Anthony Henckel started as pastor at Eschelbronn in 1692. About two years later, he was asked by Baron Johann Melchoir von Vestenburg to also become the pastor of the church in Mönchzell, which was just over a mile from Eschelbronn. The new church was a daughter church of the first one, and neither one was a heavy load. Though the two churches were only a mile apart, the new church was a part of the church district of Hesse, the home state of Henckel.
In the new church, the work was light. In about two years, there was one baptism, no marriages, and three deaths. The more important thing is that a long-lasting friendship developed between the Baron and Henckel, though, after twenty years, bitterness replaced friendship. The second son of the Henckels had the Baron as a godfather and took his name, Johann Melchior. The ninth child of the Henckels was given the name of the Baroness.
In 1695, Henckel accepted a call by the Baron von Gemmingen (as in 'Gemmingen', where the Clores, Smiths, and Weavers came from), to the nearby church, Daudenzell, and its daughter church, Breitenbronn, . It may have appealed more to the Henckels, because the church was under the jurisdiction of Hesse, not of the Palatinate. (This new church was not far from Wagonbach, the home of the Utzes and Volcks.) In addition, Baron von Gemmingen seemed more mature than the two brothers in Eschelbronn. The Henckels stayed nineteen years.
The standard of living was probably better, though not high, in Daudenzell. The Henckels did raise a large family there. At the parsonage, the stone stable and the warehouse were still standing in the Twentieth Century. The village was quite old and may have been a religious community of the Celts originally. Over time, the church building evolved. No one single date suffices to date it. Perhaps parts from 1300 remain, with major revisions in 1783 and 1810.
We have very little information about the ministry of Henckel in Daudenzell, even though he spent 19 years there. We do know that in this period he baptized 151 children, performed 22 marriages, and officiated at 51 burials. As in his previous churches, Henckel probably helped rebuild the village after the French invasions in 1688 to 1697.
In 1703, a complaint was brought against Henckel by an anonymous person who wanted people to bring their complaints to him to be sure that no bitterness developed in the Church. The writer even suggested that another minister serve them. Another document, undated, in the archives, signed by “Schlosser”, cited an instance where it was believed that Henckel had erred in church procedure.
(27 Feb 03)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.