There were two estate distributions in the Kilian Planckenbuehler family at Gresten, one when the first wife of Kilian, a Martha, died in 1620, and the other when Kilian and his second wife, another Martha, died within a nine-month period about 1646. It is from these estate distributions that we learn something about the families. An estate distribution was not made immediately. Time was allowed for this, but there still was a final accounting.
It is from these records that we learn that Matthias Planckebuehler was married and living in the Holy Roman Empire near Langenbruecken under the jurisdiction of the Speyer diocese. Three or four of his brothers (one returned to Austria) are identified as living in Mittelfranken in Bavaria.
Langenbruecken is five miles west and slightly north of Neuenbuerg, which is where the family appears to have been living later. Both Langenbruecken and Neuenbuerg were on the lands of the Bishops of Speyer. Therefore, both places were distinctly Catholic. In fact, at Neuenbuerg, the Protestant inhabitants walked about two miles to Oberoewisheim to go to the Lutheran Church.
So we have more than one mystery. Why did Matthias go past Mittelfranken and Dietenhofen to the edge of the Rhine River? Why did he not stay with his relatives in Mittelfranken? Presumably, all of the emigrations were to escape the edict the Austrian Emperor which required that everyone adopt the Catholic religion. So why would Matthias go from one Catholic region to another Catholic area? Did he know someone in Austria who could help him relocate?
We know of only one son of Matthias, but he probably had more. Shortly after the Blanckenbuehlers left Neuenbuerg for Virginia, there was a marriage of a Blanckenbuehler in Oberoewisheim. Since Matthias seems to be the only Blanckenbuehler in the area, this man was probably a descendant of Matthias. A few years ago I corresponded with a Blankenbuehler who lived in this general area. He did not know his ancestry in that much detail but he was probably a descendant of Matthias also. (He had lost his desire to learn more as he was the end of the line.)
Richard Planckenbuehler, who lives in Nuernberg (in Bavaria) descends from the first wife of Kilian while I have the second wife as an ancestor. Therefore, we are only half-cousins. Counting all of the generations, I think we are tenth half-cousins, going back to about 1600 for our common ancestor.
I consider now that the line from me to Kilian is highly probable. I have three paths back to Matthias, the exile from Austria. He is tied to Kilian by the estate records in Gresten.
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(04 May 05)
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