Heckmanns in the Late Middle Ages

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Heckmanns in the Late Middle Ages (1305-1617)

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Adapted from Heckmann im Spätmittelalter (1305 - 1617)
Research of Genealogist Alfred Heckmann, Schwarzenholz, 1989 Source Documentation: State Archives Wiesbaden, Department 170 Revised by Dominik Heckmann, 1999 This is an accounting of one particular line of Heckmanns. There are many other lines comming from diverse origins.

The origin of the Name (14th Century)

(1305 - 1333)

By the year 1305, ancestors of clan Heckmann from which this particular line of Heckmanns came, had already been mentioned. Then the family still had no name. The children had only Christian names. Then, in the year 1333, one of these families built its house by a brook and surrounded it with a hedge. This house was named Heckmann's Haus by da Bach (Heckmann's house by the brook). The inhabitants received the name, Heckmann.

This information was discovered by Johannes Heckmann (1.1). He worked from about 1520 to 1530 as genealogist for the Count of the House of Nassau.

1. Hans Heckmann von Grebeneck (15th Century)

(1404 - 1433 - 1447 - 1461 - 1483)

In the year 1404, a Hans Heckmann (Johannes Heckmann the Elder) in Eichen is mentioned .
In 1433 and 1434 he sold lots of land of the Stippach, a small place near the town of Sinn to Count Johann V.
In 1447 Hans Heckmann was a student in Cologne.
In the Treasury Register of Siegen for the year 1461, a Hans Heckmann of Eichen is mentioned in Kronbach Parish (in Siegerland) with his sons Johannes and Heidrich. The mother of these two brothers is (from the first marriage) Grede Maylhenn, daughter of citizen Maylhenn of Herborn.
In 1461 it is further mentioned, that in an inventory of Wisshenn, Heckmann of Gebeneck was Quaestor (Rentmeister, an official responsible for the finance and administration of various areas of the government and the military).
He married a second time: Anna Schmidthenn, daughter of citizen Schmidthenn from Wetzlar.
After Holy Easter in 1483 he was still living and signed the Chamber Accounting of 1482 along with his comments (Kammer Rechnung 1482 folg. 27a).
He died in June 1483. The source for this is a legible document in the State Archives, Wiesbaden, Dept. 170, City of Herborn, 25th of June, 1483; The honorable Johann Heckmann von Grebeneck in God's mercy has sold his goods in the Stippach (between Herborn and Sinn) to Count Johann V. of Nassau-Dillenburg.
His father-in-law Smethenn, citizen of Wetzlar, as guardian on behalf of his daughter and, therefore his grandsons Johann and Heidrich, beloved infant matrimonial sons of the aforementioned, Hans Heckmann, presents this bill of sale before court of Herborn (mayor and jurors)to be exicuted. His first Wife, Greden Maylhenn, beloved daughter, and matrimonial housewive, is mentioned as well in about 1483: by the grace of the court, the previously possesed goods became marriage-goods and locked into the purchase. According to the Toitungsleuten (referees, mediators), the purchase goes to citizens of Herborn known as Molnersshenn, it seemed to be used by the first Mrs. Heckmann and blessed daughter, Gredthe Maylhenne.

1.1 Johannes Heckmann von Grebeneck

(1461 - 1483 - 1490 - 1493 - 1497 - 1502 - 1522 - 1531)

1461 mentioned in the Treasury Register of Siegen
1483 mentioned in an inheritance purchase contract
1490 Martini (St. Martin's Day or Martinmas), Johannes Heckmann (Johannes Heckmann the Yunger) resided with Count Johannes V along with some "one horse" farmhands and was paid 4 guilders of Cologne currency annually (in order to pay for his educaton?)(Kammer Rechnung 1491 folg. 17e)
1493 He was a student in Erfurt,
1493 He was made chamber stenographer and secretary to Count Johann of Nassau-Siegen
1497 He was made (as was his father) Quaestor of Dillenburg.
1500 The Count granted him a castle-seat to Herborn, formerly held by the Hanas.
By 1502 He had relational ties to Wetzlar.
In the Chamber Accounting of 1502 Vols 18b it is stated: Now on the same day (Sunday 27.1.) I have sent my cousin to Barssen Johann in Wetzlar, as my merciful master knows, with the unwillingly held silk embroidery Ac(000)fl.?
1502 On Sunday after Valentini (St. Valentine's Day on April 20) he married Anna Barssen in Wetzlar (Vol 19b). On Sunday after Valentini our most gracious lord and lady Quaestor (Heckmann) have to Wetzlar...
Anna Barssen, the daughter of Johann Barssen from Wetzlar, died in 1527.
The two had four sons: Wilhelm (1.1.1), Hermann (1.1.2), Philipp (1.1.3) and Johannes (1.1.4).
1504 He and his wife give happily to Count Johann V in May 1497 (...) 30 guilders, (that the Count had lent her). Johann Heckmann von Grebeneck Clenek? A Prior of Roman imperialist power with the power of a sworn secretary (Philippi II page 483(1?)) Johannes(2) Heckmann gave in the Dillenburg... City Church an amount of 30 guilders (state's archive Wiesbaden, chamber accounting 1529 vol. 18).
1522 He rendered his last accounting as Quaestor, having handeled chamber bills continuously since 1503.
1523 He was kicked into retirement and got 15 guilders gratuity annually, beginning in 1524 (Vogel estate -61,1 Dillenburgers Rent bill 1525 accounting 59a).
In the chamber accounting 1523 (result 12b) it states:
In the week... Johann Heckmann, that old Quaestor of Wetzlar was sent 8 coats of arms, one of which costs: 2 Albs. total, 16 Albs.
In the chamber accounting 1524 (result 62e) it states:
Messengers were sent to the old Quaestor to Wetzlar because of the coats of arms. Furthermor, a messenger was sent to Wetzlar with letters to the old Quaestor because of wages resulting from the coats of arms - 3 alb.
In the chamber accounting 1525 (result 12/6) it states:
Often (?) canceled on Thursday after Peter and Paul, the gracious lord, the old Quaestor Heckmann was summoned to Celle, (where the ducal house of Braunschweig-Limburg was related to the house of the count of Dillenburg) in order to use his services, 3fl,18alb,6ch.
In the chamber accounting 1525 (result 42a) it states:
On the Tuesday after Punitie a messenger was sent to the old Quaestor in Wetzlar resuling in wages - 3 alb.
Once again mentioin of him is made as being in Dillenburg in a letter from Count Wilhelm of Nassau dated 14.11.1531 to his brother Heinrich in Breda.
Count Heinrich of Breda had himself since 1520 continually asked his brother in Dillenburg about the genealogy and coat of arms of his Nassaui house and was very worried about investigations in the Dillenburger archive about the coats of arms of the Nassaui. Also Johannes Heckmann had helped on this occasion and was from Wetzlar, where the known Dillenburger, Court painter Hans Döring had his residence, and was active in this matter. It is stated in 1531 in the letters dated the 14.4.
...While Heckmann is old, for the sake of our genealogy and for the fact that no more reports are known to be forthcoming.

1.2 Heidrich Heckmann

In 1461 he was mentioned in the Treasury Register of Siegen
In 1483 he was mentioned in an inheritance contract
In 1483 he claimed after his heritage to St. Wendel, that Saarbrücken belonged to Nassau.
His children were called: Anton, Mathias, Dewalt and Wendelin.
His son Wendelin Heckmann had a house in Baltersweiler close to St. Wendel.
(Comment by Dominik Heckmann: "He is my 12th generation grandfather")

1.1.1 Wilhelm (Quilhelmus) Heckmann

In 1523 he was a student in Erfurt
In 1529 he was a clergyman in Ballersbach
In 1539 he was a Prebendary (draws a prebend or stepend from a special endowment) at the Bishopric of Dietz.

1.1.2 Herrmann Heckmann

In 1529 he was a writer
From 1534 - 1547 he was Quaestor in Dillenburg.
He had a garden in the Auweg
He died in 1569

1.1.3 Philipp Heckmann

From 1534 - 1536 he was Nassaui Bailiff, Sub-constable to the Count of Nassau in Wetzlar
In about 1540, he married Fides Otte, daughter of Jacob Otte,
They had three children: Heinrich (1.1.3.1), Anna (1.1.3.2) and Margarethe (1.1.3.3).
From 1540 - 1547 he was Mayor of Dillenburg
From 1547 - 1555 he was Quaestor in Dillenburg
He died March 14, 1559

1.1.4 Johannes Heckmann

He was in the Secretariat in Dillenburg

1.1.3.1 Heinrich (Henricus) Heckmann

In 1564 he was a Student in Marburg
In 1576 he was a Chancellery Official in Dillenburg
In 1576 he married Anna Biber, widow of Philipp Biber from Weilburg
They had six children: Dr. Wilhelmus, Philipp, Juliana, Herrmann, Margarethe (1.1.3.1.1) and Johann
From 1577 - 1583 he was mayor of Herborn
From 1584 - 1589 he was Quaestor in Dillenburg
From 1593 - 1596 he was in the Congress of Nassau in Siegen
He died Nov. 18, 1611

1.1.3.2 Anna Heckmann

1587 She married Gerhard Enderson from Eibach
1588 She gave birth to a daughter

1.1.3.3 Margarethe Heckmann

In 1573 she married the treasurer Dietrich Moeller from Auschen
d. 07/31/1635

1.1.3.1.1 Margarethe Heckmann

In 1597 she married Magistrate Henricus Gutberlett from Hersfeld (1572 - 1635), Latin student in Dillenburg, later professor in Herborn.
d. in 1617 of the plague.

Question: Who received the coat of arms in 1497?