The history of the foundation of the Dettling Community started in the year 1981 in Mühlbach-Eppingen. An own coat of arms should decorate the new building of a namesake. First discussions among the local Dettlings showed great interest in the topic. So a considerable number of Mühlbach bearers of the name linked up to endeavour to realise this desire. In August 1982 the arms were granted. All descendants of Jakobus Dettling from Salzstetten (today Waldachtal) have the right to bear this coat of arms.
This common coat of arms was not only a trigger for the Mühlbach namesakes to get closer and remember their commonality. It also brought together the ones scattered all over the country. Like this, the interest in the family and its history was obtained. Each of the new bearer of arms involuntarily contributed helpful suggestions and documents on the old family name and its bearers.
Research for other, not directly related bearers of the name and their ancestry and current location was started. At the same time the own roots were further researched. They were to be found in Salzstetten, that belonged to the (former) Austrian territories in Southwestern Germany (collectively known as Further Austria). This revealed, that Salzstetten was situated in the centre zone of the name of Dettling whose origination was proofed to be in the next village of Dettlingen.
The label of a bottle of "Dettling Kirsch" from Brunnen, Switzerland lead Karl Dettling to connect to the namsakes living there. This lead to new findings because they had already compiled their own Dettling-Chronicle.
First contacts then enabled to publish a little family history including the Mühlbach family tree in 1986: "Namen, Herkunft und Geschlechterfolge der Familie Dettling, seit dem Jahre 1768 in Mühlbach ansässig" (Name, Ancestry and Line of Succession of the Dettling Family, resident in Mühlbach since the year of 1768).
With this all at that time known material about the ancestry, the nobles and the Swiss line was available clearly arranged and in print. It was luck that the contacts to the Swiss line were immediately set up intensively because only two years after the publication, the mentor of the Swiss Dettlings, Mr Franz Dettling-Gwerder passed away in his home-town Schwyz. But in the meantime in Schwyz, Brunnen and above all in Lauerz new contacts could be made.
Resulting from the positive experiences in Schwyz and the advantages of a common organisation the German Dettling Community was founded on April 22nd, 1989 in Bühlertal.
In September 1992 the first return visit from Schwyz took place. This marked the first highlight for our still small, unincorporated association. At the same time the meeting of members decided to permit membership to all bearers of the name Dettling.
Since then, many new engaged and motivated members created a substantial upswing for our association. They strengthened the community as could be seen in the regularly held meetings of members.
(Excerpts from the Dettling-Magazine 2004 by Karl Dettling)