The von der Decken family is the name of an old
Hanoverian family of
German nobility. Since more than 750 years the center of the family is in a part of
Lower Saxony at the south bank of the river
Elbe called
Kehdingen.
History
The Origin of the Family
The first documented members of the family are Alverik and Herewart von Decca. About 1250 they were
vassals of
Frederick of Haseldorf [
de].[1][2] The genealogy of the family can be traced back to Nicolaus de Deken.[3][4] He was a
squire and lived from about 1290 to 1360.[5] The first von der Deckens lived near
Freiburg, Lower Saxony, at the southern bank of the
Elbe river.
The
coat of arms shows a fireplace
trammel hook. On the helmet with black and silver covers is standing a natural short oak branch with hanging green leaves on both sides.
Historic coat of arms
Seal of Friedrich
von der Decken noted as Zackewolde in a document dated 1394. This is the oldest seal of the family. (copied).[8]
Seal of Heinrich von der Decken of the year 1585. He had three
trammel hooks in his coat of arms and lived until 1590. Heinrich was alderman and mayor of the town
Stade. He had farms in
Götzdorf [
de] north of
Stade and
Aschhorn [
nds] near
Drochtersen. He belonged to the extinct line in the town of Stade. (copied)
Seal of Peter von der Decken from the year 1591. Peter lived from 1539 to 1619. He is the son of Hermann. Hermann was a mayor of
Stade and he started the first family line. Peter owned the farms: Kampe, Oerichsheil, Ritterhof and Wechtern. This style of the coat of arms from 1591 stayed until present.
Since 1732 the coat of arms of the third line is a conjunction of the two families von der Decken and von Offen. The coat of arms of the family von Offen is a red wheel with six spokes on a silver ground. The title
Freiherr[9] in the third line stayed for two generations from 1885 to 1969.
The General of the Cavalry Count
Georg J.W.L. von der Decken [
de] chose as blazon holders two soldiers of the 1. Hussar-Regiment of the
King's German Legion, a Regiment, in which he had distinguished himself so much. He was honored with the title
Graf in 1835. He had no legitimate children, therefore the title did not continue after his death in 1859.
John Decker (born 1895 in
Berlin, died 1947 in Los Angeles), was born with the name Leopold von der Decken or Leopold Avenarius. He was a painter, sculptor and
caricaturist in London, New York City and Los Angeles. Grandson of Count Georg von der Decken.
Oak tree with coat of arms on the title of the Yearly Family News.
Pro Aris et Focis is the heraldic motto.
Luneberg Mushard, Monumenta Nobilitatis Antiqvæ Familiarum Illustrium, Inprimis Ordinis Equestris in Ducatibus Bremensi & Verdensi, i. e. Denckmahl Der Uhralten/ berühmten Hochadelichen Geschlechter/ Insonderheit Der Hochlöblichen Ritterschafft Im
Hertzogthum Bremen und Verden (Monuments of the ancient and famous noble families, especially of the Knighthood in the Duchy of
Bremen-Verden), Bremen: Brauer, 1708, pp. 192–201.
Wilhelm von der Decken (1807–1866) Secretary of the
Kingdom of Hanover, Die Familie von der Decken in ihren verschiedenen Verhältnissen dargestellt (history of the family von der Decken),
Hanover: Klindworth's Hof-Druckerei, 1865.
Blätter der Familie von der Decken (i.e. annual family news), 1919–....
Brümmel, v. Gruben, v. Marschalck: Die Güter der Ritterschaft im Herzogtum Bremen (
estates in the
Duchy of Bremen),
Stade: Ritterschaft der Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden, 2001
References
Transcription of a document from 1250/55 for Herewart und Alverik von Deca – extract of the Hoyer Urkundenbuch from 1865 Herausgeber: Wilhelm v. Hodenberg – Heft IV – Hoyer Lehne –
page 9Chart of river Elbe 1860 with places of the family:
Neuhaus (Oste),
Belum,
Balje,
Krummendeich and
Freiburg/Elbe
^Wilhelm von der Decken, Die Familie von der Decken in ihren verschiedenen Verhältnissen dargestellt (history of the family von der Decken), Hanover: Klindworth's Hof-Druckerei, 1865
p. 7
^
abStammtafeln der Familie von der Decken, Thora von der Decken (ed.) on behalf of the Wangenheim-Decken'sche Familienstiftung, Stade: Heimberg, 1936, p. 83.
^
abHerwart und Thassilo von der Decken, Pedigree of the Family: Stammtafeln der Familie von der Decken, 1994
^Document from 1360 in state archive in
Stade: Rep 3, Altkloster 106, there: The famulus =
squire Claus (Nicolaus de Deken) witnesseth on 25 July 1360 this document with the following circumstances: Der squire Hinricus de Dozen (Heinrich von der Döse) sells farming ground near
Wechtern [
nds] in the parish of
Freiburg/Elbe to the Benedictine monastery in
Altkloster [
nds] nowadays a part of
Buxtehude.
^From the church book entry: Adolphus was born 8 February 1834 and baptised 20 February 1834 in the
Holy Trinity Church [
de] in
Altona. Altona belonged to
Holstein, which was ruled in personal union by the
Danish crown until 1864. The mother is Anna Maria Ernestine Hume, the father is Claus Melchior Adolph von der Decken, see: Kirchenkreisarchiv Hamburg West / Südholstein –
Lutheran Church Book Office (=Kirchenbuchamt) in
Pinneberg
^Wilhelm von der Decken, Die Familie von der Decken in ihren verschiedenen Verhältnissen dargestellt (history of the family von der Decken), Hanover: Klindworth's Hof-Druckerei, 1865
p. 507
^Regarding personal names: Freiherr was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Baron. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.
^Regarding personal names: Graf was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Count. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine form is Gräfin.
External links
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