Re: Nancy Wilson Overturf from Valentine Overturf Oberdorf, in Wertheim, Wuerttenbu
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In reply to:
Nancy Wilson Overturf from Valentine Overturf Oberdorf, in Wertheim, Wuerttenbu
Gerald Davis 1/17/08
Gerald
In fact, my parents travelled to Wertheim and studied the church books.Valentin Oberdorff (no 'e' at the end, two 'f') was a serf, a common fate at the time, who responded to advertisements by English recruiters.These recruiters travelled the land searching for cheap labor to work the plantations and other English company facilities in Virginia and Pennsylvania.The deal was seven years serfdom (no difference) but afterwards a large land grant out west somewhere.Valentin took four (I believe) of his eight children with him and stole away successfully to Philadelphia, the largest English-speaking city outside of London at the time.There, his sons felt the need to anglicize and shake the German serfdom stigma and invented the name Overturf.
It stands to reason that all Americans - including myself - with the name Overturf can trace back to brave, tragic, and adventurous Valentin.