INTRODUCTION TO FALKENSTEINS IN AMERICA I have been working on this tree for about 10 years now. The last update of the GEDCOM was on 07/04/08 I now have 2798 Individuals in the tree. Many of the individuals in this tree go by different spellings of the surname. There are several reasons for this, but if you descended from Ludwig and Anna Falkenstein, and I don’t have you or your line in the tree, Please contact me. We are the same family. During two trips to Germany and visits to 7 castles, towns and sites named Falkenstein; I have never found the name spelled differently.
I give credit to all of those that have provided information so far and much Credit to Edward Jesse Falkenstein (584) and his father Frank Charles (191). They did the majority of the earlier work on this.
Ludwig I is the earliest ancestor that we can directly associate to. There are records of Falkenstein nobility in earlier centuries but we have been unable to connect them to the peasant farmers of 1530 A.D. in Engstlatt. Some things I have read recently lead me to believe that Falkenstein nobility, in a castle by the same name, existed in Württemberg in the 1400's. I believe that they backed the wrong side in a dispute with German Emperior, Konrad II and that may have resulted in the loss of land and title. The only item that offers any support to this is the Boundary marker I found in the Black Forest Outdoor Museum.
During a visit in 1980 to the Black forest Open Air Museum in Swabia, we found a
Boundry stone that indicated the border between the territories of Wurttemburg and that of the house of Falkenstein. Originally the stone was 5 miles (8 km) east of the village of Gutach. The family lived in the castle of Falkenstein, above the town of Schramberg and in the 15th. Century, ruled the town of Tennenbronn. The family of Falkenstein supported the Swabian Duke, Ernst II in his rebellian against the German Emperior Konrad II.
The family crest I have placed on this site is not fully recognized and I believe it was created for Herr Walter Falkenstein of Balingen, Wurttemberg, who collaborated with Edward J. Falkenstein on this tree. I found several other crests during my visits, but I like this one.
The first Falkensteins in America were Ludwig and Anna, who arrived in the port of Philadelphia, aboard the Ship Ann Galley, on Sept. 27, 1746, with their children. Ludwig took the oath of allegiance to the Colony of Pennsylvania on the same date.
I ask that you; forward this information to any Falkenstein descendants that I may have missed, and Provide me with any corrections and/or additions.
You are invited to use, without reservation, any information that I have posted. I have no intention of putting this into book form, but if someone does, please only charge enough to cover your expenses. If you have provided me with
Information before and I don’t have it posted, forgive me. I am getting old and forgetful. Remind me. I hope you enjoy the information.
"Family is like the branches of a tree. We may grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. Each of us will always be part of the other."
Richard L. Falkenstein (362) ///falkr001@yahoo.com.
UPDATE 21 September 2008
