The Obwalter surname is one of the most unique surnames in Germany. It is found in only a handful of records mostly around the Ottenhofen area. I have found one set of records in the Strasbourg France area on geneanet and another family in the Ulm area (just north of Ottenhofen). In our family records, the name is just as often spelled Obwalder as Obwalter. In doing a records search using "Obwald*" yields several families with the last name Obwald in Germany and Switzerland. A Google search for "Obwald" yields a canton in Switzerland by that name. It is my belief that our Obwalter/Obwalders were originally from this area of Switzerland and got the name Obwalder in Germany to denote "one from Obwald". This is just a theory that requires more investigation.
Obwald is just south of Lucerne Switzerland. See map below...
https://maps.google.com/maps?safe=off&q=obwalden&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x478ff247dd1f31ef:0x43d1dde7da34da3b,Obwalden,+Switzerland&gl=us&ei=k7nvUoTwBYf4yAGv-IDYDg&ved=0CKkBELYD
It is interesting that Lucerne Switzerland is the most beautiful place on earth that I have ever visited. Perhaps it was in the blood.
