Some
family
history
Immigrants
Direct ancestors who came to Germany or its predecessor states from other European countries.
From Switzerland to the Kraichgau area, mid to late 17th century
Wülser (Wilser), Heinrich, born around 1647 at Linn/Bernerbiet, Aargau, Switzerland, oo 1669 Margaretha Dürrmann at Münzesheim, died 2.1.1733 Münzesheim
Stamm, Martin, born around 1658 at Schleitheim, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, oo 1682 Anna Frick (whose parents also came from CH) at Elsenz.
Hockenberger, Hartmann, born around 1660 at Seehe, Bern, Switzerland, married 1688 Anna Magdalena Wirth at Elsenz, Baden.
Frick, Rudolph *1634 from Knonau, Zurich, Switzerland, and his wife Schleipfer, Kunigunde, born 1635 in Rifferswil, Zurich, settled at Elsenz, Baden.
Kaiser, Jakob, and his wife NN, Apollonia, both born around 1601 at Mühlbach, Bern, Switzerland, came to Baden. Their son Hans Adam Kaiser was born at Hüffenhardt, and all three of them died at Elsenz.
Bär, Heinrich born 1643 Oberrifferswil, Zurich, CH, died 1682 Elsenz. His daughter Katharina Bär was born at Oberrifferswil around 1677, married at Elsenz in 1706
Winterle, Johannes born ca. 1638 Buch, Zurich, CH, oo 1671 Oberacker, Kraichgau
From elsewhere or unknown
Bonnedame / Bodang, Johannes. Born around 1700-1710, he settled in the Palatinate, near Landau. The family name, which degenerated to Bodang may have come from France.
Hust, Heinrich. Born around 1700-1710, he settled in the Palatinate, near Landau. The name is extremely rare in Germany, but in France there was a line of Comtes d'Hust, one of whom may have fled to Germany at one point.
Ebner, Johann Jacob. Born 1646, teacher at the Lateinschule (grammar school) Trarbach, died 1726 Alterkülz. Two independent sources (the Weiss chronicles and the school archives) say his family came from Hungary during the 30-years war.
della Strada, NN. Thought to have come from Italy in the late 17th century, worked as a gardener at Schloß Oranienburg, Diez.
Caspers, Hans, born early 17th century, and described as a "welsch" (i.e. foreign) shoemaker at Horn. His son Johann was born in 1644 at Argenthal.
Schuster, Hans, died 1664, another "Welsch" shoemaker at Simmern.
Dammi, Hans. Immigrated (from France?) in 1597, settled at Kirn as a cotton weaver. In 1598 he married Elisabeth, the widow of Urban Welsch.
Emigrants
Siblings of our direct ancestors who left Germany
Children of Karl Düsselmann (1841-1927) — 3 out of 7 left the country:
→ son Karl from first marriage to Maria Schledorn emigrated to USA;
→ daughter Elise ended up in the Netherlands by marriage:
Elise (1876-1944) oo Otto Finkensieper, Alkmaar, NL. three children:
1. Otto (1906-?), Theologician
2. Kurt (1907-?), merchant at Scheveningen
3. Benjamin (1910-?) merchant at Scheveningen;
→ son Wilhelm (1878-19??) and his wife Hedwig emigrated to the USA in 1924.
Their only child, Willi, became a medical doctor and remained childless.
To USA, early 20th century:
Heinrich Hermann, 1878-19?? , son of Regina Imig (1849-1900),
grandson of Wilhelm Imig and Regina Katharina Strack. Upholsterer, emigrated to USA, married there.
To North America, ca. 1845:
Johannetha Weiß, 1809-1879, third child of the teacher Christian Gottlieb Weiß, married Friedrich Dick
from Monzingen, reported to have set sail for America with “a stable full of children.” (Possibly because of the famine of 1845/46 triggered by potato blight.)
To Brazil, early 19th century:
Maria Katharina Weiß, born in 1786 as the last child of the village mayor Johann Gottlieb Weiß, married a
parson called Ried from Schauern (Hochwald) and went off to Rio de Janeiro, apparently (according to the Weiß chronicles).
Klundt family to Odessa (then Russia, now Ukraine), and then to the US:
Johannes Klundt * 1759 Wollmesheim and his wife Eva Katharina Hust emigrated to Rohrbach, Odessa district after 1797.
Lots of Klundt descendants remained there (or returned to Germany in the 20th century). Johannes's grandson Heinrich Klundt
died in Russia, but his widow emigrated with her children to the US.
300 years of family history (prose version)
List of surnames (ordered by geographic area)
Familien Chronik der Familie Weiss (a previous write-up, from 1891)
last update:
26.04.2008