Gottlieb Friedrich Otto

Gottlieb Friedrich Otto (born May 19, 1751 in Dresden ; † January 8, 1815 in Friedersdorf ) was a German teacher , pastor and lexicographer . He gained fame as the author of the multi-volume encyclopedia of Upper Lusatian writers and artists who died in the 15th century and who are now living .

Life

Gottlieb Friedrich was born as the eldest son of Gottfried Friedrich Otto. His father was a ducal Gothic secretary and agent at the court of the Electorate of Saxony in Dresden. In Dresden he attended the Kreuzschule from 1761 to 1770 and the university in Leipzig until 1773 .

After completing his studies, Otto took on the position of court master of the von Gersdorff zu Gröditz family for six years . In 1779 he was employed as the first teacher at the Görlitz orphanage. In May 1784, after he had received the parish of Lichtenberg a few months earlier , he was appointed to the parish in Friedersdorf, where he worked until the end of his life.

During this time he worked on the encyclopedia of Upper Lusatian writers and artists , who died in the 15th century and who are now alive , which was first published in three volumes from 1800 to 1803. He worked with other local historians and teachers. All of the writers' works, including insignificant writings, and reviews were mentioned in the lexicon . Unfortunately, there were initially few buyers for the work, so Otto was forced to auction his extensive and valuable library in order to be able to pay the printer. On this occasion, an auction catalog with bibliographical notes was created and printed. In 1821, after his death, a supplement was published, followed by two more by 1831. The lexicon was republished several times as a reprint .

Gottlieb Friedrich Otto died on January 8, 1815, at the age of 63, in Friedersdorf. He was a member of the Upper Lusatian Society of Sciences in Görlitz , in whose journal he published and edited numerous articles on the history of Lusatia and wrote reviews.

Publications (selection)

Martin Luther's letter to a pastor in Upper Lusatia about the need for better hymn books. Wittenberg 1798.
Lexicon of the Upper Lusatian writers and artists who died and are still alive since the fifteen centuries. 3 volumes, Görlitz 1800–1803 (on this: Supplement volume, edited by MJD Schulze, Görlitz / Leipzig 1821).
Something of the Upper Lusatian descent of the Count von Hartig. Goerlitz 1803.
Some gender reports from the gentlemen from Schindel, especially from the Upper Lusatian branches. Goerlitz 1803.
Short message from those town and country preachers in Upper Lusatia who have married three times. Goerlitz 1805.
Brief message from those Rathmanns in Görlitz who have held offices in the Rathsstuhle since 1701, partly from their fathers and partly from their grandfathers. Goerlitz 1806.

literature

Georg Christoph Hamberger , Johann Georg Meusel (ed.): The learned Teutschland in the nineteenth century. 19th volume, pages 45–46, Meyersche Hofbuchhandlung, Lemgo 1823. ( digitized )
Gustav Köhler (Ed.): New Lusatian Magazine . Volume 34, pp. 199–200, self-published, Görlitz 1858. ( digitized )
Franz Schnorr von Carolsfeld : Otto, Gottlieb Friedrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 24, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1887, p. 752 f.
Jenaische Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung , 12th year, number 32, Jena / Leipzig 1815. ( Nekrolog ), ( digitized )

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Otto, Gottlieb Friedrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German teacher, pastor and lexicographer
DATE OF BIRTH	May 19, 1751
PLACE OF BIRTH	Dresden
DATE OF DEATH	January 8, 1815
Place of death	Friedersdorf