My Great Grandfathers occupation on my Grandfathers Baptismal is listed as a Pensioner.
On my Great Great Grandfathers his occupation is listed as a Senator. All of these in Germany. Where would I find information on a Senator and a Pensioner in Germany? And why would someone of a young age be a "Pensioner"(40 years old.)
Thank you very much
Judy
Kansas USA
Pensioner means about what you would expect - someone on a pension. That
would very likely mean they were in government service, although they could
also have been a military officer. In the latter case, they could have been
pensioned due to injury or during the occasional downsizing after war.
A Senator isn't exactly the same as here - he wasn't (necessarily) a
national Senator. Part of a city's administration would include several
Senators. For example, in Luneburg or Rostock or Lubeck, there would be one
(or more) Burgermeister (sometimes called Consul) and then several
Ratsherren (sometimes called Senator). Still an important position,
definitely indicated a leading figure in a city, and a holder of property.
You're in some luck, because in many cities, the same families would hold
these positions for centuries and the genealogies are pretty well
documented. If you are talking about the cities I named, I can point you
toward some sources.
Mike Preiss
Hi Judy,
a Pensionaer or Pensionarius can also be a manager or a leaseholder (Verwalter) of a farm. In Mecklenburg these Pensionaere usually were leaseholders of large farms or small estates which belonged to the Duke's property. They were usually personaly free people and belonged to the village's "High Society".
Regards,
Anne Schwarm