Translations:Maximilian Eckart (Da VII 12)/13/en
Childhood and Youth in Emskirchen
Maximilian Eckart was born on February 7, 1842, the twelfth and last child of David and Jeanette Eckart. He spent his childhood with his siblings in his parents’ inn, the "Schwarzer Adler" (Black Eagle) in Emskirchen. His father, the "jolly Eckart", and his inn were particularly popular among students, and boozy festivities were regularly held in the ballroom on the second floor; the same floor where the children also had their rooms. The children had to help in the inn and the household already from an early age. David also frequently took them hunting or to his fish breeding in the community pond. However, the family’s financial situation deteriorated. Gradually, they had to sell all their landed property and, in 1850, the inn. Maximilian was only eleven years old when his father died in 1853. From that point onwards, Jeanette had to fend for herself and her children. Ultimately, Emskirchen no longer had much to offer the adolescent Eckarts, which is why all David and Jeanette Eckart’s children gradually left their hometown between 1850 and 1870.