Ackerbürger Wilhelm Peters

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 19^th 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  27^th 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 21^st, 22^nd and 23^rd Sundays after Trinity and on the 4^th November at St. Stephen’s Evangelical Church in Tangermünde, Wilhelm and Sophie were married.

Wilhelm and Sophie’s first child was born on the 29^th 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 17^th, 1833.  Again Wilhelm was described as a Handelsmann.  But in another 2 more years the young family was to have twin daughters.  On the 26^th September 1835 at 7 in the evening Charlotte Dorothea was born, closely followed by Friederike Louise. 

But sadness closely followed, on the 1^st of October Friederike Louise was hurriedly baptized but by 8 in the evening she had died.  She was buried on the 3^rd, and her little twin sister was dually baptized the following day.

On June 26^th  1838, a fourth daughter was born to Wilhelm and Sophie, Friederike Mathilde. 

Life continued for Wilhelm, hard work and tragedy. In 1841 little Charlotte Dorothea joined her sister, dying from consumption on the 3^rd 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 41^st birthday.  He was buried in the local cemetery on the 1^st 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)

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Friederike Mathilde Peters (1838-

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Theodore Wilhelm Vetter (1866-1943)

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Alan Louis Brady (1916-1995)

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Kevin Reginald Brady (1961-

Note:  The Photo of St. Stephen’s Church was taken by JohanBakker