| Jahr |
Events surrounding the Dettling Family Community |
| 1967 |
During a visit to old Switzerland in the cities of Schwyz and Altdorf, Karl Dettling had come across the name Dettling, spelled the same way as we [some of us? ‒ Tr.] spell it. Still, he must not have had an inkling of what connections to that name would be made in the future. |
| 1981 |
A desire of one of his namesakes for a specific Dettling coat of arms led to some discussions, and this goal became ever stronger as a great number of Mühlbach Dettlings came to express the same wish. |
| 1982 |
Based on appropriate records in the coat-of-arms archive in Stuttgart, an official certificate for a genuine coat of arms allowed all descendants of Jakobus Dettling, an original citizen of Salzstetten who in 1768 settled in Mühlbach, to claim this coat of arms properly. As long as twenty years earlier, following the death of Theresia “Rösle” (wife of Otto Dettling of Mühlbach), her descendants began to hold an annual two-day gathering in Kinzigtal. Sometime later, Karl began to attend these gatherings, at which he was welcomed with great joy. His presentations on the Dettling family history, which he based on at least a year-long research effort in archives and in old documents, was met with great interest by the “Rösle-Dettlings.” An important occasion for his thorough research had been a Mühlbach Yearbook he had put together. The latter was dedicated entirely to the Mühlbach families and published by the Heimatverein Mühlbach. A gift of a bottle of “Dettling-Kirsch” gave Karl the occasion to remember a 1967 visit to Switzerland and caused him to make contact with the liqueur’s producer in Brunnen. |
| 1985 |
A spontaneous action by the Dettling Distillery and a referral to the Swiss family researcher Franz Dettling really got the ball rolling. |
| 1986 |
He visited his namesake at his home in Schwyz, where they discussed their respective
research results. In a surprising move, the former bank officer and president of the “Dettling-Donation-Fund in Schwyz” ‒ without any influence from others ‒ arrived at the assumption that Dettlingen near Horb must have been the origin of the family name or perhaps even of the entire clan. |
| 1987 |
Discussions and exchanges of ideas were continued in Schwyz [in Switzerland], and by this time a friendly tone of relatedness was beginning to mark the conversations. It was high time for such connections to take hold, for Franz Dettling-Gwerder died in March of 1988, but valuable family information had been exchanged by that time. |
| 1988 |
Karl and his wife Mathilde were invited to a “family day” in Lauerz, where he presented his latest findings to a gathering of Swiss cousins ‒ an unforgettable day for him, speaking to 140 people and partaking of a genuine Swiss supper and subsequent conversation and dancing.
As much as this gathering had made a lasting impressed on him, he felt equally strongly that in Germany there was no equivalent organization backing him, and that in reality he had no authorization to speak on behalf of the German Dettlings or even just for the coatofarms bearers in Mühlbach. |
| 1989 |
For all the above reasons, a meeting was arranged in the inn “Zum Rebstock” in Bühlertal, and that is where the Familiengemeinschaft Dettling was founded.
A total of thirty-five carriers of the name, or those who had the name at birth, traveled to
this gathering. They represented nineteen families. Right from the beginning there was a
relaxed atmosphere, with heart-warming welcomes.
After Karl introduced the purpose and aims of the gathering, he had all the attendees introduce themselves. That made it possible to learn what individuals were doing in their occupations, where they lived, and what they expected from such a family/clan gathering. Most were interested in continuing research of the ancestry, and most of all in the developments over the centuries. One of the decisions coming out of the gathering was the formation of a so-called board, with Karl Dettling as its leader, Werner Dettling of Mühlbach as treasurer, Günther Dettling of Neuenberg as secretary, and Rolf Dettling of Pforzheim as its printing and presentation artist. In the latter part of the same year, a delegation of the newly founded organization visited the cousins in Lauerz and Schwyz, where they were warmly welcomed. Not only official contacts were established, but decidedly friendly bonds were also made, and all of these have been maintained to this day.
|
| 1992 |
saw a further step being taken to strengthen the feeling of belonging ‒ a clear high point of all gatherings thus far. On September 5th, a meeting of the community with the Swiss cousins was held in Dettlingen. All who experienced those days in Dettlingen came away with a happy and satisfied feeling about the course of the gathering. For some years there had already been contacts with Reinhard and his wife, and Karl was especially pleased that a delegation from Salzstetten came to the gathering. Siegfried, Walter, Helmut and Gerolf Dettling showed strong interest in the work of the family community and eventually became members of it. |
| 1994 |
a grand family gathering of over 100 namesakes was held in Salzstetten, where an expansion of the community into all of Germany was decided ‒ originally the membership had been limited to the Mühlbachers. So now the intent was altered due to strong countrywide interest. On the same day the by-laws of the organization were presented and unanimously approved by the membership. The leadership group of Karl at the head, Werner as treasurer, and Günther as secretary were present, and the membership elected Reinhard of Dettlingen and Siegfried of Salzstetten as further board members. The plan was to stage, if possible, a grand family gathering every three to four years ‒ organizationally not always an easy undertaking. At this point, as the chair of the community, I wish to thank again those engaged members who were prepared to stage such a gathering. |
| 26.-27.04.1997 |
In Mühlbach |
| 19.09.1999 |
In Scharrachbergtheim/Alsace. |
| 2002 |
In Bittelbronn at the “Teufel” inn in Bittelbronn the beginnings were made for a Dettling book by Karl Dettling, a book that after twenty-some years of searching and collecting had become quite ready to be published |
| 2004 |
The community gathered for two days in Gaienhofen on Lake Constance. A new board was presented at this gathering. |
2006
|
we started with a project to stage an annual “family outing” in order to maintain contacts and connections among the members. Each one turned out to be a fine Sunday spent together. |
| 12.10.2008 |
Another visit to Salzstetten. Things had happened here since the previous gathering. Thanks to the foundation “Salzstetter Schlöẞle,” following an entire year’s work the oldest building in Salzstetten had been renovated and expanded to form a true cultural center. |
| 14.10.2012 |
We met in Dettlingen. |
