In the news1717
Christmas flood kills 11,000 people
A major storm surge on Christmas claimed over 11,000 lives along the German North Sea coast.
Wesel, 13 Jan 1717 – Wesel, 14 Jan 1717
8 facts1 source
13 Jan 1717
Born in Wesel
14 Jan 1717
Dies in Wesel, aged 0
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1717
A major storm surge on Christmas claimed over 11,000 lives along the German North Sea coast.
Getting around
Slow Pace of Mail Coach Travel
Travel by mail coach was slow, moving at a walking pace of about 4-5 km/h. A journey from Nuremberg to Leipzig covered roughly 70 hours, and to Regensburg about 20 hours.
At the table
Simple meals of porridge, soup, and stew
Ordinary families commonly consumed grain-based porridges and soups for breakfast and dinner, while a hearty stew served as the main midday meal. Meat was expensive, so many households reserved it for special occasions like a Sunday roast.
In Europe · 1701–1714War of the Spanish Succession. Europe’s powers fought for thirteen years over who would inherit the Spanish throne; a Bourbon kept it, and Britain gained Gibraltar.
What people wore
Sumptuary Laws Against Opulent Clothing
Authorities issued sumptuary laws to maintain social hierarchy, often banning lower classes from wearing gold, silver, pearls, silk, or costly furs, with violators risking fines or imprisonment.
Music
The cornett was a popular civic instrument
Town musicians used the versatile cornett, a wooden instrument with finger holes, for both church services and celebratory civic events.
Daily life
Simple and Frugal Home Interiors
Homes often had low ceilings, whitewashed walls, and floors made of stone or brick that were covered in sand. Rooms were sparsely furnished, and houses frequently lacked clocks, making time-keeping and domestic life simple and frugal.