He transported and traded goods.

an important middleman for the transport of iron products mfg in Nassau-Siegen region.`Had a grandson Harman present at the

surrender of Cornwallis to Gen. Washington, perhaps. This from Mayflower Quarterly, August, 1990.

Name: Hermann OTTERBACH 

Sex: M 

Birth: ABT. 1664 

Note: Hermann Otterbach emigrated to America to join at least two of his daughters (our ancestor Margreth who married Hans

Jacob Holtzclaw and Elisabeth Cathrina who married John Kemper; both couples emigrated to America at the same time.) The

source says this happened not long after 1714, a year or two after his sons-in-law made the trip. In America, he was usually known

as Herman Utterback.



Marriage 1 Elizabeth HEIMBACH

Married: 11 AUG 1685 in Siegen, Nassau-Siegen, Germany

Children

Anna Margaret OTTERBACH b: 1686 in Siegen, Germany

Ellsbeth OTTERBACH b: 1689

Johann Phillipp OTTERBACH b: 22 MAR 1691/92

Johann Jacob OTTERBACH b: 23 NOV 1695

Elisabeth Cathrina OTTERBACH b: 19 APR 1697

Maria Cathrina OTTERBACH b: 5 NOV 1699

Johannes OTTERBACH b: 15 APR 1702

Anna Cathrina OTTERBACH b: 2 JAN 1704/05



The eleven hundred and thirty-fourth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies



Another large family, also from Trupbach, was the Otterbachs. There is no 

documentary evidence in Virginia that this family did, in fact, make the 

trip. But there is excellent circumstantial evidence that this is the case 

and we might review some of the principal points.



The family disappears from the church and civil records in Germany about 

1714. In the book, "Ortgeschichte Trupbach" by Tröps and Bohn, the house 

Welmes was inhabited by Hermannus Otterbach in 1707. They say about the 

family that (it) "ausgewandert nach Virginia USA." The house was taken over 

(in 1712) by Johann Jacob Schneider who had married Maria Cath. Heide. 

Again, as in the last note, I do not understand why they use the date 1712.



The names of the daughters in the family seem to appear as wives in 

Virginia. The family was related to some of the people who did go to 

Virginia. A family(ies) is needed to add to the known Virginia immigrants 

to come to the right count. The Otterbach family would fulfill that need 

correctly.



Hermann Otterbach was a "Fuhrleute" which is a wagoner or a person who 

carted goods (or people?) from one location to another. As such, he would 

have been very sensitive to the economic conditions. If economic life were 

depressed, his work would be reduced. (In the emigrating group, there was 

another man who was the son of a Fuhrman and that was John Hofmann.)



Hermann Otterbach had married Elisabeth Heimbach and they had these 

children: John Philip (21), John (11), Elizabeth (24), Alice Catherine 

(16), Mary Catherine (14), Anna Catherine (8). It is necessary to say that 

the father and the two sons died before the move to Germantown in Virginia 

(from Germanna) because no land was distributed to a male 

Otterbach/Utterback at Germantown. This is the weakest point in the 

"Utterback argument" as it requires the death of three individuals.



Again, much like the Fischbachs, it would seem that the parents were 

motivated by finding a better life for the sons and daughters. It was a 

major undertaking for eight people to uproot their life in Trupbach and to 

go to America. One wonders if the prospects in and around Trupbach for 

finding husbands for the daughters and jobs for the sons were poor. Philip 

was old enough to be looking for a job and a wife. Elizabeth was old enough 

to be thinking about marriage.



On the German photo page, look at the drawing of the village of Trupbach 

and locate the Chapel School in the center. You can identify the school by 

the picture of it on the photo page also. In the drawing, the first 

building directly or straight to the right of the Chapel School should be 

the Otterbach home. In 1713, the school was not there as it was built in 1750.



John Blankenbaker