Karl Johann Grass

Father,
Peter Grass - governor of Madliena Manor, Mother – Susanna, born
Healenius.
He struggled for his education himself as his parents turned him to
an orphanage in Riga at the age of 13. Because of difficult youth and
the need to deal independently with everything early on, work and
education went hand in hand. At the age of 27, in Riga, he came under
the patronage of the rector of Schola Carolina J. Loder, with the
support of whom he graduated this lyceum and entered the University
of Jena.
On
his return to Livonia, he initially worked as a private tutor until
he became a permanent pastor.

1762:
married, wife Maria Magdalena Steingötter, daughter of archivist.
The family has five children, of whom, Karl Gothard Grass (1767-1814)
a painter, graphic artist and literary writer left significant traces
in the cultural history of Latvia.

He
collaborated with a representative of the Enlightenment and a man of
letters, landlord of Drusti manor Nikolaus Christoph von Hagemeister.

K.J.Grass
seems to have collected Latvian folk songs guided by his interest.
His letter to G. Merkel in 1797 attests to it. Presumably, due to the
collector's death, the folk songs collected in Dzerbene are sent to
Rujiena’s pastor G. Bergmann for the publication of the first
collection of folk songs by K. Harder.

Pastoral
activities

1776:
built a stone church when
serving in
the parishes of Dzerbene and Drustu





Original
works

1794:
wrote Lutheran catechism "The way to their eternal good and
prosperity is shown from the natural recognition of man and from the
words of God in the following five passages in children's teaching is
fully shown"





Translations
1764:
"The Aizkraukle and Rimanis Manor Court is given by Carl
Friedrich Schulz in the year 1764" - Laws of Baron Carl
Friedrich Schulz of Aizkraukle and Rimanis Manor for the serfs of
these manors;


1790:
"A Brief instruction for Latvians regarding the saving of those
who drowned or experienced a sudden and quick death" -
Translation of the work of Drustu Manor landlord Nicolaus Christopher
Hagemeister.





Work
in folkloristics


Presumably,
he collected folk songs guided by his own interest. 16 folk songs
collected by C.J. Grass are included in G. Bergmann’s'
First Collection of Latvian Epigrams.

folklore collector
pastor
translator
writer

Grass

–1760
Mājskolotājs fon Hanenfeldu (Hanenfeld) ģimenē

1737–1738
Cēsis
Sekretāra Medera palīgs, dokumentu pārrakstītājs.

1739
Madliena
Mājskolotājs

1740–1747
Ropaži
Mājskolotājs tirgotāja forn Pieča (Pietsch) ģimenē

1760–1764
Liepkalnes evanģēliski luteriskā draudze
Liepkalnes evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca
Šai laikā izveidojis arī mazu privātskolu.

1764–1796
Dzērbenes evaņģēliski luteriskā draudze
Dzērbenes evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca
1776. gadā uzcelta pirmā Dzērbenes mūra baznīcaDibinājis draudzes skolu.

1733–1736
Rīga
Vecāki nodevuši bāriņu namā.

1736–1737
Lielvārdes mācītājmuiža
Atradies pie Lielvārdes macītāja Jakoba Andrē (Andreae, 1699 – 1776), kas darbojies 2. Bībeles izdevuma sagatavošanā.Šajā laikā strādājis par mājskolotāju pie landrāta fon Volfenšīlda (Wolffenschield).

1738
Valmiera
Friziera māceklis

1747
lat. Schola Carolina
Mazā Pils iela 4, Rīga
27 gadu vecumā nokļuvis Rīgā pie rektora Johana Lodera (Loder, 1687—1775). J. Lodera kontrolē, mācības sākot ar 4. klasi, beidzis liceju.

1751–1754
Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
Studējis teologiju. Studijām ieguvis stipendiju 40 guldeņi.

1754–1760
Rīga
Pēc studiju beigšanas, ceļu daļēji mērojot kājām, atgriezies Livonijā.

1796
Vecie kapi
”Tur, kur Dieva debesnami,Tur aizved viņu Dieva Eņģeļi.Stāviet klusu, šeit apdomādami,Kāds viņš draugs un mācītājs jums bij.”Dēla K. G. Grasa vārdi, iekalti K. J. Grasa kapakmenī Dzērbenes vecajos kapos.