18 Feb 1707 – 22 Jun 1780, born at Krebsfelde, died at Ladekopperfeld
Christopher’s 5th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 168 · generation 8
Evidence: identity compiled lead
Family
- Spouse: Anna Busenitz (1744–1797)
- Family notes: Johann Fieguth + Anna Busenitz (m. unknown)
- Children in this vault: Anton Fieguth (1772–1844)
Life and evidence
Earliest dated ancestor on the Wiebe side. Reid tree, citing Deutsches Geschlechterbuch (1964, p. 90). Earlier wives include a Catharina Conrad (m. 1733) — a Prussian Conrad family, unrelated to the Swiss Conrads. Absent from the 1776 census: Penner notes a few families were missed, or Johann may not have been counted as a Mennonite; his children were baptized Mennonite at Ladekopp. Earliest Fieguths in Prussia: Karsten and Michael Fiegutt at Pasewark, 1656.
In their lifetime
- 1711 — 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern
- 1712 — 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace
- 1738 — 1738 The Charming Nancy
- 1750 — 1750 The Brotherhood
- 1757 — 1757 The Hochstetler massacre
- 1764 — 1764 Captives returned after Bouquet’s treaty
- 1776 — 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia
Conflicts
- Not in the 1776 Mennonite census under any spelling, though alive until 1780
Sources
- Reid-Schroeder family tree (reidgen.com)
- 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia (Penner transcription)
- West Prussian Land Leases 1600-1770
Death confirmed in the Ladekopp church book (KB LA 0.1, deaths 1779–80)
“[June] 22 Johann Fieguth aus Ladekoperfeld alt 73 Jahre”: died 22 June 1780 at Ladekopperfeld, aged 73, which fits a birth in 1707. The book also records births to him (“Johann Fieguth aus Ladekop eine Tochter … & ein Sohn Geerd”) and the 1785 marriage of Catharina Fieguth of Ladekopperfeld (b. 14.06.1767) to Clas Esau.
Wives — 2026-10-31 (Claude)
Known: Catharina Conrad (m. 1733, Reid tree). The mother of his children of the 1760s–70s, including Anton (1772) and the twins of Oct 1775, is not named in any Mennonite record found. The “Anna Busenitz (1744–1797)” of the Reid tree is doubtful: see Anton Fieguth (1772–1844). The Ladekopp Lutheran marriages 1757–1779 (Archion) are the next place to look.
Second search for the mother of his later children — 2026-10-31 (Claude)
- No Mennonite record before Nov 1772 exists for Ladekopp. The preface of KB LA 0.1 says recording began on Prussian orders after the 1772 annexation; Archion’s “1759–1829” is the same book (1759 is the earliest minister installation it lists).
- Probable daughter: Anna Fieguth (b. 1761), who married Aron Wiebe (1749–1803) at Tiege on 12 Jan 1779 (Ladekopp Familienbuch KB LA 0.3, Mierau p. 167, in the entry for their son Aron Wiebe, b. 1781). Born in 1761, she belongs to Johann’s later family, but her mother is not named either. Another Fieguth–Wiebe link: Agnetha Fieguth of Krebsfelde, wife of a Gerhard Wiebe (Tiege p. 105).
- More Busenitz marriages: Anton’s son Anton (b. 1803) married Helena Busenitz (b. 1801, daughter of Abraham Busenitz and Helena [Klassen], m. 1797). Three Fieguth–Busenitz marriages across two generations (1800, 1835) make the Reid tree’s Busenitz “mother” an easy mix-up.
- Not indexed anywhere free: Geneteka has no Ladekopp (Lubieszewo) or Tiegenhagen (Tujsk) parish; zero Fieguth births 1700–1800 in Pomerania. No free FamilySearch catalog entry for the Ladekopp Lutheran books was found.
- Still the best routes: Ladekopp Lutheran Taufen and Trauungen 1757–1779 on Archion (paid); the Deutsches Geschlechterbuch 1964 Fieguth article, p. 90 (library or interlibrary loan; the Reid tree’s source); GRANDMA (paid database).
Belief context: if the family was not Mennonite before the 1770s, the likely churches are Lutheran (the Werder’s state church) or Catholic (Tiegenhagen); see faith_origin.
Narratives and research
- History: 1711 The Rhine exodus from Bern, 1712 Louis XIV expels the Anabaptists from Alsace, 1738 The Charming Nancy, 1750 The Brotherhood, 1757 The Hochstetler massacre, 1764 Captives returned after Bouquet’s treaty, 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia
- Congregations: Ladekopp Mennonite congregation
- Sources: 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia (Penner transcription), Reid-Schroeder family tree (reidgen.com), West Prussian Land Leases 1600-1770
Open questions
- Not in the 1776 Mennonite census under any spelling, though alive until 1780
Research log
- 2026-10-31: Mennonite Ladekopp books start Nov 1772 (no earlier record); Geneteka: Ladekopp and Tiegenhagen not indexed; FamilySearch has no free Lutheran Ladekopp books; Archion (paid) holds Lutheran Ladekopp baptisms and marriages 1757–1779 — blocked
- 2026-10-31: Second search for the mother of his later children: - No Mennonite record before Nov 1772 exists for Ladekopp. The preface of KB LA 0.1 says recording began on Prussian orders after the 1772 annexation; Archion’s ‘1759–182
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.