The data on the Pappenheim and Mühsam descendants are divided among ten pages.  The others are: PAPPENHEIM I, PAPPENHEIM II, PAPPENHEIM III, MÜHSAM I, MÜHSAM II, MÜHSAM III, SORAUER, BAGINSKI, and SCHWEITZER.  How the different branches of the family are related is shown below.

Seligmann Pappenheim, who lived in the early 1700‘s, has over 1300 descendants that I have a record of.  This page gives an overview of the Pappenheim and Mühsam families, and has links to the pages with detailed lists of their descendants.

Seligmann Pappenheim came from Bavaria to the town of Zülz in Silesia, which is now the Polish town of Biala (see MAP).  There he married Hinda Zülz.  They had five children, Pinkus (shown at right), Salomon, Simon, Löbel, and Valentin.

The Seven Years War took place from 1756 to 1763.  It has been called the first world war, because it involved all the countries of Europe plus their overseas colonies.  In the U.S., when we learn about it in school, we call it the French and Indian War.  On one side was Prussia, led by Frederick the Great, and its allies, including England.  On the other side was the Habsburg Empire of Austria and its allies, including France, Russia, and Sweden.  On December 5, 1757 the Battle of Leuthen occurred in which Frederick the Great’s Prussian Army decisively defeated the much larger Austrian army.  This battle established Frederick as Europe’s greatest general, and his soldiers as Europe’s best.  One soldier who fought in that battle was the 19 year old Pinkus Pappenheim (1737-1807), one of Seligmann’s sons.  Pinkus distinguished himself during that battle by saving the life of a wounded Prussian officer by carrying him on his back through the battle to the Prussian field surgeon.  When asked at the award ceremony what he wanted in return for his heroism, Pinkus replied, “nothing.”  They made him a corporal, and gave him a letter to use in case he ever found himself in trouble.

After the war, Pinkus married Bertha Joseph in his mother’s home town of Zülz.  He and Bertha bought land near the town of Pitschen (now called Byczyna, it was in Silesia, now it is in western Poland, about 70 km west of Breslau/Wroclaw, see MAP) where they set out to build a house.  However, the town magistrate didn’t want any Jews living there and ordered them to leave, using the 1555 Law of Exclusion.  Pinkus fought a legal battle to stay, until the King intervened.  The King declared that anyone who fought for his rights with such effort (“Mühe”) deserved to stay.  The King furthermore ordered Pinkus Pappenheim to thereafter use the name “Mühsam” so that future generations would know that he was a man of honor and remember his heroism at the Battle of Leuthen.  Pinkus and Bertha then reentered the town of Pitschen “to the citizen’s fanfare.”

Pinkus and Bertha (also called Barbara or Berocho) had nine children.  Each of their children has a separate page on this website for themselves and their descendants which can be linked to below.

Pinkus had four brothers.  One, Salomon (1740 - 1814), was a famous rabbi.  The pages of the brothers and their descendants can also be linked to below.

The portrait on the right belongs to Geoff Neuhaus, a Pappenheim descendant, and has been handed down through the generations.  There is some question as to who it actually is; it may be of Pinkus’ father, Seligmann, or of his brother, Simon.  More portraits can be seen at the Pappenheim family Wiki website, found HERE.

My own connection to the Pappenheim family is through Pinkus’ daughter Pesse, who married Jacob Sorauer.  Pinkus was my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.

My major source of information about the Pappenheim and Mühsam families comes from a book entitled, “Geschichte des Namens Mühsam” (History of the Name Mühsam), written by Siegfried Mühsam (father of the poet-anarchist, Erich Mühsam) in 1912.  This book gives the whole history of the family up until the time it was written.  Additional information about the Mühsam family can be found in the book (also in German), “Die Mühsams, Geschichte einer Familie”, by Christoph Hamann, published in 2005.  I also received much help from other researchers especially Jane Muehsam in Australia, Cary Aufseeser, Henry Gunby, and Geoff Neuhaus. A large amount of data was also collected by Roger Lustig.  A big thanks to all of them.

Note that if the same name is listed twice, with an asterisk after it (Maria MÜHSAM, for example), it means that person had two or more spouses, with one line given for each spouse.

Pinkus Mühsam

formerly Pappenheim

1737-1807

Click here for HOME page.            Click here for INDEX.

If you are related to anyone on this page I would very much like to hear from you.  You can contact me at geneo (at) theKesters.net or

Daniel Kester

Page added: March 8, 2009            Last update: April 4, 2010

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