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Biography Daniel III Luyken
These are the forebears of 85% from all living Luykens and their relatives of the branches Wesel I, Wesel II, Arnsberg,
Berge and Landfort
Daniel III was born on 5.4.1733 in Wesel (Germany) as the eldest son of Daniel II Luyken and
Margaretha Hannes. He finished elementary school and high school in Wesel and then went on to
become a trader, a traditional occupation for five generations in his family. He spent some time in Amsterdam (Netherlands)
which then held a lively trade with Wesel.
At 28 years age he married 1761 Christina Gertrutha Löhr who then was yet 19 and the eldest
daughter of Johann Arnold Löhr and his wife Johanna Margaretha Nieuwert. The young couple moved to the Löhr dwelling in
the later Baustrasse in which Christina's grandfather Winand Löhr run a "Leimsiederei" (a workshop for manufacturing
furniture?) to which a tannery and a "Spezerei" (shop for various things?) and a leather shop were later added.
Christina Löhr's mother became a widow early on and run her business alone. This must have been the reason why she consented
on her daughter's marriage and turned over the leather shop and the "Spezerei" to her son-in-law, and later on, as she grew
older, also the "Leimsiederei" and the tannery.
Daniel pushed the whole enterprise to high reputation and expanded the factory areal 1776 and 1779 by aquiring the
neighbouring premises.
The family also grew. Wife Christine gave life from 1762 to 1785 to five sons and five daughters which all grew up to
healthy and stealthy persons.
Daniel inherited extensive premises from the bequest of his father Daniel II who died 14.1.1784 and also form his
mother-in-law Löhr who died 27.7.1783. These included the "Biesenhof" which was later named "Ruhof", which had been aquired by
father-in-law Johann Arnold Löhr in 1741. The dwelling house was then in bad shape so that Daniel let build a new building
at its side in 1786 which, with a porch added 1886, is today owned by Oswin Luyken. The lintel over the entrance door holds
beside the inscription of the year 1786 the initials DL and CGL, those of Daniel and his wife Christina Gertrutha.
The barn turned out to bee too small after the succesful management of the farm and was substituted by a bigger one 1790.
At the same time Daniel laid down a park on 3.5 acres area with the most varied trees. On deeper sites two big and several
smaller fish ponds were carved. After the proposal of son Johann Arnold the park was named "Baumlust" (tree lust). After
several years and sightly run wild it was simply called "the bush".
As during the French occupation it was forbidden to bury the dead in the churches and in cemeteries that were near cities
Daniel had a crypt built in the "Bush" in the summer of 1806. This was originally an open air vault, later covered by an
earthen hill, with a heavy double door (see Chronikblatt 1985). On November 6th 1806 the youngest daughter
Katharina died at only 27 years age and was buried as the first one in this crypt. Only nine
months later Daniel III died on June 20th 1807 and followed her. On October 7th 1807 Johann Arnold, Daniel's and Christina's
second youngest son, died and found as the third one his last resting place in the crypt.
Christina Gertrutha followed her husband and two children on January 6th 1821 after being a widow for 13.5 years.
Nevertheless she could enjoy seeing her son Johann Phillip married in her house, whose wife bore him seven children, five
of which the grandmother could see grow up.
In spite of being so busy at work Daniel III and his wife never neglected the family. The eldest son, Daniel IV,
affectionately and touchingly reports in his diary about merry family meetings. He arranged for his parents to be
portraited while still alive. This made it possible, as a souvenir of the happy hours in the big family rounds, that he had,
two years after his father's death, the well known family picture (108 x 71 cm) painted by the painter Te Pas, which
is printed in volume I and also in volume II of the Chronikblätter.
Source: Chronikblatt 1994, 73th year, Volume VIII
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