I have been trying my hand at reading the Marriage Register for Oberfischbach in the period of time that Rev. Henry Häger was the pastor there. Actually, I also have been reading on both sides of this period of time. The last marriage by Rev. Häger was 14 Aug 1710. His successor, Rev. Knabenschuh, has a first marriage on 19 May 1711. Thus, there seems to be a hiatus of a better part of a year between the pastors. The letter of Rev. Häger requesting retirement was dated 16 Feb 1711, so it seems to suggest that his ill health had prevented him from performing marriages for several months. (Or there were no people wanting to get married in this interval.)
My attention was especially drawn to one marriage by Rev. Knabenschuh on 18 May 1712. The groom was Arnold Knie, the son of the deceased Veter Knie of Heis(s)berg. The bride was Anna Catharina Holtzklau, the surviving legitimate daughter of the Johannes Holtzklau, the former schoolteacher at Oberfischbach.
The name "Veter", which is clearly written with a "V", is probably to be taken as "Peter" by us. The surname Knie seemed a bit odd to me, but, on consulting B. C. Holtzclaw, I find the Knie family was an allied family to the Holtzklau family in earlier generations.
Johannes Holtzklau was the brother of the 1713 emigrant, Hans Jacob Holtzklau, who was about 14 years younger than Johannes. Johannes died in 1707 as a young man of 38. Jacob Holtzklau took over his place as schoolteacher at Oberfischbach.
Anna Catharina, the daughter of Johannes and the niece of Jacob, was born about 1695, so she was about 17 when she married Arnold Knie.
Rev. Knabenschuh did not have the best handwriting. It helps that the range of places which are mentioned is limited. Surnames can be a problem, but it is helpful to consult the indices of books dealing with the history of the region and the people in the region. Though my first reading of the name Knie was as that, I had my doubts, so I certainly did consult other sources. Happily, it is a name to be found in the region.
The entry of the Marriage Record occurs when the groom and the bride announce their intention to be married. At this time all of the information except the date is recorded. About a month later, they are married, and then a date is appended to the record stating that they were married. Sometimes, even though the church is at Oberfischbach, the marriage takes place in another village.
(15 Dec 03)
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