Gamper (Baltic- German Family)

The Baltic-German family, descended from Johannes Gamper who in the 16th century emigrated from Leipzig to Goldingen (Kuldīga, Latvia) in Courland.

Until about 1770 the largest concentration of members of this family could be found in Goldingen and the surrounding towns, with some members of the family also appearing in Riga and from around 1710 in Mitau (Jelgava, Latvia). After this the family is mainly found in Libau (Liepāja, Latvia) with occasional family members appearing in Livonia and other parts of the Russian Empire (name spelt as "Гампер"), with a small branch of the family (originating from Mitau) also appearing Reval (Tallinn, Estonia).

Around 1730 one meber of this family, Gothard Gamper established himself in the Netherlands. The Dutch branch of the family subsequently changed the spelling of the name Gamper to Gampert. The descendants of this branch married into several Dutch Patrician families.

From the start of the 19th century a Jewish family adopting the last name Gamper appeared in Courland -- in 1802 "Abraham Widder" purchased the Gamper family's house in Goldingen (Kuldiga) after the last members of the Gamper family in Goldingen had died or left the town and started calling himself "Abraham Widder Gamper" and passing this newly acquired last name to his heirs. There is no relationship/kinship between this and the Baltic German Gamper families.

Sources used:

• Source: Gamper, R. & Meyer-Eltz, H. (1985), "Gamper: Stammfolge einer der ältesten Bürgerlichen Familien Kurlands", in Baltische Ahnen- und Stammtafeln, 27. Jahrgang, pages 39-66
• Ernst Henning (1809), Geschichte der Stadt Goldingen in Kurland
• Irmtraut Scheffler (1940), Beiträge zur Siedlungs- und Bevölkerungsgeschichte der Stadt Goldingen in Kurland bis zum Ausgang der herzoglichen Zeit
• Wilhelm Räder & Oskar Stavenhagen (1913), Bürgerliste und Ratslinien der Stadt Goldingen bis zum Jahr 1889, in Jahrbuch für Genealogie, Heraldik und Sphragistik 1909/1910
• August Seraphim (1896), Kur-, Liv-, Estländer auf der Universität Königsberg in Preussen
• Theodor Kallmeyer, G. Otto (1910), Die evangelischen Kirchen und Prediger Kurlands
• Wilhelm Räder (1957), Die Juristen Kurlands im 17. Jahrhundert
• Herder Institut, Kurländische Güterurkunden
• Carola L. Gottzmann, Petra Hörner (2007), Lexikon der deutschsprachigen Literatur des Baltikums und St. Petersburgs
• Erik-Amburger-Datenbank
• Raduraksti: Kirchenbuch Goldingen 1665~1678 (Getaufte)
• Isidorus Brennsohn (1929), Die Ärzte Kurlands vom Beginn der herzoglichen Zeit bis zur Gegenwart ein biographisches Lexikon
• International Genealogical Index (IGI)

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Members of the Gamper family:

Generation 1

1. Johannes Gamper (aus Leipzig, ca. 1506 - ca. 1575), Kurländischer Landschreiber

Generation 2

1. Johannes Gamper (ca. 1530 - 1584)

Generation 3 (Geburt/birth ca. 1560 - ca. 1580)

1. Steffen Gamper (ca. 1555 - ca. 1611)
2. Merten Gamper (ca. 1557 - ca. 1631)
3. Jürgen Gamper (ca. 1560 - 1604)
4. Johann (Johannes) Gamper (ca. 1580 - 1640), Autor und Lehrer an der Domschule Riga

Generation 4 (Geburt/birth ca. 1590 - ca. 1615)

1. David Gamper (1593 - 1647)
2. Margaretha von Kampen (Gamper)
3. Peter Gamper (ca. 1595 - after 1625) - Student in Königsberg ca. 1620
4. Heinrich Gamper (ca. 1594 - ca. 1646)
5. Gotthard Gamper (ca. 1595 - after 1676), Kannengießer/Tin Smith in Goldingen
6. Dorothea Röhlius (Gamper) (ca. 1620 - after 1675) x Heinrich Röhlius

Generation 5 (Geburt/birth ca. 1620 - ca. 1650)

1. Anna Geveke (Gamper) (ca. 1627 - after ca. 1676) x He(i)nrich Geveke
2. Martin Gamper (ca. 1620 - after 1675) aus Goldingen, Kurland, zwischen 1639 und 1648 in Königsberg, Advocatus
3. Christina Neander (Gamper) (ca. 1624 - after 1664) x Caspar Neander
4. Stephan Gamper
5. Elisabeth Neyes/Neuss (Gamper) x Hermann Neuss
6. Wilhelm Gamper, Kannengießer/Tin Smith in Goldingen
7. Anna Lysander (Gamper) x Friedrich Lysander
8. Maria Henning (Gamper) (ca. 1635 - after 1677) x Johann Henning
9. Johann (Johannes) Gamper (aus Riga, 1651 in Rostock) (DNB)
10. Johannes Gamper (ca. 1620 - ca. 1687)
11. Christina Margaretha Gamper (ca. 1630 - after ca. 1700)
12. Hedwig Schreiter (Gamper), (ca. 1632 - ??)
13. Gotthard (Gothardus) Gamper (aus Goldingen, Kurland; 1659 Student in Rostock)

Generation 6 (Geburt/birth ca. 1660 - ca. 1690)

1. Emmerich David Gamper (ca. 1653 - ??)
2. Matthias Gamper (1666 - ??)
3. Maria Elisabeth Gamper (1668 - ??)
4. David Gamper (1669 - ??)
5. Christina Gamper (1670 - ??), aus/from Windau
6. Christina Gamper (1672 - ??)
7. Elisabeth Gamper (1674 - ??)
8. Hedwig Gamper (1677 - ??)
9. Gotthard Caspar Gamper (1677 - ??)
10. Heinrich Gamper (after 1678 - 1742), Chirurg/Surgeon

Generation 7 (Geburt/birth ca. 1700 - ca. 1730)

1. Gothard Gamper(t) (ca. 1700 - ca. 1760)
2. George Wilhelm Gamper (1706 - ?)
3. Matthäus Friedrich Gamper (1713 - after 1751)
4. Hermann Christopher Gamper (1714 - 1757)
5. Georg Heinrich Gamper (1716 - ?)
6. Christoph Gamper (c. 1725 - 12/1740) - died in Windau (Ventspils) during his apprenticeship, buried on 1st january 1741 (parentage unknown)
7. Christopher Diederich Gamper (1735-1816)

Generation 8 (Geburt/birth ca. 1740 - ca. 1770)

1. Johan(n) Adam Gamper (from Mitau) - soldier serving in the Dutch East India Company in the 1770s (died travelling to Batavia for a 2nd tour of duty in 1781)
2. Maria Christine Gamper (1738 - ??)
3. Gottfried (Gotthard?) Jacob Gamper (1740 - 1802?)
4. Bernhard Christian Gamper (from Zabeln)
5. Sophia Sabina Gamper
6. Johann Heinrich Hermann Gamper (1745 - 1819), Stadtältester der Großen Gilde zu Libau
7. Friedrich Christian Gamper (1748 - 1814), Stadtältester der Großen Gilde zu Libau
8. Hermann Christoph Gamper / Ермолай Ермолаевич Гампер (1750 - 1814), Russischer Generalmajor / Russian Major General (Amburger, Wikipedia: EnRu)
9. Friedrich Gotthard Gamper (1751 - 1800)
10. Carl Diedrich Gamper (1754 - 1790)
11. David Heinrich Gamper (1756 - 1798)

Andere mögliche Familienmitglieder (genaue Herkunft und Zusammenhang unbekannt):

• Bartholomaeus (Bartholo) Gamper / Jamper (aus Adorf), Magister und Vikar zu Merseburg - wahrscheinlich ein Verwandter des Johannes Gamper aus Leipzig
• Heinricus (Heinrich) Gamper / Gamber (aus Zwickau), 1495 Student in Leipzig
• Gotthard Hermann Gamper (aus Riga, Student, 1765 in Jena erwaehnt)
• Sergei Fjodorowitsch Gamper, Arzt in Mariupol