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Herp Family

1530-2025 (495 years)

Michael James Herp

GENERATION 1
Born: 21 Nov 1990
Living
Information

Born in Phoenix Arizona, currently lives in Denton Texas, and is 34 years old. His father is Charles Louis Herp and mother is Cheri Carter.

James Donald Herp

GENERATION 3
Born: 14 Jan 1940
Living
Information

Born in Kentucky, currently lives in Phoenix Arizona, and is 85 years old. His parents were Charles Benjamin Herp and Florence Beatrice Alvey. He married Joan Louise Breckel in 1962. He had 3 children including Charles, Beth, and Sue.

In 1957, according to The Courier Journal newspaper, Donald, who was living at 333 Ridgeway at the time, won a scholarship to Bellarmine College.

In 1972, according to the Arizona Republic newspaper, Donald filed a report with the city concerning an intersection coined the "pedestrian death trap", which saw 22 traffic accidents since 1966. Phoenix City Council awarded $1000 to increase safety measures at that intersection.

Charles Benjamin Herp

GENERATION 4
Born: 27 Jul 1905
Died: 12 Oct 1956
Information

Born in Louisville, Kentucky. His parents were Charles Anthony Herp and Minnie A Frick. He married Florence Beatrice Alvey in 1937. He had two children including James Donald Herp and Patricia Marie Herp.

Apparently he was a bank teller for most of his life, according to two census documents. In the 1940s he completed a WWII draft card, although I'm unsure if he was ever deployed.

Charles and his wife Florence divorced in 1947. He unfortunately completed suicide by hanging in 1956, at the age of 51. Incredibly tragic.

Charles Anthony Herp

GENERATION 5
Born: 23 Jul 1866
Died: 31 Dec 1953
Information

Born in Eminence, Kentucky. His parents were Karl "Charles" Herp and Katherine Schoenle. He married Minnie Frick in 1891. He had a whopping 12 children, which I won't list all of their names.

One of his sons, Elmore, was drafted into WWII at age 29. I'm sure some of his other sons were drafted as well. They lost one of their sons, Leo, at the age of 29. The cause of his death is unknown.

In 1880, Charles apparently worked in a factory in Louisville, as well as a bar keeper in 1900, and a baker in 1910. He died of Cerebral Thrombosis (stroke) in 1953.

Karl "Charles" Herp

GENERATION 6
Born: 2 Feb 1842
Died: 25 Sep 1900
Information

Born in Ortenberg, Baden, Germany. His parents were Landelin Herp and Barbara End. According to a census document, he married Katherine Schoenle and immigrated from Germany to America in 1866.

According to other documents, his sons Ed and Fred were both "saloon keepers" by trade. Karl himself was a shoemaker.

There's also documents of Karl returning from a European trip later in life. Perhaps he went back to Germany for one last visit? Documents show he was on board a ship called the Noordland that departed from Antwerp, Belgium and arrived in New York City in 1893. In order to travel, he registered for a US passport in 1892 where he had to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States. I'm wondering if that's still a thing? Seems very dramatic.

He died in 1900 at age 58 years old. His grave resides in Saint Michael Cemetery in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.

Landelin Herp

GENERATION 7
Born: 11 Sep 1804
Died: 15 Sep 1843
Information

Born in Ortenberg, Baden-Württemberg Germany. His parents were Mathäus Herp and Anna-Maria Berg. Landelin married Barbara End in 1837, only 6 years before his untimely death. He had 3 children including Gustav, Barbara, and Karl. Landelin died at 39 years old in Ortenberg Germany, although his cause of death is not known.

Mathäus Herp

GENERATION 8
Born: 21 Sep 1768
Died: 7 Mar 1842
Information

Born in Ortenberg, Baden-Württemberg Germany. His parents were Johann Jakob Herp and Maria Magdalena Riehle. Mathäus married Anna-Maria Berg in 1791. He had 9 or 10 children, although records are a little spotty. Mathäus died in 1842 at the ripe old age of 73.

Johann Jakob Herp

GENERATION 9
Born: 16 Jul 1723
Died: 31 May 1797
Information

Born in Ortenberg, Baden-Württemberg Germany. His parents were Johannes Herp and Maria Fentsch. Johann married Maria Riehle in 1753. Sources are spotty, but it seems that he only had one child, which is interesting: Johannes. He died in 1797 at the age of 73.

Johannes Herp

GENERATION 10
Born: 27 Dec 1673
Died: 17 Jun 1755
Information

Born in Ortenberg, Baden-Württemberg Germany. His parents were Bartholomäus van Herp and Anna Elisabeth Vitzkam. Johannes had 2-3 wives, although sources are spotty here. He had a total of 11 children, but only one son with wife Maria Fentsch, who gave birth to Johann, who would continue the Herp line to us. Johannes lived until he was 81 and died in Ortenberg in 1755.

Bartholomäus van Herp

GENERATION 11
Born: 21 Aug 1644
Died: 18 Jan 1718
Information

Born in Käfersberg, Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. His parents were Matthias Herp and Maria Frey. Bartholomäus married Anna Elisabeth Vitzkam either in 1666 or 1675. I think 1666 makes more sense, as Anna would have been 21 years old as opposed to 30 years  old. They had 6 or 7 children together. Bartholomäus died in 1718 at the age of 73.

Matthias Herp

GENERATION 12
Born: 26 Feb 1612
Died: 24 Aug 1665
Information

Born in Ortenberg, Baden-Württemberg Germany. His parents were Georg Herp and Martha Maler. Matthias married Maria Frey in 1642 and had 6 children. This is the first time we see another "Michael Herp" — one of his sons, who was born in 1648. This would be my 8th great-granduncle.

Georg Herp

GENERATION 13
Born: 1575
Died: 1631
Information

Born in Fessenbach, Baden-Württemberg Germany. His father was Hans Herp but his mother is unknown. Georg married Martha Maler in 1605. He had 3 children: Maria, Ursula, and Matthias. Georg died in 1631 at the age of 56.

Hans Herp

GENERATION 14
Born: 1530
Died: 1619
Information

Finally we come to the last Herp I was able to track down: Hans Herp. Hans was born in Fessenbach, Baden-Württemberg Germany. His spouse is unknown and his only child in the records is Georg Herp. Hans died in 1619 at the age of 89.

Learnings and thoughts

Origins

The Herp family originated in Fessenbach and Ortenberg, small towns in Baden-Württemberg, Germany — a region with deep historical roots in the Holy Roman Empire.

I find it interesting that so much of our family stayed in one place for generations. Karl Herp was the only one for generations and generations to leave Germany for America. I wonder what caused him to immigrate?

A Direct Line of Survival

Several “near-extinction” moments of our family line stand out:

Landelin Herp (b. 1804) had his son Karl Herp just a year before dying at 39. Had that not happened, our entire line might have ended in 1843.

Likewise, Johannes Herp (b. 1673) had only one son with Maria Fentsch — the lone thread that continued the Herp name.

Evolution of Trade

The occupations of our ancestors paint a picture of the working class American dream:

Shoemaker (Karl), factory worker and baker (Charles Anthony), carrier salesman (Charles Benjamin), and scholarship-winning student (James Donald). There seems to be a visible transition from blue-collar trades to education and civic engagement.

Longevity and Early Deaths

The lifespans in our tree range from 89 years (Hans Herp, born 1530) to tragic early deaths like Leo Herp (death at 29) and Landelin Herp (death at 39). The increasing longevity across centuries may mirror advancements in medicine, living standards, and nutrition.

Names

I also find it interesting that our name never evolved over the course of nearly 500 years. I would have expected a slight name change back in Germany — like Herpen, Herpel, Herpf etc.

Lastly, I'm surprised how many "Charles" there are in our family history. I didn't realize I had multiple grandfathers with the Charles name.

Maps

United States

We primarily lived in Kentucky and Arizona, with a few events taking place (like marriage and travel) in Indiana and New York.

Germany

Our ancestors lived mostly in small towns in the Baden-Württemberg area of Germany, which sits just east of the border of France and north of the border of Switzerland.

Carter Family

1475-2025 (550 years)

Michael James Herp

GENERATION 1
Born: 21 Nov 1990
Living
Information

Born in Phoenix Arizona, currently lives in Denton Texas, and is 34 years old. His father is Charles Louis Herp and mother is Cheri Carter.

Cheri Carter

GENERATION 2
Born: 8 Sep 1965
Living
Information

Born in Dallas Texas, currently lives in Crossroads Texas, and is 59 years old. Her parents are Joe Michael Carter and Camille Nmn Lavfave. She married Charles Herp in 1983. She had 4 children: Scott, Amanda, Michael, and Alexander.

Joe Michael Carter

GENERATION 3
Born: 18 Nov 1942
Living
Information

Born in Tarrant County Texas, currently lives in Gordonville, and is 82 years old. His parents were Buster Ravy Carter and Ruth Elizabeth Blanks. He married Camille Nmn Lafave, although the year is unknown. He had 3 children: Angela, Cheri, and Joey.

Buster Ravy Carter

GENERATION 4
Born: 3 Jul 1920
Died: 30 Sep 2010
Information

Born in Denton County, Texas. His parents were Leal Oledia Carter and Donna Hasten. Buster had two siblings, Homer Ray and a half sister, Doris Meine. He married Ruth Elizabeth Blanks in 1941 in Fort Worth. He had only one child, Joe Michael Carter.

There's some discrepancies with documents as to what Buster's real name was. Some census documents have his first name being "Revy". Other documents have his middle name being "Ravy" or "Revy". Perhaps Buster was a nickname and not his legal first name?

At age 21 (1941) Buster filled out a WWII draft card, although it's unclear if he was ever drafted. His address at the time was 210 S Locust St in Denton, which is about a 5 minute walk from where I currently live (on S Locust St as well). At age 21, he listed his occupation as a student in defense school at N.T.S.A.C. At age 30 for a 1950 census, he listed his occupation as "Farmer".

His residences throughout his life were Upshur, Mckinney, Denton, Lewisville, and Krugerville. He was a farmer for the majority of his life.

Leal Oledia Carter

GENERATION 5
Born: 1 Jun 1898
Died: 23 Jan 1989
Information

Born in Denton County, Texas. HIs parents were Richard Elbridge Carter and Nannie Elizabeth King. He married Donna Hasten in 1919. He had three children with Donna, including Buster, Homer and Doris.

A document from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that he was enlisted in the Army in 1917, but was discharged only two years later in 1919. A picture exists of Leal in his WWI uniform, however I couldn't find any documentation of whether he actually served.

Leal had a variety of occupations throughout his life, including mechanic, janitor, and farmer. In the 40s he registered in the draft for WWII and listed his employer's name as Witson Food Products, so perhaps he was a grocer too at one point?

Richard Elbridge Carter

GENERATION 6
Born: 19 Apr 1872
Died: 6 Dec 1921
Information

Born in Goshen, Warren, Kentucky. His parents were Pleasant Campbell Carter and Nancy Smith. He married Mamie or Nannie Elizabeth King in 1895. He had 8 or 9 children.

According to census reports spanning 20 years, Richard was a farmer for most of his life.

Apparently one of his sons, Emlus, was drafted into WWI in 1917 according to a registration card. Another one of his sons Leah, was returned as a casualty of WWI via the ship U.S.S. Powlatan in May 1919. The document lists Leah's father as R.E. Carter, although I can't find any more information or corroboration on "Leah" beyond this document.

According to a news article, Richard was on his way home from church on a Sunday night in Denton and was struck by another vehicle on the highway. He initially survived the crash but was hospitalized. Due to internal and head injury, he passed away the following Tuesday.

Pleasant Campbell Carter

GENERATION 7
Born: 28 Apr 1852
Died: 5 Feb 1940
Information

Born in Greene, Tennessee. His parents were James Harlan Carter and Joanna Elaine Davis. He married Nancy Smith in 1871. He had 12 children, 4 with Joanna, and 8 other children with two other wives.

Pleasant and his family moved around a bit: They lived in Tennessee, Kentucky, Idaho, and Arkansas.

According to census reports, he had quite a few jobs: He was a common laborer in 1870. In 1880, he worked on a farm. He became a deputy sheriff in 1900. In 1910, he was a merchant. In 1920 he got into real estate. And in 1930, he was a peace officer.

James Harlan Carter

GENERATION 8
Born: 29 Dec 1824
Died: 28 Mar 1912
Information

Born in Smith, Tennessee. His parents were John Carter and Mary Donoho. He married Joanna Elaine Davis in 1843. He had either 10 or 11 children.

His birthday might be inaccurate, as there's a document from 1863 where he was drafted in the US Civil war at age 34. This would put make his birthdate 1829 instead of 1824.

Census reports around this time start to segregate and ask for information on households with "Free White persons, free colored, and slaves". It's unclear if James ever owned slaves, although he was a farmer for most of his life. I find the census in 1900 pretty interesting: The census asks if James and his wife can read and write and they both report "no".

James died from Bright’s disease in 1912 at the age of 89.

John Carter

GENERATION 9
Born: 10 Nov 1797
Died: 28 Dec 1847
Information

Born in Halifax, Virginia. His parents were Robert Carter and Unity Cook. He married Mary Donoho in 1815. He had 6 children.

According to census reports, John never owned slaves which is surprising for someone in Virginia living in the 1800s. According to a document in 1815, he enlisted in the Army. Perhaps this was for the War of 1812 (1812-1815)?

His date of death (1847) might be inaccurate as there's a census in 1850, where at the age of 59, he listed his occupation as "mining", and resided in Auburn, Sutter, California.

Robert Carter

GENERATION 10
Born: 27 Dec 1770
Died: 9 Sep 1839
Information

Born in Halifax, Virginia. His parents were John Smith Carter and Mary Cunningham. He married Unity Cook in 1792. He had 8 children.

According to a 1830 census report, Robert did have one male slave.

There's not much information about what he did as an occupation, but the fact that there's a painting of him makes me think he was wealthy or of some importance.

John Smith Carter

GENERATION 11
Born: 26 Aug 1737
Died: 20 Sep 1781
Information

Born in St Peters, Virginia. His father was Theodrick Carter and his mother is unknown. The number of children he had is spotty — some sources show he had as many as 14 children.

According to documents, John was a colonel of the Washington District and was among the patriots of the Watauga settlement who served under General John Sevier during the Revolution. He was apparently part of the 8th regiment in 1778, according to a Revolutionary War payroll.

Theodrick Carter II

GENERATION 12
Born: 1697
Died: 7 Dec 1777
Information

Born in Henrico, Virginia. His parents were Theodorick Carter I and Elizabeth Randolph Bland. He married Elizabeth Webb in 1718. He had as many as 15 children.

According to Parish registers, Theodrick's family was Anglican and part of the Church of England.

Theodrick Carter I

GENERATION 13
Born: 23 Jul 1676
Died: 1 Apr 1737
Information

Born in Turkey Island, Henrico, Virginia. His parents were William Giles Carter II and Hannah Crews. He married Elizabeth Randolph Bland in 1695. It's unknown how many children he had.

Apparently Turkey Island (where he was born), was discovered just 69 years prior by Captain Christopher Newport, while exploring the James River in Virginia. He named it Turkey Island because of the large number of wild turkeys there.

William Giles Carter ll

GENERATION 14
Born: 24 Apr 1634
Died: 12 Feb 1701
Information

Born in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. His parents were Giles Theodor Carter and Lady Elizabeth Tracy. He married Hannah Crews in 1655. He had 11 children.

According to documentation, William immigrated to James City County in 1653 at the age of 19. He settled in Henrico, Virginia and married. William is mentioned in a grant dated 10/21/1687 for acquiring 1785 acres at White Oak Swamp, on the north side of James River in the Parish of Varina.

Some sources claim that his wife, Hannah Crews, was Cherokee and that she might have been enslaved or illegitimate.

Giles Theodor Carter

GENERATION 15
Born: 15 Apr 1604
Died: 2 Feb 1672
Information

Born in Lower Swell, Gloucestershire, England. His parents were Lord John Carter and Mary Laurance. He married Elizabeth Tracy in 1604. The exact number of children he had is unknown. He died at the age of 67 in Stanway, Gloucestershire, England.

Lord John Carter

GENERATION 16
Born: 28 Oct 1550
Died: 3 Jul 1627
Information

Born in Lower Swell, Gloucestershire, England. His parents were Sir Gyles Carter and Margaret Canfield. He married Mary Laurance in 1570. The exact number of children he had is unknown. He died in Badgworth, England in 1627 at the age of 76.

Sir Gyles Carter

GENERATION 17
Born: Unknown
Died: Unknown
Information

Apparently born in Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire, England, but the birth year is incorrect so this could be incorrect as well. His parents were Sir William Carter and Lady Ann Alice. The exact number of children he had is unknown. The year he died is unknown.

Sir William Carter

GENERATION 18
Born: 1475
Died: 14 Aug 1521
Information

Born in Chipperfield, Kings Langly, Hertfordshire, England. His father and mother are unknown. He married Lady Ann Alice sometime in the early 1500s. The exact number of children he had is unknown. He died in 1521 at the age of 46 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England.

Learnings and thoughts

Deep Roots in America

I was surprised to learn how long the Carters had been in America. We were here for nearly 400 years, starting with William Giles Carter II, who immigrated from England in 1653 at the age of 19. When he immigrated, Jamestown Virginia, the first permanent English settlement, had only been here for about 50 years. He settled about 40 miles west of Jamestown.

Moving West

While we had several generations living in Virginia, the Carters moved all around the US over the course of 400 years. The family gradually moved west, from Virginia, to Tennessee, to Kentucky, and eventually to Texas. Pleasant Carter even lived as far as Idaho, which was unusual for his time int he 1800s. Our lineage covers many states, prominently including Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Military Service Across Generations

Many Carters served in war including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, possibly the War of 1812, WWI, and WWII. Many in the Carter family often appeared on draft rolls, even if they weren’t ultimately enlisted.

Cultural and Historical Themes

Our ancestors witnessed or participated in key moments in history. Sir William Carter (born 1475), our oldest known relative, would've lived during the rise of the Tudor dynasty (Including Henry VII) and likely saw the end of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487). Giles Theodor Carter lived during the Civil War and would have witnessed major political upheaval. John Carter (b. 1797) may have served during the War of 1812. James Harlan Carter appears in Civil War draft records — another possible war connection.

Possible Presidential Connection

Theodrick Carter I married Elizabeth Randolph Bland in 1695. If this lineage is correct, we might be distantly connected to the Randolph family, which was one of Virginia's first families. One of the Randolph family's descendants was none other than president Thomas Jefferson.

Maps

United States

For several generations, we lived in Virginia before heading out west to Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas.

England

Most of our direct family come from Gloucestershire, on the south west side of England, close to Wales. Although great aunts and uncles moved around the United Kingdom and settled elsewhere.