: Lorsch Heritage Book including the affiliate village Kleinhausen

The Lorsch/Kleinhausen Family Book is currently a work in progress.

Today, family history and the search for one's roots are receiving increasing attention. Many people use genealogical portals to find ancestors and relatives. In light of this interest, the current state of the Lorsch Family Book is being made accessible here. This genealogical database is updated regularly to ensure it reflects the latest research findings.

Unlike traditional chronological publications, this family book is being compiled by family groups, initially prioritizing those of particularly high interest. Consequently, some families may still be incomplete or require further correction. For example, if children are missing from a family record, the research for that specific line is usually still ongoing. This early publication offers the advantage of making data available to the public years before a printed book is released. Furthermore, it allows the author to receive valuable feedback from users. I frequently receive messages from descendants of the numerous emigrants to America, and their contributions are incorporated into the genealogy.

The primary sources for this work are the Catholic parish registers of Lorsch, beginning in 1679. Over the centuries, these were maintained with great care by the local pastors. The records also include births, marriages, and deaths for the affiliate village of Kleinhausen (until 1875). In 1937, Kleinhausen was merged with the then-Protestant Großhausen to form the municipality of Einhausen. Families from the former community of Seehof, whose residents predominantly emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century, are also included. While only a portion of the Catholic parish records have been fully evaluated so far, other sources—such as neighboring parish registers and the Lorsch City Archives—have also been consulted.

As a result, many families can already be traced back seamlessly to the 17th century. This includes some of the oldest Lorsch families such as Heinz, Levasier, Lohrbacher, Massoth, Seitz, Wachtel, Wahlig, as well as Arnold, Diehl, Hübner, and Rau from Einhausen. In the meantime, the Hessian birth, marriage, and death registers from 1876 onwards have become accessible online. They are now being successively integrated into the research. Furthermore, the Lorsch entries from the 1905 Address Directory for the Grand Duchy of Hesse have also been evaluated.

An alphabetical list as well as a list sorted by streets is available.


Dear fellow genealogists and interested readers, for hints on errors or additions to the personal data I am very grateful! Pictures of your ancestors are also welcome.

Heppenheim, January 2026 — Peter Bohrer