Generation 4 & 5: There's An Author In The Bunch

Well let's see where did I leave off? Oh, right with little Hans Ergezinger Jr. (confession I added the Junior). Well Hans grew up and on July 3, 1656 he married Margaretha Schaber (b. 1638). Together they had, brace yourself, 12 children!

Let's just call them the original Cheaper By The Dozen
Source: 20th Century Fox

1. Hans Conrad (3/22/1658 -7/27/1658)
2. Johannes Georg (6/31/1659 -1733)
3. Anna Marie (1/1/1661 - ????)
4. Hans Conrad (09/06/1662 - 11/12/1699)
5. Johannes (08/04/1664 - ????)
6. Margaretha (10/28/1665 - ????)
7. Agnes (04/07/1667 - 08/08/1667)
8. Georg (12/20/1668 - ????)
9. Elisabetha (04/12/1670 - ????)
10. Agnes (07/29/1671 - ????)
11. Frantz (01/28/1674 - ????)
12. Euphrosina (05/07/1676 - ????)


Although my story will continue with #4 Hans Conrad, I want to take you down a little bunny trail first. In my research I came across some written works with Ergezinger names to them. Johannes Georg (#2) is one of them. According to the registers of the University of Tübingen. he worked as deputy head of a grammar school in Delmenhorst. (From: Volume 3: 1710-1810, ed. Albert Buerk and Wilhelm will, Tübingen 1953;  The Matrikeleintrag No. 33086 of 23 October 1732)

The book is titled The Collection of the Canonical Scriptures of the Holy Modern Against Certain Objections Claim  (rough translation cause it is written in Latin and I have yet to mark off become fluent in Latin on my bucket list). Johannes Georg is listed as a respondent on the work under the author Christian Eberhard Weismann. Although the book was published in 1737 after Johannes Georg's death, this seems like a common practice during this period.

Source: University of Tübingen

Back to my story, Hans Conrad married Catherine Egeler and they had 5 children. Their oldest Balthas Ergezinger was born on April 16, 1695 and is my direct relation. The couple's other children were Hans Jacob (b. 12/02/1688), Hans Conrad (b. 1692), Johannes (b. 08/05/1697), and Hans Jerg (b. 03/12/1699).

Interestingly enough there is an author in the extended family too. Hans Conrad (son of Jon Georg b. 1659 who was a surgeon in Renningen), nephew of my relative Hans Conrad (b. 1662), attended the University of Tübingen and collaborated on two different works. The first was published in 1712 called De Obligatione Rei Ad Sustinendam Poenam (The Obligation to Support the Penalty).

Source: University of Tübingen

The second work was published in 1718 Dissertatio Morals De Obligatone Iuramenti (The Social Moral Obligation)

Front cover
Source: University of Tübingen

The afterword at the end of the book
(still working on the translation Google translate made no sense)
Source: University of Tübingen

He wrote a third work titled: Breve & Primum ac Tenue Historix Monasterii Blabyrensis, à Comitibus Palatinis Tubingensibus Quondam Excitati, Rudimentum ab A. D. 1095 ad A. C. 1747. quantum licuit, ex idoneis documentis delineatum. This work was about the history of the Blaubeuren monastery.

In regards to his work at Tübingen, according to the registers of the University of Tübingen. Volume 2: 1600-1710, ed. Albert Buerk and Wilhelm will, Tübingen 1953 "The Matrikeleintrag No. 30685 of 26 June 1709 reads: "Johann Conrad Ergezinger Renningensis". This book states that he worked as a tutor in the Duke metallic scholarship upon completion of his theological studies.

Finding these works were pretty cool, I'm still working on getting school records of Ergezinger's who attended the University of Tübingen, some things may just require a trip to Germany :)

Generation 2 & 3: Johann Georg & Hans Conrad Ergezinger

And so the story continues.... Johann Georg Ergezinger born August 8, 1579 in Renningen, Germany. On February 12, 1599, he married Catharine Juliane Imlin born on January 4, 1583 (my birthday! Well if you add about 400 years.) When comparing various sources we find that they had 6 children:

1. Johannes (b. 8/27/1600)
2. Margaretha (b. 7/20/1604)
3. Hans Conrad (b. 3/3/1607) 
4. Marie (b. 9/10/1608)
5. Erhard (b. 8/27/1612)
6. Catharina (Christened 9/2/1617; d. 2/7/1618)

From the book - "The Württemberg family foundations" printed in 1855

This book does only list 3 children which makes me believe that maybe they only recorded children that lived to adulthood, or maybe they listed the generations that only directly related to the Wurrtemberg family. 

But anyways back to the story the most important of these kids is Hans Conrad Ergezinger, because without him my story can't continue. 

Renningen, Germany today
Source: Wikipedia 

Hans Conrad born March 3, 1607 grew up in Renningen Germany. He met his wife Anna Maria Rentechler and they married in 1636. The book lists they had 3 little ones, but we will focus on Hans Ergezinger born February 22, 1633. (Surely they called him Jr. or Hans the 2nd or maybe they just called Hans Conrad "Big Pappa".... ok so probably not but I'm just saying it's a possibility). Hans Conrad, the father, died in Renningen July 22, 1670. 

From the book - "The Württemberg family foundations" printed in 1855

Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Renningen - the church
the children were most likely christened in
Source: church website

Once upon a time.

They always say you should start any story at the beginning.

My last name is not one that is not commonly come across in day to day interactions, its the name that is stumbled over by teachers trying to call roll, grossly mispronounced by telemarketers looking to make a sale. Yet I've come to love it (I mean I've had 24 years to let it grow on me and it's not like I really can compare it to any others). My father has done extensive research into our family history and whenever I would come home from school or go home for a visit it has become a fond memory of browsing the pages of the names, dates, pictures of all these far off relatives of mine. With all my dad's work compiled in a stuffed 3 ring binder, I figured it was time to let all the information jump into the digital world.

I know this may not seem like the beginning but unfortunately to piece together the history earlier than this it requires a trip to Germany and digging through the ancestry there. So until then...

Here we begin, with a man named Hans Ergezinger.
Hans was born in 1550 in the town of Renningen, Württemberg, Germany.

Now they always say a picture is worth a thousand words so let me paint you a picture.

Renningen, Germany - where it all began
Source: Wikipedia

1550 German attire... please note the tunic/tights
combination we have going on here
Source:  K Cornell, 2006

Hans occupation is at this time unknown. What we do know is that in 1578 (at a dashing age of 28) he married a women by the name of Margaretha.

A year later they had a son whom they named Johann Georg Ergezinger. He was born August 25, 1579 in Renningen,  Germany. This would remain their only child.

Saddly at some point Margaretha dies and Hans remarried, this time to a woman by the name of Catharina Schnaufer sometime after February 1591. And I choose to believe they live happily until his death in 1617.

Don't stop now! Continue reading the rest of the story!