Johannes Grobbel, of Schmallenberg, Germany has
researched the Grobbel family genealogy in Germany and is the
source for this information about the German-born Grobbel family
members. Michael Harder, a co-worker of mine who is originally
from Witten, Germany, assisted me with some of the translations
of Johannes' information.
The Grobbel Origins -
Intertwined with Church and Hof
The Dom in Cologne
In the year 1248, work began in the
ancient German city of Cologne (Köln) on a magnificent
Gothic cathedral (called the Dom) that would take over
600 years to complete. Two years later, construction
began on a much more modest church in a village called
Wormbach, which was located 60 miles to the east of
Cologne in the area of Westphalia known as the Sauerland.
In the early ninth century, the Bishops of Cologne had
established a missionary outpost in Wormbach and as
Christianity took hold over the years, the simpler
structures were replaced by larger ones in 850 and again
in 1000. Now in 1250, a much more substantial church
would be built, one which would continue to serve the
inhabitants of the village and surrounding countryside
for at least the next 750 years.
According
to Johannes Grobbel, a manuscript titled "Geschichte
der Wormbacher Kirchengemeinde" (The History of
Wormbach Parish) indicates that in 1398, an individual
identified as "der schwarze Gobelen von Obringhusen"
(the black Gobelen from Obringhausen) belonged to the
Wormbach Parish.
Obringhausen was a tiny settlement
consisting of six farms, located about three-quarters of
a mile east of Wormbach. The fact that he was the
proprietor of one of the six farms (Hofs) in Obringhausen
has been confirmed by examination of old assessment
records that had been prepared by the Benedictine
Monastery in nearby Grafschaft, since the Church held
title to most of the land in this area. The reference to
"der schwarze" could mean that he had a dark
facial complexion and/or black hair.
The Church of Saints Peter & Paul in
Wormbach
The Wormbach Parish records during the period
of 1398 through 1670 describe this family and their descendants
by various surnames such as Gobelen, Groteboel, Groite Boill,
Grotebeul and Grobbelen. Beginning in 1670, the family surname
became consistently recorded in official documents as "Grobbel."
The village of Obringhausen as seen from
the southwest.
The roof of the Grobbel Hof is visible off in the
distance
beyond and slightly above the village (upper left center
of photo).
The origins of the Grobbel surname
come from two Low German (Plattdeutsch) words, Groite
and Boill(which
roughly translates as "major bump"), which were
used to identify the family based on the description of
their farm's location on the hillside overlooking the
village. Of the six farms in Obringhausen, the Grobbel
farm was the one that was farthest up the side of the
slope overlooking the village.
Over
the centuries, the "Ursprünghof Grobbel" (literally,
"origin farm Grobbel", which refers to the
Grobbel family ancestral farm in Obringhausen, also
called the Grobbel Hof) was usually inherited by the
eldest surviving male of each successive generation, in
accordance with the laws of primogeniture that were
followed during those times.
“In peoples where estate law is
founded on the right of primogeniture, territorial
domains pass most often from generation to generation
without being divided. The result is that family spirit
is in a way materialized in the land. The family
represents the land, the land represents the family; it
perpetuates its name, its origin, its glory, its power,
its virtues. It is an imperishable witness to the past
and a precious pledge of existence to come.” -
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (Volume
1, Chapter III).
Historically in Westphalia, the connection between a family and their land
was so tight that the practice of the time was to "call"
people by the name of the Hof they lived on (that is, the name of
their Hof was commonly used for their surname). Sometimes a
daughter would inherit a Hof because there was no surviving male
child. Also, in some areas, the primogeniture laws would allow
the Hof to go to the eldest child, regardless of their gender.
The practice of using “called” surnames caused
complications when a male would acquire a Hof through marriage.
He and his offspring would now be "called" by the name
of the Hof, which was likely to be the same name as his wife's
maiden name or one of her ancestors. For example, if Maria
Müller inherited the Müller Hof and she married Johann Schmidt,
his “called” surname would become Müller and his
complete name would be written as "Johann Schmidt, gt.
Müller”. In everyday conversation he would be spoken of as
"Johann Müller". Johan and Maria’s children would
also be “called” Müller, and their surname would be
written "Schmidt, gt. Müller" (gt. is the abbreviation
for the German word "genannt", meaning "called").
This happened when the Grobbel Hof was inherited by a daughter,
Elisabeth Grobbel, who married Jakob Böddecker in 1670. He
became "Jakob Böddecker, gt. Grobbel", and was called
"Jakob Grobbel".
Of the six farms in Obringhausen, five had their houses clustered
together and they would walk to their land on the outskirts,
which is typical for most European agricultural villages. However,
the Grobbel Hof was different in that the house was surrounded by
their land and it was separated from the other five houses by a
distance of about 1,600 feet (perhaps this could be why they were
given a surname based on the location of their Hof). In 1729, a
new house was built to replace an older structure, and in 1824,
Johannes and Maria Walburga (Eickhoff) Grobbel enlarged it with
an addition on the west side of the existing structure, making it
one of the largest and nicest homes in the area.
In modern times, even with the more liberal inheritance laws, the
Grobbel Hof was kept in the family. After World War II, the farm
operations were focused on cattle breeding, but by the 1980's,
this was no longer profitable, so the land and buildings were
sold at auction. Fortunately, the house and outbuildings, along
with a small portion of the land, was purchased by Johannes
Grobbel's first cousin and her husband, who have meticulously
restored the structure to its former glory. Many more old and
recent photos of the Grobbel Hof can be found here.
Our Grobbel Family Ancestors
- The First Twelve Known Generations
The "History of Wormbach Parish" has
an entry that states: "Groteboel (Grobbel) heißt 1398 'der
schwarze Gobelen von Obringhusen' " (Groteboel (Grobbel)
1398 called 'the black Gobelen from Obringhusen').Based
on this, in the table below, we will assign the surname Groteboel
to "der schwarze" as well as to his son and grandson,
about whom there are no known records (the dates with "Abt"
are estimates; other surname spellings, plus all of the dates in
parentheses are as noted from entries in the "History of
Wormbach Parish"). Subscript numbers indicate the Generation
Number, with "1" being assigned to "der schwarze".
Since all of the Grobbel emigrants to the U.S.A. were descendants
of Johann Heinrich GROBBEL12 , all ancestors and descendants are listed with respect
to him. Many of the names shown in these listings come from the
original church records and include their full given names. Where
known, the name that the person actually went by is shown in italics.
A Table Listing the Paternal
Ancestors of Johann HeinrichGROBBEL12 (1702-1762)
Later Generations - Johann Heinrich
GROBBEL12 and his Descendants
It was at the Grobbel Hof in Obringhausen,
Westphalia, Germany, that Johann Heinrich GROBBEL12 was born on
24 MAY 1702. Heinrich eventually inherited the Grobbel Hof. In
Wormbach, on 19 OCT 1733, he married Anna Brigitta SELLMANN.
Brigitte was born in nearby Kirchrarbach on 25 JUN 1715. They
both died in Obringhausen, Henrich on 17 SEP 1762 and Brigitte on
17 DEC 1785. Eight of their children were:
Joannes Matthias GROBBEL13 (b.
17 OCT 1734 in Obringhausen, d. Unk)
- Joannes Ludwig GROBBEL13 (b. 3
NOV 1737 and d. 13 DEC 1827, both in Obringhausen)
- Anton Hermann Lorenz
GROBBEL13 (b. 26 MAR 1742 in Obringhausen and d. 19 NOV
1804 in Lenne, Westphalia).
Johannes Rotgerus
GROBBEL13 (b. abt. 1745 in Obringhausen and d. 10 FEB
1826)
Johannes Theodor
GROBBEL13 (b. 1 JUL 1747 in Obringhausen and d. 22 DEC
1815 in Schmallenberg, Westphalia)
Joannes Nicholaus
GROBBEL13 (b. 10 DEC 1749 in Obringhausen and d. Unk)
Antonius GROBBEL13 (b.
abt. 1753 in Obringhausen and d. 11 FEB 1823)
Jacob Theodor GROBBEL13 (b. 6
APR 1757 in Obringhausen and d. Unk)
Both Ludwig and Lorenz would have descendants
who emigrated to the United States.
Ludwig GROBBEL13 and his
descendants
Ludwig GROBBEL13 married Anna
Elisabeth SCHÜTTE (b. 3 MAY 1742 and d.
3 NOV 1831 in Obringhausen, Westphalia) on 27 AUG 1777 in
Wormbach. Ludwig inherited the Grobbel Hof upon his father's
death. Ludwig and Elisabeth had two sons that we know about:
Johannes Everhard
Martin GROBBEL14(b. 11 OCT 1778 and d. 23 MAY 1851, both in
Obringhausen, Westphalia)
Johannes Röttger
GROBBEL14(b. 8 MAR 1781 in Obringhausen, Westphalia and d.
4 APR 1838 in Cobbenrode, Westphalia).
Ludwig's son, Everhard GROBBEL14 married Maria
Walburga EICKHOFF (b. 16 SEP 1792 in
Wormbach and d. 12 SEP 1869 in Obringhausen, Westphalia) on 22
NOV 1808 in Wormbach, Westphalia. Everhard inherited the Grobbel
Hof. Everhard and Walburga had at least one child:
Franz Joseph GROBBEL15(b.
29 AUG 1814 and d. 22 JUN 1874, both in Obringhausen,
Westphalia).
Everhard's son, Joseph GROBBEL15 , married Maria
Walburga Henrichs (b. 2 MAY 1819 in
Felbecke, Westphalia and d. 13 NOV 1894 in Obringhausen,
Westphalia) on 9 OCT 1845 in Wormbach, Westphalia. Joseph
inherited the Grobbel-Hof. Joseph and Walburga had fourteen
children, four of whom are listed below and two of whom (Emil and
Joseph) would emigrate to the U.S.A. in 1879.
Franz AntonGROBBEL16 (b.7
JUL 1844 and d. 1 NOV 1893, both in Obringhausen,
Westphalia) who marriedLisette
Josepha SCHÜTTE on 22 SEP 1874 in Wormbach,
Westphalia. As the firstborn male child, Franz inherited
the Grobbel-Hof.
Wilhelm EmilGROBBEL16 (b.8 SEP 1852 in Obringhausen, Westphalia and d.
18 FEB 1939 in Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, U.S.A.) Emil
was their seventh child.
Maria JosephaBerthaGROBBEL16 (b. 7 FEB 1854 in Obringhausen, Westphalia and
d. 14 SEP 1950 in Wormbach, Westphalia) Bertha was their
eighth child.
Franz JosephGROBBEL16 (b. 18 JAN 1856 in Obringhausen, Westphalia and
d. 1923 in Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, U.S.A.) Joseph
was their ninth child.
More information about Emil, Joseph and their
descendants can be found here.
Ludwig's other son, Röttger
GROBBEL14married Maria Catharina
EICKHOFF, genannt Spot (b. 1793 in Kückelheim, Westphalia, d.
unknown) on 28 NOV 1815 in Cobbenrode, Westphalia. Catharina
Spott had inherited the Meister Hof farm in Cobbenrode from her
maternal grandmother. Röttger moved there when he married
Catharina, becoming noted as a "Bürger und Ackermann"
(citizen and farmer). He and Catharina had seven children, three
of whom (Anton, John and Daniel) would emigrate to the U.S.A.
around 1849, plus another (Josephina) who would emigrate to
follow her daughter and son-in-law (possibly along with her
husband and sometime after 1872).
Joannes Francis
Joseph GROBBEL15 (b. 19 NOV 1817 and d. 1 NOV 1867, both in
Cobbenrode, Westphalia) who married Anna Maria Elisabeth
HEBBECKER (b. 15 MAR 1826 in Hebbecke, Westphalia and
d. 11 JAN 1905 in Cobbenrode, Westphalia) on 19 JUL 1849
in Cobbenrode, Westphalia.
Franz AntonGROBBEL15 (b. 4 NOV 1819 in Cobbenrode, Westphalia and d.
24 MAR 1900 in Warren Twp., Macomb Co., Michigan, U.S.A.)
Johannes Caspar
Anton GROBBEL15 (b. 22 AUG 1822 and d. 25 DEC 1886, both in
Cobbenrode, Westphalia) who remained single and lived in
the Meister-Hof with his brother Francis, which he
eventually inherited.
Joannes (John)GROBBEL15 (b. 21 OCT 1825 in Cobbenrode, Westphalia and d.
31 JAN 1870 in Hamtramck, Wayne Co., Michigan, U.S.A.)
JosephinaGROBBEL15 (b. 6 JUN 1828 in Cobbenrode, Westphalia and d.
Unk in the U.S.A., probably in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On
19 Nov 1850, she married Franz Heinrich SCHULTE, gt.
Neuhäuser. Josephina's oldest child married and then
emigrated with her new husband to Grand Rapids, Michigan
about 1872. Josephina apparently followed her daughter to
Grand Rapids sometime after 1872.
Maria Anna GROBBEL15 (b. 1
FEB 1831 and d. 11 FEB 1832, both in Cobbenrode,
Westphalia)
DanielGROBBEL15 (b. 3 DEC 1836 in Cobbenrode, Westphalia and d.
Unk , probably in Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, U.S.A.)
More information about Franz Anton, John,
Daniel and their descendants can be found here.
Lorenz GROBBEL13 and his
descendants
Lorenz GROBBEL13 married
Anna Maria NIEDERSTEN (b. 10 NOV 1748 and d. 20 JUN 1817 in
Lenne) on 16 JUN 1766 in Lenne, Westphalia. Their home in Lenne
is still in use today as a private residence. Lorenz and Anna
Maria had at least two sons:
Joannes Caspar GROBBEL14 (b. 3
APR 1769 and d. sometime before 1849, both in Lenne,
Westphalia). Anton GROBBEL14(b. 31 Oct 1773 in Lenne, Westphalia and
d. 29 March 1807 in Milchenbach, Westphalia).
Lorenz's older son, Caspar GROBBEL14 married Maria
Elisabeth SCHLEIME (b. 9 MAR 1770 and d.
19 FEB 1849, both in Lenne, Westphalia) on 2 DEC 1793 in Lenne,
Westphalia. Elizabeth inherited her family's house in Lenne.
Elisabeth's family farmhouse (Schleimen-Hof), which was their son's
birthplace, still stands in Lenne. Caspar and Elisabeth had
eleven children and descendants of two of their sons would later
emigrate to the U.S.A.:
Caspar Anton GROBBEL15(b.
28 July 1806 in Lenne, Westphalia and d. unk). Joann Jacob Anton GROBBEL15(b.
24 Feb 1813 in Lenne, Westphalia and d. unk).
Caspar's older son, Caspar
GROBBEL15 , married Maria Therese STRATMANN, who was born 28
Oct 1824 in Hachen, Westphalia. They had one known child:
Anton Caspar GROBBEL16(b.
2 Dec 1845 in Lenne, Westphalia and d. unk in Lenne).
Anton Caspar GROBBEL16 , married
Maria Josefine Therese SCHMIDT, who was born 2 Jan 1855 in
Huxel, Westphalia. They had three children, one of whom would
become a Roman Catholic Priest and who was sent in 1904 to serve
the faithful in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A.:
Anton Caspar GROBBEL17(b.
about 1880 in Lenne, Westphalia and d. 9 Feb 1953 in Nebraska,
U.S.A.). Vatican records indicate that his health failed and
he returned to Germany where he spent many years at a
sanitarium.
Caspar's younger son, Anton
GROBBEL15 , married Anna Maria Elisabeth
STILPER, who was born sometime between 1820 and 1830 in
Hundesossen, Westphalia, which is near Lenne. Anton and Elisabeth
were married on 14 Nov 1847 in Lenne, Westphalia and they had
four children, one of whom emigrated to the U.S.A. around 1884:
Anton GROBBEL16 (b. 2
JUN 1851 in Lenne, Westphalia and d. 9 OCT 1926 in
Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, U.S.A.). More information
about him and his descendants can be found here.
Lorenz's younger son, Anton GROBBEL14 married Anna
Catharina STORCK (b. 13 Feb 1785, d. 17 Oct 1808, both
in Milchenbach, Westphalia) on 16 April 1800 in Attendorn,
Westphalia. They had three children:
Ludwig Vinzens Laurenz GROBBEL15(b.
8 Aug 1801, d. 30 Dec 1826, both in Milchenbach, Westphalia) Johann Jakob Franz GROBBEL15(b.
15 Feb 1804, d. 23 Oct 1860, both in Milchenbach, Westphalia) Maria Catharina GROBBEL15(b.
21 Nov 1806, d. 31 Oct 1838, both in Milchenbach, Westphalia)
Anton's younger son, Johann Jakob Franz
GROBBEL15married Maria Josefine RAMEIL (b.
5 Feb 1809 in Saalhausen, Westphalia, d. 20 March 1873 in
Milchenbach, Westphalia) on 26 Jan 1832 in Lenne, Westphalia.
They had nine children together, including:
Johann Caspar GROBBEL16(b.
8 Sept 1833, d. 9 Jan 1888, both in Milchenbach, Westphalia) Franz Anton GROBBEL16(b.
18 April 1836 in Milchenbach, Westphalia and died in the U.S.A.)Franz Anton emigrated to the U.S.A. sometime before
he married Maria HUBER (b. unknown date in
Mendingen, Württemberg, Germany, d. unk in the U.S.A.) on 05
Aug 1869 at St. Joseph Parish, Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan.
Franz Anton and Maria had at least three children: Anton
GROBBEL17(b. 04 Jul 1870 in Detroit), Anna GROBBEL17(b.
12 Apr 1872 in Detroit) and John Conrad GROBBEL17(b.
13 Jun 1874 in Detroit).
Johann Caspar GROBBEL16married
Elisabeth TRÖSTER (b. 26 Sept 1840, d. 15 Dec
1895, both in Milchenbach, Westphalia) on 27 Aug 1867 in Lenne,
Westphalia. They had five children, including
Peter Anton GROBBEL17(b.
12 June 1873 in Milchenbach, Westphalia and d. 16 April 1965
in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A.). Peter was ordained a Roman
Catholic Priest on 23 July 1905 in Freiburg,
Switzerland and was immediately sent to
eastern Nebraska where he served a number of parishes in
different capacities for almost 60 years. Additional
information about the life of Father Grobbel can be found here.
