Würtenberger (family)

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The Würtenberger family was a German, peasant family association (old name: gender ), who lived in Klettgau , in the eastern part of today's district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg . The history of numerous heads of families from different generations and their relatives is passed down in the region, as they also achieved nationally recognized intellectual and scientific achievements and developed remarkable activities. Even today there are still Würtenberger families in the region who, however, do not have a common ancestry or relationship - as far as known.

The Würtenberger dynasty appears in earlier centuries, as far as evidence is available from documents and church registers, above all in Tiengen (around 1450), in Küßnach and Bechtersbohl , later also in other places in Klettgau, but many lines such as B. also attribute the well-known von Dettighofen to the former.

Origin and Chronology

The line of the Küßnacher Würtenberger

"The Würtenberger family, who came from Küßnach, had rural roots [...]." However, the Baden inheritance regulation , which divided property evenly among the sons, forced in many cases to move to other villages, regions and later also to emigrate.

The oldest Küßnacher 'progenitor' still known today by his name and date of birth is Xaver Würtenberger (1801–1871) with his wife Magdalena nee. Klein (1809-1889). Her son Karl Friedrich Würtenberger was born on December 12, 1838 in Zurich. He did an apprenticeship as a businessman, worked in banking in several European countries and settled with his wife Anna Henriette (* 1850) in Tsarist Russia in St. Petersburg. He never lost touch with his homeland, wrote novels and the epic Elsbeth von Küssaburg and returned to Küßnach in 1900. The couple's son, Karl August Würtenberger (born in St. Petersburg on April 2, 1868 - died in Küßnach 1957), took care of the memory of his father and formed the basis for founding a home parlor in Küßnach. Karl August's wife Daisy - a born Englishwoman - was able to "attend the inauguration of the home parlor in Küßnach in 1962, which was set up in memory of her father-in-law and the Würtenbergers from Dettighofen."

Main article: Karl Friedrich Würtenberger

Küßnacher pedigree

  • 1505 [buys] Heine Trüllinger and Theißmann Würtenberger von Küßnach the Alkenhof.
  • Mathias Würtenberger from Küßnach, who married Margarete Mathis in 1643, is mentioned as the first representative of the Würtenberg family in a church book in Oberlauchring.
  • Around 1800: Anton (* 1758) ∞ (1792) Theresia Würtenberger (* 1759) mentioned as a farmer on the Alkenhof. Then his son Xaver Würtenberger ∞ Magdalena Klein was named as an Alkenhof farmer.
  • The surviving children of Anton & Theresia Würtenberger: next to Xaver also Anna Maria (* 1792) and Theresia (* 1796).
  • Children of Xaver and Magdalena Würtenberger: In addition to Karl-Friedrich , Robert (* 1841), Anna (1844–1882) and Maria († 1862).
  • Son Karl-August ∞ Daisy Boden (1878–2 February 1967).

Bechtersbohl : A Uliman Würtenberger can be proven as early as 1555.

The line of the Dettighofer Würtenberger

Xaver Würtenberger family and sons
It is likely that the Würtenberger family had close ties to Dettighofen as early as the 18th century. It is said of the first Würtenberger who is still known today - Joseph Würtenberger (1757–1834) - that he “ wrote down (wrote) on long winter evenings [..] the sagas, customs and stories of the closer Dettighofen homeland ”. However, these records were not preserved, "because his son Benedikt (1792–1871) destroyed these old chronicles."

“In addition to earning a living on the farm, his love was the production of mechanical clocks of all kinds, and he didn't like it when his two sons Franz Joseph (1818 - 1889) and Thomas (1836 - 1903) read instead of working Passed time. Franz Joseph took over his parents' farm, but Thomas was able to study. "

- Matt-Willmatt / Isele (eds.): Die Würtenberger , Eggingen 1986, p. 9.

Nevertheless, the brothers were able to develop a strong interest in geology, "which led to scientifically recognized publications for both of them." After completing his studies, Thomas Würtenberger worked as a geometer in the Baden state service and later took over a brick factory in Emishofen near Konstanz.

Franz Joseph Würtenberger family and children
Franz Joseph Würtenberger was the father of eight children - among them Alexander Würtenberger (September 19, 1854– July 5, 1933) - and had to fight hard for the family's livelihood. He finally sold his mineralogical collection of 17,000 copies to the state of Baden, to which he wrote, discouraged: "With the little that has now been offered to me for my collection, I am not in a position to thoroughly improve my situation."

The author of the family chronicle Die Würtenberger , Hans Matt-Willmatt, is of the opinion that for the most famous Würtenberger, Alexander, ...

"... the suffering and partial failure of his father shaped his own life. Because he tried to understand this contrast between the scientific approach to education and rural life. "

- Matt-Willmatt: Die Würtenberger , 1986, p. 9 f.

Alexander Würtenberger
Alexander attended (elementary) school in Dettighofen, switched to a Swiss school in Wyl and then decided to train as a gardener. While wandering through nature, he had noticed the beauty of wild roses and he had “the idea of ​​considering cultivating them in order to create a new source of income.” He later expanded this to include berry fruit growing.

“As early as 1900, Dettighofen identified 2.4 hectares of its district as a rose-growing area, and near Switzerland [especially Zurich] and several European countries turned out to be the main sales areas. [...] Alexander Würtenberger has also had a horticultural success: he succeeded in breeding a black and red rose, which caused a sensation. "

It was only in connection with the European economic crisis of the 1920s that rose breeding came to an almost complete standstill.

Alexander Würtenberger became and remained well known through his poetic work - with numerous publications in Alb-Bote and Verlag Zimmermann, Waldshut - and the founding and long-term management of "a library - a public library, an institution that could be understood as a village community center" in Dettighofen, which goes back to the donation of a Dettighofener - Georg Wittmer - who emigrated to America and got rich there with an oil company . A separate building was built by the Wittmer Foundation and an annual dollar amount has been transferred for equipment and maintenance since 1900 until today. From the very beginning until well into the post-war period, the program included agricultural and technical lectures and courses were held. The library is still open today.

Alexander Würtenberger was also active as a historian, numerous sites from early history to Roman times in Klettgau can be traced back to his research and excavations. He was married to Emma Mayer.

Main article: Alexander Würtenberger

Leopold Würtenberger
Leopold Würtenberger (1846–1886) was a brother of Alexander Würtenberger. He accompanied his father on his geological excursions and, after finishing secondary school in Switzerland, attended the Polytechnic in Karlsruhe. Due to a lack of financial resources, he was unable to complete his studies and also switched to various jobs. However, he qualified himself further, corresponded with Charles Darwin (also wrote petitioning letters) and Ernst Haeckel . However, due to financial reasons, he was no longer able to submit his dissertation to obtain a doctorate. His geological works and maps were recognized - including a geological-agricultural relief map of the Klettgau -, a family tree of the Jura - ammonites and his geological explanation of the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen is essentially still valid today. He died in Karlsruhe in 1886.

Main article: Leopold Würtenberger

Heinrich Würtenberger family and children
Heinrich Würtenberger (born October 16, 1852 in Dettighofen, died July 16, 1926 in Obertsroth) was also a brother of Alexander Würtenberger. He is far less well known, although - according to Klaus Isele - he was "the great and skilful storyteller among the three Würtenbergers who wrote, the attentive chronicler of rural life." His wife's name no longer seems to be known, over two photos are the names of three of the four daughters were held: Gunhilde, Lisi (Luise) and Johanna; in addition there was daughter Gertrud and the sons Rudolf and Waldemar.

In Waldshut, Heinrich graduated from the “Agricultural Winter School” and also received training as a gardener. He "found a job on the Grand Ducal Castle Eberstein in the rear Murgtal above Gernsbach" and was already employed by Grand Duke Friedrich I as administrator of the castle at the age of 25. "He was involved in" agriculture "and was active in specialist committees to the "German Agriculture Council". He supplemented this with numerous publications and extensive lectures. In 1897, at the age of 45, Heinrich Würtenberger published his first stories “For the Farmer's Room” and finally stories in the “The Farmer” calendar. While he was appointed “Grand Ducal Economic Council” (1902), he now finds his real passion in poetry, in the stories “which (are) authentic descriptions of the state of rural life; they make the social reality of the rural population visible and depict the joys and sorrows of the peasants without much pathos ”(Isele, p. 138). He sticks to the “calendar stories” in the Alemannic dialect - including a picture of the life of the Black Forest artist Hans Thoma - and books are added after 1920: “In 1926 the last book by the unjustly forgotten poet was published: 'Buregschichte us em Alemannischen Land'. […] On July 16, 1926, the well-deserved and esteemed man died at the age of 74 and was buried in the Obertsroter Friedhof. "

Dettighofer pedigree

  • Vogt Josephus Würtenberger (1757–1835) ∞ Magdalena Fischer (1765–1840).
  • Son: Benedikt Würtenberger (1792–1871) ∞ Magdalena Simmler (1793–1871).
  • Children: Magdalena, Notburga ∞ Christian Ruf, Franz Xaver (1825–1829), Maria ∞ Cyprian Holzscheiter, Thomas (1836–1903) and
  • Son: Franz Joseph Würtenberger (1818–1889) ∞ Maria Anna Indlekofer (1827–1892).
  • Children: Heinrich Würtenberger (see above), Alexander ∞ Emma Mayer (1853–1928), Leopold , Anna ∞ Edmund Häring, Luise ∞ Jean Roos.
  • Daughter of Alexander and Emma Würtenberger: Maria (1888–1965) ∞ Theodor Zollmann (1885–1958).
  • Daughter: Maude Zollmann ∞ Christoph von Bauer.

The line of the Oberlauchringer Würtenberger

"In the Oberlauchringer church registers , Mathias Würtenberger from Küßnach is mentioned as the first representative of the Würtenberg family, who married Margarete Mathis in 1643, but this line died out in the male line in 1718 with his son Johannes, the so-called tailor Hanseli."

“The line of Würtenbergers sitting on the eagle and represented in public offices for generations goes back to Uli and Verena Würtenberger, born Mathis von Bechtersbohl and their son Carl, who was born in Bechtersbohl in 1658, at his baptism Carl Ludwig von Beck von und zu Willmendingen and wife Maria Elisabeth born Minderlin was the godfather. A Uliman Würtenberger can be found in Bechtersbohl as early as 1555, while Verena Mathis was probably a sister or daughter of the former mayor. "

Carl Würtenberger, who is already mentioned on the economy [Adler] in 1684, acquired the Gasthaus Adler with a letter of sale dated December 23, 1686 from Count Johann Ludwig von Sulz :

"With the takeover by the Würtenberger family, the most glamorous period of its history began for the traditional inn."

- Chronicle of Lauchringen, 1986, p. 329.

Carl Würtenberger died on June 17, 1719. “When the estate was divided, [the son] Johann Baptist Würtenberger had received the Gasthaus zum Adler [...], while the younger Franz Carl took over the Lauffenmühle , which his father had bought in 1712 , and for a time also Vogt in Oberlauchringen was. ”His son Franz Xaver was Lauffenmüller.

Johann Baptist became a wealthy landlord, postkeeper, bailiff and orphan judge, a district judge in the government in Tiengen and finally also a respected personality in the Schwarzenberg and imperial courts of Vienna. He married Maria Anna Roder from Dangstetten in 1729 and died in 1765.

“The son Johann Baptist Würtenberger, born on March 30, 1746 as the last of ten children, became a worthy successor to his father as landlord, postman, governor and district judge. […] An outstanding event of its time was the visit of Emperor Josef II (1765–90), who stayed at the 'Posthaus' on August 9, 1781 on his journey from Paris to Vienna. "

Johann Baptist Würtenberger, who married Katharina Waldmeyer from Möhlin near Rheinfelden on 1769 , to whom 16 children, most of whom died early, were born, died on March 25, 1805, "the pastor described him in the death entry as a 'powerful and rich man'."

The son Jakob Würtenberger (1777-1854) was his father's successor "as an eagle host, postkeeper and temporarily Vogt", married in 1804 to Katharina Bölle from Waldshut, whose daughters "all made good games", son Jakob Würtenberger (1814-1883) took over the business and mail from his parents.

In 1855, Jakob, the last of his family, sold the property he had acquired from his great-great-grandfather to Hirschenwirt Franz Xaver Herzog.

present

Families or people with the name Würtenberger, Würthenberger in the region are known in Eschbach, Oberlauchringen, Jestetten and Küssaberg. In Dettighofen the name no longer seems to exist.

Remarks

  1. Alkenhof = formerly Halkheimer Hof, until the 16th century its own district with Zwing und Bann and Herrengut, which was awarded to Hofmayer (then district Küßnach).
  2. Five children are listed in the pedigree (see below).

literature

  • Hubert Matt-Willmatt / Klaus Isele (eds.): The Würtenberger. Three poets from the Klettgau. With photos and paintings by Ernst Würtenberger. Edition Klaus Isele, Eggingen 1986, ISBN 3-925016-16-3 .
  • Brigitte Matt-Willmatt / Karl-Friedrich Hoggenmüller: Lauchringen. Chronicle of a community . Ed .: Municipality of Lauchringen, Verlag K. Zimmermann, Konstanz 1986.

Regarding the works of the Würtenbergers: See the respective biographies.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Brigitte Matt-Willmatt / Karl-Friedrich Hoggenmüller: Lauchringen. Chronicle of a community . Ed .: Municipality of Lauchringen, Verlag K. Zimmermann, Konstanz 1986, p. 329.
  2. Hubert Matt-Willmatt / Klaus Isele (eds.): Die Würtenberger , Edition Klaus Isele, Eggingen 1986, pp. 205 ff.
  3. Brigitte Matt-Willmatt in: Matt-Willmatt / Isele: Die Würtenberger. , 1986, p. 268. There all further information in the section Küßnacher pedigree .
  4. Matt Welcome Matt / Hoggenmüller: Chronicle of Lauchringen , 1986, p 329th
  5. Matt-Willmatt / Hoggenmüller: Chronicle of Lauchringen , p. 329.
  6. Klaus Isele in: Matt-Willmatt / Isele: Die Würtenberger , p. 10.
  7. ^ Matt-Willmatt / Isele (eds.): Die Würtenberger , Eggingen 1986, p. 135.
  8. Quotations in the section: Contribution by Klaus Isele in: Matt-Willmatt / Isele (eds.): Die Würtenberger , Eggingen 1986, pp. 135–144.
  9. Brigitte Matt-Willmatt in: Matt-Willmatt / Isele: Die Würtenberger. , 1986, p. 266. There also all other information in the Dettighofer pedigree section .
  10. Presentation and quotations from: Brigitte Matt-Willmatt / Karl-Friedrich Hoggenmüller: Lauchringen. Chronicle of a community. Ed .: Municipality of Lauchringen, Verlag K. Zimmermann, Konstanz 1986, pp. 328 to 334.