1822 Johann Heinrich Krückeberg Death

Family Group and Other Facts

Decedent
Name	Occupation/Status	Residence	Religion
Johann Heinrich Krückeberg	Liebzüchter (see below)	no. 10 Bärenbusch	Lutheran

Decedent Facts
Place of Death	Time and Date	Age	Cause of Death	Date of Burial	Place of Burial
Bärenbush	21 March 1822, 10 a.m.	debility of old age	78 years, 2 mo., 3 weeks	24 March 1822	Petzen

Survivors Facts
Surivors
2 sons

What is a Leibzüchter?

The term „Leibzüchter“ is an old and regionally specific German term, particularly used in areas like Schaumburg-Lippe, that refers to a retired farmer who retains a life estate on a farm—someone who has passed the working operation of the farm to a successor (usually a son) but continues to live on the farm with guaranteed rights.

Literal Breakdown

Leib = body (here meaning “for life”)
Züchter = from ziehen, meaning “to cultivate,” “to rear,” or “to manage”

So, “Leibzüchter” literally means “one who cultivates or resides for life”, but idiomatically it refers to a retired farmer with lifelong residence rights.

Precise English Translations

Depending on context, you could translate Leibzüchter as:

“Retired farmer with life tenancy”
“Life tenant farmer”
“Former farm owner with lifelong residence rights”
“Retired cultivator under a life estate”

Historical and Legal Context

In traditional German rural inheritance customs, especially under Anerbenrecht, the farm was passed on intact to a single heir (the Anerbe). The parents would:

Transfer ownership of the farm, and
Retain the right to live on the property (often in a secondary house or part of the main house),
Receive support (e.g. food, firewood, clothing, care), as laid out in a Leibgeding (a written contract of lifelong support).

A Leibzüchter was typically the father who had formally transferred the farm and now lived under the terms of the Leibgeding.

Citation

The death of Johann Heinrich Krückeberg Death in 1822 is found on image 313, on pages 652 and 652 of Petzen Kirchenbuch volume "Verzeichnis der Getauften, Konfirmierten, Getrauten und Gestorbenen 1785-1827".

Pages 652 and 653

Header and Column Headings:

Figure 1. Page 652 Overview (Click to enlarge)

Page 652:

Figure 2. Johann Heinrich Krückeberg (Click to enlarge)

Page 653:

Figure 3. Johann Heinrich Krückeberg (Click to enlarge)

Transliteration and Translation of Pages 652 and 653

Transliteration of Page Header

652   Gestorbene in Kirchspiel Petzen (Deaths in Petzen Parish)                im Jahr (in the year) 1822                                653

The unusal word Leibzüchter in the record below.

Leibzüchter is an unusual word. It has only occurred in one other record of interest: the marriage of Anna Marie Weiland in 1791 to Heinrich Tellermann. It is defined in Ernest Thode’s German English Genealogical Dictionary, and a definition is also given in this online Old German Word List:

Leibzüchter(in): person on life estate (Thode’s German English Genealogical Dictionary).
Leibzüchter(in): life-annuitant (H); person living on a Leibzucht or life estate[-in ending is feminine] (Online source)

Transliteration: entry 1, in year 1822, for Johann Heinrich Krückeberg
Zahl	Name, Stand, Religion, Gewerbe, Geburts u. bisheriger Wohnort des Vestorbene	Zeit u. Ort des Todes u. des Begräbenises	Ursaches Todes	Alter	Ledig oder verheÿrathet	Hinterbliebende	Bemerkerungen
5	Johann Heinrich Krückeberg, Leib- züchter auf no. 10 in Bärenbusch. Uth. Conf.	starb d. 21ten März morgens 10 Uhr in Bärenbusch, u. wurde begraben d. 24tne März in Petzen	Altersschwäche	in einem Alter von 78 Jahren 2 Monten 3 Wochen	Wittver	hinterläßt 2 Söhne

Translation: entry 1, in year 1822, for Johann Heinrich Krückeberg
No.	Name, Status, Religion, Trade, Birth- and previous Residence of the Deceased	Time and Place of Death and of the Funeral[Burial]	Cauase of Death	Age	Single or Married	Survivors	Remark[s]
5	Johann Heinrich Krückeberg, life-annuitant: Retired farmer with life tenancy	died the 21^st March 10am in Bärenbusch, and was buried 24^th March in Petzen	debility of old age	78 years, 2 months, 3 weeks	widower	survived by 2 sons

References

[image313] "Archion Protestant Kirchenbücher Portal", database with images, Archion (http://www.archion.de/p/f57385caa9/ : 25 October 2023), path: Niedersachsen > Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv > Kirchenbücher der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Landeskirche Schaumburg-Lippe > Petzen > Verzeichnis der Getauften, Konfirmierten, Getrauten und Gestorbenen 1785-1827 > Image 5 of 357