New Findings from Leistadt!
In 1722, the community of Leistadt compiled a list of all of the property (house plots and fields) held by members of the community. This Morgenbuch was periodically updated as property changed hands, through inheritance or sale. The information it contains is remarkable and has led to many important discoveries. Each of these discoveries will…
A Wooly Bad Scandal
Bartel Bruch, the son of Nicolaus Bruch and grandson of Jacob Bruch, was a wool weaver in Birkenfeld and Buhlenberg in the early 17th Century. Wool weaving was one of the big industries in the Birkenfeld region around the turn of the 17th Century. There are no mentions of Bartel in the records of the…
The Old Church Field and the Early Bruch Family in Feckweiler
The Bruch family had deep roots in Feckweiler, with the first mention of the name “Bruchman” coming in 1366. The name is found in both the 1465 and 1500 tax registers for the village. The next surviving tax lists are from 1559 and 1563. In 1559, we find two Bruch men who are heads of…
Claus Bruch and His Siblings – the Disputes with Bruch Greth
Thanks to a series of inheritance disputes in the early 17th Century, we know that Claus Bruch of Achtelsbach, known as “Becker Claus (Baker Claus),” had a sister named Anna who was the first wife of Nicolaus Krauss of Birkenfeld. Krauss was known as “Bruch,” indicating that the Bruch name had clout at the time.…
The Bruch Families of Birkenfeld – New Findings
Recently, I figured out how to access archival material from the State Archives in Koblenz and Speyer. For the Birkenfeld region, a remarkable number of documents have been preserved, such as records of the Coopers Guild, church land inventories, tax registers, and, perhaps most interesting, court minutes from the numerous cases adjudicated by the Birkenfeld…
Bruch Families of Birkenfeld – Gedcom
A Gedcom file for the Bruch families of Birkenfeld is now available.
Thomas Bruch’s Second Wife – Katharina Lentz of Züsch
Thomas Bruch of Ellweiler’s second wife has traditionally been identified as Katharina Jung, daughter of Philip of Züsch. However, this is based on an inaccurate transcription of her surname: she was actually Katharina Lentz.
The Bruch Families of Birkenfeld
The Bruch Families of Birkenfeld, now available.
Birkenfeld Resources – Name Indices
Indices of inhabitants of the villages of Feckweiler and Ellweiler.
Leistadt Church Book – Baptisms to 1736
You can now view genealogical extracts from the baptisms recorded in the Leistadt Church Book from 1700 through 1736.
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Bruch Family History 