Von Pfersfeld

Von Pfersfeld, also known as Pfersfelder, was a Franconian noble family rather than a commercial brand. The family was associated with Pfersfeld, a settlement near Bad Staffelstein in what is now the district of Lichtenfels, Bavaria, within the Upper Main Valley. Historical accounts place the family among the older noble lineages of Franconia and connect it genealogically with the Groß von Trockau and Lochner families, whose heraldic traditions were reportedly similar. The family may have originated as a branch of the Groß von Trockau line, although the precise genealogy remains uncertain. The name is recorded by the early fourteenth century. According to the historical account attributed to Dr. Bernard Peters, a member of the family was mentioned in 1307. The Pfersfelders held a local seat at Pfersfeld and were connected with other regional noble families. Some accounts state that the Groß von Trockau, Lochner of Hüttenbach, and Christanz or Christans families emerged from senior service personnel associated with the Pfersfeld family. Because of these relationships, the Pfersfelders were at times referred to by the name Großen. Two ecclesiastical figures are especially associated with the family. Hartung Pfersfelder served as abbot of St. Emmeram's Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Regensburg, from 1452 to 1458. Dorothea Pfersfelder served as abbess of the Monastery of Sonnefeld from 1503 to 1515. These positions indicate the family's participation in the religious and political networks of late-medieval and early-modern Franconia. The family is generally believed to have become extinct during the seventeenth century. One proposed date is 1628, although the available account presents this as a suggestion rather than an absolutely established endpoint. Its historical legacy is chiefly preserved through genealogical references, local history, and heraldry. The family coat of arms is described as a shield divided vertically into silver and blue and crossed by a horizontal red bar. The crest includes two buffalo horns with egret feathers, while the helmet mantling is silver and red.

The von Pfersfeld family, also known as Pfersfelder, belonged to the regional nobility of Franconia in present-day Germany. Its traditional seat was Pfersfeld, near Bad Staffelstein and within the modern district of Lichtenfels. The locality lies in the Upper Main Valley, a landscape historically associated with several noble houses and ecclesiastical institutions. The family's exact origins are not fully settled. Historical descriptions suggest that it may have developed as a branch of the Groß von Trockau family and that it was related to the Lochner line. The similarity of the families' coats of arms has been cited as evidence of a common or closely connected origin. The Pfersfelders were also linked to the Christanz or Christans family and to other local service families. In some accounts, the Pfersfelders were called Großen because of these associations. The family is reported to have been mentioned by name in 1307, making it one of the older noble lineages associated with Franconia. Its influence appears to have been regional rather than that of a major territorial dynasty. The family nonetheless participated in the ecclesiastical institutions of medieval and early-modern Bavaria. Hartung Pfersfelder was abbot of St. Emmeram's Abbey in Regensburg from 1452 to 1458. Dorothea Pfersfelder later served as abbess of the Monastery of Sonnefeld from 1503 to 1515. These appointments are the clearest documented examples of individual family members holding prominent religious offices. The family's heraldic identity is represented by a shield divided into silver and blue with a horizontal red bar. The crest is described as two buffalo horns bearing egret feathers, with silver-and-red helmet mantling. Such arms formed part of the family's visual identity and helped distinguish it within the interconnected noble families of Franconia. The von Pfersfeld line is believed to have died out in the seventeenth century. A date of 1628 has been proposed, but the historical material treats that date cautiously. No modern operating company, consumer product line, or continuing commercial organization is identified under the name. The surviving significance of Von Pfersfeld therefore lies in regional genealogy, noble history, church history, and heraldry rather than in contemporary commerce.

• 1628

  Proposed extinction of the family

  [1]Von Pfersfelden.wikipedia.org

  A historical interpretation proposes that the von Pfersfeld line had died out by 1628, although the date is not presented as certain.

• 1515

  End of Dorothea Pfersfelder's abbacy

  [1]Von Pfersfelden.wikipedia.org

  Dorothea Pfersfelder's recorded tenure as abbess of Sonnefeld ended.

• 1503

  Dorothea Pfersfelder becomes abbess

  [1]Von Pfersfelden.wikipedia.org

  Dorothea Pfersfelder began her twelve-year tenure as abbess of the Monastery of Sonnefeld.

• 1458

  End of Hartung Pfersfelder's abbacy

  [1]Von Pfersfelden.wikipedia.org

  Hartung Pfersfelder's recorded service as abbot of St. Emmeram's Abbey concluded.

• 1452

  Hartung Pfersfelder becomes abbot

  [1]Von Pfersfelden.wikipedia.org

  Hartung Pfersfelder began a five-year tenure as abbot of St. Emmeram's Abbey in Regensburg.

• Early recorded mention

  [1]Von Pfersfelden.wikipedia.org

  The Pfersfeld family is reported to have been mentioned in historical records, marking one of the earliest known references to the Franconian lineage.

A historical Franconian noble family and heraldic lineage, not a documented commercial brand.

1. 1Von Pfersfelden.wikipedia.org