The Kettner-Stalter Family in Gern 1836-1851

After several inquiries from the USA, I have taken a closer look at the family of George Kettner who was Joseph Stalter’s brother-in-law, living in Gern in the Nymphenburg district. In the Munich State Archives, I found several documents about the family which I would like to share here. They provide interesting insights into the life of the Amish Mennonite community in Munich, Germany, at that time.

Since 1811, George Kettner had lived with his family in the community “shepherd’s house” in Gern in the Nymphenburg district. He was married to Susanne Stalter and yet since their marriage had not been recognized by the Munich court district. Because of this relationship, Susanne Stalter was banned from the Amish congregation in Munich and could not take part in their services. However, this situation was to change from 1836 onward. The Stalter and Kettner families wanted to bring about a resolution of this situation and they decided that it might best be accomplished through property ownership.

Heinrich Stalter as well as Valentin Bircki in Gern took the initiative and shaped the circumstances with the partial gift of the former community house which belonged to the brothers Heinrich, Joseph, and Jakob Stalter. The following was agreed in the deed of gift.

We, the undersigned have today voluntarily given to our neighbor and friend Georg Kettner two parts of the community house in Gern, of which Joseph Stalter wishes to retain his part for himself. We transmit it now to said Kettner, just as we bought it. He has accepted the gift and thanked us for it. And since we have no cause to fear any offenses from this man or his family that might justify our retracting the gift, it shall always be irrevocable. The only reservation is that Georg Kettner, as well as all his descendants, shall not without our consent and that of the Nymphenburg community take anyone displeasing to us into this part of the house and that the lodgings should only be occupied by respectable people. Likewise, this all remains valid should the two parents die, and this little house passes to their surviving children, namely our two parts of the shared house. And we do not wish to make any further claims or demands at any time, in short it does not concern us at all! To confirm this document and for our assurance, we have signed and sealed it, namely in the presence of the assembled administrative members of the community of Nymphenburg, who were also present as witnesses to this proceeding and who have signed it and attached the community seal as further confirmation, and handed it over to the recipient as a legally qualified document.

This day
Nymphenburg, 15 January 1836
The administration of the community of Nymphenburg
Approved and signed as witnesses by
Heinrich Stalter, Valentin Bircki

As donors
Falter, head, Benedikt Erlacher, Johann Ballauf, Johann Roth

As a result of this gift, Georg Kettner’s family received a certificate of citizenship from the community of Nymphenburg.

The certificate of citizenship was very important at that time, since one could be readmitted into the community at any time upon presentation. Communities issued certificates only to families who did not live in poverty. For at that time, poor or needy people in the communities were cared for at their expense. The procedure was that these people found accommodation and food on a farm for a certain period of time and then moved to the next farmer after the term had expired. In this document we can gain an impression of the Kettners because they were described as follows:

Certificate of Citizenship

The undersigned authority testifies that the Kettner family, Anabaptists from Gern, who have been living in the community of Nymphenburg, intend to go to Schonbrunn and, thanks to their good conduct and skill, to be accepted by Count von Sprety as a master builder together with the whole family.
Nymphenburg, 15 January 1836

Georg Kettner’s children:
Magdalena Kettner, born July 31, 1811 – works for Baron von Walten in Gern
Susanna Kettner, born December 25, 1813 – maid for Daniel Zehr in the court district of Freising
George Kettner, born February 1, 1816 – brandy distiller with Jacob Stalter, court district of Rain
Elisabeth Kettner, born February 1, 1818 – maid for Isaak Augsburger at Laufzorn, court district of Munich
Katharina Kettner, born December 2, 1819 – maid for Joseph Zehr at Hanfeld, court district of Starnberg
Veronika Kettner, born January 18, 1824 – maid for Isaak Augsburger at Laufzorn, court district of Munich
Maria Kettner, born January 18, 1824 – maid for Isaak Augsburger at Laufzorn, court district of Munich
Jacobina Kettner, born April 27, 1828 – still goes to school
All born in Gern, House Number 7

However, there must have been differences between the community and Georg Kettner, for already on February 1, 1836, the community of Nymphenburg appealed to the district court in Munich to be able to revoke the certificate of citizenship.

Royal District Court

Whereas Georg Kettner of Gern has just received his deed of gift as well as his certificate of citizenship, through this description we actually become aware for the first time that Kettner deceived everyone in the Nymphenburg community administration because we were all convinced that he was a Mennonite, but now we have gotten real evidence through Kettner himself that he is Catholic, for he was married secretly by a priest, whom our late King Max Joseph sent to prison. I asked him for the certificate of citizenship along with the aforesaid deed, because we cannot grant this Kettner residence; but he does not want to return it, and has it not yet been paid for? Therefore, we the undersigned ask that the royal district court demand this certificate of citizenship from Kettner until we can get clarification.

With the utmost respect, we obey the Royal District Court of Munich, and remain Administration of the community Nymphenburg, 1 February 1836
Falter, head
Benedickt Erlacher, Joseph Reichle, Johann Ballauf, and Johann Roth

Likewise, Heinrich Stalter, as preacher (Diener zum Buch) of the Amish Mennonite congregation, explains how the congregation proceeds when persons are put under the ban.

Munich, 8 February 1836
At the request of the administration of the community on the 31st of the month, Georg Kettner of Gern, who appeared today accompanied by Heinrich Stalter, was asked to provide the necessary information, resulting in the following.

Munich, 8 February 1836

Georg Kettner is 48 years sold, born at Petersberg in the district of Pirmasens in the Rheinkreis [the part of Bavaria on the west bank of the Rhine] and has been married for 24 years to Susanne Stalter from Kirschbacherhof in the district of Zweibrucken, sister of Joseph Stalter, a farmer in Gern. He has 8 children and has been in Gern since 1809, living since 1811 in the former community shepherd’s house, which has been registered in the adaster since 15 January 1830 as house number 6, the joint property of the Mennonites Heinrich, Jakob and Joseph Stalter. He claims to have inherited it from them when they acquired the former royal properties. Georg Kettner states that he was married in 1811 in a room in the so-called Grossstaffler house by a Catholic clergyman in the presence of Georg Walter, a native of Bellheim who lived on the Atzel dairy farm near Seefeld. This priest performed our [sic] marriage and is said to have died in prison. His wife was a Mennonite but was banned because of her marriage to him as a Catholic and since then she has not attended services of the Mennonites or any other church. Georg Kettner himself admits that he has not gone to confession or received communion since 1811. He had wanted to go over to the Mennonit4s—he would then have been rebaptized and his wife would have been freed from the ban. But his brother-in-law Joseph Stalter was temporarily excluded from the Mennonite congregation because of the dissolute lifestyle of his two daughters, Jakobina and Magdalena Stalter, and that is why he was reluctant to join the Mennonites. Since then, he has in fact been attending the Catholic Church and his only boy Georg was baptized by the local priest in Mittersendling. He was already 20 years old and has been a Catholic from then on. He currently works for Heinrich Stalter. Four of his servants seven girls are already old enough that they have been baptized by the Mennonites and accepted into their faith community; the other girls are still too young and have therefore not yet been baptized by the Mennonites.

Heinrich Stalter as preacher provides information:

In their congregation whoever commits debauchery, whether this was carried out with fellow believers or with others, will be banned from them, namely expelled from the congregation. If they then declare that they are penitent, they are given six to nine months to improve, and during this period they can attend the so-called Abrat at the worship gatherings. That is, they are seated at the front in the prayer house or room before the rest of the congregation. They may receive teaching, attend the sermon, and take part in the other worship services in song. But they are not admitted to foot washing and the Lord’s Supper, nor can they be present at the councils and elections of the ministers, until they are brought back into the congregation after they have convincingly demonstrated real improvement. However, this reintroduction cannot take place as long as the cause of the ban continues and therefore if a Mennonite lives with a member of another faith, as in the present case Susanne Stalter with George Kettner, she cannot be accepted back into the congregation. But if such a person under the ban dies, they are still received in the burial ground of the Mennonites, if they have one of their own.

In the present case, there is now a peculiar relationship, since the marriage can neither be recognized by the Mennonites nor will it be valid according to the Catholic rite. Georg Kettner was asked how he wanted to change his circumstances in order to be considered a family man in a valid marriage and thus be accepted by the community. Georg Kettner dies not yet know how to answer this; the acquisition of two-thirds of the shared house does not guarantee the support of a family and this would not yet establish the sort of residence which the community could be expected to approve, so Georg Kettner was give a period of eight days to better organize his circumstances and then to be able to offer further explanation.
Signed as confirmation: Georg Kettner, Heinrich Stalter

What happened next is beyond our knowledge. But the petition of Pastor Erdle from the Catholic parish of St. Margreth in Sendling gives us further information, since George Kettner asked him for help.

Letter from the Parish Sendling

Sendling, 22 December 1836
The parish office of Sendling to the royal district court of Munich
Concerning mixed marriage:

George Kettner, a day laborer in Gern, illegally married to the Mennonite Susanna Stalter, had lived as such for 24 years, until it finally struck him half a year ago that such a life could be sinful and punishable, and he therefore presented himself to the parish office, asking for revision of this invalid marriage. The parish office turned to the archbishop’s ordinariate, receiving the answer that Georg Kettner should be informed that his connection with the above Susanne Stalter could not be recognized as a marriage, that he should strictly refrain from the marital arrangement, and that. Revision of this marriage could only take place if he obtained a marriage license from secular authorities. After the same was conveyed to Kettner and the order was given to apply for the necessary license, he seemed to want to obey when he left, but today he sent his decision on paper and attached here in the original), to the parish office. This is hereby made known to the royal district court with the greatest respect with a request for further instructions.
The royal pastor Erdle

Now the district court in Munich again became active in this matter and summoned Heinrich Stalter and Georg Kettner.

Munich, 4 January 1837
Already on 8 February 1836 Georg Kettner in Gern received an order to declare within 8 days whether he wanted to belong to the Mennonites or to the Catholics, since he had not affiliated with either denomination for 24 years. At the parish office in Sendling he announced that he was a Catholic again, but because this requires a valid marriage and his partner, Mennonite who is under the ban precisely because of living with Kettner, does not want to be married according to the Catholic rite, he gave the written declaration that he wanted to convert to the Mennonites. The preacher Heinrich Stalter was asked today whether the Mennonites will accept him, and he responded: Georg Kettner certainly could be admitted to the brotherhood if he applied, and his wife could also be freed from the ban if he repents. Four of Kettner’s daughters have already been baptized according to the Mennonite rite, the fifth is going to be baptized at Easter and the other two are still too young. The son Georg Kettner, already 21 years old, was baptized Catholic and also professes the Catholic religion. Incidentally, Georg Kettner has not yet applied to the Mennonite brotherhood for membership.

Georg Kettner is instructed, if he really wants to convert to the Mennonites, to report to the brotherhood and to provide evidence of this request and admission within 4 weeks, since it cannot be tolerated that the Kettner family is living in such an unregulated state.
Signed as confirmation: Heinrich Stalter, Georg Kettner

The community leaders of the Amish Mennonites in Munich gave Georg Kettner a certificate that he complied with the demands of the district court and attended the Mennonite church services.

Certificate

That indeed George Kettner, born in the Catholic religion, has begun to follow in the footsteps of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to attend the Mennonite congregation and asks us that we would diligently pray God that he might walk from the broad path into the narrow one and be received and accepted into the new covenant, and that he might find his bae in the book of life. For our Savior says, if anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me.

George Kettner responded to the order of the royal district court and attended the service every Sunday, to which attested Heinrich Stalter as preacher, Nikolaus Augstin as preacher, and Daniel Zehr.

Heinrich Stalter received a memorandum from the district court in Munich:

Heinrich Stalter in Gern is asked to submit a simple confirmation to the directive of the 2nd of this month:
That George Kettner in Gern has converted to the Mennonite confession and been accepted into the brotherhood.

Munich on 8 February 1837
There is another letter in the document folder of the State Archives, which cannot be classified precisely. In my opinion, it is a statement from the parish office that was recorded here by the district court. No further document has surfaced as to how everything ended with Georg Kettner’s family.

Munich on 11 February 1837
Since the Mennonites are tolerated, Georg Kettner has admittedly not belonged to any religion for 24 years, and his admission to the Mennonite congregation has been reported, further instructions cannot be given to the royal parish office.

Kettner’s explanation follows.

Based on this correspondence, one can assume that Georg Kettner was accepted into the Amish Mennonite community in Munich. Until the death of his wife Susanne on June 2, 1848, nothing more was reported about George Kettner.

Above: Entry in Sendling Parish Book No. 1580, second from the top

In the parish of Sendling there are further entries about the Kettner family: Susanna, an unmarried child of Veronica Kettner from Gern, also in 1848.

Also, the death of Maria, an unmarried child of Magdalena Kettner in Gern.

Above: The parish family book for the Kettner family of Gern

In 1846, Maria Kettner emigrated to New York with an unmarried child, and 200 guilders in cash. Georg Kettner lived in Gern until 1851. He and his family emigrated to America along with other Amish Mennonite families. Friedrich Blandiger, who compiled the emigrants from Upper Bavaria, noted that Georg Kettner left the country together with Maria Bircki of Kirchstockach and began a new life in Illinois.