I've been working on the Homrighausen line and its various spellings for 2 years now (to my wife's chagrin at times). Anyway, for anyone who's interested, here's a basic run down of the various branches in America. With the help of MANY others, I currently have almost all branches tied back to Diedenshausen, Germany. Here's the nationwide run-down.
1. Descendants of Peter Humrickhouse/Humrichouse - settled around Hagerstown, MD in the late 1700s, one son branched to Coshocton County,
Ohio, another to Shepherdstown, WV. Peter was Revolutionary War patriot, lots of information on-line. Family tree has been listed often on-line, though most stop around the 1880s.
2. Descendants of Jacob
Humrickhouse, brother of Peter, above. Settled in northern
Indiana and descendants mostly populate areas of Cass, Miami, and
Carroll Counties there. Several slight variations in spelling exist.
3. Humrichouser-(I believe this family descends from another brother of Peter
Humrickhouse, but I have not found enough info to confirm this) originated around the Ashland,
Ohio, area and have for the most part, remained in that area.
4. Humerickhouse-several branches (see also section 8), most are descendants of
Georg Wilhelm Homrighausen (b. 1782) immigrated about 1819. Originally settled in New Philadelphia,
Tuscarawas County,
Ohio. One son settled in Van Wert,
Ohio and had children who remain there or moved to Wells and Madison counties of
Indiana. Another son moved to Greene County,
Indiana and had 4 sons among others: 2 sons stayed in
Indiana, 2 moved to
Franklin County,
Kansas. A third son of GW stayed in
Tuscarawas County,
Ohio, and his family lived there for several generations, although some moved to Lyon County,
Kansas in the 1880s and had a large population there, although many moved to
California later.
5. Humrighouse- descendants of
Johann Philip Homrighausen, brother of
Georg Wilhelm #4 above. Family stayed in
Tuscarawas County,
Ohio area for the most part.
6. Homrighaus-several relatively unconnected groups, 1 small group in Herkimer County,
New York area; another group settled for one generation in
Bremer County,
Iowa, then many moved to Galveston, Texas about 1890s. I currently do not have this family connected, but they at one time came through
Tuscarawas County.
7. Homrighous(e) - descendants of
Johann Wilhelm Homrighausen originally settled in
Fairfield County,
Ohio. Several children stayed there, others moved to western
Indiana and central
Illinois. Many were involved in jewelry business, some in
Indiana family shortened name to Homrig, not to be confused with Homrig family in
Wisconsin.
8. descendants of
Georg Wilhelm Homrighausen b. 1753. Sons of this GW (uncle of the other
Georg Wilhelm) settled in
Darke County,
Ohio (mostly daughters so name died out there), and eastern
Illinois counties of Edgar, Vermilion, Champaign, and Franklin, and
Vermillion County,
Indiana. Name spelled various ways: Darke county-Humrichouse and
Humrickhouse, other groups - Humrickhouse, Humerickhouse.
9. Many families of Homrighausens exist, most from families that immigrated in the latter 1800s and found smart enough immigration officials that they were able to keep the original spelling intact. Large branches settled in
Iowa and
Kansas. Other groups located near Monroe County, Illinois; north central Wisconsin; newer generations near
Tuscarawas County, Ohio;
Baltimore, Maryland among others. Some of these branches have been connected, while others have individual branches documented, but their position in the tree has not been determined.
This family is extremely interesting in that its spelling has changed many times throughout US history, but eventually all spellings can be traced to a small region of western Germany. Interested family members, there will be a nationwide Homrighausen reunion in
Tuscarawas County,
Ohio in June 2008.
