As of: March 13, 2024, 12:00 p.m
By: Richard Lorenz
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Historian Lisa Kellerer transcribed the Salbuch and presented it to Günther Lehrmann's Freising Historical Association.
© Lehmann
He once blessed the fields, studied animal diseases as well as the behavior of his servants and recorded the impressions of his work in a book of ointment.
The historian Lisa Kellerer has now looked into the life of Pastor Johann Jakob Pämer and gained interesting insights into the 18th century.
Neufahrn
- It took some time, around two years to be precise, for the historian Lisa Kellerer to transcribe Pastor Johann Jakob Prämer's Salbuch - no wonder, as the detailed notes cover 800 pages and provide deep insights into it Life of the people of this area in the mid-18th century.
Pämer worked on the Salbuch, which was more or less a handover book for the next priests, for around 15 years and left a clear mark.
Kellerer dug it up in the Neufahrn archive - and transcribed it as part of her master's thesis.
Last Monday she presented excerpts from this salbook as part of the Freising Historical Association's lecture series.
Pämer is the oldest of 28 children
Kellerer formulated one reason for the high number of pages as follows: “In 800 pages of Salbuch, the word “I” appears over 500 times.”
In plain language this means: Pämer definitely wanted to preserve his work and life for posterity - Kellerer doesn't want to deny him a certain penchant for self-expression.
What also makes his notes worth noting: Normally salbooks are kept short and concise, but not Pämer's - the priest also provides information about the liturgy in Fürholzen, or surprisingly devotes some chapters to animal medicine.
The first astonishment from the rows of the almost full auditorium of the Korbiniansschule came not from the view into the baroque past, but from Kellerer's sentence: “Pämer was born in Freising in 1688 as the eldest of 28 children”.
What the historian found out: “The children were from one father – but there appeared to be two mothers.”
What is known: Pämer was the defining figure of the Fürholzen parish for 40 years and, among other things, was instrumental in initiating the new building of the St. Stephanus Church in 1723. What is new: The detailed look through Pämer's eyes at that time.
In the Salbuch he also dealt with storms that had often hit Fürholzen - such as the one in 1721, which caused almost all of his horses to drown in the stable.
The priest was also an important chronicler, although many things should be viewed with caution, as Kellerer explained: numerous events were only written down by him much later and could therefore have been glossed over or embellished.
What was also found in the records: His preference for weather blessings in the fields with several weather crosses, which, among other things, were decorated with alleged drops of Jesus' blood - and that another priest, who was not enthusiastic about Pämer's weather blessings, with one, according to the records from back in the day Punish stroke.
Pioneer in veterinary medicine
As an employer, and the Salbuch also shows this, Pämer was not a particularly pleasant person to be around.
“What he criticized most often was theft, irresponsibility and idleness,” said Kellerer – although the theft largely related to foodstuffs such as milk.
While the dismissiveness of employers towards staff was probably quite common at that time, Pämer was also involved in something unusual - namely veterinary medicine, which was hardly developed at the time.
Kellerer also presented the audience with a remedy that was suggested at the time for so-called lung addiction - which certainly caused a smile.
According to Prämer, twelve boiled snail shells are urgently needed.
“I am sure,” Kellerer concludes, “that Pämer’s Salbuch can also be used profitably for future research – including in the areas of theology or economic history.”
The work will be made available to the public in a few years.