The Fiegenbaum Family Logo

A Picture of Our Name

Fiegenbaum Family logo

Illustration by Heyno Beddig, 1987. Courtesy of Dr. Günther Fiegenbaum.

This illustration is a simple and graphic interpretation of the Fiegenbaum name. As Dr. Günther Fiegenbaum, of Lüneburg, Germany has pointed out, it includes a number of elements of significance to the old family farmstead at Hölter 11 in Ladbergen, Germany.

Half timbered structures are very common in this region of Westphalia and Ladbergen still has many fine examples of this architectural style. A number of Fiegenbaum men were carpenters and they would have supplemented their agricultural income by building homes, mills and sheds.

The spaces between the timbers were sometimes filled with laid brick, sometimes with wattle and daub. In Ladbergen, the wattle (in the local Plattdeutsch it is known as Spriäkeln-Wände ) was often constructed from interwoven branches of buckthorn and alder harvested from the hedgerows. This heavy-duty wicker partition was then covered with clay. In times of prosperity or special celebration, the daub might have gotten a coating of whitewash, as in our drawing. The reed for the thatch roofs would have come from the marshy areas of the commons close to the Fiegenbaum Hof.

The farmstead at Hölter 11 has been identified as having two dwellings. The Heuerhaus is the larger of the two and would have been home to the main family. The class of agricultural worker known as Heuerleute (or occassionally, Heuerlinge ) were contract farm workers who were given the use of a house and small plot of land in exchange for labor on the landowner's holdings and an annual payment in either cash or produce. The Leibzucht, or retirement house, to the right, is a smaller copy of the main building and would have been home for an older couple, perhaps the retired parents of the head of household and his or her family now occupying the Heuerhaus.

Photo Album

source: Wagner, Landwirtschaftliche Bauten (1907), page 10.

An illustration of the exterior of a typical half-timbered (Fachwerk ) farmhouse common throughout northwestern Germany, showing the large main door giving access to the "barn" area. The spaces between the timbers were sometimes filled with laid brick. In Ladbergen, the in-fill was typically wattle and daub. The wattle was often constructed from interwoven branches of buckthorn and alder harvested from the hedgerows. This heavy-duty wicker partition was then parged with a layer of clay, and perhaps a coat of white-wash.

source: Meyers grosses Konversations-Lexikon 6^th edition; article on "Bauernhaus," vol.2 (1908), pages 463-465 (plates I-III between pp. 462-463).

Cross-section of a Bauernhaus common to Lower Saxony or Westphalia (see previous image).

source: Adapated from Beckerath, Das Niederdeutsche Dorf (1921), following page 34.

This is the floor plan for a basic farmhouse typical of northwestern Germany. The main entrance opens on to the long threshing floor, with stalls for livestock on either side. The main living area for the family is at the other end of the building, open to the "barn" area. The hearth may well be an open fire ring on the floor. The small rooms behind the living area were generally for storage or specialized work areas, such as spinning and weaving.

source: Wagner, Landwirtschaftliche Bauten (1907), page 10.

Another example of a floor plan. The long threshing floor (Dreschdiele ) flanked by stalls for cows (Kuhstall ) and horses (Pferdestall); the open living quarters (Hausdiele ) with the central hearth (Herd); small rooms behind the living quarters.

source: Meyers grosses Konversations-Lexikon 6^th edition; article on "Bauernhaus," vol.2 (1908), pages 463-465 (plates I-III between pp. 462-463).

Floor plan of a Bauernhaus common to Lower Saxony or Westphalia: a = threshing floor (Diele); b = cow stall (Kuhstall); c = horse stall (Pferdestall); d = central hearth (Herd); e = living quarters (Wohnstube); f, g = rooms (Kammern); x = sleeping alcoves (Schlafbutzen); y = wash area (Waschort).

source: Exposed timber-framing and in-fill in the shop of Karl Schmidt at Jena, Germany. Photo by Sebastian Wallroth in 2007; released into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

This photo shows the exposed side of the traditional wicker partition of interwoven branches (wattle ) and the clay parging (daub ) used to fill in the timber-framing structure. The side facing away from the viewer has been covered with clay. Eventually this side will also be parged. The process is not unlike old fashioned plaster and lath.

source: Meyers grosses Konversations-Lexikon 6^th edition; article on "Bauernhaus," vol.2 (1908), pages 463-465 (plates I-III between pp. 462-463).

A Bauernhaus in "Holtstein (an area just south of Denmark). The agricultural residences in Westphalia or Lower Saxony would not have been substantially different.

Note the weighted tree limb used to fetch water from the well. The same sort of mechanism, set closer to the ground, would act as a Schlagbaum - a barrier across a country road. Some scholars think just such a bar may be reflected in the Fiegenbaum surname (see the article on Our Name).

source: Meyers grosses Konversations-Lexikon 6^th edition; article on "Bauernhaus," vol.2 (1908), pages 463-465 (plates I-III between pp. 462-463).

Westphalian and Lower Saxon small-landholder house.

This illustration shows the large main door (Niendüöre in Plattdeutsch ) giving access to the "barn" section of the dwelling and the living quarters towards the rear. The smaller building might well be a Leibzucht, or retirement home for an older couple, perhaps the retired parents of the head of household and his or her family now occupying the main house.

source: Pessler, Das altsächsische Bauernhaus... (1906), page 69.

A Bauernhaus in "Neubruchhausen (Kreis Syle, Regierungsbezirk Hannover)". Note the use of bricks to fill in between the timber-framing structure.

source: Beckerath, Das Niederdeutsche Dorf (1921) following page 34.

"Farmstead in Westerholz (Hannover)"

At the time this photo was taken, the Province of Hannover was north of the village of Ladbergen, which was located in the Province of Westphalia.

source: Beckerath, Das Niederdeutsche Dorf (1921), following page 34.

"Lunch hour, Schessel (Hannover)"

Scheeßel, located about 45 kilometers east of Bremen, on the edge of the Lüneburger Heide, is in the present-day state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen).

source: Martin Meier; May 1997.

This is a photo, taken in 1941, of House 47 in Sonneborn, Freistaat Lippe. The village is now located in the present-day Bundesland Nordrhein-Westfalen, Federal Republic of Germany. In the 19th century, when Lippe was a Principality (Fürstentum), this was the home of Heinrich Hermann (1800-1856) and Elisabeth (Ridder) Starkebaum (1800-1872). Three of their sons who emigrated to Missouri, USA in the 19th century were born in this house between 1830 and 1843.

source: J. W. Fiegenbaum; 1985.

This is House 47 as it appeared in 1985 when J. W. Fiegenbaum, grandson of Henrietta Caroline Ameilia (Starkebaum) Fiegenbaum, visited Sonneborn. The address at the time was Alte Dorfstrasse 25, at the intersection of Alte Schulstraße. The facade of the front of the house had changed, but....

source: Martin Meier; May 1997.

....the side and rear of the house reveal its original construction. The satelite dishes indicate that old Fachwerk houses adapt well to 20th century technology.

source: Ranck, Kulturgeschichte des deutschen Bauernhauses (1907), page 14.

"Marsh village in the 15th - 16th century. From an old, hand-drawn map."

Heyno Bedding's interpretation of the Fiegenbaum homestead in Ladbergen would feel right at home in this drawing.

source: Beckerath, Das Niederdeutsche Dorf (1921), following page 34.

"Village street in Agathenburg (Altes Land)"

Altes Land is a region of reclaimed marshland downstream from Hamburg (around the towns of Stade, Buxtehude, Jork) famous for its fruit production. In the foreground of this picture are some of the outbuildings that would have been part of a farmstead.

source: Beckerath, Das Niederdeutsche Dorf (1921), following page 34.

"Village street in Neukloster (Hannover)"

While the type of dwellings seen here would have been found also in the Province of Westphalia, their close, regular layout along a village street would not have been typical for Ladbergen, where the farmsteads were more widely scattered.

source: Gerdes, Geschichte des deutschen Bauernstandes (1910), page 45.

"Threshing floor of a North-German farmhouse"

An image of the farmhouse from the family living area, showing the open hearth; the connection to the "barn" area, with the treshing floor (Diele ) and stalls for livestock; a stairway up to the haymow (Hiele), and the large main entrance door (Niendüöre in Plattdeutsch).

source: Ranck, Kulturgeschichte des deutschen Bauernhauses (1907), page 82.

"Threshing floor"

This is a view from the large, main entrance looking into the "barn" area. You can clearly see the massive timbers used in the construction of these buildings. The area above was the haymow or hayloft, which often also served as the sleeping quarters for unmarried male farmhands (Knecht, -e).

source: source: Pessler, Das altsächsische Bauernhaus... (1906), after p. 8.

"Family idyll around the hearth fire"

The caption below this photo states that the family is gathered at "the end of the treshing floor under the rear gabel; the original form of the hearth in the form of a depression in the paved ground." Although the photo was taken in Weerselo, Overijssel Province, the Netherlands, the scene, including the wooden clogs, would have been completely familiar to any family in Ladbergen.

source: Gerdes, Geschichte des deutschen Bauernstandes (1910), page 43.

"Woman at hearth fire"

This photo, like the one before, shows the very simple accommodations in the lives of the Heuerleute - contract farm workers who were given the use of a house and small plot of land on the farm in exchange for labor, an annual payment (in either cash or produce), and fees at major life events.

source: Ranck, Kulturgeschichte des deutschen Bauernhauses (1907), page 84.

"Kitchen"

This photo shows the Flett or the kitchen area of the living quarters. Notice the stairway up to the haymow. Compare this photo with the next image.

source: Meyers grosses Konversations-Lexikon 6^th edition; article on "Bauernhaus," vol.2 (1908), pages 463-465 (plates I-III between pp. 462-463).

"Interior of a Lower Saxony house (kitchen)"

This is clearly another version of the previous photograph, showing the Flett, or the kitchen area of the living quarters. Details are more distinct.

source: Gerdes, Geschichte des deutschen Bauernstandes (1910), page 42.

"Living quarters in a North-German farmhouse"

Once again we see the open hearth and the very simple accommodations. In the background are spinning wheels. Many small land-holding families in Westphalia raised flax, spinning it into thread and weaving linen cloth. Few could survive on the results of their agricultural labor alone. Skills such as spinning, weaving, carpentry, bee-keeping, wooden shoe makinge, etc. were important means of raising cash and supplementing a subsistence living.

source: Ranck, Kulturgeschichte des deutschen Bauernhauses (1907), page 76.

"Kitchen"

Notice the Schlafbutz or sleeping compartment (the opening to the bed is behind the curtain) right beside the dining area. It gives new meaning to the phrase "breakfast in bed." Lunch & dinner, too?

source: Gerdes, Geschichte des deutschen Bauernstandes (1910), page 40.

"Alcove bed in north Germany; underneath is storage for potatoes."

Built-in or free-standing wooden bed compartments were common sleeping quarters. The "bed" area could be closed off with sliding door panels or curtains. People often slept two to a bed for warmth.

source: Ranck, Kulturgeschichte des deutschen Bauernhauses (1907), page 80.

"Room in a farmhouse in the region of Diepholz"

Notice the spinning wheel and the bed alcove.

Select image to open Photo Album

Each building would have been a combination house and barn. The large door (Niendüöre in Plattdeutsch ) shown in the gable ends of the dwellings in our drawing would have given access directly to a large open area running down the middle of the length of the barn section of the structure. This was the threshing floor (Diele). To the left and the right would have been stalls for the livestock. Above this entire section was the haymow or hayloft (Hiele). Unmarried male farmhands (Knecht, -e ) commonly slept here.

At the far end of the building would have been the house section. The exact layout would have varied according to the size of the building, the size of the household and the family's financial means, but the basic features would have been the same throughout Ladbergen and much of northern Germany.

The main living area was one large room the entire width of the building and would have been completely open to the barn. The focal point of the room would have been the hearth, opposite the opening to the threshing floor. A large iron plate often protected the wall from the open fire, which was corralled on the floor in an iron grate. Smoke found its own way out through the doors or openings in the roof. Windows in the living space were often small and did not open. Chimneys were not common until required by government regulation in the 1890s.

All the cooking was done over the open fire, which burned or smoldered constantly. For the longest time in Ladbergen, the fuel was almost exclusively wood or peat. The wood came from the limbs and branches harvested from the hedgerows and the peat was cut from the Ladbergen marsh on the border with Kattenvenne. In the second half of the 19th century, coal from a mine in Ibbenbüren began to replace these more traditional fuels.

Alcove bed (Eng.)  Schlafkammer (Ger.)

Wikipedia

Also in this room would have been a large table for preparing and eating meals. A corner of the room was typically set aside for bathing and washing; perhaps a basin and a pitcher or bucket of water. Against the wall, or sometimes partially blocking the large opening to the barn, would have been one or two alcove beds (Schlafkammern; Duddige in Plattdeutsch). Whether free-standing or built-in, these were wooden bed compartments, not unlike a wardrobe, that could be closed off with sliding door panels or curtains. People often slept two to a bed for warmth.

Beyond this main living area, at the very end of the building, would have been a series of smaller rooms. One, usually just behind the hearth, would have been set up for spinning and weaving. Many farming families in Westphalia raised flax and spun and wove linen. It was one of the few means available for earning cash to pay taxes and rents, to purchase supplies and materials the family could not raise or make themselves, and to buy a certificate of freedom from the landlord in order to move off the farm. If it was available, an iron stove would be installed here to give warmth during winter evenings when the family gathered.

Also along this end of the house would have been a shallow cellar. Raised above it by about 6 to 8 steps would have been a small room (Upkammer in Plattdeutsch, or Aufkammer ) used for sleeping. Depending on the size of the building, there may have been one or two additional rooms that may have held more looms or have been used for storage.

Ladbergen's
coat of arms

To the left of the Heuerhaus in our drawing, is an Immeshuer, or bee house. This open shed provided protection for the straw bee hives. The earliest extant document to mention Ladbergen by name, determined to have been written about A.D. 950, records the taxes due to the convent of Freckenhorst near Warendorf. Payment with honey is mentioned a number of times. Bee-keeping was wide-spread in Ladbergen, and the village has long identified itself with this activity. Honey was an important cash crop for centuries. When Ladbergen became an independent entity in 1949, the citizens agreed to featured honey bees prominently on the town's new coat of arms.

Surrounding the farm yard is a hedgerow. A little larger than true scale would dictate, it nonetheless conveys the correct impression of protecting the farm from outside elements. The raised earthen mound was planted at regular intervals with Koppstuken, generally oak and willow. The limbs were cut back every few years and as a result the trees never grew very tall and gave a gnarled appearance. In between grew smaller vegetation - birch, buckthorn, alder, ash, juniper and broom bush. These species were also regularly harvested. The result was a tangled mat of relatively new growth, a most effective fence.

Each of the two breaks in the hedgerow are guarded by a Schlagbaum (toll bar or turn stile). It is supposed that just such a structure may form the basis of part of the Fiegenbaum surname (see the article on Our Name for more details).

The flowers at the bottom of the drawing are from the flax plant, an important cash crop for Ladbergen farmers. Many a household expended great time and energy, essentially the spare time in the evenings, in the manufacture of linen thread and cloth, particularly from late autumn to spring. Cloth not sold at the Legge, the government trading house in Tecklenburg, was used to pay the wages of farm laborers. And a young woman who had not filled her hope chest with linen made by her own industry had some explaining to do.

The manufacture of linen was also an occasion for socializing. The household would gather in the evening in the spinning room behind the hearth. Often friends and neighbors joined in. News and gossip was exchanged. A good story teller was always welcome. And some in the room might manage to get in a little courting.

The linen industry was seriously hurt by the Continental Blocade (1806-1814) during the Napoleonic Wars. Later, competition from Holland and England, especially from large commercial operations utilizing power looms, threatened markets and eroded prices. Cotton goods also made inroads. The loss of this source of income in the early 1800s caused considerable hardship. Many families in Ladbergen and northwestern Germany could not survive on agriculture alone. These financial considerations were a significant impetus for emigration in the 19th century.

Sources

• Dr. Günther Fiegenbaum shared with us the drawing from Heyno Beddig and provided an explanation of its meaning. Heyno Beddig (1923-1994) was a graphic designer and freelance artist long associated with Lüneburg, Federal Republic of Germany. His "student" and friend, Michael Rehr-Hoffmann, has created an online homage at Der Maler und Grafiker Heyno Beddig.
• For a history of Ladbergen and the surrounding region, please refer to these two texts:
  • Friedrich Saatkamp. Ladbergen: Out of the History and the Present of the 1000-Year Westphalian Village. Dean R. Hoge, translator & editor. New Knoxville, OH: New Knoxville Historical Society, 1985. This is a translated and revised version of Friedrich Saatkamp, Ladbergen: Aus Geschichte und Gegenwart des 1000-jährigen westfälischen Dorfes. 2. Auflage (Ladbergen (Westfalen): Heimatverein Ladbergen, 1975.
  • Heinrich Stork. Ladbergen: "Land un Lüe." Beiträge zur Geschichte des tausendjährigen Dorfes Ladbergen. Norwalde: Schmitz Druck & Verlag, 1992.
• There are a number of online sources which describe, explain and illustrate the half-timbered structures that were common in northern Westphalia (Westfalen ) and Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen):
  • Wikipedia (English). "Low German house."   And, Wikipedia (German). "Hallenhaus."
  • Wikipedia (English). "Timber framing."
  • Wikipedia (German). "Fachwerkhaus."
  • Wikipedia (English). "Wattle and daub."
  • Niedersächsische Dörfer, Wohn- und Arbeitsgebäude
  • "Das Niederdeutsche Hallenhaus" at fachwerk-lehmbau.de.

  • Kaspar, Fred. Fachwerkbauten des 14. bis 16. Jahrhunderts in Westfalen. Unter Mitwirkung von Stefan Baumeier, Christoph Dautermann, Andreas Eiynck, G. Ulrich Großmann, Thomas Spohn, Heinrich Stiewe, Karoline Terlau. Beiträge zur Volkskultur in Nordwestdeutschland, Heft 52. Münster: F. Coppenrath Verlag, 1986.

    Available online in PDF format from the Volkskundlichen Kommission für Westfalen, Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe.

• The image of Ladbergen's coat of arms has been borrowed from the Wikimedia Commons. It came originally from the village of Ladbergen's web site.
• The images in the photo album come from the following sources:
  • Beckerath, Hilde von. Das niederdeutsche Dorf. Hansische Welt no. 3. Braunschweig; Hamburg: Verlag Georg Westermann, 1921.  At Google Books.
  • Gerdes, Heinrich. Geschichte des deutschen Bauernstandes. Leipzig: Verlag von B. G. Teubner, 1910.  At Google Books.
  • Meyers grosses Konversations-Lexikon. Ein Nachschlagewerk des allgemeinen Wissens. 6., gänzlich neubearbeitete und vermehrte Auflage...Neuer Abdruck. Leipzig, Wien: Bibliographisches Institut, 1906-1913. See the article on "Bauernhaus" in volume 2 (1908), pages 463-465 & the plates between pages 462-463.  At HathiTrust Digital Library (24 volumes).  Volume 2 at Google Books.  Another copy of Volume 2 at Google Books.
  • Meyer's Konversationslexikon: Eine Encyklopädie des allgemeinen Wissens. 4te. gänzlich umgearbeitete Auflage. 19 Bände. Leipzig; Wien: Biographisches Institut, 1885-1892. See the article "Bauernhaus" in Volume 2, pages 470-472.  See article at retro-Bibliothek.
  • Pessler, Willi. Das altsächsische Bauernhaus in seiner geographischen Verbreitung. Braunschweig: Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, 1906.  At Google Books.  At Internet Archive.  High quality illustration at Wikipedia.
  • Ranck, Chr. Kulturgeschichte des deutschen Bauernhauses. Aus Natur und Geisteswelt, no. 121. Leipzig: Verlag von B. G. Teubner, 1907.  Copy 1 at Google Books.  Copy 2 at Google Books.  Copy of 3^rd edition (1921) at Google Books.
  • Wagner, Friedrich. Landwirtschaftliche Bauten. 3. wesentlich erweiterte Auflage. Berlin: Verlag Deutsche Bauzeitung, 1907.  At Google Books.