Ancestry of Gertraud Steinkopf

Here we explore the family background of Gertraud Steinkopf, the wife of Niclaus Rau. They were married in Oppenheim in 1696 and migrated to England and then on to New York in 1709. Her paternal family included butchers, city councilmen, and a church elder. Her maternal relatives managed two different inns and were also on the city council. A great-uncle was mayor of Oppenheim. So her family on both sides were well-established citizens, tradesmen and leaders in the city.

The following numbered sections give the known information on Gertraud Steinkopf and her ancestors in Ahnentafel order. Unknown ancestors cause gaps in the numbering scheme.

1. Gertraud Steinkopf was baptized at St. Katharinen on 8 March 1674. She and Niclaus Rau were married at St. Sebastian's Lutheran Church on Tuesday, 3 January 1696. The marriage record terms him a son of the late Johannes Rau of Hohen-Silsen in the Earldom of Falckenstein.

The births of their first three children are recorded at St. Sebastian. He is first called a day worker and an inhabitant (not citizen) of Oppenheim. On the second child's birth record he is called a citizen. But on the third child's birth record he is again an inhabitant. They left the city after 1702, as the next two children do not appear in the records of either Protestant church there. Their subsequent history has been given in The Palatine Families cited before and will not be repeated here.

Children (surname Rau):

  1. Catharina Elisabetha born 2 January 1697, baptized on the 6th
  2. Johannes born Saturday, 25 April 1699, between 7 and 8 am, baptized on 14 May.
  3. Agnes born 14 August 1702, Monday morning, baptismal sponsor was her aunt Agnesa Steinkopf (baptismal date illegible).
  4. Elisabetha born, say, 1704
  5. Maria Gertraud born, say, 1706. A later birth date has sometimes been assumed for her because she married in 1738. But she fits here and her parents migrated with four or five children (accounts differ) so it seems more probable that she married late.
  6. Maria Catharina born ca. 1713 in New York
  7. Anna Margareta born in New York [top]
Parents

2. Johann Wilhelm Steinkopf was born 24 November 1638 as calculated from his death record. He was not baptized in Oppenheim though his parents were married there. In the church records he is initially called Johann Wilhelm, but later he used only the middle name Wilhelm. He died 31 January 1700, aged 61 years, 2 months, and 6 days and was buried at St. Katharinen.

3. Anna Maria Quintin was baptized at St. Katharinen on 27 June 1641. She died Monday night, between 10 and 11 o'clock, 23 January 1713, and was buried at St. Katharinen on 26 January 1713.

They were married on 25 August 1661. Johann Wilhelm Steinkopf is termed a worthy apprentice butcher and a citizen of Oppenheim. She is termed a virtuous maiden.

Children (surname Steinkopf):

  1. Elias baptized 29 October 1662
  2. Johannes Matthias baptized 1 November 1665
  3. Maria Martha baptized 14 August 1667, the sponsor was her aunt, Martha Steinkopf.
  4. Ægidius baptized 24 November 1669, sponsor was Ægidius Quintin, married Anna Dorothea —, died 1714 - 1717, leaving at least two sons. Konfession und Alltag shows his signature on page 138.
  5. Anna Maria baptized 28 January 1672
  6. Gertraud baptized 8 March 1674, sponsor was Gertraud Quintin, married Nicolas Rau and migrated to New York.
  7. Agnes baptized 2 February 1679, sponsor was Agnes, Walther Steinkopf's wife, she in turn sponsored Agnesa Rau in 1702. [top]
Grandparents

4. Johann Steinkopf was a butcher, citizen of Oppenheim, and an elder of the St. Katharinen Reformed Church. Neither his birth nor death dates have been found. He took communion on Easter 1635. He died after 1659 but before the 1670 marriage of his son Johann Jacob.

5. Maria Magdalena — was born about 1622. She married firstly Hans Trager, butcher at Worms. She was buried at St. Katharinen 29 May 1682, aged 60. If this age is correct, she married, was widowed, and remarried by the age of 16!

This couple had their banns published on 14 January 1638 at St. Katharinen. In this record the German word for maiden is crossed out and her status as a widow is noted.

Children (surname Steinkopf):

  1. Johann Wilhelm born 24 November 1638, married Anna Maria Quintin and their descent is continued.
  2. Johann Jacob baptized 9 December 1641
  3. Anna Maria baptized 17 March 1644
  4. Johann Jacob baptized 2 December 1646, married firstly Barbara —, a widow, on 9 June 1670, secondly another widow on 7 June 1695, died 3 April 1723, butcher and former city councilman of Oppenheim.
  5. Johann Michael baptized 2 July 1648
  6. Martha baptized 16 February 1651, sponsor was Martha, Jost Quintin's wife, he the host at The Swan.
  7. Walther baptized 11 April 1653, married Agnes Seemann 25 April 1676. At the 1680 baptism of a son he was a butcher and innkeeper at The Rose. At the 1683 baptism of a daughter he is only a butcher. Walther died 30 December 1696, his age being incorrectly recorded as 34 instead of 43.
  8. Stephan baptized 27 December 1659
6. Jost Quintin was baptized 9 September 1610 at St. Katharinen. He was the second host at The Swan. Jost and Christoff Quintin took communion on 7 October 1632 at St. Katharinen. Christoff's relationship is not known. Jost was buried on 28 June 1657 at St. Katharinen, leaving a pregnant second wife.

7. He married firstly Anna Maria Fauth on 3 June 1633. She was the daughter of Balthasar Fauth, former host of The Rose. She was baptized on 17 May 1612 at St. Katharinen. She died, between 7 and 8 o'clock in the morning, on 22 May 1644.

He married secondly, on 17 September 1644 Martha, a daughter of the late Johann Webe– (illegible).

Children by first wife (surname Quintin):

  1. Jost baptized 10 September 1634, sponsor was his uncle Jost Fauth
  2. Ægidius baptized 2 September 1638, see below
  3. Anna Maria baptized 27 June 1641, married Johann Wilhelm Steinkopf 25 August 1661 and their descent is continued.
Children by second wife (surname Quintin):
  1. Johannes baptized 26 December 1645
  2. Gertraut baptized 11 April 1647. She sponsored the baptism of her niece Gertraud Steinkopf on 8 March 1674.
  3. Anna Christina baptized 12 November 1648, married shortly after 16 April 1678 (when their first banns were published) Johannes Gunther.
  4. Johann Peter baptized 18 August 1650
  5. Anna Margaretha baptized 8 May 1653
  6. Johannes Jost baptized 30 December 1655, the sponsor was Johann Steinkopf, the butcher, buried 27 January 1659.
  7. Johannes Reichhard baptized 7 February 1658, after his father's death. His occupation on his death record is beer brewer, so apparently the family gave up The Swan and concentrated on brewing. He died 22 September 1712. A son, Johann Carl Quintin, was a baptismal sponsor in 1706.
Ægidius Quintin became host at The Rose some time after the death of his uncle, Hans Burkhart Fauth (who died before 1658) and the tenure of his aunt's second husband, Christian Borkfeldt. Ægidius married firstly Elisabeth Pfeichman. Their first banns were published on 14 January 1666. He is termed a host on this record, but the name of the establishment is not given. But probably The Rose had transitioned from Borkfeldt to Ægidius by this time.

On 15 October 1678 he married Maria Christina Steinmetzer, daughter of the late surgeon and city councilman of Zweibrücken, Anthonii Steinmetzer. This marriage lasted only three months as he was buried 31 January 1679. In both of these records he is termed host of The Rose. In the next year his sister’s brother-in-law, Walther Steinkopf, is mentioned as the host at The Rose. [top]

Great-grandparents

8. Hans Steinkopf was a citizen of Oppenheim and butcher. He died before 1638 marriage of his son.

12. Jost Quintin and Maria — were married in St. Katharinen on 24 October 1609.

13. Maria — was a native of Raurfurt and the widow of a David —. She died before the second marriage of Jost Quintin in 1622.

Child by first wife (surname Quintin):

  1. Jost baptized 9 September 1610 at St. Katharinen, married Anna Maria Fauth on 3 June 1633 and their descent is continued.
14. Balthasar Fangdt was termed a journeyman potter in the record of his first marriage with Anna — (she of the three husbands, all hosts at The Rose). He died before the 1626 marriage of his widow.

He married thirdly, on 11 January 1619, Anna Maria Mogeler, the daughter of the late Bartholomeus Mogeler. Again he is noted as host at The Rose. She was buried 24 October 1620. He married fourthly another Anna, marriage record not found. She married Jacobus Roth from Frankfurt on 16 February 1626. This marriage apparently was annulled and she married David Meurer, the son of Johannes Georgÿ Meurer, on 22 January 1629 in the Franciscan Catholic Church.

15. Anna —, the widow of Hans Georg Losmeyer, and Balthasar Fangdt were married at St. Katharinen on 10 August 1601. Her former husband was the church schoolmaster at Schleydel. Anna was buried at St. Katharinen on 22 May 1618.

Children by second wife (surname Fauth):

  1. Anna Maria baptized 9 October 1603
  2. Michael baptized 17 March 1605, appears on the 1632 list of communicants at St. Katharinen.
  3. Hans Burkhart baptized 3 April 1608, see below.
  4. Jost baptized 22 July 1610, baptismal sponsor to his nephew Jost Quintin on 10 September 1634.
  5. Anna Maria baptized 17 May 1612, married Jost Quintin 3 June 1633 and their descent is continued.
Hans Burkhart Fauth married Catharina Meyer, a daughter of Johannes Georgÿ Meyer, in the Franciscan Catholic Church in Oppenheim on 17 June 1630. If the Latinized forms "Meureri" and "Meyreri" refer to the same German name, then he became a brother-in-law to his stepmother. He appears as Bernhardt [sic!] Fauth, host at The Rose, in the 1632 list of communicants at St. Katharinen.

On 5 January 1644 his wife Catharina was buried at St. Katharinen. He is termed the Bürgermeister on this record. He married a second Catharina since his widow of that name married Christian Borkfeldt. Their first banns were published on 18 April 1658. In this record Hans Burkhart is termed a former city councilman and host of The Rose. His widow was young enough to be termed a Fräulein. [top]

Great-great-grandparent

28. Velten Fangdt, a citizen of Koblenz, was the father of Balthasar Fangdt.[top]