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THE STORY AS I KNOW IT

Johannes Maier was born Jan 20, 1688 in Bessingen an der Teck, Wurttemberg, Germany. A Maier Genealogy was written in the 1930's while a family member was living in Germany. However, I also have a copy of the Protestant church records of Bissingen microfilmed by the LDS library. The handwriting is in old German and the spelling varies but the detail matches what had been discovered in the 1930s. There is now a transcribed copy which I also have of the records on CD published byt eh LDS, Vital Records of Western Europeaan Chruch Records.  Sometimes the two records do not agree.   The CD records or in ( ) versus those from church records on Microfilm.  Given the nature of the old german script, the differences are in interpretation of the handwriting. 

His parents were Michael Maier and Anna Nagelin both of Bessingen.

Johannes married Anna Maria Gollen on Sept(or Nov). 18, 1710 in Bissingen, Wurttemberg, Germany. They had five known children, all born in Bissingen: 

1. Hans Georg born April 5, 1716 died a month later and his twin
2. Hans Michael born April 5, 1716 died within the week
3. Johannes born Oct 17, 1719 either died same day or was still born.
4. Johann Michael born Sept 4, 1720 wed Maria Ursula Kautter and died 1793.
5. Anna Maria born May 4, 1724 wed Jakob Blass. She died in 1755.

The death of young children was common, but this Maier line seems to have a tragic record:  Of Johannes' children, 60% died in infancy.  His son Johann Michael had 2 children die their first month, another die within 3 years and a fourth to live to age 14.  Then Johann Michael's son Cyriakus had 6 of 10 children die within their first month of life, and his son Johann Friedrick had 7 of 12 children die within the first months.  It would be very desireable to have a medical History of this family known.

Johannes died Dec. 10, 1753 at the age of 65. Anna Maria died Dec. 9, 1763.

In the area around Stuttgart, there are 3 towns that could fit the name "Bissingen". They are Bissingen, Bisingen, and Bissingen an der Teck. The full name is not always used in all the documnets, but it was used often enough to identify it as the Maier family village. Close by there is a Dettingen unter Teck. These villages are south east of Stuttgart. 

In the summer of 2003 we visited the village and saw the homesite of the family.  They lived in the middle of the village just steps from the Maienkirche, the village church.  The houses all contain small barns for holding farm tools.  The fields and orchards surround the village.  It is believed the Maiers were farmers.

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Maier_Associates: © Copyright 2003

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Date Last Edited: 9/10/2003