The municipal Holdorf has an area of 54,90 qkm and about 6200 inhabitants (status: End of ' 99) and is situated in the recreation area Dammer Berge in the south of the district Vechta. Beside the local center Holdorf to the municipal also belongs the places:

• Fladderlohausen with Fladder
• Grandorf
• Handorf-Langenberg
• Ihorst

The district Vechta has a total area of 812,42 qkm. The highest collection in the district is the Signalberg in Damme with 145,50 m. The district Vechta is coined/shaped by its agriculture. The proportion of the persons, who are active in the agriculture, is approx. larger around the factor 4 in the federal comparison. The number of pigs and chicken are predominated. In 1991 the district Vechta was the home of e.g. over 0,75 million pigs and over 12 million chickens..

For trade and industry Holdorf offers a favorable infrastructure:

• own motorway connection, the Hansalinie A1
  (North-South-Direction e.g. to Hamburg, Bremen or to Osnabrück and the Ruhrgebiet)
• the Federal Highway B214
  (West-East-Direction to the Nederlands or to Hanover, Berlin)
• railway station (Bremen- Delmenhorst - Osnabrück)

There have been settled many new companies in the industrial area "Holdorf-Bahnhof" since 1990. Therefore the administration is buying up new areas for the future. For further information please contact the administration of the municipal Holdorf. The post address is:

Gemeinde Holdorf
Grosse Strasse 19
49451 Holdorf
GERMANY

phone: +49-5494-985-0
facsmile:+49-5494-98599
WWW: http://www.holdorf.de (german)

contact for economy development
Mr. Wilfried Schweigel

phone: +49-5494-98520
facsmile:+49-5494-98599

When in the summer 1999 the earthwork in the development area "Am Lagerweg" started under a layer of ground they found old knives and earthenware. The conclusion of this discovery is that the area around Holdorf have been a continuous settlement since 800 AD.

In the year 1188 the name Holthorpe - thus the today's Holdorf- has been mentioned for the first time by the Osnabruecker Domprobst Lentfried in a document. During the 30-Years War of 1618-1648 between the catholics and the protestants it came also into Holdorf to plunderings and devastations. Those, which had survived the war, fought in the future with the consequences of war: Many humans were starving due to destroyed fields and harvests, plague and other epidemics accessed around itself. Also in the future Holdorf did not clam down: The Holdorfer area was either associated with the Prince of Oldenburg, the Bishops of Osnabrueck or Muenster. At the beginning of the 19th Century a dramatic emigration wave toward the USA took place in Holdorf - like in the whole area of Southern Oldenburg. Only from 1830 till 1849 roughly 906 people left the community of Holdorf, which has just became independent in 1827. From 1825 (approx..2300 inhab.) till 1890 (approx. 1500 inhab.) Holdorf lost over 33 % of its inhabitant. More information about the underlying causes of emigration you can find here.

In 1988 Holdorf celebrates 800 years of the first mention in 1188 with a great parade through the village. Today the population of Holdorf is growing. Since May 1987 up to June 1997 the population increased around 21,6 % (to compare: district Vechta 19%, Lower Saxony 9.4%) and exceeded meanwhile the 6200.

Here are some links to english web site about the Oldenburg Münsterland, also known as Südoldenburger Land:

• The history of the emigration from the former Amt Damme
• The German Emigration Museum
• the large Link-Collection of Werner Honkomp

03.11.2000

Cloppenburg (erk) - Ein besonders für Ahnenforscher interessantes Nachschlagewerk hat jetzt der Heimatbund für das Oldenburger Münsterland mit dem neunten Heft der "Roten Reihe" herausgegeben. Viele Aufzeichnungen aus Kirchenbüchern der Südoldenburger Gemeinden gehen "nur" bis zum 30-jährigen Krieg zurück. Der Erhebung einer "Begrüßungssteuer" für den Bischof Johannes IV., Graf von Hoya, ist es zu verdanken, dass jetzt ein Register von 1568 herausgegeben werden konnte, in dem die Einwohner aller Bauerschaften im Amt Vechta aufgelistet sind. Lücken können allerdings dadurch entstehen, dass Kinder unter zwölf Jahren, Beamte, Geistliche und Adelige und Arme nicht aufgelistet sind. Das über 100 Seiten starke Buch umfasst neben der Abschrift des "Willkommschatzungsregisters" eine umfangreiche Einführung, in der sowohl auf das Leben des Bischofs als auch auf die Bevölkerung des Amtes Vechta eingegangen wurde. Im Anhang sind alle Namen aufgelistet, so dass Interessierte hier schnell fündig und auf die entsprechende Bauerschaft verwiesen werden. Aufgelistet sind die Orte: Oythe, Lutten, Twistringen, Goldenstedt, Langförden, Cappeln, Vestrup, Bakum, Visbek, Emstek, Neuenkirchen, Damme, Steinfeld, Lohne, Dinklage und Vechta. Erhältlich ist das Buch beim Heimatbund in Cloppenburg (Museumstraße 25, Tel. 04471/ 947722) oder über die örtlichen Buchhandlungen.

in english (translated by babelfish) :

A reference book particularly interesting for ancestor researchers gave change now the homeland federation for the Oldenburger Muensterland country with the ninth booklet of the " red series ". Many recordings from church books of the Suedoldenburger municipalities decrease/go back " only " up to the 30-Year war. To the collection of a "greeting tax" for bishop Johannes IV., count von Hoya, it is to be owed that a register could be published now of 1568, in whom the inhabitants of all Bauerschaften in the office Vechta is listed. Gaps can result however from the fact that children under twelve years, officials, clergyman and aristocrat and levers are not listed. The book strong over 100 pages covers an extensive introduction beside the copy of the "wanting coming treasure register", in which both on the life of the bishop and with the population of the office Vechta was dealt. In the appendix all names are listed, so that interested here fast fuendig and to the appropriate farmer shank are referred. The places are listed: Oythe, Lutten, Twistringen, Goldenstedt, Langfoerden, Cappeln, Vestrup, Bakum, Visbek, Emstek, Neuenkirchen, Damme, Steinfeld, Lohne, Dinklage and Vechta. The book is available with the homeland federation in Cloppenburg (Museumstrasse 25, phone: +49(0)4471/947722) or over the local bookshops.

26.10.2000

Damme (kpl) - Ein Jubiläum: Zum 50. Mal ist das Jahrbuch für das Oldenburger Münsterland erschienen. Ab kommenden Dienstag ist es für 16 Mark unter anderem in den Buchhandlungen und bei der OV zu haben. 460 Seiten umfasst jeder Band. Gedruckt hat die 6500 Bücher die Vechtaer Druckerei und Verlag. Bereits gestern haben Hartmut Frerichs, der Präsident des Heimatbundes für das Oldenburger Münsterland, und Professor Dr. Helmut Ottenjann das Buch im Rathaus der Stadt präsentiert, die am 4. November den Münsterlandtag ausrichtet. Bürgermeister Hans-Georg Knappik hatte zu der Vorstellung eingeladen. Das Titelblatt ziert eine Aufnahme des Dammer Rathauses und seines Vorplatzes. Im Inneren findet sich nach Worten Hartmut Frerichs eine hervorragende Mischung aus einem Rückblick in die Kulturgeschichte des Oldenburger Münsterlandes sowie aus Blicken in die Gegenwart und die Zukunft. Bei der inhaltlichen Gestaltung, so Dr. Ottenjann, habe sich der Redaktionsausschuss an Ergebnissen einer Umfrage orientiert, die er letztes Jahr durchgeführt hatte. So sei dem Wunsch von Lesern Rechnung getragen worden und der kulturgeschichtliche Teil von 100 auf 200 Seiten ausgedehnt worden. Darüber hinaus geht es um aktuelle Themen wie den Umweltschutz und die Naturkunde, aber auch um das Gewerbe im Oldenburger Münsterland, dem der Redaktionsausschuss zukünftig wegen seiner immer größeren Bedeutung mehr Gewicht einräumen möchte.

in english (translated by babelfish):

Damme (kpl) - an anniversary: To 50. Times the yearbook for the Oldenburger Muensterland appeared. Starting from coming Tuesday it is to be had for 16 Marks among other things in the bookshops and with the OV. each tape covers 460 pages. Printed the 6500 books the Vechtaer printering and publishing house. Already yesterday have Hartmut Frerichs, which presents president of the homeland federation for the Oldenburger Muensterland, and professor Dr. Helmut Ottenjann the book in the city hall of the city, which aligns the "Muensterlandtag" on 4 November. Mayor Hans-Georg Knappik had loaded to the conception. The title page shows an accommodation of the Dammer of city hall and its free area. On the inside Hartmut Frerichs a outstanding mixture from a review is into the culture history of the Oldenburger of Muensterland as well as out views in the present and the future after words. With the contentwise organization, thus Dr. Ottenjann, oriented itself the editorial committee at results of an inquiry, which it had executed last year. Thus to the desire by readers was considered and the culture-historical section of 100 to 200 pages expanded. Beyond that it concerns current topics like environmental protection and the natural history, in addition, the trade in the Oldenburger Muensterland, to which the editorial committee would like to grant in the future because of its ever greater importance more weight.

Emigration & Genealogy

• German-America
• Genealogy.net - The German Genealogy-Server
• The German Society of Pennsylvania
• Gedcom-Description
• LDS