Zeppo Marx was from East Frisia in Germany; and his father was a native of France, and worked as a tailor. As with all of the Marx Brothers, there are different theories as to where Zeppo got his stage name: Groucho said in his Carnegie Hall concert in 1972 that the name was derived from the Zeppelin airship. Zeppo's ex-wife Barbara Sinatra repeated this in her 2011 book, "Lady Blue Eyes: My Life with Frank". His brother Harpo offered a different account in his 1961 autobiography, "Harpo Speaks!," claiming (p. 130) that there was a popular trained chimpanzee named Mr. Zippo, and
Adolph II, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen to become priests, their father Adolph I drew up a succession contract with the Anhalt-Dessau branch of the House of Ascania, headed by George I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, to secure the existence of the principality. The contract stipulated that Adolph I would rule jointly with George's son Waldemar VI, and that Adolph I's half-brother Albert VI was to become co-ruler with Waldemar after Adolph's death. Upon the death of Albert VI, Adolph II and his brother Magnus succeeded their uncle as co-rulers of Anhalt-Köthen with their cousins Philip and Waldemar VI. Adolph used the title "Lord of Zerbst" to identify