Captain Johan Michael Von Buchenröder

Source: The Knobel Family and Relationships, J. B. Knobel, MJB 281.1(6), SA Library

Frans Adam, born in 1640, married Miss Werder of Hohendorf. This Frans Adam Jnr. (born 1664), had family: 1). Johan Michael, born 1680, was sent as Captain to Spain to bring back the Pfalzische troops and after the war married Miss Jett von Muntenburg in Eppelsheim Johan Michael died in Eppelsheim in 1771, aged 91, had 4 sons and 5 daughters, among others:- (a) Carl Philip Joseph, born the 8th May, Prussian Captain, married Miss J. von Heyles who died at Mannheim 7 May 1805 (where she lived after his death) (b) Wilhelmina Sophia, born 1730, and married to von Berghoffriste (or Bergoffsky). (c) Gustav Wilhelm, born 20 July 1747, married Juliana von Andria, bought ‘Braamhof’, their estate at Eppelsheim (d) Johan Michael, in Prussian Service, not known what became of him (e) Maria Barbara, born 1750, married to Captain von Heyles.

Source: Ancestry Library World Tree Project http://awt.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=flakey&id=...

ID: I65342 Name: Johann Michael von Bouchenroeder Given Name: Johann Michael von Surname: Bouchenroeder Sex: M Birth: Abt 1676 in Epplesheim, Germany Death: 15 Mar 1771 in Epplesheim, Germany _UID: 88EEDD83918C4A57B1CCBCD30825978EF2E0

Father: Franz Adam Von Bouchenroeder b: Abt 1644 in Thuringen Mother: Nn. Von Witzleben

Marriage 1 Marianna Hedwig Jett Von Munzenberg b: 26 Jul 1706 in Epplesheim, Germany Married: Children - Karl Friedrich Joseph Bouchenroeder b: 8 May 1729 - Wilhelmine Albertina Bouchenroeder b: 29 Jun 1730 - Franz Leopold Bouchenroeder b: 26 Aug 1731 - Anna Eva Sophie Charlotte Bouchenroeder b: 19 Mar 1733 - Juliana Josepha Friederika Bouchenroeder b: 26 May 1734 - Friedrich Rudolph Karl Bouchenroeder b: 27 Jun 1735 - Maria Franziska Bouchenroeder b: 1 Nov 1736 - Maria Barbara Bouchenroeder b: 13 Mar 1738 - Ernst Christian Wilhelm Bouchenroeder b: 12 Oct 1739 - Alexander Wilhelm Karl Bouchenroeder b: 20 Jul 1741 - Gustav Johannes Wilhelm Bouchenroeder b: 23 Jun 1747 in Epplesheim, Germany - Miletina Emilia Bouchenroeder b: Abt 1749 - Johann Michael Bouchenroeder b: 16 Feb 1749

Source: Michael Jewel 17 Mar 2015 Attached is some information on our von Buchenroeder ancestors which I've just sent to Deon [Gideon Knobel]. I have it largely from Roland Buchenroeder of Erfurt, a distant cousin, since deceased, whom I met about 13 years ago. It is a fine tale, complete with ghost stories, scandalous affairs, family feuds and bloody adventures. Ghost stories aside, I think it is all true, although Roland did not specify the sources of his information in any detail. This is my summary of Roland's materials, which were in German, together with some additional material which I found on the internet regarding the Baron's activities in South America.

Johann Michael Freiherr von Bouchenroeder Born in 1680 (1676?), died 15 March 1771 (1776?) allegedly at the age of95. He was the only child of Franz Adam He was brought up Lutheran, presumably in the von Witzleben household. ln the war of 1688-1697 against the French he was already a Kadett. He served against the armies of Louis XIV in the war of the Spanish Succession. The records of of his military career seem to have been destroyed in WWII, but he seems to have ended his military career as Kaiserlicher Hauptmann.

On 23 October 1727 he married Marianne Jett von Münzenberg, the only child of a noble Rhineland family, thus not only getting himself a twenty-something wife but also inheriting her father's estate. The condition was that he had to promise in a marriage contract that all their children would be raised as Catholics since the Jett von Münzenberg family were Catholic. All the children born prior to the death of his father in law were baptised as Catholics, but the last two were baptised as Lutherans.

His wife died on 19 November 1750 and he suffered a stroke in 1764. However, he lived on, bed-ridden, until 1771 (1775?). Both he and his wife were buried in the Familiengruft in the church in Eppelsheim, which was begun in 1743 and concreted over in 1965.

Twelve children of the marriage survived to adulthood. The estate was clearly insufficient to keep them in a "standesgemassen" style. Thus 4 of the 6 daughters married commoners, and all of the children borrowed recklessly against the security of the estate. The children were: 1 Karl Friedrich who married Josephine von Heyles. 2 Wilhelmine Sophie b. 1730 = Johann von Bergoffsky 3 Franz Leopold b. 1731 4 Anna Eva Sophie Charlotte Carolina b. 1733 = Johann Baum 5 Helene b 1734 = Wilhelm Turkes 6 Friedrich. b. 1735 (Geisteskrank) 7 Kunigunde b. 1736 = Christian Stricker 8 Maria Barbara b. 1738 = Johann Freiherr von Heyles, Captain in Stuttgart and brother of our von Heyles ancestress. Maria Barbara died in 175 9, leaving a 12-year old daughter. 9 Christian b. 1739 10 Alexander Wilhelm Karl b 1741, d. 1743 11 Gustav Wilhelm. He was the ancestor of Roland and Christel. He was a soldier in the service of Hessen-Darmstadt. This was the Bromhof branch of the family. He had two illegitimate sons, one of whom was Johann Friedrich Wilhelm. They were adopted by their uncle Johann Michael who represented their interests in the quarrels with the von Heyles faction. Their descendant, General WGF von Buchenroeder, was in the service of the Grossherzogtum Hessen. He rose through his innovations in signalling. This part of the family was settled at Butzbach. 12 Johann Michael - Prussian army 13 Miletina b. 1749 = Philipp Mundorf

There is some doubt as to the order in which they were born. They also often used first names other than their given names.

Helene was reputedly the most beautiful of the daughters. She spent every penny she could lay her hands on on clothes and finery and never missed a feast or celebration. Soon she was the centre of attention for all the wealthy farmers in the area. She led them on, getting as much money out of them as possible. As the Buchenröder estate fell into min, at least partly due to her recklessness, she escaped by marrying Wilhelm Türkes, the richest farmer in Eppelsheim. But neither marriage nor four children tamed her. She often left her husband and children to go out on the town. One day, when she was 44, she did not return from one of these adventures. The next day the parish priest of Eppelsheim found her lying dead on the grave of her mother in the family tomb. Her mother had been renowned for her Catholic piety. The circumstances of her death were never resolved.

From that time on, passing the church on a moonlit night, the people of Eppelsheim would hear the door to the Buchenröder tomb creaking on its hinges, and the next day it would be found hanging open. Then they would say: "Helene has been out catching men again!" This story continued to be told into the 20th century, until the tomb was walled up in 1965, silencing the creaking door.

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LKBJ-Z9J