Maria Christina Heck and Johann Woerner Engel

Johann Woerner Engel was the son of Johanna Neunzehnhöltzer and Johann Jost Engel born 27 Oct 1756 and christened in Freinsheim 31 Oct 1756. On 23 Jan 1781 he married Maria Christina Heck (or Huck) in Freinsheim. Maria Christina was the daughter of Hermann and Anna Catharina Heck born 19 Jan 1756 and christened in Freinsheim 21 Jan 1756.

Johann Woerner and Maria Christina had seven children, at least one of whom died young:

• Johann Jacob born 26 Jul 1781, christened 27 Jul 1781;
• Elisabetha born 12 Sep 1783, christened 14 Sep 1783. Deceased by October 1797;
• Susanna born 09 Mar 1785, christened 11 Mar 1785;
• Christina Elisabetha born 15 Nov 1787, christened 16 Nov 1787. Probably the Christina Elisabetha Engel who married Ludwig Fuhrmann;
• Anna Maria born 26 Oct 1789, christened 28 Oct 1789;
• Charlotta born 07 May 1793, christened 09 May 1793. Probably the Charlotta Engel who married Heinrich Wanner in Freinsheim 10 Apr 1821; and
• Elisabetha born 25 Oct 1797, christened 27 Oct 1797.

There may have been more children. No records have survived of Protestant christenings in Freinsheim between October 1798 and December 1815. There are also no surviving records for Protestant marriages in Freinsheim between July 1802 and December 1815, the period in which most of Johann Woerner and Maria Christina's children would have become marriageable.

Johann Woerner is one of two possibilities for Wernher Engel, "Ackersmann" (farmer), one of the three men named as guardians of Jacob Engel's minor children from his first marriage after Jacob died and was buried 07 Jan 1820. It's also possible that the deceased was his son Johann Jacob born in 1781, although it could also have been a cousin.

If Johann Jacob born in 1781 was not the Jacob Engel whose second wife was Anna Christina Nicola and who was buried 07 Jan 1820, it's not impossible that he may have been the Jacob Engel who married Christina Schwind. However, it's more likely that Christina Schwind's husband was one of two possible Jacob Engels born in Dackenheim.

Anna Maria born in 1789 is the more likely of two possibilities for the Anna Maria Engel who married Johann Georg I Weilbrenner.

Elisabetha born in 1797 is the more likely of two possibilities for the Elisabetha Engel who married Valentin Fett in Freinsheim 16 Jul 1823.

Johann Woerner is one of three possibilities for the Werner Engel who died and was buried in Freinsheim 20 Jan 1826.

Maria Christina Huck, wife of Werner Engel, died and was buried in Freinsheim 12 Apr 1840.

Note: Most of the information I have on the Werner, Engel and Sohn families in Freinsheim from the late 17th to the mid 19th centuries came to me in 2004 courtesy of Siegfried Barth, archivist with the Verbandsgemeinde Freinsheim (Freinsheim Community Association). Where possible I've supplemented it with church records available at FamilySearch.org. Many thanks to Herr Barth and also to my late granduncle Robert Werner, who made the first contact and then recruited my help because he and Herr Barth had no languages in common.