What is a "Heuermann" or "Heuerling"? (plural Heuerlinge)

A literal translation of hired man is correct but that is not what the word really MEANS.

Very briefly, a farm by the law of the land could not be divided at the time of inheritance. Only one son could get it and as a last resort a daughter who would soon have to marry if she was single.Point is what were the other siblings supposed to do?

Some could marry into a farm elsewhere but most simply had no place to go and stayed on at their brother's farm as hirelings if you will. They could be Knechte and Mägde (farm workers) in the deirect employ of the owner or they could do their share of the work on the farm in return for a place to sleep and a small piece of land. Initially the place to sleep was anything with a roof like a stable or bakinghouse. Later some special Heuerhäuser were built - even double onces for two families. Without such a living arrangement these people really couldn't start a family so they took whatever they could get. Eventually the children of these people would be born into the state of the Heuermann who typically owned nothing. He contracted for a small piece of land but rarely could he survive off it.
That is why most Heuerleute worked other jobs wherever they could find them. It is this landless class that formed the vast bulk of the emigrants who left the the area for something better. Their longing was to own a piece of land they could call their own and America offered that chance.

The circumstances lead to a new form of settlement for people who didn't own any actual landed property, ie Heuerleute. Children who could not inherit anything the rights to a piece of land (as such was not divisible) had to either live in an unmarried state on their parents' place or leave. If they could or would not do the latter, but still wanted to form a family, there was only one chance for them to do that, lease or otherwise arrange for some land.

As an example of the type of arrangement they could see how the older system of Leibzucht (pensioned living arrangement) worked on the farm. It happened that, as the farmer became old, he would  arrange with his heir to continue to live on the farm and help out as best he could but now longer control what the next generation was doing. It would happen that the parent would die and the Leibzucht living arrangements (not necessarily a separate house) would be empty. A brother or sister of the heir could then with his permission arrange to live there until some other circumstance might change that. They would exchange their labor for a little piece of land and the roof over their heads.

Over time other buildings might have been constructed to house other siblings and or the aging heir. It was a workable and relatively inexpensive way to satisfy the needs of the family. It also provided the necessary labor right on the spot which would have been more difficult if all family members were scatted about other farms.

The beginnings of this new status type of Heuerling (landless farmer) can be found in the Neuzeit (post medieval). During the
17th and 18th centuries it rose to a crescendo of sorts as new farms simply were not available and because of the ravages of war through the times. People would live werever they could in bake houses, barns and stables. 

Fred Rump
4788 Corian Court
Naples, FL 34114
941-775-7838
FredRump@earthlink.net
Pelican Lake Motor Coach Resort
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