Krumeich Genealogy, History, and Family Tree

Krumeich Genealogy, History, and Family Tree
(Genealogy, History, and Family Tree of Joseph Krumeich)

This website is dedicated to sharing information and resources about the genealogy of the Krumeich family surname based on research I've done on my own family tree as well as sharing some of the Krumeich family history. My hope is that it will help preserve the Krumeich heritage and history, provide vital statistics and other helpful information and resources to others piecing the Krumeich genealogy together, and provide an opportunity to connect with Krumeich relatives from other branches of the Krumeich family tree around the world. To add a link to this website, click HERE. To view the Krumeich facebook page, click HERE. To email me with any questions, click HERE.

There are several theories surrounding the origin of the surname Krumeich. Growing up, I was told it meant "crooked oak."  A Krumeich relative confirmed that "krumme eiche" is German for crooked oak.  I've also recently learned from another distant relative that the family may have originally been tanners (indeed many descendants continued in that line of work) who used Chromium acid and oak bark in the tanning process, thereby creating the orginal name Cromeich from Chromium (Chrom-) and oak (-eiche/-ich in German). Before that I thought it could have been some derivation of the Greek word "keramikos," meaning ceramic, or pottery. Certainly, the Krumeich legacy (at least that of my direct genealogy) is that of sandstone pottery. The family trade may have begun as early as the 14th or 15th century, or even earlier, in an ancient pottery town called Raeren, in what is now Belgium. From there, it seems the Krumeich family followed the Rhine river to a town in the Westerwald (Germany) called Ransbach in the early 17th century and on to Betschdorf, in Alsace, France in the 18th century (for pictures of Betschdorf as it looks today see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The museum of Betschdorf exhibits various examples of sandstone pottery (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), as well as charts of Krumeich (and Wingender/Wingerter) potters active throughout the 18th and 19th centuries (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). There are still Krumeich descendants operating potteries in Betschdorf, one of whom also runs a bed-and-breakfast (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). In addition, there are at least two ancestral homes still standing in Betschdorf (see Christian Krumeich I and Francois Joseph Krumeich I notes below for pictures).

Birth, baptism, marriage, and death records from Betschdorf are now available online, as are the census records. The records are in German or French, so it may be helpful to use an online dictionary or translator. The dates between 1793 and 1805 follow the format of the French Republican Calendar and can be translated to the traditional Gregorian date format using a calendar converter.

The earliest father of the Krumeich line that I have been able to find is Johannes Cromeich. I have also compiled a comprehensive list of Johannes Cromeich's descendants, including only names and dates (please contact me for location and source information). His birth year is placed between 1610 and 1619, though his birthplace has not been determined. My guess is that he was born in Raeren, and that he later migrated southeast along the Rhine to Ransbach, where he died. All of the Krumeich's in Ransbach seem to originate from him and his wife, Anna Gertraut (Gertrude). In fact, he may be the father of four family lines (Cromeich, Crommeich, Krumeich, and Krummeich), two of which were famous for their central role in the development of sandstone pottery in Betschdorf (Krumeich and Krummeich). There is still at least one active Krumeich pottery in Betschdorf.

In 1844 Sebastian Krumeich visited the U.S., then returned permanently in 1846, joining other Krumeich's in Newark, NJ who had been there for about a decade, and continued the pottery business. Sometime in the early 1900's my branch of the Krumeich family, left NJ for Peekskill, NY, where my mother (a Krumeich) was born.

Although there is much genealogy yet to do, I've created a helpful table below for determining the migration of Krumeich families in my direct line through my mother. Please click on the names to go to each family group:

Name Spouse Name Birth Date Birth Place
J. M. Krumeich H. A. Swallow Living Provo, Utah, USA
C. J. Krumeich R. J. Miller Living Peekskill, NY, USA
William Barry Krumeich D. Allen 30 Apr 1931 Peekskill, NY, USA
Edwin Anthony Krumeich Dorothy Mahon 29 Oct 1901 Newark, NJ, USA
Christian Krumeich Margaret Murray 10 Dec 1866 Newark, NJ, USA
Francois Joseph Krumeich Francisca Millon 11 Mar 1835 Betschdorf, Alsace, France
Sebastian Krumeich Marie Anne Wolff 1 May 1804 Betschdorf, Alsace, France
Francois Joseph Krumeich Marguerite Oberle 14 Sept 1768 Betschdorf, Alsace, France
Christian Krumeich Barbara Schauer 11 Dec 1717 Ransbach, Westerwald, Germany
Johann Anton Krumeich R. Katharina Gerhard 29 Feb 1688 Ransbach, Westerwald, Germany
Johann Anton Krumeich J. Stebach Abt. 1640 Ransbach, Westerwald, Germany?
Johannes Cromeich Anna Gertraut Abt. 1610 Raeren, Germany (now Belgium)?

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I am deeply indebted to the late Mr. Marcel Schmitter, potter of Betschdorf and amateur historian and genealogist of the Alsatian potters, and his son, V. Schmitter, for their collaboration and information regarding our family and my genealogy as well as helpful background of Alsation Pottery. I am also indebted to Mr. P. Bellamy for providing me with additional published resources. Finally, I am indebted to Mrs. K. Cooper for providing so many original records and to Mrs. J. Yeck for pictures of the museum in Betschdorf, Christian's bed and breakfast, and other pictures of the area. Some of the other sources used to provide vital statistics include:

1. 6 Rixecker (Albrecht), "Die Einwohner von Klarenthal-Krughutte 1662-1830" (The Inhabitants of Klarenthal-Krughutte 1662-1830), pp. 212-13. (RIX)

2. Schmitter, Marcel, "Origine Des Potiers De Gres D'Alsace" (Origin of the Stoneware Potters of Alsace), BULLETIN DU CERCLE GENEALOGIQUE D'ALSACE, No. 60 (Bulletin of the Genealogical Society of Alsace, No. 60), pp. 565-74. [pt. 2][pt. 3] (BCGA)

3. Schmitter, Marcel, "Les Potiers De Betschdorf: Leurs Migrations Vers D'Autres Regions Et La Creation De Centres Nouveaux," L'OUTRE-FORET: REVUE DU CERCLE D'HISTOIRE ET D'ARCHEOLOGIE DE L'ALSCAE DU NORD, No. 105, pp. 23-39. (RHAA)

4. Schmitter, Marcel, "Origines Des Potiers De Gres De Betschdorf," pp. 25-38, extrait de l'article "Law Poterie de Gres d'Alsace," paru dans l'ouvrage "Artisans et Ouvriers d'Alsace ISTRA (p. 325-327). (OPB)

5. "Betschdorf: Le Village Des Potiers," (Editions Coprur). (EC)

6. http://www.familysearch.org (LDS)

7. Emails from V. Schmitter based on original records. (VS)

8. http://www.ancestry.com (ANC)

9. Various U.S. Census Records

In addition to the sources listed above, I've recently purchase and read, The Krumeich Name in History, which provides additional insight into the Krumeich family name. The book is available in either hard copy or electronic copy by clicking on the icons below. The book has positives and negatives. This is not a book that provides copies of original documents or any documents specific to the family name.  Rather, the book presents the history of the United States from the mid-1800's almost to the present with a scattering of statistics about the Krumeich family throughout, such as the number of Krumeich enlistees in a given war, or concentrations of the surname in a given state at various times.  There are also immigration statistics, including countries of origin and port destination.  If you are beginning your genealogy or so far advanced in your genealogy that you are looking for distant relatives, this book provides some good leads.  In addition, the fact that it is a generic history adds valuable background to the statistics it provides--something you don't automatically get when pulling up certain original records but need to get in order to truly know and understand our ancestors.  In addition, it is one of the few resources on the Krumeich family in English.  On the other hand, the history provides no guidance or information regarding the Krumeich legacy in France, Germany, or before.  Nor does it provide any insight into the origin of the family name.  Finally, the general statistics are not always accurate, as they reflect only the records obtained by Ancestry.com and do not account for public records that are available from other sources.  I found this to be true regarding the immigration of my own ancestors.  Ultimately, I decided to purchase the electronic copy, which requires downloading the Kindle software on your laptop or reader.  It is much cheaper and is always at your finger tips (i.e. on the computer) where you are going to be doing much of your genealogy anyway.

(Hard Copy) (E-Copy)


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