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- The name was formerly "Voithofer." It appears this way in the Austrian records, and it changed with this generation, presumably with the move to Königsberg. According to "the church book of the free evangelical pastors in Goldegg in Pongau," his birthdate was 24 Feb. 1726; according to his wife's recollections the date was 1730.
According to the Froelich history, "following the expulsion of all Protestants from Salzburg [Austria] Michl Voithofer also left with his mother, his wife, 2 children (Martin and Anna)—Andreas had already died in 1729—and with diverse other relatives with the name Veithofer, in all 25 persons: 4 men, 4 women, 11 children, 2 servingment, and 4 maids. They emigrated to Prussia and arrived in Königsberg with their own kitchenware on November 12, 1732."
According to the Froelich History, he "probably studied pedagogy in Königsberg and later became Precentor, Adjunct Pastor, and Lithuanian Pastor. The introduction for him [at some moment introducing him as a pastor] is word for word: [']Martin Veithofer, a Salzburger, born in Goldegg 1730 on Palm Sunday, previously—since 1758—Precenter at the Lithuanian church in Memel, was June 14, 1771 ordained as adjunct of Pastor Johann Samuel Hassenstein and on the seventh Sunday after Trinity he was introducted, continuing until 1773.[']"
According to his wife's journal, "In the year 1787 God sent me great sorrow as my dear husband became blind in both eyes. Oh Master, You all-knowing God! You also knew then the pain in my heart and our great crying and imploring you. You were not spared my personal sighs. But as You in Your word relenteth and deigneth to hear, so You also brough to us, since no one here knew how to advise and help us, an eye doctor from Saxony who said it was cataracts and there is no help but to cut out the cataract. This was done on the 14th of April 1798. Afterwards he was tied and had to lie still on his back 9 days. This was very difficult but God helpd us to overcome although it was still three months before his eyes were healthy." [3, 4, 5]
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