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Oberthingau, Bayern
Oberthingau Church
Rastatt Fortress
Theresa Stich
Ried, Bayern Germany
Ludwig I., king of Bayern 1825 to 1848
Maximilian II., king of Bayern 1848 to 1864
Sinzheim
Church in Sinzheim
Duke Karl
Ludwig
Stephanie De Beauhernais
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The Floribert Stich family story
and a bit of History
by Fred Richter - April 1, 2004
Researching the Stich
family has been a challenge, in that so little information was available from
family members. Family lore had them coming from the city Baden-Baden, which proved
to be false, but close. The original Stichs were in the village of Ried located in
Bayern Germany. In the English speaking countries Bayern is referred to as
Bavaria. Then one of them, my great-great-grandfather, Anton(ius), moved to
Sinzheim, a village in Baden, close to Baden-Baden.
In my genealogy records you will find reference
to several different villages and towns where events in their lives occurred. It
may appear as if they were moving around, which is not the case. Ried in Bayern
and Sinzheim in Baden were where they lived, however in the case of Ried, for
example: was a small village, no more than 40 farms. It did not have a church. They were in the parish, and attended,
the Catholic church in Oberthingau. All rites, births, christenings, weddings, and
deaths, were performed and recorded there. In addition, Ried now has been
incorporated into the town of Unterthingau. Similarly, Sinzheim in Baden has
been combined with another small village and is more of a suburb of Baden-Baden,
(the world famous hot springs spas), than a separate entity.
The villages
mentioned in the Stich genealogy in Bayern were all small and located in the
same general area. Ried is 3.5km from Oberthingau, Unterthingau is 2km from Ried,
and 9km from Oberthingau. The largest of them, Oberthingau had a total of 41
families in 1803. They are located in an Alpine mountainous and heavily forested
area.
In order to understand the existing conditions under which our ancestors
lived we must consider the customs that prevailed during this time. In that
regard it is necessary to understand the ruling structure, and it’s laws
governing taxes, education, and citizenship, which are entirely foreign to us in
this country and not easily understood. The history of Germany is much too long
and complicated for an article like this. But some high-lights may be helpful.
Bayern, the largest of the German States, and Baden, were at that time
countries, or more often referred to as Kingdoms, ruled by a King/Duke as a monarchy. Several attempts were
made in the late 1800's to form a unified Germany, but it wasn’t until the
conclusion of WW 1, that what we now consider Germany, became a reality.
How did this effect the people's life style and well being?
Bayern ruled by a King, and Baden by a Duke, as monarchies. In order to
control his regime and maintain an army, each ruler appointed Vasallen (knights)
in the various regions of his domain. They gave military protection to their
possession, administered it, drew the deliveries, etc. Officials were not
elected, but appointed, with little or no payment for their services.
The land did not belong to the farmers, but they had the usage of it, paying
for this usage in different fees, taxes and services. However, the right to work
and live there was inherited. New contracts were drawn up with each new
landholder. Inheritance laws were such that farms eventually became so divided, and
too small to support even one family.
The amount and type of taxes paid varied somewhat, but in
general, depended on the size of the property and the terms of the lease. A tax
on farmers produce was a major issue in the 1848 Rebellions and was not repealed
until forced to by rumbles of further rebellion. In addition, the terms of the
lease may require, a portion of the produce, a designated number of days work
for the Duke, and/or, a member of the family serving time in his army. Also the
church made sure they got their share by collecting a tithe (tax) on each male.
In return they were required by law to keep all the records, assuring that
everyone paid their correct taxes and were registered for their duty in the
army. This required everyone to belong to a church, which must be the denomination of the ruler’s choice. Any violation of these,
or any other rules, resulted in a fine, jail, or forced emigration. This
was changed on January 1st, 1810 when a regulation by the Grand Duke of Baden was
enacted. It stated among other items: "Recording of family events like birth,
marriage and death are no longer considered to be the task of the churches but
to be the task of the state." The ministers of the churches have therefore to
follow the rules established by the grandduchal government.
Bayern and Baden remained Catholic after the Reformation in 1517 when the
first significant non-Catholic religion began in Germany. Other religions needed
the Duke’s consent, with the result that today both Bayern and Baden remain
predominately Catholic.
Compulsory education was introduced about 1773, but was universally ignored
in the farming districts. Some schools taught in two separate groups: those
under the age of 10, between 7 and 10am, and the older ones from noon until 3pm.
The curriculum included religious education, reading and writing, mathematics,
geography, and history.
Any male citizen of a town or village was required to
furnish proof that he had an income sufficient to support himself and family
before being allowed to marry. This rule resulted in an abnormal amount of
births out of wedlock. In my research I’ve not found any evidence of medical
facilities, nor mention of doctors. Midwives delivered most babies. Death at
birth for the mother or child was a common occurrence.
Add to this the number of epidemics that occurred, years of drought with poor
crop yields, along with their dreams of freedom, and we can better understand
their desire to leave their homeland.
My great-grandfather, Floribert Stich, was born August 02, 1827 in the little
town of Sinzheim, Baden Germany. Immigrated to this country Jan. 30,
1854, naturalized Feb. 26, 1859. Married Margaretha Wannenmacher Jan. 26, 1860.
She was born Mar. 10, 1841, in Frankfurt, Germany. They were Catholic, and lived
229 S. New Jersey St. Indianapolis. Floribert was a cabinetmaker and died Sept.
11, 1905 in Indianapolis. Margaretha died May 5, 1905 in Indianapolis. They had
ten children, of which 5 died of tuberculosis, only 2 children reached the age
of 60.
Floribert was drafted into the Baden army in 1848, during a time of rebellion
in Baden. The army defected and was defeated by the Prussian Army. Floribert was
captured and held as a prisoner of war, starting from 29 July 1849 in the
Rastatt fortress. It appears he was held prisoner for some length of time and
came to America, without official approval shortly after his release. (See
‘Rebellion’ below for more on this).
My grandmother, Theresa Stich, was born in Indianapolis
Nov, 26, 1871, the sixth of ten children. She married Joseph M. Michaelis Apr.
30, 1901, died of tuberculosis Oct. 20, 1909 in Indianapolis.
Floribert’s father and forebears came from the little town of
Ried in Bayern. They were Catholic, attending church in Oberthingau.
Floribert’s father, Anton, was born October 01, 1776, the
last born of nine children, in Ried, Bayern, as were the previous generations of
the Stichs. Back at least to the late 1600's. Anton was a carpenter, moved to
Sinzheim in Baden and on March 05, 1811 married Justina Göhringer of that town.
Floribert was the 7th of eight children.
Anton’s parents were JoannisThomas Stich, a farmer, born
December 17, 1724 in Ried, and Maria Genovesa Ostenvied. Joannis parents were
Joannes Stich and Agnesa Weber, born in Ried, and had 6 children.
I have found only one other related Stich that came to the
US, but am sure there were others. Benedict (Berthold), brother of Floribert,
emigrated in 1854 to America with wife and son.
Ried Bayern
Ried, village. There is very little information available
on the village of Ried. It was primarily a farming area, but now is part of the
town Unterthingau. Ried, a village 2 km east of Goerisried and 3.5 km south of
the municipality and parish Oberthingau. The first mention of the village was
in1394. Ried is in the Pfrontener valley which is framed by numerous mountains
in one of the most beautiful areas of Germany. The valley is about 850 meters
above sea level, the surrounding mountain summits to a height of scarcely 2,000
meters.
 Bayern, state (1994 pop. 11,600,000), 27,239 sq mi
(70,549 sq km), S Germany. Munich is the capital. The largest state of
Germany, Bavaria is bordered by the Czech Republic on the east, by Austria on
the southeast and south, by Baden-Württemberg on the west, by Hesse on the
northwest, and by Thuringia and Saxony on the north.
A region of rich, softly rolling hills, it is drained by
several rivers (notably the Main, Danube, Isar, and Inn) and is bounded by
mountain ranges (especially the Bavarian Alps and the Bohemian Forest). Upper
Bavaria, with Munich as its capital, rises to the Bavarian Alps, along the
Austrian border, and culminates in the Zugspitze , Germany's highest peak.
Between the Alps and the Bohemian Forest, which forms the border with the Czech
Republic, lies the Franconian Jura plateau, traversed by the Danube. Lower
Bavaria comprises part of this plateau and part of the Bohemian Forest.
Franconia, in N Bavaria, includes the Frankenwald, the Fichtelgebirge, and the
Main valley. Swabia, in SW Bavaria, is part of the Danubian plateau. The Upper
Palatinate, in NE Bavaria, is separated from the Czech Republic by the Bohemian
Forest.
Forestry and agriculture account for about 10% of the state's
economic output; wheat, barley, sugar beets, and dairy goods are the leading
products. Since World War II, Bavaria has had the highest rate of industrial
growth in Germany. Industry produces more than half of the state's gross output
and is centered in Munich, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Hof, Ingolstadt, Erlangen, and
Schweinfurt. Leading industries are electronics, computers, machinery,
chemicals, automobiles, clothing, and foodstuffs. Bavarian beer is world famous.
Toys and musical instruments are made by artisans. Salt, graphite, iron ore, and
lignite are the chief mineral resources. The scenic beauties and the picturesque
local customs and costumes of the Bavarian Alps attract many tourists. There are
universities at Munich, Regensburg, Würzburg, and Erlangen-Nuremberg. A majority
of Bavarians are Roman Catholic.
 Sinzheim
, Baden
The wine village of Sinzheim is located in the foothills of the Rhein Valley in
the former navigable part of the Rhein River. Although Sinzheim is only 25
kilometers west of the city of Baden-Baden, this "headquarter" community is part
of Landkreis Rastatt. Sinzheim was part of the Baden-Baden district until 1819.
Today's Sinzheim covers an area of 28.49 square kilometers with a population of
9,700, most being catholic.
Sinzheim has had many name changes. Known as Sumesheim in
1154, as Sunesheim in 1261, as Sunzheim in 1588 and finally Sinzheim in 1620.
Noted as a wine village, around the village lays a belt of fruit trees. The
surrounding hillsides are covered with grape vines. Sinzheim wines, Sätzler and
Frümessler are known and appreciated by the experts.
Sinzheim parish church, St. Martin's was built in 1900 in the new gothic
style, it is the dominant structure of the village. By the main road sits the
restaurant, Gasthaus Deer. The Altenburg Brewery of Sinzheim is noted for its
beer production.
After the death of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich his grandchild
Karl took over the government of 1811-1818. Karl married Stepanie Beauhernais,
who was the adopted daughter of Napoleon. However this relationship did not
bring advantages, but only obligations and large loads to the country Baden. In
1813 the Rhine Federation of States changed, and along with Austria, Prussen and
Russia managed to ban together for a release from the French yoke.
In the year 1840 Baden began building railways. The invention
of the electrical telegraph in1833 and the telephone 1860 as well as the bicycle
1818 by the Karlsruher forest master baron von Drais (Draisine) was of the
greatest economic importance. Baden has been combined with the state of
Wurttemberg and now is known as Baden-Wurttemberg.
Rebellion:
Florian Stich was a soldier of the 3rd Regiment in the
Rastatt fortress on 13th July 1849 and listed from 29th July 1849 as a prisoner
in Rastatt Fort A. This Florian came from Sinzheim.
In the 1848/49 period, there were three revolutions in Baden,
all of which failed. The last in 1849 was joined by the Baden army, which was
eventually defeated by "foreign troops" from Prussia, and Wurtemberg. The Baden
army retreated to Switzerland and eventually crossed the border, and surrendered
to the Swiss, rather than the Prussians. One part of the army though remained in
the Rastatt fortress, and held out, until the Prussians brought their large
siege guns, and began to literally blow the fortress apart. The rest of the army
was already in Switzerland, and so they really had nothing to fight for, and surrendered. They were then held prisoner for sometime in the fortress .
The seizure of Rastatt on July 23 ended the
resistance. Prussia enforced a bloody retaliation through the Baden government
under the returning Grand Duke Leopold. It held fourteen thousand mutineers
hostage against further disturbances as military trials proceeded and resulted
in fifty one death sentences and eight hundred forty six sentences of ten to
fifteen years imprisonment. Prussia dissolved the Baden army, reformed and
retrained it before evacuating the state.
The 1848 revolution broke out in Germany, with particular
enthusiasm in Baden. The result was disastrous; Prussian troops occupied Baden
for several years, also occupied several other locations. Many people were sent
to jail, many were killed. The refugees who escaped are called the 48ers. Perhaps
you've heard that term and not known what it meant. Not all refugees from
1848-1852 were 1848ers, however, or at least not all were political refugees.
Many were simply looking for better opportunities in the US. But certainly the
political situation had something to do with their departure at that time.
Historians have referred to this as a 'failed' revolution, because the liberals
(middle class) did not succeed in overthrowing the monarchists. More recently
there has been considerable dispute of how much of a failure this revolution
was. Change is incremental and there were gradual changes that liberalized
German society, by broadening suffrage, (through lowered property
qualifications), more equitable treatment under the law, and other 19th century
liberal principles. There were of course radical liberals and
conservative liberals, but generally the push was to reduce abuses of people by
state authorities, increase representation, and give more people, (males), participation in their governance.
Probably more than you want to know, but the bottom line is that these political
upheavals had a direct impact on people like our ancestors, because they had to
deal with military service (the Baden army joined the revolution, did not stay
loyal to the duke) and burned cities. The authorities acted quickly. The
Confederation treaties allowed the governments of various territories to call
upon other territories (i.e., Prussia) to help them suppress armed insurrection,
and the Duke of Baden did so; Prussia was quite happy to help. Our ancestors had
to cope with arrested fathers, sons (and a few daughters), trials,
imprisonments, and subsequent military occupation by the Prussian Army, as
punishment for either active participation or passive participation (i.e.
failing to act against the revolutionaries). Although it was a movement
particularly popular among the university educated, it had widespread
involvement among "mechanics" (skilled craftsmen) and soldiers.
There was also during the 40s a backlash against the religious
"other"...Catholics against Protestants/Protestants against Catholics, resulting
in burned churches, murders, burned farms and businesses, intimidation, or, at
best, general tension.
To top all this off, there was a meteorological disaster (late spring, early
winter, rainy season at the wrong time, and then drought) in Baden in the
mid-40s, plus a potato weevil. This caused widespread hunger; local authorities
tried to regulate prices by controlling the amount of grain distributed, which
didn't work. Hoarding occurred and this compounded the perception of state
abuse, which fed revolutionary trends. Inflation, unemployment all increased the
problem, which was further compounded by shifts in employment from home-based,
or small craft based businesses to larger manufactory.
Furthermore, inheritance laws had forced the subdivision of property to such an
extent that inherited land could not support the heirs. One had
to give up his inheritance. This could be another reason why our Floribert
emigrated. I searched for evidence that Floribert was forced to emigrate
as punishment for his participation in the uprising. I could find nothing
collaborating this, and is the considered opinion of those more learned than I
on the subject that it did not occur. The reason being that Baden did not take
action against the rebels, for fear of another uprising. However, it was over 4
years when he next shows up in the U.S. I would imagine most of that time
was spent as a prisoner of the Prussian Army.
The Baden revolution of May 1849 was tragic. Previous
revolutionary events revealed a split between bourgeois liberalism and lower
class democratic republicanism. Though the democrats had numbers on their side,
time and organizational structures worked against them. Furthermore, a
democratic revolution had no chance to succeed in a single German state. Rather
than focus on the revolution's failure, however, we should measure what it
attempted. The months between February 1848 and June 1849 witnessed an opening
to democracy built on popular suffrage, organized political power for the
masses, freedom of expression, universal education, employment for all, pensions
for workers and other social welfare measures. All were signs of a future worth
fighting for.
With the failure of the Revolution, the old feudal,
militaristic order was basically reestablished, although with some liberal
trimmings. The Bürgertum made its peace with this order, as it tended to profit
from it. Workers and farmers, still the vast majority of the population, were
too disorganized and leaderless to do anything about it. Many Germans who had
hoped for the success of the German Revolution were unwilling to return to a
life under the restored authoritarian regimes and chose emigration--mostly to
the United States. Numbers almost tripled, reaching a peak of 252,000 in 1854.
It was not until 1919, after World War I, that the first German parliament,
with full democratic rights (the Weimar Republic) was established. It soon had
to struggle for survival and was finally overwhelmed by the Nazi party in 1933.
Today's Federal Republic of Germany, founded after World War II, in 1949, chose
black, red and gold for its colors to show that it sees itself in continuity
with the Forty-Eighters' struggle for German freedom and unity.
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