"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Protestant christening and marriage records for Freinsheim become available again beginning in
January 1816 after a gap of more than 17 years for christening records and 13 years for marriage records. Bridging the gap is tricky and often
relies more on guesswork than evidence. This is especially true because for most marriages conducted 1816-1839, parents' names were not included
in the marriage records.
Here's my list of Pirmanns in Freinsheim in the 19th century:
- Juliana Pirmann and Georg Jacob Stocke were apparently married
during the records gap and had at least three children born then, as well as a fourth child born 1820.
- Magdalena Pirmann and Johann Georg Ningler may have a had a daughter Catharine Elisabeth who died in Darmstadt
07 Mar 1816 at less than a year of age. They definitely had a son Johann Balthasar born 09 Mar 1817 and christened in Darmstadt 13 Mar 1817.
Johann Georg was the son of Anna Catharina Hirsch and Johann Wilhelm Ningler, was born 27 Feb 1785 and christened in Darmstadt 01 Mar 1785.
He died in Darmstadt 15 Mar 1834. Magdalena was almost certainly Lenora Magdalena, the daughter of
Christina and Johann Philipp Pirmann born 02 Jun 1781 and christened in Freinsheim the same day.
Magdalena died and was buried in Freinsheim 06 Mar 1854.
- Maria Catharina Pirmann and Christian Webel had at least six children, one born before 1816 and five born 1816-1825.
Maria Catharina may or may not be the daughter of
Anna Christina Schick and Johann Reichart Pirmann
born 25 Dec 1792 and christened in Freinsheim 26 Dec 1792. Christian may or may not be Johann Christian Webel, the son of
Susanna Philippina Albert and Philipp Leonhard Webel born 02 Dec 1791 and christened in Freinsheim 04 Dec 1791.
Maria Catharina and Christian's daughter Susanna Philippina married
Heinrich Engel.
- Charlotta Pirmann and Georg Peter Seltzer married in Freinsheim 04 Mar 1823. They had seven children born 1823-1840, of whom
one died young. Georg Peter may or may not have been the son of Catharina
(Willy? Schäfer?) and Reichard Seltzer born 02 May 1797 and
christened in Freinsheim 03 May 1797. Charlotta seems to have been born between October 1798 and 1805.
She might be the daughter of Anna Christina Schick and Johann Reichart Pirmann
but she might also be the granddaughter of Juliana Fett and Johann Henrich Pirmann
through one of their sons, Hennrich Adam born 1778 or Johann Philipp born 1784. Georg Peter may or may not be the "Georg Selzer"
who was named in an 1839 legal document as the secondary guardian of
Juliana Pirmann and Georg Jacob Stocke's minor daughter Charlotta.
Juliana was most likely the daughter of
Anna Christina Schick and Johann Reichart Pirmann. If this identification
for Georg Selzer is correct, it suggests that Juliana and Charlotta may have been sisters.
- Anna Christina Hohl and Adolph Pirmann
married in Freinsheim 02 Dec 1824.
- Anna Maria Pirmann and Georg Franz Webel married in Freinsheim 07 Apr 1825. They had two daughters, both christened in Freinsheim:
Barbara christened 08 Jan 1826 and Elisabetha christened 02 Aug 1829.
Barbara married Jacob Stoffel 02 Sep 1847 and Elisabetha, Johannes Hohl 17 Jun 1852.
Anna Maria Pirrmann may have died by June 1837 because there's a Georg Franz Webel who married
Anna Maria Ehrhardt in Freinsheim 01 Jun 1837.
- Anna Maria Pirmann and Martin Kullmann married in Freinsheim 23 May 1825. I know that they had at least one son, Johannes, and that
Anna Maria had died by July 1828. As of that time, Martin was working as a tailor and he and Johannes were living in Lambsheim, 7 km
east of Freinsheim. Anna Maria was almost certainly the daughter of
Christina and Johann Philipp Pirmann born 03 Sep 1796 and
christened in Freinsheim 04 Sep 1796.
- Katharina Herrscher, the daughter of Katharina Schlotthauer and Peter Herrscher born in or about 1810, married Heinrich Pirmann 24 Mar 1829
not in Freinsheim but in Herxheim am Berg. However, Pirmann's not a Herxheim name. The 1829 marriage record is the earliest record I've found
of a Pirmann in Herxheim. Was Heinrich from Freinsheim? Katharina and Heinrich had two sons, both christened in Herxheim.
Peter was born 03 Feb 1830 and christened 07 Feb 1830. Christian was born 28 Oct 1831 and christened 30 Oct 1831. Then on 19 Nov 1832,
Catharina died in Herxheim. Christian also died in Herxheim on 28 Dec 1840. He was followed three months later by his grandmother,
Katharina Schlotthauer, who died 30 Mar 1841. A legal notice published 18 Nov 1841 in the Königlich bayerisches Amts- und
Intelligenzblatt für die Pfalz describes 11-year-old Peter Pirrmann, son of the late ("gewesene") Heinrich Pirrmann and Katharina
Herrscher, farming folk from Herxheim, as the heir of his grandparents' estate worth 2,830 florins. His chief guardian is Christian I Huck,
a farmer in Freinsheim. His secondary guardian is Caspar Schlotthauer, a farmer in Dackenheim (and possibly Katharina's brother).
Peter didn't enjoy his inheritance for long. He died and was buried in Freinsheim 27 Dec 1843.
- Christina Pirmann and Christoph Henz (or Hens) married in Freinsheim 14 Jul 1829. They had three children christened
in Freinsheim in 1829-1837. (There may be a fourth child if an 1835 christening record that refers to Christina "Stocke" and Christoph Henz
is in error.) Christina may or may not be the daughter of
Anna Christina Schick and Johann Reichart Pirmann
born 02 Jun 1795 and christened in Freinsheim 04 Jun 1795.
Christina and Christoph's daughter Margaretha married Johannes Kohl in Freinsheim 25 Mar 1862.
- Charlotta Pirmann and Jacob Schröder married in Freinsheim in a Catholic ceremony 10 Nov 1829.
What's interesting is that every single one of their children's christening and marriage records - six records in all -
refers to "Charlotta" as Regina. They had five children born 1830-1839. All three of their daughters were christened in Freinsheim
as Protestants. Both their sons were baptized in Freinsheim as Catholics. Unfortunately at least one of the daughters and both of the
sons died young. Both sons were named Joannis Antonius, suggesting that their grandfather may have been Joannis Antonius Schröder
baptized in Freinsheim 03 Jun 1780.
- Maria Catharina Pirmann and Johann Heinrich Henninger married in Freinsheim
19 Jun 1832. What happened next is rather strange:
- 02 Nov 1834: Christening of Christian born 31 Oct 1834, son of
Catharina Orth and Heinrich Henninger;
- 04 Apr 1836: Christening of Magdalena, daughter of Catharina Orth and Heinrich Henninger;
- 17 Sep 1837: Christening of Carl born 14 Sep 1837, son of Catharina Pirmann and Heinrich Henninger;
- 26 Jan 1840: Burial of Christian, son of Catharina Orth and Heinrich Henninger;
- 26 Apr 1840: Burial of Carl, son of Catharina Pirmann and Heinrich Henninger;
- 03 Dec 1840: Christening of Christian, son of Catharina Pirmann and Heinrich Henninger;
- 16 May 1842: Christening of Catharina, daughter of Catharina Pirmann and Heinrich Henninger;
- 21 Dec 1842: Burial of Maria Catharina Pirmann, wife of Heinrich Henninger;
- 19 Oct 1860: Burial of Magdalena, daughter of Maria Catharina Orth and Heinrich Henninger;
- 07 May 1868: Marriage of Christian, son of Maria Katharina Orth and Heinrich Henninger, to Eva Drescher,
daughter of Christina Elisbabetha Selzer and Heinrich Drescher.
Did you notice the switcharoo? Christian Henninger born in 1834 to Catharina Orth died in January 1840.
The Christian Henninger who was born in 11 months later was the son of Catharina Pirmann. So who's the Christian Henninger, son of
Maria Katharina Orth, who got married in 1868? And if Catharina Pirmann and Catharina Orth are two different women, why did it take
five years for Catharina Pirmann and Heinrich Henninger to have their first child?
- Christina Pirmann and Johannes II Kirchner were presumably already married when their daughter Christina was christened in Freinsheim
30 Nov 1842. I don't have any more information on this couple except to note that "Johannes II Kirchner" was also used to refer to
Johannes Kirchner who married Anna Maria Stocke in Freinsheim 20 Jun 1837
and had seven children with her 1837-1851.
- Catharina Muth and Reichard Pirmann married in Obrigheim,
11 km north of Freinsheim, 28 Dec 1852.
I also have three stray burial records from Freinsheim that I'm unable to tie in with other records with certainty.
One is that of Margaretha Pirmann, wife of Jacob Pirmann, who died and was buried 24 Jul 1816. This might be
Anna Margaretha Hilbert,
the wife of Philipp Jacob Pirmann, who died and was buried four months later
on 15 Nov 1816. However, it would have been more usual for Anna Margaretha to have been buried under the name Hilbert.
Another possibility is that Margaretha was the daughter of Christina and Johann Philipp Pirmann
born 03 Jun 1792 and christened 04 Jun 1792 and that she married a cousin. However, if this is the case there ought to be a Jacob Pirmann born
1777-1797, and I can't find one.
The next stray burial record from Freinsheim is that of Eva Margaretha Pirmann, wife of Peter Ahl, who died and was buried 14 Feb 1841.
I know of two women named Eva Margaretha Pirmann in the Freinsheim records. One is the daughter of
Maria Christina Apresch and Johann Reichart Pirmann
born 21 Mar 1760 and christened in Freinsheim 23 Mar 1760. She married Johann Georg Seltzer and was already deceased as of 03 May 1819
when a legal notice was published announcing the auction of their property so that their estate could be divided among their children.
The other Eva Margaretha Pirmann was the daughter of Christina and Johann Philipp Pirmann
born 03 Jan 1777 and christened in Freinsheim 04 Jan 1777. In a legal notice published 06 Mar 1828 after her father's death, she appears to be
single at the age of 51. That is, she's not described as anyone's wife or widow. It would be unusual for her husband's name not to be mentioned
if she had one, but it's not impossible. Or she might have married late sometime over the next 13 years. It would help to know when
Peter Ahl was born, but I can't find records for him at ahl.
The final stray burial records is that of Heinrich Pirmann, the husband of Barbara Oswald who died and was buried in Freinsheim 04 Dec 1849.
In memory of Janet A Werner, 1931-2015