Dorothea Grimm
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November 20, 1755
Dorothea Grimm | |
|---|---|
 1808 portrait | |
| Born | Dorothea Zimmer November 20, 1755 Kassel, Hesse, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | May 27, 1808 (aged 52) Kassel, Hesse, Germany |
| Resting place | Altstädter Cemetery, Kassel |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 9, including Jacob, Wilhelm, and Ludwig |
| Relatives | Ludwig Hassenpflug (son-in-law) |
Dorothea Grimm (née Zimmer; November 20, 1755 – May 27, 1808)[1] was the mother to the "Brothers Grimm" Jacob and Wilhelm, and seven other children, including Ludwig Emil Grimm and Charlotte Grimm.[2]
Household and later life
Dorothea was born on November 20, 1755, in Kassel, Hesse, Germany, the daughter of Johann Hermann Zimmer, a Kassel city councilman and Anna Elisabeth Zimmer.[3]
On February 23, 1783, Dorothea married lawyer Philipp Wilhelm Grimm, with whom she had 8 sons and one daughter.[4] Their children were as follows:[5]
- Friedrich Hermann Georg Grimm (1783–1784)
- Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (1785–1863)
- Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786–1859)
- Carl Friedrich Grimm (1787–1852)
- Ferdinand Philipp Grimm (1788–1844)
- Ludwig Emil Grimm (1790–1863)
- Friedrich Grimm (1791–1792)
- Charlotte (Lotte) Amalie Hassenpflug, née Grimm (1793–1833)
- Georg Eduard Grimm (1794–1795)
In 1791, the Grimm family moved to the town of Steinau an der Straße where Philipp had been named as a district magistrate.[6] During this period, they maintained a large house and servants, and were prominent members of the local community.[7] Dorothea took care of managing the household and raising their family,[8] employed private tutors to visit the home, and sent their children to school for a classical education once they were of age.[9] A devout Lutheran, Dorothea instilled devout religious values within the household.[10]
Dorothea encouraged her children to pursue an education and wrote to the government asking for special permission for her sons to be admitted to the University of Marburg, which was subsequently granted.[11] Her sons developed their interest in German folklore during their time at the University, which grew into a lifelong dedication to collecting German folk tales.[4]
In 1796, Dorothea's husband died from pneumonia at the age of 44. This caused great financial hardship for the family as they lost their household income, large house, and servants, and Dorothea relied heavily on her father Johann for financial support, as well as her sister Henriette, who was then the first lady-in-waiting at the court of William I, Elector of Hesse.[12][13] Despite the moderate support she was provided, Dorothea lived in relative poverty for the rest of her life.[14]
