TOP OF PAGE

Origins of

the Surname

Variations of

the Surname

Armorial Bearings,

 Symbols and Mottoes

Locations of

the Surname

Internet Resources

Our Family History

Origins of the Surname

An Introduction

to the Surname

Source/Meaning

of the Surname

History of

the Surname

More About

Surnames

An Introduction to the Surname

The practice of inherited family surnames began in England and France during the late part of the 11^th century.   Surnames were first utilized in the Germanic region of central Europe during the second half of the 12th century.  The custom of taking on surnames began in the southern areas of Germany, and gradually spread northward during the Middle Ages.  It took about three hundred years for this tradition to apply to most families and become a constant part of one’s identity.        With the passing of generations and the movement of families from place to place many of the original identifying names were altered into some of the versions that we are familiar with today.  Over the centuries, most of our European ancestors accepted their surname as an unchangeable part of their lives.  Thus people rarely changed their surname.  Variations of most surnames were usually the result of an involuntary act such as when a government official wrote a name phonetically or made an error in transcription. 

Map of European Languages

Research into the record of this BRACHER family line indicates that the variations, meanings and history of this surname are most likely linked to that area of Europe where German linguistic traditions are commonly found. 

Sources and Meanings of the Surname

GERMANIC NAMES

Most modern Germanic family names are a means conveying lineage.  For the most part, German surnames were developed from four major sources: (1) Patronymic & Matronymic surnames most common in northern Germany are based on a parent’s first name, such as Niklas Albrecht (Niklas son of Albrecht);  (2) occupational surnames are last names based on the person’s job or trade for example Lukas Fischer (Lukas the Fisherman);  (3) descriptive surnames are based on a unique quality or physical feature of the individual like Karl Braun (Karl with brown hair); (4) geographical surnames are derived from the location of the homestead from which the first bearer and his family lived such as Leon Meer (Leon from by the sea), or derived from the state, region, or   village of the first bearer's origin for example Paul Cullen (Paul from Koeln/Cologne).

The Bracher family surname is a Swiss German variant of the German Brachmann.  Brachman is a variant of Brach, with the addition of Middle High German man ‘man’. Brach is a topographic name from Middle High German brache ‘fallow land’, ‘pastureland’, originally ‘newly plowed land’. Thus a Bracher is probably someone who works a farmer or herder.

History of the Surname

GERMANIC NAMES

Most German names have their roots in the Germanic Middle Ages.  The process of forming family names in what is present day Germany began during Middle High German period in the history of the German language from the early 12^th Century to the 16^th century.   The nobility and wealthy land owners were the first to begin using surnames.  Merchants and townspeople then adopted the custom, as did the rural population.  This process took two or three centuries.  In most of the Germanic States of the Holy Roman Empire, the practice of using surnames was well established by the 1500s.

BRACHER is a very early Germanic name and is one of the very first recorded where German linguistic traditions are commonly found in Europe.   Due to its popularity and duration this name, and its variant spellings, have traveled widely in many forms throughout Europe.  According to the existing literature, Bracher was first found in Bavaria, where the names Brack, and Brackel, became noted for their many branches within the region, each house acquiring a status and influence, as well as, contributing greatly to the development of an emerging nation.  Upon examination of the current demographic distribution of the surname it is most probable that the first variant spelling as Bracher occurred in Switzerland specifically the Canton of Bern.  It is also noted that, throughout the 16th century many  Anabaptists left this area because of religious persecution and migrated to a haven of refuge with Hutterites in Moravia.   The next migration, also caused by persecution, which became very severe in Switzerland in the 17th century, was from the cantons of Bern and Zürich down the Rhine to Alsace and the Palatinate on both sides of the Rhine, as well as certain adjoining territories such as Durlach or Zweibrücken.

     This German surname appeared quite early into the former British colonies of North America, especially William Penn’s Province of Pennsylvania.   One reason for this was that after the prince of the Electorate of Hanover, in Germany also became king of England in 1715, German emigration to America was greatly encouraged.   Thus the German name does tend to be confused with the English versions due to the fact that name from both countries is often in the same spelling, which is perhaps not surprising as they share similar pre 7th century "Anglo-Saxon" roots.   This is true in the case of the Bracher surname after the family came to America when immigration from both countries was at its height in the 18th century, after which it was transformed.  Many of these German immigrants, particularly those with easy English equivalents, were encouraged and in some case required to change to an English spelling.   Also many German surnames were re-spelled in America because of the close relationship between the English and German languages.     This was the case with many sea captains or their agents who, when making up the ships passenger lists, found it easier to use a more familiar English spelling.   Also after the start of World War One, Germans in the United States, in great numbers, Anglicized their names in an effort to remove all doubt as to their patriotism.

Some Notable Persons or Places Having This Surname

Some of the best known bearers of the BRACHER name or its close variants are:  Barbara Kay Bracher (maiden name) (1955–2001), lawyer and conservative American television commentator;  Chris Bracher, three time world champion BriSCA race car driver;  Edward Bracher, an English Victorian photographer based in Oxford;  Eric Bracher (born 1935), NMRA Master Model Railroader;  Dr. agrar. Hermann Bracher (1895–1974), a highly decorated German Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II;  and Karl Dietrich Bracher (born 1922), a German political scientist and author.   The following places carry this name: Bracher Elementary School, Santa Clara, CA, USA;  Bracher Pocket Park, Spring Branch, Texas, USA;  and Erich Bracher School, Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

More About Surname Meanings & Origins

GERMAN SURNAMES

Many German names have their roots in the Germanic Middle Ages. The process of forming family names began early in the 12^th Century and extended through the 16^th century. All social classes and demographic strata aided in the development of names. First Names (Rufnamen) identified specific persons. Over time the first name began to be applied to the bearer's whole family.  At first through verbal usage, family names (Familiennamen) were later fixed through writing.  Until the 17th century, first names played a more important role. The earliest family names derived from the first name of the first bearer (Patronym). Later names derived from the place of dwelling and location of the homestead.  If a person of family migrated from one place to another they were identified by the place they came from.  Of more recent origin are names derived from the vocation of profession of the first bearer. These names comprise the largest group and the most easily recognizable, for they tell what the first bearer did for a living.  Another group are names derived from a physical or other characteristic of the first bearer.  Finally, there are names that tell you the state or region a first bearer and his family came from; the age old division in tribes and regions (Low German, Middle German and Upper German) is often reflected in names.

Use this LINK to find the ethnic origin and meaning of last

names. Surname dictionary and

genealogy helps include names of Irish, German, English, French, Italian, and Jewish descent.

Variations of the Surname

Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to unfold and expand often leading to an overwhelming number of variants.  As such one can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames because in early times, spelling in general and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized.  Later on spellings would change with the branching and movement of families. The complexity of researching records is compounded by the fact that in many cases an ancestors surname may have been misspelled.  This is especially true when searching census documents.  Spelling variations of this family name include: Brack, Bracke, Brach, Brache, Brak, Brakk, Brakke, Bracken, Brakken, Brachen, Bracker, Brakker, Bracher, Brackner, Brakkner, Brachner, Brackel, Brackell, Brachel, Brachell, Brakkel and many more, (as noted below).

Spelling variations of this family name may be ascertained through the utilization of several systems developed over the years.  The most prominently known are Soundex, Metaphone, and the NameX systems.  Of the three we recommend NameX as the most accurate for family historians.

Click on the button to find the variants of this or any other surname by utilizing The Name Thesaurus a ground-breaking technology for finding Surname and Forename variants.

This useful genealogy research tool has identified 385 million variants for 5,929,000 Surnames and 26 million variants for 1,246,000 Forenames, as well as gender identification for more than 220,000 Forenames.

NameX matched 253 spelling variations of the BRACHER surname. The top 22 are:

Metaphone is a phonetic algorithm, first published in 1990, for indexing words by their English pronunciation.  It fundamentally improves on the Soundex algorithm by using information about variations and inconsistencies in English spelling and pronunciation to produce a more accurate encoding. Later a new version of the algorithm named Double Metaphone was created to take into account spelling peculiarities of a number of other languages. In 2009 a third version, called Metaphone 3, achieves an accuracy of approximately 99% for English words, non-English words familiar to Americans, and first names and family names commonly found in the U.S.  The Metaphone Code for BRACHER is BRXR.  There are 290 other surnames sharing this code.

The Soundex System was developed in an effort to assist with identifying spelling variations for a given surname. Soundex is a method of indexing names in the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 US Census, and can aid genealogists in their research.  The Soundex Code for BRACHER is B626.  There are 6,588 other surnames sharing this Code. 

If The Name Thesaurus doesn’t adequately address the name you are looking for check out the following link:

Top 10 Tips for Finding Alternative Surname Spellings & Variations

Searching for more Information about this and other surnames?

Use LINK button to view our Surname Locator & Resources page.

Locations of the Surname

Locational Distribution of this Surname

Historical Distribution of this Surname

Locational Distribution of This Surname

Knowing the geographical areas where the surname you are researching is clustered and distributed is an indispensable tool in deciding where to focus your research.  We believe that the “Public Profiler” website will open up to you a wide range of solutions which implement current research in spatial analysis.  This site provides an array of local spatial information tools useful to the genealogist. 

The information presented herein shows where the BRACHER surname is distributed within North America as well as in Germany the probable country of origin of this family.      Statistics show that there are approximately 4.69 persons per million of population with this surname, within Germany, and 2.33 persons per million of population within the United States.   Switzerland is found to be the country in the world where this surname is the most highly clustered having approximately 242.78 persons per million of population.  The top region in the World where this surname is the most highly clustered is Espace Mittelland, Switzerland with  652.26 persons per million, and Burgdorf, Espace Mittelland, Switzerland is the top city where this surname is found.

NORTH AMERICA

UNITED KINGDOM

Click on thumbnail for larger image

Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of a surname.  You can

get greater detail for any of the following maps by clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in.

·        Database of Surnames in the Netherlands

·        Database of Surnames in Belgium

·        Names Distribution in France

·        Map of the surname: Austria

·        Distribution of Surnames in Spain

·        Map of the Surname: Switzerland

·        Distribution of Surnames in Italy

Historical Distribution of this Surname

The main value in historical surname distribution databases and maps is that they enable genealogists to pinpoint the predominant location of a surname. This can quickly narrow down your search for a BDM certificate.  Knowing where to look is half the battle to finding ancestry records; if you can narrow down the search field it can save you a lot of time and trouble.  The core of historical surname distribution is that most people stayed within a fairly close locale.  Concentrations of surnames are clearly visible on Surname Distribution Maps, and name distribution tables (along with an atlas) make it quite likely that the origin of that name is from the area of its highest concentration.

The following “historical locations” for the BRACHER and some of its close variant spellings have been extracted from Rietstap’s Armorial General.  Most of these locations are on the continent of Europe such as Germany, France, Switzerland, etc.   Riestap’s resource book was first published in the 1860’s and revised over the next two decades.  The information therein is relevant to that period as well as earlier times as far back as 1500.    (2) = the frequency with which this place occurs.

The locations noted above are listed according to their French names or abbreviations as cited within Riestap’s  resource book.    In an effort to further assist you with these place names we have developed a Gazetteer of Continental European Historical Locations.  Within the gazetteer you will find the English names for the above locations as well as brief definitions of the historical locale and the present locations of places noted above.   We also recommend that you utilize our Tools for Finding Ancestral Locations.  If you have an elementary knowledge of heraldry you may wish to use this practice to trace your founding forefather.  For more information about this approach to seeking out your ancestral locations see our Using Heraldry as a Family History Research Tool.  

·        Great Britain Family Names - 1881 Census

·        England and Wales: 1891 Census

·        Scotland: 1891 Census

·        Distribution of surnames in Ireland in 1890

·        Family Name Distribution in Germany: 1942

·        Nom de famille en France: 1891-1915; 1916-40; 1941-65; 1966-90

·        United States: 1920

Armorial Bearings, Mottoes & Symbols

An Introduction to

 European Heraldry

Gallery of Images

Descriptions of the

Armorial Bearings

Motto(es) of this Surname

Heraldry as a Family

History Research Tool

More About

Armorial Bearings

An Introduction To European Heraldry

The seeds of heraldic structure in personal identification can be detected in the account in a contemporary chronicle of Henry I of England, on the occasion of his knighting his son-in-law Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, in 1127. He placed to hang around his neck a shield painted with golden lions. The funerary enamel of Geoffrey (died 1151), dressed in blue and gold and bearing his blue shield emblazoned with gold lions, is the first recorded depiction of a coat of arms.

       By the middle of the 12th century,  coats of arms were being inherited by the children of armigers (persons entitled to use a coat of arms) across Europe. Between 1135 and 1155, seals representing the generalized figure of the owner attest to the general adoption of heraldic devices in England, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy.  By the end of the century, heraldry appears as the sole device on seals.  In England, the practice of using marks of cadency arose to distinguish one son from another: the conventions became standardized in about 1500, and are traditionally supposed to have been devised by John Writhe.

     In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, heraldry became a highly developed discipline, regulated by professional officers of arms. As its use in jousting became obsolete, coats of arms remained popular for visually identifying a person in other ways – impressed in sealing wax on documents, carved on family tombs, and flown as a banner on country homes. The first work of heraldic jurisprudence, De Insigniis et Armis, was written in the 1350s by Bartolus de Saxoferrato, a professor of law at the University of Padua.

    In the Germanic areas of Central Europe heraldry spread to the German burgher class in the 13th century, and even some peasants used arms in the 14th century.  A German coat of arms is usually referred to by any of the following terms; Wappen, Familienwappen, Blasonierung, Heraldik, or Wappenschablonen.

     In the British Isles the College of Arms, (founded in 1483), is the Royal corporation of heralds who record proved pedigrees and grant armorial bearings.  In Scottish heraldry, the Lord Lyon King of Arms in the Act of 1672 is empowered to grant arms to "vertuous [virtuous] and well deserving persons."

     Although heraldry in France and the lowlands of Belguim and Holland had a considerable history, like England, existing from the eleventh century, such formality has largely died out in these locations. The role of the herald (héraut) in France declined in the seventeenth century.  Many of the terms in international heraldry come from French.

Gallery of Images

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Descriptions of the Armorial Bearings

Heraldry symbols such as the colors, lines and shapes found on coats-of-arms are generally referred to as charges.  Although there is some debate over whether or not the charges have any universal symbolism many persons do believe they may represent an idea or skill of the person who originally had the armorial bearings created.  If this assumption has any validity charges may provide clues to early family history of that person.  The associated armorial bearings for this surname and close variant spellings are recorded in Burke’s General Armoire and Rietstap’s Armorial General.  The additional information, presented below, is offered with regard to the armorial bearings depicted above.

Mottoes of this Surname

A motto is a word or sentence usually written upon a scroll and generally placed below the shield, but sometimes, especially in Scotland, above the crest.    Many ancient mottoes were war-cries such as the Douglas motto of “Forward.”    Many mottoes refer to the name of the bearer, for example “cole regem” for Coleridge.   In general most mottoes convey a sentiment, hope, or determination, such as the Cotter motto “Dum spiro spero” where the meaning is “While I have breath I hope“.     Mottoes are often used by several successive generations, but may be changed at any time by the grantee. The languages most in use are Latin, French, and English.  Exceptions are seen in Scotland where they are often in the old Lowland dialect, and in Wales, often in the language of the principality.   

There are no known mottoes associated with the BRACHER surname or its close variant spellings. It is unusual to find a motto associated with the coat-of-arms of a noble German family.  This does not necessarily mean that the Germanic culture is devoid of mottos.  For example, the national motto of Germany is “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit”, meaning Unity and Justice and Freedom.  The German word for motto is “Wahlspruch.”   Some of the more well known German mottoes are as follows: Alte Wunden bluten leicht – Old wounds readily bleed anew;    Blut und Eisen – Blood and iron;  Das beste is gut genug – The best is good enough;  Ein’ feste Burg is unser Gott – Our God is a strong tower of defense;  Ewigkeit – Eternity;  Für Gott und Iht – All for God and her;  Gott is überall – God is over all;  Gott mit uns – God is with us;  Ich dien – I serve;  Krieg – War;  Mehr Licht! – More light!;  Nichts zoviel – Nothing in excess;  Prosit! – Good luck!;    Vaterland – Fatherland;  Vertrau’ auf Gott – Put your trust in God;  Vorwärts! – Forward!;        Zu dienen – At your service.

Heraldry as a Family History Research Tool

Wondering whether you are descended of the nobility*?  Are you aware of an ancestor who held a prominent political position or had a title such as Sir, or Esquire?  If so you just might be descended from royalty.   If you are of European descent, you are probably a descendant of Charlemagne.  Once you are able to prove your line of descent from him, you will then find thousands of links to other royalty in your list of relatives.  It is rare indeed that the genealogy of a person of European descent, when traceable, doesn’t hit nobility somewhere.  And once it hits one European noble, whether you like it or not, hundreds of new names will become a part of your family.

*The nobility is a class of people who had special political and social status. Nobility is inherited or granted by the Crown as a reward to people who perform a heroic deed, achieve greatness in some endeavor, or hold a prominent government position.

    If you have an elementary knowledge of heraldry you may wish to use this practice to trace your founding forefather.  If you know the geographical place (country, county, city) where the family coat-of-arms was first identified, you may well search its history for the family name in question in order to find your direct ancestor.  Remember that most noble European family pedigrees have been thoroughly researched and published.   By putting together the family surname with the known location you may find a treasure trove of valuable information about your ancestors.  Upon pursing your research you should be aware of the possibility of variant spellings of the surname.  See Variations of the Surname for more information about variant spellings of the surname.

Many family historians who have not connected with a noble ancestor may just want to know what their family coat-of-arms looks like.  If this is the situation you must know that except for a few cases, there is really no such thing as a standard "coat of arms" for a surname.  A coat of arms is a design usually granted only to a single person not to an entire family or to a particular surname.  Coats of arms are inheritable property, and they generally descend to male lineal descendents of the original arms grantee.  As a result you are advised to seek out a coat-of-arms for the locale where your ancestor resided.

For example: we have an Arnold ancestor who is known to have emigrated to America from the town of Erlangen, in Bavaria, Germany.  Current research shows Erlangen is located in the area of Bavaria known as Middle Franconia.  Upon review of the historic locations for Arnold as noted in one source of armorial bearings we find places in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands and others.   One coat-of-arms is listed as belonging to an Arnold of Franconia, Bavaria.  As such we may conclude that this is the coat-of-arms having some relevance to our ancestor.  He may well be a blood relative of the aforementioned noble Arnold.   He or his ancestor may have been employed by or a serf of the noble Arnold family of that locale.  In some cases the name of the noble family becomes the name of the locale resulting in the ancestor appropriating it a as surname, see Sources and Meanings of the Surname to ascertain whether the surname you are interested in is a locational name.

If you are interested in the armorial bearings of a particular surname we strongly advise that you utilize the resources provided within this area of our web page.  If you have any questions or need any assistance with regard to using heraldry as a means to further or widen your family history research you are welcome to contact us, see About This Webpage.

More About Heraldic bearings

The art of designing, displaying, describing, and recording arms is called heraldry. The use of coats of arms by countries, states, provinces, towns and villages is called civic heraldry.   A Coat of Arms is defined as a group of emblems and figures (heraldic bearings) usually arranged on and around a shield and serving as the special insignia of some person, family, or institution.  Except for a few cases, there is really no such thing as a standard "coat of arms" for a surname.  A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, is a design usually granted only to a single person not to an entire family or to a particular surname.  Coats of arms are inheritable property, and they generally descend to male lineal descendents of the original arms grantee.  The rules and traditions regarding Coats of Arms vary from country to country. Therefore a Coat of Arms for an English family would differ from that of a German family even when the surname is the same. 

Some of the more prominent elements incorporated into a  coat of arms are :

Crest - The word crest is often mistakenly applied to a coat of arms.  The crest was a later development arising from the love of pageantry.  Initially the crest consisted of charges painted onto a ridge on top of the helmet.

Wreath or Torse – The torse is a twist of cloth or wreath underneath and part of a crest. Always shown as six twists, the first tincture being the tincture of the field, the second the tincture of the metal, and so on.

Mantling – The mantling is a drapery tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield.

Helm or Helmet - The helmet or helm is situated above the shield and bears the torse and crest. The style of helmet displayed varies according to rank and social status, and these styles developed over time, in step with the development of actual military helmets.

Shield or Arms - The basis of all coats of arms.  At their simplest, arms consist of a shield with a plain field on which appears a geometrical shape or object.  The items appearing on the shield are known as charges.

Motto - The motto was originally a war cry, but later mottoes often expressed some worthy sentiment. It may appear at the top or bottom of a family coat of arms.

Searching for more information about heraldry? Click on the button at the  right to look at our webpage featuring links   to   websites   with  

a wide variety of arms, crests, and badges.  They may also feature additional heraldry resources as noted in the accompanying descriptions.

Web resources

This search engine may

provide you with additional

information to assist with

your research about this topic.

·             Our Surname Locator And Resources web page contains the following: (1) links that will take you to an updated listing of all surnames as posted in our three databases at the Rootsweb WorldConnect Project; (2) the Surname List Finder a tool that finds sound-alike matches for a given surname from among RootsWeb's thousands of surname lists; (3) the Soundex Converter that can be used to find the soundex code for a surname, plus other surnames/spellings sharing the same soundex code;  (4) Surname Message Boards the world's largest online genealogy community with over 17 Million posts on more than 161,000 boards; (5) Surname Mailing Lists of all surnames having mailing lists at RootsWeb, as well as topics that include (6) Surname Heraldry, and  (7) Mapping a Surname. 

·              Your genealogy research of this surname can be facilitated by use of Surname Web. This website links to the majority of the surname data on the web, as well as to individual family trees, origin and surname meaning if known, and many other related genealogy resources. 

·              Surname Finder provides easy access to free and commercial resources for 1,731,359 surnames. On each surname specific "finder" page, you can search a variety of online databases all pre-programmed with your surname.

·             Use All Surnames Genealogy to get access to find your surname resources .  There are almost 1300 links in this directory.

·             SurnameDB Free database of surname meanings - This site SurnameDB.Com contains a large FREE to access database (almost 50,000 surnames) on the history and meaning of family last names.

·             Public Profiler / World Names - Search for a Surname to view its Map and Statistics.

·             Linkpendium Surnames - Web sites, obituaries, biographies, and other material specific to a surname.

·              Cyndi's List - Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters Index - Sites or resources dedicated to specific, individual family surnames.  

Free Records & Databases

All of the records and databases we’ve collected are FREE and can be accessed and searched online without having to pay for a subscription.   We have divided our collected into 14 record types as follows: Biographical; Birth; Cemetery; Census & City Directories; Church; Court; Death; Immigration & Naturalization; Land; Marriage; Military; Newspapers; Occupational; and Tax Records.    We try not to list any sites that have only a few records for the purpose of getting you to a website that will charge a fee to actually see the record beyond just a name.  

This Link will take you to our

collections of FREE Records.  

The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books.   Here you will find bibliographies, family histories and books about names.  In addition, there are texts that pertain to ethnic and religion groups, history, geography as well as other books that will assist you with your research.

This Link will take you to our

collections of reference books.  

Our Ancestral Lineage

Family History

Ancestral Lineage

Source Documents

Migrations of the

American Family

Ancestral Locations

Family Images Gallery

Family History

       Our Bracher ancestral line has been traced back to a Georg Bracher who may have been born during the 1640’s in one of the northern cantons of Switzerland*.  His son Johann George Bracher, our 7^th great-grandfather, is known to have been born 1676 in Hornbach, Rimschweiler, Germany.  We am not yet entirely sure whether he emigrated to America.  It is quite probable that he lived his entire life in Germany.

      Our 6^th great-grandmother Anna Maria Elizabeth Bracher, was born around 1694 also in Hornbach, Rimschweiler, Germany.  In 1713, Elizabeth married Paulus Schaffer of the nearby community of Zweibrücken.  Anna Maria bore at least 6 known children up to 1721.  It is generally believed that Anna Maria, Paulus, and their children immigrated, to America on the ship "Thistle", which arrived in Philadelphia on 19 Sept 1738.  Our family lineage continued through Anna Maria’s son Paul Schaffer, Jr. who was born at Zweibrücken in 1721.

*This theory is based upon the high demographic distribution of the Bracher surname in Northern Switzerland. Many Anabaptists migrated from Switzerland during the 17^th century because of severe religious persecution. This movement was primarily from the cantons of Bern and Zürich down the Rhine to Alsace and the Palatinate on both sides of the Rhine, as well as certain adjoining territories such as Durlach or Zweibrücken.

Ancestral Lineage

Additional information about the persons in our database  as   well  as   a   complete  listing   of

individuals with this surname may be reviewed by clicking on this LINK.

GEORG¹ BRACHER was born in Germany ?.

Georg Bracher had the following child:

i. JOHANN GEORGE² BRACHER was born in 1676 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died after 1715 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He married Susanna Margaretta Forster Born, daughter of Theodor Born and Kunigunda Forster on 06 Jan 1693 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She was born on 06 Jan 1672 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She died after 1715 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

JOHANN GEORGE² BRACHER (Georg¹) was born in 1676 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died after 1715 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He married Susanna Margaretta Forster Born, daughter of Theodor Born and Kunigunda Forster on 06 Jan 1693 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She was born on 06 Jan 1672 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She died after 1715 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

Johann George Bracher and Susanna Margaretta Forster Born had the following children:

1.      ANNA MARIA ELIZABETH³ BRACHER was born about 1694 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She died in Jun 1787 in Chanceford, York, Pennsylvania, USA. She married Paulus Schaffer Sr., son of Heinrich Schaffer and Anna Leyonberger in 1713 in Germany. He was born about 1693 in Lettweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died on 12 Apr 1784 in Chanceford, York, Pennsylvania, USA.

2.      SUSANNA BARBARA BRACHER was born in 1696 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany ?. She married Johan Michael Schmelzer on 19 Sep 1728 in Oberhexbach, Germany.

3.      ANNA MARGARETHA BRACHER was born in 1697 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany ?.

4.      SUSANNA BRACHER was born in 1699 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She married Hans Michael Krieger Sr about 1717 in Germany. He was born between 1695-1701 in Germany. He died after 1768 in Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland.

5.      HEINRICH BRACHER was born in 1700 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

6.      ANNA MARGARETHA BRACHER was born in 1701 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She married Johann Nichel Leiner about 1718 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

7.      ANNA MARIA BRACHER was born about 1703 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She married Hans Jacob Cloter in 1722 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

8.      CATHERINA BRACHER was born on 14 Jun 1705 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She died on 26 Aug 1758 in Chanceford, York, Pennsylvania, USA. She married Conrad Deitz on 11 Nov 1734 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He was born about 1711 in Hinterweidenthal, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died on 25 Aug 1758 in Hellam, York, Pennsylvania, USA.

9.      SARA MARGARETHA BRACHER was born about 1707 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

10.   PETER BERNHARD BRACHER was born in 1709 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

11.   HANS PETER BRACHER was born after Jul 1710 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

12.   MARIA SOPHIA BRACHER was born about 1712 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She died on 12 Nov 1769 in Pennsylvania, USA. She married JOHAN VITUS BEHNER. She married (2) JOHANN PHILIP GOHN about 1737 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He was born in 1712 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died before 1747 in Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania.

13.   MAGDALENA BRACHER was born in 1713 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

14.   SUSAN KUNIGUNDE BRACHER was born in Apr 1715 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

ANNA MARIA ELIZABETH³ BRACHER (Johann George², Georg¹) was born about 1694 in Hornbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She died in Jun 1787 in Chanceford, York, Pennsylvania, USA. She married Paulus Schaffer Sr., son of Heinrich Schaffer and Anna Leyonberger in 1713 in Germany. He was born about 1693 in Lettweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died on 12 Apr 1784 in Chanceford, York, Pennsylvania, USA.

Paulus Schaffer Sr. and Anna Maria Elizabeth Bracher had the following children:

1.    GEORG⁴ SCHAFFER was born in Rheinland-Pflaz, Germany.

2.    JOHAN HERMAN SCHAFFER was born before 1722 in Rheinland-Pflaz, Germany.

3.    BERNARD SCHAFFER was born before 1722 in Rheinland-Pflaz, Germany.

4.    HENRICH BARTHOLEW SCHAFFER was born before 1722 in Rheinland-Pflaz, Germany. He married FIRST NM. UNK.? BARD.

5.    MARIA CATHERINE SCHAFFER was born about 1718 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. She died about 1775. She married Adam Gohn on 07 Jan 1737 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He was born in 1716 in Rimschweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

6.    PAUL SCHAFFER JR. was born on 12 Jan 1721 in Zweibrucken, Rheinland-Pflaz, Germany. He died on 12 Apr 1784 in Lower Windsor, York, Pennsylvania, USA. He married Anna Elizabeth Barth, daughter of Johan Georg Barth and Anna Barbara Klein before 1750. She was born about 1719 in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She died on 20 Jun 1787 in Windsor, York, Pennsylvania, USA (Lower Windsor Twp. est.1838).

The find the source citation for any of the information presented

above click on the button to look-up the name you are interested in.

The WorldConnect Project is a set of tools, which allow users to upload, modify, link, and display their family trees as a means to share their genealogy with other researchers.

The WorldConnect Project continues to grow, as it now contains several hundred million records thus it offers researchers the single largest collection of family trees on the Internet.

Use this free genealogy site to help you get the best genealogy searches from Google™ by using your family tree, for your research. It will create a series of different searches using tips or "tricks"

that will likely improve your results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about this or any other Surname. 

Source documents

The documents contained within this “Source Documents Archives” have been located during our research of this family, and used as evidence to prove many of the facts contained within the database of this family’s record.   We have source documents related to the following persons within our database with this surname.

·         NONE

This Link will take you to our

archive of source documents.  

     Most of these documents can be considered as primary or secondary evidence.  Primary evidence is usually defined as the best available to prove the fact in question, usually in an original document or record.  Secondary evidence is in essence all that evidence which is inferior in its origin to primary evidence. That does not mean secondary evidence is always in error, but there is a greater chance of error.  Examples of this type of evidence would be a copy of an original record, or oral testimony of a record’s contents.  Published genealogies and family histories are also secondary evidence.

     Classifying evidence as either primary or secondary does not tell anything about its accuracy or ultimate value.  This is especially true of secondary evidence.  Thus it is always a good idea to ask the following questions: (1) How far removed from the original is it, (when it is a copy)?; (2) What was the reason for the creation of the source which contains this evidence?; and (3) Who was responsible for creating this secondary evidence and what interest did they have in its accuracy?

SOURCE: Greenwood, Val D., The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 2^nd edition, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD 21202, 1990, pgs. 62-63

You are welcome to download any of the documents contained within this archive that does not cite a copyright.  Should you encounter a problem obtaining a copy you may get in touch with us via the contact information found at the end of this web-page.

Migration routes

       Tracing our own family’s paths of migration can prove crucial in identifying previous generations and eventually, figuring out where and how they arrived in the “New World” as well as where they eventually settled.  Knowing the network of trails American pioneers traveled can help you guess where to start looking.  The trail map(s) provided below may assist you in understanding the routes that our direct ancestors of this family may have taken to find new homes and opportunities in the vast area now encompassed by the United States.

      During the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries hundreds of thousands of Europeans made the perilous ocean voyage to America.  For many it was an escape from economic hardship and religious persecution.  For most it was an opportunity to start over, own their own land, and make a better future for their descendents.

Immigration records show a number of people bearing the name of BRACHER, or one of its variants, as arriving in North America between the 17^th and 20^th centuries.  Some of these immigrants were: James Bracke who settled in Virginia in 1666; Rudolph Brack, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1733; Catharine Bracher who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738;  Johann Georg Bracher who came to North America in 1843; Anne Brack, age 30; who arrived in New York in 1851 with Jacob, age 9 months;  and E.F. William Bracher who settled at Philadelphia in 1851.

Use the following links to find more early immigrants with this surname:

$ Search Ancestry.com Immigration Records; or Free Ship’s Passenger lists at OliveTreeGenealogy.com

Anna Maria (Bracher) Schaffer and her family emigrated from the Rhineland-Palatinate locality of southwestern Germany to the Province of Pennsylvania and arrived at Philadelphia in 1738. 

They were among the great wave of German immigrants who came to America between 1727 and 1776.

      Soon after their arrival they would eventually move west out of Philadelphia along the route known as the Philadelphia Wagon Road. This route would take them across the Susquehanna River  into York County, Pennsylvania.  Today this route follows U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania.  The road passed through the towns of Lancaster and York in southeastern Pennsylvania on its way further west to Pittsburgh.   Eventually the Schaffer family would settle into the township of Chanceford located in the eastern part of York County.   

Click on map for larger image

The Development of an Historical Migration Route

It is understood that in many if not all cases we do not know exactly what routes our ancestors took as they migrated throughout the United States.   As such certain assumptions have been utilized to re-create the migration path presented above.  With regard to 18^th and 19^th century land routes we assume that they travelled along few trails and roads that were in existence at the time.  Research shows that a great many of these old paths and trails are today designated as U.S. Highway Routes.  For example, a major east-west route of migration known as the National Road is now U.S. Route 40, and a primary north-south migration route of the 18^th century followed the Great Indian War and Trading Path is now U.S. Route 11.  In some situations the re-created migration route may travel along state routes that connect or run through the seat of a county as that populated place is probably the oldest settlement in the area. The use of water as a migration route is also likely.  For example, during the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries many families travelled west on the Ohio River as they moved on the new lands in Missouri or the Old Northwest Territory.  As such when applicable water routes have been included as the possible migration route.   

Ancestral locations

Researching the locations where our ancestors lived has provided us with valuable evidence needed to fill in the gaps in our family trees.  It has also led us to many interesting facts that enhance the overall picture of each family group.

The names of states and counties on the following list were derived from the known places where the Direct Ancestors in the “Ancestral Lineage” (see above) were born, married, and / or died.

GERMANY

RHINELAND-PALATINATE

Rimschweiler (Hornbach)

UNITED STATES

PENNSYLVANIA

York

Use this LINK to find out more about this

ancestral family and the locations listed above.

Where are my

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and  other  helpful   resources 

that will assist in discovering Ancestral Locations.  These web sites comprise only a small portion of what is available for researchers interested in learning more about where their ancestors lived.

Images gallery

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a particular family.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives.  We have images related to the following persons within our database with this surname.

None

This Link will take you to our

collection of family images.  

Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. This button will link you to the Google Images Search   page.   Enter   the   topic   you   are

searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well as the website of which it is associated.

About this webpage

CONTACT INFORMATION

-- Email us with your comments or questions.

We do like to hear from others who are researching the same people and surnames.

We need your help to keep growing!  So please Email us your

photos, stories, and other appropriate information about this topic.

RULES OF USE
You are welcome to download any information on this page that does not cite a copyright.

We only ask that if you have a personal website please create a link to our Home Page.

-- This webpage was last updated on --

01 July 2013