German Military Record

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

When Teresa and I researched in the Haaptsstaatarchiv in Stuttgart, we found many examples of early extant military records. One such record was the “Gebühr und Zalungs Liste” for the months of September and October in 1800. It was a record of the fees and payments made to members of the Mousquetier Bataillon under General Major von Seeger.

 

The top of the page has the following column headings:

 

 

Underneath these headings are the names of soldiers with the relevant information in each column. Below are the translated column headings:

 

Captain Staff.

Nro.	Names.	Residence.	Officers’ Pay.		Wages and Small Subsistence Allowance		Meat Port.	Bread Port.	Remarks.
			fl.	kr.	fl.	kr.
11	Johann Michael Völker	Wipfra, in Sachsen	--	--	23.	55.	55.	55.	From 1./5. 7ber [September] was sick in the hospital.

fl. = Florin, kr. = Kreuzer

 

This one entry is an example of the information contained in the record. It provides the name, his residence, his pay for September and October 1800, along with the portions of meat and bread he received. It noted that he was sick in the hospital from the 1^st to the 5^th of September and his pay and portions were docked accordingly.

 

Citation: Kriegsrechnungen, 1728–1808, „Gebühr- und Zahlungsliste des Musketierbataillons Generalmajor v. Seeger,“ Bd. 65, p. 3, no. 11, Johann Michael Völker; Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, A32, Bd. 65, http://www.landesarchiv-bw.de/plink/?f=1-930613. 

 

 

Marriage Contract

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.

 

 

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[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.  

 

Military Recruitment and Payments

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

On a recent trip to the Haupstaatsarchiv in Stuttgart, we found some interesting military-related documents. One of them was a volume of payments made to military personnel in 1804. At the front of the book were Assentscheine [recruitment certificates]. 

 

Assentschein

 

An Assentschein was created for each person who entered the military. It contains some great information about the person. The samples we reviewed have the name and birth place of the soldier, his height, age, marital status, religion, and occupation.[1]

 

Height was measured in Fuß [feet], Zoll [inches], and Strich [parts of an inch]. A Strich is 1/12 of an inch and is a measurement no longer used. Matheus Lindenmeier was recruited 3 March 1804 into the Chur Prinz Batallion. 

 

The full translation follows:

 

Nro. 212                                                                                                                                                              Inf.

  9

fol.

Recruitment Certificate                          32t

 

Neu-Würtembergische Lande.                                             Oberamt   Giengen.

                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

Recruit                Matheus Lindenmeier                                                                      born in

Giengen                                 height    5.  feet,  9. inches, 1. Strich [1/12 of an inch]

18   years old, unmarried Status, Lutheran.  Reli-

gion, by Profession a beer brewer, admitted by Joh.

                                                                        Georg Reute von Giengen.

                  Is fit for military service

 

                                                      T.   tenZ Regl. Chirurg.

                                                                        Nick dte[?]

 

The same is provisioned  ___________ until 3. Merz. and is enlisted for

6  years with a surety of, 50. florin, und 450 fl. Enlistment bonus

into the Bataill. Chur Prinz.    

 

Payment Register 

 

The second half of this document contains a register of payments made to the military personnel for the months of March and April 1804. Presumably the payments were in Florin and Kreuzer, though it does not say. The military personnel were listed in order of rank, with the Gemeine [privates] last.[2]

 

 

Here is a translation of Matheus’s entry.

 

Nro.	Name and Birth place	Wages, Salary and small monthly allowance				Bread portions		Additions and Departures and other observations
		Pro März		Pro April		Pro März	Pro April
109	Private Matheus Lindenmeyer Giengen	2	42	3		27	30

 

Matheus didn’t get paid for the full month of March, since he didn’t get recruited until the third. Those privates who had been present for the full month of March were paid 3 Florin. They apparently did not factor in how many days were in the month, as the payment was the same for March and April.

 

It is interesting to see what the privates were paid versus other personnel. For example, a cadet was paid 8 Florin per month. A Hauptmann [captain] was paid 75 Florin.

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] “Bataillon Chur Printz Zahlungsliste pro Martio et Aprile 1804, » nr. 1014, fol. 644, Assentschein no. 212, Matheus Lindenmeier ; Haupstaastarchiv Stuttgart, A32-Bd 63. 

[2] “Bataillon Chur Printz Zahlungsliste pro Martio et Aprile 1804, » nr. 1014, fol. 644, Zahlungsliste, p. 33, no. 109, Matheus Lindenmeier ; Haupstaastarchiv Stuttgart, A32-Bd 63.

Friedrichstal, Baden, Land Records - Samples From Prior Trips

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

Our last post showed a land document from 1819 in Friedrichstal located in what is now Baden-Württemberg. The document is from Grundbuch Band 1, 1811–1830.

Grundbuch – Analysis

 

After transcribing and then translating the record, the next step is to understand the record and its implications. 

 

From reviewing the record, we glean the following:

 

·      Record dated 14 April 1819

·      There was a public auction on 4 March 1817

·      The seller was Magdalena (Terraß) Demarez, widow of Jacob

·      Magdalena was assisted by Heinrich Füßler

·      The terms of the sale were 

o   No measurement will be granted.

o   Purchase price paid in two installments; ½ in 14 days and the other ½ on Candlemas 1818 [2 February].

o   The buyer must bear all costs alone.

o   Ownership will be retained until the purchase price is fully paid.

·      Two tracts of arable land were inherited by Jacob Demarez’s children from Catharina Walter and the approval of the guardian was required before it could be finalized. The official permit was just received as shown in Appendix 1332. The two lots that were sold were

o   No. 23: 1-1/2 viertel in Gottsackerfeld, on one side Conrad on the other Johann Gorenflo. The bidder was Heinrich Füßler on behalf of the widow – 143 florin

o   No. 24: 2-1/2 viertel in Zwingenfeld, on one side Heinrich Hornung, on the other the buyer himself. The bidder was Friedrich Demarez, carpenter – 256 florin

 

Public Auction

 

This record was a recording of the results of a public auction held on 4 March 1817. It took over two years to get recorded. The reason stated in the record was that the transaction required the approval of the guardian. The land was inherited by Jacob Demarez’s children from Catharina Walter. Perhaps there may be additional records detailing the auction. Also, there may be guardian records available.

 

Jacob Demarez & Magdalena (Teraß) Demarez

Fortuitously for researchers, the church records have been published.[1] While that makes researching easier, the information should be confirmed with the original records. 

 

On 13 August 1795, Jacob Demarez, citizen and widower, married Magdalena Teraß, the unmarried daughter of citizen Jean Pierre Teraß, after three repeated public announcements of marriage.[2] Jacob Demarez was noted as a widow at his marriage to Magdalena Teraß. 

 

Jacob married Teraß sisters. His first marriage occurred on 25 August 1791 when he married Katharina Teraß. Jacob was the unmarried son of Jacob Demarez, a judge. Katharina was the unmarried daughter of Joh. Peter Teraß. They were married after three proclamations, and both were of the Reformed faith.[3] Katharina Margaretha, wife of Jacob Demarez, died of typhus on 9 March 1795 at the age of 21.[4] After Katharina’s death, Jacob married Magdalena Teraß. The Friedrichstal church records are in both German and English. In Katharina’s marriage record, her father’s name is Joh. Peter Teraß [German], in Magdalena’s marriage record the name is rendered as Jean Pierre Teraß [French].

 

Jacob Demarez died in 1816.[5] By 4 March 1817, Magdalena, with the assistance of Heinrich Füßler, proceeded with the auction of the two tracts of arable land.

 

Land

 

A viertel was a unit of measure meaning a quarter.[6] In 1817, the term may have varied as to the size of a tract of land throughout Baden. The terms Gottsackerfeld and Zwingenfeld are still being researched. A Gottsacker is a cemetery, but that may not make sense in this context. The payment for the land was required to be paid in cash in two equal installments of one half in 14 days after the auction and the other half to be paid on Candlemas in 1818; February 2nd. 

 

The bidder for Lot no. 23 was Heinrich Füßler, apparently on behalf of the widow, for 143 florin. Magdalena (Teraß) Demarez was purchasing the property. The other lot, no. 24, was purchased by Friedrich Demarez, carpenter, for 256 florin. It is not known if Friedrich Demarez was any relation to Jacob Demarez at this point.

 

Remaining Question

 

There is still more research to be undertaken, and one question is who was Catharina Walter and what was her relationship to Jacob Demarez’s children as they inherited the land from her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The surname Terraß is spelled “Terraß” in the auction record and as “Teraß” in the church records.

[1] Dippo, Cathryn S. Friedrichstal Church Records, 1698–1812. Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2005.

[2] Cathryn S. Dippo, Friedrichstal Church Records, 1698–1812 (Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2005), 291.

[3] Cathryn S. Dippo, Friedrichstal Church Records, 1698–1812 (Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2005), 290.

[4] Cathryn S. Dippo, Friedrichstal Church Records, 1698–1812 (Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2005), 351.

[5] “Jacob Demarez,” ID no. 2CBB-DVG, Family Tree, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 10 March 2026).

[6] Ernest Thode, German-English Genealogical Dictionary (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992), 267.

Friedrichstal, Baden, Land Records - Samples From Prior Trips

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

Our last post began to highlight some of our findings to demonstrate how your hard work can pay off. We started by looking at land documents and this week we look at another land document from 1819.  The land record is for Friedrichstal located in what is now Baden-Württemberg. The document is from Grundbuch Band 1, 1811–1830.

 

Grundbuch – Land Records

 

Friedrichstal is a small town located 16 km north of Karlsruhe in Baden-Württemberg. It was founded in 1699 by Protestant refugees, including Huguenots. In 1975, Friedrichstal merged with nearby villages to form the town of Stutensee. With that merger, Blankenloch became the overseer of the town’s records.[1] Information on records for that town was in an online finding aid found on the website of the Grundbuchzentralarchiv – Kornwestheim. The finding aid directs researchers to the Stutensee StadtArchiv.  However, there is no full-time archivist and the records for the different municipalities, including Friedrichstal, are not centrally located in a repository. When we arrived at the Blankenloch Rathaus, we were blessed with a wonderful person who retrieved the Friedrichstal records during her lunch break and allowed us to review them in her office. 

 

We reviewed the several volumes searching for records pertaining to the Demarez and Braun families.

 

This example is from 1819.[2]  Anytime we are dealing with old documents, we need to understand the terminology. In this record, we see the abbreviation “fl.” used as well as the term “gulden.” At this time in Baden, Germany, the Gulden and florin were fundamentally the same currency unit with “gulden” being the German term and “florin” (often abbreviated as fl.) serving as the Latin/international equivalent.[3] Latin terms are something to keep in mind as you transcribe and translate German documents. This land record contains other Latin terms, such as “Actum” for act.

 

The land record captures the following sale.

At Friedrichstal on 14 April 1819. According to the auction record of 4 March 1817. Sold at public auction by Jacob Demarez’s widow Magdalena, née Terraß, with assistance from Heinrich Füßler, the following fields under the stated conditions:

 

1.     No measurement will be granted.

2.     The purchase price must be paid in two installments; one half in 14 days, the other half on Candlemas on the 18^th. [In 1818, Candlemas was on 2 February.]

3.     The buyer must bear all costs alone.

4.     Ownership will be retained until the purchase price is fully paid.

The property is:

·      No. 23:  1-1/2 viertel in the Gottsackerfeld, on one side Conrad on the other Johann Gorenflo.  Bidder Heinrich Füßler on behalf of the widow -  143 fl.

·      No. 24: 2-1/2 viertel in Zwingenfeld, on the one hand Heinrich Hornung, on the other hand the buyer himself. Bidder Friedrich Demarez, carpenter, for 256 fl.

Document signatures below. Two tracts of arable land have been inherited by Jacob Demarez’s children from Catharina Walter, therefore, the approval of the guardian had to be granted before it could be given. This official permit has only just been received, as can be seen from Appendix 1332. Done at Friedrichsthal on 14 April 1819.

 

Sellers

Magdalena Demarz                            Vogt Gorenflo

the children’s guardian                       Heinrich Hornung

T. Johan Lacroix[?[                            Philipp Goranflo

Jung Peter Herlan

                                                            [extracted]

                                                            Gorenflo

 

More work is required to fully research this document and the relationships among the individuals, but there are some tantalizing clues already!

 

 

 

 

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[1] “Friedrichstal (Stutensee),” Wikipedia.de (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrichstal_(Stutensee) : accessed 2025).

[2] Friedrichstal, Baden, Grundbuch, Band 1, 1811–1830, nos. 23 & 24, 14 April 1819, Jacob Demarez; Signatur B21, Stutensee Stadtarchiv, Blankenloch, Baden-Württemberg.

[3] “South German gulden,” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_German_gulden  : accessed 2026).