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Liebendorfer Family
of
Switzerland, Germany and United States
1550 to 1998
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Actually the American Liebendorfer story starts in the year 1928, the year one
of our relatives, Lillie Mai Liebendorfer Park (a second cousin to Solomon Hildebrand), decided to take a trip with her husband
from their home in Lincoln, Nebraska to Baltimore, Maryland to visit her mother-in-law. A side trip was planned through New
Castle, Pa. Although they did not know anyone there, Lillie Mai looked in a phone book, found a Liebendorfer address, drove
over and met a nice german lady, who turned out to be her Aunt Thusen Elda (Swineford) Liebendorfer. Lillie and her husband
decided to stay over several more days to meet the many relatives that lived in the area. The next day, March 14, 1928, they
visited the town of Wurttemberg, Pennsylvania, which is located on Slippery Rock Creek, about 15 miles southeast of New Castle.
As they walked around in this old historic town, they saw on the shore of the creek, the remains of an old log cabin, which
had probably been built by French soldiers, about 1756. Some 60 years later, Lillie Mai's Grandfather Liebendorfer and his
family had lived in that log cabin. That is where her father, Jacob Daniel Liebendorfer, was born, January 24, 1826. The logs
of the cabin showed the effects of having been badly battered by attacks from the Indians. The walls were well pierced with
Indian arrows and penetrated by bullets. It was torn down in February of 1928. It was unfortunate that this cabin had not
been preserved. In 1928, all the factories were gone, but one of the old stone mill wheels was still observable in the water,
although largely covered with debris.
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| Liebendorfer Log Cabin - picture taken about 1909 by Lawrence Hildebrand |
Since that first visit with Aunt Thusen Elda, Lillie Mai decided to attempt
to find the history of the Liebendorfers. She interviewed many relatives, including our Hildebrands. She wrote many letters
to Germany- starting first in 1936 with the "Oberburgermeisters" (mayors) and ministers. These people of course would answer
her in German, so everything had to be translated. One of the Oberburgermeisters mentioned in a letter that he was glad to
help with her research because Germany was then (1936) interested in having Germans and German descendants keep in touch with
the "home-land". You must remember that Hitler was in power at that time, and probably was already making his plans for world
rule.
It seems that the family of Liebendorfer, or Dubendorfer, as it was earlier
known, moved from near Zurich, Switzerland into Wurttemberg, Germany. Some of the family can also be traced to Saxony and
Swabia, but this has yet to be researched. After many years of research and paper gathering, Lillie Mai published a book about
the Liebendorfers family: "Romance From the Old Family Tree". I remember when my grandfather, Herman Hildebrand purchased
this book back in the late 1950's. It was considered to be very expensive at the time, and my grandmother was not happy about
the purchase, but I think it was worth the money. It has many family stories, names, and dates. Following are excerpts from
her book which I felt would interesting to those in our family:
"Dubendorfers"
The forerunners to the Liebendorfers
The Dubendorfer family was named after the village of Dubendorf, of the community
of Bassersdorf and Nurendorf, and first mentioned in the Historical Biographical Lexicon of Switzerland, in1463, at Baltenswil.
The Coat-of-Arms of the community of Dubendorf, and of the knights of Dubendorf had the upper half blue, with a silver unicorn,
the lower half striped, perpendicularly, red-white-red-white-red.
The information in the family chart following this section, were gathered from
the Household Register of Kloten, Switzerland; the Register of 1644, of Opfikon, Switzerland; the Register of 1654, of Gerlisberg,
Switzerland; the Evangelical Church Family Register, from 1644-1817, of Grossglattbach, Gerrnany; the Evangelical Church Family
Register, of Stuttgart, Germany; records from the 1937 History of the Hummel Family, from Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, and
also American records.
The first Dubendorfer we have knowledge about is Felix Dubendorfer born about
1550 in Baltenswil, Switzerland. He married Catharina Betz in 1584. One of his g-grandsons, Rudolph Dubendorfer, was born
in 1644 in Switzerland and emigrated about 1650 from a region near Zurich to Wurttemburg, Germany. He became the "Common Ancestor"
of all Liebendorfers in Germany. After being in Germany for several generations, the family name was changed to Liebendorfer
in the year 1682.
Why was our name changed from Dubendorfer to Liebendorfer? Probably there are
several correct answers to that question. First, the change gave a more beautiful name when translated into Swabian language;
second, it was not unusual in those days for an immigrant to change his family name; and third, it may have been changed to
avoid ridicule. Oftentimes it is embarrassing to move from one country to another one and appear as a "foreigner", who is
seeking a better place. In Switzerland our name still remains Dubendorfer. In 1630, the entire population of Blatenswil, Switzerland
bore the name of Dubendorfer. During that year, (at the time of the Thirty Years War) the population changed, following the
industrial revolution which was widespread.
The Liebendorfers in Germany
Our Liebendorfers settled
in Germany in 1663, eventually settling in Großglattbach (now, in Baden-Würtemburg, Germany- 2004).
Johann Jakob Liebendörfer, a g-g-grandson of Rudolph Dubendörfer was born there in 1766. Lillie Mai Liebendorfer Park did extensive research in this area, writing to ministers in the
area and she was able to get birth and marriage records.
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| Grossglattbach, Württemberg |
Some history concerning the churches in Großglattbach
is needed here to clarify to the reader the history involved. There are two Evangelical churches in this small town. The first,
St. Peter’s is the oldest, in fact, it is so old that no one now knows when it was actually built. The second, St Mark’s,
was built in 1403 and was renovated in 1934 at great cost. St Peter’s is mostly used for children’s services,
while St Mark’s is used for all general services. During a recent visit to the area in April, 2004, I was fortunate
to hear the bells ring in St Peter’s on the hour.
According to a letter written in 1937 by Rev. Friedrich Liebendorfer, “In earliest
times, it is possible that the village could have been divided between the two churches, so that St. Mark’s belonged
to one part of the town and St. Peter’s to the other. The reason that such a small village has two churches dates from
the time, long ago, when the village belonged to two foreign governments. However, by the time our Liebendorfers were living
in Großglattbach, both churches were used by everybody.”
“The
village of Großglattbach belonged at
one time, under the dominion of the famous Maulbronn Monastery, which is not very far from Großglattbach. In the year 1504, the district of the Maulbronn Monastery, and therefore along with it, Großglattbach, came into the duchy of Würtemburg. In 1534, the general Reformation began in Wurtemburg. Already, here and there, in Württemburg there
had been Evangelical preachers, but the country was not at that time under the dominion of its legal sovereign, Duke Ulrich,
but was part of the land conquered by Austria, and therefore was under Catholic dominion. When Duke Ulrich re-conquered the
land, in the year 1534, he immediately permitted the Reformation to be promoted through the entire country, including in Großglattbach. A few years later,
in 1548, came the Interim, which was a treaty according to which the extension of the Reformation would be deferred, until
a general agreement might be reached. The result was that the Catholic priests were reinstated, although the people remained
in their own Evangelical belief. This Interim lasted until the religious peace
of Augsburg, in 1555. Since this was a time of unrest in the church, little is known about the names of the ministers or the
life of the church of this time. The only peculiar phenomena from 1555 to about 1800 in the life of the Church of Grossblattbach,
were the so-called Separatists, who supported the Iptingen Rapp” (Johann George Rapp, leader of the Economites, uncle
of our George F. Rapp).
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| Current map (2004) of the Stuttgart area. |
The Liebendorfers go West (to the United States)
A g-g-grandson of Rudolph Dubendörfer, Johann Jakob Liebendörfer, Jr, born in 1766, immigrated with his family to the United States in 1817. He is the "Common Ancestor" of
all Liebendörfers in America. After a short residence
at Philadelphia, settled in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. From there they moved to Butler County, and after
a few years (in 1829), came to Wurttemberg, Pennsylvania. The Liebendörfers first lived in a log cabin put up by an early settler, named Smith. One of Johann's daughters, Anna Maria
Liebendorfer, married George Frederick Rapp.
In 1831, a grist-mill, with two runs of country stone, or "bull-heads"
, was built by Johann Jakob Liebendorfer, Jr. and his son, Michael. After the father died, Robert Mehard a brother-in-law
of Michael, became his partner. They installed a pair of French Burrs. Later, Robert Mehard became sole proprietor. A saw
mill and linseed oil mill were built by Johann Jakob Liebendorfer, Jr, Daniel Liebendorfer, Frederick Rapp, and Peter Noss,
about the same time that the grist-mill was built (1831). After about twenty years, the mill race gave way and then these
mills were abandoned.
About 1845, a United States Post Office was established at Wurttemberg, Pennsylvania. The town and post office were
both named Wurttemberg from the fact that the Liebendorfer family had come to America from Wurttemberg, Germany, and this
family and other familes, into which they intermarried, had founded the town of Wurttemberg, Pennsylvania. The first post
master mentioned in the records was Frederick Rapp ( he was the second postmaster).. He was followed by Ebert and Brown. The
post office was then located on the north side of the creek, later being moved
to the south side, into the store of Fleming and Freichtag. James Liebendorfer was the next postmaster, located on the north
side. He was followed by Morrison and Fisher- again moving to the south side of the creek. In the early days, a railroad was
extended from New Castle to Wurttemberg, and the town was the commercial center of thrifty business which drew from the community
for many miles around.
The first store on the south side was opened by the Hyde brothers, later being taken over by Morrison and Fisher. The
first store on the north side was opened by a man named Vincent. Frederick Rapp built the brick hotel, which was still standing
when Lillie Mai visited in 1937. It was the only hotel ever erected in Wurttemberg. (The hotel is still standing in 2004).
About 1832 a frame school house was built. A two-story brick school building was erected in 1872 on the north side
of the creek. Wurttemberg was an independent school district with two schools. One of the early school teachers was Reed Liebendorfer.
His name was revered and well known. He was an outstanding scholar of his day.
The German Lutheran Church had meetings as early as 1831, in the home of Johann Jacob Liebendorfer Jr, conducted by
Rev. Schweitzerbart, pastor at Zelienople. About 1868, a church was built, north of Wurttemberg, on the New Castle road. In
1877, the language question split the congregation.
The Methodists held meetings for some twenty years and in the summer of 1876, the Centennial Methodist Episcopal Church
was erected. Rev. J.S. Ross was its first minister. Johann Jacob Liebendorfer, III, donated the land site. Regular services
were still being held there in 1937.
St. Paul's German Lutheran Church, at Zelienople, was organized in 1821 by Rev. Schweitzerbart, who was its pastor
for 30 years. This German congregation used to be one of the largest in the country, for a great distance roundabout. This
is the church which the "immigrants" Jacob Jakob Liebendorfer, Jr , his wife and family attended in the early days. The baptismal
records of many of our relatives were recorded at this church. Anna Maria, Johann Jacob, Daniel, Wilhemina, and Christina
Liebendorfer were children of Johann Jakob Liebendorfer, Jr. Their children's baptisms are recorded there.
The Zelionople English Lutheran Church was organized January 7, 1843. Rev. Gottlieb Bassler, who became its first pastor,
with Henry Muntz and Michael Liebendorfer, who were the first elders, served as the active
figures in this church organization. Michael Liebendorfer is recorded in the membership as late as 1860.
In the early days at Wurttemberg, before local churches were built, it was usual to start for Church, some few miles
distant, as early as Friday or Saturday, and perhaps not return until Monday. This was particularly true of Communion Sunday.
Some churches required that members would present themselves before certain ones of the Church officials, the day before communion,
for recognition. If all was satisfactory, the member would receive a small piece of metal or lead, called a "token", this
to be given in at the service hour.
The Liebendorfer Family Bible (this belonged to Johann Jacob Liebendorfer, III) was in the care of Lilli Mai Liebendorfer
Park (in 1937). It had been in the care of Aunt Thusen Elda Liebendorfer for many years, but she gave it to Lillie in 1936. It was printed in German, with German letters, and Lillie judged it was purchased in Philadelphia,
doubtless soon after the family came to America. It was bound in leather, probably cowhide, and had two brass and leather
combination fasteners. One of them was missing. the appearance of the Bible certainly gave evidence of much use. It meant
much to Lillie in obtaining accurate information about the family, for Johann Jacob had carefully kept a detailed family record.
On one page of the "Family Register" is this notation in his handwriting:
I, Johann Jacob Liebendörfer, was born October 17, 1797
in Großglattbach, in the county of Maulbronn,
in the Kingdom of Württemberg, Germany
In the old Liebendorfer Bible (written in German), Lillie discovered a leaf from a small school primer, with the title,
"Erstes Buch fur deutsche Schulen" ("First Book for German Schools"). About two-thirds of the leaf is given to the subject
"Das Wirthshaus" ("The Tavern"). It is an unusual temperance lesson, based on the following texts of Scripture: Proverbs 21:17; 23:27-32; Isaiah 5:11; Galatians 5:19; 1 Corinthians 6:10. Some of you may enjoy
reading what the primer says about it. This you may do, by looking up the above texts. How would our children of today enjoy
that for a reading lesson?
There were very few physicians in the early part of the nineteenth century. Emergency cases had to be cared for with
just the best that meager home facilities could do for the patient. Johann Jakob
Liebendorfer, Jr met his death by drinking too much cold water, after being overheated. This condition was brought on, as
he overtaxed his strength while driving cattle, which had gotten into his field of corn. Dr. George M. Mehard, born at Wurttemberg,
1857, was the youngest of eleven children born to Robert and Christian Liebendorfer Mehard. He practiced in his hometown for
nine years, and then moved to Wampum, Pennsylvania, and was recognized as an outstanding physician.
Johann Jacob Liebendorfer, III, son of the "immigrant", always made a point to tell his children and grandchildren
"be sure and write your name proper, "Liebendorfer", when you write; as that is the way they have it Germany, and some day
there might some help come to you from there, in money, as it is possible some means will come to the friends or relatives
of the Liebendorfers, to those who came to America, if proven to be Liebendorfer relatives."
Sources:
- Romance from the Old Family Tree; Lillie Mai Liebendorfer Park; 1937
- Most pictures by William Hildebrand, April 2004
- Liebendorfer Cabin picture by Lawrence Hildebrand, 1909
May 9, 1998 &
updated November 23rd, 2004; William B. Hildebrand, Jr
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