Anna Elisabetha Kopp and Johann Georg Reck or Rech

On 11 Sep 1793 Johann Georg "Rek" married Anna Elisabeth "Kopprath," the daughter of Andreas Kopp, in Freinsheim. Who was she and who was he?

I'll tackle her first because she's a little easier. The marriage record is that only time that the name "Kopprath" appears in any of the Freinsheim records. In the birth records for one of Anna Elisabetha's children, her last name is given as Kopp. I'm fairly secure about identifying her as the Anna Elsabetha Kopp who was born in Freinsheim on 30 Jun 1773 to Andreas Kopp and Anna Margaretha Reibold.

He's a little harder. At first glance the obvious identification is Johann Georg Reck, the son of Anna Christina and Johann Hennrich Reck born in Freinsheim 13 Jul 1772 and christened 14 Jul 1772. However, one of the birth records for his children gives his last name as "Rek" and the other gives it as "Rech."

English-speakers tend to pronounce the final -ch in German words and names as if it were -k. For example, they refer to Johann Sebastian "Bock" when they mean Bach. In German (and a number of other languages) the two sounds are quite distinct. "Reck" and "Rech" would not be pronounced the same and should not be written the same by a literate individual. However, they might look the same to a transcriptionist trying to read what was written centuries later. Certainly I found cases of both Reck and Rech being either recorded or transcribed as "Rek."

Earlier Rechs in Freinsheim

There were people with the last name Rech living in Freinsheim at least as far back as 1724. Johann Georg and Maria Elisabetha Rech had a son named Eberhard Christian born 06 Aug 1724 and christened 10 Aug 1724. Three years later a second son, Johann Peter, was born 30 Aug 1727 and christened 03 Sep 1727.

Two decades later, a boy named Johann Georg Rech was born 14 Sep 1747 and named after his father. He was christened in Freinsheim on 17 Sep 1747. I think he may have been the son of Johann Georg and Maria Catharina Rech. This couple had a daughter christened in Erpolzheim (2 km SSW of Freinsheim) 15 Aug 1745 and a second daughter christened in Grosskarlbach (4 km NNW of Freinsheim) 31 Jul 1746. After 1747, they had six more children christened in Grosskarlbach between August 1749 and September 1763.

(The spacing between separate communities in the 18th century Pfalz can be a little difficult for the 21st century North American mind to comprehend. The walking distance between Freinsheim and Erpolzheim is exactly the same as the distance between my apartment and the supermarket where I buy my groceries. It's less than a half-hour walk. I carry the groceries home in a backpack. It's hard for me to imagine the supermarket as being in a separate community. However, some of this has to do with geography. The next closest supermarket is only 0.6 km further away, but in a different direction and in a geographically distinct neighbourhood. I can easily imagine that supermarket as being in a separate community - and until 1889, it was.)

Back to Anna Elisabetha and Johann Georg

Anna Elisabetha Kopp and Johann Georg Reck (or Rek or Rech) had two children that I know of. Georg Lorenz "Rech" was born 21 Mar 1793 and christened in Freinsheim. However he died at six months old, on 26 Sep 1793. Heinrich "Rek" was born 01 Jan 1795 and christened in Freinsheim the same day.

There's also a record for Anna Christina Rech born 06 Mar 1796 and christened in Freinsheim the same day. Her father was Johann Georg Rech, but her mother was Anna Katharina. I don't know if this was an error for Anna Elisabetha or if this was a separate couple.

Georg Reck, the husband of Elisabetha "Korb", was buried in Freinsheim 11 Apr 1840. Is "Korb" a mis-write for Kopp?

Finally, there's a record for Elisabetha Kopp buried in Freinsheim 18 May 1848. Her spouse's name is Johann Georg Reck.