New and Exciting Discoveries Part III: The "Royal" Holzgraefe Lineage

The "Royal" Holzgraefe Lineage

According to what must have been more than just a tradition, the farmstead administrator's eldest son became the new administrator or Colon. This was his heritage. His younger brothers then became Heurlings, a sort of tenant farmer, able to live with his family in a small cottage with a small, poor piece of land with which to sustain the life of the family. The heurlings were required also to work on the Colon's land whenever requested. It was still the work of a farmer, but it was clearly better to be a Colon. This right was inherited and with it came the name, Holzgraefe. If there were no male heirs, which happened once at the death of Johann Berend Holtzgrafe in 1704, the heritage went to the oldest daughter and she became a Colona and her husband became the new Colon and took upon him the surname, Holzgraefe. Thus the "Royal" line went from father to son:

Johann Berend H. (1665-1704), Caspar Henrich Düßdickers (1701-1732), Caspar Heinrich H. (1732-1780), Johann Caspar Heinrich H. (1757-1825), Johann Andreas H. (1784-1823), Caspar Heinrich H. (1806-????), Caspar Heinrich H. (1832-????), Caspar Heinrich H. (16 July 1860-????), etc. 

This is all the information I had a few weeks ago, but since then we have discovered that the royal line continues today. In a book detailing the history of Schweicheln-Bermeck there is a photograph of a man indicating that he was "Kolon Caspar Heinrich Holzgraefe" and lived from 1861-1929 in Nr. 6 Schweicheln. 

In attempting to connect this man in with the tree, I discovered this "royal" line and assumed this was the last Caspar Heinrich H. on my list above. I needed proof though. After a few weeks of e-mailing with contacts in Germany, I was lead to this site which has several photographs of headstones in the old Schweicheln cemetery. The first headstone was for a Caspar Heinrich Holzgraefe who was born on 16 July 1860 and died 5 March 1929! These dates match him both to this "royal" line AND the man in the photograph. I found him! I assume the other headstones are for his son and daughter-in-law. 

More research on Nr. 6 Schweicheln revealed that the current address is 169 Schweichelner Street and that there are still Holzgraefes living there today who are descendants of the man in this photograph. A letter has been sent and we await a reply as we make contact with our distant cousins in Germany for the first time since we left for America nearly 175 years ago

Update 8/3/2014:

The other headstone in the Schweicheln cemetery is for Heinrich Holzgraefe who was born a Reckefuss. He was a younger son on a farm in the Vlotho area and moved onto the Holzgraefe farm because Caspar Heinrich Holzgraefe had no children. After Heinrich inherited the farm, the laws changed and now the youngest son inherits the farm. So the hunt for the "Royal" Holzgraefe (oldest son of the oldest son...etc.) continues. 

Update 1/15/2015
E-mail contact has been made with the current occupants of 169 Schweichelner Street. Heinrich Reckfuss was adopted by Caspar Heinrich Holzgraefe and thus took on the name and continued the royal lineage. The Holzgraefe family lives on!