Weinzaepflen story
Traces to 1395
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Significance
of name WEINZAEPFLEN
According to historians, the literal translation is small wine cork
According to institutions for the promotion of literary or scientific learning,
this name would come from the middle ages.
The uncles and cousins viewed many death
and marriage records and decided to hold a reunion in 1986. 120
relatives went to Ungersheim for that first reunion. They were pleased
with those numbers, but felt that they could bring more the next time.
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The family tree
Cousins Joseph WEINZAEPFLEN and Renee
MEICHLER researched the courthouse files of Colmar and Guebwiller (Alsace).
Their search was beneficial. Previous searches had already taken place
during the German occupation when the function then was to prove the purity of
the family line (proving that they were not jewish).
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SWITZERLAND
In Switzerland the historical and
biographical dictionary gives a report of the families of Weinzaepfli and
Weinzapf as early as the fifteenth century. They were part
of the middle-class from Fellers of the Grisons area
and also mentioned having important political positions. For example,
Hans, as a county judge from 1425 to 1455 represented the 'Gray Line' in the
negotiations after the war of SCHAMS into 1452. Their seals: a bunch of grapes and
a tap of a barrel.
On May 23, 1654, Theobald Weinzaepfli, a
student of theology in Bern was thrown with his frightened horse from the top
of a platform into a lower garden. He later was distinguished during his
life by participating in various cultural activies and charities. After
his death, November 25, 1691, a commemorative plate was installed
on the wall of the platform where the accident had occurred. It remains
there today.
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Denis INGOLD
According to a search by Denis
Ingold, genealogist from Cernay, the community of UFFHOLTZ as early as
1395 had a grapevine grower by the picturesque name of HEITZE WINZEPFELIN or
"Henri plug of barrel." This same name is evident in various
sales contracts into 1460 and later in 1569 with another generation in
UFFHOLTZ.
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WEINZAEPFLEN IN UNGERSHEIM
Many searches have been done by Mrs.
Renee Meichler of Colmar and Joseph Weinzaepflen and their work has been given
to the County Historical Center for Family Stories (CDHF) in
Guebwiller. A family tree is also displayed there. They know that
the Weinzaepflen family was present in Ungersheim as of the end of the
sixteenth century. Between 1584, when the church records began, and
1605, the couple Appoline Weinzaepflen - and Jean Rantz with no less than 10
children, had all their children baptized at St. Michael Church in
Ungersheim. The genealogy of this family began only with Christophe
Weinzaepflen who married on February 9, 1682, Madeleine Biehly.
They had four children. When Madeleine died, he married a second time.
His second wife was a widow of Soultz, Anne Schneider. Christophe's
baptismal certificate has not been found but his father's name, Arbogast, is
quoted in a sale in court records.
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Searches for the Cousins of America
Three passports for the New World have
been found for Weinzaepflens from Ungersheim: July, 1839 for Roman
destined for Vincennes, a 26 year old student of theology; July, 1847 for
Michel, a 27 year old farmer; July, 1849 for Antoine, a 34 year old
cartwright. Two years later in 1851, Antoine returned to the village.
The destination for the latter two was Evansville.
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Cousins of America
On August 18, 1988, Harold and
Wilfred WEINZAPFEL, accompanied by their wives, went to Ungersheim to find
their roots. The first day there, they met Antoine and his wife,
Annette. Later that evening Antoine hosted a supper and they met Claude
and Joseph. They were invited to come back in 1991 for the second
reunion in Ungersheim.
The following year on May 20, 1989,
Antoine and Annette traveled to St. Philip where a small local family reunion
was organized. In 1993, the US Weinzapfels hosted their first
nationwide reunion with 500 relatives attending including 40 from France.
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WEINZAPFELS IN AMERICA
Like other Alsatian families,
Weinzaepflens left their native soil for the New World, hoping to find a
better life. Michel had many descendants who primarily live in Indiana
and Texas, as well as all the other states.
• More history • Weinzaepflen in Alsace