On the surface, the Flori families of Harthausen, Germany would seem to have little in common with the other Flori enclaves in Birkenau and south towards Switzerland. Harthausen is in Pfalz, not Darmstadt-Hessen, and the area is Catholic, not Lutheran. However, there are some intriguing parallels. The name of Flori is spelled the "Swiss" way, and names of individual family members bear a striking similarity to those in the Birkenau area (i.e., Johannes Georg, Peter, etc.). German laborers and agricultural workers frequently migrated. As they moved from Protestant to Catholic areas and vice versa, they often changed their religion to accommodate themselves to the local authorities. Moreover, as Jim Eggert has recently pointed out, at least two early Floris in Harthausen did come from Switzerland.
1711 Feb 8 Theodorus Flori, Swiss, married Anna Carlin
1718 May 10 Joannes Erne married Eva Rosina Florin from Switzerland
Perhaps all Floris in Harthausen descended from Swiss ancestors. Whatever the case, no known relationship exists between the Harthausen Catholics and the Darmstadt Protestants.