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| Short History of the Luther-Genealogy |
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David Keil has published about 1730 in "Den unschuldigen Nachrichten" [The innocent News] a first pedigree. His son F.S. Keil published "Die historischen Nachrichten von dem Geschlecht und den Nachkommen Dr. Martin Luthers" [The historical News about the family and the descendants of Dr. Martin Luther], and the grandson of him F.C.A. Nobbe published 1856 his genealogy.
David Keil was the son-in-law of Johann Martin Luther II. From the family of a second son-in-law comes Otto Sartorius, who completed 1926 the pedigrees and published his book about the descendants in four centuries.
The contemporary Luthergenealogies refer to David Richter too, who has published 1733 his "Genealogia Lutherorum". He was a school rector in Güstrow/Mecklenburg, unrelated to the Reformator, but he has tried for the past twenty years to build up a genealogy of D. Martin Luther. At this David Richter he analysed basically sermons for mourners, after-dinner speeches, letters etc. and communicated also with the living descendants. He couldn't resort to documented confirmations of the grand-children, because the parish registers were administrated completely first since about 1620.
David Richter underlines, that his work doesn't assert its claim to completeness, and complains especially, that the genealogical tables of David Keil, that he knows, superabound errors and falsities. His own elaborations David Keil has seen, when he has sent it for checking to Johann Martin Luther II in Zeitz. In this way Keil obtained also to see this elaboration, and David Richter censured "that from Keil announced dying off of the still living Abnepotis Theandri (a great-great-grandson of the Reformator)" and reproaches, that pastor Keil has stolen documents out of his elaboration especially about Gabriel Luther and Dr. Carl Friedrich Luther. After that David Richter intended not to publish his work, also because there were many changes.
The third son-in-law in Zeitz, notary Grubner, pleaded for the publishing, and there was an excuse, "that such undertaking from Keil with the whole Lutheran House highest dislike would have been happened thievishly". David Richter reproaches still another things. You can read it in the preface of the 1733 Published book.
Even if David Richter with his work doesn't assert its claim to completeness, thus you must attach the same importance concerning the sources to that contemporary publications, like to his conclusions, in which he expresses concerning Johannes Luther *1526), that Johannes had got certainly sons, but he would be unable to name them. Likewise David Richter explicates, that he couldn't get during 15 years (since 1717) no more information in connection with the family 'von Kunheim'.
After Sartorius 1926 its were in the last century the deacon Ludwig Schmidt 1960 and Günter Luther 1988, which published an update of the Luthergenealogy. The last renovation of the Luthergenealogies was published in the year 2005 by Mrs. Friedel Damm, the genealogist of the Lutherid-Union, in three books:
1. The descendants of D. Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora
The book comprehends the current state of research at the 11. January 2005. Her book is based on the workings of Richter 1733/ Nobbe 1846/ Sartorius 1926 and Martin Clasen-Ludwig Schmidt 1960. Günter Luther is still "persona non grata".
2. The congeners of D. Martin Luther
Here Mrs. Damm brings the descendants of Hans Luder - "the Small" and of Johannes Lindemann, in the attachment the descendants of n.n. Luder, official clerk in Langensalza.
3. The relatives beside of D. Martin Luther
Here you can find the descendants of the siblings of Luther, Jakob Luther and Elisabeth Luther.
My own database is based on the books of Ludwig Schmidt, Günter Luther and Friedel Damm. Yet the number of the descendants according to the Reformator, the congeners and the relatives beside in my database is considerable higher as you can find it in the books of Mrs. Damm.
How I could succeed in this way? The last 8 years I have browsed in numberless nights the genealogy server, genealogical sites, databases and archives in the web and I have looked for connections. I have contact the authors by email. Look in my database! There you can find the links to the sources too.
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| Johannes Luther, the first born son of the Reformator, had three sons and one daugther? Yes! Continuation of page 1 |
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The Lutherid-Union had already accepted once the sons of Johannes Luther. Then it came to a big bang. Without to go into details shortly, you cannot understand the exclusion/denial of the sons.
Where my knowledges are coming from? I have read all family sheets, that the Lutherids has published in the web. Günter Luther was a board member of the Lutherids and their genealogist. I know him only by his large correspondence (he is deceased) with another member of the Lutherids, that make it available for me. And naturally I know his books. What I see is an ardent and qualified genealogist, who was surely a little bit egocentric, i.e. may be he has disrespected others, if he was convinced, that they didn't know the first thing.
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In any case there was much quarrel between 1986 and 1988 in the board of the Lutherids. There the hostility towards Günter Luther has loomed largely with the revision of the acceptance of the sons of Johannes Luther. What I see is an aggressive process in the board of the Lutherid-Union, there was much hate at last.
I, for one, will provide evidence here once again by all the genealogical confirmations of Günter Luther for the three sons of Johannes Luther and I will refer the sources. And it must be said quite clearly, without the validity of his arguments this article would have been never written.
Continued in the left column beside the reproduction .
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The copy of the document rightward I have found in the correspondence of Günter Luther and in his book "The Luther-Family". Unfortunately he didn't mention where he has found it. But Fritz Roth [Roth, Fritz, Restlose Auswertungen von Leichenpredigten und Personalschriften
für genealogische Zwecke, Bd. 5, Boppard/Rhein 1967.] refers to this document too. The transcription of the text to German comes from Günter Luther, the transcription to English from me.
Information about the funeral of Johannes Luther, son of D. Martin Luther. The rector of the University Königsberg
The son of Doktor Martin Luther, Johannes Luther, was called yesterday in a city of the old state from this miserable life into heaven. He was a man, who was characterized by religiousness, wisdom, erudition, honesty and virtue. He lived at the court of the Dukes of Saxony and of the Elector of Brandenburg and supported the decisions of the state. His nature was genuine, he loved the truth and hated and contemned sophistry and quarrels. The greed for money and illusive calculations to accumulate the fortune, he rejected and he was characterized even always by a generosity, that was almost bigger than it was up to his possibilities. He demonstrated to everybody a unique philantrophy. With highest diligence he bewared of curiosity, and the duties of his profession he performed as far as possible. He bore the common miseries of this life quietly and patiently. Some years ago he lived even at the court of the famous Duke Albrecht, the Duke of Prussia (in blessed memory). And just in this our academia he could be a member; he was enlisted and accepted by the leader Di Melchior Insinderus in the year 1549 to the official register, he heard eagerly the public lectures. He arrived here completely by reason of certain enterprises. He was ill for a rather long time, but he bore the cruelty of the illness with strong devoutness. When he perceived finally, that the time of his departing this life was imminent nearly, he prayed to the Lord in true faith and repeated often this sentence: I want to be loosened and to be with Christ. In this way he confided in his God and passed away peacefully in God.
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But let us consider, that the insecurity of the human life and that, what shall not be actually the way of the strolling human and man, strengthen his steps. Then at which places we stayed soever, we are subdued to the arms of the death, it is said rightly: We are born and we die and it threat the end from the origin. But let us say thank to the son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, that he has abolished the cause of the eternal death and let us in our whole life prepare in this way, as if we have to die in every single moment. But we may die, just as well we will live eternal. Let us pray in our life constantly to our Lord and Redeemer, that he proselytized us graciously by his word and conceded us graciously a peaceful departure from this exhausting life. But because we owe to the member of our university and the son of the greatest hero Luther responsibilities of kindness, I plead and I request, all professors and students of this university, that they congregate in the old township to escort the corpse, what will be at three o'clock at the house of the counsel Heinrich Stenderich, and pray, that God, the Lord comfort the children of this very famous man and keep hold softly to the entrusted and appease the sordid relics of the humankind according to his immeasurable mercy.
Good bye.
Addressed in public in the University of Königsberg, in the day of Simon and Juda, anno Domini 1575
Johannes Wigand |
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Johannes Wigand, rector of the University Königsberg and just since one week Bishop of Pomesanien, speaks here from the children of Johannes Luther. The detractors of Günter Luther have brought forward then the argument, that Wigand didn't know the family background of Johannes Luther. But Johannes Wigand was married with Eva Dresser, that was a grandniece of Martin Luther, a granddaughter of Jacob Luther the brother of the Reformator. Do you believe really, that such a man would make such a mistake? How you can get the idea, he hadn't known the family background of Johannes Luther?
To the document above Fritz Roth writes in his 5th volume of his analysis of "Leichenpredigten" [I couldn't find any translation for the German word 'Leichenpredigt'. It is a sermon addressed to the mourners] with number R 4001:
You have gathered from the sentence about the children (lat.: ut Dominus Deus hujus clarissimi Viri liberos consoletur) in age-long discussions, because only the "single daughter" Katharina oo Mag. Nicolaus Böhme is known, that the stepson from the 1st marriage of his wife, not mentioned in the Programma, Cyriax Kegel, is used by Wigand to form the word 'children'.
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Apart from, that "single daughter" isn't the same like "single child", and that by the way there were two stepchildren, even a daughter Kegel too, the inclusion of the blessing cannot applied to the stepchildren, because they were both married already. Accustomed the esspecial blessing of God is prayed only for the "still not provided" children.
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The trustiness of the choosen word "children" is beyond question, because as the author of the Programma signed the "Rector AcademiaeRegiomontanae" and this was at that time D. Johannes Wigandus, a near relative of the deceased.
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Wigandus oo I Eva Dresser, daughter of Anna Luther from the family of the deceased, there the degree of relationship is still doubtable, cp. also Lp. R 2423 [sermon] for the sister Anna Dresser and Lp. R 3334 for D. Conrad Schlüsselburg, who is the brother-in-law of Wigandus.
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By reason of these until now unknown circumstances there are possibilities, that hitherto unproven allegations about the descendance of Johannes Luther could be true and from alleged sons in 400 years a great additional number of descendants of the Reformator could exist.
So far the annotations of Fritz Roth. But what was the family background? Johannes Luther, the oldest son of the reformator, has gone at the beginning of 1566 to Brandenburg and Prussia. Still short before the news lose about his circumstances of life. But one thing is certain, he was already 1563/64 longer as one year in Eastern Prussia.
Who Johannes was marry to? Why there exist only guesses? Let us take a look at the hitherto existing research about Luther (see left column). According to the family book of the Lutherid-Union it seems all very clearly. But a wrong speculation, that was copied througout the centuries, also will not be true by a long tradition.
David Richter says us for this, that he has married already rather in the years and probable short before his departure to Prussia ... the mother of his daughter Catharina, that married in the year 1596 Nikolaus Böhme, barly older than 30 years (l.c. page 340/41). These statements are right obviously, only the interpretation, Johannes Luther has married supposably a daughter of Caspar Cruziger, is wrong.
Nobbe repeats this 1846, but he brought forward the marriage to the year 1553. He has made an evident literal mistake concerning the year of her death from an Eilenburg Chronicle to a document. Katharina is deceased with 55 years and in the chronicle is noted, that she has died in the year 1609. With this you can calculate the year 1554 as year of birth. Nobbe infers from this, that the marriage of the parents must have been 1553. Günter Luther disproves twice these speculation.
continued in the right column above, below the figure
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If Johannes had married really in Wittenberg already 1553, these marriage of the oldest son of the Reformator would have been kept in mind just as the marriage of his brother 1553 and of his sister in the year 1555, then at this time the activity and the residence of Johannes Luther is still passed down. Secondly the real year of death of his daughter Katharina is the year 1619, after the death of his first wife Nikolaus Böhme has married 1621 secondly. Also thus the real year of death 1619 and the year of birth 1564 is plausible and coincides with the comments of David Richter.
Also Sartorius agrees 1926 in this opinion, that Johannes Luther has married 1553 the daughter of Caspar Cruziger, but he asserts additional, that those Elisabeth Kreutziger was married already in Magdeburg with n.n. Kegel. Elisabeth is now a widow and has a son at first marriage, who shall be later the mayor of Quedlinburg. But it remains at the marriage 1553 with Johannes Luther.
In this context Günther Luther asks, if Caspar Kreutziger (Cruciger) had a daughter at all. He is born about 1505, was closely connected to Martin Luther and married about 1526 the Elisabeth von Meseritz, that died shortly after 1526. Cruziger married again between 1530 and 1539. According to the newest descendants book of the Lutherids Elisabeth Kreutziger is born 1529 in Magdeburg. Thus she is born after the death of her mother, but before the second marriage of her father. However at no place a daughter of Cruziger is mentioned in the lifetime of the Reformator, although he belonged to the nearest circle of the Lutherfamily and the children of the other friends of the Lutherhouse are mentioned in many cases as playmates.
Prof. Luther from Greifswald explicates in the ("Jahrbuch der Luthergesellschaft, 1925, Seite 123-140") "Annual of the Luther Society, 1925, page 123-140" likewise the Programma above. He explains for this, that 'liberos' in Latin would be a 'Plurale Tantum' and therefore it can only be used in plural, and for this reason you cannot suggest several children. With the 'Plurale Tantum', a word existing only in plural, Prof. Luther is right, only his conclusion is wrong and the opposite is right. Johannes Wigand was rector of the university and bishop of Pomerania an, I repeat me, he was a very near relative of the Lutherfamily, who was especially long together with Johannes Luther in Eastern Prussia. Therefore he knew the family background exactly. If he had wanted to mention only one daughter, he had could set the Latin word in the Programma. If he nevertheless says 'liberos', thus he means children too.
If now is concluded in a following interpretation, it could be meant with plural nephews, and anew the son from the first marriage of the guessed wife respectively, then this is on the one hand an excessive guess, as far the exposes and "Leichenpredigten" (sermons) don't go normally, and on the other hand the guess is still wrong too. For this I refer once again to the annotations of Fritz Roth to the inclusion of the blessing in "Leichenpredigten" (sermons).
Nobbe informed, he has mandate with inquiries his university friend Prof. Han and the privy council Voigt (Housebook 1871, page 51). Those had report, nowhere they had found a trace of other children of Johannes Luther, but such from his daughter.
This statement remains absolute inapprehensible, then you can find already on the third page of the parish register of the castle church at Königsberg the following record: 1623, the 5th Oct., Wilhelm Luther, cookmaster at castle, has let baptize his son Michael...the godparents were ... provost Wallenrod ... there are following four godparents more. His activity at the court and especially Wallenrod as godfather had deserve a closer attention. Wallenrod was the founder of the Wallenrod Library, later the library of Königsberg.
You can find records in the parish register of the cathedral at Königsberg too. With the date 11. February 1607 a Martin Luther married his wife Elisabeth and at 5. April 1608 a Jacob Luther married the Dorothea Metzker.
The godparents, you can find in the christening record below of the youngest daughter of Martin Luther, noted at 13. February 1628, are the proof for the genealogical family connection.
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Everybody can read clearly, that here Martinus Luther Churfürstl. Brandenburgischer Rathmeister let batize his daughter. Let us take a look at the godparents Nr. 4 and Nr. 5.
The fourth godmother "Anna Maria, the wife of the Landhofmeister Andreas Creutzen" [ Germ. Anna Maria Landhofsmeister Andreas Creutzen Gemählin] and the fifth godmother "Barbara maiden name Burgcountess (Burgrave) zu Dohna, the wife of Albrecht Creutzen [Germ. Barbara geb. Burggräfin zu Dohna Albrecht Creutzen Gemahl] give us clearly the genealogical information.
Anna Maria von Creytzen (* 1587) (godmother Nr. 4), with the maiden name 'von der Ölsnitz', is a relative of the second wife of (uncle) Georg von Kunheim, since 1604 married with Andreas von Creytzen (*1579). Because of the marriage of Johannes Luther this godmother was an aunt of the child to be baptized.
Barbara Countess [Burggräfin] zu Dohna (godmother Nr. 5) likewise married with a 'von Creytzen', is coming from a house of a friend of Johannes Luther, Achatius von Dohna, with him he has studied together in Königsberg. Their professor for law was Johannes von Creytzen, who was together with his brother Christoph the guardian of the brother-in-law of Johannes Luther, of Georg von Kunheim, who was married with the sister of Johannes Luther.
From it now the statement of Richter is enlightened, whereupon Johannes Luthes was married with a cross bearer woman [the German word Kreuzträgerin means probably, one of the ancestors take the cross, was a crusader, probable in Eastern Prussia, therefore the name 'von Creytzen'].
Johannes Luther married at his stay 1563 in Eastern Prussia in the year 1563 the 'Elisabeth von Schlieben', widowed 'von Creytzen', who in first marriage was married with 'Wolf von Creytzen'. Elisabeth was the daughter of 'Wilhelm von Schlieben'.
Günter Luther writes: "It is very implausible, that these persons from the family background of the Lutherfamily were godparents for any Luthers, which were born by chance in Königsberg."
Once again I will point at, that first with Johannes Luther and his sister Margaretha the surname Luther has come to Eastern Prussia.
continued in the right column above, below the figure
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According to descendants of Johannes Luther also David Richter (1733) says already (q.v. 'Short History of the Luther-Genealogy', left border), he has had beside the daughter still sons, but he is not able to name the sons. Also Richter complains, that he couldn't get during 15 years (since 1717) no more information in connection with the family 'von Kunheim'. For David Richter it was such a noble, aristocratic dynasty, that it was for him as common citizen of biggest distance.
Günter Luther writes: "If hitherto inquiries in Königsberg were without any success, the cause may be not only the indecorousness to browse noble dynasties, but also perhaps because the parish register of the castle church, the military church, were not available for the public. That might be continued till to the First World War."
The forenames, who Johannes Luther gave his children, is another genealogical information: Martin like his father, Jacob like his uncle, the youngest brother of the Reformator, and Wilhelm like the forename of the father of his wife. Jacob died 1635 in Königsberg and Wilhelm 1644 in Königsberg too. The son Martin Luther seems move away from Eastern Prussia, because from him you cannot find a death record in Königsberg.
Günter Luther writes: "The Daniel Luther, who came 1640 to Königsberg for studying, may have been a son of Martin Luther (from Königsberg), because the poem due to the marriage of Gabriel Luther with Anna Rosina Weise, that Daniel has written, is another information about the family background.
Therewith we can understand the argumentation of Günter Luther, we must clear the question: Who was this gabriel Luther (*1612)?
In the church St. Mary in Wittstock an der Dosse (Wittstock at the Dosse) the memorial tablet, mapped on the next page, is installed:
continued on page 3
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