One Cow

Old documents can be rather interesting, and they can include some amusing tidbits. A recent translation of a some land register entries of one of my ancestral lines from 1694 provided an amusing insight, but also a marked difference between our current time, and the time of our ancestors 330 years ago. My Bohemian ancestors were peasant serfs and had not only to do their own farm chores, but also were required to provide significant labor to the estate under which they served. Life was not easy. The land records may provide some detail that give a glimpse into their lifestyle. At that time, one cow was, apparently, a big deal.

Paart 1 of B. Penicka Last Will and Testament
Land Register, Trebon Archives

Based on lifestyle we can glean information about the person or family in terms of occupation and status (which at the time was often tied to occupation, and land held) within the community. In Bohemia, most of my ancestors hailed from small villages with perhaps 15 to 20, maybe 25 homes. Most of the homes were occupied by farmers, many of which were what was called half or quarter farmers (based on their arable land). Typically each village had a pub, blacksmith, and a herder who watched over the sheep or a few other grazing animals owned by village residents. The village would also have had some cottagers, persons with only a few acres, who worked a trade or were day laborers. Some day laborers would live in the house of the farm to which they were employed. I have mainly farmers in my line, but there are cottagers and laborers. 

Part 2 of B Penicka Last Will and Testament

Let me now delve into the case of the Penicka (diacritical marks are missing) family, who farmed in the village of Nebahovy. One of my eighth great grandfathers is Bartholomew Penicka who took over the holding from his father Tomas. Sometime in early 1694, but before 14 March 1694 when his son took on his farm holding, Bartholomew knew the end of his time on earth was near. In the presence of the village headman, jurors of the domain and at the Libejovice estate manor house, he dictated his Last Will and Testament which is recorded with the land registers for the Libejovice estate. The Will is not dated, but his son's purchase document notes that "Following the death of Barolomej Penicka a short time after making his last will and testament, the holding accordingly passes to his so Jan..."

The part I find amusing comes after he designated Jan to take over the farm. This section provides detail for each of the other of his heirs, and here we find: "Then he bequeaths to his wife, and to his children as marital estate namely: Dorothea--1 cow, on account of her long-standing marriage and faithful service at all times" It then lists what other children may or may not have received, four received nothing in this transaction as the father had previously provided them with a marital estate, or in the case of one son, his father assisted him with the construction of his holding.

Translation of part of the Last Will and Testament
of B Penicka c1694
Christina is in bold as she is the next direct line ancestor

There you have it, his wife, for her faithful service, received one cow. The family must have had two cows, because one daughter received a cow as marital estate, and the youngest son received a yearling ox. We know from the 1654 Berni Rula, forty years earlier, that the Penicka holding had four oxen, four cows and four heifers. Even though the farm was owned by Bartholomew's father until 1673, Bartholomew must have managed the holding for some time as the 1654 Berni Rula notes him as the farmer. While not explicit, similar records often indicate that the heir taking over the farm had to provide for the retired couple, or any surviving parent. 

One may think that Jan got the better end of the deal, but he had to not only buy the farm, and pay the other heirs (eight including his mother) their share, but he also was required to pay the debts on the farm and pay his father's funeral expenses. In this case, the heirs generally received 10 shock Meissen. Son Michael had his reduced by 5 since his father helped him build up the Koutny holding, and his daughter Anna's was reduced by 8 (so 2) as Bartholomew also helped build up the holding on which she lived, the Vopicka holding. Hence, in addition to the cow the mother received a payment, spread over several years, of 10 schock Meissen. While no retirement benefits are recorded for his mother, other records indicate such being an acceptable practice. Retirement terms seem to become more defined in later decades or centuries. 

The thing is, my ancestors had little in terms of possessions, and most of what they did own, was for the farm operation. Jan got all of the remaining household equipment with his purchase of the farm, which he needed to run the farm. The family also had a gelding horse at this time, which seems rare compared to other families in my ancestry that lived in Bohemia. The remaining household and agricultural equipment is stated as being "mostly made of wood", which is also a clue as to their possessions. Times have changed quite a bit in the past 330 years. I am not sure how Bartholomew's widow felt about receiving one cow, but it may have been a thoughtful gift. Our 21st century minds may question the suitability of such a gift to the spouse, but that may have been about all that was feasible. 

Note: I was going to make a joke about buying a cow to have on hand to give to my spouse at my death (if I predecease my seasoned citizen), but I thought that would be rude to our ancestors who lived difficult lives and made do with what they could.