Hillbillies & Vikings

This site is focused broadly on all descendants of John Denboe, an indentured servant who came to the Crown Colony of Maryland in about the year 1664. Also, it maintains a special emphasis on the descendants of John Denbow (1797-1862) and his brother Bazeleel (1795-1857), early pioneers in the hills of Southeastern Ohio, as well as the descendants of Jón Jónsson (1841-1934) of Dalasýsla, Iceland, who was an Icelandic immigrant to Canada and now has progeny throughout North America.

1819 - 1895 (~ 76 years)

Personal Information | Notes | Sources | All | PDF

Name	Jacob Gygax [1]
Baptism	2 May 1819	Near Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland [1]
	Witness Role: Child: [I2111] Jacob GYGAX
Gender	Male
Occupation	1847 [1]
	listed as a baker next to his engagement date in church book in city records
Marriage Groom	30 Jun 1847	Near Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland [1]
	Old documents sometimes refer to the country as the "Republic of Bern." Witness Role: Principal: [F413] ...of Jacob GYGAX and Elizabeth LÜTHI Witness Role: Bride: [I2925] Elizabeth LÜTHI Witness Role: Groom: [I2111] Jacob GYGAX
Census	1850	Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio, USA [2]
	Witness Role: Principal 2: [I2925] Elizabeth LÜTHI Witness Role: Head of Household: [I2111] Jacob GYGAX
		1850 Census, Muskingum, Jacob Keywords: Picture
Naturalization	2 Feb 1852	Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio, USA [3]
Census	1860	Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio, USA [4]
		1860 Census, Muskingum, Zanesv Keywords: Picture
Census	1870	Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio, USA [5]
	Household Gender Age Jacob Gigax M 51y Elizabeth Gigax F 50y Charles Gigax M 22y Mary Gigax F 19y
		1870 Census, Muskingum, Zanesv Keywords: Picture
Anecdote	After coming the the USA, the spelling of the last name was changed in this branch of the family from GYGAX to GIGAX. Other branches maintained the Old World spelling.
Death	9 Aug 1895	Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio, USA [7]
Origins
Patriarch & Matriarch	Jacob Gygax, c. 18 Jan 1789, Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland d. 26 Mar 1868, Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland (Age ~ 79 years) (Father) Katherina Nuchow, c. 7 Feb 1787, Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland d. 27 Dec 1841, Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland (Age ~ 54 years) (Mother)
Person ID	I2111	Hillbillies & Vikings
Last Modified	5 May 2023

Father	Jacob Gygax, c. 18 Jan 1789, Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland d. 26 Mar 1868, Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland (Age ~ 79 years)
Mother	Katherina Nuchow, c. 7 Feb 1787, Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland d. 27 Dec 1841, Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland (Age ~ 54 years)
Marriage	4 Mar 1809	Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland
	Witness Role: Bride: [I3299] Katherina NUCHOW Witness Role: Groom: [I2112] Jacob GYGAX
Family ID	F414	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Elizabeth Lüthi, b. 1819 d. 1888, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio, USA (Age 69 years)

Marriage 30 Jun 1847 Near Bleienbach, Launek, Bern, Switzerland [1]

Old documents sometimes refer to the country as the "Republic of Bern."
Witness Role: Bride: [I2925] Elizabeth LÜTHI
Witness Role: Groom: [I2111] Jacob GYGAX

Children

+	1. Charles Jacob Gigax, b. 1848, Muskingum, Ohio, USA d. 1885, Zanesville, Muskingum, Ohio, USA (Age 37 years) ▻ Wilhelmena Miller m. Abt 1868
	2. Mary Gigax, b. 1850, Muskingum, Ohio, USA

Family ID F413 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 6 Jun 2022

Notes

Research Note:
Title: Occupation
Type: Tasks
For Person: Record: "Jacob GYGAX"
Date: February 17, 2012
Status: open
Designed: February 17, 2012
Last Edited: February 17, 2012
Keyword:

Task Description
Status
Date Completed
Find the original source material from Bleienbach so that occoupation can be properly entered.

Person: Record: "Jacob GYGAX"

Reference Carl Jón Denbow. "Jacob Gygax". Hillbillies & Vikings. https://jonandjohn.org/getperson.php?personID=I2111&tree=tree1 (accessed June 12, 2025).

Sources

[S55] Church & City Records, Birth and Christening Records from the City of Bleienbach, Switzerland.
[S51] U.S. Census Bureau, 1850 United States Federal Census for Jacob Gygax family.
[S57] Sylvia Smedley Hargrove & Hilda Yinger, An Index: DeclarIntention for Naturalization, Muskingum Countyation of , Ohio, 1809-1899.
[S67] U.S. Census Bureau, 1860 United States Federal Census (Jacob Gygax).
[S69] U.S. Census Bureau, 1870 United States Federal Census.
[S1] Carl Jón Denbow, Personal knowledge of Carl Jón Denbow.
[S34] Jlona Gygax-Sidler, Correspondence with Jlona Gygax-Sidler of Switzerland.