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WOLFERSBERGER NAME HISTORY
The numerous and scattered WOLFENSBERGER family has derived its name from the settlement of Wolfsberg or Ober Wolfsberg near Bauma and Bartswil in Switzerland. These communities are about 25 km at 95 degrees from Zurich. Many of the family migrated to the town of Wetzikon and the village of Ettenhausen. Wetzikon is about 10 km southwest of Bauma and Ettenhausen is very near to Wetzikon. The word Wolfesberg means "Mount of the Wolf" (or she wolf). In the earliest written form the name is WOLFENBERGER. This later took on many different spellings such as WOLFENSPERGER, WOLFERSBERGER, WOLFSPERGER and many others.
The Castle Wolfesberg stood on a steep hill at the village Ober Wolfesberg which is near Bauma and Bartswil. This castle is listed in the "Zurich Book of Castles" and was the home of the Noble Knight BALDEBERT of Wolfesberg from 1233 to 1259. Knight BALDEBERT, apparently was the beginning of the WOLFENSBERGER family, he probably received his Knighthood from leading a group on one of the Crusades to the Holy Land. The WOLFENSBERGER Coat of Arms was established before 1500, it is red with a silver wolf on three green hills.
IMMIGRATIONS TO AMERICA
The first known WOLFENSBERGER family to arrive in America was that of Johannes WOLFERSBERGER, his spouse Anna Margaretha ENSMINGER and three of their children. The father of Johannes was Erhart born 18 November 1666 in Ettenhausen, Switzerland. He immigrated to Wolfsheim in the Alsace near Strasbourg in about 1688. Erhart met and married Ursula EMM. Ursula required Erhart to become a Catholic before their marriage. They made their home in Wolschheim which is only a short distance southeast of Saverne. There is only a record of one sibling by Erhart and Ursula that being Johannes. Johannes was born about 1694, probably in Wolschheim. Johannes met and married Anna Margaretha ENSMINGER in Mattstall of the Alsace. Mattstall is northeast of Wolschheim near the German border. They lived in Mattstall and Langensoultzbach, which is only about two kilometers southwest of Mattstall. Their first four children were born in Langensoultzbach. The children were; John Peter born 16 October 1721, Maria Ursula born 29 August 1724 died 8 September 1727, Jakob Frederich born 1 June 1727. Probably their son Johannes was born in Langensoultzbach in the early part of 1730, because he was an infant in their journey to America. The family came to America from Ludwigschafen down the Rhein to England They left Dover, England on the Thistle of Glasgow on 19 June and arrived in Philadelphia 29 August 1730. They settled for a short time in Lancaster County then relocated in Lebanon County, Pa. Their other children were born in Pennsylvania. They were; Mary Catherine born 3 August 1733 in Lancaster County, PA and John Philip born 14 February 1739 in Lebanon County, PA. Probably at least 80% of the total family descendants in America are descendants of this Johannes, as many of them had very large families. The descendants are scattered over the USA. The best early reference to this family in America is a paper by Raymond Martin BELL of Washington, WOLFENSBERGER WOLFERSBERGER FAMILY" of Switzerland, Alsace and Pennsylvania. This paper does a remarkable job of following the family from Switzerland to the Alsace then to America. Dr. BELL covers three or four generations in America.
Hans WOLFENSPERGER
Jonathan WOLFERSBERGER
Martin WOLFERSBERGER
Isaac WOLFERSBERGER
Wolf WOLFENSBERGER
OTHERS
SOURCE NOTES: Most of the items on the Wolfensberger family of Switzerland were obtained from the "DEUTSCHES SCHWEITZERISCHES GERESCHLECHTERBUCH" and the "DEUTSCHES GESCHLECHTERBUCH" both by Dr. jur Bernhard HOERNER as published in 1929, and the "WOLFENSBERGER FAMILY OF SWITZERLAND" as shown on film 1181673 item 16, pages 1 thru 342 from the L D S Genealogy Library of Salt Lake City, UT.
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