8 Generations of Prussians

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

My desktop background. Hoping to indoctrinate my son in Prussian history. All the faces in one place help put it together. Many thanks to Rick L. for all his input. Still much to learn. Where are all those 17th Century and 18th Century regimental histories...

[Biro]

I envy the dimension having not only significant family medals, but historically significant family members must bring to your collecting life Brian.

Your son will truly have 'the full package' there... and I'm glad you have been able to piece it together so succesfully for him.

I can bequeath my son a few nice pieces, but nothing like this!

Marshall

Edited August 11, 2005 by Biro

[Guest Rick Research]

No, I think the BEST part of the genetic legacy would be the kids being related to ME on their mom's side!

[Glenn J]

Brian,

were you aware that Hans Arvid von Klingspor was a Sekondlieutenant in Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 137? He died on the 10th of September 1898.

Regards

Glenn

[Chris B.]

Brian, I think the fact that you can trace your illustrious family name back through the centuries is just fantastic . Are you and your son in the Gotha? Have you ever contacted some of the Adelsgesellschaften in Germany? And I thought an uncle with an EK1 was cool. To have had a grandfather with a PLM is really special.

Regards, Chris.

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Brian,

were you aware that Hans Arvid von Klingspor was a Sekondlieutenant in Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 137? He died on the 10th of September 1898.

Regards

Glenn

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NO I DID NOT!!! Thank you for this very important piece of data. I knew also only that he died in 1898. This is really interesting to me. He was apparently a great young man. He contracted Tuberculosis, ended up in whatever sanatorium they put you in, married a young lady also dying... At least he had a few weeks or months before it took him. If I sound a little emotional, I have his picture that he gave his wife as he died before her and the photo ended up with us. Here is what he wrote on the back, no tears guys....

Dich hab ich geliebt un liebt dich noch heut dich verde ich lieben in Ewigkeit

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Brian, I think the fact that you can trace your illustrious family name back through the centuries is just fantastic . Are you and your son in the Gotha? Have you ever contacted some of the Adelsgesellschaften in Germany? And I thought an uncle with an EK1 was cool.  To have had a grandfather with a PLM is really special.

Regards, Chris.

←

It's all just the luck of the draw. Sons of grandfathers dying, not having sons, etc. And all the portraits and papers pass through to one daughter on BOTH sides of two families. Believe me when I say I know how lucky I am. But also believe me if I had an uncle with an EKI it would mean as much to me as all this as it does to you. Any touch to this is wonderful. I am envious of Glenn and Rick and Rick who have so much knowledge of the history. Without that all the portraits and enamel in the Empire is nothing more than 'pretty' ribbons and medals. So thank you all for the input so far and what I know will be more down the line. My mother is absolutely amazed at what has been gathered through my friends on the Internet.

[Chris B.]

True, True. I'll be looking forward to future posts. Regards, Chris.

[Glenn J]

Brian,

I thought you might be interested in this. Another one of the clan! It is taken from the "Allgemeiner Anzeiger zum Milit?r-Wochenblatt" No. 70 dated the 2nd of September 1893.

Regards

Glenn

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Yes, thanks to earlier information from you...

My great great grandfather Franz August v. Etzel pictured above top left two pictures, the EKII 1813 winner and man who won the 'von', had an eldest son also Franz August. His son was Walter born 1847.

Here is what Glenn gave me earlier;

Born 22nd January 1847 at Stettin.

Joined the 2. Garde-Dragoner-Regiment as a One Year Volunteer on the 1st of October 1867, transferred to 2. Garde-Regiment zu Fu? on the 30th of November 1867 and appointed a Portepee-F?hnrich on the 9th of May 1868.

Commissioned as a Sekonde-Lieutenant on the 7th of July 1868.

From 1st October 1873 to 19 January 1872 battalion adjutant. From 1st October 1873 to 30 June 1874 and from 1st October 1874 to 20 July 1875 attended the war academy.

Promoted Premier-Lieutenant on the 18th of May 1876.

From 15th May 1877 to 1st May 1879 attached to the General Staff and on 18th October 1881 promoted to Hauptmann and appointed company commander of 4./2.GRzF.

24 December 1884 transferred to the General Staff and from 1st October 1886 to 30 June 1887 employed as an instructor at the War Academy.

20 September 1887 assigned to the Staff of the 12th Division and promoted to Major on the 17th of April 1888.

Assigned to the Headquarters in Posen on the 27th of January 1889 as a General Staff Officer until assuming the command of the F?silier battalion in Infantry Regiment Nr. 15 - F?s./IR. 15 on the 27th of January 1891.

Assigned as the permanent staff officer on the regimental staff of Infantry Regiment 71 as an Oberstleutnant 18th of April 1893

Walter died of Tuberculosis on the 29th of August 1893 at Erfurt.

He was awarded the EK2 in 1870.

Married the Countess Helene von K?nigsmarck on the 16th of July 1879.

My mother provided this information:

ALSO may have had son Walter married von ? And owned estate Vollschier outside Berlin. My mother remembers his estate and visited there.

Would like to know more about this lady: Countess Helene von K?nigsmarck.

Edited August 19, 2005 by Brian von Etzel

[Guest Darrell]

Brian,

Great information and amazing family history. From WAF I'd heard of a relative being a PLM recipient, but never saw the pictures or how far back the lineage goes ..

Fascinating stuff

[Glenn J]

Brian,

Walter junior does not immediately spring into view. At the time of the senior Walter's death in 1893 four other von Etzel's were serving and all were captains in 1895. None of these was named Walter.

Ernst: Hptm (22.8.91) Battery Commander in 1. Garde-Feldartillerie-Regt.

Franz Hermann Karl Otto: Hptm (25.3.93) on the General staff of XIV. Armeekorps

August: Hptm: (25.3.93) Battery Commander in Feldartillerie-Regt. Nr. 24

G?nther: Hptm (22.3.95) in the Great General Staff

All of them went on to become regimental commanders and to eventual General's rank.

The next von Etzel that appears to come along is Leutnant (17.2.02) in the 2. Garde-Dragoner-Regiment who finished as a Major a.D. Walter?

Regards

Glenn

[Gerd Becker]

Thats very moving, Brian. Some little mistakes in that sentence, i guess, it should read: "Dich hab ich geliebt und lieb dich noch heut, dich werde ich lieben in Ewigkeit"

You have a most interesting family and you are fortunate to have so much Things of them. But i am a little lucky too, as i have the KVK 2nd class with X, what has been awarded to my mother.

Gerd

Edited August 20, 2005 by Gerd Becker

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Otto and Gunther went on to both become Lt. Gen.

Glenn, someone wrote a little ditty about the four brothers, my mother only remembers the first line:

Fier Bruder Commandeure wer hatte das gedacht...

Gerd, I have great photos of my mother in uniform but she won no awards! She was forced into the Armee at barely 16.

Edited August 20, 2005 by Brian von Etzel

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

One more generation of the 'fighting' von Etzels. My mother is on the right. I discovered this photo on WAF! My mother was amazed, he had others which he also shared.

Edited August 20, 2005 by Brian von Etzel

[Gerd Becker]

One more generation of the 'fighting' von Etzels.  My mother is on the right.  I discovered this photo on WAF!  My mother was amazed, he had others which he also shared.

←

Great photo and fantastic story. I have seen, when you discovered it on WAF.

[Luftwaffe Rules]

That is just great!!! Man to know your family history like that. I know a bit of mine but nothing that extensive! Thanks for sharing!! ROCK ON Jon

[David Gregory]

Hi Brian,

In the Milit?r-Wochenblatt notification posted above by Glenn it would seem that Walter succumbed to pleurisy (Brustfellentz?ndung).

In your post no. 10 his cause of death on 29 August 1893 is given as tuberculosis.

Initially I thought that there might have been a translation error somewhere along the line. However, I understand from http://www.chclibrary.org/micromed/00061080.html that tuberculosis can give rise to pluerisy. Do two sources of information give different reasons for his demise, or is part of an explanation missing somewhere?

I am repeatedly amazed at the amount of biographical information that can be found from so many diverse sources and brought together on the Internet.

Keep up the good work showing us your family's background. The personal aspects of military history interest me far more than anonymous pieces of, admittedly very attractive, shiny metal and enamel.

David

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Thanks David. I assumed Brustfellentz?ndung was Tuberc. when I read it. Certainly in this period so many people did die of lung related disease.

[Glenn J]

David and Brian,

strangely enough in a second announcement in the same edition of the MWB on behalf of the officers of Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 15, his cause of death is given as Lungentyphus.

Regards

Glenn

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

I think it's safe to say he coughed badly, and died... Sorry, my family, I can make a bad joke.

[Rendsburg]

Hi Brian,

Life is really a mystery, a lot of times unfathomable. I don't know if the same happened with you, but I only came to discover my genealogy few years ago. From when I was child, I always had a very big fascination in knowing things the regarding my ancestors, and surprisingly to the wars, heroes, and any thing related to them they always sharpened me the curiosity. In the last year I discovered a genealogical study of my family remounting approximately to the year of 1550. Which was not my surprise when discovering that countless of my ancestors were military, and that names as von Mackensen, von Meckelnburg, von Beck and others were part of the history of my family. Many questions that I did me, finally had answers...

Brian, congratulations for such illustrious ancestors!

Otto

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Otto, we've known the names and faces for a long time...since they were living. What was lost was the details. Now add the Internet and wiling people like Rick L. and Glenn and others to fill in the gaps from various references and these people come alive, at least to me. The von Klingspors had been around Germany since time began no doubt, explains the fact that since I was a child I've been called a Visigoth although Hun might be more accurate. That there has been so much accuracy to the word of mouth handed down, I believe the Hun story but wish there was a method to track it. Perhaps someday with DNA and that info as readily available as what we have now, our ancestors will be able to track their paths.

Impossible to trace back to this ancient millennia but wouldn't that be the ulitimate in knowing your roots.

Edited September 27, 2005 by Brian von Etzel

[Blitz]

This thread really amazes me.. So many generations.. Wow. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Such proud legacy!

I wonder, did you find out if this count FM Mauritz Wilhelm von Klingspor (1744-1814) is of any relation to you? I could dig up a small history of him, if that would be helpfull...

[VtwinVince]

Brian, I hate to sound like a pedant, but it seems many use the term "Prussian" rather loosely. Being born in Stettin, for instance, would make you a Pommeranian, not a Prussian. Actually, the only people considered to be "real" Prussians were those born in East Prussia. Many would take issue with this, and be offended. My father's best friend, a company commander in Panzerjaegers, was from Magdeburg in Saxony, yet when I questioned his calling himself a Prussian, he was offended.