Johann Jost1 WINGENBACH from Oberrod in the Westerwald2 is the ancestor of the Krasna Wingenbachs.
Wingenbach, Johannes * um 1614,3
⚭ Schneider, Margaretha * um 1615 Oberrod
- Wingenbach, Heinrich, Witwer * 10.09.1640 Elsoff † 07.01.1712 Mittelhofen
⚭ Kessler, Eva * August 1651 Mittelhofen † 21.06.1719 Mittelhofen
- Wingenbach, Hans Georg * 06.Januar 1681 Mittelhofen
⚭ Linn, Anna Eva * 20.Juni 1688 Mittelhofen † 04.Februar 1757 Mittelhofen
- Wingenbach, Johann Adam * 30.08.1719 Mittelhofen † 01.08.1773 Oberrod
⚭ Schnorr, Anna Eva * 02.06.1719 Oberrod
- Wingenbach, Johann Jost * 11.08.1754 Oberrod
⚭ Simon, Helena * 05.12.1764 Elsoff
The couple had other children who were born on the road or in Poland.
Johann Jost Wingenbach emigrated to Poland with his family in 1799. He is named as an emigrant from Oberrod to South Prussia in 1799:
Wingenbach Johann Jost Oberrod, 50 yrs, wife + 3 children (172/2677 #570)6.
At that time, Oberrod belonged to the Principality of Nassau. The princes of Nassau had many estates to the left and right of the Lahn in Germany (especially in the Westerwald as far as Siegen and in the Taunus as far as Wiesbaden). In the period of interest to us, around 1790/1800, most of the Nassau territory was in the possession of the Princes of Nassau-Orange with their seat of government in Dillenburg. Wilhelm Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Nassau-Orange, lived during this period.
Wilhelm Friedrich von Nassau-Oranien had acquired extensive properties in southern Prussia. His possessions were grouped around the villages of Widzim near Wollstein, Stenschewo, Posen-West district, Racot near Kosten and Czeszewo near Miloslaw. In order to make these estates usable, the prince decided to bring in colonists from his hereditary land of Nassau; however, in order not to damage this land economically, only such people were to be allowed to settle there, "whose deprivation would not harm the country" (Request by the hereditary prince to participate in the colonists' work dated 03.11.1798). The company benefited from the country's plight as a result of the French wars.
On May 5, 1799, the order was given to set out; the settlers reached their new home via Marburg, Hersfeld, Gotha, Erfurt, Leipzig, Mühlberg, Kottbus and Krossen a. O.. Once here, the colonists found disorder and confusion; the necessary land surveys had not yet been completed; the plots of land could not be assigned; there was a lack of housing and so on.
Although the Prussian government intervened to alleviate the bitterest need, even those who settled down found themselves disappointed in many respects and were not happy in their new homeland. Their modest means were exhausted on the journey and when they settled down; in the midst of the strange surroundings they were overcome by homesickness: thus began an ever-increasing return migration.
Of the approximately 400 families with around 2,000 people who actually made the journey east, only about a fifth remained in South Prussia.
Jost Wingenbach and his family were among the immigrants who remained in South Prussia.
According to the birth records of the children Joseph and Florianus, the family lived in Tomice. The village of Tomice belonged to the dominion of Steszeo, which belonged to Hereditary Prince William of Orange in South Prussia and where he settled colonists from the territories of Nassau in 1799/1800.
You can read more about the journey to Poland and the subsequent onward hike to Krasna at The hiking instructors.
Johann Jost Wingenbach also moved on to Krasna. He died in Krasna before 1835. It has not yet been possible to determine whether his wife Helena SIMON came to Krasna with him.
From Krasna, members of the Wingenbach clan moved on to Emmental, the Caucasus, Dobruja, the USA, Canada and Brazil.
The Wingenbach clan existed in Krasna until the resettlement in 1940. Anna WINGENBACH * 19.03.1940 was the last person of the family born in Krasna.
Eduard Volk
Neuwied, Oktober 2024
Eduard's ancestor is Klemens VOLK