Now, a little bit on what we've learned from this visit to the Wust church and Katte family crypt. You may want to orient yourself with the family tree that I put together last month.
Wikipedia has Hans Heinrich dying May 31 (one-year anniversary of FW's death, for those of you for whom that date doesn't jump out at you) instead of May 30. But I went and dug up more info on Hans Heinrich's death, and found both corroborating evidence of the 30th, as well as new goodies.
In particular, I found a book entitled Briefe aus der zeit des ersten schlesischen kriege, "Letters from the time of the first Silesian War." Now, this is in fact the first Silesian War. FW died May 31, 1740, Fritz inherited, Fritz invaded Silesia in December 1740, he had his first real battle April 1741. Now it's May 1741, Hans Heinrich is in the camp at Gettien, and he's dying.
1) Where is Gettien? Near Brandenburg (so he's not far from home at all). Oh, you know what? We need a map showing everyone where Wust and Küstrin are wrt Berlin! Sorry, I take this information for granted by now.
Wust is too small to show at this resolution, so I put a W over it. Everything else I circled.
I've indicated Potsdam, Kostrzyn (Küstrin), and Genthin, which is the modern spelling of Gettien. I also circled Rheinsberg just so everyone can see where it is, even though it's not directly relevant to this discussion. Both Wust and Küstrin are about 100 km from Berlin, so 200 km from each other (the distance Hans Hermann's body had to travel).
Thus, you can see if Hans Heinrich is dying at Genthin, he's quite close to home. 20 km, it looks like.
Now, those letters from the first Silesian war give me two passages relevant to Hans Heinrich's death. On May 27, "Der General-Feld-Marschall Graf von Katte liegt nebst seiner Gemahlin im Lager bei Brandenburg tödlich krank damieder." "He's lying next to his wife, deathly ill, in the camp by Brandenburg."
Then on June 3, "sondern es ist auch aus dem Lager bey Brandenburg die Nachricht eingelaufen, daß daselbst am 30 passati Abends nach 6 Uhr S. Exc. der General-Feld-Marschall Graf von Katt aus dieser Zeit in die Ewigkeit verjetzt worden." "The news also came from the camp by Brandenburg that there on the evening of the 30th, after 6 o'clock, His Excellency Field Marshal von Katt passed into eternity."
Now, you may not realize it, but these letters contradict Wikipedia yet again! But they are consistent with the dates given in the crypt itself. Namely, that "next to his wife" bit. I had told selenak that Hans Hermann's stepmother, who was Hans Heinrich's second wife, died in 1736, because that's what Wikipedia told me. But if you check the picture above with the list of inhabitants of the tombs, number 2, Katharina Elisabeth von Bredow, second wife, doesn't die until 1754!
Strike 2 for Wikipedia. So I guess she must have been at Wust or in Berlin or somewhere and come to be by her dying husband. He was 59, and judging by "krank," it sounds like he's dying of natural causes rather than a wound (can "krank" be used of a wound?), which also makes sense if he's near Brandenburg instead of in Silesia. Unless perhaps he was on his way home to recover from a bad wound and it got infected or something. But we do know that illnesses run rampant in army camps, especially in the days before the importance of hygiene was discovered, so illness makes perfect sense. Especially at his age.
Oh, Wikipedia also has Hans Heinrich dying at Reckahn (10 km south of Brandenburg, so at least the right general vicinity), and buried in the Garrison Church (where Fritz and FW were initially buried until the Nazis moved them for safekeeping), then removed to the Südwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf in Berlin after the bombing of the Garrison Church. Well, Fontane claims he saw Hans Heinrich buried here in the crypt at Wust, and the Wust people today seem pretty sure that's him, so...strike 3? 4? for Wikipedia.
Now onto his first wife. Hans Hermann's mother. Wikipedia has her dying November 5, 1707 (in Brussels). The image of the list of tombs above has her (4) dying in 1706. Now, this is interesting, because my sources are pretty consistent about the crypt itself being built by Hans Heinrich in 1706/1707, and one mentions that he had to commission it, because his wife died suddenly (she would have been maybe 21 or 22 in 1706) and the normal burial place (my source says tower crypt, but I'm not sure what tower, because the church tower was only built in 1727; unless they mean *under* the tower that's now there) of the Kattes was overcrowded. So that would make sense if she died in 1706. So strike 5 for Wikipedia, probably.
That means she prooobably didn't die of the plague. Also, if you believe Wikipedia (ahahaha), her last child was born October 5, 1706. Dying suddenly in late 1706 would make sense if she died from childbirth, although not so much if she died November 5 instead of October 5. If you assume an off-by-one error on both month and year, she died in childbed. Otherwise, I don't know. She could have fallen downstairs and broken her neck, Amy Robsart-style. It's looking less and less likely that she died of the plague in 1707, though.
There's also that mysterious Hans Katte whose image is carved is in the Katteloge inside the church. My sources say he died 1716, age 11. I can't find anyone in Wikipedia or the genealogy sites that fits that description. However, if you trust the Wikipedia dates for the other kids (ahahaha), there's just enough time for one kid to have been born between Hans Hermann (February 1704) and Luise Charlotte (November 30, 1705) and be 11 in 1716. That would mean that Hans Heinrich named his first and second-born sons, a year apart, Hans. Now, while the Habsburgs were naming all their daughters Maria [Something Else] and calling them "Something Else", this does not appear to have been the custom of the Kattes. They seem to go for one Hans per generation, often but not always the oldest son.
But the timing fits, especially since we know Hans Heinrich was commissioning a crypt in 1706/1707, a manor in 1727, and a church tower in 1727. A carving in 1716 would fit right in.
So did Hans Hermann have a brother close in age who died young? I do not know!
2) Finally, Detective Mildred would like to match up all the tombs to their occupants.
I can't quite get them all with perfect confidence, but I can come close. Using the list posted on the wall of the crypt, assuming it goes in some kind of order, and supplementing it with external sources, my best guess is that, starting with the left coffin on the far wall next to Hans Hermann, it goes: 1) Friedrich Wilhelm (Hans Hermann's half brother who died in a duel), then 2) the blue and white one is Hans Hermann's stepmother, then 3) Hans Heinrich with the effigy that we're sure of, then 4) Hans Hermann's mom, then 5) Friedrich Albrecht, the other half-brother who died in a duel against the right wall. Going back to the left, 6) Hans Hermann's is the brown wooden one.
3) Then against the near wall by the door, there are two tombs behind the group of visitors, whom I believe are 8) Boot-Katte and 9) Marie von Katte (last of the Wust Katte family). You can see a close-up here, though I don't know which is which. In the background is Hans Hermann's tomb and a wreath on the floor in front of it.
Then to the right of the door, 10) the guy who was killed at Jena-Auerstadt, and finally, 11) Ludolf August, Hans Hermann's first cousin who married Lehndorff's "one who got away".
Ludolf August became heir to the Wust holdings after Hans Hermann was executed (1730), Hans Heinrich died in camp (1741), and the two brothers killed each other (1748), at which point (or shortly thereafter, 1751) Fritz started arranging a marriage of an heiress (Lehndorff's cousin) into the Katte family, without caring which Katte she married.
4) Here's a close-up of Ludolf August's tomb, and a glimpse of the one in front of it, Jena-Auerstadt guy's.
5) If you're curious about the 11th tomb, the one inside the church behind the altar, which belongs to Hans Heinrich's dad's first wife, who is not related to any of our Kattes and died before Hans Heinrich was born, it looks like this:
Outstanding questions I would ask and things I would do if I went there/dubconned someone else into going ;): 1. What did Hans Heinrich die of? Why was he at camp near Brandenburg? Did he go to Silesia? Was he on his way back because he was sick? Was he wounded? 2. When exactly did Dorothee Sophie von Katte die? 1706 or 1707? Do we know of what? 3. Where are the previous generations of von Kattes buried? CAN I SEE THEM. 4. Who's Hans Katte, d. 1716? When was he born? Was he the son of Hans Heinrich and Dorothee Sophie? Where is he buried? Do we know what he died of? 5. Match up all the tombs for sure, and get the writing on each one, especially the one on the far right that I think is the brother who died in the duel. He seems to have a lengthy inscription. Do we know any more details on this duel? One of my sources says "over a woman" and another says "over the inheritance." 6. Get good-quality close-up photos of all the info on the walls, including the pictures of the opened tombs. 7. What are all the documentary sources for all this information?? Do they have any other information that is of interest to gossipy sensationalists? 8. Can I kind of maybe just get a glimpse of the 1729 Hans Hermann painting, or even a picture of the same? I just want to know what it looks like, I don't need to see the original or anything. Pleeeeeaaase??
In conclusion, if you ever feel the urge to comment on "all the detail" in a fic, I might have had a hand in that fic. :D
Wanderungen: Katte at Wust 2
Wikipedia has Hans Heinrich dying May 31 (one-year anniversary of FW's death, for those of you for whom that date doesn't jump out at you) instead of May 30. But I went and dug up more info on Hans Heinrich's death, and found both corroborating evidence of the 30th, as well as new goodies.
In particular, I found a book entitled Briefe aus der zeit des ersten schlesischen kriege, "Letters from the time of the first Silesian War." Now, this is in fact the first Silesian War. FW died May 31, 1740, Fritz inherited, Fritz invaded Silesia in December 1740, he had his first real battle April 1741. Now it's May 1741, Hans Heinrich is in the camp at Gettien, and he's dying.
1) Where is Gettien? Near Brandenburg (so he's not far from home at all). Oh, you know what? We need a map showing everyone where Wust and Küstrin are wrt Berlin! Sorry, I take this information for granted by now.
Wust is too small to show at this resolution, so I put a W over it. Everything else I circled.
I've indicated Potsdam, Kostrzyn (Küstrin), and Genthin, which is the modern spelling of Gettien. I also circled Rheinsberg just so everyone can see where it is, even though it's not directly relevant to this discussion. Both Wust and Küstrin are about 100 km from Berlin, so 200 km from each other (the distance Hans Hermann's body had to travel).
Thus, you can see if Hans Heinrich is dying at Genthin, he's quite close to home. 20 km, it looks like.
Now, those letters from the first Silesian war give me two passages relevant to Hans Heinrich's death. On May 27, "Der General-Feld-Marschall Graf von Katte liegt nebst seiner Gemahlin im Lager bei Brandenburg tödlich krank damieder." "He's lying next to his wife, deathly ill, in the camp by Brandenburg."
Then on June 3, "sondern es ist auch aus dem Lager bey Brandenburg die Nachricht eingelaufen, daß daselbst am 30 passati Abends nach 6 Uhr S. Exc. der General-Feld-Marschall Graf von Katt aus dieser Zeit in die Ewigkeit verjetzt worden." "The news also came from the camp by Brandenburg that there on the evening of the 30th, after 6 o'clock, His Excellency Field Marshal von Katt passed into eternity."
Now, you may not realize it, but these letters contradict Wikipedia yet again! But they are consistent with the dates given in the crypt itself. Namely, that "next to his wife" bit. I had told
Strike 2 for Wikipedia. So I guess she must have been at Wust or in Berlin or somewhere and come to be by her dying husband. He was 59, and judging by "krank," it sounds like he's dying of natural causes rather than a wound (can "krank" be used of a wound?), which also makes sense if he's near Brandenburg instead of in Silesia. Unless perhaps he was on his way home to recover from a bad wound and it got infected or something. But we do know that illnesses run rampant in army camps, especially in the days before the importance of hygiene was discovered, so illness makes perfect sense. Especially at his age.
Oh, Wikipedia also has Hans Heinrich dying at Reckahn (10 km south of Brandenburg, so at least the right general vicinity), and buried in the Garrison Church (where Fritz and FW were initially buried until the Nazis moved them for safekeeping), then removed to the Südwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf in Berlin after the bombing of the Garrison Church. Well, Fontane claims he saw Hans Heinrich buried here in the crypt at Wust, and the Wust people today seem pretty sure that's him, so...strike 3? 4? for Wikipedia.
Now onto his first wife. Hans Hermann's mother. Wikipedia has her dying November 5, 1707 (in Brussels). The image of the list of tombs above has her (4) dying in 1706. Now, this is interesting, because my sources are pretty consistent about the crypt itself being built by Hans Heinrich in 1706/1707, and one mentions that he had to commission it, because his wife died suddenly (she would have been maybe 21 or 22 in 1706) and the normal burial place (my source says tower crypt, but I'm not sure what tower, because the church tower was only built in 1727; unless they mean *under* the tower that's now there) of the Kattes was overcrowded. So that would make sense if she died in 1706. So strike 5 for Wikipedia, probably.
That means she prooobably didn't die of the plague. Also, if you believe Wikipedia (ahahaha), her last child was born October 5, 1706. Dying suddenly in late 1706 would make sense if she died from childbirth, although not so much if she died November 5 instead of October 5. If you assume an off-by-one error on both month and year, she died in childbed. Otherwise, I don't know. She could have fallen downstairs and broken her neck, Amy Robsart-style. It's looking less and less likely that she died of the plague in 1707, though.
There's also that mysterious Hans Katte whose image is carved is in the Katteloge inside the church. My sources say he died 1716, age 11. I can't find anyone in Wikipedia or the genealogy sites that fits that description. However, if you trust the Wikipedia dates for the other kids (ahahaha), there's just enough time for one kid to have been born between Hans Hermann (February 1704) and Luise Charlotte (November 30, 1705) and be 11 in 1716. That would mean that Hans Heinrich named his first and second-born sons, a year apart, Hans. Now, while the Habsburgs were naming all their daughters Maria [Something Else] and calling them "Something Else", this does not appear to have been the custom of the Kattes. They seem to go for one Hans per generation, often but not always the oldest son.
But the timing fits, especially since we know Hans Heinrich was commissioning a crypt in 1706/1707, a manor in 1727, and a church tower in 1727. A carving in 1716 would fit right in.
So did Hans Hermann have a brother close in age who died young? I do not know!
2) Finally, Detective Mildred would like to match up all the tombs to their occupants.
I can't quite get them all with perfect confidence, but I can come close. Using the list posted on the wall of the crypt, assuming it goes in some kind of order, and supplementing it with external sources, my best guess is that, starting with the left coffin on the far wall next to Hans Hermann, it goes: 1) Friedrich Wilhelm (Hans Hermann's half brother who died in a duel), then 2) the blue and white one is Hans Hermann's stepmother, then 3) Hans Heinrich with the effigy that we're sure of, then 4) Hans Hermann's mom, then 5) Friedrich Albrecht, the other half-brother who died in a duel against the right wall. Going back to the left, 6) Hans Hermann's is the brown wooden one.
3) Then against the near wall by the door, there are two tombs behind the group of visitors, whom I believe are 8) Boot-Katte and 9) Marie von Katte (last of the Wust Katte family). You can see a close-up here, though I don't know which is which. In the background is Hans Hermann's tomb and a wreath on the floor in front of it.
Then to the right of the door, 10) the guy who was killed at Jena-Auerstadt, and finally, 11) Ludolf August, Hans Hermann's first cousin who married Lehndorff's "one who got away".
Ludolf August became heir to the Wust holdings after Hans Hermann was executed (1730), Hans Heinrich died in camp (1741), and the two brothers killed each other (1748), at which point (or shortly thereafter, 1751) Fritz started arranging a marriage of an heiress (Lehndorff's cousin) into the Katte family, without caring which Katte she married.
4) Here's a close-up of Ludolf August's tomb, and a glimpse of the one in front of it, Jena-Auerstadt guy's.
5) If you're curious about the 11th tomb, the one inside the church behind the altar, which belongs to Hans Heinrich's dad's first wife, who is not related to any of our Kattes and died before Hans Heinrich was born, it looks like this:
Outstanding questions I would ask and things I would do if I went there/dubconned someone else into going ;):
1. What did Hans Heinrich die of? Why was he at camp near Brandenburg? Did he go to Silesia? Was he on his way back because he was sick? Was he wounded?
2. When exactly did Dorothee Sophie von Katte die? 1706 or 1707? Do we know of what?
3. Where are the previous generations of von Kattes buried? CAN I SEE THEM.
4. Who's Hans Katte, d. 1716? When was he born? Was he the son of Hans Heinrich and Dorothee Sophie? Where is he buried? Do we know what he died of?
5. Match up all the tombs for sure, and get the writing on each one, especially the one on the far right that I think is the brother who died in the duel. He seems to have a lengthy inscription. Do we know any more details on this duel? One of my sources says "over a woman" and another says "over the inheritance."
6. Get good-quality close-up photos of all the info on the walls, including the pictures of the opened tombs.
7. What are all the documentary sources for all this information?? Do they have any other information that is of interest to gossipy sensationalists?
8. Can I kind of maybe just get a glimpse of the 1729 Hans Hermann painting, or even a picture of the same? I just want to know what it looks like, I don't need to see the original or anything. Pleeeeeaaase??
In conclusion, if you ever feel the urge to comment on "all the detail" in a fic, I might have had a hand in that fic. :D