Month: December 2009

Andreas Huber Origins: Trippstadt, Ellerstadt, or Ittlingen?

When President Herbert C. Hoover was elected to office in 1928 (serving 1929—1933), there was a great deal of interest in tracing his lineage, much as we’ve seen happen with Barack and Michelle Obama’s ancestry. Information from the Hoover family indicated that the immigrant ancestor was named Andrew Hoover (Andreas Huber), that he was born in Baden, Germany, and arrived at Philadelphia about 1740 at age 15 years old. He married Margaret Pfautz and settled for a time in Frederic County, Maryland, before migrating farther south to Randolph County, North Carolina.

Trippstadt
Initial speculation by Richard W. Staudt was that Andreas Huber was from the Huber family of Trippstadt. While the name Huber was virtually nonexistent in Germany 100 years before the emigration from the Palatinate to America began, it is now widespread. Many of those Huber families are descended from the Trippstadt Hubers.

This family was first found in the Palatinate in the second half of the 17th century. Martin Huber, the first found in area records was there as early as 1666. One of his younger sons was named Johann Andreas Huber. Also in the area were Johann Andreas of Mausmuhle, who sponsored his nephew Johann Andreas, who was born 6 Nov 1720 and baptized at the Thaleischweiler Lutheran Church.

However, an examination of “Names of Foreigners who took the Oath of Allegiance, 1727-1775” shows that there were two Andreas Hubers who immigrated to America about this time—one in 1738 and one in 1741. The passenger list for the ship Two Sisters (1738) lists Andreas Hoover, age 15. The passenger list for the ship Friendship (1741) lists Andreas Huber, age 20. Thus, Andreas Hoover (1738) was born ca 1722/3 and Andreas Huber (1741) was born circa 1720/1. Given this information, it is fairly obvious that Andreas Hoover (1738) was most likely President Hoover’s immigrant ancestor, while Andreas (1741) was most likely the Johann Andreas Huber from Thaleishweiler.

Baden-Baden
So, if President Hoover’s ancestor wasn’t from Trippstadt, where was he from? Mr. Macco, a German genealogist retained by Mr. Staudt, initiated a search for Andreas Hoover’s (1738) origins. Mr. Macco initiated a search for Andreas Huber, born ca 1721-1723, in Baden-Baden. Although he was not confident about finding a Lutheran Huber in the mostly Catholic parishes in Baden-Baden, he was able to locate Huber families. For instance, on 2 Oct 1689, Franz Anton Huber, son of Johann Adam, butcher, was baptized. Macco found a number of Huber families, including several with men of the same given name—an indication that the families had been there for several generations.

However, he was not able to find an Andreas, born 1721 to 1723, nor is that name found in the local Huber families. Therefore, he determined that the immigrant ancestor could not have been from Baden. So, he turned his examination back to the Palatinate.

Ellerstadt
The only Andreas he was able to locate was the son of Gregor Jonas and Maria (Kreutzer) Huber of Ellerstadt, in the district of Durkhëim. This Andreas was born at Ellerstadt and baptized 29 Jan 1723 in the Lutheran church. No more records were apparently found for Andreas in the church book, so he likely did not remain in Ellerstadt. Staudt writes that “…the names of many other citizens of Ellerstadt appear in the same passenger list, there cannot be any doubt of his identity.”*

Mr. Macco also decided that since the village Ellerstadt had once —for 7 years, starting in 1754 ( 16 years after Andreas’ emigration— belonged to the Marquis of Baden-Baden, that this was why the family thought their ancestor was from Baden. Therefore, this had to be the immigrant ancestor of President Hoover.

Ittlingen
However, while the Andreas Huber of Ellerstadt was the only one found by Mr. Macco, he was not the only man who could be Herbert Hoover’s immigrant ancestor. Baptism records for the village of Ittlingen show an Andreas Huber, born 13 May 1724, baptized 14 May 1724, son of Johannes and Ottilia (___) Huber.** Ittlingen is in the Kraichgau region in the Heidelberg district of Baden. Furthermore, from what I can tell from 18th century maps of the area, Ittlingen was also part of Baden at the time of Andreas’ emigration in 1738.

Annette Burgert makes an even stronger argument for Andreas Huber (1738) being from Ittlingen, not Ellerstadt. By examining the origins of the other passengers of the ship Two Sisters, she was able to determine that several other passengers—Johann Gottlieb Bräuninger, Johan Martin Bräuninger, Johann Michael Oesterlin, Dietrict Benedict, Hans Peter Sailer, Pleickerd Dietrich Sailer and Wolfgang Braun—were from Ittlingen. All of these names appear in the Ittlingen records. It is unlikely that the child Andreas would be traveling alone, but no other passenger from the Two Sisters has been traced to Ellerstadt.

Staudt argued that Andreas was traveling with Wolfgang Braun and his nephew Adam Braun, who was married to Andreas’ sister, Anna Elizabeth. Adam and Anna Elizabeth (Huber) Braun supposedly took passage on a ship that arrived 7 weeks after Andreas’ and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where several other siblings had settled. However, it has since been shown that the Anna Elizabeth Huber and Johann Adam Braun who married  on 24 Sep 1738 in Ellerstadt remained at Ellerstadt. They did not immigrate to Pennsylvania, nor settle in Lancaster County.

Furthermore, Andreas Huber married Margaret Pfautz, granddaughter of Hans Michael Pfautz, a 1727  immigrant from Rohrbach, near Sinsheim, just northwest of Ittlingen. Since it is a well known fact that the Germans emigrated in groups and settled in America near/with groups from their old villages in Germany, this, too, strengthens the argument that Andreas Huber (1738) was from Ittlingen.

Conclusions
It is always good to recognize that your conclusions are only as good as the facts that are available to you at any given time. I believe that Mr. Macco drew conclusions based on the information he had—conclusions that any one of us would have made given the same facts. However, additional research has turned up new information, new facts that change the picture. At this time, I find the argument that Andreas Huber was born in Ittlingen, not Ellerstadt, to be very compelling.

What does this mean to me and my research? It opens up the possibility that the Andreas Huber born in Ellerstadt was the same who emigrated aboard the ship Edinburgh in 1754. Additional research is needed to confirm it, of course, but for now it is a plausible hypothesis.

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* The names of the other passengers who matched the passenger list of the Two Sisters is not provided in the Staudt article. And according to Annette Burgert, none of the passengers have been proven to be from Ellerstadt.

** But what about the difference in age? Andreas (Ittlingen) was born in 1724 and would have been only 14 in 1738, not 15 as stated on the passenger list. Annette Burgert shows in her research that the ages on the list are not exact. For instance, Dietrich Benedict was listed as being 30 years old. Baptismal records from Ittlingen show he was born 11 Jun 1710, making him only 28. This holds true for Pleickerd Dietrich Sailer, too. He was listed as being 24, but was born 29 May 1719.

Sources:

  • Staudt, Richard W., “Origin of the Hoover Families,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly (National Genealogical Society: 1929), Vol 17, No. 1, page 1-6.
  • Kephart, Major Calvin, “Hoover American Ancestry,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly (National Genealogical Society: 1929), Vol 17, No. 1, page 6-24, Vol 17, No 4, Pages 53-56.
  • Kephart, Major Calvin, “Hoover (Huber) Ancestry,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly (National Genealogical Society: 1929), Vol 23, No. 4, page 110; Kephart actually confuses land pruchases of Andreas Huber (1754) in Maryland as being those of Andreas Huber (1738)
  • Burgert, Annette Kunselman, “18th Century Emigrants from Northern Kraichgau,” (Breinigsville, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania German Society, 1983), Vol 16, page 180-181.
  • Burgett, Annette Kunselman, “18th Century Emigrants from the Western Palatinate,” (Breinigsville, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania German Society, 1985), Vol 19, page 177.
  • Davenport, John Scott, “Earliest Pfautz/Fouts Families in America,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly (National Genealogical Society: 1975), Vol 63, Number 4, page 243-249.
  • Staudt, Richard W., “The Huber-Hoover Family of Aesch, Switzerland and Trippstadt, Palatinate with some Accent on Migrations to Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine (The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania: 1935), Vol 12, No 2, page 223-243.

Map of My Research Places

I’ve created a personal map on Google Maps of some of my research places. I find it very helpful to see the locations I’ve found in my research on a map. It gives me a better idea of the distances between places and also shows me the surrounding villages/town. Proximity can make a good case for relationships.

It includes:

  • Ittlingen: Possible German birthplace of Andrew Huber (1738), ancestor of Pres. Hoover
  • Mosbach: German home of my Greulich family
  • Rußheim: German home of my Hacker family
  • Graben: German home of my Jock family
  • Ellerstadt: Possible German birthplace of Andreas Huber (1754), father of my proposed ancestor George Hoover
  • Trippstadt: Possible German birthplace of Andrew Hoover (1741)
  • Thaleishweiler: Possible German birthplace of Andrew Hoover (1741)
  • Durlach: German home of the Weidman family
  • Sinsheim: German birthplace of Margaretha Pfautz, wife of Andrew Huber (1738)
  • Epfenbach: German origins of Hans Adam Ziegler
  • Leitersburg, MD: US home of Andreas Huber (1754) from 1754 through 1779
  • Uniontown, PA: US home of Andreas Huber (1754) from ca 1779 through 1784

View Kris Hocker’s places in a larger map

Google maps is a great resource. Especially for those parts of the world where you don’t already own an atlas.

Huber Immigrants

I’ve pulled together a list of Hubers from the ships lists in the Pennsylvania Archives, Series II, Volume XVII. Where additional information is known, or I have a theory, I’ve added that information. This information can be viewed for free in its source form on Footnotes.com.

Pennsylvania Archives, Series II, Volume XVII

Names of Foreigners who took the Oath of Allegiance, 1727-1775

Date Ship Name Page/Notes
24 Aug 1728 Mortonhouse Johannes Huber p. 12 This Johannes Huber may have been the son of Gregor Jonas Huber of Ellerstadt. He most likely settled in Lancaster Co.
21 Sep 1732 Pink Plaisance Christian Huber (34)
Hans Huber (54)
p.52
26 Sep 1732 Mary Johannes Huber p.66
30 Sep 1732 Dragon Christian Huber p.68
29 May 1735 Mercury Hendryk Huber, age 70 p. 114
29 May 1735 Mercury Heinrich Huber (Hendryk Huber, age 70)
Hans Huber (Hans Kubler, age 43)
Rudolph Hueber, age 6
Lisabeth Hueber, age 11
p.113
16 Sep 1736 Princess Augustus Wilhelm Huber p.126Possibly the William Huber of Shenandoah County, Virginia
8 Oct 1737 Charming Nancy Balthasar (Baltzer) Huber, 21
Hans Georg Hubler
p. 142 Balthasar Huber was from Ittlingen, son of Johann Jacob and Anna Barbara Huber, cousin of Andreas Huber (see next).
9 Sep 1738 Two Sisters Andreas Hoover (under 16) p. 158 This Andreas Huber was the ancestor of Pres. Hoover.
20 Sep 1738** Friendship Hans Jacob Huber
7 Feb 1739 Jamaica Peter Huber

Felix Huber (38)

p. 181
26 Sep 1741 St. Mark Joh. Nicklas Huber p.210
12 Oct 1741 Friendship Daniel Huber(t) (age 22)

Andreas Huber(t)(age 20)

George Huber(t) (Jurgen, age 24)

p.217 These Hubers were from Thaleischweiler-Fröschen, Germany. Andreas was the son of Johan Adam and Eva (___) Huber, and Daniel and George may have been his brothers. They went to Lebanon County.
28 May 1742 Snow Catherine Johann Michael Huber

Jacob Lischy

p. 227

Rev. Jacob Lischy was a German Reformed minister who served York County

21 Sep 1742 Francis and Elizabeth Hans Jacob Huber
Ludwig Huber
Philip Deter Huber
p.232 These Hubers were from Ittlingen. Hans Jacob was the son of Casper and Barbara (___) Huber, and  brother of Johannes Huber. Ludwig and Philip Dietrich were his sons.
26 Feb 1743 Rosanna Hans Ulerich Huber p.243 Hans Ulrich settled in Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 1743 Philadelphia Tax assessment list; 1751 Warwick Twp Tax assessment list.
30 Sep 1743 Phoenix Georg Huber p.245
20 Oct 1744 Phoenix Friedrich Huber p.251
1 Aug 1747 Bilander Vernon Rudolph Huber

Henrich Huber

Henrich Huber Jr.

p. 257 Heinrich Huber, possibly of Trippstadt, Palatinate
27 Sep 1749 Isaac Heinrich Huber

Philip Haber

p.298 Heinrich Huber was likely of Trippstadt, Palatinate, son of Johann Konrath Huber.
11 Sep 1749 Priscilla Heinrich Huber

Jacob Huber

Rudolph Huber

Casper Huber

Henrich Huber

p.283
15 Sep 1749 Phoenix Jacob Huber p.291
28 Sep 1749 Ann Hans Geo Huber

Hans Adam Hacker

p.299
17 Oct 1749 Fane Hans Georg Huber

Johan Georg Huber

p.306
13 Aug 1750 Edinburgh Johan Adam Huber p.311Johann Adam was of Trippstadt, Palatinate.
15 Aug 1750 Royal Union Hans von Huber p.314
21 Aug 1750 Anderson Johan Jacob Huber

Johan Michael Huber

p.315 Johann Jacob Huber was of Trippstadt, Palatinate, father of  Johann Adam (Edinbrugh, 1750) and Johann  (Edinburgh, 1754).
28 Aug 1750 Two Brothers Johan Georg Huber p.317Johann Georg Huber was from Neifern.
24 Sep 1751 Neptune Jacob Huber p.342
25 Aug 1751 Anderson Hans Geo. Huber p.329
25 Sep 1751 Phoenix Jacob Huber

Jacob Hauber

p. 344
27 Sep 1752 President Johan Martin Huber p.361
22 Nov 1752 Phoenix Georg Huber sick p.377
26 Feb 1753 Brothers Hans Wendel Huber p.402
30 Sep 1754 Brothers Jacob Huber

Christian Huber (24)

p.432,433
30 Sep 1754 Edinburgh Johannes Huber

Andreas Hübner (Andreas Huber)

p.435 This Andreas Huber eventually settled in Fayette Co., Pennsylvania. Johannes may have been Andreas’ eldest son, Johannes Huber of Trippstadt, Palatinate, or possibly even Andreas’ brother.
8 Nov 1752 Snow Louisa Simon Leitel Huber p. 375
24 Sep 1763? Peggy Conrad Huber, age 46 (Conradt Hüber, p. 398) p.401
5 Oct 1763 Richmond Georg Friederich Huber p.456
1 Nov 1763 Chance Casper Huber p.456
8 Aug 1764 Chance Ludwig Huber p.459
13 Jan 1767 Juno Johan George Huber p.478
5 Oct 1767 Sally Konrad Heuer

Nickel Huber

Adam Huber

Philip Huber

p.479 Nickolaus, Adam and Philip Huber were sons of Johann Konrath Huber of Trippstadt, Palatinate. They emigrated with their brother Heinrich (Isaac, 1749) on his return to America after their father’s death in 1766.
6 Oct 1767 Hamilton Johannes Huber p. 480
10 Nov 1767 Sally Lorentz Huber p. 484
10 Oct 1768 Minerva Joh. Nickel Huber p.485
26 Oct 1768 Crawford Michael V. Huber p.487
26 Oct 1768 Betsy Georg Huber p. 488 Possibly Johann Georg, son of Johann Philipp Huber of Trippstadt, Palatinate

p.717 Index to surnames

** Added from Rupp’s A Collection of Upward of Thirty Thousand Names of German, Swiss, Dutch, and French and Other Immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1726 to 1776.

If you have information on one of these Hubers and where they settled in America, I would like to hear from you. The information I’ve seen on Huber emigrants can be very confusing sometimes as to who’s who. I’d like very much to straighten it out some…