Foundation Musick's Monument
The Provision Master’s Networks: Elite and Administration Surrounding Johann Conrad Knöpfel at Rheinfels
When a historical official such as the Provision Master and Stiftskeller Johann Conrad Knöpfel had his children baptized, the chosen godparents (Gevattern) were by no means random neighbors. Instead, they reflected the social advancement, official standing, and political-military network of the family.
The baptismal registers reveal an impressive network comprising high-ranking court officials from Kassel, military commanders of the imperial fortress of Rheinfels, and prominent clergy.
1.
Heirat von Conrad Knöpfel und Regina Magdalena Dirx am 29. April 1695 (KB 149/1, S. 255);
2.
Taufe von Dietrich Conrad Knöpffel am 9. Februar 1696 (KB 149/1, S. 105);
3.
Taufe von Maria Sophia Christiana Knöpfel am 9. November 1697 (KB 149/1, S. 116);
4.
Taufe von Anna Margaretha Elisabeth Knöpffel am 24. September 1699 (KB 149/1, S. 125);
5.
Taufe der am 18. April 1701 geborenen Anna Getrud Henriette Knöpfel (KB 149/1, S. 130);
6.
Taufe von Johann Christian Ludwig Knöpffel am 21. Juni 1703 (KB 149/1, S. 137);
7.
Taufe von Johann Henrich Werner Knöpffel am 23. Dezember 1704 (KB 149/1, S. 142);
23 december (10br. / Decembris): In de kerk gedoopt: Johann Henrich, zoontje van heer Johann Conrad Knöpffel, proviantmeester en stiftskeller (Stiffskeller).
Peters/Getuigen (Gevattern):
Heer Johann Henrich Gottschalck, betaalmeester (ZahlMeister) en kapitein.
Heer Werner Knöpfel, predikant (Pfarrherr) te Liebenau.
Mevrouw Johanna, echtgenote (Eheliebste) van commissaris Reichardt Rosewater.
Werner Knöpfel is rond 1668 geboren in Wolfershausen als zoon van de Melsungse metropolitan (superintendent) Konrad Knöpfel en diens eerste echtgenote. Hij ging vanaf 1686 theologie studeren aan de Universiteit van Marburg en werd later werkzaam als predikant (Pfarrherr) te Liebenau.
Hij behoort tot een gezin met meerdere broers en zussen:
Hartmann Knöpfel: Geboren in 1660 te Wolfershausen, in 1679 ingeschreven aan de universiteit van Marburg, en vanaf 1692 predikant in Dörnhagen.
Johann Konrad Knöpfel: Geboren in 1662 te Wolfershausen, in 1680 ingeschreven te Marburg, en werkzaam als proviantkommissar in de hessische vesting Rheinfels bij St. Goar.
Ottilie Knöpfel: Geboren in 1664 te Wolfershausen en op 3 mei 1682 te Melsungen gehuwd met Andreas Itter, vogt te Merxhausen.
Susanne Christine Knöpfel: Geboren in 1672, getrouwd met achtereenvolgens predikant Andreas Kornemann en predikant Hermann Geißell.
Katharina Elisabeth Knöpfel: Geboren in 1673 en op 4 maart 1700 te Melsungen gehuwd met kandidaat Johann Heinrich Möller.
Anna Dorothea Knöpfel: Geboren in 1674 in Wolfershausen.
8.
Taufe der am 16. Mai 1709 geborenen Anna Christina Dorothea Knöpfel (KB 149/1, S. 158);
9.
Taufe der am 28. Februar 1711 geborenen Maria Elisabeth Knöpffel (KB 149/1, S. 162);
10.
Taufe von Johann Ludwig Knöpffel am 29. Dezember 1712 (KB 149/1, S. 168);
11.
Taufe des am 22. November 1714 geborenen Johann Wollrath Knöpfel (KB 149/1, S. 177).
1. The Diplomatic and Administrative Elite (Kassel & Melsungen)
Christian Thalmann – Geheimbder Secretarius zu Cassel
As Privy Secretary, Thalmann worked in direct proximity to the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. At a time when the Privy Council (Geheimer Rat) formed the central advisory and governing body of the principality, he handled the most confidential diplomatic correspondence and state affairs.Johann Balthasar Claute (represented by his wife Anna) – Geheimbder Secretarius zu Cassel
Like Thalmann, Claute held this high-ranking position of trust at the court in Kassel. The presence of multiple Privy Secretaries from the capital acting as godparents highlights the close ties between the local victual administration and the ducal court.Wollrath Reinhard – Hessisch-Reservat Commissarius
As commissioner for the administration of the Hessian reserves, Reinhard represented the financial and territorial rights of the Landgrave, supervising local revenues, leases, and supplies.Konrad Knöpfel – Metropolitan zu Melsungen
As the father of the Provision Master and superintendent (Metropolitan) over the churches and schools of the Melsungen district, he formed the family’s ecclesiastical-administrative anchor within the principality.
Joh. Martin – ObristLieutenant
As Lieutenant Colonel, Johann Martin was second-in-command in the military hierarchy of Rheinfels Fortress. He held daily operational command over the garrison and defenses of this crucial Rhine stronghold.Johann Henrich Gottschalck – ZahlMeister und Capitain
Gottschalck combined the rank of Captain with the role of garrison Paymaster. Responsible for military payroll and accounting, his duties directly overlapped with Knöpfel’s supply management.Balthasar Schwalb (represented by his wife Margaretha) – Schreiber und Auditeur
As Auditeur, Schwalb served as the military judge and legal advisor to the fortress. He presided over courts-martial, investigated disciplinary cases, and maintained legal documentation (Schreiber).Joh. Hartmann Cuhn – Lieutenant
A garrison officer reflecting the military camaraderie and presence within the fortress walls.
Dietterich Diepes (Diep) – Rathgänger / Rathsverwandter
As father-in-law to Johann Conrad Knöpfel, he represented the municipal government as a member of the city council (Rathsverwandter).Werner Knöpfel – Pfarrherr zu Liebenau
Brother of the Provision Master, educated at the University of Marburg, who represented the family’s academic and clerical standing as a pastor.Daniel Rüdiger – Pfarrherr und Praeceptor
The local parish priest who also served as praeceptor (headmaster/teacher), responsible for Latin education and local schooling.
This survey of the godparents reveals that the family of the quartermaster and Stiftskeller was at the very heart of the region’s power structure. The network links the princely bureaucracy in Kassel, the military and judicial leadership of the Rheinfels fortress, and the ecclesiastical and scholastic elite of Hesse.
The Marriage at Weisel and the Lost Register
A scan of the baptism record of Johann Daniel, (*) 14 October 1704, Sankt Goar
Met dank aan mevrouw Nagel. Moderator Archion Forum
1704,
"On the evening of the 14th of October at 9 o'clock, Johann Daniel, the son of Mr Georg
Ludwig Dülcken, was baptised in the house. The godfather was
Mr Luther Daniel Maul, the hospital master.
This took place in an emergency, as the child
was very weak, as the wet nurse said.
They were married the day before
in Weissel.
The child died within the
week and
was buried without
ceremony".
The earliest known marriage of Georg Ludwig Dülcken presents an unusual archival problem.
A baptismal entry dated 14 October 1704 records that Georg Ludwig and his wife had been married "the day before" in Weissel.³ Yet the marriage register that should contain this entry no longer survives in complete form.
An Official and Familial Network around 1704: Knöpfel, Maul, Schramm, and Lehr in Sankt Goar and Weisel
Introduction
When examining the social elite of the early modern Rhineland, one encounters a dense web of official, ecclesiastical, and familial connections. Around the imperial fortress of Rheinfels and the town of Sankt Goar, local officials formed a close-knit network where kinship and professional collaboration merged seamlessly. Through a dramatic event in October 1704 — the hasty marriage of young Georg Ludwig Dülcken and the subsequent emergency baptism of his first child — the unique interplay between the Knöpfel, Maul, Schramm, and Lehr families comes into clear focus.
1. The Familial Linchpin: The Lehr Family and Pastor Schramm in Weisel
The key to the decisions made by the Dülcken family lies with the Lehr family. Both Georg Ludwig Dülcken's father and the pastor in Weisel, Johan Jacob Schramm, married daughters from this family. Pastor Schramm was therefore not merely a local village clergyman, but young Georg Ludwig’s uncle.
When Georg Ludwig Dülcken faced a socially and medically sensitive situation in the autumn of 1704 — an impending premature birth or premarital pregnancy — he did not seek arbitrary shelter. He turned to his uncle Schramm in Weisel, who solemnized the marriage on October 13, 1704. The familial protection and discretion within the Lehr-Schramm circle provided the necessary cover to legitimize the expected child before birth.
2. Born in Weisel, Cared for in Sankt Goar: Emergency Care across the Rhine
The birth most likely took place in the protected village environment of Weisel. However, when the newborn proved extremely weak after birth ("wie die Amme sagte" / "as the wet nurse said"), the small rural village of Weisel lacked the required medical infrastructure.
This triggered swift action across the Rhine: the severely weakened child was brought (accompanied by the wet nurse or father) to the garrison town of Sankt Goar, where specialized care was available. On October 14 at 9 o'clock in the evening, the baby was hurriedly baptized in a home in Sankt Goar.
Serving as the sole godfather for this emergency baptism was Luther Daniel Maul, the Hospitalmeister(director/administrator of the hospital in Sankt Goar).
3. The Administrative Axis in Sankt Goar: Maul and Knöpfel
In the same town and within the same collegiate/ecclesiastical hierarchy as Hospitalmeister Maul operated Johann Conrad Knöpfel, the Stiftskeller and Proviantmeister of Rheinfels Fortress. The relationship between Maul and Knöpfel was administratively and institutionally very close:
Finances and Supplies: The hospital in Sankt Goar — dedicated to the tradition of Saint Goar as the patron of care for the sick and travelers — was directly funded for its operations, grain, wine, and financial resources by the collegiate estate and supplies managed by Stiftskeller Knöpfel. Knöpfel and Maul worked as an administrative team: one managed the material resources of the institution, while the other directed the actual reception and care.
Coordination in Emergencies: The fact that Maul stepped in immediately as godfather during the reception of the child from Weisel demonstrates the seamless cooperation between the clergy in Weisel (Uncle Schramm) and the medical-administrative apparatus in Sankt Goar (Maul and Knöpfel).
The events of October 1704 illustrate how the four families functioned together like a well-oiled machine:
Lehr: Formed the bloodline that laid the foundation of trust between young Dülcken and the local elite.
Schramm: Provided legal and spiritual protection as a related pastor in Weisel by performing the hasty marriage on October 13.
Maul: Provided essential medical assistance, refuge, and status as Hospitalmeister in Sankt Goar during the emergency baptism on October 14.
Knöpfel: Provided the administrative and financial foundation as Stiftskeller for the institutional network within which these care facilities operated.
Although little Johann Daniel died after a week and was buried quietly, the solidarity built during this period endured. The fact that Johannes Daniel Dülcken (born in 1706 and named after the child who died in 1704) married Susanne Maria Knöpfel (daughter of the Stiftskeller) nearly thirty years later — in 1732 — proves that the bonds between the Lehr, Schramm, Maul, and Knöpfel families remained strong across generations.
What began as an emergency where a newborn child was brought across the Rhine for medical help laid the foundation for the dynastic network that would later produce some of Europe's most famous harpsichord makers.
Heiratseintrag Johann Daniel Dülcken und Susanna Maria Knüpfelin transcriptie Dr. Johannes Burkardt
Compleet
17. [Decem]ber * Sindt H[er]r Johann Daniel Dülcken, Kauff- u[nd] Handels=mann,
H[errn] Pfarrers Dül=
ckens zu Winches=hausen (sic!) in der Graffschafft Berlenburg
Ehel[icher] Sohn, u[nd] J[ung]fer
Susanna Maria Knüpfelin, des weyland H[errn] Johann Conrad Knüpfels
gewesenen proviant=Com[m]issarii u[nd] Stiffts=Kellers allhie,
nachgelasene Ehel[iche]
Tochter, copuliret u[nd] den 23 t[en] augusti hui[us] anni zum
I stenmal p[ro]clamiret word[en].
* Darunter Eintrag mit blasserer Tinte, aber von gleicher Hand: „16. hui[us] de infra. N[ota] B[ene].“