From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):
On a recent trip to the Generallandesarchiv in Karlsruhe, we found an example of a marriage contract. These are similar to today’s prenuptial agreements. These particular ones were under the category “Eheberedungen.”
Essentially, this one contains two pages and is dated 30 May 1794. It involves a widower, Joseph Anton Dottino, who was had five minor children from his first marriage. He was marrying Helena Hüger. Joseph Anton’s deceased wife and mother of his children was Franziska Braun. The children were represented in this case by their maternal grandfather, Joseph Braun.
There are five sections of this document. The summary of each section follows:
§ First, the children were named with their ages: Theresia, 12, Franziska, 10, Katharina, 8, Maria Anna 6, and Magdalena, 2. The five children were to receive 300 florin plus a bed and the associated bedding. If any child should die, the others will received the deceased child’s share.
§ Second, the bride, Helena Hüger, is bringing her parental inheritance to the marriage. She remains entitled to that property, which was not specified.
§ Third, the house owned by the groom, which is encumbered by debt, will be shared jointly by the children from the first and second marriages.
§ Fourth, children from the pending marriage, along with the children from the first marriage and the surviving spouse, will share an equal inheritance.
§ Fifth, the marital bed will remain with the surviving spouse.[1]
This document is not related to either of our families. It was a type of document that so far we have not found for ourselves. It is fun to “adopt” other families momentarily to see their records.
[1] Oppenau, Oberkirch Herrschaft, Bistum Straßburg, Eheberedungen, 1794–1800, pp. 3–4, no. 2, Dottino-Hüger; Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe, 61 Nr. 14082, http://www.landesarchiv-bw.de/plink/?f=4-746258.
No comments:
Post a Comment