translation of the German occupation "Wirth"

hehesani63

In a German marriage certificate from the region of Poznan, I translated the occupation "Wirth" of the husband's father as "innkeeper". But later I researched the word a little more and found that "Wirth" can also mean "farmer".

I would appreciate to know what others know about the meaning of the word and how you would usually translate it.

Thanks and regards

Ulrich Neitzel

@hehesani63

I agree with you that the word/occupation "Wirt(h)" can have different meanings depending on the region and time period, innkeeper or farmer (the German word "Landwirt" is actually the more modern term for "Bauer").

It may be difficult to decide which meaning/translation is correct from just one record. If there are many more "Wirth"s in the same church book, I would tend to interpret it as farmer, which was the most common occupation in the years before 1900.

sylviaelchinger1

I would add that if the person is actually an innkeeper rather than a farmer, the record might identify him by the name of the inn, e.g. Kronenwirth.

hehesani63

Thank you @Ulrich Neitzel and @sylviaelchinger1

I'll look much more carefully at the word "Wirth" now to assure it's correct meaning in the context!