New document from 1750 fills in a piece of Kraemer History
Ken Kraemer
The story below provides new information about the Kraemers in Bavaria – specifically about the great, great, great grandfather of Paul Kraemer.
It also illustrates the kind of work and effort that goes into developing family history.
The document was found by Rupert and Rudolf Rettinger in the State Archives in Amberg, Germany. They are from Irlach and distantly related to us Kraemers by marriage. The document was written old-style “Bavarian”German which apparently is even more arcane than just old-style German. They attempted to transcribe and translate it, but could not really make sense of it. So, I had it transcribed and translated into new German and then translated into English by a professional translator. I then had to put the story into context based on other research I had done earlier.
Back to the story of the house purchase.
We know from church records that the first Kraemer (“Hans” or Johan) showed up in Tiefenbach in 1649 when he got married in St. Vitus Church. We know that his son, Johann Kraemer also lived in Tiefenbach. And we know that his son, Johan Sebastian Kraemer, moved from Tiefenbach to Altenschneeberg, possibly around the time he got married to Margaret Schäfer in 1681. They had a big family of ten children between 1682 and 1705 and Michael Kraemer was one of the youngest.
The 1750 document shows that Johan Michael Kraemer, who was a linen weaver, bought a small house in Altenschneeberg (old snow mountain) from his father Johan Sebastian Kraemer.
This is a sample of the document. It is very old, moldy and in very poor condition. It was difficult to make a copy.
The document was confirming that, on 16 March 1767, Michael had made the final payments on the house he bought from his father earlier in 1750. These payments were for the years 1763-1768 totaling 53 Gulden 10 Kr.; plus 4 Gulden 53 Kr for fees to the Court or others. We do not know the sale price for what is described as a “small house,” but I estimate that the sale price was somewhere between 80 and 170 Gulden. If he paid 10 Gulden per year from 1750 (when he bought the house) to 1767, it would be 170 Gulden; if he paid 10 Gulden per year from 1759 (when his father moved out) to 1767, it would be 80 Gulden.
The document shows that payment was made to the widow of Johan Sebastian Kraemer—not to Sebastian himself, which means that Sebastian was already dead. This widow was Margaret Fisher (born Schmid) whom Sebastian married in 1659.
Stepping back a year, we know that Michael Kraemer married Magdalena Rettinger, an ancestor of Rudolf and Rupert Rettinger, in 1858. So his father, Sebastian, must have lived with them until 1759 when Sebastian himself got married for a second time to the widow Margaret Fisher and then moved to her house in Haag. Haag was a village down the mountain from Altenschneeberg. We know about these later events from Church records described in Wisconsin Kraemers: I. The old world of Bavaria
We know from the document that Sebastian Kraemer died sometime between 1759 and 1767 because the 1767 document calls Margaret a widow. Margaret herself did not die until 1773. So, it makes sense that Michael would be making final payments to the widow of Sebastian Kraemer as the document says (see English text below).
There was also a 10 Gulden payment to the widow of Hans Adam Rettinger. I do not know how she got into the story, but she must have had some financial interest in the property. Perhaps she or her husband had loaned money to Michael.
From my other research, I know that Michael and Magdalena moved to Irlach in 1770 and bought #27 Irlach. See pages 39-47 of Wisconsin Kraemers.
Comment
This document provides a nice piece in the puzzle about the Kraemers in Altenschneeberg. We now have additional proof (beyond church records) that both Michael and his father lived there. We also know that Michael was a linen weaver; moreover, he was a “master” linen weaver, which means that he could have apprentices working for him and would have their labor for free. It is even possible that the apprentices had to pay to work with him although we do not know if they paid a tuition.
We now know that Michael bought the house in 1750, although it is unclear why he bought the house so early given that he did not marry until 1759. Usually, young men made these purchases closer to the time of marriage.
We also now have the following new timeline of events related to the house purchase.
Timeline of events
| Birth | Johan S. Kraemer 1701 | |
| Marriage | 1723 | Johan Sebastian Kraemer marries Barbara, born 1699 (last name unknown) from Altenschneeberg |
| Purchase | 1750 | Johan Michael Kraemer buys house from his father Sebastian |
| Death | Sebastian’s first wife Barbara dies in 1758 | |
| Birth | 1719 | Margaret Schmid is born |
| Marriage | 1758 | Michael Kraemer marries Magdalena Rettinger |
| Marriage | 1759 | Sebastian marries Margaret Fisher, born Schmid in 1719, now a widow and living in Haag. He and moves to her house. |
| Death | Bf1767 | Sebastian dies. This is inferred because Margaret is a widow in the 1767 document |
| Purchase | 1770 | Michael buys #27 Irlach |
| Death | 1773 | Margaret Schmid Fisher Kraemerdies |
| Discovery | December, 2016 | New document found by Rettingers dated April 1767 shows that Michael completed payments for house; makes payments to Margaret and to the widow of Hans Adam Rettinger |
Finally, we have the English translation and the German transcription of the documents. Below is what the original document looks like. It is written in an old-style Bavarian German script which both the Rettingers and our professional translator found difficult to transcribe and change to new German before translating it to English.
English translation by Marion Wolfert, Salt Lake City, January 2017.
Document dated 16 March 1767
Page 1
Four contractual payments made
Each at 10 = 40 Gulden
Johann Michal Cramer [living] at the old
Schneeberg [=address] appeared and had
the payment of the contractual amounts
due on account of his having
purchased a small house on
1 April 1750 for the years 1763, 1764, 1765,
and 1766, each in the amount of 10 Gulden,
for a total of 40 Gulden, recorded.
Page 2
Of these the widow of Hans Adam Reithinger
from the Hoffeld [address], assisted by her
court-appointed guardian
Wolf Hunger in the same place,
confirmed duly having received one part,
and the other three parts were confirmed
as duly received by the
widow of Sebastian Cramer in Haag,
with the assistance of both her
court-appointed
guardians Niclas Pezen, master linen weaver,
and Sebastian Piecherl, farmer,
both from Haag.
[Amount] remaining 75 [or 15?] Gulden
Witnesses
Johann Sebastian Schutz, clerk,
and Michael Mahr from Tiefenbach
Page 3
[First four lines duplicate last four lines of page 2 above]Contractual payment made
Amount owed [?]:
13 Gulden 10 Kreuzer
Today Johann Michal Crammer [living] at the
old Schniberg also made the payments
that are not due until the year
1767: 10 Gulden,
and the year 1768: 3 Gulden 10 Kreuzer,
which were duly received in cash
Page 4
by Catharina Scheuberger,
assisted by Niclas Pez,
with an additional payment of
4 Gulden and 53 Kreuzer as a receipt fee.
With that the total purchase amount
due has been paid off completely,
and a receipt to that effect was issued.
Recorded on the 16th of March 1767.
Witnesses: Joh. Seb. Schutz, clerk,
and Michal Krammer, linen weaver
from Schneeberg.
The following is the German transcription of the document in new German.
German transcription by Marion Wolfert, Salt Lake City, January 2017.
Page 1
Bezahlte 4 Nachfristen
Vide a 10 = 40fl
Einschreibheft (?)
Johann Michael Cramer am alten
Schneeberg erscheint, und lasst
Die wegen seines Unterm
1.April ao 1750 käuff[lich]
an sich gebrachtes Häusl allda
die pro ao 1763. 1764. Et. 1765.
et 1766 Vorfallen[den] 4 nach-
fristen. a .10. F [Gulden] mit 40 Gulden
einschreiben, wouon [=wovon] die
Page 2
Hans Adam Reithingerische
Wittib am Hoffeld mit Bey-
stands Leistungg ihr[es] dess
Ghrtl.[=gerichtlich?] constituierten Vormunds
Wolf Hunger daselbsten
ein [Teil], die Ebringe [= übrigen ?] .3. seinet [= sind]
geg[en] der Sebastian Crämer-
rische Wittib zu Haag mit
Beystandts Leistungg ih[rer] den
Ir auch beide ghrtl. [=gerichtlich] c[on]stituierten
Vormunde[n] Benan[n]tl[ich] Niklas
Pezen Leinweberm[ei]st:[er] und Seba-
stian Piecherl Pauern [Bauern] beude [=beide]
zu Haag richtig empfangen
zu haben judicialiter neinbelemt [??? – It must be something that means „confirmed“]
rest noch 75 Gulden [ 15 Gulden???]
Zeugen
Joh.[ann] Seb[astian] Schütz Schreiber
und Michal Mahr von
Tieffenbach
Page 3 [after the duplicated lines at the end of document 2 beginning with „Zeugen“]
Bezalte Nachfrist
Er: 13f 10 kr.
Johann Michal Crammer am
Alten Schniberg last
Heuet dato ferners die erst
Ao . 1767. Vorfallente nach-
Frist mit 10. f Und
Erst ao 1768 .3.f.10 kr
An solch Jahrigen Frist
Page 4
Welche Catharina Scheubergrin
Mit Beystants-leistung Ni-
clasen Pezen yber defoliotion
4. f 52 kr quittungs costen.
Richtig, und parr [bar] erhalt[en], wor-
Mit dan[n] d[er] Völlige Kaufschilling
Abgeleget, u[nd] hieryber eine Quit-
Tung ausgestelt word[en]. Acto
Den 16. Merz ao 1767
Zeugen
Joh. Seb. Schutz, Schreiber
Und Michal Crammer leinweber
am Schneberg
Kraemer history 