History

History

5^th to 15^th Centuries are known as the Middle Ages

1000 to 1350 are known as the High Middle Ages

1100 - The greatest achievement of the Middle Ages is said to be the development of towns. (Potilkow) With their development comes the creation of industry. The first of which may have been for the making of beer.

1122 - Concordat of Worms

1150 - The Gothic period of arts begins

1182 - 1226 St Francis of Assisi lives

13^th Century - Rise of Universities and Feudal Monarchies to include feudal practices and the revival of Roman Law. During this century the Roman Catholic Church gains its independence from the Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire and is able to appoint its own priests and bishops. St. Thomas Aquines writes Summa Theologica beginning a period of philosophical study in the new universities.

1209 - The Teutonic Knights capture the Danzig area from the Kaszubia.

1213 - Beginning of the Inquisition. I.e., "Courts of Faith" Pagans can be forced to become Christians at the point of death!

1215 - England. The Magna Carta is created

1226 - The Polish Prince, Conrad of Mosovia, asks the Teutonic Knights to invade Prußia.

1230 - The Teutonic Knights invade Prußia.

7.2.1249 - The Prussi sign a peace treaty with the Teutonic Knights and end their heathen ways and their identity as a separate people. See the Document "Christianization in Prussia" at the Internet site of Hans Pettelkau. The conquest of the heathen Prussi was not complete for another twenty years.

1260 - "In 1260 Bishop Anselm founded a chapter of sixteen canons attached to the cathedral of St. Andreas at Braunsberg and transferred to the chapter the right of electing the bishop." [Note: the Bishop of Ermland is also a Crowned Prince of the Holy Roman Empire]

1262 - The heathen Prussians ravaged the Cathedral of Andreas at Braunsberg and the second "Bishop of Ermland, Heinrich I (1279 to 1300), was obliged in 1280 to transfer the chapter to Frauenburg where it has remained ever since."

1265 - 1321 The life of Dante, Author of the Divine Comedy

1283 - The Teutonic Knights complete their invasion of Prußia and claim it for the Roman Catholic Church and themselves.

1296 - The first Pettelkau is mentioned in connection with the village of Potilkow of Ermland. His name is Theoderich von Pötilkow, a name of Old Prussia, but he is said to be a German.

04.04.1311 - Some time prior to this date; Theoderich von Pötilkow founded the village of Pötilkow on an estate given him by the Bishop of Ermland. On this date the church was complete and dedicated.

1320 - Johannes and Tylo Pötilkow are citizens of Frauenburg, Ermland. Johannes is now wed to the daughter of Gerhard Fleming, Schultheis of Frauenburg.

1341 - The village of Potilkow was officially renamed Pettelkau by Bishop Hermann of Prague and a church was erected in honor of the Holy Mother. The place was named a shrine and artifacts were taken there from other holy places to be viewed by the faithful.

1341+- Pettelkau', Pittelkau', Pittelkow', etc., settled throughout East, West, and South (Posen) Prußia and Pommerania.

1348 - 1350 The Black Death

1350 to 1450 Decline and disintegration of Medieval Civilization

1447 - 1492 "In 1454, having been threatened with the death penalty, the leaders of the Prussian Union asked Poland for assistance. King Kasimir the Jagiellon (1447-1492) declared the incorporation of Pommerania and Prussia into Poland. The 13-Year War broke out. It ended in the Peace of Torun in 1466. Poland regained Gdansk-Pommerania, Malbork and Elblag, the Chelmno province, as well as Warmia (Ermland). For their merits in the war against the Order, cities of those regions were granted numerous rights, with Pommerania gaining territorial self-government. The rest of the Order's lands, the so-called Teutonic Prussia, became a fiefdom of Poland..."

1453 - Constantinople falls to the Muslims. Christians must pay a heavy tax or become Muslim. In the Christian world, heretics, non-repentant Muslims and Pagans who refuse to become Christians are put to death.

23 April 1453 a Hans Petikow at Thorn in Kulmerland complains to the court that he and Jorge von Grunberge have led an attack and his equipment together with his personal possessions as well as his wife's inheritance from her father have been taken by the Teutonic Knights. (Hans Petikow klagt über den Kampf, den er mit Jorge von Grunberge führen mußte, und den Verlust seiner Güter; ebenso über die Wegnahme des Leibgedinges seiner Frau durch den Orden.)

Note: Thorn is across the river from Getau and a few kilometers upriver from Otterau and Schulitz, the birthplaces of many of the Pettelkau/Pittelkau people. Also, "Grunberge" (Grunenberg) is a place near the village of Pettelkau that is of significance two hundred years earlier.

NOTE: Although the city of Bromberg, Posen, Prußia was captured by the Teutonic Knights: during the 13^th century, it did not become part of Prußia until 1772, and except for the WW II period, remained under Prußian control only until 1919. The area, geo-politically, has, except for this brief period, been under the control of Poland and is known as Bydgoszcz, Province of Poznan, Poland.

1492 - Columbus Discovers America

1500 to 1600 - Jesuits become a power throughout Europe by educating the masses. Wars between European States over which church, Protestant or Catholic was to prevail.

31 October 1517 - Martin Luther nails his message to the church door and causes the "disruption of faith" and the general disorder of European society. By his act, reformation begins.

1525 - The last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Albrecht, explains his position to the duke at Königsberg concerning the subject of secularization.

1527-1529 Many immigrants arrive in Masuren (southern East Prussia). Most of them are from Bohemia.

1571 - The Roman Catholic Parish of Schalmey/Pettelkau begins to record births, baptisms, marriages and deaths.

1573 - The first use of church books for recording family history was at Danzig Stadt Parishes. The first was the parishes of St. Barbara and St. Catharine's followed by St. Mary's (1580) and St. Johns (1602).

1582 The Gregorian calendar began to be used at Roman Catholic Churches in Danzig Stadt, Königsreich Prussia and Ermland.

1592 The oldest church book of West Prussia began to be used at the Catholic Church in the Parish of Strasburg.

1600 The Old Prussian language becomes extinct.

1603 At Elbingers Holy Three Kings Church, a book began to be used for recording family and church history. Saint Marys church began recording the same information in 1604.

1612 The Lutheran parts of East Prussia introduce the Gregorian calendar.

1612 Wotzlaff is the first West Prussian municipality to begin using a book to record demographic information. Wotzlaff is followed in 1614 by the city of Reichenberg. Both cities are in Danziger Territory.

1614 The oldest church book in the Valley of Thorn is used at Gurske Stadt followed in 1616 by Thorn Altstadt.

1618 The Crown Prince of Brandenburg, a Hohenzollern, acquires the Duchy of Prussia and changes it to a principality with its capital at Königsberg. In doing so, he changes the church books to read in such a way that everyone and everything is 1700 years older than they really are.

1624 - 1630 The First Swedish - Polish war. The deltas of the Weichsel River in West Prussia and the Nogat of Sweden are occupied.

1640 - 1688 Friedrich William reigns as the Great Prince of Prussia.

1646 The Brandenburg, Prussian post office was created.

1650 - Europe is divided by faith.

1655 - 1660 The Second Swedish-Polish war. The Treaty of Oliva in the year 1660 (between Sweden and Poland) acknowledges the independence of Prussia as provided by the Treaty of Wehlau made in the year 1657.

1656 - 1657 The Tartars attack Masuren (southern East Prussia).

1661 The oldest Mennonite register for baptisms began to be used in Montau, a city on the opposite bank of the Weichsel River from Graudenz Stadt in West Prussia. Montau Parish is followed by the baptismal register of parishes in Danzig, the Parishes of Friesland (1665) and by the baptismal register of the Parish of Orlofferfelde in Tiegenhof in 1713.

1688 - 1713 Grand Prince Friedrich III, crowns himself King Friedrich I of Prussia at Königsberg in 1701.

1673 - The "Pytkow" first appear [by church record] in the village of Otteraue, in the Grand Duchy of Poznan, Poland.

1700 - 1721 The Third Swedish - Polish (Nordish) war.

1708 - 1711 The plague once again does devastating work throughout Prussia and Poland

1713 - 1740 King Friedrich William I creates a strong army in peace time and uses it to create an absolute monarchy through maintenance of a central government.

1714 - 1740 The plague ends and East Prussia is repopulated with immigrants from many Slavic and European countries.

1732 - 1733 Immigration of the 30,000 Protestant Austrian expellees from Salzburg to Marienwerder, West Prussia.

1717 The beginning of compulsory education in Prussia (Principia regulativa, 1717).

1723 - 1808 The General Board of directors in Berlin is the highest level of central government in Prussia. Documents pertaining to this government are located in the central archive at the GStAPKb (Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz) in Berlin Dahlem.

1733 Friedrich William I introduces the Military Canton System of Government.

1736 Friedrich William I issued Principia Regulativa for the public education of all Prussian people. This includes the principle of general compulsory education of a document with the same name dated in 1717.

1736 East Prussia is divided into the "Koenigsberger, German Chamber" and the " Lithuanian Chamber".

1740 - 1786 King Friedrich II of Prussia, also known as Friedrich the Great (Fredericus Rex, the "old Fritz"), successfully used the institutions of government to elevate Prussia to that of a European Great Power.

1757 - 1762 Russia occupies East Prussia during the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763): Russia devastated the Prussian Army in June 1757 at the battle of Gr.Jaegersdorf and at Insterburg on 30.8.1757. These Prussian losses set the stage for the Russian occupation of Memel beginning in September 1757.

1763 Friedrich II issues the general school regulation requiring compulsory education in Prussia.

1764 Attack of foreign armies (War of the Austrian Succession) into the southern part of West Prussia: Plunder and devastation of private properties.

1772 First partition of Poland: Prussia annexed Polish Prussia, the diocese of Ermland and the Netze District (without the Danziger and Thorner territories). The Province of West Prussia was created with its Capital at Marienwerder and Ermland became part of East Prussia.

1772/73 - Land records for West Prußia indicate that Pettelkau' and Pittelkau own land in Kr. Kulm, Kr. Graudenz and the Danzig Territory.

1774 - Otteraue, Kr. Bromberg, Engel Pittelkau and husband Jacob Luedke christen their first child.

1783 Introduction of the basic land and mortgage registers as well as a court system. These included beaurocratic offices for law until 1802 by the Prussian Hypothekenordnung. These offices and laws were applied only to the inhabitants residing in the domain of the King of Prussia that had land registration tables.

1783 In West Prussia of this time, women were taught to read but not to write. When women signed official documents they signed with an "XXX". In courts of law women were represented by men who could write. Boys learned reading, writing, and arithmetic. Girls learned how to read, pray and that which was necessary to receive Gods blessings. (Source documents: Kommerau, Graudenz, West Prussia, 1783). The teacher was usually the local clergyman, the text books were the Holy Bible and a religious songbook. Fifty years later the culture had not changed very much in regards to the educational system.

1787 The " West Prussian Landschaft " was founded. This landschaft was a farm loan corporation for the nobility that included all of their real and personal property. Loans were made with a minimum amount of 45,000 marks. This association assigned funds to its members by selling mortgage bonds to the public. The headquarters for this corporation was at Marienwerder. In 1861 a new West Prussian farm loan corporation was established with districts of Danzig and Marienwerder. A file exists for the period of 1877-1916 at the State Archive at Danzig (AP Gdansk Nr. 0957) that discusses the extent and the role that these corporations played in context with the Stein-Hardenberg land reform, but I could not determine from these papers if the earlier programs had any effect on the new reform.

1788 The " East Prussian Landschaft " was founded with its headquarters in Königsberg. The landschaft was a farm loan corporation for real and personal property owned by the nobility. On an association basis, the corporation assigned funds to its members by selling mortgage bonds to the public. In 1808 the corporation received the right to expand their business to farmers who owned property with a value of at least 1500 Marks. The State of East Prussian played an important role after the Cash Reform Act of 1925, which was intended to help the landowner by the creation and issue of the Reich Mark. This act was a futile effort on the part of government to financially rescue the landowners. To what extent the Landschaft played in the adjustment, in context with the Stein-Hardenberg land reform, I could not determine. The trust placed for conversion of debt credits in Königsberg administered after 1925 that concerned the property with lien holders throughout the East Prussian lands and other creditor banks went into bankruptcy.

1789 The Mennonite Edict placed limits on landed property owned by the Mennonites and allowed emigration to Russia. In 1867 the military forced removal of Mennonites from their land with a loss of many people.

1793 The Second Division of Poland: Prussia annexed the Danzig and Thorner territories and created the new province of South Prussia (Posen).

1794 The general Prussian "Landrecht" fixed peoples surnames and instructed the churches in how to record births. This included the creation of a court repository for registers of demographic data such as marriage and death. Of these annual deposits with the courts only a fraction survived from 1794 to today. The West Prussian Districts were: ev. Altfelde, ka. Foerstenau, ka. Kamin, ev. Katznase, ev. Lichtfelde, Marienburg, ev. Schadwalde, Schlochau(?).

1795 - 1806 Third division of Poland: Included South Prussia (Posen) and a new East Prussia.

1786 - 1797 Reign of King Friedrich William II.

1797 - 1840 Reign of King Friedrich William III.

1 May 1797 - Daniel Pittelkau signs the "Otterauer Dorfwillkuer". (Dorfwillkuer is a category of statute-book which regulates a villages social structure).

19 July 1797 - Bromberg Stadt: Daniel Pittelkau married Anna Langen

1802 - 1849 Renaming of the court (office for law) in " land and city court ". These offices had responsibility for the voluntary filing of estate and land credit documents, wills, orphans, deductions, and hereditary contracts, among other things. These documents can be found today in the Polish Archives as public records.

1806 Abolishment of the meal obligation and the meal lists that the inhabitants were forced to provide of the fruits of their labor to the mill owner. This was Muehlberechtigten, a percentage of the crop taken by the mill owner for grinding or milling the grain or other farm product.

1806 - 1813 Napoleonic Era: French and Russian armies occupied East Prussia. During this period the population went from 988,000 (1805) to 779,000 (1813).

1806 - 1815 Herzogthum Warsaw and the Territory of the City of Danzig fall under the control of Napoleon. The Napoleonic Code was introduced that included rules for civil government. These rules included civil registers for births, weddings, and deaths (in the Danziger territory these recordings are in great detail for the period 1807 - 1814). 1811 is probably the year that the reporting of this data began throughout Prussia. During this period passports were not always necessary to leave or enter countries, although some did require the documents. Beginning in 1816, passports were issued at the police stations at the district administration office. Each emigrant had to deliver 10% of the carried fortune and prove completion of the military obligation. Instead of a passport a certificate of citizenship was usually issued, which entitled the emigrant reentry. In the small Granzverkehr only a simple frontier pass was necessary. These documents are available from the State Archive at Danzig see: Marion D.Learned, " Guide to the Manuscript of material Relating to of American History in the German State Archives",Washington 1912, 87-91 (also reprints NY 1965). Nachtrag von Dr.Smolka (Ms.Div.Libr of Congress)

1812 - Jews must assume family names (surnames).

1812 - Land reform by Stein and Hardenberg begins. Tenant farmers could acquire land by payment in installments. A separation was made between the lands of the nobles and the lands, including the farms, owned by the cities. Commissions were created for the management and the administration of the land reforms in cooperation with the district governments. Documents pertaining to land ownership are available today in the Archive at Berlin and in the Polish State Archives.

1804 to 1815 - Napoleonic Era

14 Oct 1806 - Prussia comes out of its neutrality and engages France in battle. For France it is the double battle of Jena-Auerstädt and they are victorious by their annihilation of the main force of the Prussian Army.

1813 and 1814 - Prussia, Austria and the German States wage war against Napoleans Grand Armee.

16 to 19 October 1813 - Napolean suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Leipzig and withdrew his forces from Germany.

18 June 1815 - Waterloo! Blüchers Prussians arrive in time to save the day for the allies and Napolean flees, surrendering to a British warship.

1848 - 1848 Flugschriften im Netz [Revolution von 1848]. A middle class is being born in Prussia.

1856 - August Julius Pittelkau is christened in Bromberg, Posen, Prußia

1866 - Austro-Prußian war; where Prußia obtains its freedom from Austro-Hungarian control

1871- Germany (kingdoms and principalities, etc.) becomes part of Prußia

1871/72 - Franco-Prußian war and the creation of the Prußian Empire

1871 or 1872 - August Julius Pittelkau immigrates from Kreis Bromberg to the United States followed by his mother, brothers and sisters.

1882 - Eduard, Anna and Emil Pittelkau immigrate to the United States

1816 - 1819 Administrative reform creates new borders of the counties (Kreise) in East and West Prussia. "Landräte" and "Landratsämter" become responsible for the district administration. District governments replace the sections or chambers. The Capital at Königsberg is responsible for East Prussia and Danzig for west Prussia. The highest regional court at Königsberg becomes responsible for East Prussia and the highest level of regional court at Marienwerder becomes responsible for West Prussia (OLG Marienwerder archive is today in the AP Gdansk). Governmental districts Königsberg and Gumbinnen for East Prussia; Governmental districts Danzig and Marienwerder for west Prussia. ("Landrats", documents can be found today in Berlin and in the various Polish archives).

1816 - 1867 Population increases by approximately 80%.

1817 - Evangelistic union between the Lutheran and Reformed churches.

1824 - 1878 East and West Prussia combine to become the province of Prussia with its capital at Königsberg.

1837 Mechanical engineering institute F. Schichau in Elbing was founded. Shipbuilding is already an industry. Later locomotives will be built here.

8. März 1840 Carl Ludwig Pettelkau was born in Friedrichsbruch (Kulm)/West Prussia as son of Heinrich Pettelkau and Christine Hildebrandt

1840 - 1861 Reign of King Friedrich William IV.

1840 - 1905 Draft of 630,000 persons from East Prussia.

1849 A law of 7.12.1849 creates the Prussian east railway.

1849 - 1879 The land and city courts were combined and renamed " Kreisgericht ". This new court had responsibly for jurisdiction that included estate and land credit documents, wills, orphans, deductions, and hereditary contracts. Documents can be found today in the Polish State Archives.

1850 - Abolishment of all easements on properties without remuneration to the owners. Hereditary tenants, gardners etc., are finally given parts of landed properties and estates.

1850 - At this time about 16% of the men and 40% of the women sign their marriage contract with "xxx" in the presence of someone who can write.

1852 - East railway, Berlin to Danzig is completed.

1857 - Bridges over the Weichsel River at Dirschau and Marienburg are completed after a twelve-year construction period.

1857 - East railway Berlin to Königsberg is completed.

1860 - Railroad line, Königsberg-Stallupoenen-Eydtkuhnen up to the state border opens with a link to the Russian railway at the border station of Wirballen (Wershbolowo). This includes a track conversion operation at this point.

1860 - Mechanical engineering institute, F.Schichau in Elbing supplies the first two locomotives to the Prussian east railway.

1861 - Ignaz Semmelweiß discovers the cause of "child bed fever". Since this discover the number of child bed deaths decreases greatly because parents can prevent this illness through proper hygiene.

1861 - Establishment of the land registry offices for the measurement (survey) of landed property. Their documents are a continuation of the "Praestations Tables".

1861 - 1888 Reign of King William I and German emperor beginning in 1871.

1863 - Creation of the private East Prussian south railway, Pillau to Prostken. This railroad had a connection to the Russian southwest railway and included a track conversion. (This railway came under government control in 1903.)

1865 - The Society for the rescue of the shipwrecked is founded at Danzig.

1867 - Direct railway connection between Berlin-Koenigsberg-St.Petersburg opens on 1 October 1867.

1867 - The Mennonite Edict of 1789 was removed and replaced by military authority over the Mennonite people.

1867 - Non nobles can now acquire manors and other Dominium properties.

1870 - The percentages of illiterates among the services requiring recruits in

East Prussia	West Prussia		Rhineland	Brandenburg
8,5 %	14,17%	1870	0,75 %	0,59 %
5,5 %	8,26 %	1880	0,36 %	0,53 %
2,49 %	3,29 %	1890	0,04 %	0,11 %

1871 - 1881 East and West Prussia lose 96,820 persons through emigration. Most went o the USA and accounted for 0.263 % of the population annually.

1872 - The railway from Berlin to Allenstein is completed.

1873 - Building of the Weichsel River bridge near Thorn is completed at 1000 meters long.

1879 - Renaming of the court (" Kreisgericht " county court) in " district court ". These offices had responsibility for the voluntary filing of estate and land credit documents, wills, orphans, deductions, and hereditary contracts, among other things. These documents can be found today in the Polish Archives as public records. Creation of the regional courts provided for a more responsive relationship between the levels in the courts system.

1885 - The number of child deaths to one year of age in East Prussia was 20% of legitimate births and 38% of illegitimate births. In West Prussia the number was 20.8% of legitimate births and 43% of illegitimate births.

1887 - 1890 8069 emigrants from East Prussia, of which most went to the USA. This is * 0.1 % of the population annually. 47,741 emigrants from West Prussia of which most went to the USA. This number is 0.829 % of the population annually and includes people of Polish descent.

1888 - In March the dikes break and the valley between Nogat and Elbingfluss and the roads to Marienburg are inundated with floodwaters.

1888 - King William I. died.

1888 - King and German Emperor Friedrich III was in office for 99 days.

1888 - 1891 Building of the second railway bridge near Dirschau. This bridge is 50 meters downstream from the first Weichsel River bridge.

1888 - 1896 Built with a cost of 20 Million Marks, the "Binnennehrung"(dikes) of the Weichsel River from Siedlersfähre to Schiewenhorst are broken by floodwaters and ice flow. This allows the Weichsel to flow over the Marienburger Werders (islands) and to leave behind ice that blocks the flow of the river.

1888 - 1918 The reign of the last German Emperor, Wilhelm II.

1905 - Establishment of the governmental district of Allenstein from southern sections of the governmental districts of Königsberg and Gumbinnen. Globally, this is "Masuren", a part of the Ermland.

1918 - Prussia becomes "Republic of" and abolishes all monarchies in Germany. West Prussia is quartered and East Prussia is divided into three parts.

1918 - WWI ends with the Treaty of Versailles. A 50 kilometer wide zone is created to give Poland access to the sea that runs from the border near Thorn along the Vistula River basin to the rivers mouth just east of Danzig. A vote of the people determines whether they are to be governed by Poland or Germany. Many Pettelkau / Pittelkau people live in this zone and some elect to leave their homes of hundreds of years rather than to become Polish.

1918 - 1924 Monetary inflation causes most farmers to retire their debt with cheap cash. Owners of land credits are the big loosers.

1925 - Establishment of the association for family research in East and West Prussia with its headquarters in Königsberg.

1925 - 1933 By the cash reform act of 1925 (creation of the Reich Mark), cash becomes rare and brings ruin to Germanys agricultural industry. Because the farmers do not go on a strict diet of austerity, mass auctions are ordered by the Court of Farms, which results in farms becoming unproductive and food shortages.

1929 - The first tape appears to the monumental bibliography of Ernst Wermke: " Bibliography of the History of East and West Prussia " reproduction Aalen 1991 with supplement (incl. family customer). Tape 2 (1930-1938), Aalen 1964 tape 3 (1939-1970), Bonn bath Godesberg 1974 tape 4 (1971-1974), Marburg 1978.

1945 - The last run of the National Railroad from Berlin to Königsberg was run on 22.1.1945.

1945 - Erwin Walter Pittelkau, born at Bismarcksruhm, Kreis Kolmar, Posen, Preußen, a wounded soldier, fled with his wife and child from Stargard just ahead of the advancing Russian Army to temporarily settle in Wittenberge in what was to become Eastern Germany.

1945 - Signalman 2 USN Clifton W. Pittelkau of the USS Honolulu was in port at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard as the ship made repairs from its third hit by a Japanese torpedo. The ship never re-entered the war effort.

1945 - 1948 Millions of people are displaced when the German population is forced to leave its homelands in East, West, and Posen Prussia.