As I have mentioned several times before, town location provides excellent clues about marriages and family migrations. When I looked at the map for Kappel, where some of my Fulwider or Vollenweider ancestors came from, I found it northeast of Zurich. Then, before we crossed into Switzerland, we double checked our maps for the best route and suddenly discovered in small letters of course, a Kappel am Albis. This Kappel was just a few kilometers from four other Fulwider/Vollenweider towns (Knonau, Rossau, Mettmenstetten, and Hauptikon), located south of Zurich. Noting the time period (1700s) and the close proximity of Kappel am Albis to the other four villages, we realized it was more likely that our Fulwiders came from this "new" Kappel and not the one north of Zurich. A similar instance happened in the Alsace when we discovered a second Belmont by accident that was in fact the correct Belmont. So, off to Kappel am Albis we went! Albis is the name of the mountain range that rings this area so many of the villages have the "am Albis" attaced to the end of the village name. This is where my great grandfather x 6, Hans Ulrich Fulwider/Vollenweider, was born in 1723 to Jacob Vollenweider and Elizabeth Bar. Hans eventually married the daughter of Peter Binckele (remember him?), Anna Margaretha Binckele in America. Kappel am Albis is interesting because it has a Kloster, a monastery, although it is no longer in use. Kappel am albis Kloster was founded in 1185 by Cistercians and then changed to Protestant in 1531. It has been that way ever since and is described as the best example of early gothic architectural style in Switzerland. I am sure there was a cemetery somewhere, but we couldn't find it. It may have been in someone's back yard. This was quite a small village. The main attraction is the Kloster, part of which has been turned into a hotel although the church is still in regular use.
The next stop was Mettmenstetten. This town is an actual town, complete with an a clear town center and two churches, one catholic and the other Protestant. This is where Hans Ulrich Fulwider/Vollenweider's grandfather, also named Hans Ulrich Vollenweider, was born in 1661. He was the son of Gorius Vollenweider and Elizabeth Frey. He married Elizabeth Dubs in 1698. Knowing the family was Protestant, we went to the Protestant church. It was beautiful! The ceiling was covered in intricately designed and painted woodwork, probably dating back to at least the 1600s. The organ probably dated back to the 1600-early 1700s. We went to the cemetery and saw numerous Vollenweiders, Dubs and Bars, so we felt we were definitely in the right place!
From Mettmenstetten we drove just a few kilometers to Rossau and Hauptikon. They were so small that neither had a village church, cemetery, nor town center. Residents could have and still do travel to Mettmenstetten for baptisms, marriages, burials and shopping. Hauptikon is where Jacob Vollenweider (the younger Hans Ulrich's father) was born in 1697. He married Elizabeth Bar in 1720 in Mettmenstetten. Rossau was where Gorius Vollenweider (the elder Hans Ulrich's father) was born in 1620.
Rossau
Then we drove to Knonau. This is where Elizabeth Frey's father, Melchior Frey, was supposedly born in 1643. Elizabeth Frey was the mother of the elder Hans Ulrich. The first church was built in 1045 and then updated in the 1500s. Of course through the years there has been some modification and renovation. Just like the church in Mettmenstetten, the ceiling was covered in delicate floral patterned and painted woodwork. In the cemetery we found several Freys. Who knows, maybe they are distant cousins!
Something about this area...I am incredibly impressed by the simplistic beauty of these churches, and even more so with how well they are preserved. The paintings in the walls in the Kloster were probably as old as the Kloster itself and yet you can still see the vibrant colors! These five towns are also high up in the hills, not quite mountain level, but you still have to take a nice twisty road to get up to them! However, once you get to the top, there are green meadows, perfect for herding and farming, and with a spectacular view of the mountains!
Cheers!
Elizabeth
No comments:
Post a Comment