Generation 8- Women Get Names... and Philipp Gets a New Coat (of Arms)

       The 30 Years War was a "dirty war" because of the senseless violence and destruction that took place, and, except for WW2, it was the most devastating war that Germany ever experienced! It involved nearly all of the major powers of the day, but it was waged on German soil... and 50% of the population along a corridor running from Pomerania in the Baltic to the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) was killed. Other areas fared a bit better, but the war was devastating. I mention this war again to keep it in context because our 8th generation of ancestors would have seen and experienced it first-hand. Also, if I may digress once more, one should note that, after 1500 years of use, the Julian calendar was replaced in 1582 by the Gregorian calendar, which was named after Pope Gregory. The Catholics in Germany embraced the new calendar immediately, and so they went to bed on October 4, 1582 and woke up the following morning on October 14, 1582. The Protestants in Germany, however, did not accept this calendar until March 1, 1700, This means that there were two sets of time for 108 years and this can be a bit confusing,
      Now we turn our attention to Generation 8 of our family, remembering that especially in the Black Forest, there were many variants of our last name by 1650, including Schutenhallm, Schutenhellm, Schutenhelm, Schiltenhelm, Schiltinhelm, Schlittenhelm, Schitenhellm, and more.
      Matthias had two sons-Cyriacus and Hans Wilhelm, Cyriacus (which means "of God"), married Ursula Rothacker and they lived in Gruntal, where he farmed, and they had at least five children, including Johannes (b. 1649) and Johan Jakob (b. 1653). Hans Wilhelm, like his brother, also farmed in Gruntal, where he lived and died. He and his wife, Maria Ganser, had one son, Johan Wilhelm. Villages were especially devastated during the war and it is not clear to me how much damage was done to our ancestor's farms at this point in history. However, at an earlier point in time, tax records show that the progenitor of the Schwarzwald branch of the family, HannB and his renter, Jacob Ruoff, jointly owned farms of Stueckhen and Guettern, and it appears that they paid substantial church taxes on these properties.  
      Philipp Schuttenhelm had three sons: Phillip, Jakob, and Johannes Michael.  Philipp was a farmer in the Wittlensweiler area of Wurttenmberg, but like many of our ancestors, he was active in local politics. He was a member of the Administration Board in his hometown and he was also a knight (which indicates that he was highly skilled in this area). He married Christine Haizmann and they had two sons: Matthias and Heinrich. It is worth noting that Philipp received a revised coat-of-arms from Duke Ludwig Friedrich of Wurttemberg. A coat-of-arms, while not rare, was hardly ordinary. It was an honor. It was a recognition and it tells me... that the family Schuttenhelm was well respected at this point in history. It had been much more than 100 years since Heinricus received the family's first coat-of-arms and it looks like our family was still making a name for itself.  Philipp's brother, Jakob, farmed in the Wittlensweiler area, and he had two sons with his first wife, Maria Irene- Jacob (b. 1611) and Cyriax (b. 1618). Johannes Michael lived through most of the 17th century. He was born in Aach in 1600 and he died there on June 21, 1681. During his lifetime, he served the people of Aach as an Administration Board member, a Judge, and as Mayor. He and his wife, Anna Maria, had two sons of record, and they named them Johannes and Michael, respectively,
      HannB (again, this is a double ss, not a B) had four sons- Heinrich, Cyriacus, Jakob, and yes, HannB. Heinrich, was a butcher (Metzger) and a Mayor in Schrozberg, although he died in Hallwangen in 1669. He and his wife, Anna Maria Steinlin, had a son whom they named Jacob. Heinrich's brother, Cyriacus, farmed around Gruntal and he had four sons: Johannes, Jacob, Adam, and Cyriacus, and their brother, Jakob, was a farmer and a miller in Aach. He married Walburga Muller on July 5, 1640, and they had at least six children, two of whom were: Georg and Philipp. Finally, HannB's son, HannB, was a Mayor in Horschweiler, Wurttemberg, where he died on January 18, 1676. He married Anna Gwinner, and they had the following children: Michael, Hans Jabob, Anna Maria (there were girls in the family), Anna (who died as an infant), Hans Martin, Agnes, Katharina Christine, Jakob, and Hans, who was born around 1672 in Pfalzgrafenweiler.

St Johannes at Egenhausen

Pomerania in the Baltic

Hallwangen

      Wilhelm's son, Wilhelm HannB, was shot near Egenhausen at the age of 43. At the time, he was a member of the Administration Board in Untermusbach and he left a wife, Barbara, and a son, HannB. Wilhelm, by the way, is an old German word which stands for a "strong-willed. helmeted fighter," (see Descendants of Haincz (Heinrich) Schutenhelm).
      Jakob had four sons as well: HannB der Beck, Jakob, Jung HannB, and Heinrich HannB. HannB der Beck, was a baker in Dornstetten, where he died in 1611, leaving a young wife, Maria Winderer, and a newly born (or yet to be born) son, Johannes (b. 1611). His brother, Jakob, was a town councilman (Ratsherr) and also Mayor in Wittlensweiler. He married Maria Pfau on July 28, 1638, and they had a son named, Jakob. Jung HannB, on the other hand, was a farmer who died in Vogelsberg. He and his wife, Helene Walther had five children: Johannes, Christine, Jakob, Adam, and Michael. Jung's brother, Heinrich HannB, was a butcher in Schrozberg. He had one son, Lorentz, who was born around 1640.
      Generation 8 was slightly more diverse than the ones that preceded it... if you count the advent of butchers and bakers as a sign of diversity. However, it continued to be dominated by village officials, mayors, and judges. This would be a great area for further research, but I am sure that mayors and city councilmen had more power than other citizens... and undoubtedly more benefits as well. It is likely that families held on to these privileged positions for as long as they could. I confess to being biased, but I applaud the leadership and accomplishments (albeit on small stages) that our ancestors demonstrated in a time when just hanging on was the goal of many.