The hamlet of Rinthe, Germany in a not yet bygone era
One of Marie’s ancestral villages is right out of a storybook which could be entitled, “Most Perfectly-Preserved German Farm Hamlets.”
Rinthe consists of a dozen farms and absolutely nothing else. The scene is right out of the 1700s and most of the farm houses and barns were built in this period and still retain their historic character. The photograph above shows part of the village from a hillside to the north. Those who yearn to experience the rural life of Germany should go to the area of Wittgenstein and stay a few days.
In the foreground to the right, is “Haus No. 1” of Rinthe, “Schreiners.” The concept of houses having a name and a complete history of the occupants was something new to me when I first came to Germany in 2004. I was happy that I had just found the ancestral towns of my ancestors ! But to find the actual homes was entirely unexpected. Of course, homes had been renovated or completely replaced in the 200 years since my ancestors had emigrated. However, the house histories proved that I was related to nearly everyone in town.
In this case, Schreiners was named during the tenure of Georg Muesse, a first cousin of my ancestor Zyriakus Muesse.
There were 9 original houses in Rinthe, as of 1820. Across the street from Schreiners are Koffmans, Jockwewes, Kuenze, and Wosse/Theiss.