Rexrode/Lautenschläger (Lautenschlager) Ancestry

Sources:

The Rexroth name, as well as other spelling variations, is a habitational name for someone from a former village near Wanfried in Hesse on the Werra River near Thuringia. This village is mentioned in the literature for the first time in 1337 as Reystras and in 1490 as Rexraide. Spelling variations of this family name include: Rexrodt, Rexrode, Rexroad, Rexroth, Reckrodt, Rexerode, Reckrode, Reckrodt, Reckroth and many more.

Legend says that this family served as weapons and armor maker for Otho or Otto II, crowned in 961 the Emperor of Germany. He was nicknamed Otto the Red. The family supposedly showed their loyalty to Otto II by taking the name, "von Rexroth". "Rex" meaning king, "Roth" being an old German word for Red. Thus the name "von Rexroth" means "from the red king". There seems to be no factual basis for this legend.

Source: Michael Lee Rexroad, Archive of Rexroad Family History (copyrighted 1996).

← Granted to Rexrode or von-Rexrode from Wanfried in Hesse of southwestern Germany between Thuringia and the Rhine River (Source: Eye).
Another version of the von-Recksrodt/Reckerodt/Rexrode/Rexroad shield is below:

 

Hans Rexsrodt
b. ca. 1480
He married.
d. ca. 1540
Wanfried, Hesse, Germany		   Hans Dorfheilige
(b. Wanfried, Hesse, Germany)
m. Dorothea (maiden name unknown)
She died in Wanfried, Hesse, Germany.		        
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↓		   |
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Joachim Recksrodt/Rexsrodt
b. ca. 1510
d. ca. 1570
Wanfried, Hesse, Germany		 m. N. N. Dorfheilige            
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↓		              
  Dietrich Recksrodt/Rexsrodt
b. ca. 1554
Wanfried, Hesse, Germany		 m. ?          
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↓		            
    Hans Recksrodt
b. in Wanfried, Hesse, Germany		 m. ?        
Lenhard Lautenschläger
b. 1560, Hesse, Germany
Lenhard married.		     |
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↓		     Johannes Recksrodt   Maria Magdalena
(maiden name unknown)		      
Wilhelm Lautenschläger
b. 1565
Günterfürst, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany
d. 1632 in Erbach, Odenwald, Hessen, Germany

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The Big Decision: The Trial of the Odenwald Wizard - Wilhelm Lautenschläger 1565-1632

By Nancy Simmons Roberson,
edited by James Arthur Johnson

In the rugged, fog-drenched landscape of 17th-century Odenwald, the line between medicine and magic was as thin as a mountain mist. For Wilhelm Lautenschläger, ... this boundary was more than a professional challenge. It became a matter of life and death. Known to history as the "Wise Man of Güttersbach," Wilhelm occupied a dangerous social space: a healer beloved by the desperate and loathed by the authorities.

A Legacy of Healing and Lore
Wilhelm was not a "wizard" in the sense of fairy tales, but a man of profound natural intellect. He inherited his "Big Decision" the choice to dedicate his life to the healing arts from his mother, a mid-wife whose skill with herbs was so renowned the nobility consulted her.

Armed with a precious herbal book, knowledge gleaned from Romani travelers, and a deep understanding of the forest, Wilhelm's practice flourished. On some days, more than 20 people would queue at his door. He was a master of the local flora:
  • Bear's breeches for "dead blood" in children.
  • Elderflower (Hollerstock) and "fire stones" for agonizing joint pain.
  • Hyssop and walnut leaves for internal ailments.
However, Wilhelm's success was tethered to a risky performance. To satisfy a superstitious public, he didn't just provide tea; he analyzed the souls of the sick by peering through his eyeglasses at their shirts, "speaking" to the garments as if the patient were present.

The Conflict Ignites
As Wilhelm's fame grew, so did the tension. He was not just a doctor; he was a finder of lost goods and a namer of thieves. This "Big Decision" to involve himself in communal disputes led to a violent fray with a man known as the "Old Egg-Buyer," leaving the man bedridden for months. For the local priest, this was the final straw. Wilhelm was branded a quack and a servant of the devil. The authorities of the Odenwald -- a region generally spared the worst of the era's witch-burnings -- could no longer look away. Wilhelm was arrested and hauled to the Michelstadt Tower.

The Trial and the Final Vow
Inside the cold stone walls of the prison, Wilhelm faced three judges. This was his ultimate "Big Decision": Hold his ground as a man of power or humble himself to survive. During the interrogation, the judges tested his "supernatural" skills by presenting him with clothing from sick strangers. When his diagnoses failed to hit the mark under the pressure of the court, Wilhelm realized the gravity of his situation. In an era where "idolatry" often led to the stake, Wilhelm chose the path of strategic repentance.

The Trial and the Final Vow
The resulting judgment was surprisingly lenient testament to his genuine popularity or the baronial family's lingering respect for his mother's work. Instead of the gallows, Wilhelm was sentenced to:
  1. Public Church Penance: A special Sunday sermon where he was the subject of the lesson.
  2. A Written Apology: A formal confession where he admitted to being "misled by fraudulent gypsies" and "following the devil."
  3. A Heavy Fine: A financial blow meant to ensure he would never again "tempt" the public with fortune-telling.
The Wise Man's Choice
Wilhelm Lautenschläger's story is a fascinating glimpse into a world transitioning from folklore to formal law. His "Big Decision" to sign that confession saved his life and allowed his lineage to continue. He walked out of the Michelstadt Tower not as a wizard, but as a man who had successfully navigated the most dangerous "spell" of all: the legal system of the 1600s.

SOURCES:
Wilhelm first married Catharina Ihrig (1570-1613). However, he later married 18 May 1614 in Güttersbach, Odenwaldkreis, Hessen, Deutschland (Germany)to Apollonia Wagner (b. 1580) who was mother of Hans.

Apollonia Wagner
b. 1580
d. in Güttersbach, Odenwaldkreis, Hessen, Deutschland (Germany).
Apollonia was Wilhelm's second wife.

 b. 1595
Wanfried (near Kassel), Hesse, Germany
d. pre 21 June 1621
Smirschitz, near Koniggratz, Bohemia		 m. b. 1606 in Wanfried, Hesse, Germany
d. 28 Oct 1692, Erbach, Hesse, Germany, age 86		 My Rexroad Family Story: A Family Pattern: The Iron Thread of the Rexroads, by Nancy Simmons Roberson, tells of multiple generations of Rexroads as iron-workers starting with Johannes.    
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Hans Lautenschläger   Wenzeslaus (Wenzel) Recksrodt According to Walter Eye, Wenzeslaus Recksrodt was born in Schmiersiz in Bohemia and came to Erbach in Odenwald during the Thirty Years War with a count in the Imperial Austrian Service. He married there and was a blacksmith. According to Ancestry, Wenzeslaus was a "Huf und Waffenschmied. Bürger." This translates to "hoof and weaponsmith. Citizen" and means he was a farmer and weaponsmith and citizen. Veronika
(maiden name unknown)

Wenzeslaus Recksrodt was born shortly after his father's death and remained in Bohemia for many years. He married and had at least one child there, but eventually made his way back to Germany. But settled in a slightly different part of the country than where his ancestors had lived.

Wenzel Recksrodt was the founding father of the Rexroth bloodline in the Odenwald. He had left his birthplace of Smirschitz and moved to the Odenwald, probably after the 30 Years War which ran from 1618 to 1648. The Odenwald is a low mountain range in Hesse and Baden. For much of its history it was a relatively poor region.

Wenzel lived in Erbach, working as a horse and weapon smith. Erbach was the seat of Colonel Count Erbach von Bohmen who ruled over much of the Odenwald region. Erbach was in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt had come into existence in 1567.

Most men in the family became blacksmiths. Although a common trade by American standards, blacksmithing required certification by a guild and brought with it some degree of status. The Recksrodts held the status of Bürger or Burgher, which means they were citizens with full rights and were not subject to serfdom. Their sons married the daughters of tailors, church officials, court officials and other middle-class people at a time when middle-class status was relatively rare in Germany.

According to Bess Wilson: Wenzeslaus is credited as the founding father of the Rexroth bloodline in the Odenwald. He had left his birthplace of Smirschitz and moved to the Odenwald in the retinue of Colonel Count Erbach von Bohmen. There he lived in Erbach, working as a horse and weapon smith, with his wife, Veronika, and seven children. His firstborn son, Hans Barthel Recksrodt, was born in Smirschitz, before the family moved to Erbach in the Odenwald. Eventually the Recksrodt family would branch out in the Odenwald area and develop what was then called iron hammers or forges. They eventually had a monopoly of the iron-making trade in the Odenwald area. The Recksrodts were to become a very famous family, and quite a bit was written about them and their dynasty.

Source: Michael Lee Rexroad

b. 11 June 1615
Güttersbach, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany
He married Anna before 1643.
d. 27 March 1675
Güttersbach, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, age 59		   b. 21 June 1621 in Smirschitz, Bohemia
d. 21 June 1705 in Erbach, Odenwald/Hesse, Germany		 m. ca. 1644
Smirschitz, Bohemia		 b. 1618
Smirschitz, Bohemia
d. 28 October 1662 or 1692 in Erbach, Odenwald/Hesse, Germany		    
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Ancestor - Elisabetha Lautenschläger (1650-1721) by Nancy Simmons Roberson Elisabeth Lautenschläger   Hans Barthel Recksrodt/Rexroth      
  b. 16 June 1650
Güttersbach, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany
d. 17 September 1721 in Erbach, Odenwald/Hesse, Germany		 m. 20 Jun 1671 in Erbach, Hesse, Germany, Hans' second
Their marriage and family (source: Hessisches Geschlechterbuch, Volume 94 -- provided by Nancy Simmons Roberson)		 b. 1645 in Erbach, Odenwald, Germany
or Smirschitz, Bohemia
d. 26 April 1694 in Erbach, Odenwald/Hesse, Germany		      
                 
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↓		        
      He was a blacksmith in Erbach. Johan Balthasar Rexrode (Recksrodt)   ↑
Johanna Lowisa Christina Küchler (Kuchler)		    
        b. 11 June 1673 in Germany
d. 16 August 1734 in Erbach, Odenwald, Germany		 m. 19 June 1710
Erbach, Hesse, Germany		 b. 7 January 1690/1691
Erbach, Hesse, Germany
d. 11 Dec. 1726
Erbach, Hesse, Germany		 Johanna bore Johann Balthaser seven children. When the youngest was one year old, Johanna died.
                 
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↓
descendants		       
Johannes Recksrodt + Maria Magdalena (maiden name unknown)
+------------------+------------------------+
|b. about 1600 in  |b. about 1600 in GERMANY|
|Wanfried, near    |                        |
|Kassel, GERMANY.  |                        |
|d. in Smirschitz, |                        |
|near Koniggratz,  |                        |
|Bohemia, GERMANY. |                        |
+------------------+------------------------+
                   |
                   |
              Wenzelslaus   Veronika
              Recksrodt   + (maiden name unknown)
+-------------------------+----------------------+
|b. 1621 in Smirschitz,   |b. 1618               |
|Bohemia, GERMANY.        |d. 28 October 1692 in |
|d. 21 June 1705 in       |Erbach, Odenwald,     |
|Erbach, Odenwald, GERMANY|GERMANY               |
+-------------------------+----------------------+
                          |
                          |
                        Hans        Elisabeth
                        Barthel   + Lautenschläger
                        Recksrodt |
              +-------------------+----------------+
              |b. 1645 in Erbach, |b. about 1650 in|
              |Odenwald, GERMANY  |   GERMANY      |
              |d. 26 April 1694 in|d. 17 Sept. 1721|
              |Erbach, Odenwald,  |in Erbach,      |
              |GERMANY            |Odenwald,GERMANY|
              +-------------------+----------------+
                                  |
                                  |
                                  |
                                Johan          Johanna
                                Baltasar    +  Lowisa
                                Rexrode     |  Christina
                                (Recksrodt) |  Kepler
                +---------------------------+
                |b. 11 June 1673 in GERMANY |
                |d. 16 Aug. 1734 in Erbach, |
                | Odenwald, GERMANY         |
                +---------------------------+