Can anyone verify for me that a Langenfeld existed in the 1800s near Malmedy? BACH family members have indicated to me that is the birthplace of Nicolas BACH, 1820, Langenfeld, near Malmedy, Belgium (a few miles from it).
Thanks for any comments or directions as to where to verify this. I guess one can order the civil records for Malmedy to be absolutely sure, but at least I would like to know the town existed. Is it now called Longfaye? Or was Longfaye known in the Prussian era by another name?
Thanks again for any help.

This morning in further searching I found the first birth of the couple I am especially tracking, Nicolas BACH, b 1820 (at Langenfeld bei Malmedy, BE, and Elisabeth LOUIS / LOUEN / LOEWEN b 1831. Michael was born 20 Feb 1855 at Luetzkampen, PRU, just one mile from the current Belgian border, but according to Thomas Pick's website he was baptized at Welchenhausen, a couple miles to the north. Probably Elisabeth is from that parish-- several LOEWEN are found, including Elisabeth, b 11-10-1831 to Michael LOEWEN and Margaret BELGE.

Can anyone verify if Longfaye was in the 1800s called Langenfeld? A BACH was born, from family tradition, at Langenfeld near Malmedy.
Thanks for any help here.

Ken,

Your question is already old a bit. But I had asked a Belgian. He gave me the following information about "Longfaye": The first syllable "Long" is how "long" in English. The second syllable "faye" cannot be translated in German or English. A "Langenfeld" in French would be called "Longchamps"! The second syllable "champs" is in French a field, land. Field is in the German language also a field, land. Therefore you thought of "Langenfeld"? However, in the East-Belgian area around Malmedy the people had spoken never German. Only "walloon"! There are 5 places with the name "Langenfeld" in Germany. In the "Eifel" is a place Langenfeld only nearby the city of "Mayen".

Konni

Konni, I replied to you privately, but I thought I should update publicly the information I had put there back in 2005.
Since then I learned the answer to my question. The Langenfeld I wanted to find was not in Belgium but just a few miles across into Rheinland, Germany, and about 32 km. from Malmedy. The reason it was harder to find was because it was called Grosslangenfeld, not simply Langenfeld, located at 50° 13' N. 6° 15' E.
I mentioned finding the birth and baptism of one of the children in the Nicolas and Elisabeth (Lowen or Louen) Bach family, namely, Michel, b 20 Feb 1855 at Welchenhausen, just a km. or 2 from Belgium, and this is only about 10 km. SW of Grosslangenfeld.
The best find however (using Thomas Pick's wonderful website listing many Eifel region parishes) was finding the birth of Nicholas Bach's brother Bernard in 1832 at Grosslangenfeld to parents Nicolas Bach and Elisabeth Cremer, which confirms for me that I am investigating the right area where Nicolas should also have been born. I have studied Bernard Bach very much and am sure he is part of the same family as Nicolas, for he also emigrates to the same county (Stearns County, Minnesota) as does Nicolas born 12 Aug 1820, and gets married, has several children and died there in 1880.
I have tried various parishes around the Grosslangenfeld area but been unsuccessful in finding Nicolas Bach's birth, but I did also find on Thomas Pick's website 7 other siblings as well as the wedding of Nicolas Bach and Elisabeth Cremer in 1806 at Bleialf just a bit north of Grosslangenfeld.
Thanks to all who responded to my original query. The subject line should now be changed to "Bach in Grosslangenfeld, Rheinland" and no longer a matter of concern for this "German Speaking Community" message board.

I did find for GROSSLANGENFELD on Wikipedia the following:

"Die erste urkundliche Erwähnung erfolgte 1283 als Langievield".

So the variant of the place name as Langenfeld was correct.



The german/diets/letzeburgs/dutch speaking area between Maastricht (NL) - Malmedy (BE) - Luxemburg (LUX) - Kronenburg/Scheleiden (D) did undergo turbulent changes between 1795 and 1839.

That region is the transition area between German, Dutch and French.

Grosslangenfeld did belong to the bishop of Trier. His territory has been divided between Belgium, Germany and the Grand-Duchy in 1795 and 1839.

For these reasons this posting will remain on this board. It will help others to solve some classic problems for this area.

But I suggest that a link, from the appropriate Rheinland board, with the correct title, should be made with this posting.

Thank you for communicating the result of your query.

Luc Matthijs
Board administrator

Ken,

your "Bach Family" can be found complete in the person register of Winterscheid. Winterscheid is few kilometres north of Großlangenfeld.

http://www.winterscheid-rlp.de/Personen/015.htm

http://www.winterscheid-rlp.de/Personen/0011-Bac.htm

I hope that it helps you further!

Konni

Konni, thanks for pointing to the website. But maybe I did not make myself clear enough. I have those 8 names of the children of Nicolas Bach (1781) and Elisabeth Cremer (1788 from the Winterscheid website and Thomas Pick's), but there was at least one more, the one I know best from the U.S. side, Nicolas Bach, b 12 or 20 Aug 1820, born apparently somewhere else besides Grosslangenfeld (and Winterscheid). If you could help find that one, it would be greatly appreciated.

Ken,

I come back to your message of August after long time. It is very strange that the Nicolas Bach is not listed in this family list. I cannot explain this to me! Perhaps is this a new help for you: These villages of the "Eifel area" are processed by the "WGfF, group Trier" ("Westdeutsche Gesellschaft für Familienkunde", Gruppe Trier) in Germany. They are voluntary researchers! The researcher for your special area is Mr Uwe Probst. He is under the electronic mail address

uw_probst@t-online.de

attainable. You should contact him. Perhaps he can further help you in your special question.

Good luck, Konni