The research continues! Thanks to our German contacts, we are receiving many sources to solidify once and for all what once were mere theories. Still, there are many of our Holzgraefe ancestors who have not been connected to our ever-growing family tree. One example is Anne Cathrine Ilsabein Holzgraefen who married Johann Henrich Kaiser on 15 June 1788. Together they had many children and some of their descendants can be found on this website I found while browsing: http://www.hps.com/~tpg/gbook/public/293.html (line 1054).
I tried finding more information on Anne Cathrine Ilsabein Holzgraefen in Family Search and Ancestry.com, but didn't find much. I checked the marriage record microfilm and it didn't have much, but it did have a few clues.
Her father was listed as Johann Henrich Holzgraefe and her age as 22. This means her birth year was about 1766 which would put her in the same generation as Johann Casper Henrich Holzgraefe (*1757), Otto Heinrich Holzgraefe (*1760), and Ernst Heinrich Holzgreafe (*1764). The uncle of these three men was Johann Henrich Holzgraefe (1730-????). I have no direct link yet, but I believe that this may be Anne Cathrine Ilsabein Holzgraefen's father.
Here's a little more the theory. Caspar Henrich Düßdickers (1701-1732) married Anne Margarethe Ilsabein Holzgraefe (1704-????) and took on the name "Holzgraefe" as he took over roll as Colon (administrative farmer) of the Holzgraefe farm. This was a common occurrence back in the 1700s. Caspar Holzgraefe and Anne Margarethe Ilsabein had two sons: Johann Henrich (*1730) and Caspar Henrich (*1732). Holding to tradition, Johann Henrich would have became the new Colon as the oldest son. The marriage record of Anne Cathrine Ilsabein Holzgraefen to Johann Henrich Kaiser indicates that her father was indeed a Colon and that she, as the only heir, was the Colona. Johann Henrich Kaiser had a farm of his own and so Anne Cathrine Ilsabein Holzgraefen followed him and left the Holzgraefe farm leaving no heir. The roll as Colon then fell on the next in line which was Caspar Henrich's eldest son, Johann Casper Henrich Holzgraefe (1757-1825).
This explains why the Colon title remained with Caspar's line as opposed to his elder brother's. It's a lot like a mini Monarchy within the Holzgraefe family. Once again though, this is only a theory. Nothing has been proven, but if any of you researchers out there ever find out the truth, please let me know. Thank you!
