In the news1756–1763
Seven Years' War casualties and destruction
During the Seven Years' War, some 160,000 Prussian soldiers died in battle or from disease, devastating the population.
Regensburg, 21 Jul 1757 – Wallerstein, 9 Mar 1776
9 facts1 source
21 Jul 1757
Born in Regensburg
9 Mar 1776
Dies in Wallerstein, aged 18
She lived through 3 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Regensburg.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1756–1763
During the Seven Years' War, some 160,000 Prussian soldiers died in battle or from disease, devastating the population.
Getting around
Dangers and Hardships of 18th-Century Travel
Travel was often physically demanding and dangerous, with carriages that were frequently uncomfortably sprung or unsprung, causing travelers to suffer from motion sickness or injury. Due to the poor state of roads and the threat of highwaymen, travelers often carried weapons or avoided unnecessary trips, with some prominent figures never leaving their home region.
In Europe1755
On All Saints’ Day an earthquake, a tsunami and fires levelled Lisbon and killed tens of thousands; Europe’s thinkers argued over it for decades.
Daily life
Open Hearth Cooking and Pump Well Water
Cooking took place in the living room over an open fireplace or a masonry hearth with a recessed grate, using wood or brown coal for fuel. Drinking water was typically sourced from communal pump wells located in the village center.
What people wore
Practical Work Clothes for Women
Working women wore practical, loose-fitting clothing like an apron, headscarf, and cap, with shorter skirts and wide sleeves to allow free arm movement while handling water, fire, or animals.
Music
Everyday singing in homes and workrooms
Singing was a common activity in daily life, often performed without sheet music while working, such as during textile work in spinning rooms, or at church services and social gatherings.
At the table
Kitchen tools for open fire cooking
To save time while cooking soups, housewives used hooks with a sawtooth design to quickly adjust the height of pots over the fire. They also used a specialized iron tool called a Cold Hand to remove hot pots because oven mitts were not yet in use.