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Mobius / Möbius / Moebius
Family Society
(Surname Society - Worldwide)


© Copyright 1997 by John Movius and FEEFHS, all rights reserved

Latest Update: 25 November 1999 (Links updated)

The Mobius surname appears to have originated in the Halle area of Germany in the 16th century. It is now found in many countries of the world. The following is a draft posting of some of the research done on this line.

A family society for this surname is now in the formation stage. You are welcome to contact Finn Möbius at mobius@city.dk or John Movius at feefhs@feefhs.org if you are also researching this surname.

Genealogy Background:

Germany (Moebius = Möbius)

The pedigree ancestor of this line appears to be Martin MÖBIUS (MOEBIUS) (born 09 Nov 1579, died Laucha 30 January 1667). He was Bürgermeister at Laucha, Thüringen, which is just south and west of Halle, Leipzig and Merseburg. His funeral eulogy record (#16578 - Ref. 01) has been preserved. It should reveal his parents names.

The funeral record summary includes statements from eight other Moebius men. Presumably all were close relatives: Jurist Tobias Moebius of Leipzig; Gottfried Moebius, MD; Georg Moebius, the Gymnasium recktor at Merseburg; M. Michael Moebius of Lissen; a second Gottfried Moebius of Collenby by Merseburg; law student Michael Moebius; Frederich Tobias Moebius, a philosphy graduate of Merseburg; and a third Gottfried Moebius of Merseburg. (Ref. 01)

Gottfried Moebius, MD (born 1611 at Laucha, Thüringen; died 25 April 1664 at Halle), professor at Jena Universität. He was the father of Paul Christian Moebius, MD (died 28 Nov 1697), medical professor at Jena Universität (Ref 01). Both were teaching at Jena in 1661 (Ref 02). Leipzig theology Professor Georg Möbius (born 18 Dec 1616 at Laucha, Thüringen; died 25 Apr 1684 at Halle, 65 km northeast of Jena) was Paul's brother (Ref. 01).

Best known was Dr. August Ferdinand Möbius (born 17 Nov 1790 at Schulporta [Southwest of Leipzig, near Naumburg, Thüringen]; died 26 Sep 1868 at Leipzig). He was a mathematician, theoretical astronomer, topologist and inventor of the famous "Möbius strip", a unique one-sided surface. He was the son of a dancing master. His ancestry needs more research. His German descendants include mathematicians, professional artists and over 25 authors (Ref. 03).

Over 1997 different addresses and telephone numbers existed in 1992 for Möbius branch descendants in western Germany alone. Others are known to live at Halle, east Germany. A Mövius family line has also lived at Halle for centuries.

Möbius is considered a transliteration (permanent spelling change) from Mövius or Moevius by many genealogy linguists. It is probable that the spelling change occurred thru phonetics (v = b in German). A Latin to Cyrillic alphabet change (v = b) is theoretically possible but very unlikely.

Hans J. Mobius of Buffalo, NY has provided a Heinrich B. Möbius (born 1859; died 1938 at Erlbach) genealogy dating back to George Moebius (died 1688 at Steina). Friedrich Wilhelm Gottlieb Mövius to Möbius is found in Höhnstedter / Hoehnstedter kirchenbuecher records circa 1825 (Ref. 04). Did transliteration (1st perminent name change) start with Martin Moebius at Laucha circa 1579? Research continues.

Hessians in the American Revolutionary War (Mevius and Möbius)

The largest ethnic group of immigrants into America from 1750-1800 were the 8,000+ former Hessian mercenaries who deserted or stayed in America after the Revolutionary war. It is known that three or four Hessian soldiers with the name Mevius or Mobius remained in North America (one in Canada, two or three in the United States) after the war was over. Research has progressed with help from the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association (JSHA), a Hessian-American group (Ref. 06).

Two soldiers named Mevius or Moebus remained in the US after the war in addition to a Heinrich Mevius in Canada (Refs. 05, 06). One was Friedrich Moebius (born circa 1756/1759 at Leipzig). He was Assistant Medical Officer with the Grenadier Battalion Koehler. He was discharged in America in Sep 1781. He apparently remained in America afterwards (Ref. 05).

America (Möbius to Mobius)

Best known is J. Mark Mobius. In 1992 he was manager of Templeton Emerging Markets Fund (St. Petersberg, FL) and was President of Templeton Investment Management in prior to its merger with Franklin (circa 1994). He started appearing in Templeton fund TV commercials on CNBC in late 1994. He is now appears regularly on financial talk shows. He is bald and is known as the "Yul Brynner of Wall Street".

Mark Mobius is an American citizen living abroad. He settled and lived at Hong Kong for many years until moving to Singapore in 1993. He now manages about 30 off shore and emerging market funds. His father came from Halle, Germany. He still has relatives there, including a cousin, Dr. Wolfgang Mobius (Möbius?). Other Mobius arrived in NY and NJ over a century ago.

Over fourty persons bearing the Möbius surname left Germany for America between 1895 and 1913. It is postulated that a Mövius to Möbius spelling may have occurred at or near Halle, Germany. The ö ("oe") probably was changed to "o" on arrival in America. Research is underway.


References

(01) Katalog der fürslich Stolberg-Stolberg'schen Leichenpredigten-Sammlung, (Leipzig, 1927), Band III, pages 107-108, Moebius, 7 funeral records printed (Ref. 138b).
(02) Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (Leipzig, 1885) Vol. 22, pg 43 (Ref. 58).
(03) Deutsche Bibliographie (Frankfurt, 1989), 1981-1985 Zweiter Teil Band 11 (mettischen-öffentichen), pg 14769 (Ref. 49)
(04) Research by C. Conradi, Pfarrer dei Schochwitz via Hildegard von Mövius of Magdeberg, Germany, 30 Dec 1992 (Ref. 96)
(05) Project HETRINA, Marburg (1987), Volumes I and VI (Ref. 20).
(06) Letter from JSHA, M. A. Schwalm, Sec., Taylors, NC 28 and 30 Apr 1992. (Ref. 67)

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