Johann Gottfried Pieper  / 

  Christine Louise Hannemann

      Johann Gottfried Pieper was born on 20 November 1796 and died on 23 February 1865 in Löpersdorf, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern, Prussia.  His baptismal  record has not been found, his birth date was determined from his death record which indicated he was 68 years 3 months and 3 days of age at the time of his death.  He was referred to as  "Tagalöher Johann Pieper of Lopersdorf" in most of the records. 

    Christine Louise Hannemann was born on 18 January 1792 and died on 1 December 1866 in Löpersdorf, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern.   Her birth date was also determined from her death record which indicated she was 74 years 7 months and 14 days of age. She was referred to as Christine in most of the church records.  The record of the marriage of Johann Gottfried and Christine Louise Pieper has not been found, but it was most likely about 1817 or 1818. 

        Johann Gottfried and Christine Louise Pieper were still small children about the time of the introduction of the Napoleon Code in France.  This code provided the people more equality under the law and gave more basic rights.  It also gave more religious tolerance and abolished serfdom and feudal codes.  However, this code was not made law in Pommern until October of 1807 and was not enforced until sometime between 1820 and 1823.

        Serfdom was actually a conditional bondage or modified slavery.  The serfs served as a form of forced labor on the fields of the land owners in return for protection and the right to work. Almost all of the land was owned by the nobility, the church or the royalty.  Serfs were allowed to work for a percentage of the product they produced.  Most serfs were farmers, but some served as gardeners, blacksmiths, millers, inn keepers, etc.  The tenant farmer was bound to a hereditary plot of land and to the will of the landlord.  He had to provide his own food and clothing from his own productive efforts, but a substantial proportion of the grain grown had to be given to the lord.  The lords could also compel the serf to cultivate the lord's land or do other tasks for them.

      The release of serfs from bondage did not result in a rosy life for most of them.  The church records reveal many of them were identified as "tagelöhner," or day laborer.  It appears that these tagelöhners were without land, skills, funds or the equipment needed to earn a living for their families after having been set free from their bondage. They were similar to migrant workers.          

    Johann Gottlieb Pieper was identified as a Tagelöhner.  His life style is partially revealed by the fact that his children were born in three different villages and his wife died in still another village.  It is unknown whether, they were sent to these different locations by their master, or whether they themselves ended up in these different villages in their search of employment.

    His first son reported that he had been born in Pansin, Kreis Saatzig in 1819.  However, the Pansin church records are missing prior to 1824 and his baptismal record therefore, could  not be found.  

     The family  was living in Lessenthin, Kreis Regenwalde at the time of the birth and baptism of their third and fourth children.

    In 1831, 1834, and 1836, they are found living in Silligsdorf, Kreis Regenwalde, when their fifth, sixth and seventh children were baptized. 

    Then in 1858 and 1863, at the time of their daughter's marriages, they are living in Löpersdorf, Kreis Regenwalde, and that is also the village where Christine (Hannemann) Pieper was living at the time of her death.     

      Seven children of Johann Friedrich Pieper and Johanna Hannemann  have been identified, five of them emigrated to Wisconsin.  The children are as follows:

    1.Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Pieper, born 31 March 1819, was married on June 6 1845 in the Evangelical Church at Roggow, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern.  Wilhelmine Dorothea Buss was born 10 March 1823 in Meesow, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern.  He reported that he was born in Pansin.  His life story is included on another page by his name.  Roggow Church pictured at right

    2. Carl Pieper is estimated to have been born about 1822.  His son, Carl Pieper,  born on 31 December 1855 emigrated to Wisconsin about 1868, and he married Amelia Schwandt on 7 December 1879 in Dodge County, Wisconsin.  In this marriage record he identified his parents as Carl  and Elisabeth Pieper.  Carl lived with his uncle, Ludwig Pieper, for several years after he emigrated.  He continued to live in Dodge County after his marriage until his death on 2 January 1925.  Evidently, Carl Pieper Senior died prior to 1866, as his mother's record indicated there were only five children living at the time of her death in 1866 and all the other children were living at that time except for Dorothea who died when she was a year old. 

    3.  Johann Friedrich Gottlieb Pieper was born 29 November 1824 in Lessenthin, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern.     He married Henriette Zietlow on 14 October 1853 at the Stramehl, Kreis Regenwalde, Church.  The marriage record indicated he was living in  Dübzow, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern,.  After emigrating to Wisconsin, he lived in the Dodge County area for several years and then purchased a farm in Bear Creek, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, where he lived until his death on 25 February 1900.

    4.  Gottlieb Friedrich Pieper was born 4 July 1828 in Lessenthin, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern (the baptismal record was found) He married Henriette Affeldt and their daughter, Auguste Henriette Wilhelmine Pieper was born 10 July 1854.  The baptismal record was found at the Evangelical Church in Stramehl and indicated that Gottlieb was living in Dübzow.  After emigrating to the USA, Gottlieb lived in the town of Herman, Dodge County, Wisconsin, until the death of Henriette on 25 June 1882.  He then moved to the town of Pine River, Lincoln County, Wisconsin, to live with his son's family where he died on 7 May 1896.    Gottlieb and Henriette are pictured at the left.

     5.  Dorothea Sophia Caroline Pieper was born on 20 April 1831 in Silligsdorf, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern.  She died on 9 September 1832 in Silligsdorf.

    6.  Ludwig Johann Friedrich Pieper was born 2 January 1834 in Silligsdorf, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern, Prussia,  He married Wilhelmine Dallmann on 28 November 1859 and emigrated to Wisconsin about 1862.  lived across the road from his brother, Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Pieper at the border of Clyman and Lebanon townships in Dodge County, Wisconsin.  He moved to the village of Hustisford after he retired from farming and died there on 22 April 1917.  Ludwig wrote a very interesting article for the Hustisford newspaper about his memories of  life on the farm during the 1800's.  Evidence that the Johann Friedrich Pieper family was living in Silligsdorf was found in a baptismal record of a child born to Matthias Hannemann (brother of Johanna Christine Hannemann), baptized on 16 November 1837, sponsors included Johann Friedrich Pieper, knecht, living in Silligsdorf.

    7.  Caroline Ernestine Pieper was born on 6 December 1837 Silligsdorf. Kreis Regenwalde Pommern.  She married Friedrich August Brunn on 8 October 1858 in the Evangelical Church of Stramehl.  Evidently, her husband died, as she married Gottfried Hermann Fritz on 1 October 1863.  Both of these marriage records indicate the Pieper family was living in Löpersdorf, Kreis Regenwalde, Pommern.  The Fritz family emigrated to Wisconsin about 1868 and lived in the Dodge County area until about 1870 when they moved to Troy, Renville County, Minnesota.  Ernestine died on 20 May 1924 in Minnesota.

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