Caspar Friedrich Hachenberg
Encyclopedia
Caspar Friedrich Hachenberg (bapt. Neuwied
, Germany
, 14 December 1709 - Wageningen
, 1 April 1793), was rector
of the Latin School
of Wageningen, The Netherlands
(1740–1789) and writer of Greek
and Latin
grammar
s.
Hachenberg was born in 1709 in Neuwied as a son of the town secretary Friedrich Wilhelm Hachenburg and Charlotte Albertine Bachoven. He studied theology
at the university of Marburg
and the Gymnasium Illustre
of Bremen
, and started his working career in Jemgum
in East Friesland, Germany, probably as a reformed parson.
s, plus four carts of peat. This salary was augmented by the tuition fees that each pupil had to pay the rector (12 guilders per annum, except for the highest class, where the fee was 18 guilders), the rent from pupils who lived in the rector's house, and the tuition fees of private lessons which the rector was allowed to give.
Within a few years Hachenberg proved himself an excellent teacher, attracting pupils from all over the country. In 1746 Hachenberg was asked to become rector of the Latin School of Gorinchem
. Wageningen did not want to lose 'such an honourable & able man´: Hachenberg's salary was raised to 550 guilders annually, he was rewarded a complimentary 250 guilders, and free housing was promised to him, which he got one year later in a brand new building which also housed the school.
In 1750 Hachenberg received offers from other towns, to wit Tiel
and Zaltbommel
, prompting Hachenberg to inform the Wageningen governors that he was willing to stay, if an extra room with a chimney was made in the attic of his house, and he get a salary increase of 50 guilders. The town agreed to the room, but also told him there were no funds for an increase of salary. Nevertheless Hachenberg stayed. His salary may not have been raised, but he was given a bonus almost every year, plus the extra income mentioned above. Those extras must have been considerable, for even an offer in 1761 to become rector of the Latin School in Dordrecht
, with a salary of no less than 1300 guilders, could not persuade Hachenberg to leave Wageningen.
On 11 February 1789 Hachenberg resigned his office due to his high age and an increasing deafness. The town gave him an annual pension of 350 guilders. Hachenberg died in Wageningen on 1 April 1793.
which he had published a few years earlier. No existing copies of those works are known. Other works by Hachenberg are:
Neuwied
Neuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 14 December 1709 - Wageningen
Wageningen
' is a municipality and a historical town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specializes in life sciences. The city has 37,414 inhabitants , of which many thousands are students...
, 1 April 1793), was rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Latin School
Latin School
Latin School may refer to:* Latin schools of Medieval Europe* These schools in the United States:** Boston Latin School, Boston, MA** Brooklyn Latin School, New York, NY** Brother Joseph C. Fox Latin School, Long Island, NY...
of Wageningen, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(1740–1789) and writer of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
s.
Hachenberg was born in 1709 in Neuwied as a son of the town secretary Friedrich Wilhelm Hachenburg and Charlotte Albertine Bachoven. He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the university of Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
and the Gymnasium Illustre
University of Bremen
The University of Bremen is a university of approximately 23,500 people from 126 countries that are studying, teaching, researching, and working in Bremen, Germany...
of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, and started his working career in Jemgum
Jemgum
Jemgum is a municipality in the Leer district, in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. The area is known as Rheiderland or Reiderland . The Rheiderland is located in East Friesland....
in East Friesland, Germany, probably as a reformed parson.
Rector in Wageningen
On 10 September 1740 the government of the town of Wageningen appointed Hachenberg to the post of rector of the local Latin School. His predecessor Clement Olpe had unexpectedly died in August, and the city council feared that the '10 or 12 disciples' from other places would leave town if a new rector did not arrive soon. At the time, the staff of the school existed of merely one person: the rector. The annual remuneration existed of 350 guilderGuilder
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch gulden — from Old Dutch for 'golden'. The guilder originated as a gold coin but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries...
s, plus four carts of peat. This salary was augmented by the tuition fees that each pupil had to pay the rector (12 guilders per annum, except for the highest class, where the fee was 18 guilders), the rent from pupils who lived in the rector's house, and the tuition fees of private lessons which the rector was allowed to give.
Within a few years Hachenberg proved himself an excellent teacher, attracting pupils from all over the country. In 1746 Hachenberg was asked to become rector of the Latin School of Gorinchem
Gorinchem
Gorinchem , also called Gorkum , is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 21.99 km² of which 3.03 km² is water...
. Wageningen did not want to lose 'such an honourable & able man´: Hachenberg's salary was raised to 550 guilders annually, he was rewarded a complimentary 250 guilders, and free housing was promised to him, which he got one year later in a brand new building which also housed the school.
In 1750 Hachenberg received offers from other towns, to wit Tiel
Tiel
' is a municipality and a town in the middle of the Netherlands.The town is enclosed by the Waal river and the Linge river on the south and the north side, and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal on the east side. The city was founded in the 5th century AD....
and Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel
Zaltbommel is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. The town of Zaltbommel was first mentioned as "Bomela" in the year 850. Zaltbommel first received city status in 1231, which status was renewed in 1316....
, prompting Hachenberg to inform the Wageningen governors that he was willing to stay, if an extra room with a chimney was made in the attic of his house, and he get a salary increase of 50 guilders. The town agreed to the room, but also told him there were no funds for an increase of salary. Nevertheless Hachenberg stayed. His salary may not have been raised, but he was given a bonus almost every year, plus the extra income mentioned above. Those extras must have been considerable, for even an offer in 1761 to become rector of the Latin School in Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
, with a salary of no less than 1300 guilders, could not persuade Hachenberg to leave Wageningen.
On 11 February 1789 Hachenberg resigned his office due to his high age and an increasing deafness. The town gave him an annual pension of 350 guilders. Hachenberg died in Wageningen on 1 April 1793.
Family
In 1749 Hachenberg married Willemina van Setten (Wageningen 1727 - Wageningen 1818), with whom he had seven children.Published work
Hachenberg wrote his own text-books: in 1759 his plans to publish a new Rudimenta are mentioned, and also a GrammarGrammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
which he had published a few years earlier. No existing copies of those works are known. Other works by Hachenberg are:
- De significatione praepositionum Graecarum in compositis et generalia quaedam de ratione compositionis vocum Graecarum (Utrecht 1771)
- Phaedri augusti liberti fabularum Aesopiarum libri quinque of De fabelen van van Phaedrus, aangaande de woorden en zaaken tot gebruik der jeugd in 't Nederduitsch verklaard (Wageningen 1772).
- Vertoog over de welmeenende aanbieding van genade en zaligheid, zoo als die onder voorwaarde van geloof en bekeering allen, ook zulken, welke dezelve niet aannemen en verlooren gaan, door het Evangelium gedaan wordt (Wageningen and Utrecht 1774).
- Grammaticae Graecae, in two parts: pars prior and pars posterior (Utrecht 1791 and 1792). This last work formed the basis for Chauncey Allen GoodrichChauncey Allen GoodrichChauncey Allen Goodrich was an American clergyman, educator and lexicographer. He was the son-in-law of Noah Webster and edited his Dictionary after his father-in-law's death.-Family:...
´s Elements of Greek grammar, taken chiefly from the grammar of Caspar Frederick Hachenberg (New-Haven 1812, which saw four reprints). This book was for a long period the standard Greek grammar at Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Sources
- City archives of Wageningen (Gemeentearchief Wageningen).
- Archives of the Van Zadelhoff family (Gemeentearchief Wageningen).
- M.C. Geels-Jansen: Een onderzoek naar de geschiedenis van de Latijnse en Franse School te Wageningen (Ede, 1982).