I would like to present a branch of the Tolkien family from a little settlement Bärwalde in Wargen parish in East Prussia (west of Königsberg; today Весёловкa). I am interested in this family because (1) these Tolkiens were also the
schulze like the Tolkiens from Kreuzburg, the ancestors of J. R. R. Tolkien (see
here), and (2) they are ancestors of Prof. Günter-Ulrich Tolkiehn from Germany, a man whom I am thankful for the first information in my #TolkienAncestry research (read about it
here).
On 8 October 1760 in the church in Wargen there was a wedding ceremony. Friedrich Tolkiehn ("ein Müller und Erb...chter der Berwaldschen Wind-Mühle, des [...] Christoph Tolkiehns, eines Arendatoris in Rogahnen (k. Heiligenwalde), Arnauschen Kirchvaters [...] Sohn";
kirchvater was a 'warden of a church' [see
here], here the church in Arnau) got married with Maria, daughter of George Langhancke. Friedrich and Maria had one daughter, Loisa Charlotta Tolkiehn (Tollkien). Friedrich Tolkiehn (Tolkien) died in 1762 and was burried in Wargen. His family was spelled in the Wargen church as
Tolkien and
Tolkiehn.
Our knowledge about my family’s male ancestry line goes back only to 1701, when one Tolkien, reportedly from the region of Insterburg (east of Königsberg), married into the family Kayser, the mayors of Bärwalde (Весёловка, west of Königsberg). He became mayor there and also eight generations of his offspring after him. In the 20th century there was no male offspring, so that the last mayor of Bärwalde from 1928 to 1945 was Paul Fleischer, married to Lotte Tolkiehn. The family also spread out to other locations in that area (e.g. Wargen, Hortlauken), where the name persisted. However, most documents from the times before 1945 were lost, when the red army invaded the area.
According to my knowledge it was a little bit different: on 17 April 1744
Johann Heinrich Tolkien (I) (born in c. 1714; his family name was spelled in the church documents as
Tollckiehn 1747, 1750,
Tollckin 1752, 1755,
Tolkien 1760), son of
Christoph Tolkien, "Arendator in Heiligenwalde" (?), got married with
Anna Dorothea Käyser (spelled
Kaeyserin,
Käyserin,
Keyserin), daughter of Johann Keyser, "Schulz in Beerwalde" and "Wargische Kirchvater" (
kirchvater was a
curator ecclesiae, aedilis sacer, oeconomus ecclesiae)! Earlier in 1727 a Dietrich Keyser was a "Schulz in Beerwalde" and "Wargische Kirchvater" and his son was a Michel Keyser.
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| This is how the Tolkiens became the mayors of Bärwalde! Wedding of J. Heinrich Tolkien in 1744 |
Johann Heinrich Tolkien was later referred as
Wirth (1747) or
Schulz (from 1750) in Bärwalde (but also a
Collmer in 1811). One of his sons was
Johann Heinrich Tolkien (II), 1755–1813. Johann Heinrich Tolkien I was a brother of the wind-miller, Friedrich Tolkien (see above) and Friedrich was present as one of godfathers during the baptism of Johann Gottlieb Tolkien (1760–), Heinrich's (I) son. If so, his father came from the area east of Königsberg, from the parishes of Heiligenwalde and Arnau (where many many Tolkiens lived in those times; I am sure we can find more ancestors in the parish books from Heiligenwalde and Arnau)*.
According to my knowledge the line of the
Schulze in Bärwalde was as follows:
Johann Heinrich Tolkiehn I (c. 1714–), wife Anna Dorothea Käyser, children:
Johann Friedrich (1747–), Anna Barbara (1750–), Anna Louisa (1752–),
Johann Heinrich Tolkien II (1755–1813), Johann Gottlieb (1760–)
[schulz in the years c. 1744–1784]
Johann Heinrich Tolkiehn II (1755–1813), wife Regine Linck, children: Johann Gottlieb (1784–1788), Anna Barbara (1786–), Johann Friedrich (1789–), Maria Elisabeth (1790–),
Johann Heinrich Tolkien III (1795), Gottfried (1803–)
[schulz in the year c. 1784]
Johann Gottlieb Tolkiehn (1760–), brother of Johann Heinrich, wife Louise Charlotte Schulz. Gottlieb was a schulz in the years 1784–1812
[schulz in the years c. 1784–1812]
Johann Heinrich Tolkiehn III (1795–1858), wife Barbara Elisabeth Danneberg, children: Johann Heinrich (1831–1832),
Johann Heinrich Tolkien IV (1835–1920), Carl August (1839–)
[schulz in the years c. 1809–1857]
Johann Heinrich Tolkiehn IV (1835–1920), wife Frederike Amalie Kantelberg, children: Johann Friedrich (1858–), Gustav Heinrich (1861–),
Franz Karl Ferdinand Tolkien (1866–1907).
[schulz in the years c. 1809–1857]
Franz Karl Ferdinand Tolkiehn (1866–1907) wife Therese Maaß
[schulz in the years c. 1907]
Therese Tolkiehn, geb. Maaß
[schulz in the years c. 1907–1928]
Paul Fleischer, wife
Lotte Tolkiehn [schulz in the years c. 1928–1945]
__________________________
* From the church books from Arnau and Heiligenwalde we know that there was
Christoph Tolckin, born c. 1680 in Heiligenwalde, son of
Chrispin
Tolckin, "Baursmann in Conradtswald" (b. 1632). His brother was
Jacob Tolkien, who also moved to the area of Heiligenwalde (to Waldau).
This Chrispin was a son of
Crispin Tolckyn von Conratswalde (born c. 1595). I have not found any
link between these Tolkiens from the area of Arnau and Schoenwalde and
the Tolkiens from the area of Kreuzburg. I suppose all of them are
descendants of the
knights and free farmers Tolkyns/Tolkins/Tolks from
Middle Ages (
Tolksdorf, Tolks).
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| All about Christoph Tolkien from Heiligenwalde from Patrick Plew book on the families from Heiligenwalde |
