history

A description of the Heidelbach Arms and Crest is as follows:

BLAZON OF ARMS: Argent, a Lion Rampant Gules

Translation: The lion is a symbol of Courage, Strength and Generosity. Argent (white)

represents the Moon and indicates Purity, Innocence, and Obedience. Gules (red)

symbolizes the Planet Mars and denotes Military Fortitude and Magnanimity.

Crest: A Conical Hat Gules turned up Ermine, Corded Argent, peaked with four Ostrich

Plumes of the same.

Origin: Germany

(The above has been copied from James Heidlebaugh’s book on the Heidlebaugh Family o f America).

2002 I N T R O D U C T I O N

James Heidlebaugh and his wife Louise of Decatur, IL., have spent more than eighteen years in the researching

the family history. Without the research and the generosity James has shown to me, I would not have been able

to develop the history of the family in Canada. The following is an excerpt from his book.*

***

Our research has indicated that the two major branches of this family in America had their origins in Germany,

and yet some branches of the family indicate that the family may have an origin in Switzerland. The

Heidlebaugh family resided in the German town of Albisheim which is located a few kilometers West of the city

of Worms, Germany between the cities of Mohshm and Marnheim. The family was predominately associated

with the German Lutheran Church both in Germany and in the United States with some branches leaning toward

the Presbyterian Church and the various reformed churches of the Lutheran Branches.

Why they came to America is unknown, but like many families they could have felt religious persecutions in

Germany and thought that the religious freedoms of America would be more to their liking. ** The known

progenitor of our family "George Wilhelm Heydelbach" came to America on the ship "Muscliffe Galley" which

sailed from Portsmouth, England and landed in Philadelphia, PA on 23 Dec 1744. He did not, however, bring all

his children with him at that time. We do not know how many of his children accompanied him to this country,

nor do we know if his wife Anna Maria Maeurere also accompanied him. The ship log only indicated his name.

He apparently lived in Germantown, PA which is now a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. This is gleamed from the

fact that his residence when he was married in 1761 in Lancaster Co, PA. We do know that the eldest son of

Georg Wilhelm Heydelbach, Henrich Wilhelm Heidlebach did not come with him. Henrich Wilhelm Heidlebach

came to America on the ship "Richard and Mary" under the command of John Moore, Master which trip

originated in Rotterdam, Netherlands and left Europe from Portsmouth, England. They arrived in Philadelphia,

PA on 26 Sep 1752. He settled among the Quakers in the Octorial Valley in Lancaster Co, PA. A history of this

family indicates that Henrich Wilhelm Heidelbach's eldest son Johann Jacob Heidelbach was born in

Switzerland. Whether this was Germany or Switzerland cannot be determined at this time but as stated earlier

the German State of Bayern today lies on the Swiss border and could account for the information in this story.

The family name Heidelbach like most German names has a distinct meaning and is made up of two parts Heide

and Bach. The Americanization of the suffix Bach is Baugh. The name Heide means to dwell on the heath.

Bach or Baugh means a stream. This indicates that the original bearer of the surname may have lived by the

bank of a stream near a heath. The earliest reference to the surname Heidlebaugh is recorded in the "Urkunden

der Markgrafen" where one Heinrich Heide is registered and lived in Basil in 1462. Variants of the surname

include Heidelbach and Heidelbeck.

The family name in church, marriage and baptismal records in Bayern Germany indicate the spelling as

Heydelbach. Elsewhere in Germany the name is spelled Heidelbach which is a name still common in many

places in Germany today. When George Wilhelm Heydelbach came to America he used his name as originally

indicated, however, when his son Henrich Wilhelm Heidelbach came to this county he used the "Heidelbach"

version commonly used in Germany today. His brother Johann Jacob Heidlebach also spelled his name this

way. And yet their sister Maria Louisa Heydelbach used the old name when she was married in Philadelphia, PA

in 1745. Later generations of both sides of the family used the name spelled "Heidelbaugh" and "Heidlebaugh"

which is apparantly a more Americanization of the German name. Because of the sounding of the name and the

fluer used by Germans on the first letter of the name (Old German used to capitalize the first two letters of the

last name, Ie HEidlebaugh) some branches began to use the name spelled "Heidlebaugh" or Hidlebaugh".

Sometimes, as in the case of my grandfather and eldest brother, both the name "Heidlebaugh" (used by my

grandfather) and "Hidlebaugh" (used by his brother) were in used and generations today spell the name both

ways. Since I am no linguist I have no bases for my reasons, but I feel that the name Heydelbach is more Swiss

than German and would lend some credulance to the idea of a Swiss origin of the family. This name could have

been changed to Heidelbach when the family or branches remained in Germany. Of course this is only

speculation on my part. You will find many different spellings of the name in this country because of the

sounding of the name and the way my ancestors talked with their German accent so you must be careful not to

exclude data that may not fit your idea of the true spelling. Whether the name is spelled Heydelbach,

Heidelbach, Heidlebach, Heidelbaugh, Heidlebaugh, Hidelbaugh, or Hidlebaugh we are all related somewhere

down the line. That’s the fun of genealogy; trying to find out.

It was common practice by Eighteenth Century German families to baptize their children with a special baptismal

name which is different from their Christian name. Most common was Johan for boys and Anna for girls. Most

German children only had a first name and last name, but no middle name. This leads to some confusion

because in many cases the baptismal name Johan was changed to John. Thus Johan Henry Heidelbach

became John Henry Heidelbach when the given name should be only Henry Heidelbach. Often times all males

in a family would be baptized as Johan Jacob Heidelbach, Johan Henry Heidelbach, Johan Peter Heidelbach,

Johan George Heidelbach, etc. Likewise all girls would be named Anna Elizabeth Heidelbach, Anna Margaret

Heidelbach, Anna Marie Heidelbach, etc. In church records the names would include the baptismal name of

Johan and Anna, but in legal documents outside of the church (Land, Wills, etc) only the given names of Jacoby,

Henry, Peter, George, and Elizabeth, Margaret, Marie, etc would appear. You need to keep this in mind when

you are trying to put a family together and become confused if you had two sons by the name of John or two

daughters by the name of Anna. It was also prevalent that if a child died as an infant or small child that the

child’s name would be used again to name a later child. You can readily see why confusion comes about.

Keeping all this in mind, let us begin the story of the Heidelbach/Heidelbaugh families in America.

"HEIDLEBAUGH FAMILIES OF AMERICA" as of 1999 contains 980 pages of family tree information. The book

includes the various spellings of the names included: Heydelbach, Heidelbach, Heidlebach, Heidlebaugh,

Heidelbaugh, Hidelbach, Hidlebach, Hidlebaugh, and Hidelbaugh. The book includes some information from

Germany that dates back to the 15th century and included the "Heidlebaugh Coat of Arms". The book in America

begins with Gerg Wilhelm Heydelbach who came to America in 1744 from the town of Albershim, Germany.

* HEIDLEBAUGH FAMILY OF AMERICA

BY JAMES ERVIN HEIDLEBAUGH AND LOUISE (BECKHAM)HEIDLEBAUGH

For more information on James Heidlebaugh’s research, he can be contacted at the following websites:

http://www.idcity.com/family

http:// heidleba@q-com.com

** The ancient city of Worms traces its beginnings from the earliest civilizations. Before the Romans settled here,

Germanic peoples had made Worms their capital. Later on, the town's most famous visitor, Martin Luther,

arrived under less than desirable circumstances. He was "invited" to appear before the Imperial Diet at Worms,

and after refusing to retract his grievances against the Church of Rome, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V

declared him an outlaw. Now that Worms is mainly Protestant, a huge monument to Luther and other giants of

the Reformation has been erected.

German Civic Heraldry

ALBISHEIM, GERMANY – THE ANCESTRAL HOME OF THE HIDLEBAUGHS

State : Rheinland-Pfalz

District (Kreis) : Donnersberg

A Brief Family History