No 18, Issue 18 October 2018 Schilling-Courier

Descendants of the Burgrave Heinrich Schilling von Lahnstein who died in 1221

News of the Schilling Association and Annual Report 2017 Baltic Branch Visits Homeland 9th reunion of Carl Gebhard’s descendants

This year the Baltic branch of our family association was invited to Estonia, it was the 9th reunion of the descendants of Carl Gebhard von Schilling (1719-1779), the ancestor of the Baltic family. Every three years these reunions are held in different places. On 27 July the chairman of the association welcomed 76 guests from seven countries at the Santa Barbara Hotel in Reval/Tallinn. Seven members had come from Ca- nada alone. The oldest was 92, the youngest 5 years old. The chairman was especially happy about the large number of young members: 19 of them were Participants of the Schilling reunion in front of Orgena Manor younger than 20 years of age. building houses a kindergar- ning we had admired the much The next day started with a ten. At night we all met at the larger version in the cathedral. guided tour of the old town, foot of Toompea hill, where On Sunday we all went to unfortunately it was extremely we had our festive dinner at the former Schilling manor hot. In the afternoon the grea- the very nice restaurant of the houses. Two busses drove us test part of the group went to Stackelberg Hotel in the for- to Orgena Manor in St. Johan- Sipp Manor, about 80 km south mer coach house. The menus nis/Järva Jaani. Now the manor of Reval/Tallinn, where our were decorated with the Schil- house, which Carl Gebhard had chairman was born. Now the lings’ coat of arms. In the mor- bought in 1756, houses a muse- 1 Festive dinner at the Stackelberg Restaurant Coat of arms in the cathedral um of local history. A highlight of the reunion was a commu- nion service in St. Johannis’ Church, held by Pastor Katrin Melder. The theologian who was happy about the great num- ber of church-goers, welcomed the family, “it’s almost like Christmas Eve”. Afterwards the group gathered in front of the epitaph in memory of Carl Gebhard on the outer wall of In front of Carl Gebhard‘s epitaph the church. The ancestor of the family died exactly on the same day, on 29 June, 239 years ago. The next stop of our busses was the burial place of Jürgensberg Manor. In front of a little chapel there is a memorial stone with the names of five of Georg’s and Elisabeth’s (Lisi) six sons who were killed in the Second World War. The manor house was dest- royed and demolished in 1991. Only a glacial erratic reminds Stone in memory of George‘s and Elisabeth‘s sons of the former manor house. of Alexander von Schilling, the up in memory of Carl von Schil- When we were back home, youngest of Georg’s and Lisi’s ling, the last owner of Seinigal cousin Helene who is living sons, on the local military ceme- Manor that was destroyed by the in a nursing home in Tönis- tery and has said a short prayer. Russians in 1941. From 1923 vorst near Krefeld, told an in- After lunch in the beautiful hall till 1937 Carl was a member of teresting story: One of her male of Kaltenbrunn Manor we went the Estonian Parliament repre- nurses who comes from Cata- to St. Petri/Peetri Church where senting the Baltic German Party. nia in Italy has seen the grave two years ago a plaque was put Finally, we went to Serrefer Ma-

2 nor and to the cemetery next to the church in Turgel/Türi. In 1994 hooligans had destroyed the burial place and the lar- ge cross. The last owner of the manor was Walter Schilling. Thanks to the initiative of his grandchildren who live in Ca- nada and Finland, burial place and cross were restored in 2013. Now the beautiful rooms of the manor house can be hired for celebrations such as wed- dings. There is one room in Lunch at Kaltenbrunn memory of the former owners. A trip to Riga was planned for the following day – the additio- nal programme. A bus took 39 family members to the Capital of Latvia. On 1 August the reu- nion was finished after a detailed city tour and a pleasant evening. Helmuth von Schilling

Burial place at Turgel Reunion of Fritz’s and Gerda’s descendants in Canada

In 1929 Friedrich (Fritz) Baron Island. Fritz was married to Ger- gust at Ernst’s (Ernie’s) place. He Schilling (1907-1997), the son da nee Vidal (1906-1991). They is the youngest son of Jürgen and of Hermann of the House of Or- had six children, four boys and Gerda and he lives on his parents’ gena in Estonia, had emigrated two girls. Meanwhile this Ca- old farm on Vancouver Island. to Canada. After having moved nadian family has considerab- Fifty people attended the reunion, several times, in 1940 he finally ly grown. They meet every two not all of them are on the picture. settled on a farm on Vancouver years, this year from 4 to 5 Au-

3 News of the various branches Dissertation about Johannes Schilling’s Western Branch drawings For quite a long time the family association and the City of Mitt- Celebration of the 190th birthday weida have been looking around, Commemoration of Johannes Schilling in but now they have found someone at last: The student of art history, Josephine Nordheim from Dres- den, is willing to write a disser- tation about Johannes Schilling. On 3 March the student and Professor Dr. Henrik Kage, Pro- fessor of Art History at the Dres- den University of Technology, with Dr. Sebastian Storz, chair- man of the board of the archi- tecture association “Forum für Baukultur in Dresden” (urban development) visited the “Alte Pfarrhäuser Museum” in Mittwei- da in order to get a first impressi- on of Johannes Schilling’s work. The scholars were especially Great-granddaughter Ina with the birthday cake interested in the sculptor’s port- folio with 1087 drawings: pen

On the occasion of the 190th in the district of middle . drawings, drafts and studies. On birthday of the sculptor Jo- For the third time since 2006 the 3 March 1996 we had handed hannes Schilling his great- city organised the living “Proces- over the portfolio to the “Dres- granddaughter Ina Schilling- sion of Princes”. The magnifi- dner Kupferstichkabinett” (mu- Nickel had invited guests into cent spectacle with 94 actors on seum of prints and drawings) the Johannes-Schilling-House foot and on horseback is based and on the occasion of the ope- for “Coffee at the professor’s”. on the mural in the “Stallhof” ning of the Johannes-Schilling- 30 people enjoyed the (Stall courtyard) in Dresden rep- House in 2005 we brought it to celebration and especial- resenting princes and artists like the museum in Mittweida. Six ly the wonderful birthday Johannes Schilling. In it years ago, Dr. Vogel, an art his- cake made by Cousin Ina. was Heiko Weber, the former di- torian from Zurich, who is very Part of the celebration was rector of the Mittweida Museum, much interested in the drawings, the invitation of the “Museum who once again played the role called them “a buried treasure”. Alte Pfarrhäuser” to a of the sculptor – magnificently. When he handed the drawings symposium “Knock four times Helmuth von Schilling over, the former chairman of the on Schilling’s door” on 19 June. family association, Heinz Frei- In the garden of the museum herr Schilling v. Canstatt, said: four artists made sandstone “1087 children came home.” Now which were handed the treasure is being retrieved over to the city on 23 June. and the children have obtained The celebration was followed the qualification for university by a special guided tour of the entrance. Eventually the museum Johannes-Schilling-House. will publish the dissertation as a On 17 June, people could see book. When this happens you can the sculptor alive in Rochlitz, say the children have grown up. Helmuth von Schilling 4 altogether. For the above-men- Relocation of the Schilling House? tioned reasons, the new building Mittweida plans new exhibition place for the sculptor will make no difference. It would certainly be more effective to in- crease advertising the exhibition in memory of Schilling, the first honorary citizen of the town. The Schilling Association has strongly protested against the re- location of the exhibition. At a meeting in Mittweida on 2 March, the chairman and Johannes’ great- granddaughter Ina Nickel made this quite clear to the mayor. The association is afraid that the ex- tensive exhibition which is spread over three floors at the moment, will have to be reduced in size. Among the 84 exhibits there are Is the Schilling House in Mitt- temporary exhibitions as well. numerous of the sculptor’s plaster weida which we have opened Mayor Schreiber hopes that more models, graphics and paintings as with great pomp on 4 June 2005, people will visit the museum when well as the furniture of his study i.e. 13 years ago, threatened with both exhibitions are in the same with his writing desk. And our closure? 101 members from ten building. One of the problems at chairman explained that the Schil- countries had joined the 15th fa- the moment is that visitors of the ling exhibition will lose its special mily reunion in order to attend Schilling House have to call at the character after the relocation. Even the opening celebration and wit- main building of the municipal though the mayor considers the ness the moment when the ribbon museum “Alte Pfarrhäuser” (Old possibility of calling the new buil- was cut in front of the new mu- Parsonages) in order to be admit- ding Johannes Schilling House. seum (Schilling Courier No 5). ted because the two museums are But nothing has been deci- Now just in the year of Johannes separate. This situation, however, ded as yet. And we still have Schilling’s 190th anniversary, will most likely not change becau- time. The new building will Mayor Rolf Schreiber has new se the new house is even further not be finished before 2021. plans for the museum that is de- away from the main building. dicated to the sculptor who was Last year the Johannes Schil- born in Mittweida. According to ling House had only 85 visitors Helmuth von Schilling these plans the exhibits are sup- posed to move into a listed buil- ding from the 16th century, the former “Erbgericht” (heredita- ry law court), which is standing empty and is being refurbis- hed at great effort and expense. In this house the Schilling ex- hibition and the exhibits of the author Erich Loest who was also born in Mittweida and to whom another house was dedicated un- til now, are to be combined. The new museum will be used for literary readings, lectures and Garden view of the planned museum

5 Shot in the Vicarage Karl Schilling, victim of the Revolution in the Baltic countries 1905 This year will be a year of great Johann Friedrich Schilling (1766- celebrations in the Baltic coun- 1834), a theologian in Udersle- tries. In 1918 they had gained ben (Thuringia), had immigrated their independence from Russia. to the Baltic countries. He In 1905/06 the native people, in- was one of the Martinides fluenced by the communists, had from the western branch, the already started to rise against the so-called pastor’s family. foreign rule but the rebellion was Karl grew up in Riga, today’s ca- brutally repressed. Revolutionary pital city of Latvia, and studied Carl Schilling (1865 - 1905) violence, caused by accumulated theology in Dorpat/Tartu. In 1891 national and social tensions, had he became pastor of the Latvi- Russian State Church by mis- spread from Russia to the for- an parish of Nitau. His Baltic leading promises. Since until mer Baltic German provinces. German origin gave rise to hea- 1905 the Russian law prohibited The revolution in today’s Estonia vy protest by some of the Latvi- a resignation from the orthodox and Latvia was not only directed an parishioners. As the position church, there was no way back. against the Tsarist autocracy but of pastor in Nitau had been va- Nevertheless, Schilling tried to mainly against the Baltic Ger- cant for quite a while, many pa- win the parishioners back and cri- man landowners and the country rishioners had converted to the ticised the behaviour of the con- pastors whom the communist re- Russian Orthodox State Church. verts. Finally, the local Russian bels thought to be supporters of During his reign, Tsar Alexan- Orthodox priest accused Schil- the feudal system. Almost 200 der III (1881-1894) started the ling of anti-orthodox propaganda. German manor houses and vica- strict Russification of the Baltic On 6 September 1899 the pastor rages were looted and burned. provinces which until then had was sentenced to four months of Numerous pastors were among been self-governed by the Baltic house arrest. During the revolu- the almost 80 murdered Ger- German Knights. St. Petersburg tion of 1905 the tensions increa- mans. One of these pastors was took advantage of the social dis- sed. Many of those whose hosti- Karl Schilling (1865-1905). content of the country people lity Schilling had incurred took In 1795 Karl’s great grandfather and drove them to convert to the the opportunity to take revenge. In March 1905 Karl Schilling received a threatening letter writ- ten in the Latvian language. It read as follows: “This is the first bell!” Furthermore, it contained the announcement of the sender’s intention to shoot the Pastor on 31 March, unless he would promptly fulfil the resolutions of the Lat- vian Social Democratic Commit- tee. This meant he was to waive his right to lease payments, ma- One of the destroyed manors turities and any other payments.

6 And then everything happened Both assassins escaped through ly and bloodily the rebellion was extremely quickly. On Whits- the park behind the vicarage. suppressed by punitive expedi un, 5 June, young rebels broke In 1906 the Baltic German tions and summary executions. into the sacristy where Schil- Knights called soldiers who were Helmuth von Schilling ling was on his own. After lo- faithful to the tsar in order to re- after Wikipedia cking him up they stormed the establish peace and order. Brutal- church. One of them delivered a fervent revolutionary speech Hand of a Schilling Statue cut off “The Four Times of Day” group in an unsuitable place in Chemnitz from the pulpit. The others wal- ked around the church carrying Right now, the inhabitants of their red flags and threatening Chemnitz are deeply concer- to shoot whoever dared to resist. ned about the originals of one of the most important works of In July Karl received the second our sculptor Johannes Schil- threatening letter: “This is the se- ling, “The Four Times of Day” cond bell. Be careful, the third will group, which can be seen in sound soon.” On 21 August Schil- the “Schlossteichpark” (cast- ling was away from home when lelake park). Where to put the the rebels tried to burn the vicara- sculpture? An incident that ge. The wooden stairs were soa- happened this past spring has proved that the position in the ked with petroleum and set on fire. park is unsuitable. Unknown Fortunately, only three steps were persons have cut hand, caught by the fire before it extin- which had held a lute, off one guished and the lives of Schilling’s of the two girls of the statue wife and his two daughters, aged “Evening”. And again, graf- Middle, right: The remaining stump 5 years and 7 months were saved. fiti sprayers were at work. Finally, on 10 September two Originally the sandstone But not only because of the hoo- statues (see Schilling Courier ligans the park is an unsuitable well dressed gentlemen entered No 11) which Schilling had place for the sandstone figures. The the pastor’s study. One of the made between 1866 and 1871 leaves of the trees and moss dama- strangers gave Schilling a letter. were supposed to stand on the ge the work of art considerably. What The theologian turned his back “Brühlsche Terrasse” in Dres- can be done? The city council is at towards the man in order to open den. But in 1906 the City of a loss. At the beginning of the year the letter near the window. It was Dresden decided to give the a referendum was suggested. There sculpture to the City of Chem- written in the Latvian language, are three options, first:The sculp- nitz. The reason: People were ture is put up on the „Theaterplatz“ reading as follows: “You are a spy, afraid that the humid air near again? This would cost millions of you will have to die.” Schilling as- the river Elbe might damage Euro. Second: Leave the sculpture ked whether they expected a reply. the sandstone. And Chemnitz in the park? Third: The sculpture Instead of answering the stranger promised to put up the figures goes into a museum. This would be drew a revolver and fired five at a central place, the “Neu- the cheaper but worse alternative shots. Hit by the bullets he stag- städter Markt”. In 1928 howe- because the city would lose a consi- ver, the square was transformed gered and collapsed into his wife’s derable attraction. Some citizens of into the “Theaterplatz” (theatre Chemnitz make it quite clear: „Schil- arms. Ten minutes later Schilling square) and eventually in 1936 ling would turn in his grave“. died. His last words: “A stranger the sculpture was put up in the The referendum is still under dis- did this to me. It was beautiful to “Schlossteichpark”. The sculp- cussion. But there is no fixed date live, but it is also beautiful to die.” ture in Dresden is a bronze copy. yet. „ 7

Southern Branch

The Cup-Bearers‘ Joys and Sorrows Written proof of fiefdom to the Freiherrn Schilling v. Canstatt With good reason the Freiherrn supervision of the wine cellars of Schilling v.Canstatt are proud of the court and the vineyards. Du- the fact that their ancestors were ring the Middle Ages this position given the position of cup-bearer was very often given to court of- by the Duke of Swabia. Last year, ficials who thus became members however, they expressed doubts of the nobility. Since the end of the over the existence of this position Middle Ages this hereditary posi- in general. tion was no longer connected with In our archives I found the copy any duties. As a rule, the cup-bearer of the Imperial document confir- used to live in a small castle inclu- ming that a fiefdom had been gran- ding a certain amount of land. ted. The original document is kept The following historical event in the Austrian State Archives in gives interesting information about Vienna. A slightly altered version the elections in those times: In 1531 reads as follows: “With this letter Ferdinand, the brother of Emperor The Habsburg Emperor and King We, the Emperor Karl V, state pu- Karl V, was to be elected Roman- Ferdinand I (1505-1564) after a blicly that Sebastian Schilling von German King and supposedly in painting by Hans Bocksberger the Canstatt (1478-1531), beloved and accordance with his position of Elder, 1550 loyal towards the Holy Empire cup-bearer Sebastian Schilling v. asking them to send the money wi- brought us a letter from our belo- Canstatt had the delicate missi- thin ten days, otherwise he would ved ancestor, the Emperor Maxi- on to sign a guarantee of 40 000 be taken hostage until the money milian, confirming the fact that his Gulden given by the government arrived. father Heinrich Schilling von Can- of Württemberg to the Count Pa- On 5 January 1531 the new king statt was given and held the positi- latine Ludwig V in order to ensure was elected with five out of the se- on of cup-bearer.” his voting for Ferdinand. Sebasti- ven electors’ votes and despite the Again, the emperor mentions an was sent to Cologne in order to protest of the king of Saxony. the loyalty and the useful service deliver the respective document. Sebastian was held hostage until Sebastian’s parents used to render Frankfurt where the election usu- 17 January 1531, when he could to the Roman Emperor and to the ally took place suffered from the deliver the residual 20 000 Gulden. Duchy of Swabia. The position plague. He died in the same year. was given to Sebastian’s brothers But the Count Palatine was an- and their legitimate male heirs as gry. He wanted to see the money Helmuth von Schilling well. Signed on 7 August 1514. cash on his table right on the day of Originally the position of cup-be- the election. Desperately Sebastian arer was an important German of- wrote to the Chamber and the Na- fice, among others including the tional Committee of Württemberg

8 born in 1787 and died in 1836. In the same year his wife Pau- line nee v. Benckendorff died as well. His brother Paul died in the following year. Alexander was an Imperial Russian General. The Lutheran burial ground, also known as the Decembrist Ce- metery, is situated on Vasilievsky Island and is separated from the large Russian Orthodox Smolens- ky Cemetery by the Smolenska River. This cemetery contained the burials of the Evangelical Lu- Ekaterina Schilling and daughter at Alexander Schilling v. C‘s grave theran Church of Saint Katarina. Except Paul Schilling v. Can- Schilling Graves in St. Petersburg statt, the famous ethnologist and Cousin Ekaterina’s visit at the neglected cemetery true inventor of wireless telegra- phy, many well-known Germans In the 2017 edition of the Schil- the cemetery. Ekaterina told us are buried her, such as Friedrich ling Courier we reported about Ni- that the cemetery is badly kept Maximilian Klinger, whose play kolai Ilinskiy, the alleged descen- and most of the graves are rather “Sturm und Drang” gave the dant of Paul Schilling v. Canstatt. neglected. Her husband Klaus name to the whole literary period. In this article we mentioned Paul’s who has worked as a restorer for In 1919 the cemetery was na- grave in the Lutheran cemetery of 37 years, recommends to treat the tionalized and later it was closed. St. Petersburg. Last year our cou- tomb stones with anti-moss spray Some of the graves were moved to sin Ekaterina, her daughter Dia- in order to keep them free of lichen different locations. The place was na and Diana’s boyfriend visited and moss for at least one year. desecrated and a fire station and the cemetery of St. Petersburg. The inscription is hardly a petrol station were built. The Right at the entrance they no- readable. Someone tried to im- remaining gravesites have been ticed an information board prove the letters by overpainting declared historical monuments. with directions to the graves of them but made a mess on the The family association consi- Paul, his brother Alexander and north side. Fortunately, only half ders the possibility of finding a Alexander’s wife Pauline at field of the south side was finished. way to tend the Schilling graves. no 2 on the south west side of Paul’s brother Alexander was Helmuth von Schilling

Paul SvC’s tombstone The Lutheran Cemetery in St. Petersburg

9 these groups). Each group is con- trolled by one referee who counts how many times the kettlebell was successfully lifted. Bär: “There was real competition atmosphere, accompanied by the enthusiastic shouts of the many spectators, pre- sent.” He goes on: “The two kett- lebells weigh 24 kg each. During the ten minutes while you have to lift them overhead and, after a short stop, swing them between your knees and lift them overhead Numerous spectators at the kettlebell lifting championship in Mainz again, you are drenched in sweat.” Lifting them according to the rules requires a lot of concentra- Kettlebell Lifting tion and great mental toughness in order to get over the moment in the Main and Rhine Region of complete exhaustion. You can Bär Schilling v. Canstatt realised his idea compare this effort to a marathon, because it is absolutely necessa- Our cousin Bär Schilling v. maintains physical fitness and ry to stop thinking in order to be Canstatt from Nieder-Olm near health. Meanwhile even women able to concentrate on yourself Mainz, who in 2016 has won a started to practise kettlebell lif- instead. The actual effort starts World Championship in kettlebell ting albeit with lighter weights. when you are just over halfway. lifting, is still active. As reported Saturday 3 February 2018 was the Finally, Bär says: “Once you have in the Schilling Courier No 16, big day. A fitness studio in the city manged to survive the first eight the “lord of the kettlebell” has of Mainz was the ideal place for minutes the remaining two mi- successfully participated in the the competition with the surpri- nutes do not seem that strenuous Amateur World Championship in singly high number of 61 sports- anymore. At this point you need Dublin (Ireland) in the 95 kg class. women and sportsmen from Aus- the encouragement from your Bär, who is a professional perso- tria, Switzerland and numerous team and from the spectators. Then you can make a final effort.” nal trainer, says that although the- German federations participating. As the spectators were absolutely re is a Federal Kettlebell Associa- The oldest was 71 years of age. enthusiastic, the event was a com- tion in (Bundesverband You start in groups of four ath- plete success. deutscher Kettlebell Sportler e.V.) letes (in Mainz there were 31 of there are hardly any regional com- petitions. This is why this year he planned such a championship in Mainz, the Rhine/Main Cup. A great advertising campaign was started. Bär gave an inter- view on the regional television where he took the opportunity to emphasize the fact that his sport builds up strength, endurance and coordination. It keeps all musc- les active and can still be prac- Bär SvC is giving an interview. The interviewer is trying to hold a tised in very old age because it kettlebell with beads of sweat on his forehead.

10 Eastern branch Schilling until the expropriaton in 1919/1920. He had the roof re- newed. Unfortunately the manor Obituaries house is empty and decaying. Mourning for Cousin Olaf We will miss Olaf very much. Once a famous swimmer: World and European champion Helmuth von Schilling and Michael Frisch (former swim- mer in the „Wasserfreunde Wup- pertal“ swimming club)

William Girard died in England

After a long illness, on 14 Feb- ruary 2018 our cousin “Billy” Girard died in England, aged 82. After his retirement the parson The family association mourns the before the Olympics in Mexico, he worked for several social orga- loss of Olaf Baron Schilling who had a serious car accident. A pel- nisations. And for 10 years he died on 18 May 2018, aged 74. In vic fracture and a thoracic pressure has stepped in for a good friend his holiday home in Florida/USA forced him to have a three months’ who was also a parson, held Olaf suffered from sudden heart break. And yet the 200 m free- church service and looked after failure. He was transported home style specialist reached the sixth his house during his vacation. by plane, but never recovered. place in the national relay team. William’s grandfather, Carl von When he was young, Olaf was Olaf lived with his parents in Schilling, was the last owner of a very successful swimmer, par- Wuppertal and trained with the Seinigal Manor in Estonia. As re- ticularly in the 200 m freestyle “Wuppertaler Wasserfreunde”, ported in our Schilling Courier No discipline. The biggest successes at that time one of the best Ger- 17, William’s brother Peter who of his career were the world re- man swimming clubs under the died in 2014, left the association a cords with the national swimming management of his father Georg. considerable sum on the condition team over 4x100 m and 4x200 m Due to Olaf’s successes sever- that we put up a plaque in Carl’s freestyle relay in England in 1965. al US universities were interested honour. According to his wish we And in 1970 he won the gold me- in the German swimmer. Eventu- unveiled the plaque in St. Petri’s dal at the European Champion- ally in 1966 he accepted a scho- church in Estonia. Last year the ship in Barcelona in a team with larship from Villanova University chairman of our association met his team mate Folkert Meeuw. (Pennsylvania) where he studied William somewhere near London Due to his success he was awar- economics and swam together in order to receive his grandfather’s ded the Silver Laurel Leaf by the with the legendary Mark Spitz. golden cigarette case carrying the Federal Minister of the Interior. Olaf worked in Dinslaken, Ger- engraved signature of the Russian Olaf’s career, however, was af- many, in the management of a Grand Duke Michael Alexandro- fected by several setbacks. When steel trading company. After the wich. We handed the case over to in 1972 for instance he contracted restoration of Estonia’s indepen- the Baltic Museum in Lüneburg. malaria at an altitude training at a dence in 1992 he often visited the height of 2200 m in Addis Abeba, land of his ancestors. He took par- Helmuth von Schilling the capital city of Ethiopia, he was ticular care of Seydell/Seidla Ma- unable to attend the Olympics in nor that had been in the possessi- Munich. And in 1968, a short time on of his grandfather Hans Baron

11 families of aldermen increased. A stone has plenty to tell Eventually Caspar’s father was Caspar (V.) Schilling had to face hard times twice reprimanded, the first time for fighting with his brother and the second time for the attempt of tax evasion in the year 1582. After this incident he seems to have died; in any case, in 1584 his mother Ursula, a remarried widow, died. The stepfather did not inherit he alderman’s farm but received a rather small inheritance only. The farm was henceforth managed by a farmer who presumably became the children’s guardian as well. For the first time in 1599 Caspar’s name appeared in an official docu- ment when he tried to hide a small box with 80 Gulden, which had be- longed to his mother, from his sib- lings. He failed, though. Presumab- ly the manor was in a bad condition. In 1599 he was obliged to pay his siblings their share of the estate. As it was Caspar who bought the farm he obviously thought he was - if not legally but at least morally - en- The exposed porphyry stone, incised lines overwritten with chalk for titled to keep part of the inheritance. clarity Despite all this he was able to take In front of the church in Seelitz Albrecht, daughter of a citizen of over his property in the year 1600. lies half-sunken into the soil the Rochlitz. He had several siblings, He received the more or less sym- tombstone of my ancestor Cas- presumably he was the youngest. bolic fief from the hands of the al- par (V) Schilling who died on 28 The office of district court alder- derman and after taking the oath he March 1648, aged 70. The red man, though in 1579 a traditional was admitted to their community. porphyry stone from Rochlitz office, was already in the process There is hardly any information is in considerably good shape of decline. In his position as dis- about the following decades. In and even after hundreds of years trict court judge his great grand- 1618 the foundations of Europe the inscription is clearly legible. father Caspar (II) had represented were shaken by something terrib- We get much information about the sovereign in all legal matters. le: The Thirty Years’ War: At first him from the court records and Since 1577, however, the office it seemed to pass by Stöbning and the annual accounts of the town could only be held by a legal- the Schillings but in the end the of Rochlitz in Saxony, south of ly trained judge instead of a lay family was hit particularly hard. Leipzig. Born in 1579, he was the judge, as the lay judge was not In 1632 Wallenstein’s soldiers ra- son of Caspar (IV) Schilling, dis- considered suitable any longer. ging in the district brought the pla- trict court alderman (in German Towards the end of the 16th cen- gue that killed many members of Saupe/Landschöppe) from Stöb- tury the number of reprimands and Caspar’s family. In 1638 Caspar’s nig, and his second wife Ursula punishments of members of the farm was hit several times.

12 There is a rather prosaic entry is their strength labour and sor- in the court record book: “Due row; for it is soon cut off, and we Our website to the ongoing war the farm suf- fly away” (King James Version). Again, we would like to draw fered from two fire damages and Eric Bawor your attention to our web- the loss of grain, cattle and other site. Our web address is: food supplies… but apart from all www.schilling-verband.de this they had already enough pro- or blems by the warlords, compulso- www.schilling-association.org ry levies and other contributions.” These words hardly describe the “About the Here you find every edition of unimaginable and extreme hard- “Saupen” the Schilling Courier since 2001, ship and suffering. At that time his (lay judges) many pictures of the family reuni- son was already in charge. In the Saupen” (from the Sorbi- ons, the latest news of the associa- year 1638, when the war was still an-Slavic language – Zu- tion and detailed information about raging, Caspar, whose wife had the history of the three branches. pan) i.e. lay judges in Sa- died in 1636, decided to settle his We would also like to remind xony. Usually they were estate in favour of his descendants. you that you need a pass- Eventually he handed the farm the owners of one of the word in order to have access over to his children. His son Cas- 16 farms in the villages in to the private members’ area. par was to pay off his siblings, each the area around Rochlitz Members without a password had to get the same amount. Thus, Castle who had no finan- can contact our web-master the farm remained undivided and cial obligations towards Christian Schilling von Canstatt: each member of the family was the sovereign. They for- webmaster@schilling-associati- able to build up a new existence. on.org Caspar (VII), his son, however, med their own communi- was not able to make the annual ty. The office is more or Schilling-Courier payments since he was financial- less comparable to that of Publisher: Verband des Hauses ly ruined by the war. But the fa- today’s lay judges or ju- Schilling e.V. Publication: yearly. mily settled the matter amicably, stice of peace. Apart from presumably influenced by their Editor: Helmuth von Schilling these duties they had to Arrangement: Ebba von Schilling father who had not forgotten his own be present at executions, Translation: B. von Osterhausen financial problems when he had fulfil police duties and Print: Bestpreisprinter taken over the farm in 1599/1600. perform some kind of aut- Photos: p. 1: Kai Weber. p. 2: Kai In these circumstances of extreme Weber (top left), Ebba v. Schilling hardship, the siblings decided to opsy in case of homicide. (top right), Christiane Friedrichsen waive the greater part of their share. They were messengers of (centre), Katrin Melder (bottom). The inscription on his tombstone, the sovereign, had to pass p.3: Kai Weber (two top), Crys- clumsily but evenly written, runs on commands or messages tal MacKenzie (bottom). p. 4: Si- bylle Karsch (top), Heiko Weber as follows: “honourable judge and for the landed gentry. Whi- district county alderman”. His mes- (bottom). p. 5: Heiko Weber (top), le the sovereign’s wife was City of Mittweida (bottom). p. 6: sage to posterity is taken from the staying in Rochlitz they Wikipedia (top), archive (bottom). Bible, Psalm 90:10: “The days of had to protect her. This tra- (top), Christian Andreis (bot- our years are threesome years and tom). p. 7: Michael Brix. p. 8: ditional position was not ten; and if by reason of strength Internet. p. 9: Ekaterina Schilling. they fourscore years…” If you con- abandoned before 1847. p. 10: Südwestfunk. p. 11: Carl- tinue reading in the Bible you will Schirren-Gesellschaft p. 12: Eric understand the meaning: “…yet it Bawor. p.14: Hans-Peter Koll.

13 Roman Catholic as at that time the Junker Schilling: noble and strict had already begun. Epitaph for important knights of the Rhineland line Eventually the rosary is an indica- Our member Bernd Schilling has tion of wealth since usually a ro- intensively occupied himself with sary was made from genuine gems the Rhineland line of our family. and therefore very expensive. It is proven that its members are The epitaph for Ritter Daniel descendants of Burgmann Hein- Schilling in the “Liebfrauendom” rich von Lahnstein (1166-1221). in Andernach is very similar to Bernd found out that once these that for Konrad. Daniel (about Schillings had substantial property 1448 to 1541) was mayor and in Andernach, Nickenich and Kot- alderman in Andernach. In asso- tenheim in the Rhineland as well ciation with the other noble fa- as in Bad Hönningen on the other milies he wanted to increase the side of the river (where they owned power of the Schillings and con- Arenfels Castle). After 1850, at solidate his dominion between least three graves of the Schillings Kottenheim and Koblenz. He was were destroyed due to restoration not successful, though, as all his or alteration, such as the grave of children died before him. Daniel Elisabeth Schilling in Kempenich. was over 90 years old when he In the parish church of Kotten- died. Most of the male descen- heim you can see the epitaph for dants of the Rhineland line were Junker Konrad Schilling of Lahn- either priests or knights of a reli- stein. It is 2.10 metres high and gious order and therefore without 0.96 metres wide. Konrad was children. Eventually the inhe- an important man who is still re- ritance fell to the von der Leyen spected today. The inscription on family through marriage. Under his tombstone: “noble and strict their name the archive of the Eh- Junker Konrad Schilling Junker” characterises him as a renbreitstein Fortress (once in the law-abiding and incorruptible importance. In his opinion “Jun- possession of the Schillings) holds man. He died on 8 March 1539. ker” means that the Schillings many of the Schilling records. His date of birth is not mentioned. were only members of the lower Bernd Schilling His parents’ names are not men- nobility. Bernd, however, points and Helmuth von Schilling tioned on the tombstone, only out that the tombstones in Kot- their coat of arms is engraved. tenheim and Andernach show the Presumably Konrad died rather deceased persons in magnificent Family Reunion 2020 early, possibly his widow Otta armours, masterpieces of forging in Lahnstein von Liebenstein remarried. On at that time and definitely very Our next family reunion will be the left side of the Junker’s head expensive. When the tombstone held from 24 June to 26 June you can see the coat of arms was made, the deceased person 2020 in Lahnstein. We will visit of the family: three red heads was only shown in armour in or- Lahneck Castle, presumably our of lions with golden crowns. der to demonstrate that he had ancestral home, and go on a boat In his book about funerary art been of high nobility. At that time in the area of Mayen-Koblenz people used firearms already. In trip along the river Rhine. After (Das Epitaph des Junkers Kon- addition to that, several other en- the general meeting on Sunday rad Schilling von Lahnstein in gravings on the tombstone can be 26 June, we will go to Andernach Kottenheim) Wolfgang Schmidt interpreted as proof of the decea- and Kottenheim in order to visit considers the tombstones of the sed persons’ great importance. all the places that remind us of the Schillings in Kottenheim, Ander- The praying hands holding a rosa- members of the Rhineland line. nach and Kempenich as of less ry indicate clearly that they were

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