The Fourth Generation
Conrad Schwenck, Master Weaver/Member of the Court/Mayor
Before we get to Conrad's life, let us put the year 1702 into perspective. The American Colonies would not declare their independence from England for another seventy-four years; Farenheit's thermometer would not hit the store shelves until 1724; Petersburg was founded the year following Conrad's birth; the first railroad line would not be layed in nearby Bavaria for nearly another 140 years; the automobile, electricity, telephone, radio, and running water in one's home would not show up until about 200 years later. And Feldstetten, then under the rule of the Duke of Württemberg, and after 1806, the King of Würrtemberg, would not become part of the modern nation of Germany until 1871. This, then, was the world which greeted our little Conrad.
As we learned above, Conrad's mother died in April of 1707. He and Johannes and his half-brothers Georg, Johann Heinrich and Andreas were raised by his step-mother, Anna. She must have been a wonderful mother to these boys. And they too all learned the weaving trade from their father as he had from his father.
Nothing in the church books is revealed about Conrad's life until April, 1731. He was then nearly 29, and his brother Johannes age 26. They and their betrothed decided to say their wedding vows in the same ceremony there in the church in Feldstetten. Here are the translated entries in the Ehebuch.
On the 17th were lawfully wedded, Conrad Schwenck, journeyman weaver and lawful son of Bernhard Schwenck, judge and weaver, and Ursula, the widow of the late F. Jerg Reüber, former linenweaver..
On the following line, without date entered:
Johannes Schwenck also journeyman weaver and son of the above mentioned Schwenck, and Anna, the widow of the late Fritz Reüber laborer and traveling thresher, the brother of the above mentioned Jerg.
Rather interesting. Ursula and Anna, widows of two brothers again marry two brothers! And Ursula would be Conrad's loving wife for the next forty years, while poor Anna would become a widow once again - within a short time. On the 26th of December in 1732, Johannes died at the age of 27 with some type of illness and high fever. The pastor recorded this event with a warm and caring entry into the Totenbuch . On April 14 in the following year, a son was born to his widow Anna. She named him Johannes. She remarried for the third time on May 10, 1734. Johannes grew up in Feldstetten and married there in October 15, 1754 to an Anna Margarethe Mack. She must have died sometime before August of 1762, for Johannes then married again, this time to an Ursula Straub. In these two marriages, he fathered 15 children, of which about three survived and married. He too was a weaver and became a local village judge like his grandfather Bernhard. He died there 28 June, 1807. Now, back to his Uncle Conrad.
Conrad and Ursula had no children together. This must have been sad for both, for having children in those days was more expected and - if one may say this - even more important. It is quite apparent that Ursula could not have children. In the search for children born to this couple, from the years 1731 through about 1760, Conrad appeared in the pages as Godfather nineteen times between 1739-1755; not one time as father! His occupation was shown as weaver. In 1751 and 1753, "master weaver" followed his name. Conrad must have had much prestige in this community. The parents of the newborn very often requested two important members of the community to serve as Godparents. The man was often an innkeeper, schoolmaster, mayor, judge. The Godmother was often the wife of the pastor, or wife of one of the above mentioned prominent men of the community. Very often the same man and woman would serve as Godparents for the later born children of that couple. Angelika Bischoff-Luithlen said in her book that these Godparents might often begin to "cringe" a bit if the babies started "coming too frequently." Whether Conrad and Ursula ever took in an orphaned child because of this Godfather vow, the church books could not reveal; as far as could be determined, this kind of legal matter was not part of the duties of the church, but rather the courts. In any case it is probable that Conrad and Ursula lived without children in their home. A search in the years preceeding their 1731 wedding revealed that she and first husband Jerg Reüber had brought two or three babies into the world, but all died in infancy. There were two couples living there with the very same names at that time. This writer believes he found the "correct" Jerg and Ursula. Ursula's name was not seen again in the church book pages until in the year of 1771. Here is the entry:
"Ursula, wife of Conrad Schwenck, mayor and local member of the court, died of a heart ailment and was buried in Christian fashion on Jan. 28th."
To the right of this entry the date of 26 January, and her age of 71 years, 10
months was written.
Just above this death entry, the pastor entered information regarding
the members of the community who had died during the past year of 1770. The
total numbered 27. He broke out this number into groups: Married: men, 2;
women, 6; widowers, 0; widows, 4; single daughter, 1; children: 8 boys, 6
girls. This is included for whatever it is worth. Conrad was now close to age
69. His wife of forty years had just died. He had no children, no
grandchildren. He presumbably was alone for the first time in his life.
Whether he was lonely we can only guess. He had lots of nephews and nieces
running around the village of Feldstetten - probably lots of grand nephews and
nieces as well. And he was Godfather to many young people of the village.
Though he must have missed his Ursula very much, his sadness may not have been
any greater than his longing for fatherhood. And because we - his descendants
- are here reading this story, it is clear that his longings were fulfilled!
And so later in that same year of 1771, the pastor penned the following words
in that all-important Ehebuch in Feldstetten:
"Conrad Schwenck, local member of the court and weaver, widower, and with him Anna Ursula Ostertag, lawful unmarried daughter of Andreas Ostertag, farmer and town council member in Laichingen. Married, 29 October"
Two weeks before the wedding, the local pastor counseled both Conrad and Anna Ursula to satisfy himself that she understood fully what she "was getting into" with the intended marriage to a man of such advanced years (she was age 22_). He entered what he had discussed with this pair into the church marriage records and required the parents of the bride-to-be and Anna Ursula and Conrad to place their signatures at the bottom of that one page entry. Incidentally, the pastor mentioned in the document that Conrad had no children.
Both her parents' families - the Ostertags and Mangolds - were prominent members of the community of Laichingen. Her grandfather Ulrich Ostertag, then deceased, had been a member of the local court there.
We can only speculate as to why she married our Conrad, a man so very much older than her. But we know that even in small villages there were differing social classes, and one usually married within one's class. And too, a marriage to Conrad undoubtedly offered her "financial security". On the other hand, in spite of his age Conrad must have been a very charming man, in good health, and highly respected. The fact remains, they married and she moved to his home in Feldstetten.
Eighteen months later the following inscription was entered into the Taufbuch and this time within hand-drawn columns.
We can all safely speculate that this day must have been one of the happiest
in the life of Conrad Schwenk, weaver in Feldstetten. Here he was approaching
age 72. His young wife had just borne his first child. One can easily imagine
the joy in that house and undoubtedly in the entire village! Note the pastor's
insertion of the word "Septugenarian!" Someone, probably a pastor
many years later, entered an interesting and special inscription in pencil
directly above this birth entry, but you will have to read further to learn of
its contents.
Three years following the birth of baby Conrad, a baby girl joined the
family; Anna Maria was born on May 5, 1775. She died four years later.
Let us take another glance at this man, now close to the age of 73
years. He and wife Ursula learned they could not have children, but he loved
her very much and presumbably remained faithful to her during the forty years
of their marriage. He became a weaver, like his father, and apparently also
learned the skills of administrating justice in the local village court from
his father Bernhard. Then in 1771 Ursula died. He remarried the same year, and
in less than four years he was blessed twice with fatherhood. But all lives,
like stories, must come to an end. And so once again the local pastor pulls
out the Totenbuch
from its special place of safekeeping, and in the year of 1775 makes the
following entry:
On the 6th of July around 12 o'clock noon, Conrad Schwenk, local weaver , also court administrator , died of a fever illness, and was buried in a Christian fashion on the 8th.
And so it is now Anna Ursula who is left widowed with one baby in her arms and a little boy Conrad just two years of age. Her dilemma was nearly the same as that of Bernhard back in 1707 when his spouse died leaving him with two little ones to care for. And so Anna Ursula also remarried within one year of widowhood. On January 30, 1776, in Feldstetten, she married a Jacob Hilsenbeck, a local brewer and proprietor of an inn called the Löwen (Lion) (does he sound familiar?). Beginning on Jan. 5, 1777 through April 30, 1785, they had four children, of which only one girl survived infancy. She, Dorothea, married there in Feldstetten in 1797. A Jacob Hilsenbeck, Schultheiss , served as Godfather at all or most of the christenings. This was the same Jacob who had been Godfather to baby Conrad born in 1773. He was almost certainly a cousin of the Jacob Hilsenbeck who married Anna Ursula. A "Schultheiss" was - not to leave this occupation or position of honor and power undefined - a village mayor in those days, but had much more authority! He represented the village inhabitants to the higher authorities, but he had to carry out the ordinances and decrees handed down by the higher authorities. His immediate supervisor, "boss", was a Vogt, whose office was in a district city, in this case at that time in Urach not far west of Feldstetten. He was always of man of means, often a prosperous farmer or innkeeper, or both. His word was final in the community.
The life of Jacob Hilsenbeck, our little Conrad's stepfather, was not very long. He died on March 1781 at the age of only 31. Hitzige Krankheit or "acute malady" was the listed cause of death. That fall on September 25, Anna Ursula married again, this time to a Jacob Kezler, a brewer from Machtolsheim, a village just 5 miles due east of there. His father was also an innkeeper there. This Jacob had never married before. He was probably about the same age as Anna Ursula, then 32. Jacob took over the Löwen Inn and brewery (presumed brewery, since he and the late Jacob Hilsenbeck were both brewers by trade).
Their first child was born on Dec. 14, 1783. This boy, Christian, survived and married in Feldsteten in June, 1813 to the daughter of innkeeper from another community. Two daughters were born in the following three years. These died in infancy. And then on July 20, 1789, the spirit of our Anna Ursula departed as she was giving birth to her tenth child, stillborn. Only three of these ten survived.
Jacob Kezler remarried on June 3, 1790 to a widow, Anna Margretha born Makin. They had four children together, two of which lived beyond childhood.
Before we move on to the next generation, two intriguing tales beg to be put onto paper. They are of the common kinship between Anna Ursula and Conrad and his kinship with the first man who married his widow. Now we must travel back to the year 1601, the year the stork delivered our patriarch Conrad Schwenk. You already know the generations to the Conrad under discussion, but to refresh your memory: Conrad >Andreas >Bernhard >Conrad 1702. Now here is Anna Ursula's connection to Conrad "the Great": Conrad Schwenk 1601 >Andreas >Georg >Anna Ursula >Anna Maria Mangold >Anna Ursula Ostertag b. 1749, marries Conrad Schwenk 1771. Conrad was the great-grandson of Conrad the Great; his wife was the ggg-granddaughter of the same!!! One wonders if they were aware of their common ancestry? Second cousins, twice removed.
And now to Jacob Hilsenbeck who married widow Anna Ursula. You learned of his ancestry in the preceding chapter. His gg-grandfather was Philipp Hilsenbeck, brewer, b. 1628. And that same man was a grandfather of Conrad. And so as it turned out, the widow of Conrad married his first cousin, twice removed. And so the seeds of Conrad of Laichingen and Philipp of Feldstetten would once again join and germinate with the births of children born of this union of their descendants.
And so we have come to the end of the fourth generation. Let us now see what life would hold for this little Conrad.
§§§
Conrad Schwenk (1601): First Generation
Andreas Schwenk (1641): Second Generation
Bernhard Schwenk (1672): Third Generation
Conrad Schwenk (1702): Fourth Generation
Conrad Schwenk (1773): Fifth Generation
Johannes Schwenk (1798): Sixth Generation
John Schwenk (1839): Seventh Generation
A. Elmer Schwenk (1881): Eighth Generation
