Johannes Kahl (bef. 1681 - 1746)

Born before 4 Feb 1681 in Mümling-Grumbach, Odenwald, Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire

Husband of Maria Elisabetha (Wolffram) Kahl — married 23 Nov 1706 in Höchst im Odenwald, Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire

Descendants

Died 6 Dec 1746 after age 65 in Mümling-Grumbach, Odenwald, Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire

Problems/Questions Profile manager: C. Brooman [send private message]

Biography

Early Life
Johannes Kahl was born on February 4, 1681, in the small village of Mümling-Grumbach, in northern Odenwald, to parents Hannß Henrich (1635-1694) and Christina (Weitzel) Kahl (1641-1713). The surname Kahl, rather than Kahler, comes from the two later emigration records for his daughters and their husbands, through the Darmstadt State Archives. The name chosen for his upcoming baptism was simply "Johannes." Some user trees show "Johannes David," which is incorrect. (By cultural traditions of 17th-18th century, the name "Johannes" was never combined with a second name, as it was both a spiritual and a secular name. See German Names if you are unfamiliar with German naming conventions.) Because it appears that the Kahls had a son named David Kahl (b. 1716), it's quite possible that the son was baptised Johann David Kahl, which was later confused with the father's name. (The spiritual name Johann is combined with a secular second name, by which the child was addressed.)

An Ancestry record containing both the date of birth and the date of baptism states that on February 9, 1681, he was taken about 5 miles due west to the village of Brensbach for baptism, rather than two miles due north to the larger village of Höchst, where there was a large Convent Church ("Klosterkirche"), which had been standing since the 12th century—and is still standing today (see #Sources for link to Kloster Höchst for photos). There doesn't appear to be any equally-majestic structure in Brensbach, but perhaps it had to do with whether the parents were Catholic or Protestant. The Klosterkirche was a Protestant church by the 18th century; a note on the website says that parts of the church were rebuilt in the mid-16th century, so perhaps this was when it became protestant.)

Mümling-Grumbach sits in the Mümling Valley, which gets its name from the Mümling River—a tributary to the Main River, which is itself a tributary to the Rhine. In those days, all villages were located on water sources for transportation and the needs of daily living.

The district of Odenwald was then in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, which was in the Upper Rhenish Circle (Hochrheinischer Kreis) of the Holy Roman Empire. It would remain so until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. (Many modern genealogists are not familiar with German history, which has resulted in many incorrect place names in FamilySearch and Ancestry. See Odenwald, Then and Now for more information.)

Marriage and Children
On November 23, 1706, Johannes married Maria Elisabetha Wolffram (1682-1733) at the Monastery Church at Höchst im Odenwald, mentioned above.

Johannes and Elisabetha had the following children, with no.'s 1 and 4-8 collected from other people's public trees. (An emigration record for David Kahl was subsequently found.):

1. Johann Conrad (b. 1709; d. in infancy)

2. Catharina Elisabetha (b. 29 Dec 1711 in Mümling-Grumbach; m. 13 Nov 1736 in Höchst to Georg Lohnes; emigrated 1752 to Philadelphia; d. 21 Oct 1754 in Red Hill, Montgomery County, Colonial Pennsylvania; 8 ch., of whom 4 survived to adulthood)

3. Anna Barbara (b. 5 June 1714 in Mümling-Grumbach; m. 13 Nov 1736 in Höchst to Johannes Lohnes; emigrated from Rotterdam to Nova Scotia aboard the "Anne," arriving 13 Sep 1750; d. 22 June 1778 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia; at least 6 children who survived to adulthood)

4. [Johann] David (b. ca. 1716; emigrated from Rotterdam to Philadelphia aboard the ship "Royal Judith (James Cowie, Master), arriving on 3 Sep 1742; m. Alberdina Parthenia; d. 25 Apr 1786 in Augusta County, Virginia)

5. Eva Rosina (information unknown)

6. Johann Conrad (b. 3 Mar 1721)

7. Johann Leonhard (b. 18 June 1723)

8. Anna Margaretha (b. 28 Jul 1726)

End of Life
Johannes was most likely a farmer. He may have had a trade in addition to farming, but no information about his life could be located. Elisabetha (Wolffram) Kahl died on May 24, 1733, in the village of Etzen-Gesäss. Why in a different village, when Johannes was still living? It's probable that caring for a sick person was women's work, a job that usually fell to daughters in law. Perhaps one of her younger children lived in Etzen-Gesäss.

During his lifetime, there had been endless wars—prolonged sieges by the French—that had ravaged the area in which the Kahls lived ("The Palatinate"). As a result of this, there was widespread famine and economic deprivation. Tens of thousands of Palatine emigrants made their way to British Colonial America seeking better lives for themselves and their children. Johannes's 26-year-old son David emigrated in 1742, before his father's death. It's hard to imagine saying goodbye to your son, knowing that you will never see him again. Many children waited until their parents had died, but apparently not all. That must have been tough for parents who decided to stay behind!

Johannes died on December 6, 1746, in Mümling-Grumbach, the same village in which he had been born 65 years earlier. His burial site is unknown, but was probably in a small family cemetery.

Johannes's two oldest daughters, who both married on November 13, 1736, at the Convent Church in Höchst, to two Lohnes brothers in the same family, emigrated in 1750 and 1752. Thankfully, he wasn't around to see them leave.

Research Notes

German Names

At baptism, our German ancestors were given two names (with one or two exceptions).

The first was a spiritual name, derived from the name of a saint (for example, Johann, from Saint John). The spiritual name was not equivalent to a "first name" in America. Families would quite often use the same spiritual name for all the boys (and a different one for all the girls).

The second name, the "Rufname" or "Call Name," was the secular name by which the child would be known at home, and in everyday life. Thus, a child baptised Johann Georg, was called "Georg," never "Johann"! The same secular name would never be given to more than one living child, but was often reused if an earlier child had died.

The only exception to this was the name Johannes, usually given as the only name at baptism. (Note the -es ending.)

For example, a family might have children baptised Johann Heinrich, Johann Georg, Johann Peter, Johann Leonhard, Johannes, Anna Maria, Anna Catharina, Anna Elisabetha and Anna Margrethe. At home, these same children would be called Heinrich, Georg, Peter, Leonhard, Johannes, Maria, Catharina, Elisabetha and Margrethe.

Note, as well, that the name Catherine is English, while Catharina and its Americanized derivative Catharine (with two a's) are German. Similarly, the name Elizabeth (with a "z") is English, while the old German version is normally spelled Elisabetha, with derivative Elisabeth.

Your ancestor's old records in America will normally be found under the secular name. (The biggest mistake you can make is to convert Johann to "John" and search for the records under "John," whereupon Ancestry will comply by giving you hints for all ten thousand misfiled records from everyone who has made the same mistake during indexing.) The only name that was truly "John" was the name Johannes, if and only if it was the only name given at baptism.

In summary, it should be stressed that the two names normally given at German baptisms represented a spiritual name and a secular name / Rufname. They are not a "first name" and a "middle name," with which Americans are familiar.

Also, do not add a third name after the Rufname, such as Johann Georg Adam. I have seen any number of these "extra" names in other users' trees. But these are incorrect. And unfortunately, they are now a giant source of misinformation.

Odenwald, Then and Now

A Word About 17th-18th Century Odenwald
FamilySearch baptismal and marriage records for the Lohnes family consistently show the place name as "Kr. Erbach, Starkenburg, Hessen, Deutschland," or similar. This is incorrect. It seems that these records were "standardized" to what was the modern location at the time the records were collected, probably between 1938, when FamilySearch began its genealogical operations, and June 5, 1945.

Odenwald of the Holy Roman Empire
At the time our Lohnes ancestors lived in Odenwald, the area was in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt (created in 1567 by a four-way split of the lands of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.) Hesse-Darmstadt was within the Upper Rhenish Circle (Hochrheinischer Kreis) of the Holy Roman Empire. Yes, the Holy Roman Empire still existed until 1806!

The Province of Starkenburg / Subdivision of Erbach
The Province of Starkenburg was created in 1806, upon the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. It was not dissolved until June 5, 1945, when the Berlin Declaration announced the Allied Occupation of the German Empire. Erbach, one of seven subdivisions within the Province of Starkenburg, and which encompassed the area of Odenwald, was created in 1832. The creation of the modern country of Germany, containing the state of Hesse (in which Odenwald sits), was announced on December 1, 1946.

Odenwaldkreis in Modern Germany
Today, in modern Germany, the area of Odenwald is called Odenwaldkreis, a Kreis being more or less equivalent to a US county. Odenwald sits within the State of Hesse within Germany.

The city of Erbach, within the Odenwald area, was long the residence of the Counts of Erbach, who traced their descent back to the 12th century. It is now the seat of the tiny district of Erbach within Odenwald, one of twelve districts. In fact, the area where our ancestors lived is encompassed by the tiny district of Höchst, surrounding the city of Höchst.

The tiny district of Erbach surrounding the city of Erbach is not equivalent to the then-subdivision named Erbach within Starkenburg. Erbach once held the entirety of Odenwald, but today it is simply a small region containing the city.

Summary
In summary, then, the place names of "Starkenburg" (1806-1945) and "Kr. Erbach" (1832-1945) have nothing to do with either the place name where our ancestors actually lived ("Odenwald, Hesse-Darmstadt, Hochrheinischer Kreis, Holy Roman Empire") or its place in modern Germany ("Höchst district, Odenwaldkreis, Hesse, Germany").

Sources

Convent Church in Höchst:
Kloster Höchst on Wikipedia. The page is in German, but you can scroll down to see photographs of the beautiful interior of the Convent Church, parts of which date to the 12th century. Visited on 4 Feb 2023. You can also watch a YouTube video to hear the sound of the church bells in the early-12th-century tower. The surrounding buildings, formerly used by Augustinian nuns, have been converted to a Hotel and Conference Center and (Summertime) Youth Language Education Center, and modernized with WiFi and internet.

Birth and Baptism of Johannes Kahl (Ancestry):
Johannes Kahl—Birth and Baptismal Data on Ancestry, which requires membership.

Marriage of Johannes Kahl and Elisabeth Wolffram (Ancestry):
Marriage Record for Johannes Kahl on Ancestry.

Emigration Records for Johannes's Two Daughters:
Auswanderungen aus dem Odenwaldkreis (Emigrations from the Odenwald Region). Gieg, Ella. Volume 1. Page 167. Book is in German. Typeset by Erba-Druck, Lützelbach. Published by Neuthor-Verlag, Michelstadt, 1988. ISBN: 3-88758-026-5. Researcher C. Brooman, who has studied German extensively, including German Handschrift, owns a copy of this book, purchased from Amazon.de, the German branch of Amazon. (Note: The records in this book for Johannes's two daughters, Catharina Elisabetha and Anna Barbara, show their maiden names as having been Kahl, and not Kahler. This data came from emigration data in the Darmstadt State Archives, and should be given weight above other sources, also because the author was a native German.)

Emigration Record for Son David Kahl:
Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808. Strassburger, Ralph B. In three volumes. Vol 1. Pages 324 (shows "David Keel," age 26) and 325 (naturalized as "David Kell"). Published by Pennsylvania German Society, Norristown, PA; 1934.Vols. 1 and 3 reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1964. Repr. 1983. Vol. 1. 1727-1775. 776p. The link above allows downloading of individual pages within the book.

Contract & Description of Passage to Nova Scotia:
FindAGrave Record for Johannes Lohnes, Johannes Kahl's son-in-law who married his daughter Barbara, describing their horrific voyage to Nova Scotia.

Digital Copy of Don Shankle's Lohnes Genealogy Shankle, Donald Winsor. Lohnes genealogy : Lohnes Family of Hesse, Nova Scotia and USA. Published online by Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT; 2003. Note: For best results, sign in to FamilySearch before clcking on the link for the book.