1735 Gambic Oleder Contract
November 11, 1735
Nikolaus von Mielecki, the hereditary lord of Gembitz (today Gebice), Hütte, and Fitzerie (today Marunowo) on this date granted new Holländer settlers a privilege in a community to be called Mieleczyn. Christian Lehmann, Martin Kortz (Korc), and George Schetge (Szecge) and the other settlers were to receive a total of 15 full farms (a hufe) of land, each of which was to be 30 Morgen (approximately 18 ½ acres) free of rent for seven years. At the end of that period each farmer would pay a yearly rent of 39 Polish Tympfen (worth about 60 cents each).
In addition, the proprietor of the Krug (Inn) and the schoolmaster were to receive one additional full farm rent free. Each farmer was allowed to keep 50 sheep. The Innkeeper was allowed to keep up to 100 sheep because he also served the beer for the landlord.
The Holländer were also exempt from service (manual labor and ploughing for the landlord) and observance of Catholic holy days. They were also allowed to employ a Protestant schoolmaster for their school and reserve a portion of the school land for a burial ground.
There may have been some German families living on this property prior to the creation of the contract. Paul Dams, a former teacher in Gembitz Hauland, writes in his 1954 memoir that the community was founded in 1719, with some records indicating a founding two years earlier. In any event he writes that the community celebrated its bicentennial in 1919 following the end of World War 1.
In 1736 Nikolaus von Mielecki granted his Holländer farmers a Charter. Both the introduction and the entire text of the village regulations was written in German.
Peter Von Gebhart in his book “Das Untertanenbuch der Herrschaft Filehne (1742)” published in 2020 records three families moving from Sorge, Kreis Filehne, Prussia to Gembitz Hauland. In 1738 Christian Wanke and his wife Maria Farr (born 1711) moved to Gembitz Hauland with their son Christian (born 1735). Maria’s first cousin Dorothea Benglisch (born 1718) and her new husband Andreas Kurz followed the Wanke family to the community. Michael Bremer and his sister Eva from Sorge moved to Gembitz Hauland prior to 1741. In 1741 the Bremer’s father Friedrich and another sister Dorothea secretly fled Kammika to move to Gembitz.
Prior to 1744 Mielecki sold his estate to Martin von Radomski.
Primary Source: Quellenband zur Geschichte der zweiten deutschen Ostsiedlung im westlichen Netzegau by Werner Schulz 1938