Weinzaepflen story

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.
 

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).

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.

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.

 
 

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.

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.

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.