Johannes Springorum
Johannes Springorum, born on 15 July 1625 as the son of Reinhard Springorum, Stallmeister, and Catharina Vasolt, pursued a clerical career within the Lutheran church of Westphalia. After early work as a scribe and schoolmaster, he was ordained in 1658 and eventually appointed pastor of the Dorfkirche in Kirchende, where he served from 1663 until his death in 1694. His long tenure, documented in church records and regional archival sources, places him firmly within the ecclesiastical and administrative networks of the region. Through his marriage to Clara Reinermann and their numerous children—several of whom continued clerical or notable local roles—Johannes Springorum represents a key generational link between the early Dortmund Springorums and later branches of the family.
Johannes & Johannes
Johannes Springorum (*1625 – †1694), pastor in Kirchende, should not be confused with Johannes Springorum (†1682), who served as priest and chaplain in Bochum. For a long time I assumed they were the same person, until two independent sources made clear that their dates of death differ. The latter Johannes played an important role as an intermediary between the Abbeys of Werden and Helmstedt and the Marienborn Monastery in Lütgendortmund.
Dorfkirch, Kirchende
About 300 people can be seated in the village church built between 1756 and 1759. The Romanesque tower points to a much older predecessor and was built around the year 1000. It houses, among other things, the Urbanus Bell from 1426. The organ case, dating from 1663, is preserved in its original form. Historical gravestones surround the church, the oldest dating back to 1549.
Notes
This archival entry from the Landesarchiv NRW Abteilung Westfalen, under the reference D 002 / Kleve-Märkische Regierung, Landessachen, Nr. 181, covers legal and religious disputes involving church property and pastoral rights, spanning the years (1491) 1619–1668.
Included in the file are:
- A dispute from 1491 (preserved in transcript), involving Pastor Johannes Hamel and others in Boele, who were in conflict with a priest named Johannes Gerste over the income from the Vicarage of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- A witness interrogation from 1668, ordered by Pastor Johannes Springorum of the town of Ende, carried out by Christoph Philipp von Loe, the regional official (Drost) in Wetter, concerning ownership of the vicarage.
Events & References
Baptism of Johannes Springorum
15 July 1625 · Dortmund, Deutschland
On 15 July 1625, Johannes Springorum, son of Reinhard Springorum, stablemaster, and his wife Catharina, was baptized in the church of St. Nicolai in Dortmund. The baptism was witnessed by prominent godparents, including Johann von der Berswordt, mayor of Dortmund, and Dietrich von Plettenburg, a cavalry captain, reflecting the family’s social and professional connections. The baptismal entry was recorded in the parish register of St. Nicolai.
Reference: Baptism of Johannes Springorum
Johannes Springorum as Scribe
17 October 1652 · Haus Langendreer, Grafschaft Mark
In 1652, Johannes Springorum is named as a former scribe of the estate Haus Langendreer in records dealing with the administration of the von der Borg inheritance. These documents describe his service between 1650 and 1651 and include a request for unpaid salary and compensation for personal belongings stolen during a robbery near Stockum. The same records also reveal family ties between Stallmeister Reinhard Springorum and the rentmaster Jacob Vasolt, which strongly suggests that this Johannes Springorum was Reinhard’s son. A few years later, he appears as a Lutheran schoolmaster in Wetter and was subsequently appointed pastor in Kirchende.
Reference: Johannes Springorum as Scribe
Evangelischen Pfarrer in Kirchende
1663 · kirchende, Deutschland
Johannes Springorum followed a steady ecclesiastical career in the County of Mark. After serving as Vikar-Adjunkt (assistant vicar), he was ordained on 14 October 1658 in Unna. At the same time, he also acted as rector there. From 1654 onward he is recorded as Adjunkt in Ende, before being formally appointed to the ministry on 2 June 1660. In 1663, he became pastor of the parish, a position he would hold for the remainder of his documented career.
Reference: Evangelischen Pfarrer in Kirchende
Vikarie Possession Inquiry
1668 · Ende / Boele / Wetter, Deutschland
In 1668, a formal examination of witnesses was conducted concerning the ownership and income rights of the Vicariate of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Boele. The inquiry was initiated by Johannes Springorum, pastor in Ende, and carried out by the Droste of Wetter, Christoph Philipp von Loe. It formed part of a broader, long-running legal and confessional conflict between Lutheran and Catholic communities over ecclesiastical benefices in the region.
Reference: Vikarie Possession Inquiry
Family
Parents
- Reinhard Springorum (father) (1593 – 1666)
- Catharina Vasolt (mother)
Partner(s) & Children
Clara Reinermann (wife) (1632 – ?)
- ♂ Caspar Reinhard Springorum (1660 – 1731)
- ♀ Clara Christine Elisabeth Springorum (1662 – 1706)
- ♂ Johann George Springorum (1664 – 1706) — Succeeds his father as priest in Kirchende.
- ♂ Johannes Heinrich Springorum (c. 1665 – ?)
- ♀ Anna Catharina Springorum (1667 – 1684) — Dies at age of 17.
- ♀ Anna Sophie Adelheid Springorum (1669 – 1712)
- ♂ Johann Friedrich Springorum (1672 – 1717)
- ♂ Bernhard Jacob Springorum (? – 1735)