My book, Swiss Roots: A History Of The Happes
Family To 1800, includes a history of the Haps/Habs family that flourished in
Toess, Switzerland in the 16th Century. It
does not, however, provide a genealogy of the various members of this family because gaps
in the data sources made such an undertaking a less than fulfilling endeavor. My wife Riki and I, who conducted our Haps family
research in the State Archives in Zurich and the City Archives in Winterthur, Switzerland
during the early 1970’s, always hoped that additional data sources that we may have
overlooked would provide important pieces of missing information. Unfortunately, that has not happened during the
past 30 years to the best of our knowledge, but interest in genealogy certainly has
mushroomed during these years. In fact,
certain genealogical databases available on the Internet are accumulating so much
inaccurate information that future researchers may find it increasingly difficult or
frustrating to separate fact from fancy. Because
I now have the free time needed to prepare a more detailed genealogy of the Haps family in
Toess and because I have a large amount of relevant data, albeit incomplete, I will
attempt to provide a working genealogy of the Toess Haps, pointing out those areas of my
reconstruction that are weak as well as the missing pieces of information that are
required to make the genealogy complete.
To facilitate the reconstruction of this Haps/Toess genealogy, I will divide this essay
into three time periods: from Haps arrival in Toess to 1550; from 1550 to 1565; and from
1565 to the end of the Haps living in Toess. The
period 1550 to 1565, although only 15 years of the total span, is especially important
because the Toess church book began in 1550, and baptisms and marriages were faithfully
recorded until 1565 when the black plague struck Toess and killed many of its inhabitants. By 1594, when church book baptism entries were
begun again, there were only a handful of Haps families in Toess. The terrible epidemic of plague in 1611 dealt
another crippling blow to the family, although a few Haps families persisted in Toess
until the last male Haps, the old shoemaker Rudolph Haps, died in his 73rd year
on May 13, 1729.
There were no Haps households listed among the 23 families in an early census of Toess taken in 1466. The first record of a Haps family living in Toess, dated March 16, 1489, indicates that a Hans Haps from Toess became a citizen of the nearby town of Winterthur. This would indicate that Hans Haps had been born before 1470 and the Haps family moved to Toess between 1466 and1489. Two other Haps boys from Toess who are mentioned in records from about this period are Heinrich Haps who mortgaged his property in Toess in 1498 and Cunrat Haps who was fined for the late payment of a debt about 1500. In fact, almost all the principal Haps living in Toess up to 1550 are mentioned in the records summarized in the Appendices of Swiss Roots, which Denise recently published for me on the Hoppesgenerations web site. If one lists the names of Haps family members and the
earliest date recorded for each, then the following group of names emerges as possible family members reaching adulthood before 1550:
APP DATE
NAME
ACTION
E 1489
Hans Haps
From Toess, becomesWinterthur citizen
B 1498
Heinrich/Heini Haps
Mortgage
on house and vineyard
E 1500
(ca.) Cunrat Haps
Fined for late payment
D 1512
Ulrich Haps
Service in Pavierzug
D 1515
Hans Haps
Service at Battle of Marignano
D 1515
Grosshans Haps
Service at Battle of Marignano
B 1526
Herman Haps
Property survey of his meadow
B 1529
Schneider Haps
Yearly interest payment on house
B 1537
Bobgart/Gebhart Haps
Yearly interest payment on house
B 1538
Conrad/Cunrat Haps
Land
register of his meadow
B 1538
Heinrich Haps
Land register of his meadow
B 1538
Ulrich Haps’ heirs
Yearly interest payment on house
F 1539
Tuerg Haps
Buys oats from Cloister
F 1539
Juerg Haps
Buys 1537 vintage wine
F 1540
Michel Haps
Buys grain from Cloister
F 1540
Schneider Haps’ daughter
Paid for working on pond
B 1541
Hans Haps
Yearly interest payment on house
E 1541
Herman Haps’ sons
Fined for fighting
B 1542
Rummoli Haps
Yearly interest payment on house
F 1543
Jacob Haps
Buys grain from Cloister
B 1543
Schneider Haps’ wife
Yearly
interest payment on house
F 1543
Schneider Haps’ wife
Buys
grain from Cloister
B 1550
Peter Haps
Yearly interest payment on house
E 1550
Cunrat (Rumeli) Haps
Engages in vineyard
transaction
After the initial trio of Hans, Heini, and Cunrat Haps, the following quintet of Haps boys
emerges: Uli/Ulrich, Hans, Grosshans, Herman, and Schneider Haps. Actually this generation contains only four
individuals because Schneider Haps was the name given to Hans Haps to differentiate him
from his first cousin also named Hans. The
records almost always refer to one Hans as Hans der Snyder (Hans the tailor) or simply as
Snider Haps and to his cousin as Grosshans Haps, Langhans Haps, Haps der Lang, or simply
as Lang Haps.
1489, Mar City
Protocol (CAW DII 5)
Hans Haps from Toess becomes Winterthur citizen
1532, Dec Legal
Record (CAW AG 94/1)
Mentions Uli Haps’ sister, Anna, wife of Hans Siber
1534
Legal Record (CAW AG 94/1)
Mentions Herman Haps’ brothers, Uli and Grosshans
1537
Property Survey (SAZ FI 51)
Mentions Hans Haps having a step-sister
1538, Sep Property
Survey (SAZ FI 51)
Mentions Cunrat & Heinrich Haps, heirs of Ulrich Haps
1540 (ca.)
Property Survey
(SAZ FIIA 262)
Mentions Christin Haps as son of Hans (Schneider) Haps
1540 (ca.)
Property Survey
(SAZ FIIA 262)
Mentions Gebhart Haps as son of Ulrich Haps
1540
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions Michael and Lang Haps working together
1541
Kyburg Transactions (SAZ FIII 19)
Mentions that Herman Haps has two sons
1541
Finance Record (SAZ AJ119/1)
Identifies Herman Haps’ sons as Heinrich and Hans
1545
Kyburg Protocol (CAZ B5a/4)
Mentions Joerg Haps’ brothers, Hans and Heinrich
1550
Kyburg Protocol (CAZ B5a/4)
Mentions Cunrat Haps from Toess aka Ruemeli
1551
Property Survey (SAZ FI 52)
Mentions Hans Haps as brother of Heinrich Haps (see FI 51)
1551
Property Survey (SAZ FI 52)
Mentions Christin Haps and his mother Margarete Frigg
1553
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions Jacob Haps from Toess together with Joerg Haps
1554
Property Survey (SAZ FI 52)
Mentions
Heinrich Haps, brother Christen, & mother
1554
Legal Record (CAW AJ 119/1)
Mentions Heini Haps of Toess aka Tuerk Haps
1555
Property Survey (SAZ FI 52)
Mentions
Hans Haps and his brother Heinrich Haps (see FI 51)
1556
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions Hans Haps known as Thuerg Haps
1557
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions Heinrich and Gebhart Schneider Haps
1566
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions that Hugli Haps and his mother died
1566
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions that Heinrich Haps died
1566
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions that Heinrich Haps fled from Toess
1568
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions that Gebhart Haps has two sons
1572, Dec
Property Survey (SAZ FI 52)
Mentions
Hans Haps’ heirs and Heinrich Haps (see FI 51)
1573
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions that the deceased Hans Haps’ child
1588
Property Survey (SAZ FIIA 420)
Mentions
Margareta Berger, the deceased Heinrich Haps’ wife
1588
Property Survey (SAZ FIIA 420)
Mentions the deceased Christen Haps’ “child”
1588
Property Survey (SAZ FIIA 420)
Mentions
Margareta Haps as owner of Uli Haps’ old vineyard
1588
Property Survey (SAZ FIIA 420)
Mentions Margareta Haps’ sister, Kleingretha Haps
1589
Cloister Transaction (SAZ FIII 37)
Mentions Margareta Haps aka Tuergg
The data listed above are useful in reducing the number of sons attributable to the four
Haps boys born about 1490 to 1500, namely the brothers Ulrich, Grosshans, and Herman Haps,
and Hans Haps der Schneider. For example, Uli
Haps’ son Cunrad also was known as Ruemmoli Haps. Moreover, Uli Haps’ children
Heini, Hans, and Margaretha also were called Tuerg Haps, perhaps after the maiden name of
Uli’s first wife. The data also indicate
that Uli Haps had three other sons, Gebhart, Joerg, and Jacob; at least two daughters,
Margaretha (married to Hans Klaeui) and Kleingretcha; and a sister Anna (married to Hans
Siber). Uli’s first cousin, Hans
Schneider Haps married to Margaretha Frigg had at least three boys: Christin, Gebhart, and
Heinrich, while Herman Haps had two sons Heinrich and Hans, and Grosshans Haps had at
least one son, probably Michael. Of the Haps males listed in the table above covering the
span 1489 – 1550, this leaves only Peter Haps unassigned. Because Christen Haps and very likely his brother
Gebhart both named one of their sons Peter, we will tentatively assume that Peter was a
son of Hans Schneider Haps. These
observations lead to the bare-bones genealogical chart of Toess males shown below:
�
_____________________________� ____________________________
�
�
�
Hans Haps (�Winterthur) Heinrich
Haps
Cunrat Haps
�
�
�
� Elsa _____
�
�
�
�
�
Hug Peter Jacob
Ulrich Grosshans Herman
Hans/Schneider
� � �
�
� Michael Heini Hans
�
�
�
�
�
Heini Hans
Cunrat Gebhart Joerg Jacob
�
�
�
Christen Gebhart Heini
Peter
HAPS/TOESS FROM
1550 UNTIL 1565
An attempt to link each of the ten households appearing in the Toess church records from
1550 – 1565 to the other fourth-generation individuals in the genealogical chart
above is provided below. Whenever required,
supplemental data will be used in attempting to cement the linkage.
This Hans Haps, born about 1520-25, almost certainly was the son of Ulrich Haps. In the early 1540s, he married Anna Huser, who
probably was closely related to Uli Haps’ friend, Hans Huser senior mayor of
Winterthur. One of their first children was born in 1544 according to the records of the
Toess Cloister, SAZ (FIII 37), which indicate that Hans Haps received money for the
baptism of a child that year. He or several
of his older brothers may also have had children prior to 1550 because on five occasions
in the 1540’s the Cloister paid baptism money to Haps family members but merely
recorded the recipient as “Haps” (or an equivalent spelling of the name). As reported in Swiss Roots: .
. . . Hans Haps became a respected member of the Toess Church congregation. In 1561 he was elected to the highest lay position
in the congregation. Unfortunately, his
tenure was unusually brief. Hans Haps was
dismissed later the same year when it was discovered that he was using his new position to
buy and sell goods for his own gain. He died about 1573.
The following church book entries pertain to the recorded children of Hans Haps and Anna
Huser:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1550, Sep 14
Jacob
Jacob Kuntz & Margaret Siber
1554, Apr 29
Elisabet
Elisabet Wipff & Christen Orgissner from Rossberg
1557, Feb 2
Hans Cunrad Hans
Seckler & Anna Wipff
#2 Joerg Haps
married to Salome Altickher
Because there only is one Joerg Haps that appears in Toess records about this time, the
Joerg Haps married to Salome Altickher almost certainly was the son of Ulrich Haps. In 1545, he probably reached legal age because he
brought a lawsuit against his brothers Hans and Heini Haps to collect his inheritance from
his father Uli’s estate. He may have died or departed shortly after the following
church book entry because he soon disappears from Toess records:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1551, Jan 14
Maria
Leingart Meyer, schaffner & Maria Moettel
#3 Gebhart Haps
married to Anna Oringer
Next the Toess church book records entries for two families headed by a Gebhart Haps, the
first Gebhart being married to Anna Oringer. The father of one of these Gebharts was Uli
Haps and the father of the other was Hans Schneider Haps. The five children recorded for
Gebhart Haps married to Anna Oringer were:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s
Sponsors
1551, Apr 3
Peter
Peter Falckenstein
of Eticam & Prida Knoepffl of Ulm
1553, Jul 27
Rudolff
Rudolff Erni,
Spitalmeister/Winterthur & Pryda Knoepffl
1555, Feb 15
Jochim
Jochim Husser & Anna Mundpract
1560, Apr 23
Anna
Hans Kuntz &
Anna Kess
1561, Aug 24
Felix
Felix Wylenmann
& Barbel Liechtensteig
#4 Gebhart Haps
married to Anna Pfyffer
The three children of the other Gebhart Haps married to Anna Pfyffer were:
Date Baptized Child Child’s Sponsors
1553, Feb 20
Pryda
Liengart Meyer, schaffner & Pryda Knoepffl
1554, Nov 19
Liengart
Liengart
Meyer & Anna Habss
1560, Aug 18
Gebhart
Gebhart
Baeggli & Ursula Winkler
Unfortunately, the church book data about the children’s sponsors provide
inconclusive evidence that would allow us to assign one Gebhart as the son of Uli Haps and
the other as the son of Hans (Schneider) Haps. Both
families obviously held Pryda Knoepffl from Ulm in high regard. On balance, however, the Gebhart Haps married to
Anna Oringer appears slightly better associated with Uli Haps because of his sponsors from
Husser and Kuntz families.
Perhaps, other types of records for the two Gebhart Haps’ may help us settle the
stalemate. Possibly to differentiate the two
Gebharts, one was referred to as the kuhirt (cow herder) on occasion. An analysis of the other Toess data involving
individuals named Gebhart Haps, however, does not lead to any rationale for determining
their fathers. About 1570, the name Gebhart
Haps vanishes for all records indicating that no one with that name was still present in
Toess.
#5 Cunrad Haps
married to Catharina Benninger
The only Cunrad Haps (also known as Ruemmoli Haps) from the period 1550 – 1565 was a
son of Uli Haps. He already had begun his
family by 1550, having received a baptismal gift from the Cloister for a child born in
1545. The Toess church book entry for Cunrad
Haps married to Catharina Benninger is every enlightening.
It states:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
These sponsors were identical to the 1553 sponsors of Gebhart Haps married to Anna
Pfyffer, a strong indication that Cunrad and Gebhart, both of whom named a son after
Liengart Meyer, were brothers (and sons of Uli Haps).
#6 Christen Haps
married to Doratgea Waelt
Christen Haps is mentioned as a son of Hans Schneider Haps in a number of Toess records. He was a hard-working carpenter with a tendency to
get into fights in his youth. After 1573, he
disappears from the Cloister transaction records, being replaced in 1580 by an individual
called “the deceased Christen Haps’ child”, who for a while resided with
Barbel Benninger, widow of Heinrich Haps. Christen
Haps’ four children with his wife Doratgea Waelt, whom he married on February 4,
1554, were:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1559, May/Jun
Hans
Jacob Kaeller & Agnes M.
1561, Jun-Aug Jacob
Jacob Bilgeri
& Dill Berger
1563, Jul 11
Anna
Uli Luterbach & Anna Schaerrer
1564, Oct 15
Peter
Peter Wylenmann & Susanna Nussberger
#7 Heinrich Haps
married to Barbel Benninger
This Heinrich Haps appears to be a son of Hans Schneider Haps and a brother of Christen
Haps. (Apparently by 1550 Uli Haps’ oldest son Heini Tuerg Haps already had completed
his family. In any case, Heini Tuerg Haps
died in 1587, being survived by his wife Margareta Berger.)
The Heini Haps married to Barbel Benniger was extremely unfortunate because he
probably was the Heini Haps mentioned in the Cloister records in 1566 as having died in
the plague of 1565. (The Heini Haps who fled from Toess to avoid arrest by the authorities
probably was the oldest son of Herman Haps.) The two children recorded in the Toess church
book for Heinrich Haps, who married to Barbel Benninger on February 28, 1557, are:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1559, Nov 26-28
Casper
Casper Strass & Barbel M.
1565, Apr-Jul
Cathryena
Ulrich Sultzer, Metzger & Cathryena von Schoenau
#8 Felix Haps
married to Anna Schalk
The first entry for Felix Haps in the Toess church book occurs in 1560 and in the civil
records in 1566. He died about 1588. His
parentage is uncertain, although the Gebhart Haps married to Anna Oringer named a baby boy
Felix in August 1561. The two recorded
children of Felix Haps married to Anna Schalk were:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1560, Nov 11
Anna
Gaebhart Naepfli & Anna Kuntz
1565, Jan 8
Conrad
Conrad Mouth & Regel Levmaenn
#9 Hans Haps
married to Anna Vaeltz
This Hans Haps likely was born in the 1540’s before detailed records of baptisms were
kept. His parents are unknown. The only Toess church record for Hans and his wife
Anna Vaeltz indicates:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1564, Jul 24
Hans
Hans Seckler & Magdalena Nussberger
The Hans Seckler who served as a sponsor may be identical to the Hans Seckler who
sponsored the birth of Hans and Anna Huser Haps’ son Jacob in 1550.
#10 Hans Haps married to Martha Schnetzler
According to the Toess church book, Hans Haps married Martha Schnetzler on October 23,
1558. Like his namesake above, the parentage
of Hans Haps married to Martha Schnetzler is unknown.
Their Toess church book entry indicates:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1565, Jul 24
Heinrich
Heinrich Schaffner Nussberger & Barbel Koch
HAPS/TOESS FROM
1565 UNTIL 1729
The terrible outbreak of the Black Plague in 1565 killed many of the inhabitants of Toess
including Hug Haps, who had just married Martha Froelig on February 4, 1565, as well as
Hug’s mother. Pastor Falck of the Toess
Congregation also died in 1565, and almost 30 years would pass before his church book
entries were resumed. Moreover, the names of
the Toess households in the Cloister income records were frozen; the same renters were
listed year after year from 1565 through 1584 even though most of the 1565 renters had
died long before the 1580’s.
As if the bubonic plague of 1565 had not created sufficient havoc, the plague returned in
1585 killing about 20% of the inhabitants of Winterthur and surrounding towns. In Toess, the loss of life was so severe that the
Cloister’s record-keeping system based on property holders from 1565 broke down and
had to be up-dated. A new enumeration of
renters taken in 1588 showed that there now were 35 properties in the community of Toess
on which rent was being paid to the Cloister. Only
four were being held by males named Haps, namely: 1. Felix Haps, 2. Hans Heinrich Haps, 3.
Hug Haps, and 4.the deceased Christen Haps’ son.
In addition to the Cloister’s list of property renters, their lists of individuals
that conducted transactions with the Cloister are very useful in identifying active Haps
family members. Starting in 1580, the
following Haps appear for the first time in such lists:
Date Source Individual Transaction
1580
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hug
Hapsss
Buys grain from
Cloister
1580
SAZ (FIII 37)
Christen
Hapssen's child
Buys grain from Cloister
1580
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hans
Jagli Hapsss
Paid for building
a new dam
1580
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hans
Heinrich Hapsss
Paid for building a new dam
1580
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hans
Hapss
Paid for building
a new dam
1580
SAZ (FIII 37)
Heinrich
Hapsss
Paid for making new
boards
1581
SAZ (FIII 37)
Christen
Hapss
Exchanges wine for
grain
1581
SAZ (FIII 37)
Jaggli
Hapssen
Sold wood for
construction
1581
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hug
Hapssens
Paid for his
wedding
1582
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hanns
Hapssen's child
Exchanges wine for grain
1582
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hanns
Cunrath Hapssen
Paid for his wedding
1584
SAZ (FIII 37)
Felix
Hapss
Exchanges wine for
grain
1585
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hug
Hapssen's heirs
Exchanges wine for
grain
1587
SAZ (FIII 37)
Heini
(Tuergk)Hapss
Exchanges wine for
grain
1588
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hug
Hapss
Buys grain from
Cloister
1588
SAZ (FIII 37)
Felix
Hapssen's heirs
Exchanges wine for
grain
1589
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hanns
(Schuetz) Hapss
Paid as day laborer
1589
SAZ (FIII 37)
Felix
Hapssen
Paid as day laborer
1589
SAZ (FIII 37)
Margretha
Tuergg (Haps) Owes Cloister grain
1590
SAZ (FIII 37)
Heinrich
Haps
Owes Cloister oats
1593
SAZ (FIII 37)
Margreth
Hapss
Buys grain from
Cloister
1595
SAZ (FIII 37)
Diethelm
Habssen
Receives money for
wedding
1602
SAZ (FIII 37)
Felix
Haps
Paid for helping
at mother's funeral
1603
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hug
Happsen's child
Pays interest on
loan and land
1607
SAZ (FIII 37)
Heinrich
Hapsen
Receives money for
wedding
1611
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hanns
Hapsen
Receives money for
wedding
1613
SAZ (FIII 37)
Aberham
Hapss
Paid for threshing
1613
SAZ (FIII 37)
Abraham
Hapsen
Receives money for wedding
1616
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hans
Jacob Hapsen
Receives money for wedding
1616
SAZ (FIII 37)
Hans
Hapsen
Receives medicine
for sickness
1628
SAZ (FIII 37)
Jagli
Hapssen
Paid for cutting
and cleaning
1635
SAZ (FIII 37)
Baschi
Haps
Paid for cleaning
out pit
1639
SAZ (FIII 37)
Baschi
Hapssen & son
Paid for cleaning
out pit
Based on these
data, a number of observations can be made, such as:
1. The Felix Haps who exchanged wine for
grain in 1584 must have been the #8 Felix Haps married to Anna Schalk. He had died by 1588, so the Felix Haps that
appears then and in following years most probably was the youngest son of #3 Gebhart Haps
married to Anna Oringer, who was baptized August 24, 1561.
The latter Felix Haps, who was married to Andli Hug and assisted at his
mother’s funeral in 1602, had the following three children according to Toess
Congregation church records:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1595, Apr 6
Beatrix
Herr Ludwig Braaft & Beatrix Hegner
1599, Feb 25
Hans Heinrich
Hans Stiegelyesen & F. Anna Raan, schaffner
1602, Mar 7
Maria
Hans Biderman & Maria Braaf, both of Winterthur
2. The venerable Heini Tuerg Haps still was
alive in 1587, but he did not appear on the 1588 Property List recording the four Haps
families paying rent to the Cloister. Based
on data in the detailed Property List, it appears that Hans Heinrich Haps had inherited a
portion of Heini Haps’ land in the Neubruch section of Toess next to the land still
held by his mother Margareta (Berger) Haps. Moreover,
he probably had a younger brother Hans Jacob (Jagli) Haps.
When Hans Heinrich Haps died in 1607 or shortly thereafter, his lands were
inherited by his son Hans, the fifer. About
the time of his father’s death, Hans Haps was living in Gossau, a town south of
Zurich. After his first wife died leaving
him with two small children, Hans the fifer remarried, but his second wife proved
unfaithful to him and apparently had a child by her former lover. Hans then returned to Toess and married for a
third time in 1611. In 1616 he suddenly
became ill and died. Church book entries from
Gossau and Toess records contain the following information about the sad tale of Hans
Haps, the fifer:
Date Record Individuals
1601, Jul 12
Marriage
Hans Haps from Toess &
Regula Stampfer from Horgen
1602, Jul 4 Baptism
Jagli Haps, son of Hans
Haps & Regula Stampfer
1604, Mar 25 Baptism
Ulrich Haps, son of Hans
Haps & Regula Stampfer
1606, Apr 19
Marriage
Heini Cuntz from
Bennschikon & Regula Bluewber
1606, May 4
Marriage
Hans Haps from Toess &
Anna Walder from Holzhusen
1607, Aug 16 Baptism
Dorothea Cuntz, daughter
of Heini Cuntz & Anna Walder
1611
Marriage Hans Haps from Toess
(based on Cloister transactions)
1615, Mar 19
Baptism
Rudolf Haps, son of Hans
Haps and Anna Burr
3. As the Transaction Records listed above indicate, the Hug Haps who was active in the
early 1580s (to at least 1584) had died by 1585. He
was replaced by another Hug Haps referred to as “Hug Haps known as Gutwyn” in
the property census of 1588, perhaps a reference to his mother’s maiden name. In any case, Hug Gutwyn Haps held three properties
in 1588: a home with vegetable garden in the town of Toess, a vineyard on the hill named
Bruehl, and a field near the town. The
property records, however, do not provide a clear indication of the parents of Hug Gutwyn
Haps. He died between 1598 and 1601, when his annual rent began to be paid by “the
deceased Hug Haps’ child.” This
notation was followed in the Cloister records for several years, indicating that Hug
Haps’ son had a common name that might be confused with other Haps with the same
name. A record of the hospital in Winterthur
states that in 1609 Hans Haps, Hug’s son bought an annuity from the hospital,
documenting that the son of the Hug Haps who died about 1600 was named Hans. Hospital records refer to Hans Haps the annuitant
from Toess until 1617. The only record of any
children that he may have had is the following incomplete entry in the Toess church book
for Hans Haps and unnamed wife:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
4. The fourth Haps household enumerated in the Cloister’s list of property renters in
1588 was headed by “the deceased Christen Haps’ son.” He continued to be referred to by this name in the
Cloister records until the mid-1590’s. From
the Toess church book records, we know that Christen Haps and his wife Doratgea Waelt had
three sons born between 1559 and 1564, namely Hans, Jacob, and Peter. Because there were other individuals named Hans
Haps, including Hug (Gutwyn) Haps’ son, that were active during the 1590’s, it
appears likely that the deceased Christen Haps’ son also was named Hans. In fact, he may be the Hans Haps known as Schuetz
that first shows up as a day laborer at the Toess Cloister in 1589.
It is important to note that some individuals who headed Haps families in the Toess church
book records never were named in the voluminous records of the Toess Cloister or the
Winterthur Hospital. Because they never
rented properties or engaged in transactions for their families, they must have lived in
the shadow of other household heads. The most
notable individual in this regard for our genealogical account is Peter Haps married to
Anna Froelich. Toess church book records
contain the following data for this couple:
Date Baptized
Child
Child’s Sponsors
1602, Feb 28
Heinrich
Heinrich
Kuentzli from Winterthur & Anna Kraepss
1607, Sep 1
Barbel
Heinrich Petermueller & Barbel Heer
1611, Jan
20-Feb 11 Jochim
Jochim Schwaengerer & Barbel Byssler
Because the youngest son of Christen Haps, baptized October 15, 1564, also was named
Peter, some individuals have equated Christen Haps’ son with the Peter Haps who first
appears in the Toess church book in 1602. This
almost certainly is incorrect because the span of time between 1564 and 1602, namely over
35 years, appears far too long for someone to have remained totally anonymous in the
records of the day before starting a family. A
better possibility would be for a young Peter Haps to have started his family while living
with an older relative. Christen Haps’
son Hans, born in May or June1559, for example, appears to be a better candidate to be
Peter’s father than Christen Haps. This
would require that Hans had to marry by about 1880, and that he had to have a son named
Peter shortly thereafter. Such a scenario
could explain why Peter Haps did not appear in the Toess Cloister or Winterthur Hospital
records prior to 1602. It certainly does not
explain his absence from these records during the next decade, however. Christen’s son disappears from the Cloister
records during the mid-to-late 1590’s about the same time Peter Haps should emerge
from obscurity, regardless of whether Peter was Christen’s son or Christen’s
grandson. For some unknown reason, he does
not. Therefore, it seems better not to
attribute either Christen Haps or his son as the father of Peter Haps. Unfortunately, none of the other three families
represented in the 1588 list of property holders seem to be a much better candidate. Hans Heinrich Haps almost surely was a grandson
of Uli Haps, and there is little evidence linking Peter Haps with either the Felix Haps
married to Anna Schalk, the Felix Haps baptized August 24, 1561, or Hug Haps, although a
case could be made for each of the latter three Haps being Peter’s father.
Regardless
who the father of Peter Haps was, it is certain that Peter’s youngest son Joachim
Haps survived the terrible plague of 1611 and is the ancestor of the bulk of the Hoppes,
etc. families in the US and the Happes families in Germany today. Starting in 1634,
periodic censuses of the total inhabitants of Toess were begun. These show:
Census Date Head of Household
& wife
Other Haps in Household
1634, May 18 Jacob Haps
Baschli Haps & Anna Frez
Jacob (12 yrs old)
Fridli Schaeltenbrun
Joachim Haps (22 yr old servant)
Baschli Haps & Anna Frez
Jacob (15 yrs old)
Heinrich Wylenman
Joachim Haps (23 yr old servant)
Baschli Haps & Anna Frez
Jacob (18 yrs old)
Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffmann
no children
M. Jacob Lemma, miller
Anna Haps (16 yr old servant)
Jacob Haps
(Baschli’s son)
Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffmann
Elsbeth (2 yrs old)
& Hans (1 yr)
1646
Baschli Haps
Jacob Haps & Anna Sutter
Hans Jagli Haps & Marg. Waegmann
Ulrich Braez & Anna Haps
Clefe (1 yr old)
Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffmann
Elsbeth (5 yrs old)
& Urich (2 yrs)
1649
Jacob Haps & Anna Sutter
Anna (3 yrs old)
Hans Jacob Haps & Marg. Waegmann
Ulrich Braezer & Anna Haps
Clefe (3), Jacob (1), Elsbeth (10 wk)
Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffmann
Elsbeth (7), Ulrich
(6), Salome (1)
The next census of Toess inhabitants did not occur until 1670/71, some 22 years after the
1649 enumeration. It showed that Ulrich Braetscher, teacher, and his wife Anna Haps were
still residing in Toess and had a relatively large family of nine children. The only other Haps family living in Toess was
Jaggli (Jacob) Haps married to Anna Suber and their five children, who were enumerated in
the household of the widower Jaggli Suber.
The records of the Toess Congregation supplement the data provided in the census
enumerations. The most relevant church book
entries for the families of the individuals mentioned above indicate that:
Date
Record Individuals
1609, Dec 19 Marriage Hans
Jacob Haps & Barbel Sigerst from Maeffenbach
1614, May 17
Marriage
Baschli Haps & Elsbeth Seyler
1614, Jul 24 Baptism
Heinrich Haps, son of Baschian Haps
1616, Feb 11 Marriage Hans
Jacob Haps & Margretha Waegman from Efferetikon
1617, Jan 2 Marriage Baschion
Haps & Anna Fretz
1617, Feb 15 Baptism
Thoman Haps, son of Baschion Haps & Elsbeth Meyer
1618, Jan 30 Baptism
Barbara Haps, daughter of Baschion Haps & Anna Fretz
1619, Feb 14 Baptism
Anna Haps, daughter of Jacob Haps & Margretha Waegman
1620, Nov 5 Baptism
Jacob Haps, son of Hans Jacob Haps & Margretha Waegmann
1640, Feb 4 Marriage Joachim
(Schaeltenbaum) Haps & Elsbetha Hoffman
1640, May 3 Baptism
Elsbetha Haps, daughter of Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffmann
1641, Sep 5 Marriage Jacob
Haps & Anna Suter
1642, Mar 6 Baptism
Hans Haps, son of Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffman
1644, May 19
Baptism
Jacob Haps, son of
Jacob Haps & Anna Suter
1644, Jun 1 Baptism
Ulrich Haps, son of Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffman
1645, Feb 11 Marriage
Heinrich Braezer & Anna Haps
1645, Sep 21 Baptism
Clefe Braezer, daughter of Heinrich Braezer & Anna Haps
1646, Jan 6 Baptism
Elsbetha Haps daughter of Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffman
1646, Nov 8 Baptism
Jacob Haps, son of Jacob Haps & Anna Suter
1647, Feb 14
Baptism
Waelti Haps, son of
Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffman
1647, Mar 14
Baptism
Elsbetha Braezer,
daughter of Heinrich Braezer & Anna Haps
1648, Jun 25
Baptism
Anna Haps, daughter
of Jacob Haps & Anna Suter
1648, Sep 11 Baptism
Jacob Braezer, son of Heinrich Braezer & Anna Haps
1649, Mar 11
Baptism
Salome Haps daughter
of Joachim Haps & Elsbetha Hoffmann
1650, Jun 18
Marriage
Hans Jacob Haps & Elsbeth Meier
1652, Jun 6 Baptism
Isaac Haps, son of Jacob Haps & Anna Suter
1655, Jul 22 Baptism
Hans Rudolf Haps, son of Jacob Haps & Anneli Suter
1658, May 16
Baptism
Elsbetha, daughter of
Jacob Haps & Anna Suter
1659, Feb 18 Death
Elsbeth Haps, child of Jacob Haps, the younger
1659, Dec 4 Baptism
Elsbeth Haps, daughter of Jacob Haps & Anna Suter
1663, Jun 29
Death
Jacob Haps, the older
1666, Feb 18 Baptism
Barbara Haps, daughter of Jacob Haps & Anna Suter
1671, Apr
1-10 Death
Isaac Haps, son of Jacob Haps
1681, Jan 25 Marriage
Rudolf Haps & Sara Schuppiszer
1682, Feb 26 Death
Heinrich Braetscher, school master
1682, May 10
Death
Rudi Haps’ child, died before being baptized
1683, Apr 22
Baptism
Cleopha Haps,
daughter of Rudolf Haps & Sara Schuppiszer
1684, Nov 14
Baptism
Jacob Haps, son of
Rudolff Haps & Sara Schuppiszer
1685, Apr 3 Death
Anna Suter, Jagli Haps’ legitimate wife, 66 years old
1687, Nov 18
Baptism
Margretha Haps,
daughter of Rudolff Haps & Sara Schuppiszer
1688, Feb 16 Death
Jacob Haps from Toess, 68 years old
1690, Oct 12 Baptism
Elsbeth Haps, daughter of Rudolff Haps & Sara Schuppiszer
1706, Jul 15 Death
Jacob Happes, Rudolph’s son
1729, May 13
Death
Rudolph Haps from Toess, 74 years old
From the census and church book data it can be seen that Joachim Haps and his wife Elsbeth
Hoffman had six children but that Hans, the younger Elsbeth, and Waelti had died prior to
the enumeration of 1649. Records of the
hospital in Winterthur indicated that Joachim Haps paid rent on his home to the hospital
administrators beginning in 1643 until 1653, when he apparently died. About 1657, his wife Elsbeth received permission
to emigrate to the Palatinate with her three surviving children to a parish founded by
Clemens Hirtzel. What became of Elsbeth
Hoffman Haps and her oldest daughter Elsbeth remains a mystery. (See Harry’s Most Wanted List at Hoppesgenerations). The new
lives of her son Ulrich and daughter Salome, however, are vividly documented in the church
book of the Lutheran Congregation, Brombach located in the heart of the Odenwald northeast
of Heidelberg, Germany.
The available data also indicate that the Hans Jacob (Jagli) Haps from Toess, who married
Margretha Waegman from Efferetikon on February 11, 1616, was born before 1600 and died
June 29, 1663. His father may have been Felix
Haps baptized August 24, 1561. In any case,
Hans Jagli Haps apparently had only one son Jacob, who was baptized November 5, 1620, and
married to Anna Suter on September 5, 1641. They,
in turn, had only one son, Rudolph Haps, who had a family.
Rudi and Sarah (Schuppizer) Haps had one son Jacob, born in 1684, three
daughters, and one infant who died before being baptized.
Unfortunately, young Jacob Haps died at the age of 21 while still single. On May 13, 1729, the old shoemaker Rudi Haps died
in his 73rd year. He was the last
of the male Haps living in Toess.
Published by Harry
Hoppes
February 2002