"The origin of the family was traced by, Herr Bernard Freter, a native of Germany was employed by the Studebaker Family National Association. Herr Freter was a retired architect and genealogical researcher. In 1970 he was head of the Historical Society of Hagen, a city located in the Ruhr Valley. He knew the Studebaker background in his town and also in the area in and around Solingen. He had access to the archives of the region's churches, Historical Societies and museums.

"......... the ancestral line begins in the Lower Rhine Valley in the present day province of Westphelia, western Germany. The community of Solingen was the residence of the Studebaker ancestors for several generations and is located some fourteen miles northeast of the old city of Colongne. East of Solingen about five miles is the town of Remscheid. All these communities lie within the great industrial belt of Germany".

"As early as 1570 in the town of Remscheid a family by the name of Staudtenbecker is found in the local church records, it seems two sisters, Ann and Margareta, who later are found in church records at Dorp, a suburb of Solingen, were daughters of Staudtenbecker. This Staudtenbecker born about 1570-75 also had three sons, Andreas (1605-1684-8) Engelbert (1610 and died before 1688) became blade-makers and the third was Peter (1600-1676). All seem to have followed the Reformed teaching in their religious affiliation. ...... These early records were the first found relating to the Studebaker family. In 1630 the two brothers, Andreas and Engelbert, resided in Solingen, living in a house called "Am Ollig" which was still standing in 1970".

"Being craftsmen and or tradesmen they were a part of the guild system prevailing at that time, which for many generations was a factor in their daily lives. Each guild or trade was a closed shop in that their skills were keep secret. We can assume that many of the families in the local trades were related since membership was closely regulated and restricted to members of a family and further limited to but two legitimate sons of a family. .....Mid-seventeenth century, the brotherhood are given as having about seventy families of Sword Smiths, about one hundred families of Temperers and Grinders, about twelve families of Armorers and about eighty families of Knife makers (blade makers). 

"Herr Freter states that the Studebaker family was not in Solingen before the Thirty Year War. (1618-1648), but were in the Luttringhausen district only a few miles away. They first appear in Solingen records in 1630, as stated above residing in a residence called "Am Ollig". Interestingly we find this several years later. In a "Lagerbuch" list of taxes of houses and plots from 1688, page 142, is the notice for Evert Mones (husband of Maria, daughter of Andreas Stauttenbecker and sister of Peter "a house on the Ohleg (the area of the gate of Ohleg) to left on the street beside the house of Mathias Wundes, formerly called the house of Engel (Engelbert) and Drees (Andreas) Stauttenbecker, with smithy behind that." It seems Maria and her husband retained the old family house and smithy. We find Peter had taken up residence in a suburb of Solingen called Dolp. Peter, the third generation in the line of descent was born about 1632 and died before 1692. His wife is only known to probably have been a family by the name of "Bick". It is with the fourth generation that records are such that marriages are recorded for the children of Peter Stutenbecker. His son Johannes Stutenbecker (1662-1728) married Catherina Raw (1670-1712) a daughter of Johan Raw. Catherina died in 1712 having given birth to five children. In July of 1712 Johannes married M. Henckels. It was found that Johannes Stutenbecker and his brother Thilman took their oath of handwork the 13th of April 1693.Johannes worked in his family's smithy shop and also lived in Dorp. As Johannes is the direct line of descent. I will list his family and pass up his three brothers, Thilman, Clemens, and Peter for now."

"The children of Johannes and Catherina Raw Stutenbecker were the fifth in the number of generations in Germany that we can account for through the research of Herr Freter. Three of these sons immigrated to America. Peter (b. 1695, d. before 1754) and Clemens (b. 1700, d. 1762), both immigrated to America in 1736. Johannes Diderich Abraham (b. 1712 immigrated to America in 1732 (no further record). A brother Wilhelm (b. 1702, d. 1774) never left Germany nor their sister, Ann Catherina (b. 1708, dd. 1774)."