Wendelin Zahringer came to the United States in 1861. He was born to Christian and Sidonia Zahringer (born--Sidonia Fishter)from Baden, Germany. He married Mary Zimmer who had arrived in America in 1862. Mary had been born at Freidenburg, Prussia on October 2, 1841 (or 1842)to Godfried and Catherina Zimmer (nee--Catherina Winandi). Wendelin and Mary were married on May 8, 1865 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin at St. Louis Catholic Church with the Rev. Tesrone (?) performing the ceremony. Shortly after they settled in Ashford, Wisconsin, where they had bought a 80 acre parcel of land for the sum of $2240, in May of 1865. They sold the parcel in September of 1865.

The dukes of Zaehringer building and founders of Freiburg in the year MCXX eternally grateful its high descendant Unserm Ludwig Grossh; V bathing (Baden)from faithful admiration of the inhabitants Dierer Aeltestan first Zaehringer city.

The name ZAHRINGER may be a combination of Zah [tse] German for "tough" and ringEN "wrestle" or ringER "wrestler".

From the book A Dictionary of Surnames by Partick Hanks & Flavia Hodges, we get the following definition, "ZAHRINGEN German: habitation name from a place so called near Freiburg in Breisgau. The title Duke of Zahringen was first assumed in 1100 by Berchtold, a descendant of Berchtold I Count in Breisgau 962-8. From them descends the former Grand Ducal house of Baden."

The name of Zahringer originates from a castle named Zahringer castle (on the Zahringer castle hill) near Freiburg in Breisgau (Baden). It was the first residence of a dynasty of 6 dukes of Zahringen, who ruled over wide parts of the region of Freiburg (Baden) to Geneve in the north of Switzerland. They built several castles and fonded several towns in South Germany (Freiburg i. Breisgau, Villingen, Neuenburg) and in Switzerland (Fribourg i., Bern, Thun, Rheinfelden, Murten).The generation of the dukes of Zahringen died out 1218 with Bertold V. In the rooms of the vineyard Zahringer in Heitersheim there is an exhibition of the history of the dukes of Zahringen. Originated from one of the collateral lines of this dukes lived 3 families in South Germany after 1218 (Neuenburg, Freiburg, Offenburg). Today there are about 500 families in Germany named Zahringer. Most of them live in Sudbaden. There are 3 books in German language about the dukes of Zahringen (in 11th until 13th century). They are available from the printer for 120 DM.