Anna Sophia Mencke was the daughter of The Three Loeck Sisters Nth great aunt Magdalena Sybilla (Berlich) Mencke and her husband Otto. Anna Sophia married Johann Christoph Wichmannshausen (1663 – 1727).
Johann Christoph was professor of oriental languages and head of the Wittenberg university library. A modern editor has noted that his numerous now completely worthless writings and treatises in Latin, most of which concern Hebrew archeology, are listed in Jöcher Vol. 4, Col. 1939 f. This comment on the worth of Wichmannshausen’s works today could apply to the vast majority of the so called academic writing of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Johann Christoph’s dissertation at the University of Leipzig was titled: Disputationem Moralem De Divortiis Secundum Jus Naturae and his advisor was his father in law Otto Mencke. Below, two more examples of Wichmannshausen’s many works:
Below left a medal struck showing Johann Christoph Wichmannshausen and right his signature in the Stammbuch of Heinrich Langerhans.
On the death of Anna Sophia (Mencke) Wichmannshausen in March 1714, a funeral sermon book was published under the title: Bey dem Grabe Tit. Frauen Annä Sophiä, gebohrner Menckin ... which acknowledged both her “sorrowing” husband and her brother Johann Burchard Mencke and stating that the day of her burial was the 18th March 1714. Another funeral book in her honor was published with the title – Der wahre Seelen-Friede Aus dem 6. und 12. vers. des XLII. Psalms Bey … Beerdigung … Frauen Annen Sophien Wichmannshausen gebohrner Menckin … The funeral service was conducted by Caspar Löscher (right).
Magdalena Elisabeth Wichmannhausen
They had a daughter, Magdalena Elisabeth Wichmannhausen (1702 – 1734), who married in 1721 Johann Wilhelm Jahn (1681 – 1725). From this marriage a son Johann Christoph (* February 6, 1722 – † July 25, 1725 in Wittenberg) and a daughter Wilhelmina Elisabeth (* October 8, 1723 in Wittenberg; † July 3, 1749 in Wittenberg) emerged.
Jahn taught at Wittenberg University where, through his published writings, his reputation grew, and the university proposed him for the chair of professor of theology, and he took office in 1719 with the speech “de optima ratione interpretandi sacras literas”. In the same year, on July 31, he disputed with “de jure decidendi controver sias Theologicas” and thus acquired the academic degree of licentiate in theology. Shortly afterwards, he received his doctorate in theology.
Jahn is described by his contemporaries as a sociable and sincere man who has always been correct and diligent in his office. Nevertheless, he had a weak physical constitution and died of a high fever at 4 o’clock in the morning after paralysis had robbed him of speech and speech two days earlier. When Johann Wilhelm Jahn died, a funeral book was published edited by his brother in law Johann Burchard Wichmannhausen: Solennes Exequias Viri Magnifici, Summe Reverendi Atque
After his death, Magdalena Elisabeth married Franz Woken, professor of oriental languages, on September 9, 1727, and after his death on February 18, 1734, she was widowed again. Woken came from an old Pomeranian family of preachers. His great-grandfather Bartholomäus studied with Martin Luther at the University of Wittenberg and became a pastor. His grandfather Daniel was also a pastor as was his father Franz. The father received the pastor’s position in Rarfin one year before the birth of Franz. He had married the daughter of his predecessor Georg Pistori, Maria Hedwig, née Pistori.
To understand waht happens next you will need to take a look at this chart:
Johann Christoph (1663-1727) who married Anna Sophia Mencke had two brothers: Georg Gabriel ( -1720) and Johann Gottfried. The latter was raised to the nobility in 1717. One of his sons was Johann Georg von Wichmannshausen († 1750), heir, feudal lord, and court lord of Tauscha, as well as Saxon Chamber and Mountain Councilor and the chief director of the Meissen porcelain factory. He was twice married and by his second wife, Hanna Elisabeth née Seyfert, had a number of sons.
At least two of these pursued academic careers: Rudolph Friedrich von Wichmannshausen Dissertatio Philologica De Migdal ‘ôz Sive Turri Fortissima : Proverb. XIIX,10 … v … and Johann Friedrich Wichmannshausen Diss. philol. prior de Ōrĕrê yôm sive maledictoribus diei a Jobo c. 3, 8. in subsidium evocatis; both titles are shown below:
Rudolph Friedrich von Wichmannshausen Dissertatio Philologica De Migdal ‘ôz Sive Turri Fortissima : Proverb. XIIX,10 … v … and Johann Friedrich Wichmannshausen Diss. philol. prior de Ōrĕrê yôm sive maledictoribus diei a Jobo c. 3, 8. in subsidium evocatis; both titles are shown below. Rudolph’s dissertation was supervised by Franz Woken.
Another of the brothers, Lieutenant Georg Gabriel von Wichmannshausen, inherited the Tauscha manor after the death of his father on September 7, 1750. However, he died in January 1751 at the age of 30, having been shot by a firing squad for betrayal. An illustration of his rather ignominious end was published in: Der Träumende Theodor, oder Vollkommene Abschilderung des mit Glück und Unglück streitenden Corsischen Königes, Baron Theodor Anthons von Neuhoff, und seines vermeinten Königreichs, der rebellischen Insel Corsica. The cause that Georg Gabriel betrayed was the attempt by Theodor Anthon von Neuhoff to claim the throne of Corsica.
