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1760 May 10. Johann
Peter Hebel was born in Basel, at St. Johanns-Vorstadt 2, as the first child of
Johann Jakob Hebel (born 1720), a linen weaver from Simmern in the Hunsrück
region, and his wife Ursula, née Oertlin (born 1727), from Hausen in Wiesental,
Baden. His parents were employed by the family of Johann Jakob Iselin-Ryhiner, a
member of the Basel City Council.
1761 Summer. Hebel's sister Susanne is born. The family falls
ill with an epidemic – presumably typhoid fever. The family flees to Hausen.
Death of his father, aged only 41, on 25 July 1761, and of his four-month-old
sister Susanne on 22 October 1761. Hebel lives with his mother, spending the
summers in Basel at the Iselin family home and the winters in Hausen.
1766 Hebel attends the elementary school in Hausen, in the summer months (until
1768) the St. Peter parish school in Basel, and from 1769, at the instigation of
the Hausen pastor Karl Friedrich Obermüller, the Latin school in Schopfheim.
1772 Attends the grammar school at Münsterplatz in Basel.
1773 Hebel lives in the Obermüller household in Schopfheim so that he
can complete his Latin studies. His mother falls ill in Basel and wishes to be
brought home. The bailiff of Hausen and Johann Peter collect her from Basel in
an ox cart. She dies on 16 October on the journey home to Hausen, within sight
of Röttler Castle and in the presence of her son.
1774 Hebel's confirmation and admission to the “Gymnasium illustre” in Karlsruhe
at the instigation of the former Hausen pastor Gottlieb August Preuschen, court
preacher in Karlsruhe since 1769, who, according to Hebel's testimony, cares for
him “like a father”.
1775 Early entry into the Prima, the three-year final course for prospective
theologians.
1776 Member of the “Marchio-Badensis Societas Latina”, a society for the
cultivation of Latin. Hebel delivers four Latin speeches and receives the prize
of 25 guilders donated by Hereditary Prince Karl Ludwig. The topics: “The
distrust that can easily arise from an unhappy fate”; “Creative joy and
cheerfulness as a sign of a young man's good disposition”; “Sources and
principles of truth”; “Comparison of Caesar with Augustus”.
1778 March. Final examination with public defence and a sermon. —
Commencement of theological studies at the University of Erlangen. Hebel records
the stages of his journey there, as he had done for all his other journeys for a
long time, in his father's pocketbook, which his father had kept since 1753. In
addition, Hebel keeps an autograph book as a student.
1780 Spring. Returns to Karlsruhe after four semesters. Preparation for the
exams. September, public disputation and examinations. November 24. Accepted as
one of the “Candidati ministerii ecclesiastici” - candidates for the parish
ministry. Hebel remains without a position, however.
1780 Tutor in Hertingen, between Basel and Müllheim, 1783 in the house of Pastor
Schlotterbeck. In addition to this activity, in 1782 he was a temporary pastor
in Hertingen and Tannenkirch. - Intensive reading of theological works and fine
literature: Bodmer, Young, Klopstock, Jung-Stilling, Nicolai; almanacs and
journals.
1783 May 19. Appointment as preceptor vicar at the Pädagogium in Lörrach, a
progymnasium school. Hebel teaches Latin, Greek, history, geometry, German,
geography and religion in the Secunda. - Friendship with the principal Tobias
Günttert.
1787 Acquaintance with Friedrich Wilhelm Hitzig (1767-1849), parish vicar
in Rötteln, later dean in Lörrach; Hebel's best friend. In search of an
immediate experience of nature, the friends choose the Belchen mountain in the
Black Forest as the altar of Proteus. Founding of the ‘Proteus League’, ‘Almanac
of Proteus’, ‘Dictionary of Belchism’.
1788 Beginning of his friendship with Gustave Fecht (1768-1828),
Günttert's sister-in-law, in whose house Hebel even after Günttert's transfer to
Weil as a pastor (1796) remains a permanent guest with his own room . — Hebel's
hope of succeeding Günttert as vice-rector in Lörrach is not fulfilled.
1791 November 2. Appointment as sub-deacon at the “Gymnasium illustre” in
Karlsruhe. Hebel teaches Hebrew, Greek, Latin and geography at his former school,
as well as mathematics and natural history at the grammar school's secondary
school.
1792 Promotion to court deacon. - Friendship with his colleague Nikolaus Sander
and the court botanist and physician Karl Christian Gmelin.
1794 Journey along the Rhine with Sander.
1796 First journey to his native Oberland. Discussion with Gustave Fecht. -
Hebel witnesses the retreat of the French across the Rhine.
1798 Appointment as associate professor with suspension of preaching duties.
1799 Spring. Second journey to the Oberland. - Honorary member of the
Mineralogical Society in Jena.
1800 First Alemannic poems.
1802 Corresponding member of the Society of Physicians and Naturalists of Swabia.
1803 February. The first edition of “Alemannische Gedichte für Freunde
ländlicher Natur und Sitten” is published anonymously by Macklot in Karlsruhe,
printed at Hebel's own expense. Reviews by Jean Paul in the “Zeitung für die
elegante Welt” and by Johann Georg Jacobi in the “Freiburger Intelligenz- und
Wochenblatt”.
1804 2nd edition of the “Alemannische Gedichte”. Review of Goethe. - Encounter
with Johann Heinrich Voß.
1805 First visit to the family of the goldsmith and former Lörrach pupil
Gottfried Haufe in Strasbourg. Since then correspondence with his wife, Sophie
Haufe. - Travels to Switzerland as court master and mentor to the Barons of
Menzingen. - Appointment as church councillor. - The Austrian Breisgau falls to
Baden. The newly established Lutheran parish in Freiburg is to be filled. Hebel
hesitates.
1806 Following the wishes of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich, Hebel decides to stay in
Karlsruhe. - The doctor and writer Johann Heinrich Jung-Stilling is appointed
court councillor in Karlsruhe. Hebel occasionally meets him at the ducal table.
- 3rd edition of the “Alemannic Poems”, illustrated with copperplate engravings
by Benjamin Zix from Strasbourg. - “Unsolicited expert opinion on an
advantageous arrangement of the calendar”. - “My further thoughts on an
advantageous arrangement of the calendar.”
1807 January 14. Hebel takes over the editorship of the Baden country calendar,
from now on: “Der Rheinländische Hausfreund oder Neuer Calender - mit
lehrreichen Nachrichten und lustigen Erzählungen”. (Karlsruhe 1808-1812, Lahr
and Pforzheim 1813-1815, 1819).
1808 4th edition of the “Alemannische Gedichte”. - Appointment of Hebel as
principal of the grammar school. - The actress Henriette Hendel, admired by
Hebel, makes a guest appearance in Karlsruhe.
1809 New guest performance by Hendel with recitations of classical roles and
from the “Alemannic Poems”. - Hebel becomes a member of the Protestant church
and examination commission.
1811 The “Schatzkästlein des rheinischen Hausfreundes” is published by Cotta in
Tübingen.
1812 Last journey to the Oberland. Last meeting with Gustave Fecht.
1814 Jacob Grimm visits Hebel. - Joins the Protestant ministerial section, the
highest church and school authority in the country. Resigns from the
directorship of the grammar school. The calendar
for 1815 is withdrawn, Hebel's story “Der fromme Rat” had aroused disapproval in
Catholic circles and had to be removed before republishing - therefore he
resigns from editing the calendar
1815 Encounter with Goethe at Gmelin.
1816 2nd edition of the “Schatzkästlein”.
1817 Hebel takes over the directorship of the old Baden Protestant parish widows'
treasury. - Last meeting with Henriette Hendel.
1818 Hebel edits the "Rheinländische Hausfreund" for 1819 and begins work on the
"Biblische Geschichten", a retelling of the Bible for young people.
1821 Participates in the General Synod and plays a key role in the merger of the
Lutheran and Reformed churches in Baden. - Awarded an honorary doctorate from
the Faculty of Theology at the University of Heidelberg. - Hebel sets about
writing a “Christian Catechism” (which he completes, but is only published
posthumously in 1828).
1823 Spring. Hebel sends the manuscript of the “Biblical Stories” to Cotta.
1824 The “Bible Stories for Young People”, edited by Dr. J. P. Hebel, are
published. - Hebel finally gives up teaching at the grammar school.
1826 Hebel takes Oswald Haufe, the youngest child of his Strasbourg friends,
into his household. Business trip - despite illness - to Mannheim for
examinations. The students honor Hebel with a trip on the Rhine. Then he travels to
Schwetzingen to visit his friend, the garden director Johann Michael Zeyher.
1826 September 22. Hebel dies at Zeyher's house and is buried in Schwetzingen.
Original text (in German): Marlies Korfsmeyer in "Johann Peter Hebel: Poetische Werke",
Winkler Verlag Munich, 1961
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