The history of our family goes back to the Middle Ages. Here is a brief overview.
The Wuppermann family has its origins in the Wupper valley and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Their farm “An der Wupper” in Wuppertal-Barmen was first mentioned around 1450. This was located in today’s Wupperfeld, on the right-hand side of the Wupper, and extended as far as the Krühbuschfelsen, roughly between today’s Berliner- and Elsa-Brandström-Street and the railroad line to Wichlinghausen station. In the Beyenburg official accounts of 1466, “Nolde bei der Wupper” is mentioned as the owner of the Wupperhof and the first documented ancestor of the family.
Over five generations, several farm owners named Johann and a Wennemar shaped the family history until finally Peter Wuppermann (1610-1682) is considered the real progenitor. From him, the family spread into numerous lines that reached far beyond the Bergisches Land region.
To promote unity, the family founded the Family Association of the Wuppermann Family in 1935. This mainly includes members of the Wichlinghausen line, but the Frankfurt, Westphalian and Elberfeld lines are also found. Over the centuries, there has been a broad branching out within the lines.
In 1910, Heinrich Theodor Wuppermann (1835-1907) established the Heinrich Theodor Wuppermann Family Foundation in his will, which still promotes the unity of his descendants today. The rich family history is documented in the chronicle published in 1960, which can be purchased from the association.
The explanation of the surname Wuppermann presents no difficulties, as it joins the many names ending in ‘mann’ which, in connection with the name of a place or river, indicate the place of residence. As the oldest ancestors appear around the middle of the 15th century under the name ‘bei der Wupper’ and in the 16th century ‘an der Wupper’, the origin of the surname Wuppermann can undoubtedly be traced back to the river name Wupper in the former Duchy of Berg. The variations observed in the names Wipper and Wüpper for Wupper should not come as a surprise, as the spelling used today was so little established until the 18th century that a dictionary published in 1795 only mentions Wipperfeld and the river Wüpper. The name Wupper dates back to Proto-Germanic times and is connected with the rapid up and down movement of the river (Wippen).
It can be assumed that a number of sons migrated from the Wupperhof who are not known as Wuppermanns because they adopted a different name in a new place. There may also still be Wuppermanns who came from other farms on the Wupper.
Coats of arms originated in the 12th century as distinguishing marks for knights on shields and helmets. Heraldry, which deals with the rules for coats of arms, developed from this. Originally, this was a noble science, but over time, townspeople and other groups also began to create coats of arms to show their rank and title
The diagram shows a schematic connection of the individual families to the Wuppermann ancestors.
Starting with Peter II (1610-1682), from the 6th generation of the Wuppermanns known to us, it ends in the 13th generation. Since there is currently the 16th or a later generation, these are at least the great-grandparents for all Wuppermanns.
We owe our current knowledge of the Wuppermann family, its development and distribution, among other things, to the fact that systematic recording and documentation began at an early stage.
The first “History of the Wuppermann family” (see Fig. 1) by H.F. Macco was published in 1911. This story was well received in the family and far beyond, and brought many suggestions and consequences. The family days were revived. Between 1907 and 1914, eight family days were held at the Schwelmer Brunnen and in Düsseldorf. The founding of a family association, which had begun in 1914, was prevented by the outbreak of the First World War and was only put into action after a number of turbulent events in 1935, on the 100th birthday of Heinrich Theodor Wuppermann, at a family day in Schlebusch.
In 1936, a family archive was set up in the Theodor Wuppermann garden house in Leverkusen-Schlebusch to collect and organize all the family’s archives. From 1936 onwards, Dr. Walter Dietz acted as administrator of the archive and clerk of the family association. In 1937, he was commissioned by the board of the family association to research and present the family history anew.
After more than 20 years, 6 years of war and difficult times afterwards, the “Chronicle of the Wuppermann Family” (Fig. 2) by Dr. Walter Dietz, published by the family association, was published between 1960 and 1967. It is a two-volume work, supplemented by two illustrated volumes and 10 genealogical charts. While the Macco family history is of course long out of print, the family chronicle can still be purchased.
For a long time, the contents of the family archive were stored on the premises of Theodor Wuppermann GmbH and Wuppermann AG in Leverkusen. In 2018, the archive was transferred to the RWWA Stiftung Rheinisch-Westfälisches Wirschaftsarchiv zu Köln in Cologne. The documents, objects and images are systematically archived there and are accessible for research purposes.
All existing digitized chronicles can be viewed by members here.
