Der Böttcher - a German rhyme about coopers

Der Böttcher macht Fässer zu Bier und Wein,
Die müssen durch Bände recht fest gemacht sein.

The cooper makes barrels for beer and for wine,
So he better make sure the hoops are tight.



Kolonie Kanstadt, Warsaw, Poland - Colony of the Böpple Family and maybe Boschitzke Family

Colonists from southwest Germany settled numerous villages near Warsaw.  This part of Poland was annexed by Prussia in 1795 and called New East Prussia.

One of these colonies was Kanstadt (also Cannstatt, named after Bad Cannstatt, Württemberg).  Its Polish name is "Kąty" (often incorrectly written as Katy) and is pronounced Kanty.  Kolonie Kanstadt was a Rodungsdorf, a colony newly built after clearing the land of trees (per Albert Breyer).  It was located just 3 miles to the northwest of the town Gora Kalwaria ("Mount Calvary") which lies southeast of Warsaw on the Vistula river.  In 1806, Kanstadt had 41 homes and 204 people.

We know that the Johannes Georg Böpple family settled here in 1803.  They are listed as a family of 10, from Württemberg.  Their son, Friedrich Böpple, was born here in 1811.  The Böpple family emigrated to Teplitz, Bessarabia in 1817.

It is also believed that the Boschatzke family was from Kanstadt as well. 

• We know from the Borodino, Bessarabia register that Christina Bojaschinsky was born in Kanstadt on 23 Sep 1806 and married Georg Stickel 1824 in Borodino. 
• Johann Boschatzke of Borodino, was born about 1803 by Warsaw
• Joseph Bochachenski, 2 family members, from Württemberg is listed in the 1803 Kanstadt lists, and also shows up migrating to Russia in 1813 per the Hopf Immigration index, and then in Borodino as Bogachinsky. 

It is possible that our other ancestor Beata Boschitzky, who married Christian Ehrmann at Brienne, was related to this family as well.  In the Brienne Family Book she is listed as Beata Boschitzky, born 24 Jun 1811, "bei Warschau" (near Warsaw).  The Brienne Family Book lists her as from Alt Elft in 1835, when she married Martin Hinz. 

In Alt Elft we find:

• Friedrich Boschitzke (born about 1753 , died 1820 - 67 years old)
• Johann, born 1816, died 27Feb1824 - 8 years old
• Friedrich,  born 1819, died 4Jan1823, 4 years old. 

It is presumed that the Alt Elft and Borodino Boschatzke families are related. 

Google Maps - showing Katy just NW of Gora Kalwaria

Google aerial photo of Katy



David Gilly Map of South Prussia from 1802-03, Kanstadt (Katy) does not show on this map yet



Old Images of Coopers from Germany

Below are some early illustrations of coopers from Nürnberg, Germany.  The German name Böttcher means cooper.  The dialect on these images uses the term Büttner. 

about 1425

about 1425

about 1475

Samuel Ehrmann - birth 1840, Brienne

Samuel Ehrmann, son of Christian Ehrmann and Beata Boschitzky, was born on 8 Feb 1840 at Brienne, Bessarabia.  He was baptized into the Lutheran Church on 10 Feb 1840 by Pastor Hastig of Alt Arzis.  The godparents were: Samuel Brauer, Christian Martich and Rosina Schleusing. 

Alt Arzis Parish Register, Brienne Births 1840

Michael Boettcher - death 1855, Paris

Michael Boettcher died on 6 Nov 1855 at Paris, Bessarabia.  He was 61 years old, was born in Poland and died of old age (Alterschwaeche).  He was buried at the Paris cemetery on 8 Nov 1855. 

Alt Elft Parish Register, Paris Deaths 1855

Johann Traugott Allmer - death 1867, Paris

Johann Traugott Allmer died of old age (Alterschwaeche) on 28 August 1867 at Paris, Bessarabia and was buried 30 August in the Paris cemetery.  He was 70 years old and born in Saxony (Sachsen). 

Alt Elft Parish Register, 1867 Deaths Paris

Elisabetha Allmer, born 1835 Worms, Beresan District

Elisabetha Allmer, daughter of Johann Traugott Allmer (farmer) and Anna Maria Schorzman, was born on 2 May 1835, and baptized in the Lutheran Church on 6 May 1835 by Pastor Johannes Bonekemper at Rohrbach.  The godparents were Georg Jacob Buechler and his wife Elisabeth.

Worms/Rohrbach Parish Register, Births 1835

Friedrich Boepple & Johanna Maria Lutz - marriage 1840, Teplitz

Friedrich Boepple, widower age 29, the son of Johannes Georg Boepple and Barbara Mueller-Bader, was married to Johanna Maria Lutz, single age 19, the daughter of Johannes Michael Lutz and Christina Regina Benz, on 23 Apr 1840 at Alt Arzis by Pastor Hastig.  Both Friedrich and Johanna were of the nearby village of Teplitz.

This marriage record is quite remarkable, in that it states that Friedrich was born in the village Kanstadt, near Warsaw, Poland.  Johanna Maria was born in Teplitz.

 

Alt Arzis Parish Register, 1840 Marriages

Anna Maria Allmer - death record 1848, Paris, Bessarabia

Anna Maria Schorzmann, wife of Johann Traugott Allmer, died on 5 Feb 1848 at Paris, Bessarabia, age 48.  She died of asthma (Brustkrampf).  She was buried in the Paris cemetery on 7 Feb 1848.  She was born in Poland about 1799 or 1800.   This death record records her last name as Schatz, which is incorrect.

Alt Elft Parish Register, 1848 Paris Deaths

Anna Katharina Boettcher nee Schramm - death 1839 Paris

Anna Katharina Schramm, wife of Michael Boettcher, died on 12 Jan 1839 at age 48, of Gallenfieber (typhoid fever).  She was born about 1791 in South Prussia (Suedpreussen). 

Alt Elft Parish Register, 1839 Paris Deaths

Andreas Boettcher and Anna Elisabetha Allmer - marriage 1854, Paris

Andreas Boettcher, son of Michael Boettcher and Anna Katharina Schramm, married Anna Elisabeth Allmer, daughter of Johann Traugott Allmer and Anna Maria Schorzmann, on 7 Jan 1854 at Paris, Bessarabia. 

Alt Elft Parish Register, 1854 Paris Marriages

Samuel Boettcher - birth record 1857, Paris, Bessarabia

Samuel Boettcher was born on April 8, 1857 to Andreas Boettcher and Anna Elisabeth Allmer in the village of Paris, Bessarabia which was part of the Russian Empire at the time.  He was baptised into the Lutheran Church as an infant on 8 April 1857.  The godparents at his baptism were: Michael Gust, Johann Ott, and Justina Falk (nee Mueller).

Alt Elft Parish Register, 1857 Paris Births

Germanic Colonisation Maps - Overview of eastern expansion of German culture

While it was several generations since many of our German ancestors lived in what is now known today as Germany, they maintained their ethnic and cultural heritage as they migrated throughout eastern Europe. 

Germans had migrated and conquered Slavic tribes beginning in the 800s.  Their settlement took over present day eastern Germany.  As the centuries went by, German culture spread quickly eastward, through what is today Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania. German colonies and enclaves became Germanic islands in the midst of other Slavic cultures.

As the Prussian Empire joined in with Russia and Austria on the Partition of Poland, German colonists flooded into the greater Poland regions. 

• 1772 West Prussia / Westpreussen
• 1786 Netze River Valley / Netzegau
• 1793 South Prussia / Sudpreussen
• 1795 New East Prussia / Neu-ostpreussen

Further colonisation began by invitation from the Russians, beginning in 1763.  Germans were desired since they were very industrious and knowledgeable in farming.  Many were invited to the Black Sea area in the early 1800s.  In 1814, settlement of Bessarabia began, as Russia wanted to secure it's acquisition from the Ottoman Empire. 

As Germans in South Russia began to lose the privileges that they were originally promised, they began migrating south into the Ottoman Empire, which later included the Romanian provinces of Wallachia, Moldovia, and Dobruja.  Our families crossed over into Dobruja and lived in Atmagea and Cataloi. 

Ehrmann & Böpple Family in Cataloi, Romania (1857-1902)

Before emigrating to the United States, the Samuel Ehrmann and Anna Maria Boepple family lived in Cataloi, Dobruja, Romania.  The German name for this place is Katalui (also Catalui), Dobrudscha, Rumanien. 



The village was founded in 1857 by Thomas Lutz, most likely due to religious reasons.  Friedrich Boepple and his wife Johanna Maria Lutz of Teplitz, Bessarabia accompanied Thomas and his family, as Johanna was his sister.  They had left Bessarabia in 1842/43 and were in Kischla (by Tulcea) in the early 1850s and then in Korusche, Dobruja 1853-1855 with the Lutz, Gruen, Nagel, Klein and Lang families.  However, due to the Crimean War they had all returned to Bessarabia and were in Teplitz in 1855 and near Sarata (Gut Hadlischar) in 1856.  From Hadschilar they returned to Dobruja, this time to Cataloi.  Friedrich and Johanna Böpple's daughter, Anna Maria Boepple was born 2 Feb 1859 in Cataloi. 

Samuel Ehrmann (born in Brienne 1840) left Brienne, Bessarabia, some time between 1868 and 1872 and went to Cataloi.  He married Anna Maria Boepple in 1872 at Cataloi and their daughter Anna Ehrmann was born there on 14 Aug 1887.  The family later moved to North Dakota in 1902. 



The present Baptist Church in Cataloi



Cataloi was the site of the first Baptist Church in Dobruja.  In the summer of 1864, persecution of German Baptists in Neu Danzig, Bessarabia led to a large migration to Cataloi.  The following familes were part of this group: Jakob Klundt, Joseph Edinger, Friedrich Engel, Martin Engel, Georg Leitner, Martin Heringer.  Martin Engel previously been arrested in 1861 for his Baptist beliefs.  Upon arrival in Cataloi, they sent a letter to the famous English Baptist "Prince of Preachers" Charles Spurgeon, who in turn contacted Johann Gerhard Oncken.  Oncken was the founder and leader of the Baptist movement in Germany, and he sent missionary August Liebig from Bucharest to Catalui to firmly establish a Baptist congregation. 

August Liebig served as head pastor of Cataloi from 1866-1869.  Oncken visited Cataloi and Atmagea in 1869.  In 1873, Ludwig Liebig (August's brother) became Pastor.  In 1878, Ludwig retired to farm his land, but served as a lay minister from then on.  In 1879 Johann Adam of Atmagea was the church deacon, while Ferdinand Massier was the itinerant pastor.  Martin Issler was ordained Cataloi pastor by August Liebig on 24 Sep 1884.  By 1897, Benjamin Schlipf was the pastor (Schlipf later moved to North Dakota, where he bapitzed Samuel Bettcher's son, Andrew Bettcher in 1906).  Cataloi was the central location for Baptists in Dobruja and still has a Baptist congregation today. 

 

Rielingshausen, Württemberg - hometown of the Johannes Sperr Family

Johannes Sperr, our ancestor and father-in-law to Samuel Boettcher (b. 1857), was from the village of Rielingshausen, Württemberg, Germany where he was born in 1821.  The Sperr family lived here since 1704, when Franz Sperr arrived. 

Other ancestors of Johannes were in Rielingshausen since 1560.  Many of them were vine dressers (Weingartners), as this region was rich in vineyards.  Several interesting ancestors include:

~ Conrad Lemp who was the Mayor (Schultheiss) of Rielingshausen in the middle 1500s. 

~ Hanns Lienhardten, Burger and local judge of Rielingshausen, 1640's.

One of the most interesting ancestral lines includes the Lauterwasser family: 

• Jacob Lauterwasser, was the schoolmaster for Rielingshausen from 1642-1675.  Part of his tenure was during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), which heavily impacted the region. 
• Jacob's father, Caspar Lauterwasser, was a Burger and local judge for Rielingshausen. 
• Caspar's father was Zacharias Lauterwasser, who was in Rielingshausen before 1560.  

The following surnames are in Johannes Sperr's ancestry: Geigle, Laitenberger, Seizer, Strecker, Seuffer, Theurer, Orthwein, Leyrer, Kielman, Ganss, Leinhardten, Lauterwass, Lemp, Murr, Eberlin, Schmalzrieden, Stiefel, Golcken, Bauer, Metzger, Dorn, Busch, Gleich, Knorpp, Ringle, Kauter, Ackermann, Ade, Hirsch, Kuemmerlin, Ebinger, Goetz, Treffts, Schocker, Goppolt, Luithardt.

See a brief biography of Johannes Sperr here:

http://bettcherfamily.blogspot.com/2011/05/essay-on-johannes-sperr-of.html

Also, the un-official German website for Rielingshausen:

http://www.rielingshausen.de/