Chapter 24 - The Springers

The Springers are important to us because of Sarah Springer, who married George Washington Peterman.  The story of Carl Christopher Springer , Jr., is especially interesting.

The Springer Hoax

However, there’s a possible problem with some of the information presented in this chapter.  Since the 1850’s, unscrupulous persons have claimed that the Springer heirs either were the rightful owners of valuable property in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, or were the rightful owners of royal jewels in Sweden.  These unscrupulous persons raised money by selling stock in their corporation, which, they said, would use the money to press their case in court.  However, there were only a few court cases involving small, unclaimed estates, and the affair has come to be known as the “Springer Hoax”.

Neither Protestant nor Catholic church records in Germany go back earlier than the late 1500’s, so it is likely that the following genealogy up to that time is a fabrication of Mr. Moses C. Springer  in his two books about Springer genealogy.  Many of the people mentioned were real people, but their relationships to one another cannot be proven.  Beginning with Carl Christopher Springer, Sr., the facts appear to be essentially correct as presented here.

Ancestors of Our Ancestor, Charlemagne

Chloderic , son of Sigebert the Lame , was the father of Munderic of Vitry-en-Perthois , and died in 509 A. D. 

Munderic  married the daughter of Artemie , and among their children was Mummolin of Neustrie .  Artemie  was the son of the Bishop of Lyon Rustique.  Munderic  died in 509.

Mummolin of Neustrie, son of Munderic and Artemie, was Mayor of the Palace. Among his children was Bodogisel. (Some say Bodogisel’s father was a Bishop Gondolfus of Tongres, and still others say he was another man named Bodogisel.)

Bodogisel, son of Mummolin of Neustrie, married Chrodoare, who died in 634. Bodogisel was Governor of Aquitane, and he was murdered in 588 at Carthage. Among their children may have been Arnulf, who became Bishop of Metz.

Arnulf (or Arnoul), Bishop of Metz, son of Bodogisel and Chrodoare, was born August 13, 582. He married Oda (or Dode) de Savoy , daughter of Arnoald, and they had two sons, Clodulf and Ansegisel. About 611, Arnulf was consecrated Bishop of Metz. About 626, Arnulf resigned his position and, with his friend Romaricus, became a hermit in a solitary place in the mountains. Arnulf died August 16, 640 or 641, and he was buried by Romaricus. About a year later, Bishop Goeric transferred his remains to the Basilica of the Holy Apostles in Metz, Germany. (See also Appendix I, which has a very different lineage for Arnulf).

Arnulf’s son Clodulf later became Bishop of Metz.

Ansegisel, son of Arnulf and Oda de Savoy, was born in 610. He married Begga, daughter of Pepin I of Landen and his wife Ida, in 635, and Pepin d’Heristal II was among their children. Ansegisel died in 679, and Begga died in 693.

Pepin d’Heristal II  “the Fat”, son of Ansegisel and Begga. was born in 635.  He inherited immense landholdings from his parents and was Mayor of the Palace.  He married first Alpaida.   Alpaida died in 705.  Pepin d’Heristal then married Plecturd . Pepin d’Heristal II also had a concubine named Chalpaida.   Pepin d’Heristal II  died December 16, 714. 

Charles Martel, son of Pepin d’Heristal II and Chalpaida,  was born in 688.  After the death of his father, Plecturd  imprisoned him, but he escaped in 715 and was proclaimed Mayor of the Palace by the Austrasians.  A war between the Austrasians and the Frankish Kingdom of Neustria followed, and at the end of the war, Charles Martel  was undisputed ruler of all the Franks.  Charles Martel’s greatest achievements were his defeats of the Muslims from Spain, who invaded France in 732 and again in 739.

Charles Martel  married first Rotrude de Treves , who died in 724.   Pepin III  (or Pepin the Short) and Carolman  were their sons. He married second Sunnichild , and he died on October 22, 741, at Quierzy on the Oise River.  After his death, the kingdom was divided between his two sons, Carolman and Pepin the Short.

Pepin III  (or Pepin the Short), son of Charles Martel  and Rotrude de Treves, was born in 714 or 715.  In 743 he married Bertrada II  of Laon (died 783), and later he married Gersvind .  In 751, Pepin III  deposed Childeric III  and became the first king of the Merovingian Dynasty.  Pope Stephen II  crowned Pepin III in 754, and Pepin’s army protected the Pope from the Lombards.  Pepin donated territory to the Pope, which became the foundation of the Papal States.  Among the children of Pepin III  and Gersvind  was Charlemagne .  Pepin III  died on September 18, 768, and was buried in the Basilica of St. Dennis.

Charlemagne, King of France

Charlemagne, son of Pepin III and Gersvind,  was born April 2, 742, in Ingolheim.  He became King of the Franks in 768, King of Italy in 774, King of Germany in 785, and on Christmas day, 800, Pope Leo III crowned him Roman Emperor of the West.  He built a kingdom that included almost all of Western and Central Europe through military action against the Saxons, Lombards, and Moors, and through alliances with the Pope.  He loved to hunt, and he built a swimming pool in his palace.  Charlemagne  instituted administrative, educational, economic, legal, and cultural reforms in his empire. 

He married first Hildegard  (757-782) in 771 at Aix-La-Chapelle (Aachen), and among their children was Pepin I, King of Italy (See Chapter 10).  He married second Fastrada of East Frank  in 783.  He married third Liutgard of Alemannic  in 794, and fourth Gersuinda of Saxon .  Some say that Charlemagne had five wives – Himiltrude, Desiderata, Hildegarde, Fastrada, and Luitgarde, and several mistresses, resulting in sixteen children.  Louis I , the Pious, was Charlemagne ’s heir. Charlemagne died on January 28, 814, in Aachen.

Legend says that Otto III opened Charlemagne’s tomb in the year 1000, and found him seated in a marble chair.  Otto removed the throne, and it was used for the coronation of the emperors for hundreds of years.

Children of Charlemagne included:

• Pepin the Hunchback
• Louis I , the Pious
• Charles, King of Neustria
• Pepin, King of Italy
• Lothar
• five daughters  

The Empire Divided

Louis I , the Pious, son of Charlemagne, was born in August, 778, and ruled Charlemagne ’s empire from 814 until his death in 840.  He had to struggle to maintain his control over Charlemagne’s empire.  Bernard of Italy  led a revolt; Louis I put down the revolt and had Bernard blinded.   Louis I married first Ermangarde  in 798, and second Judith  in 819.  Among the children of Louis I and Judith was Charles II .  Louis I  died April 30, 840, at Ingleheim in the Rhine.  After the death of  Louis I, Charlemagne’s empire was divided into three parts.  One part was roughly modern Germany, and became known as the Holy Roman Empire.  Another part was roughly modern France, and the third part extended from the North Sea to northern Italy.

Charles II  (Charles the Bald), son of Louis I and Judith, was born June 13, 823.  He was king of West Frank.  He married first Ermentrude  in 842, and second Richildis  (?) in 869.  Among the children of Charles II and Ermentrude were Louis II and Judith of France  (See Chapter 7).  Charles II died October 6, 877, at Mt. Cenis in the Alps.

Louis II  (Louis the Stammerer), son of Charles II  and Ermentrude, was born November 1, 846 in Compiegne. He was Emperor of Germany and King of France.  He married Ansgarde  in 846, and later he married Adelaide Judith  who bore him a son, Charles III .   Louis II died December 8, 879.

Charles III , son of Louis II  and Adelaide Judith , was born September 17, 879.  He was known as Charles the Simple.  He was acknowledged King of France in 898, and he ceded much of Normandy to Rollo the Dane (See Chapter 9) and the Vikings in 911.  He was deposed by his chief vassals in 922, and imprisoned from 923 until his death.  He married first Eadgifu  in 919, and second Frederuna .  Children of Charles III and Eadgifu included Louis IV .  Charles III died October 7, 929, in the castle at Peronne.

Louis IV d’Outremer, son of Charles III and  Eadgifu, was born in 921.  He married Gerberga (Princess of Germany, 913 – May 5, 984) , and their children included Charle s.  Louis IV died on September 10, 954.

Charles , Duke of Loraine, son of Louis IV and Gerberga, was born in 953, and he married Agnes  (or Adelheid) of Vermandoise in 978.  Their children included Louis I .  Charles died in 994.

Louis I , with the beard, son of Charles and Agnes, married Countess Cacelia of Sonderhausen , and Louis II  was among their children.  Louis I died in 1056.

A Courageous Leap

Louis II , son of Louis I and Cacelia of Sonderhausen, was born in 1042.  He married Adelaide,  widow of Frederick II , and Louis Christoph Springer I  was among their children. After he married Adelaide, he was accused of the murder of Frederick II.  After two years of imprisonment without a trial, he escaped by an adventurous leap, or spring, from the battlements of the castle into the water beneath.  For this deed the Emperor, admiring his great courage, pardoned him and bestowed on him the surname, “The Springer”. Louis II died in 1128 at the Monastery of Reinhardsbrun.

Louis Christoph Springer I , Count of Waldenburg, son of Louis II and Adelaide, was born in 1091.  In 1092, when he was just one year old, he was knighted by Henry IV,  King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor.  He married Adelgunda , Countess of Weihe,  in 1110, and Winfried Springer I  was among their children.   Louis Christoph Springer I  died in 1120.

Winfried Springer I , Count of Waldenburg, son of Louis Christoph Springer I and Adelgunda, was born in 1120 in Waldenburg.  He married Frederica  of Wurme in 1141, and Winfried Springer II  was among their children.  Winfried Springer I  died in Waldenburg in 1196.

Winfried Springer II , Count of Waldenburg, son of Winfried Springer I and Frederica , was born in 1142 in Waldenburg.  In 1164, he married Lucie  of Wehrendorf, and Winfried Springer III  was among their children.  Winfried Springer II  died in 1226 (or 1221) in Waldenburg.

Winfried Springer III , Count of Waldenburg, son of Winfried Springer II and Lucie, was born in Waldenburg in 1165.  He married Catherine  in 1188, and Christoph Gottlieb Springer I  was among their children.  Winfried Springer III  died in 1225 in Waldenburg.

Christoph Gottlieb Springer I , Count of Waldenburg, son of Winfried Springer III and Catherine, was born in 1191 in Waldenburg.  He married Freida  of Wessenburg in 1215, and Christoph Gottlieb Springer II  was among their children.  Christoph Gottlieb Springer I  died in 1243 (or 1249) in Waldenburg.

Christoph Gottlieb Springer II , Count of Waldenburg, son of Christoph Gottlieb Springer I and Freida, was born in 1217 in Waldenburg.  In 1238 he married Augusta  of Hermanstein, and Christoph Gottlieb Springer III  was among their children.  Christoph Gottlieb Springer II  died in Waldenburg in 1289.

Christoph Gottlieb Springer III , Count of Waldenburg, son of Christoph Gottlieb Springer II and Augusta, was born in 1240 in Waldenburg.  He married Amalia in 1266, and Gottfried Springer I  was among their children.  Christoph Gottlieb Springer III  died in 1296 in Waldenburg.

Gottfried Springer I , Count of Waldenburg, son of Christoph Gottlieb Springer III and Amalia, was born in Waldenburg in 1272.  He married Elizabeth  of Roseburg in 1296, and Gottfried Springer II  was among their children.  Gottfried springer I died in 1340 in Waldenburg.

Gottfried Springer II , Count of Waldenburg, son of Gottfried Springer I and Elizabeth  of Roseburg, was born in Waldenburg in 1298.  He married Johanna  of Kollinsky in 1322, and Gottfried Springer III  was among their children.  Gotfried Springer II died in 1379 (or 1374) in Waldenburg.

Gottfried Springer III , Count of Waldenburg, son of Gottfried Springer II and Johanna, was born in Waldenburg in 1323.  He married Thekla Meyer  in 1346, and among their children was Johan Gottfried Springer .  Gottfried Springer III  died in Waldenburg in 1399.

Johan Gottfried Springer, son of Gottfried Springer III and Thekla Meyer , was born in 1348 in Waldenburg.  He married Gertrude Josephine Hallen  in 1370, and Johan Jacob Springer  was among their children.  Johan Gottfried Springer  died in 1396 in Waldenburg.

Johan Jacob Springer , son of Johan Gottfried Springer and Gertrude Josephine Hallen , was born in 1385 in Waldenburg.  He married Dorothea Fisher  in 1415, and Daniel William Springer  was among their children.  Johan Jacob Springer  died in 1493 (or 1464).

Daniel William Springer , son of Johan Jacob Springer and Dorothea Fisher , was born in 1432 in Waldenburg.  In 1460, he married Matilda Steubing , and Frangott Lebecht Springer  was among their children.  Daniel William Springer  died in 1493.

Frangott Lebecht Springer , son of Daniel William Springer and Matilda Steubing, was born in 1468 in Waldenburg.  He married Elizabeth Helen Pressler  in 1495, and Johan Jacob Springer  was among their children.  Frangott Lebecht Springer  died in 1519.

Johan Jacob Springer , son of Frangott Lebecht Springer and Elizabeth Helen Pressler , was born in 1496 in Waldenburg.  He married Elizabeth Hirtenfels  in 1517, and Johan Christian Jacob Springer  was among their children.  Johan Jacob Springer  died in 1531.

Johan Christian Jacob Springer , son of Johan Jacob Springer and Elizabeth Hirtenfels , was born in 1520 in Waldenburg, Schlesian, Prussia, Germany.  He married Rosa Heller  in 1542 in Lamstede, Germany, and Christoph Christlieb Christian Springer  was among their children.  Johan Christian Jacob Springer  died in Lamstede, Germany.

Christoph Christlieb Christian Springer , son of Johan Christian Jacob Springer and Rosa Heller , was born in 1550 in Lamstedt, Hanover, Germany.  He married Elsie Wehrhahn  in 1588, and Carl Christopher Springer , Sr., was among their children.  Christoph Christlieb Christian Springer died in 1630 in Lamstedt, Hanover, Germany.

Four Wives – Including the Queen’s Housekeeper

Carl Christopher Springer , Sr., son of  Christoph Christlieb Christian Springer and Elsie Wehrhahn, was born in 1592 in Lamstedt, Hanover, Germany.  He became a naturalized Swedish citizen and a leader in Swedish society.  He was both an official at the Swedish court and a professional muscian.  By 1665, he had risen to the position of Inspector at the Archives for Public Lands and Funds, and he also played the oboe for the Royal Opera House Orchestra.  He owned a stone house a Klara, Stockholm, near the church.  He married first Karin Larsdotter  in Sweden on December 1, 1633,  second, Alma Dorothea Jacobi  in Wismar in 1645, third, Henrietta Stuleenrauch  in 1649 in Berlin, Germany, and fourth, Lady Beata Jacobine Hendrickson Salina  on October 15, 1654, in Stockholm, Sweden.  Among the children of Carl Christopher Springer , Sr., and Lady Beata Jacobine Hendrickson Salina  was Carl Christopher Springer , Jr.  Carl Christopher Springer , Sr., died May 18, 1669, in Klara Parrish, Stockholm, Sweden, and was buried inside the church at Klara.  After the death of Carl Christopher Springer, Sr., Lady Beata served as housekeepeer for Queen Hedwig Eleonora , widow of King Charles X.    Lady Beata died December 16, 1693, in Gripsholm Castle, Stockholm, Sweden.

Lady Beata Jacobine Hendrickson Salina  (above) was born in 1636 in Klara Parrish, Stockholm, Sweden.  She was the daughter of Balthasar Salinas  (born in 1587 in Danzig, Germany, died before April, 1600) and his second wife, Elizabeth Carlsdotter .  Elizabeth Carlsdotter was the daughter of Carl Christophersson  and Ann Nilsdotter Rosenbanner .  Balthasar Salinas, barber-surgeon to the court, was the son of Doctor Casparas Salinas  and Appollania .

Sold Like an Animal

Carl Christopher Springer , Jr., son of Carl Christopher Springer, Sr., and Lady Beata Jacobine Hendrickson Salina , was born in 1658 in Klara Parrish, Stockholm, Sweden.  His story is one of the more interesting ones in this book.  As a young man, he was sent to study in Riga, Latvia, and then to study English and mathematics in London.  At the age of 21, his studies completed, he was about to return home when he was kidnapped and carried aboard an English vessel to Virginia, where he “was sold like a farm animal” and held in slavery for five years. 

He Walked 400 Miles

Upon his release (apparently, he was an indentured servant), he walked 400 miles to the Delaware, where he heard other Swedes lived, and from 1684 to 1690 he lived at “New Sweden” in Gloucester County.  About 1690, he moved to Oak Hill in New Castle County, and he was naturalized in Philadelphia in 1701. 

Justice of the New Castle Court

As one of the few Swedes able to read and write English, he was frequently called upon to draft wills, deeds, and other legal documents.  His reputation grew, and he served as a justice on the New Castle Court from 1703 until his death in 1738.  In addition, he served as the first warden, vestryman, and trustee of Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church.  

He married first Maria Henricksdotter (born ca 1662) daughter of Hendrick Jacobsson and his wife Gertrude,  on December 27, 1685, in Wilmington, DE (or New Sweden, PA).  Maria Henricksdotter  died March 15, 1727, and was buried at Holy Trinity Church.  He married second Annika Walraven , daughter of Johan  and Brita Gustafsson and widow of both Matthias Martensson  and Jonas Walraven  on June 15, 1727, in New Castle County, DE.  Among the eleven children of Carl Christopher Springer , Jr., and Maria Henricksdotter  was John (or Johannes) Springer .  Carl Christopher Springer , Jr., died of a stroke on May 26, 1738, while crossing the Delaware River.

Born Blind

John (or Johannes) Springer , son of Carl Christopher Springer , Jr., and Maria Henricksdotter , was born blind in 1698.  He married first Mary Dempsey  on August 31, 1736, in New Castle County, DE.  He married second Maria (or Mary) Walsh  on November 20, 1746, in New Castle County, DE.  He married third Maria Hendrickson .  Among the children of John Springer  and Mary Dempsey was a son, also named John Springer .  The elder John Springer  died June 15, 1772.  Some researchers say Maria Hendrickson, not Mary Dempsey, was his first wife.

From Delaware to Georgia

The younger John Springer, son of John Springer and Mary Dempsey,  was born September 18, 1744, in New Castle County, DE, and was baptized October 1, 1744 at Old Swede’s Church.  He was educated at Princeton University, graduating in 1775.  In 1776, he became an instructor at Hampden-Sydney College.  In 1784, John Springer  moved to White Hall, South Carolina, where he became the first Rector of Cambridge College.  He was a very fat man, who weighed over 400 pounds.  In 1788, he moved to Georgia, near Washington, where he established a school, Walnut Hill Academy. On July 22, 1790, he was ordained under a large poplar tree, and became the first Presbyterian minister ordained in Georgia.  He organized the Presbyterian Church at Washington, Georgia.  In 1797, he urged the creation of the University of Georgia as the first state university in America. On February 18, 1762, he married first Susanna Springer , daughter of Jacob Springer  and Mary Bishop , and Sarah Springer  was among their children. He married second Rebecca -----,  and died September 2, 1798, in Wilkes County, GA.  At his death, John Springer  left land in Wilkes County and “a Negro woman called Aggy or Agnes ” to his daughter, Sarah.  

Sarah Springer, daughter of John Springer  and Susanna Springer,  was born April 27, 1762, in New Castle county, DE.  She married George Washington Peterman  (See Chapter 23).

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