Another large family, also from Trupbach, was the Otterbachs. There is no documentary evidence in Virginia that this family did, in fact, make the trip. But there is excellent circumstantial evidence that this is the case, and we might review some of the principal points.
The family disappears from the church and civil records in Germany about 1714. In the book, " Ortgeschichte Trupbach " [" Local History of Trupbach "], by Tröps and Bohn, the house Welmes was inhabited by Hermannus Otterbach in 1707. They say about the family that (it), "ausgewandert nach Virginia USA." ["emigrated to Virginia USA."] The house was taken over (in 1712) by Johann Jacob Schneider, who had married Maria Cath. Heide. Again, as in the last note, I do not understand why they use the date 1712.
The names of the daughters in the family seem to appear as wives in Virginia. The family was related to some of the people who did go to Virginia. A family, or families, is/are needed to add to the known Virginia immigrants to come to the right count. The Otterbach family would fulfill that need correctly.
Hermann Otterbach was a "Fuhrmann" ("Fuhrleute" is the plural form), which is a wagoner, carter, teamster, or coachman (a person who carted goods or people from one location to another). As such, he would have been very sensitive to the economic conditions. If economic life were depressed, his work would be reduced. (In the emigrating group, there was another man who was the son of a "Fuhrmann", and that was John Hofmann.)
Hermann Otterbach had married Elisabeth Heimbach, and they had these children:
John Philip (21),
John (11),
Elizabeth (24),
Alice Catherine (16),
Mary Catherine (14), and
Anna Catherine (8).
Again, much like the Fischbachs, it would seem that the parents were motivated by finding a better life for the sons and daughters. It was a major undertaking for eight people to uproot their life in Trupbach and to go to America. One wonders if the prospects in and around Trupbach for finding husbands for the daughters, and jobs for the sons, were poor. Philip was old enough to be looking for a job and a wife. Elizabeth was old enough to be thinking about marriage.
On the German Photo page, look at the
trupbach.html#drawing">
drawing
of the village of Trupbach and locate the Chapel School in the center. You can identify the school by the
trupbach.html#chapel">
picture
of it on the photo page also. In the drawing, the first building directly or straight to the right of the Chapel School should be the Otterbach home. In 1713, the school was not there, as it was built in 1750.
(05 Apr 01)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.