52 Ancestors–Michael Deppert

This is part of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge put forth by Amy Johnson Crow of the No Story Too Small blog.

I am coming into this challenge very late so this is my first entry.

I am going to start off with one of my oldest known ancestors, my 7th Great Grandfather (maternal), Michael Deppert. The name is also spelled Depper, Deberth, Theberth, Töpert, and later Teppert.  (Deppert literally translates to Dopey in English - maybe explains the change in spellings - no one wants to be Dopey)

Michael was born approximately 1725 in Hermersberg[1]^,[2], currently located in Sudwestpfalz district, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. I visited this area while I was stationed in Germany and the look of the land gives a sense that it has not changed much since Michael lived there 300 years ago. The area is still heavily agricultural with a scattering of forested areas between the villages. Although most in this time were probably farmers, the Depperts are listed as schneiders (tailors) throughout the church books of the villages[3].  The farmers and other people of the villages needed someone to make and mend their clothes.  I wonder if he operated his tailor business not only within Hermersberg, but also between the other nearby villages, like Horbach and Weselberg. The latter is just a short distance northwest where you can see actually see one village from the other. Maybe this is how he met his bride, Anna Margaretha Lutz, who was born in Weselberg on 26 may 1727[4].

Michael and Anna were married 23 November 1745 in the other nearby village of Horbach[5]. You can't see Horbach from either Hermersberg or Weselberg but it is just a short distance northeast of Hermersberg through the winding roads, dense forest and spacious farm fields. The roads from one village to the other are rather narrow (at least in today’s standards) and wind between the hills and valleys of the region. It makes me wonder if these are the same paths that Michael would follow when he traveled from village to village.

Horbach has remained a small village through the centuries. The church, standing in the center of the village, is the same church which Michael and Anna were married.  I made a video of Horbach while I was there, you can view that on youtube here: Horbach Video.

I am guessing that Michael and Anna chose to live in Weselberg as this is where their first 8 children were born.[6]

· Johann (1746 - 1749)

· Konrad (1748 - ??)

· Johann Adam (1751 - 1829)

· Johannes (1753 - ??)

· Margaretha (1756 - ??)

· Anna Catharina (1758 - ??)

· Peter (1761 - ??)

· Maria Eva (1763 - ??)

Michael and Anna are one of my many immigrant ancestors. Sometime between the birth of Maria Eva and the birth of their next child, Stefan in 1766, they emigrated to a little village named Vertesboglar, or just Boglar, in the Shildebirge Province of Hungary. The current location of this village is Fejer Region, Hungary, about 20 - 25 miles west of Budapest. This region was a common destination of German emigrants throughout the 18th century.

 

Michael and Anna had 2 more children in Boglar[7]:

· Stefan (1766 - ??)

· Simon (1769 - ??)

It appears that Michael would live out the rest of his life in this small village as he died there on 12 May 1794, when he was about 69 years old.[8]

Below is my direct line link to Michael:

-Michael Deppert, 7th Great Grandpa

    -Johann Adam, 6th Great Grandpa

        -Andreas Teppert, 5th Great Grandpa

            -Anna Maria (Teppert) Hinterhauser, 4th Great Grandma

                -Philipp Hinterhauser, 3rd Great Grandpa

                    -Augustine Hinterhauser, 2nd Great Grandpa

                         -Anna Maria (Hinterhauser) Pakledinaz, Great Grandma

                              -Teresa (Pakledinaz) Petrilla, Grandma

                                   -Elizabeth (Lucas) Shaw, Mom

                                        -Christopher Shaw (me)

Thanks for reading and keep diggin for that family.

Chris

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[1] Dietmar Meyer, Register zu den Kirchenbüchern der Katholischen Pfarrei Horbach 1724-1798 (Schopp, Germany, Zweibrücker Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Familienforschung, November 1992), Page 32

[2] Stefan Stader, "Sammelwerk donauschwäbischer Kolonisten" (Sindelfingen, Germany, Arbeitskreis donauschwäbisher Familienforscher (AKdFF), 1997-2003), Volume I, page 602, entry # 07899

[3] Meyer

[4] Ibid, pg 110

[5] Meyer and Stader

[6] Meyer

[7] Stader

[8] Ibid