Their presence dates from long ago: as far back as in 1539 a Carsten Griep was mayor of Kiel. And even earlier, in 1526, a family by the name of Gripp owned a farm in Borstel, where they stayed to live for centuries.

From 1539 on, Carsten Griep (also written as Grip, Gryp, Grypp and Gryphius) was mayor of Kiel. He was married to Anna Rodenburg, daughter of a mayor from Hamburg. Carsten Griep was a wealthy merchant. When he died (in 1553 at Celle) left behind the so-called 'Gryphish Legacy', a fund that has for centuries long granted scolarships for numerous students.

Torsten Gripp, an artist from Holstein now living at Wesseling,
is doing research on Carsten Griep and his descendants.

The hamlet of Borstel  -- 127 inhabitants now -- appears to be the birthplace of Gripp in Holstein. From 1526 on, they are present there as farmers. Their descendants spreaded out to nearby places, like Brockstedt, Henstedt, Hasenkrug, Willenscharen and Oeschebüttel.

Marquardt Gripp (Marx) was born about 1540. He had a son, also named Marquardt Gripp, who was born around 1575 in Hufe (farmstead) number 2 at Borstel. He had a daughter Anna Gripp and a son, who on his turn also carried the name Marx:

Marx Gripp was born about 1603 in Hufe 2 at Borstel. He married in 1630 Catharina Henstedte from the nearby village of Quarnstedt. He was noted as Kirchschwor, which means that he performed a function in the church council. They had ten children. The oldest one, Marx, died young, but number five got this name again, and inherited the farmstead:

Marx Gripp was born on January 28, 1636 and christened on January 31. He married in 1669 Geesche Eggers (or Eggert) from Barmstedt. For many years he was in the war with the Cossacks. Their eight children were all born in Hufe 2 at Borstel. Oldest son Marx died young, and now it is child number seven who took over the farmstead:

Claus Gripp was born on April 29, 1684. He married in 1707 Leneke Magdalena Ehlers of Hennstedt. In 1716 he left Borstel and bought Hufe 1 at Hennstedt. His older brothers Jürgen and Marcus Marx had already left Borstel befor and bought farmsteads in respectively Brockstedt and Hasenkrug. His youngest son Hans took over the farmstead in Hennstedt:

Hans Gripp was born on September 29, 1720 at Hennstedt. He married in 1749 Antje Heeschen from Sarlhusen and died in June 1760. Their son Claus is the successor on the farmstead:

Claus Gripp was born on December 6, 1752 at Hennstedt. He married in 1779 Maria Gloeyer and had two sons with her. He later remarried to Katharine Beck. He died on December 13, 1813 at Hennstedt. He had two sons out of his first mariage:

• Jasper Gripp was born on February 26, 1786 at Henstedt, married Wiebke Ratjen and went to live  with her at Willenscharen where he died in 1836. His son Johann Gripp (born December 21, 1823, married to Margarethe Tietje of Lockstedt, died in 1896 at Willenscharen) succeeded him on the farmstead. Grandson Jasper Johannes Gripp (born June 20, 1856 at Willenscharen, married to Marie Kaak of Heinkenborstel and died in 1936) moved to Oeschebüttel. He had a son, Hans Gripp (born 1906 at Oeschebüttel) who was killed in action at the Russian front at Sewastopol, on April 17, 1944.

• Hans Gripp was born on July 27, 1788 at Henstedt, married Cäcilie Möller and died in 1840. His son Josias Jasper Gripp (born April 20, 1816, married Anna Biber of Kellinghusen, died in 1878) succeeded him on the farmstead. Next successor was granddaughter Margarethe, after she married her nephew Claus Gripp. Grandson Johann Gripp (born May 28, 1860 at Hennstedt, married Anna Tietje, died in 1912) had moved to Willenscharen and had two sons there: Andreas Gripp (born February 24, 1892, married Elsabe Stieper and died in 1968 at Kellinghusen) and Paul Gripp (born July 19, 1893, married Margretha Cäcilia Mohr and died at Willenscharen).

Four kilometers to the east lies the village of Armstedt.

Marx Gripp was born in 1612 in Hufe (farmstead) 16 at Armstedt as the son of Hartig Gripp. He married Anna Breiholz of Armstedt and lived at Armstedt Kate 2. They had three children:Hartig (1636), Rottker (1637) and: 

Marx Gripp, born on December 10, 1642 in Kate (cottage) 2 at Armstedt. He married Abel Ferst, born in Hufe 7 at Armstedt. They inhabited that farmstead, and had two children there: Anna (1677) and:

Much of this information is from Ingo Brockmann of Münsterdorf, who published it on genealogy.net.

From 1559 on there is a chapel in Großenaspe and in 1772, thanks to a contribution of the Russian Czarina Katharina II, the Katharinenkirche is build. In 1648 the name Gripp can be found in the books, in later years mostly noted as Griep. With regard to the oldest ones, not all the family relations are clear yet:

• Hans Gripp, born in Großenaspe, is Setzwirt (tenant farmer) from 1652 to 1674. He married in 1653 Anna Orth and died in 1693 in Hufe (farmstead) 20 at Wiemersdorf. Their children are: Elsabe Gripp (1653) and Hans Gripp (1656).

• Jasper Gripp was born in 1648 in Hufe 7 at Großenaspe, as the son of Heinrich Griepen. He married in 1673 Engelke Hennings and they inhabited Hufe 7. Their children: Anna Gripp (born 1674, married in 1694 Tim Fischer) and Claus Gripp. This last one had, with his wife Abel, two children: Maria Gripp (married Hinrich Lindemann) and Hans Gripp.

• Hans Griep married in 1759 at Großenaspe to Maria Kraft. They had a son: Marx Griep born around 1760 at Boostedt, Kreis Neumünster. On April 16, 1784, he married at Großenaspe to Margaretha Harbeck.

About the following Griep's there is enough information available to establish their descendancy:

Hinrich Griep was born around 1729 in Wittorf. He married Margaretha Heeschen at Großenaspe and had three children: Hinrich, Anna and Claus Griep. In 1775 his wife died and one year later Hinrich remarried to Abel Eggen. With her he had four more children: Marx, Margaretha, Hans and Johan Griep. Hinrich died at Großenaspe on October 13, 1804. This is known about his descendants:

• Hinrich Griep, his oldest son, married to Wibke Gois and had three children: Claus, Hinrich and Hans Griep.

• Claus Griep, born around 1756, married Anna Harbek and had a daughter: Margretha Griep (geboren 1782, trouwt met Hinrich Schümann

• Johan Griep, the youngest son, was born on November 19, 1793 at Großenaspe. On February 15, 1819, he married Elsabe Holtorp. They had at least one son: Marx Griep, born on May 14, 1830 at Großenaspe.
  This son married to Anna Marie Dorothy Stamerjohan, on December 7, 1857 at Neumünster, had five children and migrated to America. He died on April 12, 1899, at Syracuse, New York.
  For more information about this American branch: Griep in New York State.

Around 1650 Hans Gripp was the owner of a farm at Bad Bramstedt, a village some 20 kilometers south of Neumünster. His wife was Wibeke Dibbern. When Hans Gripp died, his widow married to Claus Stekemest.

From: Jan-Uwe Schadendorff; Geschichte und
Geschichten aus Bad Bramstedt in Holstein.

Farmstead number 4 at Lentföhrden was inhabited by Jochim Griep. In 1713 he got paid 11 F. compensation because a Russian army that moved through the village had damaged his crops.

The farmer Joachim Gripp, married to Anna Borcherts who was born in 1723, probably was his son. Their son was:

Christian Gripp, born in 1767. He also inhabited, as a Vollhufner (full owner) the farmstead at Lentföhrden. He and his wife Grethe Böge (or Boye) had three children: Abel (1793), Hinrich A. (1796) and Anna Gripp (1798, married Hans Möller). Later on he remarried to his sister-in-law Anna Gesche Sophia Böge. They had another son: Christian Gripp (1803). He died in 1848. This is what we know about his sons:

On this map from 1793, the Gripp-farmhouse is indicated by a 4. In 1832 the farm was demolished to make way for the Chaussee Altona-Kiel.

From: Jan-Uwe Schadendorff; Geschichte und Geschichten aus Bad Bramstedt in Holstein. Website: http://www.alt-bramstedt.de.

• Hinrich A. Gripp was born in 1796. He married Christina Mohr of Kattendorf. They had a son: Claus Detlef Gripp, born on November 18, 1839 at Lentföhrden, married in 1871 Anna Maria Magdalena Wöbke and had three children: Anna Elisa (1874), Claus Wilhelm (1876) and Frieda (1883).

• Christian Gripp, born on May 28 mei 1803. Besides being a Vollhufner, he also ran a pub. In 1831 he married Abel Steenbock. Their son is: Jochim Gripp, born on March 10, 1837. He married Anna Biehl and took over the farmstead of his father-in-law Marx Biehl. Later on their son inherited the farmstead: Christian Gripp (born February 6, 1868, married Anna Hartmann and had a daughter).

Another Hinrich Gripp was found in the books, also a farmer at Lentföhrden. It is not clear yet how he fits in the family above:

Hinrich Gripp did marry two times. His first wife, born Gülcke, inherited the farm (nr. 14) of her parents. From this marriage there were no children. When Hinrich married for the second time, he was already 60 years old and his young wife, a Böge, was 18 years of age. Out of this marriage a son was born: Heinrich Gripp. He was the father of the one that succeeded him on the farm: Otto Gripp.

In 1803 a census was held at Neumünster. It appeared that in eleven houses a person by the name Griep was living:

On October 28, 1731, Elisabeth Griep married at Neumünster to Jasper Schünermann.

In 1803 a census was held at Neumünster. The following Griep's were found in the records:

• The family of Hinrich Griep, 37 years old and quarry worker, his wife Magdalene Theede and their 6 year old daughter Jürgina Catherine Griep.

• The family of Claus Griep, 56 years old, owner of his house and day labourer, his wife Wiebcke Götsch and their children Claus (18) and Engel Dorothea Griep (6).

• The bricklayer Samuel Caspar Hinrich Griep (40 years old) and his wife Engel Friederike Meyer.

• In three households the wife of the house had Griep as her maiden name: Anna Griep, 51 yeras old and married to the carpenter Johann Jochim Plambeck, Margarethe Griep, 35 yeras old and married to the farmer Otto Hinrich Benn, Catherine Griep, 27 years old and married to the shoemaker Paul Friedrich Holst and Anna Griep, 30 yeras old and married to Claus Bütenschön, Abschiedsmann der Hufe.

• There are four households where a single man by the name Griep is living in the house: Jochim Griep, 28 years old and apprentice to the linen-weaver Hans Jacob Theede, Hartwig Griep, 21 yeras old and mate to the beerbrewer Hans Dietrich Hinselman, Claus Griep, 30 years old and apprentice to the carpenter Caspar Hinrich Tott and Marx Detlef Griep, 10 years old, living in the house of his half-brother named Bustorff.

From: Hans Peter Voss; Familienkundliche Forschungen in Schleswig-Holstein. Website: http://www.genealogy-sh.com/

From Itzehoe came some more Gripp immigrants:

On May 1, 1875, Dietrich Heinrich Gripp was born at Itzehoe.
In 1892 -- when he is 16 years old -- he traveled, together with his sister Margaretha Gripp (18 years) and three nephews, Diedrich (28 years), Hans (15 years) and Gustav Gripp (16 years), with the vessel Sorrento from Hamburg to New York.