Faustle der Alt

• General Notes
  • [From Frank Wolff's Family History]
    
    The village of Braunsbach is located in the current state of Baden-Weurtemburg in a region called Schwaben (Swabia). From 1810 until World War I, Weurtemberg was a kingdom within the German Reich. In the 16th Century, Braunsbach was a barony which changed ownership several times in the next 200 years. But most of this time, the actual propriators of the Braunsbach estate were absentee landlords who appointed an administrator (mayor) to govern the village on a daily basis.
    
    The first Jews appeared in Braunsbach around 1600. In 1606, the local land register mentions three Jewish households who paid tax on their houses in the amount of 10 Shilling Heller, one spring chicken for mardi-gras and one or two autumn chickens. During the Thirty Years War, Jews disappeared from the village. At war's end, shen an orderly administration was again possible, Jews returned. No records of their whereabouts during the chaos of the war have been found.
    
    A newly started village tax register shows the Jew Marx as a resident in 1649. Also, from 1649-1653, Liebmann owned a house that was later transferred to Heimle (Hayum), son of Marx. In 1682, two cattle dealers named Simon and Hutzog moved into town from Gaildorf, a nearby village. They were followed by others and by 1684/85, six Jewish families had been given permission to live in the hamlet. The total annual tax (Schutzgeld) paid for the residence permit (Schutz) of those families was 100 fl.(Gulden). For permission to hold religious services, in the house of the "old Jew Marx", they paid 30 fl. annually but this was reduced to 15 fl. in 1695. When a Jew died, his annual Schutzgeld was prorated to the day of death. Widows and orphans did not have to pay. By 1698, the small but growing Jewish community could afford to employ its own school master, Isaak. He was promoted to rabbi before 1705.
    
    Once a Jewish family had been admitted as residents, they rarely moved away from the village. However when daughters married, they left to live in the home town of their husbands. Most people died in their home town after reaching a relatively high age. thus, over time, Braunsbach became home to many generations of Jewish families, our own included. Divorces were very rare, but disputes amongst the Jewish families and between Jews and Christians were common. In these cases, the Jewish community, where possible, tried to settle its own problems but often the village administration got into the act and imposed hefty fines.
    
    By 1705, thirteen Jewish households existed in Braunsbach, among them, that of our earliest known ancestor from that locality, Faustle or Faistle, later known as Faustle der Alt (Faustle the Elder). He was granted a residence contract (Schutz) sometime before 1705 probably when he was in his twenties and had moved out of his father's house. He died in 1751, so it is reasonable to assume that he was born sometime in the 1680s. most likely he was an offspring of one of those six Jewish families who are know to have been residents of the vilage in 1685. If I may be allowed one more little speculation, I would postulate that Faustle was the son of the cattle dealer Simon who had moved into the village in 1682 as previously mentioned. This conjecture is based on the fact that Faustle's son was Simon Faustle who was also a cattle dealer. Sons were aften named after their grandfather.
    
    Faustle the Elder paid a Schutzgeld (residence tax) of 16 fl. in 1795/06, a considerable sum in those days. In  1715, one of 23 Jewish families, was listed in a Braunsbach accunting as consisting of his wife, a son, four daughters and one Jewish male servant. He must have been fairly well off since only one other household with a servant is listed. I have no information on his business, but many Jewish people were cattle and/or Horse traders in that rural district. They had good relations with the farmers in the area, concluding deals with them that provided reasonable monthly payments and guaranteeing the health of the animals over a period of time. Indeed extending credit tp the farmers was essential since they had no cash reserves. The dealers bought and sold the farm animals, thus conducting a crucial, and often lucrative, broker service. Because of stiff competition however, a few got rich but most just made a modest living.
    
    Faustle apparently prospered and was able to buy a half interest in a house for 140 fl. in 1722. the other partner in the house may have been a brother or perhaps one or more of his children. On March 31, 1732, the Braunsbach Jewish community was able to begin construction of its own synagogue at a cost of 1070 fl. It was Faustle the elder who signed the sixteen clause construction contract in the name of the congregation, a fact that attests to his high standing among his peers.
    
    The growing congregation also needed a cemetery of its own since the existing arrangement with a Jewish cemetery in a nearby town required long and cumbersome funeral processions over miles of rough roads and often in bad weather. In 1747, the community was able to establish its own cemetery, located on a hillside that was formerly used for wine growing but had long been unproductive. The cemetery exists to this day. The gravestones, inscribed in Hebrew, are severely weathered and dificult to decypher.
    
    The Braunsbach Jewish community constituted a sizable fraction of the town's total population. In 1717, the Jewish population was 22.5% of the total population of 484 souls. In 1738, it was 17.5% and by 1750, this had risen to 19% of 709 villagers.
    

Details of Faustle der's family with Unknown