Saarland

Mimbach

On May 12 796, Wido Duke of Lorraine and his brother Warin offered the village of Mydenbach in Bliesgau as a gift to the Monastery of Hornbach. Webenheim is not yet cited on this occasion, but just some time later the name of this village will always be associated to Mimbach. Webenheim and Mimbach belonged to the Monastery of Hornbach during the Middle Ages The "Webenheimer Hof" jurisdiction depended on the counts of Zweibrücken who were the lords who protected the Monastery. In 1334, the count Walram von Zweibrücken, who needed some money, pledged his jurisdiction over Mimbach, Webenheim, Freihausen and Scheldeburn to the von Dagstuhl lords. So between 1334 and 1456 the von Dagstuhl-Flecksenstein lords was carried on High Justice over these possessions of the Monastery of Hornbach and collect the associated income. In 1456, having reimbursed their debt, the princes of Zweibrücken recovered their rights over these villages. The wind of the Reformation blew over the region. In 1535, Father Kindheuser leaved Webenheim to the lords of Zweibrücken. Luther's teaching made its way through the region like a storm. "The religion into practise will be the one of lord of the territory." The duke of Zweibrücken chose Luther's religion. Duke Wolfang supported the French Huguenots and fought against the King of France. He died in France in 1569. In 1588, the Duke of Zweibrücken took sides with the Zwingli's followers, so that the "Lutherans" of Mimbach and Webenheim had to become "Reformed".

Mimbach and Webenheim before the Thirty Years War.

The inhabitants of Mimbach and their family name.

In the year 1547, thirty eight families lived in Webenheim and twelve families lived in Mimbach. Both villages formed the most important village community in the region of Zweibrücken. In 1578, it was still likely the same : thirty one heads of family and seven widowed people lived in their own house in Webenheim, ten heads of family and four destitutes lived in Mimbach.

The list of the inhabitants that was made in 1609 by Pastor Acontius gives a right picture of the status of the population of these villages at this time and this list can be used as a reference.

In 1609, 282 people in fourty six families lived in Webenheim; the village had fourty eight houses and four of them were unoccupied. In Mimbach there were eighty seven people in sixteen families. The village was made of eighteen houses and two houses were unoccupied.

Glancing through the list of inhabitants, one can notice that many family names were now fixed. Less descriptive names can be found when there were many some years before in the "Landkontraktenprotokollen" of the 1500's. For example, the Dickkopf family of Webenheim whose name was still present in 1595, or the Schwein surname that could be found all along the century in Webenheim, with Nickel Schwein and Debald Schwein. The 'Gens' and 'Ku' surnames disappeared too in Mimbach.

Most of the inhabitants had now their family name fixed. At the beginning of the pastor's list, there is a Hans Schwarz, inkeeper at Webenheim and farmer. His father had been mayor. A Hans Schwarz was also known as a mayor in 1558 and as a church steward in 1546, when the mill passed from the possessions of the church to the property of the cummunity.

The Moschel surname also appears in the pastor's list: Hans Moschel in Webenheim, and Daniel Moschel in Mimbach. Daniel was an important person. He was a bellringer and likely a farmer too, he had two farmhands in his house. His old father, Hans Moschel, aged 80 and blind, lived with him.

The Landgraf family was already renowned. Mathes Landgraf is a jury-man of the justice of Webenheim-Mimbach. Jacob Landgraf is mayor of the possessions of the von Stein-Buntenbach lordship. As soon as the 16th century, their name can be found in many sales of land. They were among the most influent people of the community.

Some other families were also present with their fixed family name. Hackstock, Kynn = Kuhn (from Kuno, Konrad), Klein and some others. But many people were bearing their fixed family name for the first time.
[Source: Karl Stucky, Dorfgeschichte vom Mimbach und Webenheim]

Microfilms of the Church of JC of the LDS:

KB (evang.-ref.) BMS 1696-1779: film FHL 475795
KB (evang.-ref.) BMS 1779-1799: film FHL 475796
KB (evang.-ref.) BMS 1784-1838: film FHL 584867
KB (evang.-ref.) BMS 1820-1869: film FHL 584868
KB (evang.-ref.) BS 1840-1912: film FHL 584869
KB (evang.-ref.) BMS 1869-1937): film FHL 584870
KB (cath.) BMS 1657-1961: see Bliescastel

Wahlerhof

Wahlerhof is a group of farm buildings that is located to the south of Hengstbach and which belonged to the community of Hengstbach in 1961 (6 kilometers to the south-west of Zweibrücken). The history of this farm is rather well known from its origin.

During the Thirty Years War, about 1635-1636, in the Bickenalb valley, the village of Bickenaschbach was completely distroyed. It was never rebuilt. On its territory, Bartholomäus Wernigt, of Zweibrücken, who became von St. Ingbrecht after his ennoblement, got two farms built: Bickenaschbacherhof and Wahlerhof. In 1722 after a partition due to inheritance, Wahlerhof and all the territories of the left bank of the Bickenalb went to Anna Johanna Katharina, a daughter of Wernigt, who was married since 1705 to Philipp Friedrich von Schorr. After her death in 1758, her daughter Concordia Johanna von Schorrrenburg inherited Wahlerhof.

The von St. Ingbrecht family, like the von Schorrenburg family, did not manage their farms by themselves and they rented them to tenant farmers. The first farmer in Wahlerhof was Ulrich Neuschwanger who had cleared the valley and built the house of the farm. On January 29 1707, Hans Peter Weinland, of Mimbach, was married to Anna Catharina, daughter of Ulrich Neuschwanger and became then the farmer. About 1748, the farm had two farmers: Peter Weinland divided it between his two children Johann Paul Weinland and Barbara Weinland, widow of Nickel Moschel, who was later married to Georg Gölzer. Each of them had to pay 700 florins to their siblings.

In 1751, the farm was valued as follows:

The rent was:

• cash: 150 florins,
• a fat pig of 100 pounds: 10 florins,
• "Capaun"(?): 2 florins,
• wood to supply to the baron: 15 florins,

The farm as a whole was valued to 7123 florins.

The baron had authorized the share of the farm. But no other share would occur. Johann Paul Weinland's share was transfered in 1775 to his daughter Barbara and to her husband Balthasar Ringle, and later it went to their son Balthasar who still lived in the farm in 1814.

The other part was divided by Barbara Weinland, Moschel wife then Gölzer wife, in 1774 after the death of both her husbands, between her two daughter from her first marriage: Angelica Moschel, married to Paul Grüneisen and Elisabetha Catharina Moschel, married to Nickel Weinland. In 1785, Paul Grüneisen ran into debt and he sold at this time his share of a quarter of the farm to his brother-in-law Joseph Schwarz of Bubenhausen under the condition that he could still keep the use for five years. On the same year Nickel Weinland also sold his share with the same condition and to the same buyer. As the reasons for these dealings were not clear a big quarrel happened several years later and led to a long action at law. Finally about 1795, both parts of the farm were sold by auction and since then the farm was never rented anymore. About the year 1800, Andreas Leyenberger and Joseph Oesch shared the property of the farm.
[Source: Albert Weis, Ortsippenbuch Mittelbach-Hengstbach]

Josef Rinkenberg, who was married to a daughter of the Amish elder Andreas Leyenberger , purchased the farm in 1815 after having been leaseholder there. Through his daughters Elisabeth et Babette Rinkenberg, the farm came into possession of their husbands, Christian Stalter of Gersbergerhof and Christian Stalter of Bickenaschbacherhof. Josef Oesch is co-owner as the husband of Magdalena Nafziger, a granddaughter of Andreas Leyenberger and a daughter of Peter Nafziger and Barbara Leyenberger. The Oesch family remained in Wahlerhof for only three generations, but the Statler family has lived there until today. Later the Oesch purchased the Grünbacherhof near Mimbach and they still own it today. In this place are preserved the family Bible of Andreas Leyenberger and a copy of the 'Martyrs Mirror' published in 1780 in Pirmasens at the initiative of Hans Nafziger, elder of the Essingen congregation. [Source: Hermann Guth, Amish Mennonites in Germany]

Until 1821, the reformed families of Bickenaschbacherhof and of Wahlerhof, like these of Biskenaschbach, depended on the parish of Hornbach. The church books of the reformed parish of Hornbach were burned in 1939. Therefore the reconstitution of the families of Wahlerhof remains very partial. In fact, deceased people of Wahlerhof were burried according to the shortest way from their home to Hengstbach or to Mimbach. This is the reason why some burials of Wahlerhof were recorded in the church books of Mimbach. For the reconstitution of the families, the church books of the reformed parish of Mimbach have to be used as the main source since the missing of the Hornbach books. [Source: Bernd Gölzer]