Photos and the Story of Stellichte

Schwalshof farm in Stellichte, owned by the Fuhrhops since the 1850's. Shown in the photos are the barn and the street leading up to the farm, as well as the inscription over the barn door.

 















 
Sometime after his marriage to Anna Maria Engel Fuhrhop (1842) and the birth of daughter Dorothea in Tietlingen in 1847 and before their immigration to America in 1859, Johann Friedrich Elling, our immigrant ancestor, moved with his wife and family to Stellichte, about ten miles from their previous home in Tietlingen. On the microfilm of Court Records for Stellichte 1830 - 1880, I found numerous references to them and to the Fuhrhop family.

Anna Marie Engel Elling geb. Fuhrhop bought house/farm no. 30 in 1852 and sold it in 1859. Was it purchased or was it an inheritance? In his own right, Johann Friedrich Elling bought house/farm no. 14 in 1852, as well, and sold it in 1853. Was that just a temporary home until Anna came into possession of her place later that same year? It's all speculation. 



















What do we know for sure? The film is poor and I had to ask my researcher in Germany for help in translating, but even I could see quite a number of Fuhrhops show up in Stellichte. In particular, the researcher noted that house/farm no. 2 changed ownership for several generations of Fuhrhops from 1800 - 1857. Otto Fuhrhop, she says, obviously had to compensate several persons in 1857 - perhaps husbands of his sisters - but that one place always remained in the family.

When my friend Hogrefe sent these photos of Stellichte, he told me his mother was a Fuhrhop from Stellichte and these photos above are of her family farm, the Schwalshof farm, owned by the Fuhrhops, he states, since the 1850's. Then I looked at the inscription on the barn and saw that the wife of this Otto Fuhrhop, a name I had seen in the census, was named Anna Maria and we all know how the Germans loved to pass on those names. I really don't know if this farm is related to our immigrant grandmother because I haven't done the necessary research to find out, but wouldn't it be great...





































I also know that Johann Friedrich's son, Heinrich Friedrich, my gg grandfather was the only one of the family's children born in Stellichte in 1852. The previous siblings were born in Tietlingen and the youngest was born in America in 1860.

So if someone is looking for a great research opportunity, please take on the Fuhrhops for me, will you?

Back Another Generation - Heinrich Friedrich Elling

 
  

The father of Albert Elling, my great grandfather, Heinrich Friedrich Elling (known as Fred), was born in the village of Stellichte, Germany on October 24, 1852.  I am proud of the two documents above that verify this birth and baptism.  .

The birth record - Tauf-Urkunde - states that this record is in the Lutheran Church of Stellichte 1852 church book, page 41, number XV. Family Name - Elling,
Given Name - Heinrich Friedrich, born 24 October 1852 in Stellichte.
Parents - Friedrich Elling, kothne or cottager and his wife Anna Marie Engel born Fuhrhop.
Baptised 28 Nov 1852 in the church in Stellichte
Godparents - Heinrich Friedrich Engelke and Johann Heinrich Rohr (?)
At the bottom of the record is the church seal and repository for the record (Walsrode) and the date it was released to me.

The top image is a copy of the actual baptismal record as it appeared in the church book. Quite a challenge for most of us to read.

Heinrich Friedrich's father, (Johann) Friedrich, my great-great grandfather, was described as a kothner in Stellichte in the above birth record. This was a term for his occupation/social standing. What did it mean to be a kothne/ koetner in the 1850's in northern Germany? Most agree that this means the man had a little house with a stable for one or two cows, pigs, or sheep and perhaps some chickens. Koetners did not have horses, but instead used the cows for farming their small fields. The owner of those fields would have been a nobleman and the koetner was a renter of the field, usually paying 10% (den Zehnten) of his profits as rent. This rent would be paid in grain, brought to a special storehouse. The koetner was also obligated to work for the nobleman in other ways - constructing buildings or roads or cutting wood. It was a humble life. One source called the koetners "free slaves." When our ancestors heard about America, it mus have been very enticing to emigrate to a place where they could own land quite cheaply.