Forced Emigration of Zipf ancestors from South-West Germany (Baden/Wurtenburg) in mid 19th century?

Question

I was told from a researcher a while ago about a forced Emigration in 3 or so villages in South-West Germany in the 19th century. From what I can remember the people were vagabonds or just general drags on the towns so they forced them to leave. If anyone could find a book or a source about this, it would be great. I believe my family may have been a part of that.

It was around the middle of the 19th Century if I could remember correctly, and some of the people involved had the surname “Zipf”. And I believe it was in Baden or Wurtenburg.

19th century emigration germany

It was around the middle of the 19th Century if I could remember correctly, and some of the people involved had the surname "Zipf". And I believe it was in Baden or Wurtenburg.

bgwiehle · Accepted Answer

This answer provides some historical context, but does not completely answer the question.

Baden & Württemberg experienced large emigrations in the 1820s to 1850s, to Hungary (recruited by Austria-Hungary to re-settle lands recovered from the Ottomans, in the Banat and Transylvania) and to North and South America. The aftermath of the Napoleonic wars and several years of bad harvests are usually given as causes. These were not expulsions, but desperation is not exactly voluntary either (as evidenced by some of the published diary excerpts).

Some who went to Hungary became disenchanted and returned, but, having exhausted their resources were not always welcomed back: 
Example: "Zipf  Sebastian   Billigheim  Krautheim   1723    IV  65  ausgewandert, kömt wieder zurück, wird der geringste Unterhalt nicht gestattet." (Kurmainzische Auswanderer nach Ungarn). However, these returnees were individuals and families, not whole villages.

Many periodical articles and books deal with these emigrations, usually from the viewpoint of the end destination or a particular individual. (Check your favourite bibliographic or library catalog site for examples). Google "Baden-Württemberg emigration" and similar search terms, for websites, some with name databases.

The Zipf surname is still heavily concentrated in southwest Germany: Geogen shows that ~10% of all the Zipf households in Germany today live in Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg, with another concentration in Main-Tauber-Kreis and the neighbouring Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis.

Erin · Answer

Forced emigration did happen in Baden Germany during the early to mid 1850s. I'm currently researching two towns that sent people to America this way.

On January 2, 1855, sixty-nine people left Scherzheim, Germany, a
  small village set in the Upper Rhine Valley in the southwest part of
  the grand duchy of Baden. They faced a four thousand mile journey
  across the Atlantic and much uncertainty as to what lay ahead.  Some
  embraced the opportunity of a new life, while others were bitter about
  being forced to leave their homeland.

Read more at http://thelost69.blogspot.com.au/

user5465 · Answer

I have this surname too from a large family of cyclists in Newark, NJ. I am not sure the earliest history but can tell you that we are also linked to Baden as another of our ancestor (Conrad Kazenmeyer, clerk? of Baden) was captured on some land while hiding between Switzerland and Germany and exiled. His wife pleaded for his life and he was released but banished and I believe some had to immigrate through Canada or not be admitted to the US because of their status. Florian Zipf may have also been involved with Kazenmeyer.

Answered by user5465 on October 3, 2021

Forced Emigration of Zipf ancestors from South-West Germany (Baden/Wurtenburg) in mid 19th century?

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