The House von der Decken is the name of an old Hanoverian family of German nobility. Since more than 750 years the center of the family is in a part of Lower Saxony at the south bank of the river Elbe called Kehdingen. History The Origin of the Family The first documented members of the family are Alverik and Herewart von Decca. About 1250 they were vassals of . The genealogy of the family can be traced back to Nicolaus de Deken. He was a squire and lived from about 1290 to 1360. The first von der Deckens lived near Freiburg, Lower Saxony, at the southern bank of the Elbe river. Five Lines of the Family All living von der Deckens are descendants of , who died in 1541. He was a mayor of Stade and had eight children. Five of his sons started the different lines of the family (see ). The von der Deckens in South Africa Adolphus (1834–1886) is a son of Adolph Melchior (1806–1862). They are descendants of the Oerichsheil line. For Adolph Melchior and Adolphus see Extract of genealogical table of the family von der Decken 1. Line in German language. Adolphus emigrated 1855 first to England and later to South Africa. He settled near King Williams Town. Adolphus married in 1855 Emma Louisa Eustace, when he was 21 and she was 19 years old. There are many descendants of Adolphus and Emma living in South Africa. Some of them with the name von der Decken live in King William's Town, in Fort Beaufort and near to Durban. Coat of arms The coat of arms shows a fireplace trammel hook. On the helmet with black and silver covers is standing a natural short oak branch with hanging green leaves on both sides. Historic coat of arms Notable family members (died 1541) councillor and mayor of the town of Stade. He was a principal supporter of Bremen's Prince-Archbishop John III. (born 1742 in Ritterhausen near Balje, died 1826 in Hanover), Hanoverian minister. Count Johann Friedrich von der Decken (born 1769 in Langwedel, died 1840 in Ringelheim), Hanoverian Generalfeldzeugmeister. Karl Klaus von der Decken (born 1833 in Kotzen, died 1865 in Bardera in Somalia), Explorer in East Africa, especially at the Kilimanjaro and at the Jubba River. Count Georg von der Decken from Ringelheim (born 1836 in Brunswick, died 1898 in Ringelheim), Member of Reichstag of the