From the book "Rauert of Fehmarn" compiled by Ken Harders of Grand Island Nebraska. (The following are some informative pargraphs of history of Fehmarn from the beginning of his book)
FEHMARN
The
tiny island of Fehmarn is situated in the Baltic Sea between Germany and
Denmark. Its strategic position between mainland Europe and Scandinavia meant
that Its history at times has been turbulent. Originally settled by Slavs in the
eighth century, the twelfth century saw a wave of Christianization and
Germanization sweep the area. German has been spoken from this time. Although
there have been strong links both geographically and politically with Denmark,
only a few leading citizens would have spoken Danish. Certainly our ancestors
would have been German speaking.
Fehmarn
Is flat and small (8 x 12.5 miles) with a population to- day of 14,000. The
capital Burg, established in the early thirteenth century contains half the
Island's population. The last century has seen a thirty percent increase in
Fehmarn's population. This however occurred entirely within the city of Burg.
This stagnant population growth means that the forty villages scattered
throughout the island have been able to retain much of their character from
previous centuries. In these villages, already established by the early 1600's,
little development has occurred in the past fifty years and approximately
thirty-five percent of the homes still standing are from pre 1850. Each possess
common features; a village pond, cobbled streets, huge brick barns and clusters
of trees. A number of these villages are coastal and the Island also boasts a
small fishing fleet. Between the villages fields under cultivation and pastures
for grazing exist much as they have for centuries.
THE
FOURTEENTH CENTURY
At
the time our story begins, the end of the fourteenth century, Fehmarn was
prospering. Although there were forest of birch, oak, and ash, much of the land
had been made arable and the island boasted a population of 4000. In 1420
disaster struck Fehmarn. The Danish King, Erik der Pommer, arriving with his
army In four hundred ships, ravaged the island. The inhabitants were put to
death, legend having it that only three survived. Villages were laid to ruin,
forests burnt down. Much of the island was left a deserted wasteland, awaiting a
fresh beginning.
DITHMARSCHEN
Directly
to the west of Fehmarn on the North Sea, lies the region of Dithmarschen. Flat
and marshy, the land cn be only partially cultivated, and is known for its
numerous ditches, dikes and ponds. In early fifteenth century Germany however,
Dithmarschen was certainly unusual. In the midst of a medieval society where
serfdom was the norm, In 1404 the region had thrown off the control of the Count
of Holstein and existed as a state of free farmers. However, an increasing
population was putting pressure on the meager land and many began to look
further afield. Those who were to migrate would carry within them a high value
of freedom and independence. All Rauert's of Fehmarn, and it is believed all
those in the United States, can be traced back Dithmarschan, Germany.
The
name Rauert has been common for centuries and is believed to have originated In
West Friesland, now northern Holland. Originally it was used only as a first
name and had several different spellings and pronunciations. It was spelled
Rauwert, Rauwerdt, Reuwert, Rauvert, Rawert, etc. and ended up being spelled
Rauert. It is believed that the different ways of spelling Rauert Is due to the
way people pronounced its due to different dialects and areas of the country.
The name Rauert closely resembles the name Robert, which means Advisor or
Leader.
THE
FIRST PIONEER
In
1365 a man called Witte of Dithmarschen christened his infant son Rauert. As
this name had not previously appeared in the region it seems likely he was named
after a maternal grandfather or uncle of a Frisian mother. In accordance with
the Dithmarschen custom of patronymic naming, the father's Christian name now
became the child's surname, hence Rauert Witte.
RAUERT
WITTE
born:
about 1365 in Dithmarachen, Germany
married:
about 1389 in Dithmarschen (wife's name unknown)
died:
after 1423 at Presen, Fehmarn (at least 58 years of age)
Children:
(1)
Hans ? Rauert
(2)
Hinrich Rauert
(3)
Tewes Rauert
(4)
Hans Rauert
(5)
Johann Witte
(6)
Tank (Mar) Witte
(7)
Drewes Witte
(8)
Rauert Witte
Occupation:
Farmer in Dithmarschen before 1423, at Presen, Fehmarn after 1423.
In
1420, the year of the destruction of Fehmarn, Rauert Witte was 55 years old.
Like many others throughout Germany, he was attracted by the opportunity to win,
with hard work, a new wealth on the now to be rebuilt island. In 1423 the whole
family immigrated to Fehmarn taking up land at Presen, today a tiny village near
the west coast. This period of reconstruction marked the beginning of a new
period of prosperity for the island. In time the island recovered. The forests
were gone, but wheat flourished again. Villages and farms were rebuilt. The
worst period in Fehmarn's history was over.
THE
SECOND GENERATION
Our
knowledge of further generations of the family comes from the old Rauert
Cousinhood Book now kept at the Peter Wiepert Museum in Burg, Fehmarn. Other
documents were found in the State Archives, Gottorf, Schleswig-Holstein Archives
and Lübeck City Archives.
Of
Rauert Witte's eight sons, the four oldest had the surname Rauert which was the
custom of patronymic naming in Dithmarschen. The four younger sons carried the
surname Witte, which was the custom on Fehmarn. Whether the four younger sons
were born at Fehmarn or Dithmarschen is unclear. So the families Rauert and
Witte of Fehmarn have the same ancestors.
The
eight sons took up land throughout the island. The eldest son, probably called
Hans Rauert, took possession of the family farm at Presen. From the four sons
with the surname Rauert came all of the Rauert's who live on Fehmarn,
THE
RAUERT CLAN
The
clans or 'Cousinhoods' on Fehmarn were associations of families with their own
laws, providing mutual help and protection and fostering social life. The Rauert
Cousinhood was formed during this period (around 1460) and continued for almost
four hundred years, until its dissolution in 1833.
Its
formation can be traced to a single event. One of the eight sons of Rauert Witte
committed murder and was sentenced to death. However, according to Fehmarn law,
a murderer's freedom could be bought by his family. This was attempted by his
seven brothers. Nonetheless, when they had gathered enough money, the murderer
refused his freedom and accepted the death sentence. He requested that his
brothers keep the money to enable the formation of a clan, which required a
special common wealth. Part of this money was to be used to free a cousin in a
similar situation and the interest on the remaining fortune was to be used
annually to finance a clan reunion to celebrate freedom and happiness.
THE
RAUERT COUSINHOOD BOOK
The
Rauert Cousinhood continued to meet regularly, and after the first one hundred
years decided to record that which had been passed down verbally. Das Rauertsche
Vetterschaftsbuch (Rauert Cousinhood Book) came into existence on July 29, 1563.
Not only did it (record the statutes of the cousinhood, but also the stories of
Rauert Witte's migration and the founding of the cousinhood. Also included was a
financial statement and the yearly admission of young cousins. In 1640 a cousin
carried this book off to Denmark in an attempt to blackmail the family (it also
contained debenture bonds). The family never gave in to hid demands and the
blackmailer finally allowed parts of the book to be copied. The first book had
five parts from 1563 and three more from 1605.
In 1563 several different groups of Rauert's and Witte's met in Burg and
tried to trace their history back to the first ancestors on Fehmarn and found
that the Clan existed for at least three or four generations prior to 1563. A
new Cousinhood Book began in 1653, which shows all the names of relatives from
1653 on and it shows that they go back to the same four original ancestors.
These entries are believed to be true. Many other documents have surfaced and
have been checked for authenticity, that one can believe what the old book says.
This book is today housed in the Burg Museum and is a valuable genealogical
tool. It contains material in much greater details than that found in Parish
Registers, with family trees, place of residence and financial statements.
TONNIES
RAUERT
born:
1585 at Presen, Fehmarn
married:
(#1)-
by 1618 at Bannesdorf (wife's surname was Lafrenz)
(#2)-
1621 (Tolke Unbehaun)
died:
June 29, 1644 at the Battle of Maienleuchte near Puttgarden
occupation:
farmer In Presen
After
seven generations of Rauert's had lived on Fehmarn, Tönnies Rauert was
born-nearly two centuries after Rauert Witte. After two hundred years of peace
and prosperity the tranquillity of the island was to be shattered with a
vengeance during the 1600's. Tönnies and his family were to live through flood,
hail, plague, and war.
At
this time disease was little understood and hygiene left much to he desired.
Cattle were allowed to roam the streets, dung heaps could be found within
residential areas and garbage was thrown into the streets. The church plaque
goes on the record of the devastating effects of an outbreak of plague four
years later:
"The
year 1629, a great plague of which, from the 28th of May to the 11th of
October, In 19 weeks, 646 people died, 52 from the East parish, 594 from
the city and amongst them all three preachers."
During
this period there were also a large number of bankruptcies. Many farming
businesses collapsed and were bought up by farmers wishing to consolidate their
holdings. In this way the conspicuously large farms and the striking prosperity
of their agriculture came into being.
THE
THIRTY YEARS WAR
The
Fehmarners must have heaved a sigh of relief as the devastating Thirty Years War
seemingly passed them by. By the end of the war Germany lay in ruins. Church
buildings were burned and whole districts were utterly waste, wild and
uninhabited. One third of the population was killed, and those who survived were
often destitute. Countries were left crippled by debt, staggering under the
enormous cost this war entailed. Domination of the Baltic, at this time far more
important than either the Mediterranean or the Atlantic offered a solution.
Those that conquered Baltic harbours and controlled sufficient surrounding land
would also be in a position to tax the Baltic trade. Sweden was to rise to the
challenge.
THE
BATTLE OF MARIENLEUTE
On
June 29, 1644, In the concluding stages of the Thirty Years War, Sweden invaded
Fehmarn. Landing between Puttgarden and Presen the ships first bombed the
islands before four hundred troops disembarked. The whole island was plundered.
Although supported by Danish troops, the Fehmarners were soon defeated.
Seventy-six were killed, including Tönnies Rauert, Weapons were confiscated and
a large booty, including 809 horses, 1000 tons of wheat and, 20,000 Taler in
reparations was demanded. The Fehmarners were finally saved by the arrival of
the Danish King, Christian IV, and his navy.
The Swedes put to flight, but not before the Danish King was badly
injured in battle, an event today still mentioned in the Danish national anthem.
FEHMARN'S
POLITICAL SITUATION
The
political climate on Fehmarn and neighboring Schleswig-Holstein in the early to
mid nineteenth century was far from stable. In fact so complex were the events,
that the debate over this region formed part of the British Foreign Service
exams at the turn of the Century. If asked his nationality, a Fehmarner would
have replied-. "I am a German fellow, but a Danish subject." Although
belonging to the German Confederacy, Fehmarn was also a duchy ruled by the
Danish King (but not part of Denmark itself) - a result of a treaty signed in
1460. In 1460 the Count of Oldenburg was chosen by Schleswig-Holstein (and
therefore Fehmarn) to be their Duke. Count Christian however, was to become
Christian I, king of Denmark. For the following four hundred years Fehmarn was
to be a personal duchy of the king of Denmark, but not of Denmark itself, a
situation finally so involved and precarious as to have Palmerston, the
nineteenth century English statesman claiming that "... only three men
really understand the complexities of the problem; one of them had died, another
had gone crazy, and the third had forgotten it all." Although supported by
Denmark in times of need (I. e. the 1644 Battle of Marienleute), the population
of Fehmarn and neighboring Holstein was almost wholly German in speech,
character and outlook.
In
1848 a Danish nationalistic movement attempted to annex Schleswig-Holstein to
Denmark proper. The people revolted. A wave of nationalism was sweeping across
Europe, stirring up feelings within Fehmarn that they were Germans and wished to
rule themselves. With the aid of Prussia, Danish ambitions were halted. However,
Prussia then withdrew in the face of European opposition to their expansion into
the Baltic. In 1852 Prussia signed an armistice with Denmark, agreeing to
withdraw troops. Effectively the fate of the duchies was left undecided. This
act was very widely regarded by German patriots as a betrayal of the national
cause, and many considered that Prussia had acted out of self-interest, hoping
to annex the duchies to itself rather than to support their independence. A wave
of resentment against Prussia followed. Fehmarn, now basically left to the mercy
of Denmark, was again invaded, despite the violent resistance of the people.
Treated as conquered territory until Prussia again invaded in 1864, the
following twelve years were ones of repression by the Danish government.
The FEHMARN GENEALOGY Site
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33162