|
Ausgust/September 2008
Gallery: Victorian Trade Cards
by Cynthia Elyce Rubin
Before the days of magazine advertising, German printers brought their expertise to America and gave businesses the advertising medium of trade cards.
The trade card, an advertising giveaway that dates from 1876 to 1900, is collected today for its colorful graphics and studied as an historical artifact reflecting America's
cultural values. A Victorian collectible with European antecedents, trade cards, widely popular throughout the nation in the 1880s, constituted the first national marketing campaigns in American advertising.
However, little known is the fact that the trade card's very existence is a commentary on the continuing vitality of German ingenuity and innovation on American soil.
During the last quarter of the nineteenth century following the Civil War, the industrial revolution ushered in an unprecedented era of consumerism with America's emerging
middle class wanting goods and services on a grand scale. "To fully understand the unique value of trade cards as a reflection of American social history in this period, one must consider the enormous
industrial and commercial growth, as well as the sheer increase in population," writes Robert Jay in The Trade Card in Nineteenth-Century America. As an extensive railroad system assured accessibility of
goods to western consumers, new and improved products, inventions, and imported goods flooded the frontier marketplace from urban centers such as sewing machines, European laces and notions, patent medicines,
soaps, cooking ingredients, furniture, and household appliances. Nothing was immune, but how to publicize a product so as to gain the consumer's attention?
The trade card answered this need by advancing a new advertising medium. At first printed in black and white on lightweight card stock, the trade card's popularity soared
when the inexpensive method of color printing called chromolithography replaced earlier, expensive, copper plate, engraving techniques. Print historian, Jay T. Last acknowledges in The Color Explosion:
Nineteenth-Century Lithography that the "relatively simple and economical mass-production of image print" was the German invention of lithography in the 1790s by Alois Senefelder.
Last describes a steady advance in German color-printing technology beginning with the example of the serial publication of Ornamente aller klassiche Kunstepochen (Ornaments
of all Classical Periods in Art), produced by C.G. Herwig and C. Hildebrandt in Berlin from 1830 to 1859. A pattern book whose copious six-color plates educated designers in neoclassical, medieval and
Renaissance styles, its evolution culminated in mass-production color printing that guaranteed Germany's role as the world's foremost low-cost producer of multi-color lithographs. As nineteenth-century
German immigrants adapted to life in America, a large number of talented and skilled lithographers turned entrepreneurs and contributed, Last writes, "a decided German flavor to the American lithographic
industry."
One outstanding figure is Louis Prang, born in Breslau in Prussian Silesia. Arriving in America in 1850, he settled in Boston where he found limited opportunities for the
expertise he learned in his father's calico printing and dyeing factory. After struggling with a series of odd jobs, he partnered with Julius Mayer in the production of business cards, labels, and posters.
By 1866, he produced his first chromolithograph of an artist's work, an instant retail success that led to his publishing a quarterly journal called Prang's Chromo, A Journal of popular Art that
included articles relating to his novel color prints. In the 1870s, he hit upon the idea of inexpensive, mass-produced, small, single-design, generic "stock" cards that could be adapted to the needs of
individual advertisers who purchased them in bulk and later added their names in a blank space with letterpress or a rubber stamp. Over the years, Prang's modern steam-powered presses produced enormous
quantities of an endless variety of prints, sets of small album cards, greeting cards, and trade cards advertising everything from Acme Soap, Clark's Mile-End Spool Cotton, Hood's Sarsaparilla, to Rough
on Rats, a powder to kill rodents…
For more, subscribe today!
At Home: Savory Snacks with Beer and Wine
by Sharon Hudgins
Several years ago in Germany I purchased a pretty pewter wine coaster – one of those round metal disks that you put under the bottle to keep condensation and drips from
staining your table.
Around the rim of this handy little device is a bas-relief frieze depicting grape leaves and clusters of grapes, as well as stalks of barley and cones of hops – the basic
ingredients of wine and beer, the two major beverages produced in Germany for centuries.
The center of this heavy-metal coaster is a bas-relief of an autumn scene in Germany, with all the elements of a fine fall afternoon outdoors in the golden sunlight. Three men
are sitting at a wooden table under the leaves of a chestnut tree. One of the men, dressed in a suit, looks like a prosperous member of the community, maybe the mayor. Another, smoking a pipe, is more casually
attired, with an open-neck shirt, wire-frame glasses, and a neatly trimmed beard; surely he's the local teacher or professor. And the third, dressed like a workman, looks like he's already had way too
much to drink.
A buxom blonde waitress stands by the table, pouring wine from a bottle into the professor's wide-stemmed glass, and a basket on the table holds a bunch of pretzels.
Hanging from a branch of the chestnut tree is a sign saying "Stammtisch" – the special table reserved for certain regular customers at German taverns. A
feisty cat has climbed part way up the tree, and a happy-looking little dog is sitting on the ground, being petted by the workman. Nearby, three birds peck at the crumbs that have fallen from the table, among
the spiky chestnut burs that have dropped off the tree.
What a lot of information contained on a single pewter coaster only four inches in diameter! And the picture it portrays is so evocative of many lazy afternoons I've spent
in shaded Bavarian beer gardens and on sunny terraces overlooking the vineyards along the Rhine and Mosel rivers.
Just looking at that little coaster makes me want to go pour a mug of foamy beer or a glass of chilled white wine. However, like any good German, I'd also get a savory snack
to nibble with my drink. Germans seldom imbibe alcoholic beverages without eating something, too – usually snacks that are high in fat (to slow down the effects of the alcohol) and salty (to make you want
to drink more).
In the August/September 2007 "At Home" column, I wrote about traditional German spreads (flavored butters, cheese spreads, rendered pork fat with cracklings) that are
slathered on bread and eaten as accompaniments to beer and wine. Soft pretzels are another traditional snack with drinks, often served in a basket with crispy bread sticks, twists of cheese-flavored pastry, and
little buns topped with chopped onions, poppy seeds, or coarse salt. And some people like to eat small anise-flavored cookies (Anisplätzchen) along with German sweet wines (see the recipe in the December
2001/January 2002 issue, pp. 54 to 55)…
For more, subscribe today!
“Repeat after me….” Teaching English in Germany
by Leah Larkin
From language schools to private instruction, Americans living abroad are sharing their English skills with Germans.
Gabriella Hirthe, 45, had to learn the technicalities of auto manufacturing to help a German employed by Audi give a tour in perfect English. Mark Babbitt, 41, mastered the
names of wood finishes to assist a German carpenter who needed the terms in English. Michael Davis, in his early 50s, was challenged to teach a German surgeon English medical terminology for lectures the doctor
gives around the world.
Hundreds – perhaps thousands – of Americans teach English to adults in Germany. Most work as freelancers, but some are hired by language schools. Some say they can earn a
decent living in this occupation, but many find they need to supplement their teaching income with other work. Americans with spouses employed by the military or industry often teach part-time to earn a bit of
extra money.
“At the beginning I didn’t like it, yet now I get a kick out of it,” says Hirthe, who hails from Minneapolis, is married to a German, and has two teenaged children.
“You learn all sorts of stuff. I now know the difference between a gasoline and diesel engine. I know the Audi 8 and Audi 6 production lines by heart.”
Babbitt calls the work “challenging, satisfying, fulfilling.” John Waldron, an Irishman who is both a teacher and director for the Berlitz language school in Stuttgart,
says teaching English makes him “feel younger…it keeps me motivated.”
According to Waldron, there is a “big demand” for English, especially at higher levels. The director of another language school pointed out that “large companies are
becoming more and more international. Germany is number one in exporting. Even mid-size companies need languages.”
Although there is a demand for English teachers and finding work may not be difficult, work permits, residency permits, and health insurance must be dealt with.
For Americans, the permits have become a greater challenge since 2005 when Germany tightened its immigration laws for non-European Union (EU) citizens.
Working for a language school may facilitate the matter. Berlitz, for example, hires teachers on a contract basis and will help with procurement of a work permit by providing
authorities with a document stating they need native English speakers. However, permit applicants must prove they will earn enough to support themselves. For those who are dependents of a working spouse, this is
not usually a problem. Some German states have stricter permit requirements than others. Teachers must pay German taxes, as well as 19.5 percent of their gross income to the German pension scheme. Some schools
deduct these payments from the teachers’ wages.
Earnings for English teachers vary greatly – from 18 euros to 80 euros per hour. The language schools are noted for paying the least. However, as Waldron points out, the school
gets the students, provides the teaching materials, and classrooms. Berlitz can also give its contract teachers a full work schedule, meaning they will probably be teaching more hours than if they worked for
themselves. Salaries at Berlitz, he said, vary depending on qualifications and experience…
For more, subscribe today!
Best of the Fest – An Insider’s Guide to Oktoberfest
by Brian McMahon
From where to find the “hip” tent to the proper toasting technique, this selection of tips will make your trip to “die Wiesn” one to remember.
Millions of tourists from around the world flock to Munich, Germany, every year to help celebrate Oktoberfest. You can just eat a bratwurst or hoist a liter at a table of
travelers but for a closer look at all the fairgrounds have to offer, from a cornucopia of food and tradition to the locals’ advice on where to drink and how to toast, here is an insider’s guide to
the best of the fest.
From the Hauptbahnhof all the way to Theresenweise, the alluring aroma of roast chicken mixed with malt beer and sugar-coated almonds hangs over the throngs of Lederhosened Bavarians
and giddy tourists filling the streets to the “Weisn.” This is Munich at its most memorable, Oktoberfest. For two and a half weeks every year, this festival brings together all that is Bavarian in a
celebration unrivaled in size, culture, and taste. Oktoberfest is known the world over for its delicious one-of-a-kind German beers, gigantic soft pretzels, and appetizing bratwurst. Flocks of foreign visitors
look forward to the infectiously merry atmosphere of singing and dancing on the benches of crowded beer tents.
Maybe over half of them have been filled in on its history – a long running wedding celebration that has been held almost every year from 1810 onward, and maybe half of them do
not really care. It is hard not to enjoy Oktoberfest on any level and if you are a tourist in town for a day or two, it is likely that the more predictable and stereotypical aspects of the festival will provide
a very memorable fill. However, have a closer look – steer to the far ends of the fairground, stop by an unassuming booth, take a moment to take in the crowd, follow the locals, and you will find an
Oktoberfest steeped in long-held Bavarian traditions, quirky fun, and a plethora of different delicacies.
To begin with there is the choice of fourteen beer tents, each with its own unique atmosphere and features. However, you are likely to find most American, Australian, and
Japanese tourists heading directly to the famed Hofbrauhaus tent to mingle and drink with still more American, Australian, and Japanese tourists. Not that Hofbrau is without its merits, but you would miss out on
far too much if it were the only tent you visited. For those seeking to rub elbows and toast a Mass (liter stein of beer) with the hipper generation, check out the Hacker and Schottenhammel tents. “I guess
the best place to go for young people is Schottenhammel,” says Antonia Bernieke, a native German and student in Munich. “They have a young crowd; it's usually packed so better be there early,
i.e. 4:00 p.m. on the weekends.” Schottenhammel also has the distinction of hosting the “Anstich” or tapping of the first keg of beer by the mayor of Munich each year, which officially opens
Oktoberfest…
For more, subscribe today!
Into the Glass Forest – Traveling Along Germany’s Crystal Road
by Anna Cramer
Between Bohemia and Germany, visitors find seven hundred years of creations from red-hot, molten glass.
Seemingly endless, the road winds up and down hills, through woods, small well ordered villages and towns, each with their cobblestone market square
and maypole, their Rathaus with its café and restaurant, bank, women’s clothing boutique, drugstore, medical practice, and perhaps a hotel or two. However, today, we are not looking for the Heimatmuseum or the Biergarten,
but for a sign reading “Burg Weißenstein,” just outside the town of Regen, right in the middle of the “Bayerischer Wald” (Bavarian Forest). We are following the two hundred and fifty
kilometer long “Crystal Road” of Eastern Bavaria, a stretch between Neustadt/Waldnaab and Passau near the Austrian border. The ancient road was officially designated in 1997 to show the unique
cluster of glassworks and glass refinement workshops in this small area, only a few miles from the Czech border.
Just below the early eleventh-century castle, built to secure the ancient glass trade route through the woods, a hilltop surprises us with a small miracle: the Glass Forest near
Regen: Twenty-five glass trees, some up to twenty-six feet high, adorn the 0.2 hectares large grassy area and form a strange contrast to the backdrop of the real landscape with its sweeping views. Made from
thick green, brown, and blue glass panes, the trees vaguely recall typical tree forms, but each is unique in its artistic rendering of nature. We identify pine trees, maple, birch, and larch and wonder about a
tall object made from hundreds of little green square glass tiles, piled on top of each other and twisted to a high, irregular pillar with larger blue plates interspersed to resemble branches. Standing in front
of the gray walls of the tower, the former granary of the castle, which itself is in ruins today, we cannot escape the fascination this unusual use of the material conveys as it constantly plays with the
reflections of light.
We have found a contemporary fairy tale forest, which has become a symbol of Bavaria’s Crystal Road – the area between Bohemia and Germany, so rich in glassworks even
today, after a history of more than seven hundred years of glassmaking. Intrigued, we return again in the dark, finding the glass trees lit by many sunken lights, creating an almost magic effect, while the
rising mist blurs the surroundings.
Glassmaking can be traced all the way back to Mesopotamia and was quite common in Roman times. However, it had to be virtually re-invented in central Europe, since imports of raw
material from the Mediterranean ceased after the fall of the Roman Empire. Along with the Seine area in France and the Rhineland, the Bavarian Forest proved ideal for glass production through its abundance of
wood and quartz in the highlands, as quartz sand (around seventy percent), wood ash (around fifteen percent) and lime (around ten percent) are the most important raw materials needed. Thus, undeveloped forests
or deserted farms could become profitable again, as long as migrant glassmakers with the necessary knowledge could be found and enticed – usually through tax-exemption and other privileges, like the use of
the woods and the right of succession– to stay and set up glassworks here…
For more, subscribe today!
“I’m not human. I’m Kaspar” - The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
by Kim Carpenter
Nobility or imposter? His story was that of a child with no past and a man with no future.
“I want to be a cavalry man like my father was.” That was the insistent wish that the young stranger kept repeating when he made his appearance in Nuremberg during
the spring of 1828. He was dressed as a peasant, and with his stumbling gait, he seemed either drunk or mentally deficient. When finally taken into police custody, the only other words he seemed capable of
articulating were “Horse! Horse!” and “Don’t know.” However, he could write his name: “Kaspar Hauser.”
In a short time, that name spread across Europe and North America. Theories spread far and wide regarding his true identity, and his apparent lack of any social skills only heightened
the mystery. Was he a charlatan, a con, a cheat? Or, as dark rumors suggested, was he a lost prince, the victim of a crime that switched identities, seized power, and changed dynasties? The story of Kaspar
Hauser is complex, as peculiar as it is tragic, and filled with twists and turns usually associated more with modern soap operas than with nineteenth-century German history.
While Hauser could initially only speak gibberish, he carried a letter written by a man claiming to have raised the boy since 1812. The anonymous writer stated that Hauser had never
been outside his house, and as a poor man with ten children, he was unable to care for the boy any longer. He said that he hoped a place would be found for the boy in the military, but he concluded with this
terrifying admonition: “If you can’t keep him, you will have to butcher him or hang him from the chimney.”
Since Hauser had nowhere to go, city authorities installed him in Nuremberg’s gate tower, where he remained under the watchful eyes of appointed guards. Both his behavior and
appearance were peculiar. For example, he refused all food except bread and water and became ill if given meat. His feet also were as smooth as a small child’s, and he walked like a toddler rather than a
young teen.
The Nuremberg newcomer also exhibited little knowledge of everyday occurrences. The first time he saw a burning candle, he tried to grab the flame, only to begin wailing when it
burned him. He was completely entranced by music, as if hearing it for the first time. At barely five-feet tall, the teenage foundling behaved like a five year old and most who met him assumed he was permanently
stunted in his mental development.
For this reason, experts believed Hauser had grown up as a “feral” child in a nearby forest, more akin to a wild beast than a human being. In a way, he himself affirmed
this, saying in his broken speech, “Ich nit mensch, ich Kaspar.” (“I’m not human. I’m Kaspar.”)
However, as Hauser began speaking more, he related a bizarre account of his life during the previous twelve years. He said he had been imprisoned in a small, dark dungeon with next to
no human contact, and he described how he spent his time: “I had two wooden horses and a dog with which I always entertained myself; I had red and blue ribbons, and with them I decorated the horses and the
dog.”…
For more, subscribe today!
Onward and Upward – Berchtesgaden
by Matt Johanson
Incredible Alpine scenery, the legendary Watzmann, and the famed “Eagle’s Nest” make this region a nature lover’s paradise.
Even before the party started, our Bavarian trek was proving worthwhile. Few mountain ascents feature hot sausages and cold beer in a comfortable cabin, but my brother, Dan, and
I ordered just that on one of Germany’s highest peaks.
Grey clouds, cold rain, and even early autumn snow tested our resolve, though Dan and I hiked two hours to reach the beautiful and rustic Watzmannhaus at six thousand three
hundred thirty feet anyway, hoping conditions the following morning would permit us to reach the eight thousand six hundred ninety-five-foot summit of Watzmann in Berchtesgaden National Park.
While I have visited Germany many times and climbed in America for years, I had never fulfilled my dream to climb in the German Alps. As we settled in for the evening, we could
see that others shared that same ambition. While darkness fell, the lodge filled with about twenty men, women, and children, all of them Germans and friendly enough to overlook my less-than-perfect command of
their native tongue.
That is when things got interesting. Into the dining hall marched three portly German musicians in Bavarian hats, plaid shirts, vests, and lederhosen, playing a harpsichord, a
trombone, and a clarinet. Songs, games, and laughter filled the next several hours.
“Although the hike was just a few miles, the weather was wet and cold. When it started to snow, we had to wonder if this was going to be worth it, but really all of that
changed when we were in the hut,” Dan said. “We were rewarded with great food and beer, and the icing on the cake was experiencing a German birthday party complete with live music, good fun, and
singing.”
To get swept away in the revelry would have been easy, but we knew better than to challenge a room full of Germans to their own beer drinking games. Besides, we had a mountain
to climb, so we retired at a reasonable hour to our small room and bunk bed in anticipation the next day’s summit push.
An interesting legend explains the creation of Watzmann and other Berchtesgaden peaks. An evil King Watzmann ruled the region once upon a time, according to the fable. He and
his cruel wife and children tortured and killed both animals and people, but they went too far when they turned their vicious dogs on an innocent farmer’s family. A dying grandmother cursed them, and
Watzmann and his relatives were turned into mountains. So today, locals encourage hikers to kick the wicked royalty with their shoes while walking on their bodies.
Not that Watzmann is the only attraction of Berchtesgaden. Hikers can trek to their heart’s content on miles of scenic trails, and the experience is rather different than
backpackers experience in America. Camping is “verboten,” but twenty-six “Alpenhütte” (mountain huts) offer food and shelter at reasonable prices. So overnighters not only carry less
weight on their backs, they are also more likely to eat Weinerschnitzel and potato salad than dehydrated oatmeal…
For more, subscribe today!
Lieselotte von der Pfalz and the Court of Versailles
by Robert A. Selig
“Being Madame is a wretched business” – in these words is expressed much of the unhappy life of Lieselotte von der Pfalz, wife of “Monsieur,” the
Duke Philip I of Orléans, the homosexual brother of King Louis XIV, at the court of Versailles between 1671 and 1722. During her more than fifty years in France, she reported, and recorded, her feelings and her
anxieties, the successes and the disappointments of her life as well as the intrigues and festivities that played out in the glamour and the squalor at the court of the Sun King in some sixty thousand letters, thousands of which have survived. These letters form a unique body of documents detailing the existence of one of the most fascinating women living at the center of power as French hegemony expanded into much of Germany and Western Europe.
Elizabeth Charlotte, the baptismal name of the Princess Palatinate, though everybody called Lieselotte, was born on 27 May 1652 in Heidelberg. Her father, the Elector Karl I Ludwig
(1617 to 1680), was a son of Friedrich V of the Palatinate, famous, or infamous, for his role as the “Winterking” of Bohemia during the initial phase of the Thirty Years’ War; her mother was
Charlotte of Hesse-Cassel (1627 to 1686). As her parents feared for the life of the weak child, she received the names of her grandmother, Elizabeth Stuart, and her mother during an emergency baptism. Six years
later, Karl I Ludwig divorced Elizabeth’s mother to wed Baroness Marie Luise von Degenfeld (1637 to 1677), one of Lieselotte’s mother’s ladies-in-waiting at the court. In order to keep her
separate from her mother, the father sent the girl to the court at Hanover to be raised by his sister, Sophie (1630 to 1714), wife of Duke Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg (1629 to 1698). In many ways
these were the happiest years of her life and Lieselotte remained in Hanover until 1663 when her mother left Heidelberg after Karl I Ludwig had finally agreed on a decent settlement for his wife. Karl I Ludwig
immediately brought the eleven-year-old Lieselotte back to his court at Heidelberg where the “Bärenkätzchenaffengesicht,” the “Bearkittenmonkeyface” as her father liked to call her, lived
with her elder brother and fifteen half-siblings. Over the next eight years, she received the standard education of a young woman of the high aristocracy – language, fine arts, singing, dancing, and
needlework, necessary to prepare a girl for marriage.
Lieselotte’s time in Heidelberg came to an end in November 1671, when the nineteen-year-old woman was married to the widowed Philip I of Bourbon, duc d’Orléans (1640
to 1701). The marriage was arranged for political reasons: as Louis XIV (1638 to 1715) strove to expand his kingdom to the north into the Netherlands (War of the Devolution, 1667/1668) and to the east into the
Holy Roman Empire (for example, annexation of Lille, Charleroi, Tournai in Lorraine in1668), Karl I Ludwig thought it advisable to establish good relations with the powerful neighbor. In an age in which dynastic
marriages were used to seal alliances and create future claims of inheritance (the invasion of the Netherlands following the death of Philip IV of Spain was justified by Louis XIV because of marriage to Maria
Theresa of Spain), Lieselotte’s marriage to Louis XIV’s brother was to be the formal expression and manifestation of the friendship and alliance between France and the Palatinate…
For more, subscribe today!
Finding Luther: On the Reformer’s Trail
by Don Heimburger
An exhibition featuring a treasure trove of recent archaeological finds draws new interest to “the great reformer” – Martin Luther.
Luther Kommt! is the cry echoing from Wittenberg, Germany, between now and 2017 when the five hundredth year anniversary of the nailing of the 95 Theses on the Castle Church is
celebrated, especially in Saxony-Anhalt, where Martin Luther was born, lived much of his life, and died.
Luther's Reformation journey began in 1505 when he was on his way home from a visit to his parents and a violent thunderstorm near Erfurt convinced him to become a monk.
Entering the Order of the Augustinian Hermits, in 1508 he was sent to Wittenberg, the seat of Frederick the Wise, a young and intelligent prince, who aided Luther during his many ordeals.
On October 31, 1517, Luther outlined his beliefs against indulgences in a long paper, which he nailed to the door of Wittenberg's Castle Church, and these theses were destined to
shake the medieval world order to its very foundations.
Martin Luther (1483 to 1546) not only started the Reformation, which changed the world and was his most important legacy, but he also left behind telling evidence of his private
life and family in Mansfeld and Wittenberg, much of which only now has come to light.
Between October 31, 2008, and April 26, 2009, the State Museum of Pre-History in Halle on the Saale River will sponsor a large, special exhibit showing the newly-discovered
archaeological findings of Martin Luther and his family. Together with other planned events, the exhibition marks the beginning of a decade of celebration of the Reformation in Saxony-Anhalt and the
Reformation's far-reaching effects.
The centerpiece of the four thousand-square-foot State exhibit, to be located on the first and second floors, are the numerous artifacts that have been excavated at Luther's
parental house in Mansfeld and at his study in Luther House in Wittenberg on Collegienstrasse. Also displayed will be items from Luther's birth house on the road formerly called Lange Gasse in Eisleben, as
well as a range of artifacts that the museum has gathered from other museums throughout the world such as valuable Luther goblets and beakers. In all, the Museum will have sixty lending partners in the Luther
exhibit.
And in a surprise move, the Pre-History Museum, which has just undergone a $4.4 million renovation, will exhibit some Luther finds no one will know about until the opening of the
exhibit in October. The new Luther exhibit is under the sponsorship of Minister-President Dr. Wolfgang Bohmer and Regional Bishop Axel Noack, along with the support of the Luther Memorials Foundation of
Saxony-Anhalt in Wittenberg.
“Innumerable publications have been dedicated to the life of Martin Luther, and depending on the time of the publication and the author's intentions, historical truth and
legend are almost inseparably intermingled with each other,” says Dr. Michael Schefzik, curator of the Museum…
For more, subscribe today!
Language: Zane Grey und seine deutschen Wildwesthelden
Von Ernst Mettendorf
In der damals noch britischen Kolonie Virginia, wo der kleine Fluss Wheeling in den gewaltigen Ohio mündet, traf 1768 eine Gruppe von Kolonisten ein, um an dieser strategischen Stelle
eine Niederlassung zu gründen. Der Anführer der Gemeinschaft war Ebenezer Zane (1747-1811). Mit ihm waren zwei seiner vier Brüder gekommen sowie seine Schwester Elisabeth (Betty). Weiter gehörte zu dem Gefolge
die deutsche Familie Wetzel und deren Söhne. Zane selber war in Virginia geboren worden, aber seine Eltern kamen aus Philadelphia, wo der Name der Familie ursprünglich Zahn gewesen war.
Nur einige friedliche Jahre verbrachten die Siedler beim Aufbau ihrer Ortschaft Zanesburg. Danach mussten sie im kurzfristigen Krieg gegen die Shawnee-Indianer ihre Blockhäuser zu
Festungen ausbauen. Im bald folgenden amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg wurde Ebenezer Zane zum Kommandeur die örtlichen Miliztruppen ernannt.
Zu Ehren des Gouverneurs Patrick Henry benannten die Kolonisten ihre Festung Fort Henry. Dieser Stützpunkt gewann an Bedeutung im Kampf gegen die britische Kolonialmacht.
Gleich nach den ersten Kämpfen dauerte es nicht lange, bis auch diese Siedler von britischen Truppen und den verbündeten Indianern angegriffen wurden. Die Feinde lagerten rings herum und versuchten, die
Besatzung zur Kapitulation zu zwingen. Zuerst gelang es Oberst Zane noch, die Angriffe abzuwehren, doch nachdem 1782 eine größere Streitmacht vor den Palisaden erschienen war, ging der Garnison die Munition aus.
Als es notwendig wurde, mehr Schießpulver vom 40 Meter entfernten Magazin zu holen, meldete sich Elisabeth Zane für diesen Auftrag. „Ihr könnt jetzt keinen einzigen Mann entbehren“, erklärte sie. „Eine
Frau wird man bei der Verteidigung des Forts nicht vermissen.“ Sie stürmte zur Tür hinaus, und im Kugelregen des Feindes erreichte sie das Munitionslager.
Unverletzt kehrte sie mit dem kostbaren Inhalt eines Pulverfasses zurück. Allerdings hatten Kugeln und Pfeile ihr Kleid zerrissen. Den Verteidigern gelang es nunmehr, die Stellungen
zu halten. Der Feind musste unverrichteter Dinge abziehen. Aus Zanesburg und dem Fort Henry entwickelte sich die heutige Stadt Wheeling, wo man ein Denkmal errichtet hat zur Erinnerung an Elisabeth. Der
deutsch-amerikanische Schriftsteller Kara Giorg (Pseudonym für Gustav Brühl, 1826-1903) widmete ihr ein Gedicht...
Zane Grey and His German Wild West Heroes
by Ernst Mettendorf
In 1768, a group of settlers arrived in what was then the British colony of Virginia in order to establish a strategic stronghold at the location where the small Wheeling River flows
into the mighty Ohio River. The leader of this community was Ebenezer Zane (1747-1811). He was accompanied by two of his four brothers, as well as by his sister Elizabeth (Betty). Among the settlers was also the
German Wetzel family with their sons. Zane himself was born in Virginia, but his parents came from Philadelphia where the name of the family was originally Zahn.
The settlers spent only a few peaceful years establishing their village Zanesburg. Then they had to fortify their log cabins for a brief war against the Shawnee Indians. During the
ensuing War of Independence, Ebenezer Zane was named commander of the local militia troops.
In honor of Governor Patrick Henry, the colonists called their fortress Fort Henry. This military base gained importance in the struggle against the British colonial power. Right
after the first battles, it did not take long until these settlers were also attacked by British troops and their Native American allies. The enemies had taken position around the fort and tried to force the
garrison to surrender. At the beginning, Colonel Zane managed to ward off the attacks, but after more enemy troops had appeared in front of the stockades in 1782, the defenders ran out of ammunition. When it
became necessary to get more gunpowder from a storage facility forty meters away, Elizabeth Zane volunteered for this assignment. “You cannot spare a single man right now,” she declared. “A
woman won’t be missed during the defense of a fort.” She stormed out the door, and in a hail of enemy bullets, she reached the munitions depot.
Unwounded, she returned with the valuable content of a powder keg. However, bullets and arrows had torn her dress. The defenders succeeded now in holding their position. The enemy had
to retreat without having achieved their goal. Zanesburg and Fort Henry developed into what is known today as the town of Wheeling, where a monument has been set up commemorating Elizabeth. The German-American
author Kara Giorg (pseudonym for Gustav Brühl, 1826-1903) wrote a poem about her…
For more, subscribe today!
Family Research: Postcard Yields Clues About Immigrant
by James M. Beidler
Clues about immigrants and their lives sometimes come from unlikely sources – even postcards. This is one of the many things that David J. Sautter of Warrington, Pennsylvania,
has found out in studying the records of immigrants from one particular town in Baden-Württemberg named Endingen.
“When I was in Endingen in September 2007, the village historian, presented a gift to me, a picture postcard,” Sautter said. “He knew I loved old postcards and this
one pictured College Hall, University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia. Perhaps he remembered my Dad, a daughter, and I had graduated from Penn or perhaps he remembered my Endingen-born grandfather, Johannes
Sautter, had been a carpenter when one of the buildings on the West Philadelphia Penn campus was built.”
The card was addressed to Mrs. Bertha Alsdorf, Endingen o/a Balingen, postmarked Philadelphia, June 22, 1907. The historian said he had been called to go over the contents of a
storage shack in the village as it was torn down, as it no longer had a use. He found the card in a box and no one could identify Bertha; she certainly was not known as a former resident.
Sautter had the message translated: “Dear sister-in-law, I received your postcard and I was very pleased about that. Therefore, I am sending you and your sister a card, too.
Many greetings, Henry.”
“I thought about the message,” Sautter said. “Bertha was certainly visiting her sister in Endingen; she could be from Philadelphia and Henry could be her
husband’s brother.”
Sautter thought he might be able to find her in a United States Census, and he was right. “In the 1910 census I found Bertha Alsdorf, aged thirty, born in Germany, wife of
Christian Alsdorf, fifty-eight, born in Germany, a butcher. Living with them were three children and Christian’s brother, Henry. That still did not tell me Bertha’s connection to Endingen,” he
said.
Philadelphia marriage records showed that Christian Alsdorf was married twice; the second time to Bertha Veith, and Sautter found that the Veith family lived in Endingen in the
early 1900s.
As he delved deeper, Sautter would encounter a mystery that he has been unable to solve. He found that Bertha’s parents has been born in the Württemberg village of
Sondelfingen, and that they moved first to Frommern (where Bertha and most of her siblings were born) and then to Endingen.
Two of Bertha’s brothers, Johann Friedrich and Karl, immigrated to America in the 1880s and are found on ship passenger lists. Sautter knows that Bertha was confirmed in
Frommern at the usual age of fourteen in 1893. “I do not know whether she moved to Endingen with her family before leaving for America,” Sautter said. “I have not discovered her name on a
ship’s manifest. I think it safe to assume she settled in Philadelphia because her two brothers had settled there.”
Sautter says the first record found of her in America is her 1902 marriage to Christian Alsdorf. “I think it’s safe to conclude Bertha was an employee of Christian, hired
as his housekeeper to care for the young children of his first marriage. Christian was twenty-seven years older than Bertha,” he said…
For more, subscribe today!
Calendar:
August:
Helen, GA
Saturday nights, June 14 through August 10: Bavarian Nights of Summer. Call 706-878-1619, E-Mail office@helenchamber.com , or visit www.helenchamber.com .
Frederick, MD
First Friday of the month: Der Stammtisch at Brewer’s Alley, 124 N. Market Street. Call 301-631-0127.
Indianapolis, IN
First Wednesday and first Saturday of the month: Docent-led tours of the Athenaeum at 401 East Michigan Street. Call 317-630-4569, ext. 1 or E-Mail athfound@sbcglobal.net .
Columbus, OH
August 1-3: Brats & Crafts Festival. St. James Lutheran Church, 5660 Trabue Rd. Call 937-642-4135 or E-Mail kenandmarymusik@yahoo.com
Liverpool, NY
August 3: Bavarian Fest. Longbranch Park. Sponsored by the Bavarian Club Almenrausch. Call 315-447-3268 or visit www.bavarianclubalmenrausch.org .
Covington, KY
August 7-10: Corridor 127 – World’s Longest Yard Sale. Mainstrasse Village to Gadsden, AL. Call 859-491-0458 or visit www.mainstrasse.org .
Kutztown, PA
August 9-10: Old Time Plow Boys Plowing Show. Demonstrations, food, and vendors. Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, 22 Luckenbill Road. Call 610-683-1589 or visit www.kutztown.edu/community/pgchc .
Hays, KS
August 8-10: Herzogfest. Honey Braun Park. Celebrate heritage of this Volga German community. Call 785-625-9797 or visit www.herzogfest.com .
Rochester, NY
August 8-10: German Fest. Gates Memorial Park, 150 Spencerport Road. Visit www.rochestergerman.com .
Honesdale, PA
August 15-17: 30th Annual Oktoberfest. Music, food, and drink. Call 570-253-5899, E-Mail info@thealpineonline.com , or visit www.thealpineonline.com .
Harmony, PA
August 16: Harmony Museum German Dinner. Reservations required. Call 888-821-4822, E-Mail hmuseum@zoominternet.net , or visit www.harmonymuseum.org .
Buffalo Grove, IL
August 16-17: 131st Cannstatter Volksfest/Schwaben Fest. Schwaben Center, 301 N. Weiland Road. Call
630-653-1716 or visit www.schwabenverein.org .
Covington, KY
August 17: Mainstrasse Village Classic Car Show. Sixth Street Promenade. Call 859-491-0458 or visit www.mainstrasse.org .
Cincinnati, OH
August 22-24: Germania’s 38th Annual Oktoberfest. Call 513-742-0060 or visit www.germaniasociety.com .
Newington, CT
August 22-24: Hartford Sängerbund Bierfest. 179 North Mountain Road. Call 860-953-8967 or visit www.intelab.com/hsb .
Oregon, OH
August 22-24: 43rd Annual German – American Festival. Sponsored by the G.A.F. Society. Oak Shade
Grove, 3624 Seaman Street, Oregon, OH.
Ambridge, PA
August 23: Gertrude’s Geburtstag. Old Economy Village. Experience a German birthday celebration. Call 724-266-4500 or visit www.oldeconomyvillage.org .
Hagerstown, MD
August 23-24: Augustoberfest. Downtown Hagerstown. Call 301-739-8577, ext. 116 or visit www.augustoberfest.org .
Fredericksburg, TX
August 29-31: 5th Biennial Vereins Quilt Guild Show. American Legion Hall, 726 Hwy. 87 S. (Washington St.).
Call 830-990-8023.
Berea, OH
August 29-September 1: 2008 Labor Day Oktoberfest. Berea Fairgrounds. Visit www.bereaoktoberfest.com .
Philadelphia, PA
August 30–September 1: 136th Oktoberfest. Cannstatter Volksfest, 9130 Academy Road. Call 215-332-0121 or
visit www.cvvphilly.com .
September:
Frederick, MD
First Friday of the month: Der Stammtisch at Brewer’s Alley, 124 N. Market Street. Call 301-631-0127.
Indianapolis, IN
First Wednesday and first Saturday of the month: Docent-led tours of the Athenaeum at 401 East Michigan Street. Call 317-630-4569, ext. 1 or E-Mail athfound@sbcglobal.net .
Covington, KY
September 5-7: Mainstrasse Village Oktoberfest. Arts and crafts, German food, entertainment, and music. Call 859-491-0458 or visit www.mainstrasse.org .
Milwaukee, WI
September 5-7, 12-14, & 19-21. Oktoberfest. Bavarian Inn and Heidelberg Park. Call 414-462-9147, E-Mail Jan-Kluty@wi.rr.com, or visit www.bavarianinnmilw.com .
Waupun, WI
September 5-7: Volksfest. Dancing, entertainment, food, and German music. Call 920-324-2610.
Walpole, MA
September 6-7: Oktoberfest. Boylston Schul-Verein. Call 508-660-2018 or visit www.germanclub.org .
DaCosta, TX
September 7: German Fest. Sponsored by Golden Crescent Chapter – Texas German Society. DaCosta Sons of Hermann Hall. Call 361-578-6658 or E-Mail brendawestmoreland@sbcglobal.net .
Hays, KS
September 7: German Feast. St. Anthony Community Center. Call 785-628-3968.
Helen, GA
September 11-November 2. Alpine Helen Oktoberfest. Call 706-878-1619 or visit www.helenchamber.com .
Mount Angel, OR
September 11-14: 43rd Annual Mount Angel Oktoberfest. Call 503-845-6882 or visit www.Oktoberfest.org .
Fredericksburg, TX
September 13: Ultimate Girlfriends Getaway with Heart – 5th Annual Open Shopping Tournament. Benefiting Fredericksburg Boys & Girls Club. For details and to register teams, call 830-456-2781 or E-Mail white.marylou@gmail.com.
Columbus, OH
September 13-14; 48th Annual Oktoberfest. 543 South Front Street. Visit www.germania-oh.org.
Chippewa Falls, WI
September 19-21: 6th Annual Oktoberfest. Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Call 866-723-0340, E-Mail info@chippewachamger.org , or visit www.chippewachamber.org .
Manheim, PA
September 19-21: Oktoberfest. Lancaster Liederkranz, 722 S. Chiques Rd. Call 717-898-8451 or visit www.lancasterliederkranz.com .
Syracuse, NY
September 19-21: 48th Annual Great Syracuse Oktoberfest. Clinton Square. Call 315-675-8321 or visit www.germanamericanscny.net .
New York City, NY
September 20: German-American Steuben Parade. Up 5th Avenue from 68th Street to 86th Street. Oktoberfest in Central Park to follow. Visit www.germanparadenyc.org .
Shepherdstown, WV
September 20: Bavarian Inn’s Annual Oktoberfest. Bavarian Inn and Lodge. Call 304-876-2551, email info@bavarianinnwv.com, or visit www.bavarianinnwv.com
Fredericksburg, TX
September 20-21: Pacific War Symposium. Fredericksburg High School Auditorium, Hwy. 16 S. at Stadium Drive. Admission fee. Call 830-997-8600 or visit www.nimitz-museum.org.
Hays, KS
September 20-21: Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest. Ellis County Fairgrounds. Call 785-625-5394 or visit www.midwestdeutschefest.com .
Hayward, CA
September 21: German Fest 2008. Centennial Hall, 22292 Foothill Blvd. Call 510-530-5229 or visit www.ugas-eb.org .
Hays, KS
September 26: FHSU Oktoberfest. German food, music, and entertainment; 80 booths. Call 785-628-8201.
Kansas City, MO
September 26-28: Oktoberfest. Crown Center and Washington Square Park. Call 816-421-1539 or visit www.downtownkc.org .
Leavenworth, WA
September 26-28: Autumn Leaf Festival. Call 509-548-5807 or visit www.leavenworth.org .
New Orleans, LA
September 26-27, October 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 24-25: Oktoberfest in the Crescent City at Deutsches Haus. Call 504-522-8014.
Grand Rapids, MI
September 26-27: Oktoberfest. West Michigan at John Ball Park & Zoo. Visit www.oktoberfestwestmichigan.com
Fredericksburg, TX
September 27: Sängerfest (German Choral concert). Farm Bureau Insurance Hall, 237 Equestrian Drive. Call 830-997-9371.
Ambridge, PA
September 27: Erntefest Harvest Festival. Old Economy Village. Call 724-266-4500 or visit www.oldeconomyvillage.org .
Jefferson City, MO
September 27: 9th Annual Oktoberfest. Sponsored by Old Munichburg Association. Call 573-635-6524.
Philadelphia. PA
September 27: 38th Annual Steuben Parade. E-Mail info@steubenparade.com or visit www.steubenparade.com .
Frederick, MD
September 27-28: Frederick’s Oktoberfest. Frederick Fairgrounds. E-Mail SusanH@communitylivinginc.org or visit www.frederickoktoberfest.com .
Philadelphia, PA
September 27-October 6: 325th Anniversary of the Founding of Germantown. Visit www.germanamericanday.org .
Davenport, IA
September 28: Oktoberfest Sunday in Schützen Park. 700 Waverly Road. Events and German meals served all day. Call 563-322-5489 or E-Mail schuetzenpark@aol.com.
|
