Flying Ace and Inheritance Farmer
Finding himself in this financial emergency, Hermann turned to his sister Jula Steuer who as a guarantor helped him to procure a mortgage. However, all rescue efforts proved to be in vain, since Breitenberg was auctioned off by the order of the bank. Jula Steuer’s claim to the money dragged on till the 1950s and was verified and enforced by court proceedings only on behalf of the heirs of Hermann Klopp. It goes without saying that over this issue the harmony between the Lake Scharmützel family branch and Stechau fell apart. When the son Joachim Klopp (born 1926) consulted his Aunt Alma (née Klopp, 1882 – 1975) on this matter, the relationship between Jala Steuer and the Scholz/Thieß family in Berlin also had reached rock bottom in the end.
On 16 October 1935 Hermann Klopp bought with remaining funds a so-called ‘knight’s estate’ (Rittergut), which covered an area of 30.2 ha land. It was located in Stechau on the farthest eastern border of Saxony-Anhalt and Mark Brandenburg. Since the conditions of the NS Inheritance Law had been met, Hermann from now called himself an inheritance farmer. In Stechau the last son Manfred was born in May 1936. For the improvement projects of the estate, Hermann successfully tapped into the NS “Help East Fund”. The Klopp inheritance farm promised to fare better than all the previous enterprises.
The wound from the aviation disaster in WW1 had bothered Hermann for the rest of his life. The lung shot migrated passing his hips down to his upper thigh causing bone tuberculosis and blood poisoning. Only two years after he became an inheritance farmer, he died on the operating table in the Berlin hospital “Charité” at the age of only 43 years. He was buried at the Stechau cemetery located only 70 m from his sheep farm. Then 81-yer old mother Emma, who had travelled from Panwitz near Meseritz, attended the funeral.
Peter’s note: My brother Karl mentioned in a footnote added to the book that he and our parents were also present at the funeral.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 
What a very sad ending to such a hard life. I am sorry that your family endured all this and all the dissension within the family. It’s always so sad when families are torn apart by money issues.
Can you explain what an inheritance farmer is? Perhaps it has been defined somewhere in an earlier post, but my brain can’t remember!
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The bullet eventually got him – how sad.
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He got a lot of blows of fate in his short life. Money is often the cause of fights, unfortunately.
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Your posts remind us all of how much sacrifice and pain our ancestors endured. You make it so real that it helps give me the strength to deal with our current situation. We are all called to be strong and brave! Thanks, Peter!
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We need the courage and strength of our ancestors to weather the present storm.
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It’s amazing, Peter, how much information you have.
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I’d sometimes wish I had less information. Then I would not have to write so much. Haha!
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Von meinen Vorfahren weiss ich fast nichts, Peter!
Das ist sehr schade.
Obwohl wir einen Stammbaum haben männlicherseits bis 1700 runter…
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Ich habe großes Glück gehabt, dass ein entfernter Vetter von mir unsere Familiengeschichte so gründlich erforscht und in seinem Buch beschrieben hat. Was nützen Geburts- und Todesdaten_ Sie sind doch nur das Gerippe, an das die lebendigen Details der Lebensgeschichte unserer Vorfahren zugefügt werden muss?
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Lieber Peter,
mir geht es auch so wie Gerhard, ich weiß über meine Vorfahren wenig bis nichts, obwohl mein Vater als General einen Stammbaum benötigte wegen des Arier-Nachweises. Aber da mein Vater General war, war er in unserer Familie geächtet und an seinem Nachlass war keiner interessiert. Er ware die Schande unserer Familie, die sich als intellektuell und linksliberal verstand und im antifaschistischen Widerstand aktiv war – teilweise von Zürich und Stockholm aus.
Aber deswegen wollte ich dir nicht schreiben. Wir alle vier wünschen dir, lieber Peter, alles Liebe und Gute zu deinem Geburtstag. Bleibe gesund und fröhlich und genieße deine Familie.
Mit ganz lieben Grüßen
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Many thanks and warm greetings to you and your lovely family fom Canada!
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🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Sie sind doch nur das Gerippe, an das die lebendigen Details der Lebensgeschichte unserer Vorfahren zugefügt werden muss?
Ja, so ist es.
Als mein Vater gestorben war, konnte ich von seiner jüngeren Schwester (8 Jahre jünger) einiges erfahren über ihre Eltern. Der andere Bruder, wohl 4 Jahre jüner als mein Bruder, meinte, daß bei ihnen zuhause NIE über die Großeltern etwas gesagt wurde. Dabei besitze ich ein Foto, daß diesen Ugroßvater von mir im Kreise seiner Kinder zeigt. Er war am 1.1. 1840 geboren. Sein Vater am 1.1.1800.
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Gripping story, though this one has a sad ending.
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