John Fotopoulos wrote:
My Pressentin line is from Sternberg and I wonder if you have any
information you would be willing to share with me. Thanks, Marcia
I have a "Stammbaum" for the older generations of the "von Pressentin"
family (from the beginning to about 1700) at home. I just have a break
at work now, but I will try to remember to send you an e-mail next week
(remind me if I forget).
A few short notes about the family, taken from memory: It is one of the
older known Mecklenburg noble families, and its origins are unknown. It
is not even for sure known if the origin is pre-German Slavic (Wends) or
from the in the 12th century immigrating Germans, but probably it is
Slavic. From the earliest sources (ca 1270) the family owned the manor
and village Prestin (which has a typical Slavic name) just outside
Sternberg, and obviously the name of the family and the manor is
originally the same. That is usually not the fact for families which can
be traced to West-German knights who took part in the "Ostsiedlung" in
the 12th century, most often they kept their German family names while
they gained a village/estate with a Slavic name and did not change their
name to the name of their estate. Also, in the village of Prestin are
clearly the remains of a prehistoric Slavic fort and temple, so some
have speculated that the family descends from the chiefal clan in this
area. However, this is mere speculation, no written sources put much
light on the family before 1270 [on the other handno sources gives any
early Pressentin's with Slavic first names]. Also, it is clear that the
family was rather unimportant in the political life of Mecklenburg in
the middle ages, and doesn't show up too much in sources (no early
member of the family is mentioned as Ritter, only as Knappe). Although
several "von Pressentin's" show up in sources (usually as witnesses to
contracts etc.) in the 14th century, it is difficult or impossible to
find what kind of family relation most of them have to each other. It
seems that the present family probably can be traced back to a Petrus
von Pressentin (Petrus de Prescentin) who was mentioned in one document
in 1270 and one in 1290 (both these documents are mentioned in 17th
century documents, but are later lost), and in some documents from just
after 1300. Still, the first couple of generations after him in the
family tree should probably be taken with a pinch of salt, but from 1400
the family history is well documented.
Until the 17th century the family was solely concentrated to the
Sternberg area, where different branches of the family owned the estates
Prestin, Klein-Stieten, Gross-Stieten, Weitendorf, Kaarz, "Sternberg
Rittersitz" etc. In more modern times (after 1650 or so) some family
member have gained more prominence and the family has spread to other
parts of Mecklenburg and outside Mecklenburg (especially Preussen). The
coat of arms of the family shows a winged claw of a griff.
All later Pressentin's are descendants from Dinnies von Pressentin who
was born in 1490 (probably October 9) and who died some time between
July 17, 1573 and February 24, 1574, and his wife Ilse von Lohe (still
alive in 1595, daughter of Johann von Lohe, owner of the estate
Scharfstorf, including Beidendorf, died April 25, 1524). Dinnies and
Ilse had nine children, Johann, Reimar, Hartwig, Katharina, Diliana,
Bernd, Emerentia, David and Ilse. All later Pressentin's are descendants
of Hartwig and of Bernd. My wife is a descendant of the youngest
daughter Ilse.
Per B. Lilje
Oslo, Norway
