Oensbach Story

Fidelius Herr (1782 -1862) was born and raised at Schwarzwaldstrasse 25, Oensbachin a house less than 50 yards down the street from St. Josef Catholic Church.His father, Blasius Herr, and 16 brothers and sisters, were also born in that house.Blasius operated a shoemaker business, and managed the village as Burgermeister in 1800 from the door steps.You can still see the majesty of the towering church steeple presiding over the littlevillage from a bedroom window.Blasius’ father, Markus Herr, bought the house from his mother-in-law, Appolonia Schindler about 1732.An inscription on a plaque cemented in a wall indicated the house may go back in the Schindler family much further, maybe as far back as “In Anno Domini 1388 AD.” .The oldest Herr son in each successive generation inherited the house until today when it is owned by Wilhelm Herr, who is a 5th great grandson of Markus Herr and a 3rd great grand nephew of Fidelius Herr.The church was built until about 1805, four years after Fidelius married and was livingin Achern.Prior to St. Josef, the Herr Family members were baptized, worshipped, and received the sacraments at the Alte Kirche in Fautenbach, which was a short mile and a half away.Subsequent generations of Herren in the old house lived in the shadow of the church.What we see in the photographs of St. Josef and Oensbach is what the Herr Family saw throughout the three centuries the family lived there.After 1805, all Herr Family members were baptized, married, and buried out ofSt. Josef.On the many Sundays, they worshipped there, Roman Catholicism was their heritage and immutable way of life.