Mecklenburg-Schwerin Business and Occupations

Back to Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Großherzogtum (grand duchy) Page►

Shepherds

Almost all manors in Mecklenburg were involved in sheep rearing. This activity was overseen by so called Schafmeister or Schäfereipächter. They in turn hired a shepherd (Schäferknecht), a man who had learned the sheep business from his father and was able to profitably do his craft. He dealt with wool and processing of sheep’s milk. It was possible for a shepherd to lease a sheep business for 2 years or more. Leasing was not the only option, a manor lord may have hired a shepherd as a wage earner. The shepherd would have a third of a share in the herd. The Schafmeister in turn would also give a share to his hired shepherds. A shepherd was a free man, not a serf. He often changed his workplace. He also could be hired by a village. The shepherd’s profession was looked at as “unehrlich” (dishonest) because his standing as an outsider and the nature of his profession raised suspicion. He was able to work for his own interest, i.e., he was concerned about his very own sheep first. People recognized his animals by their good nutritional condition and illnesses were found less among his property.
If your ancestor was a shepherd in Mecklenburg, you may have the problem of not finding your family members in one parish only. Shepherds were also taxpayers and they went to church for confessions. Pastors in Mecklenburg had to record all persons age 14 and up coming to confession. Such lists exist for 1704 und 1751 and represent the first census records for Mecklenburg. A shepherd can be traced through documents known as Steuerlisten and Beichtkinderverzeichnisse. A list of shepherds and their status and circumstance was printed in Zeitschrift für Niederdeutsche Familienkunde, 42, Jahrgang Heft 6, November 1967, Schäfer in Mecklenburg by Ernst Ritter. The book is available through the Family History Library, Salt Lake City , Utah, call number 943.5 B2z vol. 42

Source: Schafe und Schäfer at http://home.wtnet.de/~hcarlsson/Schafe_Schaefer.htm