Johannes Franz Becker

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Johannes Franz Becker (born December 18, 1689 in Meinkenbracht ; † January 21, 1777 ) was a Catholic priest and mining entrepreneur.

Life

He was born the son of the farmer Henning Becker and his wife Maria (née ZumBroich). Like two of his brothers, he entered the clergy and was pastor in Förde from 1718 and in Grevenstein from 1721 .

Becker is of historical importance as an assembly entrepreneur. He was one of the few clergy in the Duchy of Westphalia who was active in mining and metallurgy on a large scale. He wrote about himself in retrospect: “In 1730 I decided to do mines with my consorts, to start dicto anno as well. “He received a considerable part of the necessary capital from Maria von Schildern. This donated not only for sacraments or chapels, but according to its own statement from 1754 for mines and the laboratory of the clergy. Becker would only have had to give God the Lord and no one else an account of the use. He also received money from a Schade woman.

In the Seilbachtal on the Dickschlade, the remains of a building are known as the old vicariate. Becker is presumed to be the client. As a vicarie, the building, which was removed from any significant settlement, hardly made sense. Rather, it was used for ore processing or smelting. In addition to the main building, there were “... including other unnecessary necessities such as cabbage pots, grate shops, puch mills, slag heaps for smelting, separating and cooking their metals; So copper and lead should be used. " In a list of his industrial activities in the assembly industry , he expressed his motivation:" The above-described operation of these mines was not done with any other intention than to help their needy and dead poor souls in purgatory with the hoped-for profit come. “If his activities were financially successful, he even planned to found a seminary on the site of the so-called Vicarie. He had a good reputation as a mining expert and advised, for example, the mining administration of the Barons von Fürstenberg .

Becker also dealt with the smelting of the ores and experimented with different alloys and melting points. He moved between alchemy and modern research. He reported on various mines that he operated or in which he was involved. So he “started” a mine at “weinghaus bej Lammers” (?). Gold pebbles as well as silver and copper were found there. He reported that in the mining area near Endorf he owned a lead mine near Bönkhausen and "opened and cleaned an inheritance tunnel there, bit 100 laughs in length ..." At Grevenstein he had "started a work and set up a tunnel." which often contains iron, and probably also tin. ”Another seven deposits follow in a similar manner.

On the whole, however, there was no financial success. The investments did not pay off. Becker accumulated large debts. He also neglected his spiritual duties. According to local legends with a true core, the Grevenstein citizens are said to have set fire to the rectory. His sister, who worked for him as a housekeeper, was killed in a fire in 1746, according to the church book. In the end he was seriously ill and could not continue to exercise his official duties, so that his pastor had to be filled by a coadjutor .

After his death, the legal disputes continued, among other things over the whereabouts of funds. Apparently he had directed certain funds for church purposes in Grevenstein through the Busdorfstift in Paderborn in order to be able to use them for good causes. In 1764 he had donated a benefit to the above-mentioned monastery with funds from Baron von Schilder . The trials dragged on until the middle of the 19th century.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Wilfried Reinighaus / Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period. Münster, 2008 p. 150
  2. ↑ a b c d Michael Senger: The huts in the Seilbachtal. In: Mining in the Sauerland. Schmallenberg, 1996 p. 219
  3. ^ Wilfried Reinighaus / Reinhard Köhne: Mining, smelting and hammer works in the Duchy of Westphalia in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period. Münster, 2008 p. 64
  4. ↑ Files of the Bursdorfstift on archive.nrw.de
personal data
SURNAME Becker, Johannes Franz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Catholic pastor and coal and steel entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH December 18, 1689
PLACE OF BIRTH Meinkenbracht
DATE OF DEATH January 21, 1777