There is a very small village named Wendelsheim, about 8 km. west-northwest
of Alzey.
Does anyone know the historical origin of this village and its name?
I am curious because my Wendel ancestor, Philip Wendel (1620 - 1670), lived
in Framersheim bei Alzey, and I was wondering whether the name "Wendelsheim"
came from Wendel families in that district.
Sorry I am not able to write well in German. Vielen Dank!
Best Wishes,
Don Boyd
Centerville, Ohio U.S.A.
_http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/o/y/Donald-Boyd-OH/_
(http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/o/y/Donald-Boyd-OH/index.html?Welcome=10158
82930)
Hello Don Boyd,
The villages in the Rhine valley and plain ending in -heim are thought to have
come into existence in the early Merovingian period (some time around the year
500), when King Chlodvig conquered this land from the Germanic tribe of the
Alamans who had taken it after the Romans had finally retreated from the "furor
teutonicus" and given it up.
As the name already suggests, it means if you translate litterally, "Wendel's
home", the place where a certain unknown person called Wendel built his home.
But as an earlier name form of this village was "Windolisheim", it may have been
the home of a certain Windolf (Germanic first name).
The family name of Wendel ist thought to have two possible sources:
a) meaning the same as Vandal (the famous Germanic tribe of the Vandals who
devastated half of Europe and even Rome)
b) derived from the Saint Wendelin (this one dating from a later period after
christianization)
In any case, as family names as second names came into use only in the 12th/13th
centuries, and Wendelsheim was founded at the beginning of the 6th century, it
is hard to imagine it as the place of a Wendel family.
(I researched my H�ttenberger and Stipp family of 18th century Wendelsheim)
Best regards
Friedrich Huettenberger