Homrighausen is a family name that originated in the area of Berleburg in what is now the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in Germany.
The village of Homrighausen was never more than a small hamlet north and slightly west of the town of Berleburg. Its first documented mention was in 1502 as Homerchusen.Wrede, Günther. Territorialgeschichte der Grafschaft Wittgenstein. Marburg, 1927 However, the settlement is probably much older than that. Scholarly opinion is that place names ending in -hausen in Wittgenstein originated in the period 950-1150.Möhn, Dieter. Wittgensteins Ortsnamen als Zeugnis seiner Geschichte, in Wittgenstein I. Balve, 1965. "-hausen" simply meant a settlement of houses, and it is believed that "Homrig" emerged from the words for a high hill--hohen Berg in German.
In 1606, Graf Georg relocated the peasant families living at Homrighausen to other villages to have full use of the land. An impressive forest house was erected there around 1770.Wrede It is now part of the city of Bad Berleburg
The family name of Homrighausen is found in several nearby villages by the 16th century, but no one has been able to link these early branches back to a common ancestor. Besides the town of Berleburg itself, the Homrighausen name was and is common in the villages of Wunderthausen, Diedenshausen, Wemlighausen and Girkhausen, among others. At present, around 300 families by this name live in Germany, and more than half are in Siegen-Wittgenstein. A similar number live in the United States.
Homrighausens from Wittgenstein – as well as some a generation or two removed – came to America at various times beginning as early as 1748800 Jahre Diedenshausen: Geschichte des Dorfes und seiner Familien. Diedenshausen, 1997. Important points of settlement during the 19th century included Wheatland, Iowa, and Paola, Kansas. In the case of the earlier settlers, the name was often modified. "Hummerickhouse" is an example.
One prominent American with this name was the Rev. Dr. Elmer G. Homrighausen (1900–1982), a theologian and professor at the Princeton seminary.
Another American Homrighausen was the Rev. Dr. Edgar William Homrighausen (1924-2017). This theologian, parish pastor and President of the Southern District of Lutheran Church Missouri Synod from 1957-1969, led his District (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and the Panhandle of Florida) through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Genealogy More than 50 Homrighausens are known to have emigrated directly from Wunderthausen or Diedenshausen to the United States. There were certainly others. Name To America Birth Death Settlement Maria Catherine Homrighausen 1748 1721 Diedenshausen 1801 Pennsylvania Elisabeth Gertraud Homrighausen 1748 1724 Diedenshausen Pennsylvania Anna Gertraud Homrighausen 1748 1724 Diedenshausen Pennsylvania Anna Maria Magdalena Homrighausen 1748 1728 Diedenshausen Pennsylvania Johann Antoniy Homrighausen 1748 1722 Diedenshausen Pennsylvania Johann Wilhelm Homrighausen 1796 1771 Diedenshausen Baltimore Georg Wilhelm Homrighausen 1818 1782 Diedenshausen Baltimore Katharina Wilhelmina Homrighausen 1818 1807 Diedenshausen Baltimore Katharina Elisabeth Homrighausen 1818 1810 Diedenshausen Baltimore Johann Georg Friedrich Homrighausen 1818 1813 Diedenshausen Baltimore Anna Elisabeth Homrighausen 1818 1814 Diedenshausen Baltimore Johannes Homrighausen 1818 1816 Diedenshausen Baltimore Johann Daniel Homrighausen 1818 1817 Diedenshausen Baltimore Johann Philipp Homrighausen(Hummerickhouse in USA) Abt. 1832 1785 Diedenshausen 1860 Ohio Johannes Homrighausen 1866 1797 Wunderthausen 1870 Wheatland, Iowa (Johann) Franz Homrighausen 1845 1814 Wunderthausen 1907 Wheatland, Iowa Johannes Homrighausen 1839 1819 Wunderthausen 1898 Red Bud, Illinois Johann Heinrich Homrighausen 1839 1822 Wunderthausen 1881 Red Bud, Illinois Johann Heinrich Homrighausen 1864 1827 Wunderthausen 1893 Wheatland, Iowa Johann Philipp Homrighausen 1871 1828 Diedenshausen 1904 Wheatland, Iowa Katharine Wilhelmine Homrighausen 1871 1856 Diedenshausen 1941 Wheatland, Iowa Johann Philipp Homrighausen, Jr. 1871 1860 Diedenshausen Maria Katharina Homrighausen 1871 1867 Diedenshausen 1947 Wheatland, Iowa Georg Heinrich Homrighausen 1871 1871 Diedenshausen 1959 Wheatland, Iowa (Elisabeth) Amalia Homrighausen 1854 1828 Wunderthausen 1918 Paola, Kansas (Georg) Ludwig Homrighausen 1882 1828 Wunderthausen 1914 Osawatomie, Kansas (Johann) Philipp Homrighausen 1871 1828 Wunderthausen 1904 Wheatland, Iowa (Johann) Georg Homrighausen 1866 1829 Wunderthausen (Johann) Ludwig Homrighausen 1866 1832 Wunderthausen 1886 Wheatland, Iowa Georg Ludwig Homrighausen 1854 1832 Wunderthausen 1894 Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Johann) Georg Homrighausen 1854 1833 Wunderthausen 1910 Paola, Kansas; Willcox, Arizona Maria Elisabeth Homrighausen 1857 1835 Wunderthausen 1871 Wheatland, Iowa (Johann) Georg Homrighausen 1868 1835 Wunderthausen 1909? Johannes Homrighausen 1857 1838 Wunderthausen 1878 Wheatland, Iowa Maria Elisabeth Homrighausen 1865 1840 Wunderthausen 1926 Paola, Kansas (Georg) Franz Homrighausen 1867 1840 Wunderthausen 1916 Missouri Ludwig Heinrich Homrighausen 1866 1843 Wunderthausen 1913 Probably Missouri Anna Elisabeth Homrighausen 1866 1846 Wunderthausen 1919 Jackson County, Missouri Maria Catherine Homrighausen 1860 1846 Wunderthausen 1914 Miami County, Kansas Johann Georg Homrighausen ?? 1848 Wunderthausen Georg Ludwig Homrighausen 1866 1848 Wunderthausen Maria Elisabeth Homrighausen Abt 1873 1850 Wunderthausen Prob. New Jersey Catherine Homrighausen 1871 1853 Wunderthausen 1939 Osawatomie, Kansas Heinrich Homrighausen 1885 1854 Wunderthausen 1926 Miami County, Kansas (Katherine) Wilhelmine Homrighausen 1871 1856 Wunderthausen 1941 Wheatland, Iowa Ludwig Heinrich Homrighausen 1881 1858 Wunderthausen 1932 Marsland, Nebraska Dina Homrighausen 1885 1858 Wunderthausen 1914 Miami County, Kansas Anna Elisabeth Homrighausen 1882 1862 Wunderthausen Prob. Miami County, Kansas (Maria) Amalia Homrighausen 1879 1864 Wunderthausen 1932 Miami County, Kansas (Johann) Friedrich Homrighausen 1883 1864 Wunderthausen Aft. 1930 Kansas Johann Heinrich Homrighausen [George] ?? 1867 Wunderthausen Kansas (Maria) Katherine Homrighausen 1871 1867 Wunderthausen 1947 Wheatland, Iowa (Ludwig) Heinrich Homrighausen 1882 1869 Wunderthausen 1905 Osawatomie, Kansas Heinrich Homrighausen 1886 1880 Wunderthausen Kansas Dina Homrighausen 1886 1882 Wunderthausen Kansas Georg Homrighausen 1886 1884 Wunderthausen Kansas
Principal Sources:
Wunderthausen: Mehr als 700 Jahre bewegter Geschichte. 2006, Wunderthausen 800 Jahre Diedenshausen: Geschichte des Dorfes und seiner Familien Diedenshausen, 1997 . Paul Riedesel.
Notes