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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 willContinue reading “New Findings from Leistadt!”

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 theContinue reading “A Wooly Bad Scandal”

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 ofContinue reading “The Old Church Field and the Early Bruch Family in Feckweiler”

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.Continue reading “Claus Bruch and His Siblings – the Disputes with Bruch Greth”

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 BirkenfeldContinue reading “The Bruch Families of Birkenfeld – New Findings”