KAPFF, Ludwig Heinrich. Göppingen near Stuttgart 5.9.1802 — Kennenburg near Esslingen 26.2.1869. German Lutheran Priest and Oriental Scholar. Son of Gottfried Kapff (1768–1815) and Eberhardine Hehl. Educated and studied in Tübingen. After a brief vicariate in Urach returned to the university in 1826, lecturing on the Old Testament and studying Persian and Sanskrit, soon also teaching Sanskrit (1829) as the first at Tübingen. He was Repetent of diocese 1825-33. Ph.D. 1829. In 1829-30 travelled in Paris, London and various parts of Germany. In 1830-33 taught at Tübingen as PD Sanskrit and several other Oriental languages. In 1835 applied for the chair of Oriental languages without success. From 1833 minister of Tamm, 1839 Dean in Leonberg, 1843 Rector of Karls-Gymnasium in Heilbronn and 1854-69 Ephorus in Urach seminary. Also interested in mathematics. Married 1835 Martha Caecilia Gmelin, at least one son.
Publications: Diss. in three separate parts, one about Cyprian’s ecclesiastic ideas, one about the importance of the study of Sanskrit and Indian religion, one about the connection of Sanskrit with Greek and Latin and Persian with German. Manuscript 1829, perhaps not preserved.
– Der Kampf der Sprachen im Verlaufe der Völkergeschichte. Gymn. Programm, Heilbronn 1845, 22 p.
Sources: Brückner et al., Indienforschung im Zeitenwandel. 2003, 27-33, with photo; family details in ancestors.familysearch.org.
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