Christian Ludewig Aspelmeier

According to church records from the Saint Andreas Evangelical Church (Lutheran) in Lübbecke, Westfalen Christian Ludewig Aspelmeier was born on June 18th 1790.  He was the illegitimate son of Christian Dieterich Aspelmeier and Caroline Meier.  Ludewig, as he came to be known, married in 1817.  His wife was Sophie Louise Charlotte Fasel (Vasoll) (known as Louise) from the small farming village of Eikel, a few kilometers northwest of Lübbecke. 

 At the time Louise and Ludewig were married, prospective couples were required to make a proclamation declaring their intention to marry.  The couple could be married provided no person came forward during the proclamation period to protest the union.  Apparently Ludewig and Louise wanted to be certain no one had any objection because they announced their intentions on the 19th and 26th of October and again on the 2nd of November 1817.  Ludewig and Louise were married on November 15th 1817 at Saint Andreas Church in Lübbecke.  They raised six children (see chart below).

            Ludewig seems to have been a “jack of all trades” rather than a master of any specific one.  His profession changed frequently throughout his lifetime as noted in the church records listing his wedding, the birth of his children, and his death.  Almost certainly this was a result of the extreme poverty and absence of economic opportunity in the region around Lübbecke during Ludewig’s lifetime.  Over 15,000 Germans emigrated from the region during the 19th Century.  While he never emigrated from his hometown, Ludewig must certainly have had difficulty making ends meet.  His profession when he married Louise in 1817 was “Ackerknecht” (farm hand).  By 1819 when his daughter Caroline was born, he was a “Tagelöhner” (day laborer).  From 1821 when Wilhelm was born until at least 1824 when Amalie was born he is a “Zimmermann” (carpenter).  At the birth of Julius in 1826 he is a “Handarbeiter” (craftsman).  By 1831 when their son Friedrich was born, Ludewig is again a “Tagelöhner,” which he remained until his death in 1839.

         Ludewig was a property owner at least as early as 1826.  He is listed in the city tax roles from 1826 until his death in 1839.  Ludewig owned a "Fachwerkhaus" (half-timbered house) on the Kapital Strasse at the southern edge of the city just 100 meters from Saint Andreas Church where he worshipped.  Street addresses were not used in Lübbecke before 1906.  Up until then each house was assigned a number for taxation purposes.  Ludewig’s house was number 225 until 1906.  The current address is Kapital Strasse #2.

        German cities, especially Lübbecke, frequently suffered serious fires.  The street behind Ludewig’s home is called the “Fuerrenne” or “fire run.”  Water was stored in a large reservoir behind Ludewig’s house.  Whenever a fire alarm was sounded citizens loaded buckets with water from the reservoir, filled wagons and then raced down the hill to extinguish the fire and save homes.  Perhaps its proximity to the water reservoir is one reason the house at #225 on Kapital Strasse has survived up until today.  German cites were usually surrounded by a city wall to provide protection during the frequent conflicts in the middle ages.  Ludewig’s old house is located within a few meters of the city’s south gate.  During the 20th Century the gate, wall and the house next to the wall were demolished.  Now Ludewig’s old house is the first you see as you walk down Kapital Strasse.

        As many as three families, including the Aspelmeiers lived at house #225.  Although Ludewig most likely collected rent from the other tenants, he was not a wealthy man.  He may have accepted food or goods as payment for rent rather than cash.  The property itself must have been worth little given the small amount of property and house tax he paid over the years (see chart below).

            Ludewig died of cancer on July 10th 1839 in Lübbecke.  He left a widow and five minor children behind and this is where the mystery begins.  There is conflicting secondary evidence about the family and what became of it.  The 1839 tax list simply lists "Aspelmeyer" at house #225.  Presumably the first name was dropped because Ludewig was already dead when the listed was compiled at the end of the year.  So the surname must refer to Louise, his widow.  Unfortunately there are no tax records in the city archives for the years after 1839.   The City Residents Roll of 1843 (the first ever compiled) lists Louise residing at #225.  However, she is listed as the wife of Michael Schumacher, a mason ten years her junior.  There are two minor children living at home in 1843, Friedrich (age 12) and a daughter (age 10) whose name is illegible on the document.  This is supported by the death record, which lists a widow and five minor children when Ludewig died in 1839.  The first born, Caroline, would have been 20 years old when her father died.  Assuming she was already out of the house, we need one more child in order to have five minors in the home.  This accounts for the missing daughter whom we have no record of.  I have not found any record of a six child yet.  The next City Resident Roll was completed in 1846.  The Aspelmeyers/Schumachers no longer lived at house #225. 

All rights reserved: Chris Wyatt, Ludewig Aspelmeier's G-G-G-Great Grandson, © July 2000.