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Abraham Dreisbach of Balde
The earliest known progenitor of many North American Dreisbachs is a certain Abraham, who lived in the hamlet of Balde. The story of Abraham's descendants is of interest to all Dreisbachs, Dresbachs, etc, whether or not their relationship to this line has been established. In the first place, there is much here that is valid in a general way for other Dreisbach emigrants from Wittgenstein. Moreover, there are sufficient details known about these Dreisbachs to help us form an idea of the life both they and the other Dreisbachs must have led in the 17th and 18th centuries. Then too, we may expect that with time more North American Dreisbachs will discover their links to Wittgenstein, and perhaps to Father Abraham himself.
We start, then, with Abraham, who emerges in 1575 on a list of militiamen which is preserved in the Archives of Berleberg Castle (Akte M 30). No other name is given, for last names were not generally used in the villages of Wittgenstein before about 1600. Abraham appears on the list as a "Schütze," or rifleman in Balde. This indicates that in 1575, when such militias were established throughout Germany, there was something to be defended in Balde. It had not always been so. Old records state that in 1510 not a house was standing in the village, and that in 1518 it was a forsaken place. In 1538 Count Johan of Berleberg rebuilt the village, and established a "Hof" or Count's farm there, such as the Counts had in most of the villages of Wittgenstein.
Balde, however, lay in a problem area close to the border between this Count's territory and the southern Wittgenstein territory of his brother, Count Wilhelm, who resided in his castle in Laasphe. Wilhelm disputed Johan's right to rule the village, and for years Balde suffered from their rivalry. In 1575 a forge, which up to then had been located in the village of Berghausen, was moved to Balde. Whether it played a role in the Dreisbach family is not known, but it must have brought some employment to the village during the time that it existed.
By 1606 we find a Georg Treisbach or Dreisbach, listed in the "Schweineregister" which can still be consulted in the Wittgenstein Archives at Laasphe. The Counts kept a tally of their subjects' livestock, including swine. Thus we can read that Georg had a house or small farm (in this period house and barn or stable were all one structure), and that in 1606 he possessed 11 full-grown and 2 young pigs. The house had a name, "Wahnersch" (in modern German "Wagners"=at the wagon-maker's or cartwright's), indicating that one or more of the preceeding inhabitants, perhaps a forefather, had exercised this craft. Balde and neighboring villages were part of the parish of Raumland. Unfortunately, the church records of St. Martin's in Raumland were not begun until about 1659. Thus there must remain some uncertainty as to whether Georg Dreisbach was in fact a son of Abraham, or whether he might have married one of Abraham's daughters. In either case, descendants of Georg Dreisbach would still have Father Abraham as their ancestor.
After record-keeping began in Raumland, it became possible to follow some of the subsequent generations of the Balde Dreisbachs. Thus, from the church records it can be deduced that Georg Dreisbach of "Wahnersch" in Balde had at least two sons and one daughter, and that the two sons gave rise to three American lines of Dreisbachs. Thus the "Simon" line is descended from Georg's son Johan Dreisbach (Treisbach), and the "Martin" and the Berghausen lines have their origins in Daniel Dreisbach. In other words, three lines of North American Dreisbachs emerged from "Wahnersch", a small farm or house in a disputed borderline area of Wittgenstein.
Descendants of Abraham of Balde
1 "Father" Abraham 1535 - 1575
....... 2 Georg Treisbach 1560 - 1615
................... 3 Johan Treisbach 1580 - 1635/36
............................. 4 Daniel Threisbach 1623 - 1685
........................................ 5 Georg Wilhelm Dreisbach 1668/69 - 1712
.................................................. 6 Simon Dreisbach, Sr. 1698 - 1785
................... 3 Daniel Dreisbach 1580 - 1630
............................. 4 Johannes Dreisbach 1625 - 1699
........................................ 5 Valentin Dreisbach 1656 - 1719
.................................................. 6 Anton Dreisbach 1700/01 - 1752
............................................................. 7 Anton Dreisbach 1736 - 1796
........................................................................ 8 Georg Dreisbach 1765 - Unknown
........................................ 5 Hans Georg Dreisbach 1670 - 1734
.................................................. 6 Martin Dreisbach 1717 - 1799
............................. 4 Hans Henrich Dreisbach 1639 - 1724
........................................ 5 Johann Henrich Dreisbach 1673/74 - 1730
.................................................. 6 Johann Heinrich Dreisbach 1702/03 - 1757
............................................................. 7 Johann Phillip Dreisbach 1748/49 - 1804
........................................................................ 8 Christian Georg Dreisbach 1790 - 1857
.................................................................................. 9 August Dreisbach 1827 -
............................................................................................. 10 Christian 'Oscar' August Dreisbach 1864 - 1936
............................................................. 7 Johannes Dreisbach 1751 - 1796
........................................................................ 8 Georg Heinrich Dreisbach 1782 - Unknown
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