Steinbachs in Saxony
The earliest record is for Johann Gottfried Steinbach who was married to Anna Rosine Griessmann. They had a son Johann August Steinbach who was John Paul Steinbach’s father. State Archives in Dresden mention that on March 2, 1827 Johann Gottfried Steinbach sold his house to his son Johann August. No death record was found for Johann Gottfried. Some records are from St. Otto Church in Wechselburg. Church records go back to 1614.
No other children for Johann Gottfried are named in the baptism records. According to Helen Schrader, Johann August (1795-1850) was known as Baron von Steinbach and he was a wealthy man who owned a large estate with many employees. Johann August (17 Sep 1795 – 14 Jan 1850) married Hanna Christiana Möhler (20 Jan 1800 – 27 Apr 1836) February 4, 1821 in Seelitz. They had six children together. Four died very young: Johanna Christiana (12 Mar 1822 - 7 Mar 1825) Johann August (23 Jun - 29 Sep 1823) Elias Immanuel (4 May 1827 - 10 Nov 1828), and Hanna Juliana (28 Nov 1829). Two survived: Karl Heinrich (5 Aug 1825 – 26 Jun 1893) and Johann Paul (6 Sep 1828 – 9 Apr 1907). Karl Heinrich remained in Wechselburg. Johann August remarried May 21, 1837 to a former family kitchen servant Johanna Rosina Finsterbusch (14 Jan 1815 – 21 Nov 1887). They had seven children. |
Steinbach from Wechselburg, SaxonyThe Steinbachs came from the municipality of Wechselburg, Saxony, Germany.
Emma Hoffmann’s father was John Paul Steinbach. Much more is known about the Steinbach history thanks to collaboration with our cousins Helen Schrader and Ron Steinbach. They have worked with other relatives to piece together the history. We have quite a few Steinbach relatives in Germany and in the United States.
Why were so many ancestors named Johann or Johanna? In German naming traditions the first given name was sometimes a saint's name and families often gave the same saint's name to more than one child in the family. Four of Johann August's children were named for Saint John. The second given name is the name the person was usually called. John Paul was commonly known as Paul Steinbach.
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