In 1883, two brothers left the little town of Weilersbach for America. They left via the port of LeHavre, France. They were the sons of Andreas and Karolina Laufer. Karolina had died and Andreas re-married and had other children. David and Ludwig left Weilersbach as a part of a welfare system operating in Germany at the time. The town encouraged and helped pay for emigration to America in lieu of welfare payments to families in need. The Joseph Laufer family of Vincentown, New Jersey trace their roots to the above-mentioned David Laufer (1859-1938). David was the father of Joseph John Laufer (1889-1918) of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., who in turn was the father of , Joseph Francis Laufer (1910-1982), who was the father of Joseph Michael Laufer (Born 1935), presently of Vincentown, New Jersey and father of Kurt, Kerry, Kevin and Kristopher Laufer.

Weilersbach is a small farm village located between the towns of Villingen and Schwenningen in Baden-Wurttemberg, that section of south-western Germany bordering France and Switzerland, not far from Lake Constance. It is on the rim of the fabled Black Forest or Schwarzwald.

The town of Weilersbach dates back to the year 764. It is named after St. Hilary, whose bishop's mitre is a part of the town's coat of arms. The area around Weilersbach is very pastoral. Many homes have outdoor shrines, typical of this region. There are larger public shrines on the hillsides overlooking the town, including a small meditation chapel with an ornately carved wooden interior and a Lourdes-type grotto. The name "Laufer" appears as early as 1493 in nearby Dauschingen. It first appears in Weilersbach records in 1545. The name first appears in the Church (St. Hilarius - a Roman Catholic parish) records in 1699. Early Laufer names were Christian and Mataeus -- we undoubtedly are descendants of these Laufers. In addition to David and Ludwig, other Laufers emigrated to America from Weilersbach: Fridolin Laufer, Johann Laufer (2) and Wilhelm Laufer.

This photo was taken in Weilersbach, Germany in 1910. It shows the male offspring of Andreas Laufer. Three of the sons, (asterisk) were by his first wife, Karolina Schleicher, and five by his second wife, Magdalena Kammerer. Left to right, seated, are *David, *Herman, and Ernst; standing are August, Franz Karl, *Ludwig, Englebert, and Franz Joseph. We are the descendants of David. At the time of this picture, he was on a visit to Germany to see the Passion Play at Oberamergau.

David and Ludwig lived in house #70 (according to the numbering system used in 1883). The house was torn down in 1980. We have existing photographs of the house before demolition, and of the lot, after demolition.

David Laufer was 24 years old when he left Weilersbach for America in 1883. He returned to Weilersbach for a visit in 1910, apparently for the passion play in Oberamergau. The town records indicate that David and Ludwig made a donation for the organ in the parish church of St. Hilary in 1928 (the choir loft and organ were kept when the new church was built in 1955). David and Ludwig returned to Weilersbach again in 1930 (David was 71 at the time). Click here for the photo of this visit, which shows David and Ludwig in the center of a gathering of the Laufer clan.

With the help of Nicole Laufer, a cousin I met in Weilersbach and who visited our family in New Jersey in 1990, we were able to dig further -- beyond David's father, Andreas. Our latest records show that the father of Andreas (1820-1902) was Stephan, who was born in 1803. His father was Felix Laufer who was born November 20, 1776, and according to records, illegitimate son of Jacob Laufer and Martha Aigeldinger of Dauchingen.

We therefore have concrete records of the family dating back to before 1776, in Dauschingen, and records there show Laufer's dating back to 1493, although we have not made direct connections to these earlier Laufers prior to 1776.

Andreas Laufer (1820-1902) had four children by his first wife, Karolina Schleicher. However, one died at birth and only Herman, David and Ludwig survived. Andreas re-married, and his second wife, Magdalena Kammerer bore him another twelve children -- seven boys and five girls. Several of the children died shortly after birth or at a young age (Maria, Sophie, August, Ernst). Interestingly, among the surviving children are another Maria, Sophie, August and Ernst, along with Johanna, Franz Joseph, Engelbert, and Franz Karl. To re-captiulate, Andreas had three surviving children from his first wife and eight from his second wife, for a total of eleven. Five of his children died prematurely.

Eventually we will post pictures here and create a detailed family tree. It is obvious that hundreds of Laufer offspring resulted from this prolific source.

After David arrived in America (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), he married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Blust. Upon her death he married a woman whose last name was Schultz. David had four children: Frank, Joseph John, Theresa and Herman. Joseph John had two children: George and Joseph, who married Loretta Nealon of Ashley, Pa. Joseph had five children: Joseph, Loretta, William, Karen and Mary Lou. Joseph, who married Alice "Penny" Raad of Mannington, West Virginia and subsequently settled in Vincentown, NJ, had four children: Kurt, Kerry, Kevin and Kristopher. This brings us to the status of the Joseph Laufer family as we close the 20^th century and move into the 21^st!

We have posted quite a few additional pictures of family-related sites in Weilersbach, Germany, including streetscapes, church pictures, shrines and public buildings on the Laufer Family Heritage Tour page. Click below to go to that site and its many interesting links.