Ackerbürger Wilhelm Peters
Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Peters (1805-1846)
Wilhelm Peters was a son of a farmer, a
family of farmers on both his father and mother’s sides.
Born on May 22, 1805 in the town of
Tangermünde, he was the third child of Johann Christoph Peters and Sophia
Rosina Erxleben. Johann Christoph had
been married twice before, losing both wives through childbirth. He had one son, Franz, from his first
marriage, and two with Sophia Rosina, but the first baby, as son had died aged
2. Now with the birth of Wilhelm there
were three children in the household, Franz aged 13 and Catherine aged 3. Another two children were to be born in to
the family, Elizabeth in 1808, and Gottfried in 1810. But tragedy was still to hit the family, with
Catherine dying aged 14 in 1816.
Wilhelm’s father died from Brustentzündung
(Mastitis) at midday on the 19th January 1817. Wilhelm’s elder brother was already away with
the army, so at the age of 11 he was now the main male in the household.
Just after his
sixteenth birthday, Wilhlem, now confirmed stood as a godparent to his half
brother, Franz’s, first child. On 27th May 1821 stood there while
young Friedrich Wilhelm was baptized.
This young baby, like his father and uncle, would not live a long life.
When Wilhelm was
15 his mother, Sophia Rosina, married for a second time. Friedrich Scheel, a local Ackerbürger (Citizen
farmer). This marriage would last for
seven years before Sophia Rosina died at the age of 49 in October 1827. Friedrich Scheel even after the death of
their mother would remain close to his step children, even after marrying again
both he and his new wife would be asked to be godparents to their children.
From the age of 18 Wilhelm would have
partaken in two years of training with the local regiment based at
Tangeremünde. All young men in the
Prussian provinces were required to do this.
After leaving the army, Wilhelm went back
to farm work, most likely with his brother Franz. Sometime in 1830 he met Sophie Christine
Breyde. Sophie was 9 years older than
Wilhelm, and was the daughter of a helmsman, Johann Wilhelm Breyde, who had
worked on the ships going up and down the Elbe river. Johann had died in 1819, leaving a wife and 4
daughters.
The Banns were called on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd
Sundays after Trinity and on the 4th November at St. Stephen’s
Evangelical Church in Tangermünde, Wilhelm and Sophie were married.
Wilhelm and Sophie’s first child was born
on the 29th August 1831.
Baptized Friedrich Wilhelm, and known as Wilhelm like his father. His godparents were a mixture of family and
local people that Wilhelm senior worked with.
But one thing had changed, Wilhelm was no longer a Ackermann (Farmer),
but was now identified as a local business man/trader, a Handelsmann.
Two years later a daughter was born,
Christine Charlotte, on July 17th, 1833. Again Wilhelm was described as a
Handelsmann. But in another 2 more years
the young family was to have twin daughters.
On the 26th September 1835 at 7 in the evening Charlotte
Dorothea was born, closely followed by Friederike Louise.
But sadness closely followed, on the 1st
of October Friederike Louise was hurriedly baptized but by 8 in the evening she
had died. She was buried on the 3rd,
and her little twin sister was dually baptized the following day.
Life continued for Wilhelm, hard work and
tragedy. In 1841 little Charlotte Dorothea joined her sister, dying from
consumption on the 3rd of May.
Wilhelm continued to work and live,
watching his remaining children grow.
His son was now 14 and commencing work on the farms with his father, but
further tragedy was to strike.
He died of Nervenfieber (Typhoid fever) about
10 o’clock on the night of April 29, 1846, a few weeks shy of his 41st
birthday. He was buried in the local
cemetery on the 1st of May.
His wife, Sophie, lived for another 22
years, seeing all of their three surviving children marry and start families.
In the burial register Wilhelm is described
as an Ackerbürger –
a Citizen farmer, a man of the land.
Christian
Friedrich Wilhelm Peters (1805-1846)
|
Friederike
Mathilde Peters (1838-
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Theodore
Wilhelm Vetter (1866-1943)
|
Alan
Louis Brady (1916-1995)
|
Kevin
Reginald Brady (1961-
Note:
The Photo of St. Stephen’s Church was taken by JohanBakker
