View source for Wadzeck, Friedrich (1762-1823)

Friedrich Wadzeck (1762-1823), coauthor of <em>Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Mennoniten-Gemeinden in Europa und America</em>, stemmed from the [[Bohemian Brethren|Bohemian Brethren]] congregation in [[Berlin (Germany)|Berlin]], of which his father was a sexton. He was professor of literature, physics, and natural history in the royal cadet corps in Berlin, founding its library and serving as librarian. After 31 years of service he was retired, principally because of his opposition to the athletic program. Thereupon he devoted himself to establishing homes in Berlin for neglected children, which opened in 1819 and at the time of his death four years later were sheltering 400 children of the poorest families of Berlin. Wadzeck also left a large collection of copper etchings, containing the portraits of about 50,000 famous men and women. In co-operation with the [[Reiswitz, George Leopold, Baron (1764-1828)|Baron von Reiswitz]] he wrote a book on the Mennonites, which was published in Berlin (1821) with the title <em>Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Mennoniten-Gemeinden in Europa und America, statistischen, historischen und religiösen Inhalts</em>, the income from which he applied to his charities.

A second volume with almost the same title as the 1821 volume, published by Baron Reiswitz as sole author under the title <em>Beitrage zur Kenntniss der taufgesinnten Gemeinden oder der Mennonilen, statistischen, historischen und religiösen, auch juristischen Inhalts, Zweiter Theil</em> (Breslau, 1829), gives the impression that Reiswitz did most of the work on the first volume, and reports that Wadzeck was too busy caring for poor children to even use for the benefit of the children the 500 free copies which he had received.

Friedrich August Schmidt's <em>Neuer Nekrolog derDeutschen I</em> (1823) No. 1, 272-94, contains a portrait of Wadzeck. There may be other articles on the Mennonites in the periodical published by Wadzeck from 1809 with the title <em>Nützliches und Unterhaltendes Wochenblatt für den gebildeten Bürger und denkenden Landmann</em>, which continued after his death in the interests of the institutions he founded.
= Bibliography =
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. <em class="gameo_bibliography">Mennonitisches Lexikon</em>, 4 vols. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III.
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