Elfrink Family
Coat of Arms and History
| John Herman Elfrink | John
Henry Elfrink
(harness maker) |
Bollinger County History |
| The Coat of Arms | Cape Girardeau County |
The Elfrink Coat Of Arms and The History
Coat of arms were the identifying symbols of Knights and warriors during battle and in tournaments. There can be several different coats of arms for a family. Artisans developed a language to describe the coats of arms.
This Elfrink coat of arms is officially documented in Siebmacher's Wappenbuch. The Original description of the shield is:
"In Blau 3 (2,1) G. Diamantringe."
Translated:
"Blue; Three gold diamond rings placed two over one."Above the Shield and Helmet the crest is described as
"one ring between two open wings, one gold and the other blue."THE TALE OF THE ELFRINK The stories have been passed down over the years about three brothers who were caught smuggling in what was then called Prussia. Faced with a choice they decided to move to the land of the free and home of the brave. Another story, less racy, is that one brother came to the United States and sent word back that it was great and told the rest of the family to come. Yet another was that Herman told his wife if their next child was a boy they would go the the United States. What ever the story is, a man, John Herman Elfrink with his wife, Gsina, daughter Christina and two sons, John Henry and John George left Prussia for a better life in the United states. Herman onginally came from Kranenburg a villiage in Hanover, Prussia and his wife in Holland.The boat arrived in 1853 on the shores of the new country. With their children, Christina 3, Henry 2 and George not even 1, the family set out to find a place to call home. By 1856 they had made it to Cincinnati, Ohio where Gsina gave birth to her first daughter Gsina.Why Ohio? It is believed that the first brother (possibility Friz) of the family who had gone to the United States was living in Ohio and Herman stayed near them.
Herman his family along with many other families from Holland in the Cincinnati area moved and set up a town later called Leopold. There the rest of his family was borne, Mary Ann in 1858, John Fritz Oct. 1960, and Elizabeth in 1866.
JOHN HENRY ELFRINK (Elfrank) is another that lives in Southeast Missouri in the late 1800's. It is believed that he may be a nephew of Herman's. The one thing that separates them is the fact that Henry was born in Ohio. As a young man Henry came to the area and married. He ran the Harness Shop in what is now called Lutesville. In the census of 1880 he was listed with his wife, Mary and two daughters, Cora and Mary as a harness maker. Marriage records show a John Elfrink marries a Mary E. Schultz Aug. 8, 1876. By 1900 John Henry had married again to a Katie Sander (Oct. 8, 1892)
Be it as it may, the families continued to grow. Much of this history comes from the census of Bollinger County, other information comes from the family. The grave site of Herman and Gsina can be found in the St. John's Cemetery in Leopold along with his sons and their sons and their sons. It is a beautiful place with a long history. My mother is there and my father has his place next to her when the time comes.
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