Von: mspicker@bigplanet.com (Fred and Monica Spicker)
  Datum: 23.01.99, 15:18:19
Betreff: Land inheritance

> Was there a time, in Germany, perhaps in the 1700s that if a woman inherited
> land  the *husband* had to take his wife's surname?
>
>

I am aware of one situation where this was true.   A colon was a farmer who
originally farmed a part of a larger estate. The word colon is derived from the
Latin colonus and the English word colonist is also derived from this root.  Such a
farm is called a colonat.)  In return, the family would keep the farm as long as
there was an heir, male or female.  If a woman inherited the farm and she married,
her husband took her name.  In some records, his original family name would be given
followed by genannt (named) or other similar word and then the wife's family name.
Their children would all bear the wife's family name.  While many had no greater
status than a peasant or a serf, this system evolved.  It seems to have been in use
until the late 1800's.  Part of my  family came from Westfalen, near Bielefeld.
There, the farmers in many cases owned the land.  The name itself designated the
size of farm and inheritance level.  A 4 -6 horse farm was called a full farmers or
colons and the family name was Hoener oder Meier.  A halffarmer had 1 to 3 horses
and were Koetter.  Then a designation of place or estate like zu Guntenhausen, etc
was added.  Meier was usually larger than Hoener and in many cases a newly created
farm (Neubauer).  Those working land with cows or oxen had places "Stellen" and were
usually designated Heuerling (hired ahnd) or Einwohner (inhabitant).  These folks
did not have inheritance rights to the land.

I have four families from the Bielefeld area who were all colon: Wilke, Koch genannt
Landwehr (an occassion where a man married a female inheritor of a farm and took the
name Landwehr), Linnemann and Hoener zu Guntenhausen (See explanation of Hoener
above.)  The Hoener zu Guntenhausen still own and farm the land.  My records show
they have been there since at least 1715!

A side note to the name Landwehr.  A Landwehr (= "land defense) was an earthen bank
planted with shrubs to act as fence between ownerships, parishes and communities.
Probably a lot like the British hedgerows.  People living near one took the name
Landwehr.  Gates through these fences were secured with saplings or trees.  Families
that had something to do with the gates were called Baum, Baeumker, Hangbaeumker,
Baumhuetter, Sandbaumhuetter, etc.

Source: Paul Sartori, Westfaelische Volkskunde, 1992, reprinted Frankfurt am Main
1980, pages 17 and 18.

Hope this helps and was of interest.

Moni Spokane, WA USA




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