Johann Michael's Story
Confederation of the Rhine, Commons.wikipedia.com
My life was a hard life . . .
. . . and I experienced grief and loss on a regular basis, as I look back on my life.
I was the only surviving child of Johann Christoph Valentin Wackes and Johanna Maria Grienfeld. They married at a young age. My father was 21 when I was born. Evidently they were quite committed to Lutheranism, for I was baptized at St. Marien’s in Suhl on the same day I was born—January 4, 1806! (Or they were afraid I would die, as Johanna's earlier babies had.)
What happened in my childhood
I suppose most of you Wackes family members reading this now live in America. The USA was just finding its way as a new nation when I was born. Thomas Jefferson served as America's president (1801-1809) at the time of my birth and retired from office when I was three years old. Germany was not a unified country and was divided up into over one hundred independent states, duchies, and free cities. Suhl belonged to the Kingdom of Saxony.
My early childhood also marked the period when Napoleon Bonaparte and his French "Grande Armee" imposed their will on much of Europe (1803-1814). My hometown of Suhl was a part of the Kingdom of Saxony. The Royal Army of Saxony allied with Napoleon against our two powerful neighbors to the north, Prussia and Russia, and was a part of Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine. The Confederation existed from 1803 until Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig in 1813. Leipzig was a relatively short distance from Suhl.
My father, Johann Christoph Valentin, was 18 when Napoleon arrived in Saxony and, as with most Saxon youths, joined the army of the Confederation. Napoleon required the Confederation to provide 63,000 troops for his wars.
After his disastrous defeat in Russia in 1812 (the setting for the 1812 Overture), Napoleon gathered his forces in Eurfurt in 1813, just 48 km (or 30 mi.) north of Suhl, in preparation for the Battle of Leipzig. Confederation troops streamed north through Suhl on their way to Eurfurt, because they had to go through Suhl to access the mountain overpass into Eurfurt. The Battle of the Nations (Battle of Leipzig) was fought on October 16-19, 1813 between the coalition forces of Russia, Austria, Sweden, and Prussia against France and troops from the Confederation (including Suhl) and from Italy and Spain. 600,000 troops participated in what was the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I. Napoleon was defeated at Leipzig and led to his first exile. Leipzig is located just 144 km (86 mi.) northeast of Suhl.
I was seven years old at the time and i remember the wounded and ragged soldiers coming back through Suhl.
. . . and I experienced grief and loss on a regular basis, as I look back on my life.
I was the only surviving child of Johann Christoph Valentin Wackes and Johanna Maria Grienfeld. They married at a young age. My father was 21 when I was born. Evidently they were quite committed to Lutheranism, for I was baptized at St. Marien’s in Suhl on the same day I was born—January 4, 1806! (Or they were afraid I would die, as Johanna's earlier babies had.)
What happened in my childhood
I suppose most of you Wackes family members reading this now live in America. The USA was just finding its way as a new nation when I was born. Thomas Jefferson served as America's president (1801-1809) at the time of my birth and retired from office when I was three years old. Germany was not a unified country and was divided up into over one hundred independent states, duchies, and free cities. Suhl belonged to the Kingdom of Saxony.
My early childhood also marked the period when Napoleon Bonaparte and his French "Grande Armee" imposed their will on much of Europe (1803-1814). My hometown of Suhl was a part of the Kingdom of Saxony. The Royal Army of Saxony allied with Napoleon against our two powerful neighbors to the north, Prussia and Russia, and was a part of Napoleon's Confederation of the Rhine. The Confederation existed from 1803 until Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig in 1813. Leipzig was a relatively short distance from Suhl.
My father, Johann Christoph Valentin, was 18 when Napoleon arrived in Saxony and, as with most Saxon youths, joined the army of the Confederation. Napoleon required the Confederation to provide 63,000 troops for his wars.
After his disastrous defeat in Russia in 1812 (the setting for the 1812 Overture), Napoleon gathered his forces in Eurfurt in 1813, just 48 km (or 30 mi.) north of Suhl, in preparation for the Battle of Leipzig. Confederation troops streamed north through Suhl on their way to Eurfurt, because they had to go through Suhl to access the mountain overpass into Eurfurt. The Battle of the Nations (Battle of Leipzig) was fought on October 16-19, 1813 between the coalition forces of Russia, Austria, Sweden, and Prussia against France and troops from the Confederation (including Suhl) and from Italy and Spain. 600,000 troops participated in what was the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I. Napoleon was defeated at Leipzig and led to his first exile. Leipzig is located just 144 km (86 mi.) northeast of Suhl.
I was seven years old at the time and i remember the wounded and ragged soldiers coming back through Suhl.
Front entrance to St. Marien's, KPW 1998
Death of my father
Fourteen years later, in 1827, my father, Johann Christoph, died suddenly when I was 21 years old. It was an extremely lonely feeling as my mother and I stood there on that cold March day in 1827 in the sanctuary of St. Marien’s Hauptkirche at his memorial service. The minister was kindly, gave us good counsel, and was comforting, but the loss of my father was difficult. As the only child, I felt a new, keen responsibility for my mother.
I was employed as a house painter at the time and had been working since I was in my mid-teens.
Johanne Dorothee Christiane Brautigham (1807-1841)
One source of comfort during that time was Johanne Dorothee Christiane Brautigham, the girl who I would marry one year later. Johanne and I were married at St. Marien’s in 1828, less than a year after my father’s death. Walking into the church for our marriage ceremony was bittersweet, and yet joyful. I was twenty-two years old and Johanne was twenty-one.
You probably wonder why Johanne had so many names! Well, it is customary in the German Lutheran Church for godparents to accompany the parents at the time of the baptism and to stand with them at the baptismal font during the baptismal ceremony. They promised to raise the child in the Christian faith should anything happen to the parents. They also as godparents give the child a name, the child’s middle name. Johanne had two sets of godparents, and they chose Dorothee and Christiane for her names. Johanne was a year younger than I, born in 1807, and was baptized at St. Marien’s, just as I had been.
Johanne and I had thirteen wonderful years of marriage together, but very sad years as well. Johanne and I went through five full-term pregnancies together, full of hope and joy. Johanne bore four children, Friedrich Christian, Johanne Lisette, Heinrich Emil, and Dorothee Henrietta. All but Heinrich Emil died in early childhood. The loss at times was almost too much to bear.
And then, shortly after the death of Dorothee Henrietta, Johanne became pregnant again. Little Heinrich Emil would have a little brother or sister! However, giving birth in those days was a highly risky business. Infection had no cure. Complications in the delivery of an infant were extremely dangerous, and many women simply died in childbirth. To become pregnant was a supreme act of devotion, because it was accompanied by such a high risk of death for the mother.
And so it was for Johanne.
Johanne Dorothee Christiane's death
August 7, 1841 was one of the saddest days of my life. Johanne gave birth to our little son, but due to complications in the delivery, both our little boy and Johanne died. I was so grief stricken and, frankly, angry, that I did not give our little son a name. He is recorded in the birth registry of St. Marien’s simply as “Son without a Forename.” Johanne was only thirty-four years old when she died. I was thirty-seven.
My little son, Heinrich Emil, was five years old when Johanne died. Comforting him and helping him to cope with his loss was very difficult. My mother was an extreme help to me during those sad days. I could not bear the loneliness. Crying tears of loss with Johanne over the death of three of our children was immense, and yet, now, the death of my wife and partner, Johanne, was almost too much to bear.
I also knew that little Heinrich Emil needed a mother.
Marie Theresa Hassler (1821-1880)
And so it was that God brought into my life Marie Theresa Hassler, a local Suhler girl who was fifteen years younger than I. She was born March 25, 1821 in Suhl, and was twenty years old when we were married at St. Marien’s in December 1841. I was thirty-five at the time and Heinrich Emil was six. Now he had a new mama!
Marie Theresa was named for the famous Empress Marie Theresa of the Austrian Habsburg Empire, as were many other daughters of Suhl and Germany.
Fourteen years later, in 1827, my father, Johann Christoph, died suddenly when I was 21 years old. It was an extremely lonely feeling as my mother and I stood there on that cold March day in 1827 in the sanctuary of St. Marien’s Hauptkirche at his memorial service. The minister was kindly, gave us good counsel, and was comforting, but the loss of my father was difficult. As the only child, I felt a new, keen responsibility for my mother.
I was employed as a house painter at the time and had been working since I was in my mid-teens.
Johanne Dorothee Christiane Brautigham (1807-1841)
One source of comfort during that time was Johanne Dorothee Christiane Brautigham, the girl who I would marry one year later. Johanne and I were married at St. Marien’s in 1828, less than a year after my father’s death. Walking into the church for our marriage ceremony was bittersweet, and yet joyful. I was twenty-two years old and Johanne was twenty-one.
You probably wonder why Johanne had so many names! Well, it is customary in the German Lutheran Church for godparents to accompany the parents at the time of the baptism and to stand with them at the baptismal font during the baptismal ceremony. They promised to raise the child in the Christian faith should anything happen to the parents. They also as godparents give the child a name, the child’s middle name. Johanne had two sets of godparents, and they chose Dorothee and Christiane for her names. Johanne was a year younger than I, born in 1807, and was baptized at St. Marien’s, just as I had been.
Johanne and I had thirteen wonderful years of marriage together, but very sad years as well. Johanne and I went through five full-term pregnancies together, full of hope and joy. Johanne bore four children, Friedrich Christian, Johanne Lisette, Heinrich Emil, and Dorothee Henrietta. All but Heinrich Emil died in early childhood. The loss at times was almost too much to bear.
And then, shortly after the death of Dorothee Henrietta, Johanne became pregnant again. Little Heinrich Emil would have a little brother or sister! However, giving birth in those days was a highly risky business. Infection had no cure. Complications in the delivery of an infant were extremely dangerous, and many women simply died in childbirth. To become pregnant was a supreme act of devotion, because it was accompanied by such a high risk of death for the mother.
And so it was for Johanne.
Johanne Dorothee Christiane's death
August 7, 1841 was one of the saddest days of my life. Johanne gave birth to our little son, but due to complications in the delivery, both our little boy and Johanne died. I was so grief stricken and, frankly, angry, that I did not give our little son a name. He is recorded in the birth registry of St. Marien’s simply as “Son without a Forename.” Johanne was only thirty-four years old when she died. I was thirty-seven.
My little son, Heinrich Emil, was five years old when Johanne died. Comforting him and helping him to cope with his loss was very difficult. My mother was an extreme help to me during those sad days. I could not bear the loneliness. Crying tears of loss with Johanne over the death of three of our children was immense, and yet, now, the death of my wife and partner, Johanne, was almost too much to bear.
I also knew that little Heinrich Emil needed a mother.
Marie Theresa Hassler (1821-1880)
And so it was that God brought into my life Marie Theresa Hassler, a local Suhler girl who was fifteen years younger than I. She was born March 25, 1821 in Suhl, and was twenty years old when we were married at St. Marien’s in December 1841. I was thirty-five at the time and Heinrich Emil was six. Now he had a new mama!
Marie Theresa was named for the famous Empress Marie Theresa of the Austrian Habsburg Empire, as were many other daughters of Suhl and Germany.
 Gerbershausen, Thuringia about 12 miles from Suhl.
Photo Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerbershausen_Rapsfeld.jpg
Attributed: Tobi78
photo licensing
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My Favorite Pastime Taking a long hike with Heinrich Emil in the Thuringer Wald and working in my garden near the old city cemetery (the probable location of my garden was still used by my great-grandson, Udo, until his death in 1997) My Vocation Maler (house painter) and Tapezieren (wall paperer). My Military Experience As was the case with most Suhler men, I had to serve a short time in the Prussian army, but unlike those in Prussia proper, in outlying areas like Suhl we were only required to receive basic training and then be standby reservists. |
Why No Children?
When I married Marie Theresa, I was nervous about pregnancy. I could not bear to think of another loss. This was hard for Marie Theresa, for what twenty-year-old bride wants to simply remain childless?! Although she was a wonderful step-mother to Heinrich Emil, who was five-years old when we married, she wanted her own children.
We were married for eighteen years before Marie Theresa gave birth in 1860 to her first child, little Ferdinand Otto. What a relief when the mid-wife told me that both mother and little son were fine! And so, we tried again, and on October 15, 1862 she gave birth to her second son, Karl Louis. He was to be the ancestor from whom all of you in America descended.
However, the days of sadness were not yet over. During the third month of Marie Theresa’s pregnancy with Karl Louis, I died. They had taught us in catechism class at St. Marien’s that in Psalm 103 it says, “All the days ordained for me were written in God’s book, before one of them came to be.”
And so it was that I did not live to see the birth of Karl Louis, nor was I there to take care of little two-year old Ferdinand Otto, or to see the future development of twenty three-year old Heinrich Emil. I came to the end of my life in April 1862 at the age of fifty-four.
Postscript A
As a young boy in 1813, Johann Michael watched the troops make their way through Suhl to Leipzig to fight in the Battle of the Nations. Suhl, along with the rest of Saxony, had allied with Napoleon against Russia, Great Britain, and Prussia.
In 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, Suhl was ceded over with electoral Saxony to Prussia. This brought Suhl under the influence and leadership of Metternich of Prussia, an arch foe of France and Austria. Suhl and Prussia would not experience heavy fighting again until 1866, four years after Johann Michael's death. Prussia easily defeated Austria in a war that lasted only several days.
The big battle would be in 1871 when France declared war on Prussia. (Or so the Chancellor of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck, would like all Germans to believe! Von Bismarck goaded Napoleon III into a war to serve his own needs—to create a unified Germany with Prussia at the center.)
Karl Louis was nine years old at the time. He saw the mobilization of troops in the streets of Suhl as they prepared for the successful war against Napoleon III, which actually brought all of the German states together for the first time in its history! Prussia and a line of three Prussian kings, or Kaisers, were to lead the new German Confederation until Germany's defeat in 1918, bringing World War I to its end.
Post script B
Heinrich Emil was a Christmas present for Johann Michael and Dorothee Christiane, for he was born on December 11, 1836 and was baptized at St. Marien’s on the same date, two weeks before the Christmas festivities in Suhl.
Heinrich Emil became a gun maker in Suhl and had one son, Friederich Christian Wackes, whose grandson, Eckhard Wilhelm Wackes, currently living in Hamburg, and Ken Wackes, met in 1998. Not until 2008 was it established that these two genealogies were in fact both descended from Johann Michael. Another mystery solved! Heinrich Emil died on June 8, 1864, at the age of twenty-seven in Suhl, about two years after the death of his father.
The trio of daughters of Ferdinand Otto Wackes who emigrated to America, Irma, Clara, and Else, were located in 2015 via ancestry.com. They settled in Philadelphia. They were the first cousins of Charles Louis Wackes II. While in Suhl in 1998, Fritz Wackes told me that the family had lost track of the three sisters. Clara is buried in the same Philadelphia cemetery as Charles Louis Wackes I.
The families had contact after immigrating because at the death of Else Wackes in 1920, Auguste Wackes was listed in the local newspaper as the executrix “of her niece.” (Philadelphia Inquirer 1920-09-13 Vol. 183 Iss.75 p.17. Genealogybank.com)
When I married Marie Theresa, I was nervous about pregnancy. I could not bear to think of another loss. This was hard for Marie Theresa, for what twenty-year-old bride wants to simply remain childless?! Although she was a wonderful step-mother to Heinrich Emil, who was five-years old when we married, she wanted her own children.
We were married for eighteen years before Marie Theresa gave birth in 1860 to her first child, little Ferdinand Otto. What a relief when the mid-wife told me that both mother and little son were fine! And so, we tried again, and on October 15, 1862 she gave birth to her second son, Karl Louis. He was to be the ancestor from whom all of you in America descended.
However, the days of sadness were not yet over. During the third month of Marie Theresa’s pregnancy with Karl Louis, I died. They had taught us in catechism class at St. Marien’s that in Psalm 103 it says, “All the days ordained for me were written in God’s book, before one of them came to be.”
And so it was that I did not live to see the birth of Karl Louis, nor was I there to take care of little two-year old Ferdinand Otto, or to see the future development of twenty three-year old Heinrich Emil. I came to the end of my life in April 1862 at the age of fifty-four.
Postscript A
As a young boy in 1813, Johann Michael watched the troops make their way through Suhl to Leipzig to fight in the Battle of the Nations. Suhl, along with the rest of Saxony, had allied with Napoleon against Russia, Great Britain, and Prussia.
In 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, Suhl was ceded over with electoral Saxony to Prussia. This brought Suhl under the influence and leadership of Metternich of Prussia, an arch foe of France and Austria. Suhl and Prussia would not experience heavy fighting again until 1866, four years after Johann Michael's death. Prussia easily defeated Austria in a war that lasted only several days.
The big battle would be in 1871 when France declared war on Prussia. (Or so the Chancellor of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck, would like all Germans to believe! Von Bismarck goaded Napoleon III into a war to serve his own needs—to create a unified Germany with Prussia at the center.)
Karl Louis was nine years old at the time. He saw the mobilization of troops in the streets of Suhl as they prepared for the successful war against Napoleon III, which actually brought all of the German states together for the first time in its history! Prussia and a line of three Prussian kings, or Kaisers, were to lead the new German Confederation until Germany's defeat in 1918, bringing World War I to its end.
Post script B
Heinrich Emil was a Christmas present for Johann Michael and Dorothee Christiane, for he was born on December 11, 1836 and was baptized at St. Marien’s on the same date, two weeks before the Christmas festivities in Suhl.
Heinrich Emil became a gun maker in Suhl and had one son, Friederich Christian Wackes, whose grandson, Eckhard Wilhelm Wackes, currently living in Hamburg, and Ken Wackes, met in 1998. Not until 2008 was it established that these two genealogies were in fact both descended from Johann Michael. Another mystery solved! Heinrich Emil died on June 8, 1864, at the age of twenty-seven in Suhl, about two years after the death of his father.
The trio of daughters of Ferdinand Otto Wackes who emigrated to America, Irma, Clara, and Else, were located in 2015 via ancestry.com. They settled in Philadelphia. They were the first cousins of Charles Louis Wackes II. While in Suhl in 1998, Fritz Wackes told me that the family had lost track of the three sisters. Clara is buried in the same Philadelphia cemetery as Charles Louis Wackes I.
The families had contact after immigrating because at the death of Else Wackes in 1920, Auguste Wackes was listed in the local newspaper as the executrix “of her niece.” (Philadelphia Inquirer 1920-09-13 Vol. 183 Iss.75 p.17. Genealogybank.com)