Johann Christian Huthsteiner was town clerk in Ortrand.

Town clerks contributed significantly to the development and expansion of the administrative structures of Saxon cities. Her field of activity included a variety of tasks. Among other things, they were involved in drawing up the storey register or they created the city’s account books. Her office also provided for the representation of the city in foreign affairs or the representation of the citizens in disputes. In addition to the annually changing councils, the town clerks represented the stable element of city administration. Their great importance is also evident from the fact that many town clerks joined the council and some were even elected mayors.

Heinrich Christian Huthsteiner obviously was born as a catholic when his father Christian Huthsteiner was in Warsaw. 

To become king of Poland the Saxonian elector had to convert to Catholicism. A quite difficult and troublesome decision as Saxony was a protestant country for centuries.

Likely, some aristocrats and staff at the court of Dresden also converted, probably also Christian Huthsteiner. At least his son Heinrich Christian was of catholic religion when they came back to Saxony in 1763.

Heinrich Christian made his fortune within the Saxonian army. He joined the artillery corps and later was promoted to a mathematics at the artillery school. He had to fight together with the french troops during the Napoleonic wars. 

In 1809 he was awarded with the Medal of the order of St. Heinrich and on 06.07.01813 with the medal of the French Legion of Honour.

 

He rank was Major when he defended the fortress of Glogau during the allied siege in 1813, but had to capitulate finally after this very long lasting siege. His detailed reports are preserved in the states archive of Saxony, Dresden.

 

 

While he was defending Glogau his son Friedrich August died at the siege of Torgau.

In 1830 Heinrich Christian died in Löwenberg ranked as colonel. It seems that he got the title ‘von’  i.e. he became ennobled some years before.

Heinrich Christian Hutsteiner left us very detailed reports about the siege of the fortress Glogau in 1813, which is kept at the saxonian states archive.

The city Glogau was besieged for almost a year from 1813 to 1814. The Glogau fortress, which was occupied by around 9,000 French soldiers including their allies Saxon and Frankfurter soldiers, finally surrendered after a seven-month blockade (-26 degrees in winter, lack of food, desertions were the main cause). The remaining 1,800 defenders under General Laplane gave up on 10.04.1814

Hutsteiner was one of the defenders. He describes the building of barricades and the beginning of the siege from 20th of February until 26th of May 1913 in his first report:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a drawing (by R. Knötel) about the siege of Glogau existing:

 

Obviously, there was only one Hutsteiner family member ennobled: Heinrich Christian Huthsteiner.  Unfortunately I still did not find any document awarding him a title of nobility.

In some documents of prussian military he was mentioned as “von” Huthsteiner after 1814. This ‘von’ is the usual prefix to a surname of a person who was ennobled or is member of a noble family. Finally his widow was buried as Mrs. von Huthsteiner.

Online and in some archives You may find records of aristocrats named as “von Huttstein”. But there is a type mismatch and transcription error included in these records. They always refer to the well known aristocrats “von Hattstein”, which are originally located in the south of Hesse/Taunus. Mismatching Hatstein/Hattstein and Hutstein can be found quite often. 

 

V. Jewish families

Quite problematic is to set up the tree for the Jewish families as there are existing so many records with different spelling of given names for nearly every individual at the beginning of last century. The documents quite often are based on nick names which causes severe problems in linking the right ones together.

Two hot spots are known for these families: one in Poland – former Russia – around the cities of Suwalki/Augustow and one in Ukraine, in the city of Kolomea, a part of the former Austrian empire.

And still no record found before ~ 1818.

AUGUSTOWO ->  

KOLOMEA ->  

 

The jewish family line is not a core part of the Hutsteiner family research as it is likely not part of our family, but probably a transliteration issue of cyrillic “Gutstein” to the latin “Hutstein”. In Ukraine it was usual that the letter ‘G ‘was substituted with ‘H’.

Also, during the time of empress Maria Theresia all jewish families within the Austro-Hungarian empire had to choose family names, which they did not have  before. Thus the jewish families got a a lot of german surnames, sometimes assigned by austrian officers.