Views of the Old Country: Thuringen, home of the Wenkel Family

Dorothea Maria Hupe was the daughter of Johann Friedrich Hupe, a medical officer in Ebeleben. On August 9, 1795, she married Johann Friedrich Wenkel and they had at least ten children there, including our ancestor, Johann "Conrad" Christoph Wenkel.

Ebeleben is in the Kyffhäuserkreis (Kyffhäuser region) of Thuringen, Germany, in the Hainleite hills, south of the Harz Mountains*.

• Pictures of Ebeleben
• History of Ebeleben (German) and German Wikipedia article on Ebeleben with map.
• Kyffhäuser District tourism page (English).

Move to Amt Lohra/Großwenden

In about 1819, the Wenkel family moved 15 miles north to Amt Lohra, in the neighboring district of Nordhausen. Both Johann Friedrich and his son Conrad were brick makers there.

In 1822, Conrad Wenkel married Henriette Bierwirth, in the neighboring town of Großwenden. Henriette was the daughter of Friedrich Bierwirth, one time mayor of Großwenden, and farm owner. Our ancestor Wilhelm Conrad Wenkel was born in Amt Lohra in 1832.

Both Amt Lohra and Großwenden were part of the lands ruled by the Duke of Lohra (Grafen von Lare (Lohra)) in the 11th and 12th century. His castle, Burg Lohra, can be visited today. The towns of Großwenden was so-named because it was "wendische" (Slavic) settlement in the Middle Ages (Groß means "large").

• About Grosslohra (including the former villages of Amt Lohra, Grosswenden, Kleinwenden, Friedrichslohra, Münichslohra and Burg Lohra) from the Nordhausen district official web site (German, with pictures).

• German Wikipedia article on Großlohra, with map.

Leaving Thuringia

In 1846, the Wenkel family sailed to America on the Ship Iris.

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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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Our Ancestors in 1800

I've been playing with the Google maps API to generate a map showing where the ancestors of Esther (Kraus) Mabry lived in 1800. I've pinpointed where the Krauss, Wenkel, Stumpf, Lepp, Eckert, and Wehinger families were living in what is now Germany and Austria.

The advantage of using Google maps is that I can insert "pins" with information at different locations. The viewer can zoom in on any point and see either a standard map or a satellite view. I am still learning how the system works, so comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

Map showing where our ancestors lived in 1800.

At the moment only the most recent web browsers (Firefox/Mozilla, IE 5.5+, and Safari 1.2+) can be used to view the maps. I've found that Firefox works the best.

Download Firefox for free.

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