Caspar Stolte 1821-1875 My 2nd Great Grandfather on my Mother's Side

Home of Caspar Stolte

Caspar Arnoldius Aloysius Antonius Stolte was the eldest son of Gottfried Edmund Stolte and Gertrudis Sophia Hohmeister. He was born on February 6, 1821, in the family home at Kehrwieder 1057 in Hildesheim, Germany. He had two brothers Anton and Fredrick and three sisters Marianna, Theresia and Josephina. His long name comes from his godparents who were present at his birth — so the name Caspar was after Caspar Müller and Arnoldius was after Arnoldius Becker. I don’t yet know how these two men are connected to our family, but it is very likely that they are relatives of some sort. There were two other men present, Henrius Coffa and Henrius Ohlenrozt. It is not apparent from Caspar’s birth record where the names Aloysius or Antonius came from. So far, none of these four names have appeared in other records. 

Caspar was baptized by Pastor Brandeis on February 11, 1821, at St. Godehard’s Catholic Church. He likely attended school for a few years and then entered an apprenticeship program to become a bottchermeister, or cooper master, which means he learned to make barrels and kegs. That is the occupation recorded in my great grandfather’s journal and what is shown on the birth records of Caspar’s children. This is how he made his living and supported his large family.

Historic map showing the location of
Hildesheim in relation to Achtum and Einum

When he was 26, Caspar married Louisa Brönneke, on July 18, 1847, in St. Godehard’s Basilica. The wedding ceremony would have been a grand affair inside the spectacular cathedral. Imagine walking down a long aisle between massive columns as family and friends watched from the pews, then standing beneath a giant circular gilded chandelier to profess your vows.  Caspar and Louisa had twelve children, of which nine survived.

 

Caspar was the eldest son of Gottfried and Gertrudis, he was able to buy the family home when his parents were ready to sell it. Traditionally, the workshop for his barrel making business would have been on the ground floor of the home and the living quarters on the upper floors. The home at Kehrwieder 1057 was still standing in 2020 and in active use. The street address has been changed to Kehrwieder 37, and what had been the workshop has been converted to a café.

Original birth record in German for Caspar Stolte

Caspar died from tuberculosis on his birthday in 1875 at the age of 54, and was buried in Hildesheim two days later. Pastor Kruger officiated at his funeral service. Unfortunately, graves are re-used in Germany every few years, so unless someone is notable or wealthy it is very unlikely that a grave could ever be found for Caspar or any of our German ancestors.

Death record for Caspar Stolte in German

Interior of Caspar Stolte's home. Photo taken by Thomas Henze
in 2019.

Sources for this Post: My great grandfather's journal, Birth, marriage and death records for Caspar and for his children. Information provided by Thomas Henze, and FamilySearch website.