Gustav Friedrich is the third generation in the succession of our German von Pressentin ancestors. He was one of the three sons of Nicolaus Otto who founded the three "Houses" (branches) of the family. From Gustav onward, our branch was known as the "Stieten-Jesdendorf" House, those names referring to the estate owned by Gustav's father (Stieten) and Gustav's own estate, known as "Jesendorf." Gustav's brothers founded the "Stieten-Gross-Kussewitz House" and the "Stieten-Sternberger Rittersitz House." At the time Book I of The History of the Family von Pressentin was written in 1899, the author said:
The "Stieten-Gross-Kussewitz House" has gone extinct, but both of the other Houses flourish with many branches in Mecklenburg, Prussia, the United States of North America, and Australia.
Gustav's birthplace: He was born at Parchim on November 27, 1715. [Parchim is about ten miles south of Prestin] Gustav was the sixth son of Nicolaus of Stieten and was probably named after his brother of the same name who died in infancy.
His occupation: Gustav Friedrich was a page at the court of Duke Christian Ludwig of Mecklenburg for 6 years and then in 1736 he entered military service with the Hannoverian Dragoon Regiment v. Wend at Drakeburg.
Gustav's Military ServiceGustav was in the Hannoverian service, where he occupied the position of junior officer and adjutant with the von Wend Dragoon Regiment at Drakenburg. [Drakenburg is northwest of Hannover.]However, he took his discharge from this service on April 18, 1738. He then went to Schleswig-Holstein, (see map on page 3) where he soon received his commission as lieutenant at Kiel on April 20, 1738, and from there was promoted to staff captain. As such, one of his duties was to recruit a company for the Imperial service. He then transferred to the Mecklenburg Ducal military service and was placed with a commission as a captain. In July 1750 Gustav was stationed in Röbel, and at other times was also posted to Neustadt and Parchim. On May 1, 1754 Gustav was transferred to the Jung-Zülow Regiment and was again posted to the garrison at Neustadt. ["Mapquest" found too many "Neustadts"--I am not sure of the location of Gustav's post at Neustadt.] He became a major and finally was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on April 18, 1755. In 1780 he received his requested discharge. |
WHAT'S A DRAGOON??[For those of us who are militarily challenged] |
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SITES
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The Jesendorf Estate and the Sternberg Rittersitz (Knight's Manor)
Jesendorf (see red star on map below) was an old estate, dating back to at least 1235. It passed through many hands, and was acquired by Gustav Friedrich in 1744. Sixteen years later, in 1760, Gustav received permission from "the sovereign" to pawn the estate for 20 years. When the loan came due, Gustav was unable to make payment and the estate became the property of the man who had made the loan in 1760. In 1782 Jesendorf left our family.
In Book I, the area of the Jesendorf estate is described as being 614 hectares, of which 369 hectares were farm, 112 hectares woods and 57 hectares meadows and pastures. The last owner leased the property and sold it to a settlement community, which settled it in 1932. A remnant of 190 hectares was left after the division. (And, for those of us who are STILL metrically challenged, a hectare is equal to about 2 1/2 acres.)
In 1764 Gustav acquired the Sternberger Rittersitz (Knight's Manor) in pawn from his older brother, Claus Otto, and lived in Sternberg after his retirement. In 1775 he sold the Rittersitz again. However, after his retirement he lived there as a renter until his death. Gustav died at the Rittersitz on January 27, 1790 in his 75th year; his body was buried in the family crypt at Jesendorf. In this vault, presumably, Gustav also rests with his two wives.
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Location of Jesendorf, Gustav's estate Sternberg (No. 2) and Prestin (No. 3) |
Marriage(s):
1) Gustav was married twice. In his first marriage he was wedded at Möderitz on February 12, 1741 to Henriette Anna Sophie von Plessen of the House of Raden, (born 1720), daughter of Royal Polish Captain Helmuth Otto von Plessen. He lost Henriette through death at Neustadt on April 14, 1754 after the birth of her 10th child. She sleeps the last sleep at Jesendorf.
2) His second wife, from 1756, was Ilsabe Katharina von Zepelin, widow of von Behr of the House of Thürkow. She died on July 5, 1771 and was buried in Jesendorf.
Children: There were children only from the first marriage, namely:
- Gustav Ludwig, baptized December 17, 1741
- Karl Bernhard Ludwig, b. 1743
- Lucia Dorothea, born 1744, was registered on December 3, 1744 as no. 305 at Dobbertin Cloister but died young.
- Helena Elisabeth Amalia, born in 1746, was also registered at Dobbertin Cloister (no. 322) but she died before 1753.
- Bernd Wigand, b. 1747
- Gustav Friedrich, b. June 28, 1749
- Johann Otto Christoph, b. July 14, 1750.
- Lucia Dorothea, born between April 4 and September 23, 1751 and registered as no. 358 in Dobbertin Cloister, became a Konventualin of this cloister and died there before 1821.
- Helena Elisabeth Amalia was born at the beginning of 1753 and registered at Kloster Ribnitz. She died at Sternberg on August 15, 1813.
- Sophia Maria Juliana, baptized on April 2, 1754 at Neustadt, died young.
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The Cloistered Life for von Pressentin SpinstersThe von Pressentin daughters are not overlooked in the family history books. In the listing of Gustav's children (above) you will note that each of his daughters was "registered at a cloister" as an infant. Gustav's eighth child, Lucia Dorothea, was registered at Dobbertin, and ultimately went there to live as a "Konventualin" (equivalent to the Catholic "nun") and died at the cloister. A von Pressentin woman, Auguste von Pressentin (1860 - 1951) was Domina (equivalent to the Catholic "Mother Superior") at Dobbertin from 1925 - 1936. After the Reformation was introduced in Mecklenburg in 1548, the nobility took over former wealthy Catholic convents which became "trusts" and homes for their unmarried daughters. In the convent, each spinster was entitled to her own house, her servants, and an income. With all the wealth that came with the convent, these maiden ladies lived very well. Under the rules of the trust the noble families registered their new-born daughters at one of three convents in the region. The first-born daughter of the von Pressentin family was registered at Dobbertin, and her younger siblings would be slated for the other convents at Ribnitz and Malchow, if they did not marry. In 2003, while in Mecklenburg seeking out von Pressentin connections, Karen and I came to Dobbertin to see the former Benedictine Catholic convent--once extremely rich and powerful with extensive land holdings all around the area. We learned that the convent was dissolved in 1945 when Soviet forces took possession of Dobbertin and the spinsters were forced to leave. After WW II, the former convent was converted to a nursing home for over 500 people, and in 1961 it became a home for mentally and physically disabled persons. Read more about our tour of Dobbertin.
A former noble spinster's apartment at Dobbertin
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