The story of STAUDT

STAUDT coat of arms

The illustrated STAUDT coat of arms is officially documented in RIETSTAP ARMORIAL GENERAL
The original description of this coat of arms is as follows:
"D'ARG. A UN BUSTE D'HOMME, HAB. DE GU., AU RABAT D'ARG.,
COIFFE D'UN BONNET A L'ANTIQUE DE GU., RETR D'ARG.,
ORNE SUR LE DEVANT DE TROIS FEUILLES DE SIN."

Escutcheon description.
“The bust of a man; with red clothing, a silver collar, and a red ancient hat with a silver brim. The greenery portrays lime wood leaves”.
Helmet-ornament:
“Two horizontally buffalo-wild-oat with alternately red and silver parts. The man of the shield is positioned between buffalo-wild-oat”.

The “Staudt” name’s origination and indication:

The last name “Staudt” seems to be of spatial proximity origin. Our research shows that the name is German-derived and is descended from an Upper German name of a person who lived in a location described with bushes and shrubbery. In the Middle Ages, persons were named based on characteristics of their town, the local geography, their trade, and personal history or other elements in their surroundings. In a number of towns, there was also a "House of Staud", the resident being named by his fellow townspeople. (Since this description was gathered from the register of a named directory), we can assume that the name, “Staudt” can arise from other sources, too.
For example, the name, “Bell” was a name given to a person living in the proximity of a bell, (eg. Glockengiesser, Glockenzieher). However, “Bel” could also derive from the French word for beauty or describe a descendant of Isabel. Or it could have been just an abbreviated term of endearment.

Different expressions of the name, “Staudt”.

Many original names have been transposed through the years into many different spellings. Many people could not read and write so the names were often passed on verbally. So it is no surprise that the name “Staudt” is often seen as “Stautt”, “Staudl” and “Staut”. Keep this in mind when researching your ancestory. It is also possible that past relatives made name changes. Changes in the way a language expresses itself can come in to play as can simple carelessness of a person writing or recording the name on a document.
In tracing registry documents (in the left Rhenish area since the end of the 18th century, and in the other Germany since 1876), such name alterations have been rare but have occurred. The name, “Staudt” is by far the most common.
The origin of many names was based on the name of their town. Professional names were often used, too. The name, “Staudt” is undoubtedly an "origin name" from the ancestors living in Staudt. Many Germans have moved abroad and spread the name around the world since the 18th century."

A Warm Welcome to Staudt, Germany!

me in Staudt

Staudt lies in the southern Westerwald at the edge of the Montabaur Valley and is part of the Kannenbäckerland (Can Baker Country). Staudt's wide southern part extends 286 meters on the mountain slope, Am Hähnchen (On The Chicken), and extends east and west into an inclined plain. In the north lies the old residential area and new development in the 277m high Kramberg Mountains. Staudt is only 2 km from the cities of Montabaur and Wirges on Hwy B255 and A3. Limburg and Koblenz are 20 minute drives and Cologne and Frankfurt are about an hour's drive.

Small place history:

The place of Staudt exists from the time of the late Middle Ages. It always belonged to the Wirges parish, a daughter parish of the Humbach-Montabaur parish and became independent in the course of time. The patronage law and tithe of the parish Wirges in turn went to St. Florinsstift of Koblenz. The first documented mention of Stude was from a Florinstift document in the year 1367. It more precisely stated there was also a lease of grain, oats, and chickens in the Montabaur territory belonging to Staudt. The archbishop of Trier exerted exclusive authority over the residents in the Montabaur territory. The villages were forced into compulsory services, since the inhabitants were not free and were, counted as goods. They changed in to the possession of the new sire at a sale or trade. The territory was divided into single administrative districts. Staudt, together with 6 other places, formed - at since 1488 - the so-called “large guild”, until a new partition formed in the year 1653. From there it led to a guild with Leuterod, Hosten, Otzingen and Staudt.

Shortly after the end of the 30-year war, which for Staudt no doubt had major consequences, family numbers had shrunk from 18 in the year 1605 to 9 in 1684. It is assumed that there were still fewer inhabitants by war’s end, since a census listed only 7 families. Armies marching through the Montabaur territory brought fear and poverty, many people escaped, but almost two thirds died. Presumably at the end of the 17th century (a correct date isn’t known), the Montabaur territory was divided, forming a Wirges territory to which Staudt belonged.
The administrator Hofrat Linz reported the following in 1786: The inhabitants of the territory Wirges stand out noticeably, are industrious, stout hearted (ie. enterprising) and yet intelligent. They love strangers, are thrifty in the house and boastfully wasteful in the pub, and known to be more fair than unfair. Since the end of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation in 1806 to the German War of 1866, the census counted the place (fighting on the side of Austria at the time) as the newly found Duchy of Nassau. Nassau was annexed, Staudt was henceforth Prussian, next to the North German Federation, later the German Empire. The place and its residents lived through two World Wars. During a bomb raid, 18 buildings were completely destroyed on March 18, 1844. Not only were these houses rebuilt long after, it started a change from agriculture to a settlement characterized by industry and services.

Worth seeing:

The towns center around the Old School (today's city hall) and the Old Church, presenting themselves as two historical gems following their renovation. The old school was erected in the year 1907/08 in the same place as the first school was in 1753. The lessons were for first graders, then second graders, and at the beginning of the ‘70 s, they were totally adjusted. The building was altered completely and offers versatile possibilities of use today. The house contains a meeting room and a study for the mayor, as well as a large hall and a party cellar for celebration. The Old School is actively used for group work and many celebrations. The Old Church was built next to the school in 1865. Originally she was only a small chapel and got her infrastructure today after remodeling in 1922. The Church offered little space for the growing community of Staudt, so a new building was necessary. The Church was misused from 1959 up to its acquisition in the middle of the 1980’s as a bank storeroom. The administration office of historical preservation put the former house of God in 1985 under permanent protection of historical monuments, registering a protest from the community. The town was split into supporters and opponents. After lawsuits lasting for years, the Old Church was classified a historical monument anyway and shines in the old brightness again after her renovation in 1990. After the planned remodeling, the building may be used as an exhibit and showroom in the future. Besides the two main landmarks, Staudt also has much to offer by way of its splendidly convenient community Birkensportplatz facility, a 1990 modern spacious athletic house that can also be used for private celebrations. Three tennis courts and the TC clubhouse are directly beside it. The Kindergarten at the Kirmes Platz was opened in 1994. Two children’s classes are taught with the best equipment available. The New Church in Staudt is considered immense from near or afar, built in 1958, and consecrated a year later. The entry at the rear of the Church designed in 1995 offers enough comfortable space to talk after the service. The Erbsengarten (Pea Garden) is a former gravel pit that was altered into a leisurely park at the end of the 1970s. It now offers various opportunities including games and cricket, and a beautiful setting for large events. Kindergarten

Current Day Staudt:

In 1995, 1,121 people lived in Staudt, with the population doubling within the last 50 years. While the whole population of Staudt and its surroundings was involved in farming or gravel mining at the turn of the century, this has basically changed. The increasing mechanization and improved traffic flow in these areas have caused the change to trade and industry.
Today, Staudt is a small center where its residents live pleasantly, providing the best and quickest way to work. The industrial district Feinchesweise - Auf der Heide” and the numerous undertakings in the workplace are evidence of these developments such as the newly opened business district Am Kramberg and the beginning of another business district between Erbsengarten and the cemetery. This development is not without problems; the good traffic routes are allegedly paid for with a high traffic count (approximately 6,000 cars daily). Construction and rent prices have become considerately more expensive. Staudt is today a municipality striving for progress, with an intact town and organized life, known for its cohesiveness and social activity. We look forward to your visit!

Worldwide, there is only one place named Staudt, but thousands of people also bear this name.