He transported and traded goods.
an important middleman for the transport of iron products mfg in Nassau-Siegen region.`Had a grandson Harman present at the
surrender of Cornwallis to Gen. Washington, perhaps. This from Mayflower Quarterly, August, 1990.
Name: Hermann OTTERBACH 
Sex: M 
Birth: ABT. 1664 
Note: Hermann Otterbach emigrated to America to join at least two of his daughters (our ancestor Margreth who married Hans
Jacob Holtzclaw and Elisabeth Cathrina who married John Kemper; both couples emigrated to America at the same time.) The
source says this happened not long after 1714, a year or two after his sons-in-law made the trip. In America, he was usually known
as Herman Utterback.

Marriage 1 Elizabeth HEIMBACH
Married: 11 AUG 1685 in Siegen, Nassau-Siegen, Germany
Children
Anna Margaret OTTERBACH b: 1686 in Siegen, Germany
Ellsbeth OTTERBACH b: 1689
Johann Phillipp OTTERBACH b: 22 MAR 1691/92
Johann Jacob OTTERBACH b: 23 NOV 1695
Elisabeth Cathrina OTTERBACH b: 19 APR 1697
Maria Cathrina OTTERBACH b: 5 NOV 1699
Johannes OTTERBACH b: 15 APR 1702
Anna Cathrina OTTERBACH b: 2 JAN 1704/05

The eleven hundred and thirty-fourth note in a series on the Germanna Colonies

Another large family, also from Trupbach, was the Otterbachs. There is no 
documentary evidence in Virginia that this family did, in fact, make the 
trip. But there is excellent circumstantial evidence that this is the case 
and we might review some of the principal points.

The family disappears from the church and civil records in Germany about 
1714. In the book, "Ortgeschichte Trupbach" by Tröps and Bohn, the house 
Welmes was inhabited by Hermannus Otterbach in 1707. They say about the 
family that (it) "ausgewandert nach Virginia USA." The house was taken over 
(in 1712) by Johann Jacob Schneider who had married Maria Cath. Heide. 
Again, as in the last note, I do not understand why they use the date 1712.

The names of the daughters in the family seem to appear as wives in 
Virginia. The family was related to some of the people who did go to 
Virginia. A family(ies) is needed to add to the known Virginia immigrants 
to come to the right count. The Otterbach family would fulfill that need 
correctly.

Hermann Otterbach was a "Fuhrleute" which is a wagoner or a person who 
carted goods (or people?) from one location to another. As such, he would 
have been very sensitive to the economic conditions. If economic life were 
depressed, his work would be reduced. (In the emigrating group, there was 
another man who was the son of a Fuhrman and that was John Hofmann.)

Hermann Otterbach had married Elisabeth Heimbach and they had these 
children: John Philip (21), John (11), Elizabeth (24), Alice Catherine 
(16), Mary Catherine (14), Anna Catherine (8). It is necessary to say that 
the father and the two sons died before the move to Germantown in Virginia 
(from Germanna) because no land was distributed to a male 
Otterbach/Utterback at Germantown. This is the weakest point in the 
"Utterback argument" as it requires the death of three individuals.

Again, much like the Fischbachs, it would seem that the parents were 
motivated by finding a better life for the sons and daughters. It was a 
major undertaking for eight people to uproot their life in Trupbach and to 
go to America. One wonders if the prospects in and around Trupbach for 
finding husbands for the daughters and jobs for the sons were poor. Philip 
was old enough to be looking for a job and a wife. Elizabeth was old enough 
to be thinking about marriage.

On the German photo page, look at the drawing of the village of Trupbach 
and locate the Chapel School in the center. You can identify the school by 
the picture of it on the photo page also. In the drawing, the first 
building directly or straight to the right of the Chapel School should be 
the Otterbach home. In 1713, the school was not there as it was built in 1750.

John Blankenbaker