Greathouse Point | Articles and Papers

Johann Adolph von Grothausen
Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem - Balley Brandenburg

Added: 28 Apr 2007
Submitted by: Pat Schulze
Translated by: Vivian Taylor

The article on pages 194 and 195 deals mostly with the Eastern German branch of the Grotthuss family.

GROTTHUSS

Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox--A Westphalian ancient noble [family] with an ancestral home of the same name near Nordkirchen [North Church] which first appears documented with Theodericus de magna domo [of the great house] in 1269 (Westphalian Registry, Vol. III, page 76, No. 846) and with the Knight Conradus de magna domo in 1277 (Westphalian Registry, Vol. III, No. 1030) and with Otto Groithuess, Vassal of the German Order, September 13, 1492, in Wierland, [and who] later appeared in Courland [an area to the east along the Baltic Sea].

Registry among the Courland nobility [was entered] on October 17, 1620, in the first class under No. 4 (for the houses of Ruhenthal [Peaceful Valley], Bersteln, and Schwitten), with the LIVLD[?] nobility...in 1747 under No. 50 (for the House of Meselau); Russian recognition of the right to bear the title Baron, through Senatorial Decree No. 2823 of the 3rd day of April, 1862. The right to bear the title of Baron allows entrance into the registry of the nobility of Courland.

The forms of the names used today are Grotthuss and Grothusen.

Footnote: The dates in the former Russian Empire up to 1917 are given according to the (old) Julian calendar.

Page 195: [Seems to be a description of the crest pictured on page 194.]

W. (StW.): In S. [On its side?], a black diagonal band toward the right, crenelated [notched] four times on the underside; on the head with a black covering, an open set of wings black on the right, s.[?] on the left, which faces outward with diagonal bands of reversed colors.

Sources: A. Fahne, History of the Barons and Lords of Hoevel, Vol. II, Cologne, 1860, pages 109-110.

-----Max von Spiessen, "The Family von Grothus" in Yearbook of Genealogy, Heraldry, and Sphragistik[?], 1893, Mitau 1894, pages 33-38.

-----Leonid Arbusow, "Otto Grotthuss in Estland[the Eastern territory?] (1492)" in Yearbook of Genealogy etc., 1898, Mitau 1899, pages 97-100.

-----Marriages of the Family von Grotthuss, Vol. II, Part I, Rostock 1924 (Mskr.)? -- AT. in E 1.

Otto von Grotthuss, died 1527, of Schwitten and Bersteln, Courland; of Ruhenthal (since 1508), Courland; married to (?Margaretha) von Holstfer, daughter of _______ von Holstfer and of _______ von Uexkuell. Their children were Otto, died 1576 (Descendants in Line A); Thomas, died before 1572 (Line B), and Hermann, documented in 1543 (Line C).

Line A (Ruhenthal)

Otto von Grotthuss, documented as of 1543; died 12th November, 1576; lord of Ruhenthal. Hzgl. [Honorable member?] of the Council of Courland. Married to Elisabeth von Ungern, documented in 1577, daughter of ________ von Ungern and of __________ von Tiesenhausen. Their children were Diedrich, died 1599 (First Line); Christoph, documented to 1597 (Second Line); and Otto, died before 1603 (Third Line).

First Line (Swedish) has died out. Source: Gustaf Elgenstierna, The Introduction of the Swedish Noble aettartavlor[?Lineages?], Book III, Stockholm, 1927.

Diedrich von Grotthuss, documented to 1588, died September 19, 1599, at Ruhenthal; Hzgl. [Honorable Member?] of the Council of Courland.

First married to Dorothea von Rosen, daughter of Johann von Rosen of Hochrosen and Rosenhof, of the Council of Nobility in the Religious Order of Dorpet, Livld[?], and of Anna von Thiesenhausen, noble daughter of H. Kongota, Livld.

Married secondly to Catharine von Kruedener, documented to 1602, daughter of Livld. Chief of the Nobles Friedrich von Kruedener of Essen, Rosenbeck, and Hohenheyde, Livld., and of Elisabeth (Ebbo) von Rosen a. d. H. Mojahn, Livld. [End of page]

Additional Notes:

On the page above, there is an early version of the Coat of Arms that was awarded to a Grotthuss individual. The Coat of Arms in that document is very similar to a Coat of Arms that was published in an early 1990 book on the Greathouse family in America. The Coat of Arms in that book was stated to be one of the oldest Coat of Arms on record, which had been awarded to a Grothaus individual in Germany.

The Coat of Arms below is an extract from the book titled, "Greathouse Family in America".

© Copyright 1998 - 2008, Guild Greathouse.
Page Title: Articles and Papers \| Privacy Statement Site Map Top