Jochims children

The father - Jochim Laage

Jochim Laage, Lage or Laach also - all these spellings of the name can be seen in the church records and documents - was born 1705, son of Hans Lage of Schönberg and christened on May 3rd 1705 in the same place 3).
His godfathers were:

1. Hans Selmer of Schönberg,
2. Hinrich Rantzow of Barsbeck and
3. Grete Wellendorff.

The name of his mother is never mentioned. Nothing else is known about the father, except that he had other children being christened in Schönberg:

13.11.1703: Grete,
 2. 5.1707: Trine,
 3.10.1708: Beecke,
10. 3.1711: Sielke,
 4.11.1712: Hans.

Church records before that time do (seem to) not exist and other sources did not give any further information

On 24.4.1731 in Schönberg Jochim Lage married Anna Catharina Schlichting 4). A remark at this record says: "nach Schönweide" (to Schönweide). This could mean either, that the bride came from Schönweide (so to say belonged to Schönweide), or the couple intended to move to Schönweide. At that time Schönweide is an estate not far from the road between Plön and Lütjenburg, belonging to the family von Kurtzrock 5).

1734 the Laage family appears for the first time in the church books in Lütjenburg. They were residents of Schmiedendorf, a village situated on a rise east of Lütjenburg, which was part of the Neudorf estate (Gut Neudorf) 5).
Here their 3rd child was born. Despite intensive search the birth records of the first two children could not be found. Nevertheless their birth years could be determined from other events and documents quite precisely.

So the list of the children reads as follows:

1. Christian Friederich, calculated birth 1732
2. Anna Magdalena Christina, calculated birth 1733/1734
3. Johann Jochim Hinrich, * in Schmiedendorf, christened 24.12.1735
4. Sophia Elisabeth, * in Schmiedendorf, christened 8.1.1738 + 1740
5. Anna Catharina Oelgaard, * in Schmiedendorf, christened 25.1.1740
6. August Matthias, * in Lütjenburg, christened 29.3.1742
7. Christopher, * in Lütjenburg 20.12.1743, died young
8. Detlef Gottlieb, * in Lütjenburg 8.5.1745
9. Anna Elisabeth Analis Hinriette, * in Lütjenburg 18. 3.1747

Jochim Laage profession was butcher (Schlachter).
In an entry 1736 6) we read: "Ann Cathrin Lagen, des Schlächters Frau von Schmiedendorf", (the butcher's wife of Schmiedendorf) and in court records he was called a butcher also 7).

From 1739 on the family lived in Lütjenburg. 24.8.1739 Jochim Laage was granted citizenship of Lütjenburg. He announced being prepared to contribute a house (eine Bude zu kontribuieren 7)) and 1740 already he built an own house inside the town. He had bought the house of Hinrich Schröder at the 'Amacker Markt' and reconstructed it completely. Some conflicts with neighbors and authorities arrose 8). According to "Lübschem Recht" (the local law) the agreement of a neighbor was needed before the installation of a new window facing his house.

Since the Laages were strangers to the town life wasn't easy for them in the first years. The court record lists quarrels of all kind as well as compensation payments for insults 9) After some years this calmed down but now there were business clashes: Selling and payment of skins, trading with muttons and repayment of debts 7).

In July 1761 the wife died and the widower married a second time. Anna Margaretha Brüning of Bissee, a very young girl, who possibly had done the housework for the motherless household at first. She was the daughter of (1762 already deceased) Jochim Brünning. In Brügge, a village a little west of Bordesholm, we found this marriage record 10):

"1762 Dom. XXIV. p. Tr. (d.i. der 21.11.1762) hat Ann Margret Brünings, Tochter von Marieke Brünings, einer Witwe in Bissee, die Gebühren "an mir" und den Küster erlegt, um sich in Lütjenburg mit ihrem Bräutigam "Lau" 11) Bürger daselbst, copulieren zu lassen." Das Datum der Heirat fehlt, die Verlobung fand am 31.10.1762 statt 12).

Anna Margarethe Brüning was christened 1746 Dom. XI. p. Tr. (that is Aug 21st 1746) being "Jochim Brüning aus Bisses seine Tochter" (J Brüning's daughter). Her confirmation was 1761 in Bordesholm 13) (15 years old). Thus she was 16 years old when she married 57 years old Jochim.

The "Nebenbuch zum Schuld- und Pfandprotokoll" (book on debts ...) of Lütjenburg gives a very comprehensive illustration of the families situation in 1762 14).
This important document of dispartment also proved the correctness of the information on this family.

Jochen Laages first wife had died and since he planned to marry again he had to deal with claims on the heritage by the 7 living children from the first marriage.
These were:

1. administrator Herr Christian Friederich Laage,
2. son in law Hinrich Christian Brade,
3. Jochim Hinrich Laage.
the following four were not yet "majorem", which means less than 25 years old 15):
4. Oelgard,
5. August,
6. Dethlef,
7. Henrietta.

Finally the father assured an amount of 50 Mark Lübsch 16) cash to each of his 7 married children. To his unmarried daughters Oelgard und Henrietta he promised "ein vollständig aufgemachtes Bette" a complete trousseau. To make the payment easier they agreed to pay the cash to the first 3 children within the next 4 years, the others would get their money with their 25th birthdays.
After this the children would be "völlig von Mutter und Vater wegen separieret sein" disparted completely from their parents - as the law (Lübsche Recht) demanded.

1763 the family moved to Plön, where two of the sons lived already.

Three daughters were born in the second marriage, but none of them survived the parents.

9. Lucia Catharina, born in Lütjenburg 2.10.1763, + 1780
10. Sophia Dorothea, born in Plön 18.09.1766, died young
11. Margaretha Christine Christiana, born in Plön 25.03.1769, + 1775

Before moving to Plön they sold most of their property in Lütjenburg in order to fulfill their obligations 17).

Details of the sold property:
Am 6.4.1763 wurde eine auf dem Stadtfelde gelegene sog. "Oberste Koppel", 20 Scheffel Saat 18) haltend, für 620 Ml. an den Ratsverwandten Friedrich Conrad Lüttgens verkauft.
Am 30.04.1763 erfolgte der Verkauf eines auf dem Graskamp am Vogelsdorfer Weg belegenen Landstücks, 9 Scheffel Saat haltend, für 500 Ml. an den Chirurgen Johannes Bertram Pauer.
Am 16.05.1763 wurden 10 Scheffel Saat auf dem Helldahl an Paul Berend Lange für 61 Rthl. 19)
und am 19.7.1763 an denselben 2 Stücke Land auf Rothen Reher und der Ohlborg für 350 Ml. verkauft.
Am 11.11.1763 vollzog sich auch die Veräußerung des in der Baverstraße 20) belegenen Wohnhauses mit Zubehör, nebst Bude hinter der Scheune, 2 Kirchenständen (1 Manns- und 1 Frauensstand), 6 Gräbern auf dem Kirchhof und einigen Ländereien (Hauswiesche auf der Haberwiesche und Heege in der Helle) an den Kaufmann Samuel Christoph Böteführ für 2100 Ml.
This last amount of money was given only partly to the seller, most of it was used to fulfill obligations.

For 1763 the town archive of Lütjenburg list the following personal tax payments:
January 1763: 4. Quartier 21): Jochim Laage pays poll tax for 6 persons 1 Ml. 1 sl.
April 1763: 4. Quartier #128 - Jochim Laage. 6 persons (father, mother, 3 sons and 1 daughter) The family was classified as wealthy, which means "due to pay taxes".
November 1763: 4. Quartier #128 only 5 persons (father, mother, 2 sons and 1 daughter).

Another tax list of the town:
Jochim Laage has to pay

for his house 3 Ml.,
for 5 Drömt 22) and 3 Scheffel property 3 Ml., 15 sh.,
summed up 6 Ml., 15 sh., per month, that is 83 Ml., 4 sh. per years,
plus "Dienstgeld" 23) (fees?) 2 Ml.,
All in all 85 Ml., 4 sh. taxes.

The major reason for leaving Lütjenburg and moving to Plön might be the initiation of legal action against a collegue 24). In its course it turned out that Jochim Laage had talked too big (den Mund etwas zu voll genommen hatte).

In the end of 1764 Jochim Laage bought a house in the Klosterstraße in Plön from Johann Christian Ahrenfeldt for 400 Ml. 25). Before, on Oct 31st 1763 he was granted citizenship of Plön 26):
"Am 31. Oktober 1763 ist Bürger geworden: Joachim Laage aus Lütjenburg, seiner Profession ein Schlachter, und hat dafür überhaupt als ein Fremder bezahlt: 15 Ml. und 10 Schilling".
On Oct 31 1763 became citizan:  Joachim Laage of Lütjenburg, business butcher, paid fees 15 Ml. and 10 Schilling

Jochim Laage seems to having been a quarrelsome person: Soon again there were legal actions, also against his children and children in law. After some years Jochim and his wife sold their property in Plön and moved to Wulksfelde estate (Gut Wulksfelde), where their oldest son Christian Friederich had settled meanwhile. (Wulksfelde is close to the northern border of todays Hamburg)

Nearby and belonging to Wulksfelde there was an important estate named Rethfurt including guestshouse and inn. They also had the license to run a destillery and produce brandy. Additionally the estate included customs facilities for the road from Segeberg to Hamburg 27).
The annual lease is said to have been 500 Ml.

1784 the last property in Plön, the house in Klostergasse with all its content, yard and paddock was sold for 366 Rthl. 32 sh. to Johann Lienau 29).

In 1777 Jochim Laage was mentioned as the leaseholder of Rethfurt 2). Since he was 72 years old at that time it's doubtful whether he himself managed inn and distillery.

Jochim died Aug 4th 1789 of weakness and weak nerves at great age in Rethfurt. Burial was 3 days later in Bergstedt 30).


translated from "Jochim Laage und seine Söhne", Georg Laage, Burg a.F. 1973