Eisenbeiß Family History & Genealogy
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Page 1 of 119 Eisenbeiß Family History & Genealogy 19-Aug-2021 Compiled by: Clyde T. Eisenbeis (a:3.1.5.3.7-4.8.2.1.3-7.1) Co-compiled by: Albert Eisenbeiß of Germany (a:3.1.5.3.7-4.7.8.6.5-1) Henri Eisenbeis of France (b:2.1.1.1.6-9.2.9.3.1-2) Dennis Eisenbeis of California (a:3.1.5.3.7-4.8.6.6.6-1.2) Contacts: For contact information => http://eisenbeisz.foxping.com Copyright 1982-2020, Clyde T. Eisenbeis Any portion of this document may be copied or reproduced with proper attribution without permission from the author unless designated otherwise. Proper attribution includes the copyright notice / date / author and this statement shall be part of the copied sections even if only portions of the document are utilized. Page 2 of 119 Acknowledgments This book is dedicated to the record keepers who over the past centuries recorded the information that now holds our keen interest. Their insight and interest in documenting the footsteps of our ancestors has led to a fascinating chronicle of history for us to enjoy. There are many record keepers who deserve recognition, but most are unknown to us. There are, however, individuals who are known and who deserve special mention. They are Werner Haussmann, Dr. Hans Rommel, and Pfarrer Strobel, from the Black Forest area of Germany, Albert Eisenbeiß of Waiblingen/Neustadt, Germany, Henri Eisenbeis of Paris, France, and Dennis Eisenbeis of California. Because of their continued, long-term commitment to gather and compile Eisenbeiß genealogy and history, Albert, Dennis, and Henri are listed as co-compilers. Karl Stumpp compiled the book, "The Emigration from Germany to Russia in the years 1763 to 1862". This book, written over a period of 40 years, documents Germans who moved to Russia from 1763 through 1862. The information was extracted from emigration records found across Germany. Hundreds of thousands of us are indebted to him. Werner Haussmann compiled much of the early Eisenbeiß history. In 1988, at age 72, he was still quite active in genealogy research, although most of his efforts were directed toward the records of the village of Freudenstadt. Many of the Freudenstadt records exist because of Dr. Hans Rommel, Freudenstaedter Archivar. Even though he died circa 1978, his efforts are well recognized because of the extensive records he compiled. His records provided much information about the early Eisenbeiß families. Another individual who has made significant contributions to the field of genealogy is Pfarrer Strobel. His Sippenatlas Glatten (family atlas of Glatten) also provided much information about the early Eisenbeiß families. Pfarrer Strobel died in August of 1987. Albert Eisenbeiß of Waiblingen/Neustadt, Germany has provided extensive information about the a: Eisenbeiß family lineage. His insight and knowledge about the early Eisenbeiß families who lived in the Black Forest area and about those who lived in Russia has been invaluable. Albert was born in Hoffnungstal, Bessarabia and was forced to move to Germany when Russia reclaimed Bessarabia in 1940 during World War II. Henri Eisenbeis, of Paris, France, provided extensive information about the b: Eisenbeiß family lineage. His research and knowledge give new insight into a very large family that originates in the Thuringia area. Henri has uncovered old articles, some of which are printed in this book. Dennis Eisenbeis of California has scoured the Internet, learned to read the old German handwriting, continues to identify new information and new contacts, has written some of the articles in this book, and created a web page that displays images related to Eisenbeiß families and has links to other relevant web pages. In 1995, the computerization of old records added a new dimension to the area of genealogy. Information from microfilms of old records from Russia is being entered into computers. Once in a computer, this information can be quickly searched by many people. In the past, people have had to spend many tedious hours at microfilm reader machines searching for information. Now, with the push of a few buttons, relevant information can be retrieved in seconds. The end result is that more time can be devoted to the fun part of genealogy ... making sense of what is found! Page 3 of 119 Recognition is given to Dale Lee Wahl of Bremerton, Washington and to Roger Ehrich of Blacksburg, Virginia for leading the effort to computerize genealogy information and make it available via Internet. In addition, recognition goes to: • The Emigration from Germany to Russia in the years 1763 to 1862 by Karl Stumpp. • Familien und Sippenbuch Hoffnungstal/Bessarabien, by Albert Eisenbeiß (a:3.1.5.3.7-4.7.8.6.5-1) • From the Steppes to the Prairies by George P. Aberle. • Iron Spirits by North Dakota Council on the Arts. • Plains Folk by William C. Sherman, Playford V. Thorson, Warren A. Henke, Timothy J. Kloberdanz, Theodore B. Pedelski, and Robert P. Wilkins. • Prairie Mosaic by William C. Sherman. • Russian-German Settlements in the U.S. by Richard Sallet. • The Black Sea Germans in the Dakotas by George Rath. • The Last Bridge by Marjorie Knittel & Elvira Ziebart Reuer. • Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS), 1008 E Central Av, Bismarck, North Dakota 58501 • American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR), 631 D St., Lincoln, Nebraska 68502-1199. • "Before They Left Germany" and "The Russian Calendar" are reprinted with the permission of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR). The most important recognition belongs to my wife Sheryl and my three sons Kirk, Jeff, and Ross. Their patience with me and this project has been extraordinary, to say the least. Page 4 of 119 The Original Search Research on the Eisenbeis name began in 1980 by writing letters to various Eisenbeis / Eisenbeisz families throughout North Dakota and South Dakota. At that time it appeared that these families should be related, since all of them had ancestors who: 1) originally lived in southwestern Germany near the French border, 2) moved from Germany to Russia, and 3) moved from Russia to the Dakotas. But exactly how they were related was a mystery. Initially, the information received was very confusing. A letter was received that stated, "My grandfather was John, and his brothers and sisters were Christian, Frederick, Jakob, Christina, Fredericka, Rosina, Katherina, and Joseph." And then another letter was received that stated, "My grandfather was Christian, and his brothers and sisters were John, Frederick, Jakob, Christina, Fredericka, Rosina, Katherina, and Matthew." And then another letter was received that stated, "My grandfather was Jakob, and his brothers and sisters were Christian, Frederick, John, Christina, Fredericka, Rosina, and Maria." The first thought was that people were making minor mistakes in remembering the names of their grandfather's siblings. But only after the birth dates and death dates of these people were received did it become clear that these were all different families with the same names. Searching through the genealogy records of the past couple of centuries, the Eisenbeis(z) families consistently named their children after the parents, the grandparents, and the aunts and uncles (in one case there were five cousins and one uncle with the name Jakob). While this may have made sense to the families of the time as it honored the past generations, it makes life very interesting for the genealogist in trying to sort the families using old documents that are not always clear or complete. Families and friends had their own way of identifying the different people with the same names. They used nicknames that described some characteristic of the person. For example: "Jakob der Dicke" (Jacob the fat one), vs. "Jakob der Alte" (Jacob the old one) vs. "Jakob der Blutkopfig" (Jacob the baldheaded one) vs. "Jakob der Schimmelkopfig" (Jacob the white haired one). The letters from North Dakota and South Dakota indicated that many Eisenbeis(z) families left the Dakotas and moved to other parts of the country, especially in the 1920's and 1930's when many moved to the Lodi, California area, Yakima, Washington area, and to Canada. Consequently, the letter writing expanded to Eisenbeis(z) families located across the country. As the new letters came, Eisenbeis(z) families were identified who did not come to the U.S. through Russia. They came directly from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Washington, Illinois, Indiana, and California. The spellings of the names changed slightly ... Eisenbeiß, Eisenbeisz, Eisenbeiss, Eisenbeis, Eisenbise, Eisenbies. Over time, more variations of the spelling appeared. Occasionally a letter was received that stated, "I'm sorry, but my husband died last month, and I don't know the answers to your questions. But if he were alive, I know he would know." And so the pressure was applied to write even more letters as quickly as possible to retrieve the information that was recorded in the minds of the venerable custodians of Eisenbeiß family history before they left us. The letter writing expanded to Germany in 1982 shortly before the 1st International Eisenbeiß Family Reunion at Beulah, North Dakota. From this connection, historical information was obtained regarding the very early Eisenbeiß families living in Germany. A trip by four Eisenbeiß'es from Germany to attend the 2nd International Eisenbeiß Family Reunion in 1984 at Aberdeen, South Dakota, and a return visit to Germany in the summer of 1987 led to even more extensive historical information. As people have become aware of this book and of the reunions, new information continued to be sent to be included in this book. Page 5 of 119 The response to the genealogy search letters has been nothing short of amazing.