesting.
"New Comet-Star, which initially has shown itself in this 1682nd year.
" So, he saw a comet.
And you might know this comet as Halley's Comet.
This was Halley's Comet.
- This is Halley's Comet.
- Wow.
I didn't know until reading this front page that they viewed it as a sign of future calamities.
At least he felt that that was a sign of future calamities.
Does he mention what he thinks those calamities are? Well, I think that's gonna be evident when we take a look at this next document.
Okay.
So, why don't we go on out to the podium here? So, here's the book I was referring to here.
And if you open up to the title page, we can take a look at it.
- 1684.
- Yep.
Wow.
Okay, so, this would be two years after he saw Halley's Comet.
Where would I find the author? Down here? Right there.
Ambrosius Zehmann von Caminiez.
Yeah, exactly.
Who is that? If you notice, there are some 27 letters in this name.
Yes.
And the name of Johannes Jacobus Zimmerman also has 27 letters.
And this Zehmann refers to a seer -- Someone who sees the future.
- Really? - Yeah.
Are you saying that this is a pen name for him? Right.
So this book was written by Johan.
Yeah.
Here's the actual title right here.
You might want to take a look at it and see.
"Conjectural Time Determination of both Divine Hudgments on the European Babel and Anti-Christianity of this Century.
" What does that mean? He's saying the church will fall.
Wow.
"As well as the glorious dawn of Christ's Empire on Earth, Occasioned by the Appearance and Descriptions of Recent Comets" Okay, so he's continuing his looking at the sky, his interest in astronomy and its connection to God.
And even Newton, when he saw the comets, he linked that to religion.
He saw it in a religious context.
For most people, this meant something.
This was a sign from God.
Okay.
And the question is, what was that sign? And we saw, from his first letter, there was some suspicion that perhaps Johan is going in the wrong direction.
Now he's putting down some predictions in writing.
Okay, so, does he believe, then, "Here is the comet.
Everybody duck and cover.
The physical structures will fall, allowing for Christ's glorious dawn to begin"? Right.
He was crazy.
Narrator: Josh Groban is in Bietigheim, Germany, researching his eight-times great-grandfather's life.
He's just discovered that Johan wrote a book predicting the cataclysmic end of the church.
To me, this is the work of somebody who is mad by candlelight.
Can't stop writing about it.
Or who's truly enthused by what he knows.
And there's certain words in here that are pretty inflammatory.
Oh.
Page 33.
"I find myself wholly convinced that the aforementioned comets announce the complete destruction of the spiritual and the glorious dawn of Christ's realm in the whole wide world.
" Is it a doom and gloom kind of thing? Is it an apocalyptic, rapture kind of situation? I wouldn't call it rapture as much as, "Something grand is going to happen, which allows for the churches to be destroyed.
" And that's something we can perhaps get - out of the other passages.
- Okay.
Page 52.
"That there is no improvement among the people mostly has to be the fault of the ordinary ministry.
" Is he having a falling out with the Church? This is more fully explained in the context of a movement called Radical Pietism.
Narrator: Pietism originated within the Lutheran faith in late 17th-century Germany.
Followers believed one's personal relationship with God was more important than theChurch itself.
A number of Pietists even advocated for complete separation from the Church, which they saw as unnecessary and corrupt.
Some of these radical Pietists, including Johan Zimmerman, also believed that astronomical events foretold divine judgment and catastrophe.
Viewed as heretics, they often had to hide their beliefs.
I imagine he wrote under a fake name because this is a dangerous book.
Certainly to the group that he's in -- Certainly to the Church.
Obviously, based on the letter that he wrote to the duke pleading to stay here, the fact that he had to write such a radical view under a pen name, not being caught was of great importance to him, to his livelihood.
Let's take a look at one more passage out of this book.
Okay, sure.
"For just like the great comet that appeared in the year 1618, when the war erupted most forcefully in Germany, the greatest unrest will break loose in the year 1693.
" He's guessing 1693 is gonna be a year of real change.
Change.
Is he looking at that date because the stars told him that date, or? That's what he apparently thought.
I imagine seeing the comet would have thrown anyone for a loop.
This wasn't like looking at a star.
This was looking at a hugely bright apparition.
This was just Earth-changing.
Right.
And he saw it from the steeple.
Oh, he did.
So it would have been here.
Right.
Right up here.
Well, I'm curious to know how he was then able to maintain his decorum within the Church if he obviously had these radical ideas.
If this kind of material was found in his possession, what would be the consequence of that? I think to better answer these questions, you might visit the archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Würtenberg.
Okay.
Thank you so much.
No problem.
Josh: It's an extraordinary experience being in the church that he worked.
It opened up a whole side of him that I didn't know existed.
Wow.
Oh, man.
[ Bells chiming .]
This is where he would have had to stand to map the stars.
I can see why he liked it here.
He had his reputation at stake, yet he was being plagued by these other thoughts, that there was perhaps something more, there was perhaps something wrong.
Radical Pietism was considered heresy.
And I wonder if this had something to do with why Johan and his family had to leave Germany for Pennsylvania.
He might have feared for his life and feared for his family's life.
I am headed to the Archive of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Würtenberg to meet with Church Historian Jan Stievermann.
- I'm Josh.
- Very nice to meet you.
I'm hoping he can tell me if my eight-times great-grandfather faced consequences for condemning the Church under a pseudonym.
So, my questions today really revolve around this double life.
Why would he still even want to hold the position? He hates the Church.
I think he was genuinely conflicted.
He had a well-established position, and he was a father of several children.
He was a husband.
He had to take care of his family.
My question is of whether or not he kept his job, or did he get caught? This archive holds the records of the Würtenberg Consistory, which would have been the highest ruling body of the state church.
Okay.
So, if somebody expressed an unorthodox opinion or made any other kind of trouble in the Church, they would have called him in and interrogated him.
Hmm.
I want you to put on these because these are very delicate documents.
Let's see what we can find out.
"The Konsistorial Protokolle, 1680-1688.
" So, the minutes of the consistory meetings.
So, this is the period of time when Johan published his unorthodox work.
Little out there.
So, if he was suspected to be the author of this work, he would have been called in and interrogated.
So, why don't you turn to page 577? Okay.
Here we are.
- 1684.
- Yep.
- Is that "Bietigheim"? - It is.
This would be his church.
Mm, there he is.
Mr.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
Somebody found him out.
That's it.
Oh, my God.
Josh Groban is at the Archives of the Evangelical State Church in Stuttgart, Germany.
He's just learned that his eight-times great-grandfather's radical views got him in trouble with the highest office of the Würtenberg Lutheran church.
Why don't you read this? This is the translation of this? Yes, it is.
"Some time ago, a small treatise hiding the name of the author was published in print, and the deacon at Bietigheim, one Johan Jacob Zimmerman, may have been daring enough to have printed it.
" - So, it's about the book.
- Mm-hmm.
And his theories about the comet and the doom that it would bring.
Somebody brought the book to their attention.
And then how many troublesome theologians with astronomical training do you think there were in Würtenberg? Okay, so, they were suspicious.
"Therefore, it was deemed necessary to summon the deacon.
He has now confessed.
" Wow.
And there's more.
Okay.
[ Chuckles .]
"Zimmerman pleaded that his conscience should not be constrained.
He would rather suffer the annulment of his position.
He wanted to give his opinion in writing that the European Babel consisted in Lutherans, papists, and Calvinists.
" What really is so explosive about this -- He says, "All of the European State churches are so corrupt that they will fall when the judgment of God comes.
" Including his own church.
Then this answers the questions.
He was unequivocally a radical at this point.
What's the worst that could happen to him if they decided to lay down all of the law on him? Well, the worst-case scenario -- That they would have expelled him from the state.
From the state? Not just the church? Wow.
But we don't know that this is what actually happened.
We kind of lose track of him in Würtenberg.
He disappears, as far as these documents are concerned.
But this is a letter that we actually found in archives in St.
Petersburg.
Okay.
Wow.
Let's see here.
February 1688.
So, Johan was 45 years old.
That's right.
Four years have passed since the interrogation by the Consistory.
I see "Zimmerman.
" So, this is a letter he wrote.
This is the translation here? "Frankfurt.
February 14th of the year 1688.
" The reason why he would have been in Frankfurt is he had Pietist connections there.
- Oh, he did? - Yes.
"My beloved was hugely pregnant, but the child, barely seven days old, is now interred.
I am a debtor, having emerged from childbirth and funeral from my domestic upheavals.
I recommend everything to the divine power.
Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
" He had a child who died? Mm-hmm.
Ohh, man.
And I think you can tell that his situation is very precarious.
Horrible.
- He's in debt.
- Mm-hmm.
And he's basically on the move.
"I recommend everything to the divine power.
" There's more than a tinge of hopelessness in this.
So, is he just, at this point -- He's holding on so strongly to his beliefs and just hoping that it will keep him afloat.
Yeah.
So, would there have been a community that would have kept him afloat? Would there have been a helping hand, so to speak? Yes, Pietists everywhere were holding these private religious gatherings outside of the official church, where, you know, the truly faithful met and worshipped together.
Where would they take place? In private homes.
It was a space outside of the authority of the official church.
Interesting.
Do we know what happened after this? Yes, and I think I have the answers for you here.
This was written by a pastor at Hamburg.
I see his name here.
And I imagine that this section here is about him.
And this translation is that section? That is.
"September 1693.
Mr.
Zimmerman died on his journey to Pennsylvania" So, he would have been 50 years old when he died.
"And was buried at Rotterdam.
" Do we know how we died? No, we don't.
"I and every friend tried to faithfully dissuade him.
" So, they didn't want him to leave.
Why leave? Was he really that desperate? Pennsylvania -- It was like a magnet for people who had unusual religious convictions because it was this safe haven.
Wow.
"May God have mercy on his widow and children.
" Hmm.
[ Sighs .]
So, he died in 1693.
The year that he had prophesied about.
What?! It is a little strange.
It is a little strange, isn't it? I know it's a complete coincidence, but I find it incredible that he predicted the year of his own demise Accidentally, perhaps.
He had an incredibly interesting life.
Thank you so much for your help.
It's my pleasure.
The pleasure was mine.
Thank you.
Josh: I was fascinated by all that I learned today.
He was honest about the fact that he wrote that book.
He had everything to lose, truly.
But he then saw this beacon of light in America, where the entire rest of my lineage is on that side of the family.
I feel it's a sad story that he didn't make it there, but I feel that it's a triumph for the idea that one should believe what they believe at any cost.
One of the things that a trip like this does -- Walking in their footsteps -- Is that it takes it from a name on a page to feeling like you've really gotten to know these people.
My eight-times great-grandfather, Johan Jacob Zimmerman.
And he made the most of it.
He taught music "With great care.
" And he studied about mathematics.
And he became a real scholar.
He grew up to be great.
All these hundreds of years later, when I think about the opportunities that have been afforded to me and how important education has been to myself, as far as my foundation in giving those opportunities to young people, it's a reminder that the importance of those opportunities is timeless.
Johan stood strong in his beliefs, and I stand strong in mine.