AN ATTEMPTED RIDER*
Memorial ceremony to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of our progenitor Jacob von Olnhausen on 6 December 2024 in Heilbronn Cathedral
Jacob von Olnhausen. Eine kurze historische EinordnungProgramm der Gedenkfeier
Warum dutzende Nachfahren dem Mord an Jacob von Olnhausen 1524 gedenken, RNZ vom 6.12.24
Ein versuchter Reiter – Gedenkansprache von Gerd Ohlhauser
An Attempted Rider – Memorial speech from Gerd Ohlhauser (English translation)
Video clip of the memorial ceremony in Heilbronn Cathedral
Photo gallery: Heilbronn Cathedral, memorial ceremony, Böckingen
Our common ancestor Jacob von Olnhausen died on St Nicholas' Day 500 years ago, on the night of 5 to 6 December 1524. The mayor of the Heilbronn village of Böckingen was presumably murdered by the later peasant leader Jäcklein Rohrbach on the eve of the Peasants' War in 1525. Jacob was related to Götz von Berlichingen.
Descendants of him with the surname von Olnhausen, OInhausen and Ohlhausen rsp. Olhausen still exist today. Not only in the Heilbronn area, in the city itself, in Nordheim, Brackenheim, Frauenzimmern, etc., but also in many other parts of our country and the world, such as South Africa, the USA and Canada, Sweden and south-east Europe. Also Ohlheiser, Ohlhäußer resp. Ohlhäuser and Ohlhauser are demonstrably branches of the 16th or 17th century and descendants of him.
The notary Erasmus von Olnhausen, councillor in Heilbronn from 1580 to 1599, donated money to St Kilian's Church together with other notables of the city of Heilbronn, for which their 21 family coats of arms were placed in the nave at the time. We, his descendants, held a memorial service in this ‘Cathedral of Heilbronn’, which dates back to the 11th century, on 6 December: a crossover organ concert by Bernhardt Brand-Hofmeister with a lecture by Gerd Ohlhauser on Jacob von Olnhausen, the history of the name, Rohrbach, the Peasants' Wars and the consequences. Afterwards, we met for a reception in the large choir of the church.
Inge Ohlhauser-Eberts: THANK YOU, an incredible atmosphere, super research, a great experience and a nice family reunion.
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Gerd Ohlhauser, Darmstadt
gerd@olnhausen500.de
* "Heinrich von Otting (Oettingen) had gone to the Holy Sepulchre in 1388. But because he was an attempted rider and showed himself chivalrous on every occasion, he was knighted as a Knight of the Golden Star alongside other lords and counts. At this ceremony he was given the name von Olnhausen." (According to the von Olnhausen family tree in the State Archives in Vienna).