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!”
Tag Archives: Bruch Genealogy
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”
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.
Early 18th Century Leistadt
Leistadt was the home village of Matthias Bruch of Pennsylvania. His father, Matthes Bruch, had moved to Leistadt to help rebuild following Leistadt’s destruction in 1689. Matthes was one of several immigrants to Leistadt, including the Hoffmann Andreas Neu and the huntsman Andreas Federkeil. In the early 18th Century, about half of Leistadt’s population were immigrants orContinue reading “Early 18th Century Leistadt”
Historical Sources and Records of the Bruch Families of Birkenfeld
As one would expect, the most important source of information on the early Bruch families in the Birkenfeld region are the records kept by the churches of births, marriages, burials, and sometimes confirmations. The Birkenfeld Church Book is one of the oldest in existence, with records starting in 1568, not long after the Reformation wasContinue reading “Historical Sources and Records of the Bruch Families of Birkenfeld”
Bruch Family History 