The Ancient Wooden Seal
of Johannes Adamis Reiffel
Administrator of Maurestolt
& Puech am Puachershain, 1669
Near Munich, Germany
The History of the Reiffel Seal
1.
Larry...
You may also be interested to know I have in my possession a certified copy of a legal document drawn up in Munich, Germany, June 17th, 1563. The document was translated by a Professor of Modern Languages at the University of British Columbia in 1933 [Isabel T. MacInnes]. According to the translation, the document sets forth in great detail the settlement of a dispute between four families over the right of way to a stream.
The last eight lines of the document, in a different handwriting, state that this is a true copy, sworn before Johannes Adam Reiffel, in Munich on October 5th, 1669, [106 years later] stamped with his notarial seal and with his own wooden seal attached. He describes himself as "a worshipful Privy Councillor, a matriculated Imperial Notary Public, and Administrator for Maurestolt (or Maurestatt)* and Puech am Puachershain"** (evidently either two small places or two country estates near Munich). Of particular interest is the Reiffel crest in the form of a wooden seal which is the same crest our branch of the family has used for several generations. To my knowledge, the wooden 'Reiffel' seal is the only one of its kind in existence...
Best regards,
George C. Reifel
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
September 23rd, 2001
The crest used by the Vancouver Reifel family,
adapted from the ancient seal of Johannes Adamis Reiffel.
2.
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES
VANCOUVER - CANADA
August 11th., 1933
James Bissett, Esq.,
West Vancouver,
B.C.
Dear Sir,
I am returning you herewith the old parchment document which you asked me to translate. I found that on account of the folds in the vellum, certain rather bad water stains, and the extreme crabbedness of the script, it was impossible for me to give you a word for word translation, but I am enclosing you a description of the document, stating its general composition and its main purport, which I hope will be sufficient for your purpose. For anything further you would have to consult an expert on old manuscripts.
Yours sincerely,
Isabell T. MacInnes
3.
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF MODERN LANGUAGES
VANCOUVER - CANADA
This document is a certified copy of a legal document drawn up in Munich, June 17th, 1563. It sets forth in great detail the settlement of a dispute between four families over the right of way to a stream in which washing and other work was done. The names of the men were Caplan and Liggar, and there were two widows, Frau Meisinger and Frau Milrad. They all lived in a street called Farbergraben, Liggar and Frau Meisinger on the one side, and Caplan and Frau Milrad on the other. The former two apparently had immediate access to the stream by way of a passage between their houses, which was closed off from the street by a door, and there was a quarrel about the others using it. The decision seems to be that all should have peaceful access to it as they had done for years, but that none should have the right, without permission of the other three, to allow any other person to make use of it.
The last eight lines, in a different handwriting, state that this is a true copy, sworn to before Johannes Adam Reiffel, in Munich on October 5th, 1669, stamped with his notarial seal and with his own seal attached. He describes himself as - "a worshipful Privy Councillor, a matriculated Imperial Notary Public, and Administrator for Maurestolt (or Maurestatt)* and Puech am Puschershain."** (Evidently either two small places or two country estates near Munich.)
I. T. MacInnes
_____________________
*Is this Mauern, in the west of Munich near Schoengeising, west of Fuerstenfeldbruck? Or Mauerstetten, east of Poing, an eastern suburb of Munich?
**Is this Puch, a small village in the west of Munich, west of Fuerstenfeldbruck?
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