Oefingen and the German Hepplers Throughout the years By Colin H Wheatley In September 2016, I was unexpectedly contacted by a distant cousin, Rebecca Huff regarding an anticipated trip to Germany. Rebecca is the great-great-granddaughter of our common ancestor, Andreas “Andrew” Heppler 1838-1906. His eldest son was John Edmund Heppler, one of John’s daughters was Olive and her daughter was Helene. Helene is Rebecca’s mother. Rebecca had come across the Heppler Chronicles online and had read the accounts that my aunt, Nola F Heppler, and I had written following our visits to Oefingen, Germany in 1965. Rebecca was on her way to Germany and had plans to visit Oefingen. She wanted to know more about the village. My wife, Cindy, and I had been there again in 2014 during our Freiberg German Temple mission. I was happy to share with Rebecca my recollections of Oefingen. During the fall 2016 Rebecca was indeed in Oefingen and brought back some additional interesting information, most importantly a book by August Vetter entitled Oefingen: Die Geschichte des hoechstgelegenen Baarortes (Oefingen: the History of the highest lying Baar site [Village]). Rebecca entrusted the book to me and I have perused it to find additional details about Oefingen and our Heppler ancestry. Footnotes throughout this document refer to corresponding pages in Vetter’s history. That a village of only 725 residents (Vetter states 811), has a book of 558 pages dedicated to its history might seem a bit peculiar, but it attests to the German trait of Gruendlichkeit (attention to details and exactness). It also attests to the love and pride the residents of Oefingen have for their village, and most notably August Vetter, a resident of the Baar Area, an area historian, and former secondary school principal. Geography and Background: Oefingen is the highest lying village in the so called Baar, an elevated shallow valley located in southwestern Germany and in the state of Baden-Wuertemberg. Administratively the Village of Oefingen is part the City of Bad Duerrheim and belongs to the Kreis Schwarzwald-Baar (county). Despite the elevated elevation the climate is quite mild. From Oefingen there is a view of the entire Baar and the wirtembergish highland. To the west and southwest of Oefingen is the famous Schwarzwald (or Black Forest) area. Oefingen also belongs to the Evangelisch (Lutheran) parish in Villingen. Vetter states in 1996 there were 811 inhabitants and 104 homes. The first documented records about Oefingen are dated 973 AD, however, the beginnings of the locality go back much farther. In the early records there are variations of the name Oefingen. Sometimes it was written as Efingen or Effingen. Introduction: In what follows I have attempted to provide a glimpse of the Hepplers and the roles they played throughout the history of Oefingen including the major emigrations of the 1840’s, and into modern times. The Hepplers can be seen by looking at the civil and church records. In the background to both types of records (or maybe in the center of them all) is the village church of Oefingen; its history stretching back in time and yet always remaining a constant landmark. By way of explanation, what I record here isn’t always chronological because Vetter, my source, follows them separately, and yet sometimes they are still intermingled. I have attempted to chronologically list the Heppler names I found and the context for their inclusion in the civil and church records of the village and surrounding area. Later on we may be able to connect some of these many Heppler names directly to our family lines and the lines from which we descend. As I read this history of Oefingen I noticed a consistent mention of other names that are part of our family history: Manger, Woelfle, Kohler, Spitznagel and Sultmann. There were also Woelfelins and because of their similarity to the name Woelfle there may have been at one time a connection between the names 327. Woelfelin is a diminutive form of Woelfle and common in Switzerland. A brief but broader history of Oefingen can be found in a document written by my aunt, Nola F Heppler (1916-1992), that is contained in a collection assembled by my uncle, Rosco Zar Heppler (1930-), entitled The Heppler Family Chronicles. Nola was a gifted writer. She wrote about the origin of the Heppler name, the beginnings of Oefingen and the history of Oefingen in the broader context of what happened historically in Southern Germany. She doesn’t provide her sources and in some respects her facts differ from what I provide below. Mine are generally all based on the aforementioned book by August Vetter. Early civil records of what was first called Efingen and its early leaders: In the early history there is mention of the area between Aasen and Dounaueschingen -- pasture lands, small fiefdoms and protected areas -- whose inhabitants and owners were quarreling. The problems were decided and resolved in a court action. Letters and documents from 1462 to 1463 were brought before the court. They were from priests, village mayors, and bailiffs. Among the bailiffs exhibiting documents was one, Hainrich Woelfly, the bailiff of Efingen. He is the first known bailiff of this spot of land (or small area). As the Dorfvogt or village bailiff, he was a court officer and was appointed by the Obervogt or Over-bailiff at Tuttlingen as a representative of the monarch, owner, or ruler of the land. As such he was the representative of these entities to the people and the people’s representative to them. In his position he presided over the village court. The position Of Vogt was usually for life or until incapable of fulfilling the responsibilities of the office. As Oefingener Dorfvoegte (bailiffs of Oefingen) there are recorded the following (and here we find the oldest mentions of the name Heppler): Woelfely, Hainrich 1462- 63- Spitznagel, Conrad1448-1482 Spitznagel, Galli1487 Spitznagel, Conrat1497-1508 Heppler, Hans1520-1533 Bernhard, Hans1545-1546 Nopper, Hans1533 Heppler, Clemenz1570 Woelflin, Hans1596-1603 Woelflin, Theuss1606-1614 Schweitzer, Jacob1618-1623 Schweitzer, Erhard 1630 Manger, Hans1652-1653 Dold, Johannes 1654-1674 Staeublin, Michael Vogteiamtsveweser Heppler, Jackob1677-1690 Kimmich, Johannes 1690-1728 Heppler, Johann Jacob 1729-1731 Schaber, Johann Jacob 1732-1739 Manger, Urban Vogteiamtsverwalter Manger, Urban 1741-1762 Heppler, Andreas 1762-1777 Heppler, Andreas (son) 1777-1810 Goll, Maximilian Wilh. Vogteiamtsverwalter Manger, Johann Jacob 1812-1831 427* *The list follows Vetter’s book and the original sources, therefore not all dates are consistent or complete. For example, Clemenz Heppler may have been the village bailiff until his successor, Hans Woelfelin, in 1596 but this is highly unlikely. So from 1520 until 1810 there were various Hepplers who were bailiffs of the village. This would indicate they were prominent citizens of the village and presumably substantial land owners. Beginning in 1832 the village had a Buergermeister or mayor and then with the change to being a part of the City Bad Duerrheim (explained near the end), the Buergermeister was replaced by a Ortsvorsteher or village leader. Konrad Hengstler was the last mayor or Buergermeister (1967-1971) and also the first city leader or Ortsvorsteher 1972-1994 428. Incidentally, Konrad Hengstler was very instrumental in bringing the history, Oefingen: Die Geschichte…..to fruition. Hepplers: •The aforementioned Clemenz Heppler, Dorfvogt 1570, is also mentioned in the oldest cadastral records. This cadastral register, or Lagerbuch (stock book) meaning a map or survey showing the extent, value and ownership of land and of the village comes from the year 1570, and began on May 11th in a Tuttlingen wine cellar or inn by Bendict Krafft. In these early days before city halls and courthouses the town inn was usually the locale where most business and governmental affairs were transacted. The innkeeper or Keln often oversaw civil matters for the area under the auspices of a higher noble or land owner. The aforementioned record was part of the cadastral record for the entire jurisdiction of Tuttlingen (Tuttlingen is a larger village – now city directly east of Oefingen – and it had jurisdiction for the area). In this cadastral record there are references to an older record now no longer existent. The record lists George Benninger, Keller or jurisdictional officer for Tuttlingen, Clemenz Heppler, court bailiff for Oefingen, Han Woefflin of the court, Han Nopper of the court, Thomas Spitznagel of the court, Hans Maurer of the court, Ulrich Lorer of court, Jorg Woefflin of the community and Gall Spitznagel of the community.91 These were all men invested with responsibility for civil matters of the area. We can assume that because of his role as bailiff that Clemenz Heppler was a leading villager, one capable of administering the laws and matters of the village. •Some of the subsequent records pertain to fief or feudal tenures and in records of 1591 Andreas Heppler was paying since 1577 “dem Heiligen” (presumably to the cloister) 30 fl. (fl. is a silver or gold coin).205 •All was not well in Oefingen and in 1608/1609 Adam Woelfflin was fined ten pounds for indecent language towards Hanns Heppler.175 •In a record of 1614 regarding church tribute based on land possession there is the mention of the names of Andreas and Hanns Heppler as Jerg Heppler’s heirs. 198 •A church tithe was required of the townspeople and in 1664 there is mention of a commission to determine the amount tithes to be paid based on land ownership. On the commission from Oefingen were the court persons Hanss Manger, Jacob Heppler and Hanss Schneckenburger. They were chosen because of their familiarity with fields and their boundaries. Included on the list of those required to pay the church tithe were Jacob Heppler, Hanss Schneckenburger and Hanns Manger. This would indicate that Jacob Heppler was a land owner and a noted, trusted member of the community.194 •In those areas where Lutheranism became the religion of the land the properties formerly held by the Catholic Church became the property of nobility (although some cloisters continued to hold claim to some of the land even after the Reformation). Apparently in and around Oefingen, and as a consequence of the Reformation, there was considerable property that became the jurisdiction of the Lutheran Church. The church was to manage the use and upkeep of the land. However, it soon began to be run down from lack of proper care and management. Subsequently the church began to give certain Oefingen townsmen the right to use the property if they would maintain it properly and pay rent. In 1673 after an earlier agreement had ended Jacob Heppler went to the public office in Tuttlingen with a proposal to buy the property outright and on 9 July 1675 the transaction was concluded. For the property valued at 2,600 Gulden, Heppler made a down payment of 60 Kreuzer and on Martini of the year (the festival day on Martini – presumably in November) he was to pay 2,000 Gulden cash and the rest in yearly payments of 200 Gulden. Until all the payments were made the property remained under the pledge of the church administration in Tuttlingen. Before the purchase Heppler already possessed considerable property in Oefingen, Talheim and Trossingen. The properties in Talheim and Trossingen were valued at 2000 Gulden and were used to purchase this additional property debt free. With this purchase Jacob Heppler was able to consolidate his holding in Oefingen. The record stated that Jacob Heppler had no less than ten children, most of them adults. •Vetter mentions some of the strange or more notable deaths in Oefingen, i.e. deaths by drowning, freezing, lightning, etc. And among them in the year of 1673, the Totenbuch (the churches’ death book) noted the death of Catharina Heppler, a nine month old who had such a hard fall that her back was broken. She was the daughter of the citizen and friend of the court Jacob Heppler. Without success she was treated by the barber (bloodletting) and died. She was buried 2 March 1673.261 •Some of the early Hepplers are mentioned in terms of wealth, for in 1677 we have the record of Johannes Kimmich marrying Anna Kohler who was born a Woelflin. Her father was the prosperous landholder Adam Woelflin who was married to Margareta Heppler. Adam died 1661. Kimmich was able to take the assets Anna brought to the marriage and parlay them into making him the richest man in the area. He was a major contributor to thevillage church bell, having purportedly contributed a bucket full of silver coins, and the bell. Thus the bell displayed his name up until 1952 when it was melted down. Anna brought a daughter, Christina, into the marriage. Anna’s uncle was the bailiff Jacob Heppler, and Jacob Heppler was also Johannes Kimmich’s godfather.221 •From the High Middle Ages down into the 18th Century the village townsmen were considered serfs or bondsmen of the nobility and many of the records pertain to the taxes they were required to pay. For example, a hen was paid when someone married, inherited property, and at Christmas a Christmas hen was required. In 1712 the Christmas Hen List included among others the Hepplers: Martin and Johannes, Andreas Heppler, and Jacob Heppler’s widow. In a third list mention is made of a Hannss Jacob Heppler living in neighboring village of Geisingen.185 •In 1707 is record of Christian Kimmich, the nephew of the aforementioned Johannes Kimmich, marrying Maria Manger in Oefingen. They had a big wedding party because Maria was wealthy. She died after 22 years and Christian then married Maria Heppler. Maria was born a Kohler and was from Tuningen. She was the widow of the baliff Johann Jacob Heppler and brought seven children into the marriage (six girls and one son).221,226 •In 1727 mention is made of Johann Jacob Heppler becoming the village bailiff.229 •Even after the religious reformation of the Sixteen Century the cloisters and monasteries often still held extensive property. For in 1788 there is record of disputes between the tenants (meaning the villagers of Oefingen) and the Cloister Amtenhausen being resolved. The ensuing document was signed by the Abtissin (abbess) Maria Gertrudis and the Vogt (bailiff of the court or jurisdiction) Andreas Heppler, and among the tenants signing the document was Hans Jacob Heppler.208-209 •In 1833 there is mention of Martin Heppler testifying at a meeting of the citizens.282 It is well to understand that not everyone living in the village was a citizen or Burger. There were requirements to be a Burger and presumably they included owning property. •Between 1814 and 1838 the Hepplers had one of the more frequent family names in Oefingen with nineteen, only Glunz (twenty-one), Kuenzlin (twenty-two), Manger (forty-one) and Woefle-Woeflelin (sixty-six) had more. There was a total three hundred and four family names during this period.274 In the ensuing years the names of Manger and Woelfle-Woelfelin remained predominant in the records of the village. •Some of the Hepplers were innkeepers. In 1852 there were three inns that were cited as being suspicious or of questionable activities: das Lamm (the Lamb) of Jacob Kremm; die Sonne (the Sun) of Michael Heppler; and der Loewen (the Lion) of Johann Goll. They were cited for loitering, disturbing the peace, and destruction.308 Apparently the customers were prone to get out of hand.308 The Lamm still stands today in the village but shows little of its original structure due to subsequent remodeling. In 1904 the inn proprietors in Oefingen were: Das Lamm, Jacob Kremm; der Loewen, Johann Heppler; Die Sonne, Johann Friedrich Futter; a restaurant, Jakob Futter; and small retail/spirits, Jokob Futter. Die Sonne had changed hands.376 Twenty-four years later in 1928 we have: Der Loewen, Johann Heppler; Der Engel (The Angel), Ernst Kremm; Das Lamm, J. Heppler; Die Sonne, Karl Glunz; and the Restaurant Bacher, Johann Basler.377 Emigration: Hepplers, Mangers, Woelfles and others began emigrating from Oefingen at an early date. Beginning as early as 1799 (and maybe earlier) there were migrations from Oefingen and surrounding areas of Germany. They were as a consequence of the revolutions occurring throughout the German principalities. This period of time was marked by almost constant warfare. The starvation and the plagues that followed were in places so severe that some areas were left totally devoid of inhabitants. Many left the Baar area to resettle these areas. Crop failures, and economic hardship also contributed to the migrations. Predominantly it was the poor that left and stamped the dust from their feet or had to stamp the dust from their feet. Many of the early migrations were to the Prussian held areas of Poland. Some went farther to Russia.262-263 The Russian ruler Catherine the Great (1729-1796), herself a German, particularly had called for and welcomed the German settlers since they were craftsmen, tradesmen and industrious workers. There were eighty inhabitants of Oefingen that petitioned and left for Prussian held Poland between 1799 and 1801, (10% of Oefingen’s residents). •Not all accounts of emigration have a happy ending. Among them was Johann Jacob Heppler who petitioned on 29 January 1800 and obtained permission to depart 18 March 1800 with his family. He was born 10 December 1746, married 12 May 1778 Ursula Trichlinger. She was born 11 November 1755 in Trossingen. They took their children: Martin born 18 March 1779, Johann Jacob born 15 October 1782, Michael born 4 March 1785, Ursula born 11 February 1788, Anna Katharina born 17 December 1792, and Christina born 25 May 1799. However, Johann Jacob Heppler died on 27 March 1800 in Aldingen not far from Oefingen, and was buried there. The record states he died of sorrow and grief. His widow continued forward but then turned back homeward 10 September of the same year.264 (Another part of the record states she arrived a quarter-year later in 18 April 1880???)267. To the family must be added children who had remained behind because of prior deaths: Anna born 10 December 1791 and died 6 February 1792; and Maria born 14 October (?)264. Ursula Heppler was reinstated as a Burger (citizen) again in 1808.267 The fifteen year-old Michael Heppler apparently went on to Poland and remained there. There were others of this group that returned over time among them Johann Woelfle. Thereafter that family was nicknamed Polers (people who had been in Poland). For many it did not go well in Poland and they returned desperately impoverished. •In time the migrants began heeding the call to go to the Americas, especially to the United States. The villages were by law required to help their poorest inhabitants with the cost of ship passage, but this was sometimes done only partially. Often the emigrants were accompanied by overseers who went as far as the ships to make certain they actually boarded the ships. From Freiburg, Kehl and Strassburg there were direct railroad connections to Le Havre, France and the open sea. The emigration agents in addition to Le Havre preferred Liverpool, Bremen and Amsterdam for the ship departures. The first wave of emigration to North American came about as a consequence of the 1816/1817 famine.310 •The first recorded Oefingen emigrant to the New World was Martin Manger, who died 18 January 1819 in Montreal, Canada. His father, a court bailiff of the village, was 91 years old at the time. Martin Manger had become a successful business man in Canada, establishing the manufacturing firm of Waidenbach. Since he died without descendants, his inheritance went to his relatives in faraway Germany.310 •During the 1840s, as stated, the movement swung toward America because of the Migration Act and again the acute economic situation in Southern Germany. On November 7, 1841 the eighteen year-old Jacob Schweizer, born 26 July 1824, submitted his papers to join his father who was already prospering in North America. Many more were soon to follow.310 •In 1846 we find the record of Mathias Woelfle; the stepson of Urban Woelfle, born 13 December 1825, who petitioned to go to the United States. Later Urban Woefle, born 26 Auguast 1803 and his wife Anna Marie Woelfle, born 9 April 1835 petitioned 30 April 1842 to leave for American.310 •Johann Jakob Schweitzer, who was born 29 April 1796, and his wife Catharina Heppler, born 21 April 1822, petitioned to emigrate on 16 February 1846. Schweitzer requested that they be able to join their two sons who were already in America and who would take care of them. He also requested passage for his daughter Ursula and their son Martin who was currently in military training. The petition was granted and the son was released from his military service to accompany them. Jakob Schweitzer sold all his belongings and left with 1000 fl. for the trip.311 •There is record of several other families leaving or attempting to leave about this time, but in 1847 we have Johann Martin Heppler, our ancestor, leaving after submitting his emigration petition on 10 March 1847. However, it was their fifteen year-old son, Johann Martin that was the catalyst for their going, since he had submitted his petition as early as 10 February 1847. Johann Martin Heppler, a tailor by profession was born 7 November 1791. Apparently he, his mother and siblings had just returned from Poland the same year they left for Canada. So instead of gaining a foothold in Poland they went to Canada and established themselves there. He had married the ten year younger Ursula Woelfle on 21 August 1817. In his petition Heppler reasoned that he wanted to leave because of the poor earnings for a day laborer and the high cost of living. His house and his belongings he sold for 1,400 fl. Accompanying him on the journey were his children: oUrsula born 2 June 1827 oJohann Jacob born 3 August 1829 oJohann Martin born 6 March 1832 oJohannes born 8 May 1834 oAndreas born 15 November 1837 (Andreas was thus 10 years old when they departed from Oefingen). Johann Martin Heppler took his family to Canada. The records further indicate that he died 27 January 1898. Andreas the youngest member of the emigrating family married 15 November 1863 Luise (sic) Anna Seegmueller, the daughter of a tanner and Andreas died 24 November 1906 in Rithfield (sic) state of Utah. His grandchild, Elisabeth Bossarad lived 1947 in Salt Lake City and later in Van Nuys, California. She was interested in the Oefingen homeland of her ancestors and turned to Pastor Graesslin for information.312 The History of Oefingen records migrations up through World War One. It’s interesting to read about how the individuals and families left and the circumstances of their departures. Especially oft mentioned are the family names of Manger, Woefle and Woelfleline. (Other than the fact that a lot of Woefle’s lived in Oefingen there is no particular reason given as to why so many of them left and went to America. Maybe some left and they in turn encouraged others to follow). I mention these names only because they are in our family lineage and those mentioned may be related collateral lines. There is also brief mention made of more Heppler names and these I will list. •7 June 1853 the illegitimate son, Christian Heppler, raised by his step father Michael Held in Immenhoefe filled out a petition to leave. He received permission along with Martin Woelfle, a son of Mathias Woelfle and Anna Maria Heppler,317 and an unmarried blacksmith Andreas Manger, born 15 June 1831. Going at this time was also Johann Konrad Schweitzer, a son of Konrad Schweitzer, who entered his papers on 10 November 1853. Johann Martin Woelfle on 22 September 1853 petitioned that his son, Johann Martin, although not yet of full age, be able to leave.318 •Martin Woelfle (Sr.) had a son, Martin Woelfle, born 17 November 1833 who had gone to America. He was earning good wages and lived in good circumstances. Therefore, in his application of 14 July 1856 he requested to have his parents with him. First, however, he requested his mother and sister to come. If they decided to stay he would make the required proposal for the entire family to come. Martin Woelfle (Sr.) was born 18 March 1805 and his wife, Anna Maria Heppler, was born 30 January 1810. They had a daughter, Ursula, born 4 September 1832. It was this mother and daughter who were to come first. Nothing more is reported about the father or the rest of the family coming to America. •Johann Konrad Woelfle, an apprentice wagon builder, born 16 January 1843 submitted his petition to emigrate on 22 July 1862. His sister, Anna Maria Woelfle, born 24 November 1835, wanted to go with him and submitted her petition on 23 July 1862. She received a travel pass and accompanying her on 23 July 1862 was Anna Katharina Heppler, who was born 21 November 1842.321 There was also a brother Johan Jakob Woelfle, born 10 October 1836 who had gone to America in November 1859. He sold his real estate in Oefingen and gave up his Burgerschaft (citizenship) with the Baden State government 24 July 1864. Anna Maria Woelfle, after she had married in America also sold her belongings in Oefingen. •The cabinet maker, Mathia Woelfle, born 18 March 1805, married 3 January 1832 to Anna Maria Heppler, born 30 January 1805, left and took their two children Ursula Woelfle, born 4 September 1832 and Martin Woelfle,born 17 November 1833.326 •The shoe maker, Johann Martin Manger, born 19 February 1806, and who married 4 February 1840 Ursula Heppler, born 4 may 1810, left and took their two children Ursula Manger, born 25 May 1840 and Maria Manger, born 19 January 1841.327 •Brigitte Heppler, born 14 June 1834, married Johann Erich Storz in 1858 in Villingen and went with him to America.327 Her sister, Maria Heppler, born 21 April 1851, was married in Switzerland on 7 September 1875 to F. Johann Schweitzer from Hausen o.V. She went later to America. Following the two sisters was a third sister, Anna Heppler, who left on 24 December 1851.328 •Due to Oefingen’s proximity to Switzerland, the landsmen of Oefingen had frequent commerce with Schaffhausen, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries. Often they borrowed money from the bankers in Schaffhausen and they sold their wheat there. Consequently there were times that some people of Oefingen moved there for a better life or to improve their economic circumstances. Some stayed, some returned, and some married into Swiss families. It’s recorded that Ursula Heppler married in Schaffhausen on 13 February 1753.331 Ulrich Heppler, born 22 May 1857, settled in Switzerland along with many others.333 Misc.: •Vetter’s history mentions the development of the fire equipment in Oefingen and the measures to combat fires there. The thatched roofs were especially susceptible to fires. On 13 March 1904 there were seven homes that burned; among them the home of Andreas Heppler, House 28a.342 On 15 May 1910 there were five homes that burned. The greatest catastrophe, however, was on 25 June 1911 when twenty-three homes burned (most of them were two-story structures), ten had minor damage and nineteen suffered extensive water damage. Twenty-two people died and the building that housed the fire equipment was destroyed. The cause was never established but arson was suspected.342 •On 13th of February it was reported that twenty-two homes burned and among them was the home of the baker, Michael Heppler.345 •In 1910 as it was agreed that electricity would come to the village of Oefingen. At the time, there were thirty-one businesses in the community: three bakers, two butchers, one brewer, four builders, two wall builders, three cabinet makers, one glazer, two roofers, two blacksmiths, one wagon builder, one copper, one miller, four cobblers, one barber and one tailor. Among them was the butcher, Johann Heppler, and the shoemaker/cobbler, Konrad Heppler.355 The War Years: •As the war that would become known as World War I broke out there was in Oefingen, as well as throughout Germany, great excitement and enthusiasm. Of course by the end, and as a quick end of the fighting didn’t ensue, the enthusiasm completely waned. There were one hundred forty-four men from Oefingen who participated in the war. During the first months of the war Michael Manger and Otto Frank were killed in combat. The youngest victim of the war was Ernst Nopper, born 16 April 1899 and the oldest to fall in combat was Urban Heppler who died on the Western Front 4 May 1917. He was almost 40 years old.370 •Of the twenty-five from Oefingen who died in combat there was also Michael Heppler of the Military-Infantry Regiment 110, who died 8 November 1918 near Pignon, Western Front. He was born 18 November 1899. 371 Most soldiers returned at the end of the war but some were held prisoners until 1920. As expected, some came home wounded or injured. The village had suffered mightily on manpower during the war and were happy to have their men home again. •On Easter Sunday 1924 a monument to the fallen of Oefingen’s soldiers was dedicated. It stands on the outer wall of the church on the south side. In 1957 an addition was made to honor the forty-two who were killed and the nineteen missing in action during World War II.370 •As elsewhere beginning in the Mid-Thirties, Oefingen had its share of Brown Shirts and Hitler Youth. Near the end of the Third Reich, however, someone totally destroyed the records in the Rathaus (city hall) pertaining to the Third Reich. Only seldom is found in the archives a forgotten or overseen, unimportant record dating to this period of history, 1933 to the spring of 1945.379 Contrary to the excitement and enthusiasm felt at the beginning of World War I, the German advance into Poland beginning 1 September 1939 was by and large met with dismay and depression. The villagers remembered the pain and suffering they had experienced earlier during World War I. •In World War II, Hans Heppler, born 10 February 1917 384/392, was killed 23 June 1941 near Lazairi. Lithuania. Among those missing in action were Fritz Heppler, missing August 1944 on the Eastern Front; and Johann Heppler, missing 14 August 1944 by Sevastopol, Russia 394. It should be noted that from the village ten soldiers with the name of Manger were killed or missing; and six by the name of Woelfle. Those killed in action and the missing in action listed in the book totaled sixty-seven. This is more than the total of sixty-one listed above for the war memorial at the church. A member of the village, Heinrich Pfisterer was killed during a bombing raid on nearby Donaueschingen January 1945. •Just because Oefingen was a small, obscure village in Southern Germany doesn’t mean it missed the ravages of war. Oefingen was a farming community and so it suffered immediately as the men and boys were taken, leaving the women, the elderly and youth to manage the fields and do the farm work. On 19 June 1941, one hundred-two men of the village were taken into military service; 16% of the village inhabitants. At that time most farm work was done by hand and by oxen or horses. There were only three tractors in the village and they were owned by Johann Heppler, Jakob Schaber and Fritz Woelfle 384. From the beginning there were ration cards for food, clothing and other necessities of life. Nearby was erected an anti-aircraft battery and buildings to house the seventy soldiers stationed there. At the beginning of the war, Europe wasn’t fully mechanized and teams of horses were used to pull the wagons and gun carriages. Consequently Oefingen was accessed hay and straw for the war effort. Prisoners were held in nearby Villingen. They were designated civilian workers and sent to help in the fields during the daytime. •The success and rapidity of the Blitzkrieg masked some fears of the German citizens at the outset of the war, but this came to a jolting halt when the casualties of Russian Front began to be announced. The Russian offensive began 22 June 1941 and on the second day non-commissioned Officer Hans Heppler died; on 16 July 1941 in Sirotino, Russia Obergefreiter (lance-corporal?) Ernst Andreas Manger died; on 27 July 1941 in Smolensk Erich Halter was killed; on 11 August 1941 Eugen Schweitzer died in faraway Russia; and on 30 August 1941 non-commissioned officer, Jakob Kohler, was killed in action near Leningrad---and so the downward spiral began. 384 •Soon Allied bomber squadrons were overflying the Baar region and the villagers working in the fields were unnerved by the fighter bombers dipping overhead. During the night of 30 March 1945, French soldiers crossed the Rhine River by Speyer and Germersheim and others on 16 April captured Freudenstadt. They then quickly began moving south on 18 April. The Danube was crossed 21 April east of Tuttlingen and two days later arrived at the Swiss border by Epfenhofen. •It would have seemed that the war was over for those in and around Oefingen but hidden in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) to the west of Oefingen was the 18th SS Division that planned to break through the Allied lines and find safety in the Alpenfeste (Alpine Fortress). With the 18th SS- Division were also the 106th and 719th Infantry Divisions. The north part of this group was to cross over Marbach, Bad Durheim, Sunthauen, Oberbaldingen, Oefingen, Immendingen and break through the French line. The attempt began on 24 April at 7 pm with the German soldiers marching down the Biesingen – Oefingen Road. It was attacked by fighter bombers that killed many of their draft horses. After a short rest in Oefingen the division moved in the direction of Immendingen. The soldiers became exposed on the open roads and were attacked by low-flying fighter planes. Chaos ensued, the roads revealed a scene of destruction and death, the villagers were left in great confusion, and what they thought would be a relative peaceful end to the war became nothing but mayhem and suffering. Houses caught fire and in the area around Villingen and Donaueschingen two hundred soldiers died. Three fell in Oefingen, and in the village seven homes and farm building were destroyed. In nearby Ippingen it was still worse; seventeen homes and farm building were left in ashes. Later on 21 April as the advance allied companies entered the village there was no shooting since five houses waved the white flags of surrender. Other flags of surrender were waved by innkeeper Johann Heppler from Das Lamm. Innkeeper Karl Glunz did the same thing from his inn, Die Sonne. In the following days Polish prisoners patrolled the streets under the auspices of the French Army. This, however, was not the end as German troops again came through followed again by the French. There was more fighting in the area, more damage inflicted on the village by fighter bombers and then came the final occupation by French troops. With the final cessation of hostilities the villagers began repairing roofs and homes, the animal carcasses were removed, they began tending their fields, and they greeted and cared for returning prisoners of war. With time the food and other shortages were alleviated, wounds healed and a sense of normalcy began to return. Oefingen in Post-World War II and the ensuing changes: •Following the end of World War II there was a large influx of German refugees from Poland and what a bit later would become the German Democratic Republic, DDR. This was before the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain went up and while people could still flee to West Germany. Oefingen didn’t receive as many refugees as did the larger, industrialized cities but what had been a very traditional and homogenous community did change. •Oefingen had for centuries been a small farming community and the small acreage around the village had sustained the villagers adequately, but with the modernization of farming and the increasing attendant costs this was no longer possible. Through the centuries the individual parcels had become smaller and smaller as a result of divisions and inheritance. Many farmers no longer had plots of land that were contiguous. This wasn’t a problem when the fields were still cultivated by horses and oxen but it couldn’t be sustained with the introduction of modern farm equipment and the increased demand for land productivity. Reform was necessary and thus began a process of land consolidation or a movement known as the Flurbereinigun. The process in Oefingen began in earnest in 1969 when the landholders created a land cooperative. Eugen Heppler was chosen as head of the cooperative. During our visit in 1965 Nola and I met Eugen, our distant relative. Also during that visit I loaded hay in the fields with Johann Heppler. I can’t recall now if the wagon was pulled by horses or a small farm tractor. I do remember, however, that the fields were well kept but small. By American standards the farmland around Oefingen was very small, only seven hundred sixty hectares or about 1, 877 acres. Each plot of land had to be measured and the boundaries reaffirmed. It was a lengthy process that was not concluded until 1974. At that time the cooperative was dissolved. I assume that with the final resolution there were fewer farmers left to cultivate and till the land but they could do it faster, more productively, and economically with larger tractors and modern equipment. This process occurred in other neighboring villages throughout Western Germany. Interestingly, when in 1989 the Iron Curtain came down in Eastern Germany, this problem had by and large already been taken care of since under communism large communes or collective farms were already the order of the day. •Following the war and during the reconstruction of Germany, Oefingen had little industry to offer. It had always been mostly an agrarian community and because it was not situated on a major traffic thoroughfare, there was little industry to be developed. Consequently Oefingen became a bedroom community for villagers working in the nearby, larger cities where there was industry and more employment. It was still a comfortable place to live and to raise a family. •In addition, because of its proximity to the Black Forest and its own innate, simple charm, Oefingen set itself on a course to become a tourist destination. This just didn’t happen overnight but in time it succeeded. Oefingen gained the status of an Erhoelungsort (relaxation, recuperation and convalescence destination [or R&R]). As part of this effort the courthouse and the school were renovated, the streets were widened and straightened, and new inns and rental properties became available for the summer tourists. When Cindy and I were there in 2014 we found the village to be very attractive and charming. We wish we could have stayed longer. In the Schwarzwald area the farm buildings have a first/lower level for animals and above it in a second or upper level resides the family. They look very charming and this style is also typical of village homes in Switzerland. However, this was not the case in Oefingen and other towns in the area. There one side of the farmhouse was for the inhabitants and the other side for the animals with the hay and grass being stored above it in what was a hay loft. The home I stayed in during my visit in 1965 was of this style, but it was later remodeled so there was a residence on both sides with upper and lower levels. It looked very attractive and one side could now be rented out. Many other farmhouses did the same thing since animal stalls were no longer needed. This all contributed to the overall attractiveness and charm of the village. •During 1967 to 1973 major jurisdictional reforms were carried throughout the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The effort was to streamline the county and city governments and make them more effective. Many boundaries were changed and reorganized. The county reforms resulted in the dissolution of Kreis-Donaueschingen (county) and the creation of the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis. Also the State wanted to join the smaller villages with larger, nearby cities. Standing on their ancient rights many villages fought against these changes. However, in Oefingen after much careful diplomacy a decision was made to join together the City of Bad Duerrheim and the Village of Oefingen. Thus the postal address is now Bad Duerrheim-Oefingen. And although Oefingen might be thought of as a suburb of Bad Duerrheim, this is really not the case. They are far from being contiguous. In traveling from Bad Duerrheim to Oefingen one must actually travel through other villages. One can never say, “Never,” but it’s unlikely that the two entities will ever grow together. Germany protects its arable farmland and does not allow much urban sprawl. Cities have high population densities and a majority of residents live in four and five-story apartment buildings, not single-family dwellings. Religion and the Church in Oefingen: History: The church in Oefingen is called Die Heilige-Kreuz-Kirche (the Church of the Holy Cross) and is considered to be the most beautiful church in the Baar area.482 Its background can be seen in what follows. •In 496 the Alemanni were conquered by King Clovis and the Franks. Subsequently during the 7th Century (620-720) they were introduced to Christianity. It was the Alemanii in the area of Oefinen that first built a wooden church, on the side of the Himmelberg (a hill near today’s Oefingen). It was an Eigenkirche, meaning a church belonging to a patron. The patron might have been a prosperous, agrarian property owner or a noble of a court. The patron usually also owned the village and the villagers paid him tribute. The patron selected the priest of the church and he served under the patron’s auspices. It was the patron that provided the goods for the maintenance of the church and the priest. •We must remember that although Germany is dotted with small, beautiful village churches, they were for the most part not built by the villagers. The patrons built and paid for them. Well, but maybe indirectly it was the villagers who built them since although the patron employed a skilled master craftsman to design and supervise the construction of the church, it was the villagers who provided the labor and it was indirectly the villagers’ tributes that paid for the materials and work. Even major cathedrals, such as the majestic Koelner Dom (the Cathedral in Cologne) were built by powerful and rich patron kings, etc. •Later a more substantial stone church was built in Oefingen. It was one of the largest and the first in the Baar. It was built during the Reichenauer period and belonged to the Abbey of Reichenau, a monastic Benedictine Order founded in 724 on the Island of Reichenau in today’s Baden-Wuerttemberg near Lake Constance. The church was built in the Romanesque style. Elements of this style are still noticeable in the church today. The Oefingen church or parish was a principal parish for the additional villages of Oberbaldingen, Unterbaldingen, Ippingen, and other small settlements in the area. Although the original church was built earlier, the first recorded Catholic priest was Burkhardt von Hewen 1275-, and the last was Hans Schmidt 1524-1558. At this point Oefingen became Lutheran and the first Lutheran pastor was Martin Braun 1558-1561. When Vetter’s book was published Ruediger Krauth was pastor 1990-. 73 •One of the earliest mentions of Oefingen is in a church document Liber decimationes of 1275 in which the priests, according to the Council of Lyons in 1274, were to give a tenth of the church offerings for support of the crusades.74 •From the Reichenauers the patronage went to the Free Lords of Wartenberg and then to the Dukes of Fuerstenberg. During the Reformation, Oefingen became Lutheran, but the transition was not easy since it was the catholic Fuerstenbergs that still held the patronage. This was a consequence of the Lutheran Reformation that swept through parts of Germany in the 16th Century and the subsequent religious allegiances or preferences of the nobility owning the villages. Eventually a trade was made with the village of Heidenhaufen and Oefingen could become Lutheran (more about this below). •Although the beliefs of Luther found wide acceptance among the townspeople, farmers and serfs due to the great political and social discontent throughout the land, it was still the nobility that made the ultimate choices about religion as far as their subjects were concerned. It wasn’t a quick transition. Catholicism had been firmly entrenched ever since the Germanic tribes became Christians. Nonetheless, the tradesmen and merchants secretly circulated Luther’s books and tracts. Among the priests there began to be open ears and hearts, too. •It was Herzog (duke) Ulrich von Wuerttemberg (1498-1550) who began to usher in Luther’s beliefs into his dukedom beginning in the years 1535 and 1536. He was motivated principally by political and financial considerations. Upon his death in 1550, it was his son, Herzog Christoph, who succeeded in pushing through the reforms and this, not because of financial or political reasons, but because of his strong personal religious convictions. •The first recorded Catholic priest in Oefingen was Burkhard von Hewen in 1275. The last priest was Hans Schmid 1524-1558. 459 And the first Lutheran pastor was Martin Braun 1558-1561. 512 Today, Oefingen and four other nearby villages are mainly Lutheran whereas most of Southern Germany is predominantly Catholic. •That the village became fully Lutheran is further attested to in a state inventory document of 1856: Religion: all inhabitants are Lutheran. In addition, and as an aside, the document lists inhabitants as nine hundred ninety-five citizens, sixteen citizen widows, and one hundred-ninety families; Homes: one hundred-fifty, shingled homes thirty (the others were presumably thatched homes). In the village the following craftsmen were noted: blacksmith, shoe cobbler, tailor, wagon maker, baker, beer brewer, weaver, carpenter, cabinet/cupboard/casket maker, and a cooper. Schooling: there were one hundred eighty-six school children and one Hauptlehrer (main teacher). The position of Unterlehrer (assistant teacher) was vacant. Regarding animals, there were twenty-two horses, five hundred-eighty cows and oxen, sixty-seven swine, two hundred and eight sheep and sixty goats. 288-290 •Much later on 16 June 1925, there were seven hundred fifty-five Lutherans and eleven Roman Catholics in Oefingen.375 Finally in 1967 there were 583 Lutherans and forty Catholics. 511 The Church as a fortress: •First and perhaps as a side note (and this if from another source, not Vetter’s book), the Lutheran Church in Oefingen was built originally as a Wehrkirche, a church that could be used as a stockade or refuge for the townsmen during times of danger. A Wehrkirche typically had an upper level or balcony on the interior walls with small portals to the outside from which the townspeople could shoot arrows and throw stones at the enemy. This was important during times of political unrest and the feuding between the nobility which was almost constant. By and large during the Middle and Late Middle Ages the village church was the strongest structure in the villages since the walls were usually thick and made of stone. A Pilgrimage Church? •Was the church in Oefingen a pilgrimage church? For centuries the Einsiedeln in Switzerland and the Catholic Baar were among the often visited pilgrimage sites. A pilgrimage site was a church or site with a Gnadenbild (a statue, painting or relics worthy of adoration and to which miraculous properties were ascribed). Pilgrims on a Wallfahrt (pilgrimage) made their way from one site to another. The pilgrims laid their sorrows and cares at the foot of the Gnadenbild, asked for intercession and/or offered thanks. Nola states that the church in Oefingen was a pilgrimage church. This comment is probably based on some history of the Oefingen church given her by a former school teacher and historian, Wolfgang Rockenschuh. Vetter is more cautious stating it is likely that the Oefingen church may have been a pilgrimage church, but any vestiges or real proof of it are now gone. If there was a Gnadenbild in Oefingen, it disappeared with the advent of the first Lutheran pastor. It is believed that the biggest accoutrements of pre-Lutheran church went to the Cloister Amtenhausen. Three wooden statues of robed, saints were presumably still found in the Sunthausen mill as late as 1945, but they were thereafter sold to an unknown destination. There is also an assumption that in 1465 following the fire in the Oefingen church a statue of a Madonna went to Einsiedeln. As reported to the Abbot of Einsiedeln in 1974, the statue was from Oefingen and was in Einsideln for safe keeping, but any confirming records have never be found. The Church Bells: Today the church tower in Oefingen contains four bells. Throughout the ages the ringing of the bells in various combinations or singly called the faithful to church services, marked special events, signified the time of day, or alerted the village citizenry to dangers. The main bell weighing 1,000 kilograms was poured and molded by Peter Rossier in a neighboring city in 1699 and rang in the key of “e.” On it were, among other things, three coat of arms, an inscription, Solo deo Gloria (Allein Gott zu Ehre or Only God be given glory), and the name Johann Kimmich Vogt zu Oefingen. It is purported that Kimmich provided a bucket of silver coins to pay for the bell. During both world wars the community faced the danger that the large Rossier bell would be taken down and melted for weapon purposes. However, during the First World War only the two smaller bells were taken. One was originally from the Amtenhausen Cloister Church when that church was taken down in 1850. In 1922 the church community ordered two new bronze bells to be poured by the firm Benjamin Grueninger Soehne (Grueninger and sons) in Villingen. They were created in the keys of “g sharp major” and “b” and installed in 1924. Only a half year after the beginning of Second World War, on 3 May 1940, Oefingen was notified that its bells would be taken for the war. The two largest were taken in 1942, but the large Rossier bell was spared and in 1948 found its way home to be greeted with festivities. On 11 April 1948 it was installed in the bell tower and a week later it was ceremoniously rededicated. However, this was not the end of the story since in 1952 hairline fractures were discovered in the Rossier bell. It would have to be welded or melted down and remolded. The community decided on the latter course of action and at the same time ordered a middle sized bell with the key of g sharp major and a smaller bell with a key of c sharp major. The three bells when rung together would create the chord e, g sharp major and c sharp major. On 18 June 1952 the large bell was melted down by the bell foundry Bachert. On the large bell are now the inscriptions: I am the resurrection and the life, Not all returned home from the war, 42 men remained away from home And 26 are still missing. 1952 poured from material of the 1699 Rossier molded, 1942 confiscated, and 1948 again returned bell. The other bells have names and inscriptions: the Taufglocke (Baptismal Bell) has the inscription, Lasstet die Kinderlein…(Let the children come unto me); the larger of the new bells is die Lichtglocke or the Light Bell, Ich bin das Licht der Welt (I am the light of the world); the Lebensglocke (the Life Bell), the smallest has the inscription, Ich bin der Weg, die Wahrheit und das Leben (I am the way, the truth and the life). Role of the churches in Germany and Europe: A lot has been said here about religion and the church building in Oefingen. But throughout the centuries in Europe, the church buildings, especially in the villages, were a very central part of the communities. It was here where the villagers worshipped, where baptisms, confirmations and marriages were performed. It was here where final rites and farewells to the dead were said. Since there were no large meeting halls or community centers, it was here where village meetings were held. And most importantly these village churches hold a sense of continuity between the past and the future; something we in the United States, because of our urban sprawl, our wide distances in the West and our relative short history, seldom appreciate. Even today with increased mobility the village churches throughout Europe hold a unique position in the lives of the citizens. Final Words: I hope this document gives the reader some interesting background on the Hepplers, and the Village of Oefingen from whence they came. Was there somewhere in history a Heppler from whom all the Hepplers descended; a Heppler who began this noble heritage? We can certainly assume there was, but right now we don’t have the records to show it. Maybe with time we can connect more of the dots between the various Hepplers mentioned in this document. Also with time I hope to present more information, especially about the Woelfles, Mangers and other names associated with our family lines. They too have a history. Colin H Wheatley, March 2018