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Ehmann and History in Black Forest

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Ehmann and History in Black Forest

Posted: 14 Aug 2002 9:48PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 16 May 2003 8:46PM GMT
Surnames: Ehmann
Freudenstädter Heimatblätter, (Black Forest Paper, "The Grenzer"), 17 Feb. 1951,
THE EHMANN OF BAIERSBRONN, by Karl Ehmann.

Baiersbronn was the main location for the surname Ehmann, but not all families with this name are from Baiersbronn. The name shows up early in other towns. In Göppingen 1330; Esslingen 1336; Ingelheim 1512; in Lübeck 1550.
Today, besides Baiersbronn, the name is in many other towns: Heilbronn, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Reutlingen, Tuttlingen, Welzheimer Wald, Ulm, Ingolstadt, Regensburg, München, Wien, Zürich, Mittel-Franken, Odenwald, Frankfurt, Kassel, Lündburger Heide, Magdeburg, Berlin, and many others.
The name is originally from the Black Forest. In the local dialect it was pronounced AIMANN. There are two explanations: Ehmann means "son of the Eo", and the other is that a man through the right of a contract (Old German) is allowed to work in his profession. The name is very old and is Old German. The name in not listed in Baiersbronn old documents, but in 1471 it is in the first Württemberg tax list, in a property assessment list in Dornstetten. At that time six Ehmann families lived in Baiersbronn, and up to this date (1951) many are in this area.
At that time, Bernhard, Claus, and young Claus, Berthold, Jacob Eman, and also Peter Eman's widow with child where living in Baiersbronn.
In 1438 Jacob Eman is in the County Damage Recording Office, because he cought a poacher, but he was arrested instead by the Graf from Eberstein. While in jail he had to spend quite a bit of his own money, however, he was later reemburst for his costs. The same Jacob Eman sold in 1496 his "Rothen Wies", because of taxes, to Hans Mast of Kniebs.
The Furstenbergische Harziehensbriefe (Resin Collecting Letter) showed that the Ehmanns from 1508 til 1668 had the right to draw resin in the Kniebiswalder to the Glasewald See (Kniebis Woods to Glasewoods Lake). Through several contracts changes, it was possible to find the Stammvater of the Ehmann main branch. In 1600, before the church books, two separate brances were known. Many other Ehmanns show up but cannot be fitted into any branches.
The Main Branch: starts with Bläsi Eman, Farmer and Judge (member of the village court) auf dem Berg (Baiersbronn-Berg parcel). In 1508 he was mentioned in a Furstenberg Document. In 1516 the Gräfin von Furstenberg gave him the right to collect resin. With marriage to the daughter of Peter Drick, he obtained some property. In 1520 the parish Baiersbronn taxed him 1/8 Fl. In 1521 he gives the House of Württenberg 2 Pfund Hellergült (payment of small coins), and a chicken. In 1525 Baiersbronn (at that time period had 50 farms) assesses his house with 45 Fl.. In 1528, Bläsi Eman gives to the Kloster Kniebis 17 Shilling and 8 Heller per year. In 1530 according to Religious Tax List Dornstetten, he gives 1 Gulden per year.
His son, Peter Eman the Old, lived in 1521 in Dalkenbach, and takes over the father's farm in the Berg in 1535. In 1538 he was given the rights to the Harzwalder (Pineforest). 1542/44 his property was valued at 300 Fl. but paid 2 Fl. for property and 1 Fl. for Türken Tax. In 1552 he settled by the Kloster Kniebis Woods. The Wald Court in Aach rejected Peter's law suit against the Innkeeper in Kniebis about the fishing rights in the Ellbach Lake in 1556. From 1556-1558 he was Mayor, and died a few years later.
His widow, Genofea nee Zymerman, in 1564 pays a Martini Tax to Kloster Kniebis. By 1567 his son, Peter the Young, lived on the farm in the Berg and in the same year built a flour mill at the Dalkenbach. In 1568 he receives the right to be a resin collector, and in 1587 he had a unsuccessful lawsuit for fishing rights in the Ellbach Lake. According to the Citizen's Book, in 1590 he was Court Administrator. He is co-owner with Melchior Trück and August Fedelin, of four inheritable fishing water rights on the Murg River and its side rivers. They pay 60 fishes in yearly tax. He is listed as a leader in the Musterlist War Register, Dornsterren, in the year 1603. In 1608 he was half a owner of a farm valued at 350 Fl. and paid 11 Fl., 8 Batzen, 18 Kreuzer in tax. Peter's brother, Lazarus, was a mayor in Besenfeld.
The third brother, Christian, in 1590 is the owner of the farm in Loch, (Martin's Farm), and becomes by inheritance the owner of the Kniebis Kloster Kretzenbühl. He collected a tax from 51 farms (cattle and crops) for the Kloster. He himself had to pay 30 Scheffel per year of corn to the Mother Kloster Kniebis in Alpirsbach. In 1625, his widow, Maria, lived on the Kloster Farm. Christian's sons: Adam, Forestworker in Dorf, Johannes, Forestworker and Judge in Loch, Andreas, Farmer in Kretzenbühl. Their sister Anna Maria, lived since her marriage in 1636 to Jerg Braun on the farm in the Berg. The farm remained in the family of Jerg Braun.
The sons of Johannes, Forestworker, worked as farmers. A son, Adam, was a Farmer in Christophstal and in 1668 he received the Resin Rights from his father. His brother, Jacob, of Loch, owned Peter the Young's fishing rights. A third brother, Johannes, was Mayor of Baiersbronn. The fourth brother, Heinrich, inheired the farm in Loch. Jacob and Heinrich and the Mayor, Conrad Ziflen, were the principals accused in the well known farmer's raid agaisnt the 200 Croatian Horsemen. They were fined 100 Taler each and Ziflen lost his job as Mayor.

The Surbach-Stamm: Goes back to brother-in-law Peter the Young. He was named in 1568 and 1580 as a partner in Resin Rights with Michael Ehmann. A Christ followed them to Surbach. his sons, Jacob and Adam the Old, jointly owned the farm there and later it was given to Adam's sons, Adam the Young and Hans Jacob. In 1659, there was a small tax of 13 Kreuzer payable to the Heiligenplege in Wittlinsweiler. They were forfeited, Jacob in 1630, Christ in 1620 and Michael in 1610, from their Resin Rights because of non payment of taxes. In 1663 Jacob pays these taxes.

The Härle Stamm: In 1628, with the deceased Peter in Härle, the main Ehmann-Härle line died out.

We can say that the EHMANN family is one of the oldest in Baiersbronn, owners of fine looking farms, and hold the rights for Resin and Fishing. They are many times called to be Judges, Heiligenpflegers, Forestworkers, and Mayors. The EHMANN in Baiersbronn are living in Häsle, Heinlesbauerhof, in Dorf and in Sankenbach. The EHMANN from Baiersbronn are in Freudenstadt, Klosterreichenbach, and Dornstetten. Decendents also live in southwest Germany, Pforzheim, Birkenfeld, Eutinge by Pforzheim, Stuttgart, Eislingen, Heidelberg, Otterberg (Pfalz), and some are in Berlin.
Translated by Frank & Jean Tschiggfrey, August 2002.
SubjectAuthorDate Posted
tschiggfrey 15 Aug 2002 3:48AM GMT 
Kathy Bryant 8 Oct 2002 2:36PM GMT 
Jean Tschiggfrey 10 Oct 2002 9:42AM GMT 
Kathy Bryant 10 Oct 2002 6:04PM GMT 
Kathy Bryant 18 Nov 2002 4:01PM GMT 
Kathy Bryant 28 Jun 2003 6:17PM GMT 
SBernhoft 25 Jun 2004 12:55PM GMT 
Kathy Bryant 25 Jun 2004 3:13PM GMT 
Sandy Bernhoft 26 Jun 2004 3:36AM GMT 
Kathy Bryant 26 Jun 2004 4:43AM GMT 
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