B.VI.c. Bernhard von Köhl (1693-1762) - captain & head guild master

Bernhard Köhl was born in 1693 in Chur in the Prixinerhaus, where his parents lived for rent. The Prixinerhaus had been bought by his great-grandfather, gatekeeper Peter Köhl, in 1646 and had been in the possession of the Köhl family since then. His father was a pastor in Haldenstein. 2 years later his sister Lydia Maria was born. Only 1 year later his mother Anna Dorothea died, leaving his father alone with the two small children. When his grandfather, Mayor Bernhard von Köhl (1624-†1700), died, Bernhard was 7 years old. Bernhard thus spent his first 12 years of life in Chur and grew up without a mother. In 1705, the small family probably moved to Untervaz, where his father now served as pastor.

Bernhard seems to have had an early military career, was a lieutenant in the service of the French envoy Dominique Bernardony and a captain in the service of the hereditary governor of the Netherlands^[3].

In 1719 Bernhard was admitted to the shoemakers' guild, so he must have lived in Chur before. As a master shoemaker and member of the shoemakers' guild, he probably also ran his own business. Since he was the only male descendant of his father, he inherited all of his father's properties in 1727 and thus came into a considerable fortune. According to the tax roll of 1733, this included parts of houses on Obere Gasse and in Süessen Winkel as well as various meadows, fields and vineyards and also the Köhlsche Plessurgut. In addition, he also owned various promissory bills. His assets amounted to 6900 Churer gulden.

2 years later, at the age of 36, he married in Chur the 18-year-old Salome Janett (1711-†1758), daughter of Captain Sebastian Janett and Ursula Pellizari. Captain Sebastian Janett was a member of the Chur Court of Profects from 1710 to 1736^[5]. His son Peter had died as a child and Salome was now the only child of the couple.

In 1731 he is mentioned for the first time in a document as head guild master. In 1735, head guild master Bernhard Köhl had the Spanish wall on the guild of shoemakers rebuilt^[42]. Also, in 1734 his name and the family coat of arms were immortalized on a ceramic plate of the tower kiln in the town chancellery of Chur. This stove stands today in the council chamber of the town hall of Chur.

Head guild master of the shoemaker guild

In 1721 Berhard was appointed guildmaster for the first time and in 1731 he was elected head guildmaster. At that time, relatives of his were also active in the same guild: Peter Reidt, councilor and son of his aunt Emerita Köhl, and Bernhard Cleric, councilor and son of Sibilla Köhl. In 1734, his name and the family coat of arms were immortalized on a ceramic plate of the tower stove in the municipal office of Chur. This stove is today in the council chamber of the town hall of Chur.

In 1735, head guild master Bernhard Köhl also had the Spanish wall on the guild of shoemakers rebuilt^[40]. As head guild master, he was a respected figure in Chur and also held various political functions. Thus, in 1736, the President of the Swiss Confederation (Grey Confederation) sent Bernhard as Chur's negotiator to Schuls (Scoul, Engadin) to settle disputes between the Marni and Planta families of Zernez^[9]. He also represented the city of Chur on various occasions such as boundary stone laying ceremonies. However, he was not elected for any important offices within the Chur city administration.

In February 1737, his father-in-law Captain Sebastian Janett died at the age of 59. The capable widow Ursula Janett-Pellizari successfully continued her husband's business and supported her daughter in the household. The Köhl-Janett family probably moved into the Janett family home at Storchengasse 17 (Haus Carolina) shortly after Captain Janett's death. According to the tax book of the city of Chur, in 1727 Berhard lived in the same house as the widow Ursula Janett.

In 1738 his sister Lydia Maria died at the age of only 43. She had been married twice, had lost her two children early as well as her first husband, city councilor Johann Ulrich Bavier. She died shortly after marrying her second husband, Dr. Peter von Reidt. Bernhard now had no parents and no siblings. But he also had to carry many of his children to the grave. Between 1737 and 1739, 4 of his children died, leaving only Ursula and Sebastian for the grieving father. His daughter Maria was buried in the Köhl tree garden in the sand.

Perhaps these sad losses were also the reason that he ended his military career in 1739. For his services he received a pension of 10 louis d'or from the French envoy Dominique Bernardony. This amount was paid semi-annually until the end of his life^[43]. This would correspond today to an annual pension of about 40,000 Sfr.

In the same year, well master Friedrich Köhl bought an apartment in the same house from councilman Peter Martin Rascher. Probably no coincidence since the two families were very close. Salome had been the godmother of Friedrich's first child, and Bernhard was then also to become godfather to Friedrich's daughter Magdalena in 1740.

In 1743 Bernhard was appointed captain of the guild officers and held this office for 2 years. From 1749-1759 he served again as head guild master, but now with the rank of captain.

The family of Bernhard Köhl

With his wife Salome Janett he had 14 children. The family lived in Chur until 1736 at the Obere Reichsgasse (Quartier II, Paradiesgasse 19), where also the first 4 children were born. After that, the family moved to the house of the Janett family near the Storchenbrunnen in Quartier III. Several of the children died in early childhood from the epidemics that were rampant at that time, which caused the parents several times to give later born children the baptismal names of the earlier sons or daughters. Thus the baptismal name Bernhard occurs three times.

Children of Bernhard Köhl with Salome Janett:

1. Köhl Ursula (1730-†1807), married to head guild master Daniel Hitz. Her husband died of a stroke in 1764, leaving the widow with 7 minor children.
2. Köhl Bernhard (1731-†1739), died at the age of 8 from measles
3. Köhl Lydia Maria (1733-†1737), died at age 3 ½.
4. Sebastian von Köhl (1734-†1781), commander. Married Anna Elisabeth Loretz and had 4 children with her.
5. Daniel Köhl (1738-†1739), died a few months after birth
6. Bernhard Köhl (1739-†~1740), died 1 year after birth
7. Maria Köhl (1741-†1757), died at the age of 17.
8. Bernhard Köhl (1742-†~1800). Member of the shoemaker's guild. Served like his father and brother Sebastian as a soldier in France in the rank of sergeant major. Married 2 times and had a son, Bernard, in Strasbourg. Nothing is known about other descendants.
9. Julius Köhl (1744-†1795), Chirurgus, married Elisabeth Jecklin in 1784, 4 children. Julius died shortly after the birth of the 4th child. 2 children then died shortly after his death. Nothing is known about descendants of his children.
10. Joseph Köhl (1745-†1825), town constable, married 1766 to Ursula Troll. 2nd marriage to Agnes Cangina about 1785, they had 6 children. The sons all died in infancy. Joseph also fought as an infantry lieutenant for the Chur troops. In 1765 he joined the Rebleute guild.
11. Gertrud Köhl (1747-†1750), died at 3 years of age.
12. Peter Köhl (1748-†1794), town constable, married Dorothea Busch (1759-†) in 1779, 5 children. He was highly respected in Chur and his children married into the noble families of Salis, von Coaz and von Planta.
13. Salome Köhl (1752-†1823), married 1780 to Cornelius Compagnoni, 5 children. After the death of her husband in 1786, she married Johann Jakob Rauch, a native of Tübingen. She was to outlive him as well. Thus, in 1807, her widow married Podestà Johannes Wassali, a citizen of Chur.
14. Christian Köhl (1755-†1807), constable of Chur, captain, married in 1784 to Elisabeth Morell of Malix, 1 son, Bernhard Köhl (1784-1823). In 1802 he married again, Maria Plattner, widow of master tanner Köhl Antoni. She brought a son, Peter Köhl (guild master & master butcher, 1794-†1825), into the marriage.

Bernhard employed several farmhands in his agricultural estates and several maids in his household. Especially his wife needed support to take care of the large flock of children. One of them was the maid Anna von Wald. She helped in the household, took care of the smaller children, did the shopping, cooked.

Anna von Wald was born in Chur in 1728 as the daughter of Jan von Wald of Arosa and Cathrina Dysch of Schiers. The family lived as Beisässen in Chur. Anna was the oldest of 7 children, 4 of whom were probably already deceased around this time[51]. She worked in the house of Bernhard Köhl as a maid. Her sister also worked as a maid in Haldenstein, as did her brother, who was in the service of Mr. Bülen. Parents seem to have lived in Chur surroundings.

In 1758, his daughter Maria died at the age of only 17. And the next blow of fate followed immediately. His wife Salome fell ill and died in 1758, at the age of only 47 and only 3 years after the birth of their last child.

Her mother, Ursula Janett, had lived in the same house for many years and had actively supported her daughter. The wealthy widow now managed the household and looked after the welfare of the children. Although she must have been 70 years old at the time, she was still very successful. The maids Emerita Klotz and Anna von Wald took care of the large group of children and had to compensate for the loss of their mother as best they could. This was not an easy task, since there were still 6 children living in the Köhl household, from the youngest child Christian (3) to Bernhard (16). Especially the 5 boys were very cheeky to them and often annoyed them.^[44].

His eldest son Sebastian (24) also still lived with his father and actively supported him. He had been admitted to the Rebleuten guild in 1755. He had already served as a soldier in foreign service and already held the rank of lieutenant.

The affair of Bernhard Köhl with Anna Wald (1728-1796)

What no one knew was that there was more than just an employment relationship between the master of the house and the maid Anna, who was 37 years younger. The two had a secret affair. At the beginning of 1759, the master of the house at Storchengasse 17 got his maid Anna pregnant. The pregnancy could soon no longer be concealed. Bernhard's family seemed to know what had happened and who the father of the child was. An illegitimate child of the noble and wealthy Bernhard with a maid - a scandal. A marriage of the two was out of the question for reasons of status and inheritance law. So other solutions were sought.

The search for a groom

At the beginning of October 1759, the desperate Anna asked a suitor, Christian Nier, if he wanted to marry her. Presumably, to settle the matter, he was also offered money (which he denied). Nier was not ready to marry Anna. Anna told him: "I want to get out of your sight, I want to leave here for a few years and go to another service. I can't stay here anymore. The house is full of children"^[51]. So one morning the desperate maid fled from the Köhl household. She ran down to the Rhine, boarded a raft and went up the Rhine with it^[51]. Where she fled to is not known.

On Saturday, October 13, Anna's mother learned that her daughter was no longer in Chur. She traveled to Chur and searched the entire city for her daughter. Her employer, Captain Bernhard Köhl, stated that she had probably run away because of the children: "The boys will have bought her, they are bad boys"^[51]. Anna's mother, however, learned from a servant of Mr. Fisacher that her daughter had sailed up the Rhine on rafts. However, no one knew where she had gotten off. Anna's mother was very worried and reported her daughter missing.

On Sunday, October 21, she and Nier were questioned in the Siebner court. The court wanted to know everything about the whereabouts of the maid and the paternity of the child. Her mother stated that there were rumors in town that Anna was pregnant: "Who told her? Everyone, and her maidservants, the Christian Mengen's wife herself, and the Friedrig Köhlen's wife told her that she had long since seen the daughter.^[51]

The indecent pregnancy becomes known

But not only the family seemed to know about Bernhard's pregnancy and paternity. It was common at that time that the father of an illegitimate child was removed from public office as a punishment. This seemed to be the case here as well: Bernhard was at the end of 1759 abruptly deposed as head guild master of the shoemakers' guild. He was also deprived of guardianship over the children.

The city court recommended to Bernhard, probably under pressure from the family, that a third person should take care of the inheritance matters. He probably also wanted to stay with Anna and marry her. It was feared that he would no longer be able to meet his maintenance obligations. On 28.1.1760, the Chur city court decided: "In the hearing of Captain Köhlen, it is recognized that the head guild master Jacob Walser should be sent to him, along with the head priest and councilman Daniel Abiss, who should inform Köhl that Massa needed a bailiff and a benevolent authority to promote his and the children's well-being, but in no way should his person or property be bailiwicked".^[45].

The birth of the illegitimate child

On February 18, the baptism of Simeon Köhl took place in the house of guild master P. Thürr. Captain Bernhard Köhl was registered as father, Anna vonWald as mother. In the baptismal register it was noted that Simeon was an illegitimate child ("nothus" lat. illegitimate, bastard). Additionally there is a note: S. Köhl 1758 Feb. 16, so the date of death of Salome Janett is mentioned here.

Son of Bernhard Köhl with Anna Wald:

• Köhl Simeon (1760-†1845), illegitimate child, shoemaker

This was a difficult situation for the Köhl family. Father Bernhard Köhl was already 67 years old at this time and the family had to fear that they would soon lose their father as well. Marriage to the maid Anna was out of the question for the family. Otherwise Anna would have become not only the mistress of the house but also the heiress of the large fortune.

The family quarrel and the thwarted escape

On April 23, 1760, the situation escalates: "Yesterday evening, Mr. Köhl, captain and head of the guild, wanted to leave his place in order to be able to carry out his illicit intentions with his mistress without hindrance, but since this undertaking was discovered by a special dispatch, this was prevented. It is nevertheless to be feared that this time the deception would be carried out by him in a short time to the great disadvantage of the poor children, in that he not only confiscated the capital in Untervaz, but also pocketed all the silverware, after which they make a wistful stop, simple and wise authorities wanted to take care of the best of the poor children, and to set such limits for Captain Köhl"^[45].

Bernhard Köhl wanted to leave Chur with money and silverware in his luggage together with his mistress. The escape was thwarted, Bernhard received house arrest. The city court was concerned about the poor children and ordered that all valuables be kept in safe custody and that the assets be administered by a lawyer. Bernhard Köhl was incapacitated. He was obliged to compile the assets and to specify in writing who should receive what. Anna von Wald was ordered to leave the city within 24 hours, and was forbidden to have any contact with Bernhard: "Anna Wald, however, has been informed that she is to leave our borders within 24 hours and that she is not to have any correspondence with Captain Köhl"^[45].

Under house arrest

Bernhard Köhl drafted a proposal in June 1760 as requested. He was willing to sign over one third of his assets to his children. He asked that the inheritance of his deceased wife be settled soon. He also complains about the interference of his mother-in-law, Ursula Janett: "No visitor can come to my house without immediately becoming hostile, and being here with my ears to the parlor. I could well leave the door and windows open if this Madamme - I call her Captain Janett, etc. - were not faithful to my whole structure and unbearable to me."^[46] However, he orders her to take full care of the children and to be compensated for this. He suffers from the situation in the house, complains that he can no longer stand it and wants to move out: "I assure first councilor and grace that I can remain in this house no longer if I do not want to do harm to body and soul"^[46].

The disputes between Bernhard and his family still continue, he tried to hide assets, which the court tried to prevent: "That Captain Köhl shall owe to Johann von Salis to hand over the books requested by Captain Abundi Schwarz, whereby the Councilor Abundi Schwarz shall be given one month to take the necessary inspection".^[45]

Here ends the entries of the municipal court. The parties seem to have come to an agreement and part of his property was signed over to the children. On 5.11.1760 the shoemakers guild elected the guild master Johannes Rascher as the new head guild master. Bernhard was now replaced by a new head guild master after 31 years.

The last months of Bernhard Köhl's life

According to a letter dated March 16, 1798, Bernhard Köhl seems to have formally promised marriage to Anna von Wald. But it was not to come to a priestly blessing and wedding.^[55] In the chronicle of the guild scribe Johann Anton Terz, he noted: "Since he has had to lie for 3 years gäntz Contract on hands and feet without a single vegung, and also have to care for him as a young child".^[55]

Contracture (Latin contrahere 'to contract') is the term used to describe a soft-tissue-related functional restriction of joints. It results from the "shortening" of surrounding muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia. The affected joints can hardly or not at all be moved even passively over the loss of function. Bernhard must therefore have been afflicted with it since 1759 and increasingly restricted by it.

The city council granted Bernhard a recommendation to travel to Herisau in March 1761. Presumably he wanted to have his illness treated there. Bernhard died in Chur on April 15, 1762. His cousin Johann Antoni Terz noted: "In 1762, the 15th of April, Bernhardt Köhl died in the 69th year of his age. Since he had to lie for 3 years gäntz Contract on hands and feet without a single vegung, and also had to care for him as a young child, and was buried from it the 16 April. God grant him blessedness from the first death, and us all a blessed journey after, and has given him the light sermon their well venerable Mr. Daniel Filyer and text had in the Gospel Matey at 8 chapter 9 verse. NB: His blessed wife died in 1758 16. horung. Are thus 4 year and 2 month from each other died."^[50]

Bernhard left behind several minor children as orphans and one illegitimate child. Anna von Wald remained in Chur after Bernhard's death and probably worked as a maid in another household. At most, she had received money from the deceased Bernhard or received financial support from the Köhl family. Anna von Wald died in Chur in 1796. Since she bore her maiden name at her death, she seems never to have married.

The minor or unmarried children as well as their grandmother, Ursula Janett, were put under the control of a bailiff, guild master Raget Bawier, after the death of their father. The children and the energetic grandmother occasionally disagreed with him, so the town council urged them to be more respectful of their bailiff. Ursula Janett died in October 1769 at the age of 85. At that time, probably only Peter (21), Salome (17) and Christian (14) were still living in the house on Storchengasse. Daughter Ursula (39) was widowed and had 6 children, son Sebastian (35) was married and had 2 children, son Bernhard (30) had moved to France as a soldier, son Julius (25) was unmarried and worked as a healer, son Joseph (24) had married and was a Chur town constable. The illegitimate Simeon probably lived with his mother Anna von Wald.

City constable Joseph Köhl sold the apartment in the house Carolina to Mark Jöri in 1772. From 1737 to 1772 the Köhl-Janett family had lived here on Storchengasse. 11 children had been born here, many had also died here. The cohesion among the siblings seems to have been very good even after the death of their parents. At the birth of the offspring, brothers and sisters often signed in as baptismal witnesses.

According to the genealogist Anton Hercules Sprecher von Bernegg^[3] from 1846 only his son Commander Sebastian von Köhl (1734-†1781) should have passed on the male line. However, my research has shown that this is not true. Several of his children had descendants, but all of them died very early and without further male descendants. In 1846 from the lineage of the noble mayor Bernhard von Köhl (1624-†1700) only sons of Sebastian von Köhl were still alive. But this line died out in the early 20th century. Only two lines of men from this line, that of the illegitimate and therefore non-hereditary child Simeon Köhl (1760-†1845) - the parent, as well as that of Peter Köhl (1842-†1890) also illegitimate and therefore non-hereditary, have had male descendants up to our time.