It has been discovered by local historian Karl-Heinz Wüstner with the great help of Folker Frank, that our Rothermel family originated from around Ilshofen 5 kms from Hörlebach. The first written evidence in this area is dated 1483
News from Folker Frank - Baden Württemburg:
The local historian Mr Karl-Heinz Wüstner from Crailsheim has been checking your Rothermel History.
( We are now in contact with him directly )
The important information is, that there may be a connection between the Rothermels from Hörlebach and the Rothermels in Wachbach if they ever existed, they all seem to have originated from the Stuttgart area (see Wachbach page) because the town nearest to Hörlebach is Ilshofen, and Rothermels have lived in Ilshofen since before 1532 ! (source: Heimatbuch [localbook of] von Ilshofen 1980, S. 77). Karl-Heinz Wüstner is sure that there is a connection between these older Rothermels from Ilshofen to the ones in Hörlebach and others.
With grateful thanks to Mr Wüstner.
Please note:
There is now evidence that there were no Rothermels in Wachbach at all !
See section 704 Johannas Leonard Rothermel - Janice -
click to viewI was in the large Württemberian library in Stuttgart and found this book
Ilshofen - Kleine Stadt an der großen Straße (Ilshofen little town at the great street), the local book about Ilshofen published in1980 written by Hermann Merz and Gerd Wunder.
There is an article from Gerd Wunder on pages 64-80 (Gerd Wunder is one of the greatest German and Württembergian genealogist from Schwäbisch Hall, died about 1990). The article on pages 64 has the title:
Ilshofen unter der Herrschaft der Reichsstädte 1398-1562 (Ilshofen under the rule of the Imperial Free Cities 1398-1562).
It is written that Ilshofen was from 1398-1562 under the rule of the Imperial Free Cities of Schwäbisch Hall, Rothenburg/Tauber and Dinkelsbühl. All resident taxpayers of Ilshofen are listed in the year 1532 in a tax list for tax against the Turks, (Türkensteuerliste) because for more than 100 years they had to pay their taxes during the war against the Turks. Queen Isabella I. Kastilien 1495-1504 took all the Ottomans out of Spain in the year 1492, this means that the Ottomans were positioned only in the eastern side of Europe in the year 1550 but directly in front of Vienna in the year 1529.
On page 77 it states:
Ennlin Unbehawen married Hanns Rotermel
The couple had five children: Bartholome, Jörg, Anna, Cristina and Katherina
Written in the article on page 65:
The inhabitants of Ilshofen are all listed with names in 1532 in a taxlist against the Turks (Anlage 4 = enclosure 4, on page 77 and 78). There were 35 farmers, having together 3 973 gl (Gulden, 1 gl is about 100 ). The richest was the landlord Baltus Bratz with 600 gl and the poorest was Hans Rotermel with 3,5 Gulden.
The original document with the above mentioned tax list from 1532 is in the Rothenburger archives in the State Archive (Staatsarchiv) of Nürnberg.
In this list of the 35 inhabitants of Ilshofen who had to pay Turk-tax there are 6 Rotermels !
1. Bartel Rotermels wittib (widow) 3 gl (150 gl)
2. Jörg Rotermel 2 gl 6lb 29 d (141,5 gl)
3. Gangolf Rotermel (gestrichen = no tax)
4. Hans Rotermel 17,5 d (3,5 gl)
5. Lienhard Rotermel 1 lb 20 d (10 gl)
6. Jörg Rotermel 1 gl (50 gl)
This means the last Jörg Rotermel (Jörg means Georg !) had capital of 50 gl (Gulden) and had to pay a Turk-tax of 1 gl (Gulden). Of the 35 inhabitants of Ilshofen there are 6 with the name Rotermel and two with the name Georg = Jörg, this means with different parents.
If there were five Rotermels living in the year 1532 with two named Jörg and one Rotermel-widow, surely the Rotermels were living for at least even more generations before 1532 in Ilshofen, perhaps since 1400, because one generation is about 31 years and in 1400 it would have meant only 4 generations before.
In the article from Gerd Wunder I found a notice that Hans Rotermel a Bebenburger subject buying himself free from the Bebenburger bondage went under the protection of the Imperial Free Cities in the year 1483 ! I have to point out that there no man was free at this time. It is known that all the inhabitants from Ilshofen who were in bondage were serfs. All 200 inhabitants from Ilshofen were serfs from the imperial free cities and Hans Rotermel changed his bondage from the Duke of Bebenburger to the Imperial Free Cities, he did this in the year 1483. Therefore this Hans Rotermel is the first named Rotermel and he was living in Ilshofen. I dont think that this is the same Hans Rotermel from 1532 I think perhaps his father. Now you are certainly back as far as 1483 with your family history.
What a thing ! Now you have a really old family, dear Janice, because most German family histories ended with the war from 1618 to 1648 the so called 30-jähriger Krieg because most documents were destroyed in this long and terrible war..... Folker
We can't thank Folker enough for taking the time to research this information for us! Janice