Steffen Walter Mar 7, 2021:

19th century The German term sounds unusual to us because it is 19th century usage and may also have been influenced by some dialect/regionalisms. Regarding the underlying meaning, I agree that we would refer to this as a "Beitrag" in today's terms.

Timoshka (asker) Mar 6, 2021:

Based on all this information, it seems like it would make a lot more sense if they'd just called this a GemeindeBEITRAG, instead of GemeindeBEILAGE. Perhaps these Germans living in Nebraska had forgotten some of their German?

Lancashireman Mar 6, 2021:

plate and pledge giving See answer from Wendy S
https://www.google.com/search?q="plate and pledge giving"&oq...

Ruth Stubenitzky Mar 6, 2021:

Gemeinde definitely is the parish here, no church document would use the word in a different sense.
In the book "Jürnjakob Swehn der Amerikafahrer" by Johannes Gillhoff it says the parish members obliged themselves to pay some amount (freely chosen) they would pay to the parish regularly. That was in Iowa, but also in the second half of the 19th century. Maybe there is something similar here. Only that sum would have to be higher because the pastor had to live on it. Maybe in the parish this document is from they divided the amount, saying "so much is for the pastor, and I add (beilegen) some more for the needs of the parish itself". I am by no means sure but it would indeed be logical to call the part that was destined for parish needs a "Gemeindebeilage".

Steffen Walter Mar 6, 2021:

Sounds like it I agree with your interpretation that these families were in arrears with their payments.

Mair A-W (PhD) Mar 6, 2021:

"we don't know anything about the size...." well, we know what they spent on wine.

Timoshka (asker) Mar 6, 2021:

Additional information I found another short reference to this term in the same records: “Gemeindebeilage wären rückständig 18 Familien.” So, apparently, this was money paid by families in the parish, and 18 of those families were behind in their payments?

Steffen Walter Mar 6, 2021:

Good workaround Yes, this seems to be a good workaround.

Timoshka (asker) Mar 6, 2021:

@ Steffen Walter OK. Maybe it's best to keep the translation as vague as possible then. :-) A "parish supplement" might work, since it doesn't indicate where this money is coming from...since we don't know for sure!

Steffen Walter Mar 6, 2021:

@ Timoshka To be honest, I have no answer to your question. However, the fact that the parish was very small at the time could mean that this amount was actually contributed by the members themselves. Not sure at all, though.

Timoshka (asker) Mar 6, 2021:

@ Steffen Walter and AllegroTrans Could it be some sort of "parish supplement" given to the parish by higher church authorities (synod?). This was a very small and new parish at the time and was obviously struggling with finances.

Steffen Walter Mar 6, 2021:

Perhaps ... ... but we're talking mid-1870s here and we don't know anything about the size of the parish.

AllegroTrans Mar 6, 2021:

@ Steffen What you are referring to would be called a tithe, but the low amount makes that unlikely I think

Steffen Walter Mar 6, 2021:

Gemeindebeitrag? This is perhaps a contribution that every member of the parish had to pay on an annual basis (or rather the annual total of all these contributions in this case).