Hiester - Heister - Hüster

ELSOFF (Kreis Wittgenstein), Elsoff lies in a narrow valley basin.  The pretty wood frame houses give the village a tidy appearance.  As early as 1059, it was referred to as Elsaphu.  Wittgenstein and Hessen held joint jurisdiction until 1665, when Hessen relinquished all rights and claims for 16,000 gold guilders.  In the 13th Century, the church built in the 12th century received a large vaulted ceiling set on mighty pilasters.  The late Romance ornamental tie beams have since been refurbished.

The attached translated document titled “The Origin of the Famous American Hüsters” was written in 1957 by the noted German historian Wilhelm Hartnack for the Wittgenstein Community Association’s 900 Years of the Elsoff Parish.  It corrects errors from a paper titled "The Hiester Homestead in Germany" as read by Isaac Hiester on 12 March 1907 before the Historical Society of Berks County by request of the Council of the Society.  Hartnack1957.docx