Böttcher Ancestors
18th Century Cooper
Our Böttcher ancestors (Opa's), originated in the Brandenburg state of Prussia, or Preußen (Preussen). For many decades they lived in and around the city of Landsberg an der Warthe (Warte River). Today this is known as Gorzów Wielkopolski and is a city in Poland.
Some of our Jebram ancestors (Omi's), came from Usdau in the Prussian, Neidenburg district. That is now Uzdowo, Poland.
Some History: Germanic and Slavic tribes have lived and fought over the territories along the Baltic Sea and northern Europe since about 500 B.C. About 700 years ago the Germans established the kingdom of Prussia. It wasn't until n 1934 that the Nazis assimilated Prussia into the "Third Reich." After the devasting end of World War II, millions of Germans were expelled from Brandenburg (1946-47) and the area was given to Poland. However, in the early 1900's most of our Böttcher ancestors had already moved to the capital of Berlin.
Some of our Jebram ancestors (Omi's), came from Usdau in the Prussian, Neidenburg district. That is now Uzdowo, Poland.
Some History: Germanic and Slavic tribes have lived and fought over the territories along the Baltic Sea and northern Europe since about 500 B.C. About 700 years ago the Germans established the kingdom of Prussia. It wasn't until n 1934 that the Nazis assimilated Prussia into the "Third Reich." After the devasting end of World War II, millions of Germans were expelled from Brandenburg (1946-47) and the area was given to Poland. However, in the early 1900's most of our Böttcher ancestors had already moved to the capital of Berlin.
"Where we came from..."This map (right) shows the extent of Prussia (in light blue) from 1871 to 1918.
If you click on it you can locate the cities of Landsberg, Küstrin, and Berlin. Each of these cities played a major role in the lives of the Böttcher's. Usdau, where some of the Jebram's came from, is on the far right... |
The Art of the Cooper
The name Böttcher means "cooper," so it is believed that the earliest family members followed this craft. Coopers spend many years learning the art of creating wooden barrels, and other items... but in Germany one of their main uses has always been for storing beer!
Besides barrels, a cooper made and repaired many wooden items. These were all crafted by hand and no glue was used. Some barrels last 80-100 years. Since "Böttcher" is a common name in Germany and is found in documents dating back to 1572, it is believed that "coopers" were some of the most important specialists of the Middle Ages.
Besides barrels, a cooper made and repaired many wooden items. These were all crafted by hand and no glue was used. Some barrels last 80-100 years. Since "Böttcher" is a common name in Germany and is found in documents dating back to 1572, it is believed that "coopers" were some of the most important specialists of the Middle Ages.
More on Coopering
"Coopering is divided into three branches: wet, dry and white. Wet Coopers make casks such as barrels for liquids; Dry Coopers make flour barrels and nail kegs; and White Coopers make household items including buckets, butter churns, piggins, butter carriers and wooden tubs.
A tree is cut into desired lengths and split with wedges and froe to form stave blanks. These blanks are stacked and allowed to air dry for several months. [The wood can come from a white oak, sassafras, cedar, black walnut, white pine, etc. Oak is the most often used.] The staves are rough cut to length and then tapered with a side hatchet. White coopered containers have straight sides, but one end of the stave is wider than the other end. The edges of the staves must be planed straight but at the correct angle and taper. The angle changes with the diameter of the container.
The staves are now ready to be “raised” into a container. A sack full of shavings hold the staves in place while they are formed into a circle. A groove (croze) is cut around the inside of the container for the bottom. The bottom is tapered to fit into the croze and form a water tight fit. Hoops are split from a freshly cut white oak tree four to eight inches in diameter. The hoop is shaved down to size and the latch is cut. Steaming is needed for the smaller diameter hoops. The hoops are put on and pegged if necessary. The container is ready for final smoothing using a spokeshave, plane, rasp, or sandpaper. If it is to hold water, swelling [by steaming] will seal up any leaks." [ W. T. Hines and Sons, Greeneville, Tennessee]
Click: Barrel Making to learn more.
A good read is: "Coopering" in The Forgotten Crafts, by John Seymour, Alfred A. Knopf, N.Y., 1984, pages 86-95
A tree is cut into desired lengths and split with wedges and froe to form stave blanks. These blanks are stacked and allowed to air dry for several months. [The wood can come from a white oak, sassafras, cedar, black walnut, white pine, etc. Oak is the most often used.] The staves are rough cut to length and then tapered with a side hatchet. White coopered containers have straight sides, but one end of the stave is wider than the other end. The edges of the staves must be planed straight but at the correct angle and taper. The angle changes with the diameter of the container.
The staves are now ready to be “raised” into a container. A sack full of shavings hold the staves in place while they are formed into a circle. A groove (croze) is cut around the inside of the container for the bottom. The bottom is tapered to fit into the croze and form a water tight fit. Hoops are split from a freshly cut white oak tree four to eight inches in diameter. The hoop is shaved down to size and the latch is cut. Steaming is needed for the smaller diameter hoops. The hoops are put on and pegged if necessary. The container is ready for final smoothing using a spokeshave, plane, rasp, or sandpaper. If it is to hold water, swelling [by steaming] will seal up any leaks." [ W. T. Hines and Sons, Greeneville, Tennessee]
Click: Barrel Making to learn more.
A good read is: "Coopering" in The Forgotten Crafts, by John Seymour, Alfred A. Knopf, N.Y., 1984, pages 86-95
Berlin-Panorama © Copyright photo by Patrick Beser. Used by permission. The Cooper print is out of copyright. The anatomy of a barrel appears to be in the public domain.
Piggins and Butter carriers © Copyright W. T. Hines and Sons, Greeneville, Tennessee. Used by permission.
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