One of the families in the Robinson River Valley about the time of the Revolution was the Nonnenmacher family. There were the parents, Ludwig and Elizabeth, and, apparently, the sons Ludwig, Jr., and Johannes. Ludwig, Jr., married Barbara Blankenbaker. (See the Hebron Communion Lists by Mielke and Blankenbaker.)
It is interesting to note that the name Nonnenmacher is to be found today around Neuenbürg, the home in Germany of the Blankenbakers. This suggests some communication between the Blankenbakers in Virginia and the Nonnenmachers who were still in Germany.
The history of the Nonnenmachers is yet to be worked out in detail. Some of them are to be found in Jeffersontown in Kentucky at an early date, which suggests that perhaps the Blankenbakers and Nonnenmachers were continuing to follow the same paths.
Some people have wondered if the Nonnenmachers became Moneymakers. Others believe that the source of the Moneymaker name is in Ludwig Geldmacher who was a British auxiliary in the Revolution. Since Geldmacher translates into Moneymaker directly, there is a justification for this viewpoint.
This Ludwig Geldmacher was from Wolfhagen, Hessen, where the family has been identified. Ludwig was with the von Rall Grenadier Regiment which was captured at the battle of Trenton. Apparently Ludwig never fought again. He seems to have been freed on a work release to work with local farmers. One son of this Ludwig (there were three children) was William, who moved to Tennessee after his father’s death in 1813.
There seems to an association with the names of Baumgardner (Bumgardner) and Gabbert. These two surnames are in the Germanna community, so the thought that Ludwig Geldmacher might be associated with the Germanna community arises. I have looked at the Bumgardner and Gabbert histories and I see nothing which would identify the Germanna people in these two families with Ludwig Geldmacher (Moneymaker).
It is to be hoped that the Nonnenmacher history will be more completely developed. When it is, I would not be surprised that the Nonnenmachers originated in the Kraichtal (not to be confused with the neighboring Kraichgau).
(30 Dec 03)
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.