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THE KOHNHORST ESTATE AT LADBERGEN, GERMANY
The Kohnhorst estate in
Ladbergen is located in the farming community Overbeck and listed as Nr.1.
The estates or farms were usually given numbers according to their size with
Nr.1 being the largest property, this appears to have been the case
here. The
property with its fields and forests sits approximatly 1 km. west of the
street Lengerich-Ladbergen and has the stately size of around 115 ha.
The
present farmhouse in its lower Saxony style sits close to the Ladberger
Aabach, surrounded by oak trees hundreds of years old. One such old gnarled
oak sits close to the entrance of the hallway door, and it has withstood
several hundred years of storm and weather. It is assumed that the present
house is the third one built since the estate exists. This assumption is
gaining credibility, since on the north side of the present Esch a house was
build next to a moat. In the official registration this parcel is listed as
"the old estate". Between the years from 1893 and 1898 when many of the
ditches and moats were filled with soil, workers found remnants of walls and
more importantly pieces of a fountain. Many old oak trees which ones stood
proudly on the estate were removed in 1898, a wide roadway led to the main
entrance of the estate, it is now lined on both sides with fir trees. The
creek, so close by, provided evidently enough water to build a moat around
the home and it is assumed that the house was connected by a draw bridge.
Despite the filling in of soil around the home the original lines are still
visible of the old place. Also, a small indention still remains. When or if
this estate fell to a fire or other accident is unknown. It is possible that
the home stood there through the end of the 15th or 16th century.
 The second home was most likely built in the Lower Saxony Style. It stood
very close to the present home, since one place still is called "aule
Huesstie". It is assumed that this first house had a straw roof. In the 18th
century, ( propably 1760 ) this house was consumed by a fire, rumor has it
that a farm hand started the fire when he was trying to shoot down birds.
This assumption is only possible if the roof was made of straw, otherwise
the house would not burn to the ground. When I say that the house was built
in the Lower Saxony Style , then the house did not have a chimney. In those
days the living quarters as well as the stalls for the farm animals were
housed under one roof divided by a large kitchen.
The present home, stately and big, was most likely built in 1760 very close
to the one that burned down, in 1890 more additions were added and the house
grew to its present impressive size. After the first world war, when the
owner Gustav Kohnhorst saw that the value of his investments declined, he
decided to build a smaller home to live in and used the big one for farming
purposes, thus changed the interior for useful purposes.
Considering the size of the estate, 60 ha farmland, the buildings are many,
tall and large. When you leave to road to walk to the main entry you first
come to the Spieker (Food storage) building, its beams hold inscriptions
which I explain more closely on page 37.
This style of storage buildings were an important part of history over many
centuries, in our modern times it has been serving as a garage. More about
its rich past later.
On the left side is the pig stall, it was built in 1857 and held large herds
of pigs, the Kohnhorst family was well known for this, and even the present
owner is proud to continue in this tradition.
Other buildings on the farm are a large barn, a wood shed which ones served
as sheep barn, and an additional 3 barns, somewhat smaller.
The size of the estate was not always this big, although it may have been in
the 12th to 14th century. With the marriage of Johann Heinrich Kohnhorst to
Christine Akolk in 1835, another farm was added to the estate, bringing it
to 170 ha. According to the tax records of 1814, the following list shows
propery and usage of the farm estate Overbeck:
SEE PAGE 16, LOWER HALF CHART.
The following 2 pages show pictures of the estate
PAGE 17, Continuation of tax sheet.
( I did not translate archival documents because I do not understand the
language,
measurements, sizes, weights etc. are not in words I know.)
PAGES 18 and 19.
(This 2 pages are a list of description to the property, its trees, names of
different buildings, meadows and fields. I do not know how to translate this
words but I understand some of the sentences in between! Most of the
information is used for tax purposes. Many things written are assumption of
what likely happened.)
PAGE 20.
This page lists the property of the Alkoksche Family, it became part of the
Kohnhorst Estate after the marriage of a Kohnhorst to an Akolke.
The 30 year war caused deep wounds to the estate, taxes were increasing
annually, and towards the end of the war the family was forced to give some
animals instead of money.
It cannot be the purpose of a family tree to list taxes and fees relating to
the estate. Hopefully the above mentioned article is enough to go by. As of
late, the burdens, fees and taxes have varied due to the war years and
inflation.
House Inscriptions
The following aphorism is written on a beam in the house:
( I have difficulty translating this, as it is in very old German. I hope I
get the right meaning, I feel it may be more a talk with god, but it does
not say the word god even once!)
"Should I be plagued with staying in this hut for a while longer, so you
will overburden me with patience that I know.
My council, in the morning and evening visit me.
Let the worries over food not separate me from you.
Check my kidneys every moment, send me, so that I may stand guard before I
quickly pass away".
Joh. Adolf Engel – Anna Katrina Konhorst May 18th, 1819
ON THE STORAGE:
"Do good and faithfully, faithfully trust in god your lord, so that you will
live peacefully in this land. God will bless your good deeds, may your
hearts content be veered towards god.
So you shall be everything to him.
Granted, whatever you wish and what your heart desires.
Psalm 34 Verse 12
Joh. Henrich Kohnhorst – Johanne Christiana Sophie Toenjes, Jan.31st,1788.
ON THE PIGSTY:
Built by Ww. Catrine ( born Kohnhorst) and Heinrich Kohnhorst and
Bernhardine Schultefreckling, Ladbergen… Oct.1857
ON THE CHIMNEY:
G.H.Fiegenbaum – M. Cath. Hoge
Dated: Nov.4th,1760.
VIRTUAL TOUR OF OUR PROPERTY-2006
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