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Martin Blanckenstein
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Blankenstein history written by Dr. Felix Blankenstein: "As Andreas Blanckenstein's youngest son, MARTIN BLANCKENSTEIN, was born shortly after his parents moved to Gerbitz. He married between 167e and 1680. We do not know anything about the bride. Weddings usually took place in the bride's village. ... However, we do know about the births of Martin's children: still birth of a daughter in March 1681, followed on 8th of May 1682 by our progenitor Hans, and then on 21st December 1684 Catharina, on 24th May 1687 Andreas, on 19th of July 1695 Adolph. Names and birthdays of two other daughters are unknnown. MARTIN did everything to secure property for the family and he managed to buy an old building with attached land in Gerbitz. The property was in a rather bad repair but he got it very favorably. This is how the story goes: a certain Peter Schultz died, his widow bought that dilapidated house in May 1684 and paid only half of the original price of 30 thalers. But she died as well in April 1685. The guardian of her two small children, a rope maker Gurge Wernigke, had to provide for them as soon as possible so he accepted MARTIN's proposal to give him the rest of the 15 thalers for the house, to pay off some private widow's debts and have the use of the land which the children inherited. The authorities accepted this 'purchase according to contract and reached a settlement' on 8th of May 1685. "MARTIN died in Gerbitz in May 1722, and his wife on 25th of December 1731. This is her only mention in the curch register: 'MARTIN BLANCKENSTEIN's former spouse'." |