The picture above was recently sent to us in an unsolicited email from a German history buff who had located it in the St. Andreas Lutheran Kirche (church) in Tettenborn, Germany. It is the lid of a silver container that is used for communion and commemorates the marriage of Christiane Magdalene von Berckefeldt (circa 1643-1709) and Hans Christoph von Tettenborn (1627-1701) on 2 October 1665. It was donated to the church following Christiane’s death. Closer inspection of the lid reveals that the family crests of both families are engraved thereon. The writing at the top says “C. M. v. Tettenborn Geb. v. Berckenfeldt.” We don’t know if this is an older spelling that was later changed or an engraving error. Geb. is an abbreviation of geburen meaning born/birth. The family crest for Christiane is virtually identical to those used by later generations.

Following the receipt of that email, we began researching both existing files on Ancestry.com and new information on more recent generations some of whom emigrated to the US. We have now contacted over a dozen living family members, some in Germany and some in the US.

Christiane is the daughter of Jobst Rudolph von Berckefeldt and Dorothea von Minnigerode, who were the third-great-grandparents of Karl Georg von Berckefeldt of the other major von Berckefeldt branch. Hans was the son of Hansius von Tettenborn and Katharina von Falkenberg. Christiane and Hans had a total of ten children over the first half of their nearly 40-year marriage. Some of those married and had descendants while others either died young or never married. Further information will be added as we continue researching.

Listed below are the ten known children of Christiane Magdalene von Berckefeldt and Hans Christoph von Tettenborn. Please keep in mind that the name for Germany has changed over the years and we have chosen to just show locations as Germany. 

1. Dorothee Elisabeth von Tettenborn, b. 29 March 1667 in Großwechsungen, Nordhausen, Thüringen, Germany, d. 29 August 1742 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany. She married Heinrich Hartwig von Knorrn.
2. Hans Jost von Tettenborn, b. 2 February 1669 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. 23 March 1724 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany. He married Margarethe Charlotte von Mandelsloh. They had at least seven known children.
3. Christoph von Tettenborn, b. 22 July 1671 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. 24 August 1714 in Mauderode, Nordhausen, Thüringen, Germany.
4. Hedwig Dorothee von Tettenborn, b. 11 February 1674 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. 28 December 1734 in Bockelnhagen, Eichsfeld, Thüringen, Germany. She married Ernst Wilhelm Adam von Minnigerode.
5. Otto von Tettenborn, b. 26 January 1677 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. 6 October 1757 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany. He married Martha Johannetta Charlotta Wagner von Carlsburg. They had five children.
6. Anna Christine von Tettenborn, b. 14 January 1679 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. 1719 in Mauderode, Nordhausen, Thüringen, Germany. She married Thomas Wilhelm von Mauderode. They had two children.
7. Moritz von Tettenborn, b. 23 May 1683 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. 1773 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany. He married Henriette Margarethe von Schlotheim. They had six children.
8. Georg Ernst von Tettenborn, b. 30 November 1686 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. Unknown. He married Luise von Westernhagen. No known children.
9. Friedrich Wilhelm von Tettenborn, 5 August 1688 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. 22 September 1732 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany.
10. Phillip von Tettenborn, b. 11 March 1691 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany, d. 1 October 1748 in Tettenborn, Osterode am Harz, Niedersachsen, Germany.

Several of the children above will have expanded information on their descendants in the following pages. We have up to 12 generations but this web site will only show about 8 generations.

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