Grave of Carl Theodor Werner Meinders

Here rests in God the faithful support of his mother and siblings Carl Theodor Werner Meinders, born August 18, 1820, died March 6, 1850 - this is what is written on the gravestone in the middle of the Schweichl forest.There are three theories about the grave that can only be weakly proven:Accordingly, Meinders was a tramp who was buried here in the forest after his death.According to a second theory, Meinders was a forester who died here in an accident and was buried on the spot. The forest grave is also popularly known as the "forester's grave".However, the fact is that Meinders was a landowner and lived on the Eickhof, which he received from his parents in a difficult time - 4 years before his death. He had to struggle with alimony payments, his parents' divorce and his siblings' emigration. The situation remains mysterious, however, because according to police files, Meinders hanged himself in the manor building on October 1, 1850. However, the church register of Herford states that Meinders only died on October 4th from a stroke. The theory is that the doctor hid his true death to ensure a burial in the cemetery, but when the truth was out he could only be buried in his parents' forest. However, it remains unclear why the dates on the grave slab differ roughly from the documented dates on Meinders. Both the date of birth and the date of death do not match the documented Carl Meinders.So the forest grave remains a mystery that cannot be fully explained.It's a pity that you have to research these stories afterwards, because there is no information on site and the inscription can only be interpreted poorly.

Can you look again. Especially where now the plate is completely exposed. Coat of arms and inscriptions are also rudimentary to recognize.

There is not a single grave in the forest so often. Unfortunately not well maintained.