Entry #30
Martha Blumenstengel married into my Luther family, which I covered in entry #13 – Martin Luther – Yes, THAT Martin Luther. She was born in in Zeitz, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany, on 14 April 1587. Her parents were Jeremias Blumenstengel, alderman and mayor of Zeitz, and his wife. Martha Hellborn.
Martha Blumenstengel was first married to George Grähl on 5 February 1605 at the age of 17. George Grahl died in August 1607 making Martha a very young widow. Martha was married again on 18 September 1610 at the age of 23 to Johann Ernst Luther, who was more than double her age; Johann Ernst Luther was 50 at the time of this marriage. He was a contemporary of Martha’s father and held the position as Senior das Domkapitel – the individual who is the leader in administrative and liturgical questions of the church. It does not sound like a love match to me, but who knows? This is how Martha Blumenstengel became my 9th great-grandmother. She and Johann Ernst proceeded to have eight children over the next 14 years. Johann Ernst Luther died in 1637 and Martha Blumenstengel in 1653. Together they founded the Zeitz line of Luther descendants.
Why did I chose Martha Blumenstengel as my subject this week? I feel very fortunate to have some portraits of my Luther ancestors. In this entry, I include Martha’s image from a copper engraving. I believe the inscription on the tablecloth indicates that she was 35 years old at the time this likeness was made.
From “Die Nachkommenschaft D. Martin Luthers in vier Jahrhunderten. Nebst Anhang über Nachkommen seiner Seitenverwandten und vieler anderer Luther” by Otto Sartorius
I love seeing Martha’s clothes and the expression on her face. By contrast, Johann Ernst Luther has always filled me with feelings of foreboding. Here is his likeness from a companion engraving:
My Luther family is the only one where I have visual images of my ancestors that date into the 1500’s and 1600’s. That, to me, is worth blogging about!