Our Ancestral Villages and Towns

Genealogy and How suggests that a little research on the literal meaning of German town names can provide some insight as to how our ancestors lived in the "old country." From what I've learned about our own ancestors' homes, it is often not as simple as looking up words in a German-English dictionary. While some names are based on a local geographic feature, others are named after early inhabitants, or are based on the old Roman town names. Most have become distorted over the centuries.

Below is a summary of some of the information I've found. Note that the linked English translations are very crude.

Becherbach: Krauss family
Becher: This probably refers to the "Pechbrennern" (pitch burners) that were used there.
Bach: brook

The Becherbach area has been inhabited since neolithic times. Roman roads criss-cross the region. Today it is in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

• Official Becherbach website
• Becherbach Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• For more information about the Krauss family start here.

Bregenz: Einsle family
Bregenz is a town in Austrian Alpine state of Vorarlberg. The area has been settled for thousands of years. The city of "Brigantium" was founded by the Romans in 15 BC. The name Bregenz is derived from the Roman name.

• Official Bregenz site
• Brengenz Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Bregenz photo album
• Start here for more information about the Einsle family.

Dornbirn: Wehinger Family
Dornbirn is a town in western Austria in the Alpine state of Vorarlberg. The name Dornbirn is derived from "torrin puirron", meaning the "settlement of Torro" after the name of a resident farmer. The the first recorded use of the name was in 895.

• Official Dornbirn web site
• Dornbirn Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Dornbirn Photo Album
• Start here for more information about the Wehinger family.

Ebeleben: Wenkel family
Ebeleben was first settled between the 4th and 6th century, and the first documented use of the name was in 1198 (Duke Fridericus de Eveleiben). The meaning of the name is unclear.
Ebeleben is in the German state of Thuringia.

• Official Ebeleben site (click the links under "Geschichte" for pictures).
• Wikipedia entry for Ebeleben (English translation
• Start here for more information about the Wenkel family. (See also Bierwirth.)

Grosswenden or Großwenden: Bierwirth family
Gross or Groß: large.
Wenden: in this case it refers to the old German word for "Slavs" (English translation). The towns of Grosswenden and Kleinwenden were founded during the Middle Ages by Slavs who had migrated west. Today Großwenden and nearby Klein(small)wenden are part of the greater municipality of Großlohra in the German state of Thuringia.

• Wikipedia article about Großlohra and its castle. (English translation)
• Großwenden Evangelical (Protestant) Church Information
• Start here for more information about the Bierwirth family. (See also Wenkel)

Gross-Zimmern: Stumpf family
Gross or Groß: large or greater
Zimmern: literally rooms, but the derivation is slightly different

• Official Groß-Zimmern website
• Groß-Zimmern Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Start here for information about the Stumpf family.

The town was first mentioned in 1250, when the Abbey of Fulda Groß-Zimmern gave the fiefdom of the deceased George von Zimmern to the counts Diether und Eberhard von Katzenellenbogen. The 13th century name "Cymmern Superior" developed into Groß-Zimmern (also called over the centuries "Obernzimmern", "Zummern", "Zymern", "Zymmern", "Großen Zymern", "Oberzimmern" und "Großen Zimbern").Groß-Zimmern is in the present-day state of Hessen in Germany.

Michelbach: Eckert family
Michel: Michael
Bach: brook
There are several Michelbachs in Germany. Our Eckert family was probably from the village of Michelbach that lies outside of Fränkisch-Crumbach in the Odenwald (Oden Forest) in the state of Hessen, Germany.

• Official Fränkisch-Crumbach website.(Map showing Michelbach).
• Odenwald Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Fränkisch-Crumbach Wikipedia entry (Enlish translation)
• Start here for more information about the Eckert family.

Nierstein: Leip Family
Nier: ? One interpretation of the name is "stone house of Naro".
Stein: rock or stone

Nierstein lies in the wine growing region along the Rhine river in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz.Romans founded the town of Bauconica on this site almost 2000 years ago. The name Nierstein was first recorded in 882 ("Nerinstein" in a confirmation record).

• Official Nierstein website
• Nierstein Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Nierstein History Association (click on map)
• Nierstein photos
• Start here for information about the Leip family.

Oppenheim: Lepp Family
Oppen: probably after a Frankish nobleman named "Obbo"
Heim: home

Oppenheim lies in the wine growing region along the Rhine river, adjacent to the town of Nierstein (see above). By the 4th century there was a Roman settlement on the site. In about 510 a Frankish nobleman, probably named "Obbo" established a manor (Hofgut) around which the village of Oppenheim grew.

• Official Oppenheim website (click on map)
• Oppenheim Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Oppenheim photos
• Start here for information about the Lepp family.

Schönborn: Jaeger family
Schön or Schoen: beautiful
Born: spring or fount

Schönborn is near the village of Becherbach in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

• Official Schönborn website
• Schönborn Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• For more information about the Jaeger family start here.

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Emigrants from Oppenheim, Hessen: the Lepp Family

Wilhelm "William" Lepp was born in 1828 in Oppenheim. Today Oppenheim lies in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, but in the mid-19th century, it was in the state of Hessen-Darmstadt. William emigrated from Oppenheim with his mother, stepfather and two brothers and stepbrother in 1849.

The Hessen archives list the following family in their emigrant database:

Date: 1849-02
Ziel (Goal): Amerika, USA
Origin: Oppenheim
Reitz, Johann Gottfried (age 29) with Ehefrau (wife) Johanna geb. Leip und Sohn (son) Ludwig 3 J. (years) sowie Stiefsöhnen (stepsons) Friedrich Lepp, Wilhelm Lepp, Johann Lepp.

The rest of the family:
Reitz, Johanna nee Leip (age 44)
Lepp, Friedrich (age 24)
Lepp, Wilhelm (age 21), Bäcker (baker)
Lepp, Johann (age 15)
Reitz, Ludwig (age 3)

According to William's death record, he arrived in Waterloo November 21,1849. Not surprisingly the Reitz-Lepp family was living in Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois when the 1850 Census was taken (p.85b):

NAME_________AGE SEX BORN OCCUPATION
Reitz John ___30 M Germany Farmer
Reitz Johanna 45 F Germany
Lepp Wm ______23 M Germany Baker
Lepp John ____15 M Germany
Reitz Louis ___4 M Germany

Friedrich was living in nearby St. Louis where he worked as a potter.

William lived in St. Louis for a year, then returned to Monroe County. He eventually settled in Columbia with his second wife, Pauline nee Wehinger and their children.

Links
•1848 Map of Hessen (Oppenheim is in southern Hessen-Darmstadt).
•Hessisches Archiv-Dokumentations- und Informations-System (Hessen archives - in German)
•History of Oppenheim with pictures in German. Includes Wappen (coat of arms), Geschichliches (history), Stadtrundgang (region, including history and photos of churches), Bauwerke (buildings), and Historische Ansichten (historical drawings). Translate text here
.Geschichtsverein Oppenheim (Oppenheim Historical Society - in German)
•Things to see in Oppenheim

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Mini bio: George Philip and Johanna (Leip) Lepp

Brief biography of George Philip Lepp (1785-1844) and his wife, Johanna "Hanna" Leip (1803-<1860). Their position on the family tree.

George Philip Lepp

Birth: March 10, 1785 in Oppenheim, Hesse-Darmstadt (now in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany).
Parents: Johann Georg Lepp and Katharine Mueller
Known Residences:
--- Lived his entire life in Oppenheim
Occupation: Haefnermeister (master barrel maker)
Death: April 17, 1844 in Oppenheim.

Johanna "Hanna" Leip

Birth: January 19, 1803 in Nierstein, Hesse-Darmstadt (now in Hessen, Germany)
Parents: Johann Friedrich Leip and Maria Magdalena Hoehn
Known Residences:
--- 1824 moved to Oppenheim with husband Georg Lepp
--- 1849 (about) moved to Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois with second husband Johann Reitz
Death: between 1850 and 1860.

Marriages and Children

George Philip Lepp married Ann Marie Neumann on October 1, 1809 in Oppenheim. Ann Maria died in 1810. There were no children.

George Philip Lepp married Marie Marguerite Koch on December 26, 1810. They had one son who died in infancy

George Philip Lepp married Johanna Leip on December 5, 1824 in Oppenheim. George died in 1844.

Johanna (Leip) Lepp married Johann Reitz about 1845 in Germany.

Children of George and Johanna (Leip) Lepp
--- Friedrich Lepp: born 1825, probably married Margaretha Spiess.
*** Wilhelm "William" Lepp: born 1828, married Charlotte Besch, then Paulina Wehinger
--- Georg Lepp: born 1831, died as a child.
--- Johann "John" Lepp: born 1834, married Agathe Wehinger

Children of Johann and Johanna (Lepp Leip) Reitz
--- Louis Reitz: born about 1846.

Posts about George Philip and Johanna (Leip) Lepp
• Emigrants from Oppenheim, Hessen: the Lepp Family
• Our Ancestral Villages and Towns
• Map of our ancestors in 1800

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