Rathaus in Hosenfeld

We left our rental vehicle parked on Kirchberg (Church Hill) and walked from the cemetery onto Schulstrasse (School Street). Since Hosenfeld is a small community (a population of approximately 1,500), it is very easy to walk from one destination to another. The fact of the matter, when I lived in Germany, I found myself walking alot. My waist size can attest to that! The European culture, which I envy, accentuates walking more so than in America.

We strolled past the Kindergarten and arrived at the intersection of Kirchpfad (Church path). To our left stood the Rathaus. Just like any community, the Rathaus is the town hall. Within are the municipal offices serving the community. I figured that perhaps there may be civic records on hand to examine for genealogical purposes.

Kellie and I walked inside with trepidation. With my command of the German language, I will think I'm asking for family names, but instead probably asking, "Do you want fries with that?" We were greeted in the vestibule by a pretty young fraulein by the name of Elisabeth Rutzel. After introducing myself and my wife in German, I asked if she was able to speak English. She said a little bit. So between us, we were able to mix and match the two languages to get our point across.

I told her we were there to do genealogical research. I told her that my great, great, great, grandfather was born in the town in 1822 and emigrated to America in 1847. She asked what my last name was again. I said, "Hillanbrand". She said, "Ah, such a good family name!" Whew! At least I didn't learn that Franz Hillenbrand was a murderer or was kicked out of this decent little town for being a vagrant! She went on to say that there weren't any historical records held within their archives. The only records that she surmised that were available, could perhaps be church records. And they were held in another village. I asked, "Is there another church within Hosenfeld?" She rolled her eyes and said, "We're ALL Catholic here." I laughed thinking how monogenic a small town can be, even over seven hundred years. She probably did too, that's why she rolled her eyes. I guess there's no choice.

We thanked Elisabeth for the information she had given us. She in return gave us a map and information regarding the surrounding area. Although, I didn't find much information regarding the past, I felt as if I did find home.

St. Peter und Paul

We traveled from the homestead toward the center of the village. I wanted to see if there was a local cemetery. Maybe my ancestors were buried there. Cemeteries are where professional genealogists get solid information. So I pretended I was a professional genealogist. I looked around to see if anyone could help us and I found a postal worker on her rounds along a side street. What better person to talk to then a postal worker! They know everything and everybody! The German word for cemetery is "friedhof". So, in my best broken German, I asked, "Wo ist die freidhof? (Where is the cemetery?)" She could tell right away that I was an American. In her best broken English she answered, "You want to see dead people?" Why, yes, I do. She obliged to tell me where to find the cemetery.

German cemeteries are not as useful for genealogical purposes as those in the US. Normally gravesites are leased for 20-25 years, after which they may be renewed or usually revert to the cemetery owner (church or town) and are reused. Some gravesites are sold to a family and used for generations, but even then the site is reused within the family. Gravesites are maintained by the families. Sometimes cemeteries are converted to parks, but retain their cemeterial nature. Well, I can tell you that there were certainly alot of Hillenbrands buried in this cemetery. But all were newer graves. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any old burial plots to help in the family tree. But it was nice to see that the cemetery was well cared and tended.

We then went to the Church of St. Peter and Paul. Built in 1779, this is the only church in town. So no doubt our ancestors were baptised, married and went to funerals within it's walls. It is small on the inside, with a beautiful organ in the rear choir balcony. The organ was probably made by the famous Oestreich family from Oberbimbach, which is two villages north of Hosenfeld. The pulpit rises from the right hand side of the Church and is adorned in green marble. The rest of the Church was rather plain. The clergy was no where to be found, so we were unable to extract church records.

In the next installment - After a tour of the Church grounds, we decided that it would be best to go to the Rathaus (Town Hall) to see if there were any civic records available to examine.

The Homestead

As we meandered through the coniferous woods from Fulda, Germany on Fuldaer Strasse (Fulda Street), my wife and I reveled in being independent on our vacation in a rented automobile. The international driver's license afforded us the opportunity to be autonomous to any itinerary. I rounded the last curve and I observed the yellow town sign for Hosenfeld. As Kellie read the map, she said, "Take the second right. Second street in, Bill, you should see the street sign." There it is!!! Hillenbrandweg (Hillanbrand Road)!!!

I stepped out of the rental vehicle and took a snapshot of the street sign with the disposable digital camera. "What a tourist!", I thought. "What an idiot!", I am sure locals must have surmised at my peculiar actions. Now the hard part. As I climbed back into my seat, I now needed to find the homestead. That's if it existed at all! World War II was a terrible war, which had left Germany deeply scarred. Massive devastation throughout the country meant that historic structures were mostly demolished. My fear was seeing most of the houses were built after the mid-1940s.

The street, I learned, had been named after our family. The Hillenbrand's had a farm on the site. Thereinafter, the farm was subdivided, today there are several houses on the original plot. None of the houses that I saw were pre-1940s except the last house. It was much bigger and nestled along the hillside at a different angle. Here at last was the homestead!

The back of the house had multiple entrances on different floors. It was apparent that it had been updated, however, the basement stone structure was evident. The house was connected to a timber framed barn. Around the front of the house, one can see timber framing. The timbers were freshly painted dark brown and the stucco was brilliant white. The proud owner of the home completes the welcoming look with flower boxes in a few of the windows. The windows themselves were typically out of square for an old house. The barn was still being utilized as a garage.

I had tried to imagine the year 1847 as Nicolaus and Margarita Hillenbrand peered out the rear window of their comfortable home overlooking the hillside. I could almost feel the heartfelt sadness they must have endured as they watched their son, Franz leave this very place for America. Would they ever hear from him again? They would walk to the center of town to St. Peter und Paul Kirche (St. Peter and Paul Church). For generations, the Hillenbrands would come here to pray for their loved ones.

Next installment...St. Peter und Paul

A journey to Hosenfeld

To add to my genealogical website, that you may link from the right hand side, I thought I would add this blog regarding our family. As I collated facts to input into the computer, I also collected stories and memories to treasure in my mind. I hope to pass it along, in writing this blog, to my family.

The stories will come in bits and pieces. Some will be about individuals. Others will be about whole families. If anyone wishes to share stories with me, please do so by commenting.

As I compiled names of family members, I utilized Family Tree Maker software to save all of the information. To date, I have over 3,000 names within my family tree. My intent for this blog, is an exchange of family memories to pass onto successive generations. I do not wish to open skeletons within the family closet (although, I did indeed stumble over a few!), I do believe that information, especially medical family history, is important to share.

As I traveled in Germany, my wife and I rented an automobile and left Fulda for a short trip. Several kilometers away, a sleepy village awaited my exploration of the Hillenbrand (Hillanbrand) homestead. The countryside reminded me of a greener bucolic Pennsylvania. The twists and turns of the roadway were of no consequence, for I had lived in Germany for nearly four years while in the military. I felt at home in the pastoral setting. I WAS home, I thought.

Years have I searched the family lineage and I was about to set eyes on a german home. The home of my ancestor. What would it look like? Are there extended family still there? Why would Franz Hillenbrand leave this beautiful country? I understood during the late 1840's, the German Revolution had taken place, wherein the middle class and intelligentsia emigrated to America. But why would he leave? I rounded the last curve and I observed the yellow town sign for Hosenfeld.

Hosenfeld is a small town indeed. The homes line on two hillsides forming a small valley. Mostly farmland in the surrounding community. As Kellie read the map, she said, "Take the second right. Second street in, Bill, you should see the street sign." There it is!!! Hillenbrandweg (Hillanbrand Road)!!! We're almost home.

Next installment...The Homestead.