I have traced my family to Casper Henrich Fleher, my gr.gr.grvater, born in 1791, lived at 25 Stedefreund, Kreis Herford, Nord Westfalen, Preusen in 1822. He was listed as an Erbpaechter in 1822, but also as an Arroeder in 1847.
Can someone please help me with more information.
Vielen dank,
David Fleer
I have traced my family to Casper Henrich Fleher, my gr.gr.grvater, born
in 1791, lived at 25 Stedefreund, Kreis Herford, Nord Westfalen, Preusen in
1822. He was listed as an Erbpaechter in 1822, but also as an Arroeder in
1847.
David,
I assume you have looked up the definitions of Erbpaechter and Arroeder, but
in case you haven't--an Erbpaechter was a tenant farmer who held an
inalienable, heritable life tenancy. This means he had to pay rent on the
land but it could not be taken from him (so long as the rent was paid), and
he could pass the Erbpaecht (leasehold) to his heir, who was often (but not
always) the oldest son.
Thode's German-English genealogical dictionary says an Arroeder is a settler
on new land. He could be both. Perhaps he was established on the new land
as an Erbpaechter. This would mean that the agreement with the landowner
was that he held the land forever and could pass it to his heir as long as
the rent was paid.
My home page contains more history than genealogy, and you can go to
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~schnake/story and click to the
relevant chapter.
Roy Johnson
Searching Schnake/Schnacke worldwide
Home of the Schnakes: Bergkirchen and Schnathorst parishes, Kreis Minden
and Kreis Herford.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~schnake