The Jews of Stühlingen

10-17

Ralph

December 26, 2016

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 In 1723 Josel Levi, Lang Jossel’s maternal uncle, arrived from Sulz and in the presence of Schmuli and the two Parnasim Marum Weyl and Leib Gugenheimb accused him of having abandoned his parents to poverty [R3061]. Lang Jossel countered that he was not a rich man and that he was only one of their five children; furthermore, he had nine living children of his own to support. At first glance, it would appear that the fifth commandment to honour one’s father and mother34 should have carried enough authority to oblige lang Jossel. But the Talmud offers a more differentiated view: a son is obliged to support his parents only up to the point where it does not impair his ability to maintain his own nuclear family.35 This, obviously, was lang Jossel’s argument. We do not know the actual outcome of this intervention, since the records are silent. But Schmuli died in 1724 [R763] in Stühlingen and was buried somehow. Lang Jossel had at least eight surviving children by the time they left Stühlingen in 1743 and moved to Hechingen.36 His five daughters were Scheinle, Rebecca, Havele, Michtle, and Braunle, and three sons were Marum, Seligman/Salomon, and Leopold. The fact that Marum’s father- and brother-in-law had moved to Hechingen could explain why Marum, his brothers, and parents went there as well.

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Calmeli (G1.2.2) was married to a cousin, the daughter of his great uncle Jonas (G1.4) and was under protection from 1656 to 1691. Calmeli was a somewhat unsteady spirit who spent much time in fights and in court, but he was successful as a businessman. Calmeli had three daughters [R997]: Küenel [R925], married to Salomon Gedeon of Hechingen; Beschle [R953] (Bessle, or possibly Bäuerlin), married to Jecoph Gugenheimb [R1295] (G1.3.4); and Ehlen, as well as three sons. He had died by 1691 [R955]. Calmeli’s son Schmulin (G1.2.2.1) died young, only one year after his father, leaving behind a widow and at least two underage daughters, Madele and Bessele [R3713]. Schmulin’s widow sold her house [R1063] and moved with her daughters to Brötzingen near Pforzheim, where she remarried. Schmulin’s brother Joseph (G1.2.2.3) apparently owed the girls their father’s share of Calmeli’s estate [R3713]. Joseph was unable to pay, so Abraham Cann (Katz, Kahn?), stepbrother of the two young women, came to Stühlingen in 1703 to negotiate on behalf of his half-sisters. Apparently a settlement was reached with the assistance of Mayer Bloch (C2.1.2.1). Joseph was under protection in Stühlingen from 1694 to 1710, but by 1711 he had died [R3577]. Joseph had a son Feistel (G1.2.2.3.1).

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0  

34Exod. 20:12.

35TB, “Kiddushin” 32a.

36Steve Guggenheim researched lang Jossel and his descendants, his early ancestors, and has communicated this information in private correspondence.