Freihofer von Veltheim (neu Winterthur) ZH

[reneerevaz]

Jacob Freihofer (1726-1800) is my 5th great grandfather. He emigrated to America by 1769, and married Catherine Emigh. His father was also Jacob, born circa 1700.

Does anyone have any further information about the Freihofer name and its origins? Are there Freihofers still in Veltheim? The name was butchered in America, and can be found written as Frayover, Fryover and a million different spellings. Thank you!

[Wolf]

I cannot give you any detail about your direct ancestors - just some general information from the Register of Swiss Surnames:

The only pre-1800 citizenship (as of 1962) for Freihofer is Winterthur ZH.

In 1824 a family, originally of Veltheim, gained the citizenship of Neftenbach ZH. This is confirmed by the older version (as of 1935), just without giving the year.

Conclusion: Freihofer were citizens of Veltheim, at least until 1824, but became extinct there before 1935. Descendants are now citizens of Neftenbach. Whether there is any connection to the Winterthur lines cannot be decided from the Register.

[reneerevaz]

thank you so much!

[Peter.D]

In addition to Wolf's response, it's important to note that Veltheim became part of the city of Winterthur in 1922. Therefore, the Freihofer Family is listed under Winterthur in the latest edition of the Register of Swiss Surnames. According to the booklet 'Zürcher Familiennamen' the family name appears in Veltheim already in 1463. In fact, a few Freihofers are still listed in the optional telephone directory.

I suggest you contact the Archives of the City of Winterthur, who also preserve the church and family records of Veltheim of the time in question.

Peter

[Wolf]

Thank you for the clarification.

Conclusion: it is not the question whether the Freihofer of Veltheim and Winterthur are related - they are the same family.

I have renamed the thread accordingly.

[reneerevaz]

One last question: in viewing some of the older records, the name is spelled Freyhofer. Do either of you have an opinion as to the correct spelling of the name?

[Wolf]

Freihofer is the correct spelling today - before about 1800 there was no official spelling, often different priests would use different spellings .... consequently there is no "correct" spelling.

I recommend to use the official spelling (today) to indicate people belong to the same family - and note different spellings in older documents under comments (or just somewhere else).