Trudy Shenk to L. Ellingham (professional genealogist, e-mail report, 20 Jan 2004)

• ‘Yesterday Monday I did once again an intense research for Johann Adam Stieffel concentrading on the area around Gschwend, Gaildorf, Welzheim and Schwaebisch Hall. I searched the towns Alfdorf with all its small villages around, Welzheim, Murrhardt, Unterrot and Oberrot, Taeferrot. All these parishes include many villages from their surroundings and some have a separate section in the records.

• ‘In Alfdorf I found Friedrich Hirsch who is listed with Melchior and Johann Adam Stieffel on the ship list and other parishes showed the name Haldenmayer and similar spellings. Also Spindler and Weber names are in these church records. So I knew I was in the right place. Having had spend more then 5 hours already I was about to stop the search when I felt impressed to check the town Sulzdorf near Schwaebisch Hall with the surrounding villages and indeed the name Stieffel appeared as it did in each of the other church records I cheched. This one though seemed to be the right place. I found the christening of an Johann Adam Stiefel son of Melchior Stiefel on 24 Oct. 1732, the mother is listed as Anna Barbara dau. of Johann Georg Seiter. I spent another hour to check this family out and the results look very good.

• ‘The first entry on this name I found in 1728 the entry reads as follows, on 30 Oct. 1728 Melchior Stiefel a farmhand in Wolpersdorff fathered a child with Anna Barbara the dau. of Johann Georg Seiter of Jagstrot. Named Johann Michael bapt. in Anhausen . Sponsors were Johann Michael a son of Andreas Schmidt of Steinenhag and Georg Michael of Otterbach. The child was born iligitemate. There are no marriages for Sulzdorf between 1704 and 1734 so I was not able to find that entry.

• The next child is Catharina Christina Barbara Stiefel bapt. on 7 Jan. 1730 in the village Anhausen born in Jagstrot. Melchior is a resident of Jagstrot now.

• ‘The 1732 birth of Johann Adam Stiefel is next.

• ‘Copies are made.

• ‘I found no other child for this couple but as I searched the deaths which begin in 1734 I came upon this entry. On 14 Oct 1751 died Ursula Margaretha the illig. dau. of Melchior Stieffel and of Ursula Ritter from Sulzdorf 21 years old. So Melchior had an other illg. child between 1728 and 1730.

• The 1732 entry shows definately the mother as Anna Barbara the dau. of Johann Georg Seiter.

• I searched the deaths up to 1766 and the marriages for a possibility of one of the children but found none. It looks like this family emigrated in 1752 together with several other families from the area. …’

• Trudy Shenk to L. Ellingham (professional genealogist, report, 25 Jan 2004): vital data, from baptismal records of the Evangelical Lutheran church in Sulzdorf (Jagstkreis, Württemberg) Germany [LDS film #1343808];

• ‘Hans Melchior Stieffel’: recorded signature as passenger arriving on ship "Phoenix" in 1752 at Philadelphia (see Daniel Rupp’s "A Collection of Upwards of 30,000 Names or German, Swiss, Dutch, French & Other Immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1776" [1980 reprint, p. 293]);

• Trudy Shenk to L. Ellingham [e-mail 18-II-2004]: ‘b. 22 May 1685, Gaildorf (Jagstkreis) Württemberg, son of Christoph Stiefel (a baker) & Magaretha Vogt …’ left Gaildorf;

• "Familienbuch der Oberamtstadt Gaildorf in Württemberg (1610-1870)":

• #4261, Christoph STIEF(F)EL (aus #4258), Hofbäcker, Kastenmeister, Bürgermeister in Gdf, born 23.I0.1647, died 19.5.1725; married Gdf 13.8.1675 Maria Margaretha Vogt (T. d. Hans Georg V., Schreiner in Langenburg) baptized 3.3.1650, died Gdf 5.7.1724, 7 Kinder born in Gdf:

1. Philip Albrecht [#4264];

2. Carl [#4263];

3. Hans Jacob [#4266];

4. Melchior 22.5.1685;

5. Joh. Christoph 29.12.1686;

6. Maria Cathar. [#4407];

7. Maria Barbara (#1696)

• Trudy Shenk to L. Ellingham (professional genealogist, e-mail report, 20 Jan 2004):

  ‘… I felt impressed to check the town Sulzdorf near Schwaebisch Hall with the surrounding villages and indeed the name Stieffel appeared as it did in each of the other church records I cheched. This one though seemed to be the right place. I found the christening of an Johann Adam Stiefel son of Melchior Stiefel on 24 Oct. 1732, the mother is listed as Anna Barbara dau. of Johann Georg Seiter.’