On this page there is infomation about the origins of the ALFFs. I have done some research in the National library in Luxembourg and was sent to the Trier library where I was looking through files and I found an article written by Professor Wilhem ALFF published in the "Prümer Landbote 25/90" The Prümbranch of the ALFFs worked in the leather industry since at least 1650, but according to the article probably already centuries before. Prüm was known for the leather production.
But not only the Prüm ALFFs worked the leather as well the Luxembourg ALFFs where in the leather business. A link between the luxembourgish Alffs and the Alffs from Prüm has not been established yet, even though that one of the Prüm one did marry on the 2nd of July 1771 in Echternach, but he is actually not part of the Alff branch (not yet) that I have joined up and as far as I got back (1720) I have no information of a link so far all the data have been found in Luxembourg and almost all of the older generations have been born in Clervaux (L), but nowadays there is not a single Alff left in Clervaux.
You can find all over the world, in Italy, Brazil, England, France, Germany, America and many more countries. (If you have information about the Alffs you may contact me ) Here are a couple lines of the publication, I have tried to translate (not word by word) it into English: "Wilhem Alffs father was speaking with a farmer in Bleialf, that farmer was the mayor of the village and when Wilhelm and his father where walking away the father mentionned that the farmer was of noble origin, he was a direct decendant of the barron of Palandt and their ancestors were the Masters of ALPPEN as Bleialf was known before. Prof. Wilhlem ALFF discovered a couple years later in the church of Reuland (B) a grave of the farmers ancestors (the grave of the Barrons of Palandt and "Alppen") This Alppen is nothing else then Bleialf (D) nowadays.
Other information:
The admission of bourgeois in Luxembourg-city between 1628 and 1796: ALFF Jean (poissonnier-fishmonger) from Bonnevoie Luxembourg; father: ALFF Corneil and the mother: CHRISTINACH Elisabeth; admission at the 31.10.1747. Then there is a ALLEFF Frédéric mentionned admission date 22.05.1648 with an added note: Bartheln Hollenfelltz Eydumb. In a luxembourgish history book there is mention of a Duke ALFF in a chronic from Hünsdorf: "Duc d'Alff komm 1562" -Duke of Alff arrives 1562- there is no further information in the chronic of that Duke.....