John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 2140

In the previous note, the names of the houses reflect several sources.  Sometimes the house is named for the builder or for the first occupant.  The name of the house the Richters were living in (UHRMEIERSCH) is after the occupation of the inhabitants, who seemed to be clockmakers for several generations.  This Richter house no longer stands, a victim of World War II.  The paving for the ground floor, made from stones, still exists.  A shed for farm implements has been built where the house stood.  Another house, BAECKERSCH, was so badly damaged during WWII that it was rebuilt in 1948.

Nearly all of the houses followed the plan of the Richter house, in that the first floor was used for the animals.  The second floor was used for the humans, while the third floor was used for hay storage.  Pictures in the " Trupbach Ortsgeschichte " show that this was still the use in the period up to WWII.  Thus, the village presents a strong agricultural view and the agricultural pursuits consumed a major part of the time of the inhabitants, women and children included.  Today, the buildings are used differently and, without the need for animal care, the house is often split up into a duplex.  There are still farmers who live in the village.  Their fields are outside the village.

Community bakeries were standard and they were located on the edge of the village.  This was a fire prevention measure.  Today, one of these bakeries has been restored and is in use.  My wife and I purchased a loaf of bread (we intended to purchase a loaf but they insisted on giving it to us).

Some early family names and the earliest dates for the names follow: