Stobers
in
Staffort, Germany

Information on the ancestors of Johann Valentin STOBER was obtained by Jack Stover in 1990, and was more recently supplemented from microfilmed records of the Staffort (Germany) Evangelical Church. This information is summarized below.

Johann Jacob STOBER, villagemayor, was born c1626 and died 23 Oct 1691 @65y. He married Margaretha __?__, born c1629, died 30 Oct 1691 @62y. Their children were (there may have been others; the last two are tentative):

1. Johann Adam STOBER, born c1655-1659, married 16 Nov 1683 to Anna Catharina GAMER
2. Johann Jacob STOBER, born c1655-1660, died 6 Apr 1699, married 21 Feb 1682 to Anna Martha BATZENSCHLAGER
3. Johann Martin STOBER, born c1655-1660, married 18 Feb 1690 to Anna Catharina HEYD
4. Johann Peter STOBER, born c1660, died 27 Jan 1691, married 19 Jan 1684 to Anna Catharina __?__
5. Johann Veltin STOBER, "son of the old villagemayor," born c1665, died 30 April 1718 @53y. He married on 3 Mar 1691 to Catharina Agatha STRAUSS, born 12 Sep 1672, died 8 Mar 1731, daughter of Hannss Jacob Strauss and Anna Catharina Hauth. Children of Johann Veltin and Catharina Agatha (Strauss) Stober (all born in Staffort):
   
   1. Johann Valentin STOBER, wagner (cartwright), born 10 Sep 1692, died 1741 in Pennsylvania, married 26 May 1716 to Eva Barbara BAUER, daughter of Andreas Bauer, citizen of Oberanspach and Hohenlohe. [Note--Eva Barbara is shown as Anna Eva on the birth records of her children. Johann Valentin is our immigrant ancestor who arrived in Philadelphia on the "Snow Molly" in September 1737.]
   2. Johann Jacob STOBER, born (Oct?) 1695, married first 10 May 1718 in Staffort to Catharina Barbara HEYD, married second 14 Aug 1736 in Staffort to Maria Eva HAUTH [Note--Johann Jacob also immigrated to America, on an unknown date. He died in 1779 in Dutchess Co, NY.]
   3. Catharina Agatha STOBER, born 3 Oct 1697, died 3 Mar 1770, married 24 Jan 1719 in Staffort to Johann Georg MEYER
   4. Johann Georg STOBER, born 18 Jan 1700, died 4 Mar 1700
   5. Johann Georg STOBER, born 22 Mar 1701, died 15 Dec 1712
   6. Anna Margaretha STOBER, born 24 Dec 1702, died 17 Jul 1703
   7. Anna Margaretha STOBER, born 24 Jun 1704, married 30 Jan 1725 in Staffort to Friedrich Hager
   8. Catharina Elisabetha STOBER, born 14 Apr 1706, died 24 Aug 1707
   9. Catharina Elisabetha STOBER, born 26 Oct 1707, died 7 Aug 1708
   10. Johann Wilhelm STOBER, born 29 Jul 1709, died 12 Feb 1772, married 30 Nov 1728 in Staffort to Elisabeth MALSCH [Reinhold Stober, current resident of Staffort, Germany, is the g-g-g-g-grandson of this couple.]
   11. Johann Martin STOBER, born 12 Aug 1711, married 22 Jan 1737 in Staffort to Margaretta SUESS
   12. Johann Georg STOBER, born 6 Nov 1713, died 1 Apr 1714
   13. Anna Catharina STOBER, born 7 Jul 1715, no further information
   14. Johann Michael STOBER, born 23 Jul 1717, no further information
6. Johann Georg STOBER, born c1670, married 7 Feb 1702 to Anna Barbara HOFFHEINZ
7. Johann Michael STOBER, born 29 Sep 1673, died 13 Jan 1747, married 13 Jan 1705 to Margaretha Barbara ERNST

A note in the churchbook says:

On January 27, 1691, between 6 and 7 h p.m. two brave citizens of Staffort were miserably shot dead by a party of imperial hussars, i.e. Hanss Jacob Strauss, weaver of linen, who received 11 bullets in his body, he was 41 years old - and Hanss Peter Stober, who received 4 bullets, he was 31 years old. They were buried jointly on January 29.

Andreas Heidt contributed the following information from early German records--

In the library of Baden-Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart is a chronicle called "Das Hardtdorf Spoeck" by Arthur Hauer 1924. Hauer wrote:

Stober, ein altes Bauerngeschlecht, dessen erster urkundlicher Vertreter Martin Stober 1563 ist.
Als erster nach dem großen Krieg (1618-48) erscheint 1660 Johann Stober.
Wilhelm Stober zog 1779 und Adam Stober 1818 nach Polen. Der Schneidergeselle Wilhelm Stober ging 1848 nach Amerika.

Translation:
Stober, an old gender of farmers, first documentary named is Martin Stober 1563 A.D.
First named after the war 1618-48 was Johann Stober 1660 A.D.
Wilhelm Stober emigrated in 1779 and Adam Stober in 1818, both to Poland.
The tailor Wilhelm Stober emigrated in 1848 to America.

This information refers to Spoeck, a little village close to Staffort. The Stober family may originate from the village of Spoeck.

In the chronicle of the village of Staffort, page 267 is written:
(No) 30. Jakob Stober
Erlaubnis zur Auswanderung am 08.08.1730, -Ziel unbekannt-
Translation: Permission given to emigrate at 08.08.1730, - destination unknown-

Stovers/Stobers in America --- Generations 1-3
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Dennis Stover traveled to Staffort, Germany in the fall of 1998. He shared these photos and observations with us--

Staffort is a very clean little village. Since the wall came down, the population of Staffort has doubled, to 1600 people, many of whom drive to Heidelberg daily to work. Heidelberg is about 20 miles and Karlsruhe is even closer. Staffort is now technically a suburb of Stutensee.

They have a nice church in town with a monument to the Staffort military dead of WW2 on the front lawn area. An Otto Stober is on the quite extensive list. There is a plaque at the site of the old church, and a portion of the old building still stands. The church has another building in the village where all the old records are kept now. They are all written in Old German and are not in the best of shape.

An dieser Stelle stand die schon im Jahre 1583 erwaehnte Kappelle des Dorfes. Zu einer Kirche erweitert - wurde sie 1689 von den Franzosen zerstoert - wieder aufgebaut und 1714 eingeweiht.
In ihr predigte von Mai 1827 bis Dezember 1862 der landesweit bekannte Pfarrer D.h.c. Aloys Henhoefer.
Nach dem Bau einer grosseren evangelischen Kirche im Jahr 1900 wurde das alte Gotteshaus von der oertlichen Landwirtschaft als Milchsammelstelle und Tabakverwiegungshalle benutzt.
Im Zuge der Ortssanierung wurde das Gebaeude Im Jahre 1978 abgebrochen. An seiner Stelle entstand diese oeffentliche Anlage.
Der hier aufgestellte Turm und der Name dieses Platzes sollen an die erste Stafforter Kirche erinnern.

(Translation)
This chapel stood already on this spot as the first chapel of the village in 1583, later expanded into a church, was destroyed in 1689 by the French. Rebuilt in 1714 and was dedicated.
From May 1827 to December 1862 the well known Pastor D.h.c. Aloys Henhoefer preached here.
After a larger protestant Church was built in the year 1900 the old house of God was used by farmers as a milk collecting station (for storing milk awaiting pickup) and as a tobacco weighing station by the village officials.
The building was broken up in 1978 and it's place is an open landmark to the town with a monument to remember the first Staffort Church.

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Please send all comments, corrections, and suggestions to Pat Stover Fair