Seven Centuries of Diepenbrocks

By William Diepenbrock

Author William Diepenbrock, an American journalist, documents the fascinating personal history of the Diepenbrock clan and its related forebears.

The tale stretches from the 1300s, when the family became land barons in what is today the Westphalia region of Germany, to modern day America.

The project chronicles specific individuals who played significant roles in European history, the Catholic Church and the development of the United States.

The project includes dozens of photographs of Diepenbrocks as well as a detailed genealogy stretching from the 1500s to the 20th century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Diepenbrock
• Release date: Feb 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452468853

William Diepenbrock

William Diepenbrock is a digital communications professional and data analyst who has written and edited for national and regional news publications. He teaches journalism and marketing/PR at the University of La Verne and UCLA. He is married to Renee Hernandez, a communications director the Los Angeles County Fair Association, and is father to two awesome children.

Book preview

SEVEN CENTURIES OF DIEPENBROCKS

William Diepenbrock

Published by William Diepenbrock at Smashwords

Copyright: 2012 William Diepenbrock

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

To my mother and father, who set me on this journey of discovery more than 20 years ago, and to Renee, Julian and Claire, for allowing me to complete it.

Table of Contents

Copyright Page

Title Page

Dedication

List of images

Preface

Origins

German regional history

Cardinal Diepenbrock

Immigrants: Diepenbrock

Immigrants: Coolot

Coolot and Diepenbrock

Melchior and Clara Louise’s Children

More Relatives

Castles, Homes and Businesses

The Diepenbrock Family Tree

Credits

About the author

Connect with me online

Images

Bocholt

Cardinal Melchior Diepenbrock

Melchior Hubert Diepenbrock

The Coolot Family

Melchior Diepenbrock and Clara Coolot

Clara Louise and Anthony Bernard Diepenbrock Sr.

Theatre Diepenbrock

Theatre Program

Melchior Hubert Diepenbrock

Joseph Charles and Melchior Diepenbrock

MH Diepenbrock and relatives in Germany

Anthony Bernard’s Harvard graduation

Captain AB Diepenbrock

Joseph Charles Diepenbrock

Marie Margaretha’s wedding

Maximilian Eugene Diepenbrock

Alexander James at Annapolis

Alexander James in service

Carola Ann and Victor Leo Diepenbrock

Victor Leo Diepenbrock

Clotilde, Tom, Teresa and Berchman Bannan

Rebecca Coolot

Haus Diepenbrock

Haus building plans

The Coolot Building

Diepenbrock Mansion

Coat of Arms

A.B. Diepenbrock Jr. and Marjorie G. Schoorl

Preface

Nothing is more uncertain than history. The few details we know foam atop a crushing tide of ambiguity. Historians painstakingly assemble momentous historical events from the writings of those who lived during them, deducing the patterns of cause and effect. But, even then, much relies on theory.

How much more uncertain then is the history of a single family?

The following pages represent 50 years of research by our family, coupled with official histories and biographies, data from encyclopedias, family recollections and tales, photographs carefully saved, some professional genealogical research and tidbits found in odd places across the globe.

Multiple versions of stories are given when accounts differ, and every effort was made to find independent verification in official records.

William Diepenbrock

2012

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Origins

Firm records of the Diepenbrock family in the Westphalia region of what is now Germany stretch back to the 1500s, and the family is reputed to have existed for some 200 years before then.

The first recorded family member is Hermann Von Diepenbrock, said to have lived in the 1300s in the Bocholt area of Westphalia, where an ancestral home first mentioned in local records in 1326 now serves as a hotel. Our lineage can be directly traced to Zeno Diepenbrock in the 1500s.

Family legends say the family found a piece of the True Cross, which it donated to a now unknown church in Italy. The relic, duly authenticated by the Catholic Church, was to be presented for viewing at the church every Good Friday. The Diepenbrock family, however, had the privilege of commanding a presentation at any time. Other tales indicate that marks on the Diepenbrock crest represent wounds received in battle, possibly during the crusades.

German nobility records say members of the family were raised to baronial status on three occasions in Prussia and once by the Bavarian crown, thought they were lords long before either region was a country. The title of count was received in 1740.

One baron, Melchior Ferdinandus Josephus Diepenbrock (also prince bishop and cardinal), played a major role on the religious and political stage of Prussia during the mid-1800s. His life intersected with renowned mystics, poets, religious leaders and rulers, warriors, heretics, and the poor and suffering residents of his bishopric in the region of Silesia.

The cardinal not only played a direct role through his posts, but also influenced church policy and the communal life of his country. Several biographies have been written about the cardinal; they are summarized here.

The cardinal’s great-nephew, Melchior Hubert Diepenbrock, founded our branch of the family in America. Diepenbrocks also abound in several Midwest states, some lines stretching back to before Melchior Hubert, his brother or their uncle arrived in New York. And branches exist in at least three German communities, one in