Ohrnbach, Bayern, Deutschland

OHRNBACH, BAVARIA, GERMANY

Ohrnbach Topographic Map

1848 Survey of Ohrnbach

John Anthony Fertig and his family lived in the village of Ohrnbach, formerly known as Ohrenbach, in the state of Bavaria, Germany (Bayern, Deutschland). Ohrnbach is located in the quiet and peaceful Ohrn Brook valley of the Odenwald mountains of Germany¹. The village is located approximately six miles west of Miltenberg in the district of Miltenberg, province of Unterfranken, in the northwestern corner of the state of Bavaria. Ohrnbach is incorporated into the town of Weilbach¹, which is located approximately four miles to the southeast.

The word Ohrnbach is translated as "Ear Brook" in the English language. Several designations have been given to the village: "Der zerstreut liegende Ort", "Der verschwundene Ort" and "Der arme Ort", which translate as "The absent-minded lying place", "The disappeared or lost place" and "The poor or pauper place"². The village of Ohrnbach was spelled various ways throughout history: Arnbach, Arenbach, Aranbach, Ohrenbach, Ornbach, Orenbach and Ohrnbach².

The village is located adjacent to the Ohrn Creek at an approximate elevation of 755 feet. The adjacent rugged mountains rise up to approximately 1,570 feet for a total height of 815 feet above the valley. The mountains are comprised of woodlands mixed with coniferous and deciduous trees. The topographic map of the region indicates an area named Fertigsgrund, located approximately 0.7 miles to the northeast of Ohrnbach. This area, translated as "Fertig's Ground", was likely property once owned by a relative of John Anthony Fertig.

Ohrnbach was comprised of approximately 15 residents, 4 houses and a hotel, as of the year 2003³. The town held nearly 300 residents in the past², however, today most of the old village has been converted to fields and woodlands³.

The village has over 700 years of historical documentation¹. The following is a summary of the significant historical events of Ohrnbach:

Year     Event

1266     Village first mentioned under the name Arenbach¹.

1468     Counts von Wertheim in possession of the fishery rights of the valley².

1535-1648 Village completely devastated and deserted due to the Swedish and French War². Village residents were killed or driven from their homes².

1656     Resettlement of Ohrnbach^2,3.

1660     50 cows, 28 pigs and 300 sheep recorded².

1720     Village chapel recorded³.

1724     Teachers named and lessons performed in farmer's houses¹.

1776     Catholic chapel constructed¹.

1838-40 Many inhabitants of Ohrnbach sold their land and relocated elsewhere².

1857     Schoolhouse located near the chapel¹.

1873     Schoolhouse located in a farmer's house today called "prince-house"¹.

1880     Ohrnbach community dissolved¹. The Prince of Leiningen purchased a portion of the village¹. Many families left the village and moved two miles southeast to Weckbach³. Ohrnbach was incorporated into Weckbach¹.

1895     Chapel torn down¹. The door and lintel were moved to the Weckbach church¹. The stones from the chapel were also used to expand the church in Weckbach³.

1947     Temporary school located in the house of forest until 1950¹.

1959     The Gasthof Ohrnbachtal (Ohrnbach Valley Hotel) opened in the center of the village by Karl and Ernestine Schäfer⁴.

1965     Electricity first introduced in the village⁴.

1997     Memorial stone at the former place of the chapel erected by the home village association¹. The stone is located 0.6 miles from Ohrnbach³.

2003     Most of the old village covered by forest and field².

The following is a historical record of the inhabitants of Ohrnbach²:

Year     Inhabitants

1496     52

1668     37

1700     72

1710     81

1720     83

1730     71

1740     64

1750     75

1760     96

1770     89

1780     91

1790     102

1800     72

1820     167

1826     196

1834     284

1840     284

1862     180

1897     22

1950     30

2003     15

John Anthony Fertig and his family attended the Catholic chapel in Ohrnbach, which was part of the Catholic parish of Weilbach. Several of John Anthony's children were baptized in the Weilbach church called “St. Johannes”, after the apostle John⁵. The church has been documented historically back to around 1450⁵. The church has a classical style pulpit, which was placed in 1789 and has two gothic wood figures, which originate from the fifteenth century⁵.

John Anthony Fertig took his family and fled from Ohrnbach, Bavaria in 1837, during the reign of Bayerisch King Ludwig I⁶. In 1825, Ludwig I succeeded the throne of his father, King Maximilian I⁶. King Ludwig I was in power until the Revolution of 1848, which caused his abdication in favor of his son, King Maximilian II⁶. This royal Wittelsbach family had reigned the Bayerisch region since they came to power in 1140⁶.

It was recorded that the Prince of Leiningen purchased a significant portion of land in the surrounding region of Ohrnbach between 1838 to 1840². It is possible that John Anthony Fertig sold his land to the prince and used the proceeds to fund the relocation of his family to America.

REFERENCES:

1. History of Ohrnbach.

http://www.weilbach.de/html/static/html/ueber_weilbach/geschichte_ohrnbach.htm

Retrieved information on October 22, 2003

2. Weilbach Und Seine Ortsteile, Geschichte Unserer Heimat, Band I, II and III.

Weilbach And Its Local Parts, History Of Our Homeland, Volumes I, II and III

3. History of Ohrnbach.

E-mail correspondence with N.S., Ohrnbach/Weckbach area resident on October 24, 2003 and October 25, 2003

4. History of the Gasthof Ohrnbachtal (Ohrnbach Valley Hotel).

http://www.gasthof-ohrnbachtal.de/gesch.html

Retrieved information on October 22, 2003

5. History of Weilbach and Weckbach Churches.