52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 13 "Home Sweet Home"

AN ANCESTRAL HOME STILL STANDING:

Charles Ernst Wellhausen was my 2nd great-grandfather.  While I did not know him, he was the impetus for my beginning genealogy research in the mid-1970's.

At that time my paternal grandmother was still living.  She came to visit one day and the conversation turned to HER ancestors.  I had known her mother (my great-grandmother Wellhausen) who passed away when I was 15 and I had many photos and memories of "great-grandma".  In the course of that conversation with my grandmother she talked about HER grandparents and it piqued my interest.  I was living in the same area of Michigan as her grandparents had and I decided to do some research on her grandfather.

Charles Ernst Wellhausen was born on July 24, 1833 in Alt Kentzlin, Demmin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.  He was married on March 23, 1860 in Hohenbollentin, Demmin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany to Christina Graumann.  They later immigrated to the US and settled in Mt. Clemens, Michigan in Macomb County.  He passed away there in Mt. Clemens on April 13, 1909.

At the outset of my research, of course, I did not know all the above information.  I did visit the cemetery where he and his wife are buried and was able to learn some basic dates.  It was, though, during a visit to a local library that I uncovered an extraordinary book that referred to Charles Ernst Wellhausen.

In the St. Clair Shores library in Macomb County there was an 11" x 14" hard cover book that was for sale.  It had been advertised in the local newspaper and I went there on a whim to see the book.  The book was entitled "1859 Wall Map, 1875 Atlas Map, 1895 Atlas of Macomb County, Michigan".  In looking through the 1895 Atlas section I found something that excited me.  This section included a page by page listing of 15 local residents' farms or businesses with small pictures of the husband and wife on the top of each page.  In that section I found a page titled "Residence of Charles Wellhausen, Section 20, Clinton Township".

The Charles Wellhausen home and farm, 1895 in Clinton Township, Michigan:

Needless to say I purchased the book.  I'm not sure anymore how much the cost was but probably no more than $20 or $25.  I remember taking the book and driving to my grandmother's apartment where I showed her the photos and asked her "is this your grandfather Wellhausen" to which she concurred it was, adding "my grandfather looked like one of the Smith brothers from the Smith brothers cough drop company"!

Not only did I now have photos of both Charles and Christina Wellhausen but I had an actual photo of their farm and home as well as the location.  It was a very exciting find and a great way to start my genealogical journey.

In more recent years I have learned that the Wellhausen home is still standing although over the years the farm property was sectioned off and more homes were built.  I have had contact with the family now owning the home and there are many similarities in its appearance today to the way it was in the 1890's.

Former home of Charles Wellhausen on Moravian Drive, Clinton Township, Michigan, 2025:

I believe that Charles Wellhausen would be pleased that the home he had in the 1890's is still standing, in good condition, today.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 12 "Historic Event"

CRIMINAL ENCOUNTER:

My memories of my maternal grandfather, Joseph Kijak, are limited.  I was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, where my grandparents lived, but when I was 18 months old my parents and I moved to the Detroit suburbs where I grew up.  We only came to St. Joseph once or twice a year to visit.  The memories I do have of my grandfather are of a very small man, quiet and easygoing who was always happy to have us visit.  One year he promised my younger brother that on the next visit he would take him fishing off the pier on Lake Michigan.  My brother was very excited about that but unfortunately my grandfather passed away soon after when I was just 12.

So what makes me consider my grandfather a legend in our family?  An experience he had in 1929 which could have altered his life and the lives of his family forever.

One year when I was in high school an article appeared in the Sunday "Parade" magazine that came out with the Detroit Free Press.  The cover of the magazine and accompanying story told of the anniversary of an incident involving a henchman of Al Capone, named Fred Burke.  When my mother saw the article she told me that her father, my grandfather Joseph Kijak, had had a part in the story of Fred Burke in St. Joseph, Michigan.

Al Capone???  What could my quiet, gentle grandfather have to do with Al Capone and his organization?  Much, as it turns out.

Al Capone is a well-known figure in history.  Most people of a certain generation have heard of Al Capone and perhaps studied his organization and the crimes committed by his group.  Perhaps, not so well known, was one of his henchmen, Fred "Killer" Burke.

Fred "Killer" Burke was a participant in the infamous St. Valentine's day massacre.  He then hid out in Stevensville, Michigan, the neighboring village to St. Joseph.  On December 14, 1929, in downtown St. Joseph, Fred Burke happened to be driving.  He struck a car driven by a resident, George Kool, and Mr. Kool approached the car of Mr. Burke.  Mr. Kool demanded payment for the damages to his car and an argument took place.  A police officer, Charles Skelly, approached the car and in the ensuing argument, Fred Burke picked up his revolver, fired three times at Officer Skelly and killed him.

Fred Burke then fled the downtown area of St. Joseph in an attempt to escape and soon abandoned his car after he struck a telephone pole.  When the police later found his car and registration the paperwork showed the car was registered to a "Fred Dane" who was later identified to be Fred "Killer" Burke of the Al Capone "family".

Enter my grandfather who was driving along Cleveland Avenue in St. Joseph on his way home.  While driving, my grandfather noticed a man hitchhiking.  In those days, in 1929, it was not uncommon for people to frequently pick up hitchhikers (these were all country roads at the time and farmland) and my grandfather picked up this man.  He later recounted to my grandmother that they spoke briefly, the rider telling him he needed to be driven several miles down the road which my grandfather did.  At one point, near Glenlord Road and Cleveland Avenue, the rider suddenly announced "let me out here" and that was the last my grandfather saw of his hitchhiker as the man went through the farmland and disappeared from view heading toward Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan.  Thinking nothing of it my grandfather returned home.

When the next local newspaper came out there was the report of the shooting of Officer Skelly including a photo of the man accused of the murder - Fred "Killer" Burke.  My grandfather immediately recognized the photo as belonging to the hitchhiker he had transported days before.

Sometime later Fred Burke was arrested, convicted of multitudes of crimes and imprisoned where he later died.

Whether this incident propelled my grandfather into discontinuing driving OR whether the effects of the Great Depression had a part (they lost their farm and property in the depression), my grandfather later sold his car and never drove again.

Joseph and Ella Kijak:

Over the years books have been written about Fred "Killer" Burke and his part in the history of St. Joseph.  Life as my mother knew it (she was only 4 at the time) could have been tragically different if the automobile ride my grandfather gave Fred Burke had not ended safely.

In 2014 I read in the St. Joseph newspaper that a book was being written about this incident in local history.  The book "A Killing in Capone's Playground" by local author, Chriss Lyon, was advertised to be in the process of completion.  Chriss and I connected and I shared with her my grandfather's part in these events which she included in her book after verifying that my facts matched up with the research she had undertaken.

Fred Burke's Stevensville home today?  It is still on Lakeshore Drive and Glenlord Road but is now an office of Coldwell Banker, a local realtor.  In 2019 an historical land marker was unveiled and dedicated at the location to bring history alive and pay tribute to Officer Skelly and his family.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 11 "Power"

MY "GRANDMA" LAMP:

Growing up I often saw a beautiful cut glass lamp displayed in the home of my paternal grandparents.  It was lovely and we were never allowed to touch it.  My grandfather, Elmer Schulte, told me the lamp had belonged to his parents (Rudolph and Juliane, nee Feucht, Schulte) and had been displayed in their home at 521 St. Aubin in Detroit when he was growing up.  His mother had loved this lamp, he said; he believed it had been a gift to them when they married in 1891.

This lamp is powered with an electrical socket from the Hubbell Lamp Company.  The lamp in a mushroom shape has 40 prisms which hang from the removable cut glass shade.  The prisms are staggered, one being long, the next shorter, the next long and so forth around the circumference of the lamp.  There are two bulbs in the lamp with pull-chains to turn them on and off.

Over the years this lamp has been passed down in my family.  After my great-grandmother, Juliane's death in January, 1907, my great-grandfather remarried and the lamp stayed in his home with his new wife.  When my great-grandfather, Rudolph, passed away in 1940 the lamp went to the home of my grandparents (Elmer and Ella, nee Wellhausen, Schulte).  My grandfather passed away in 1968 and my grandmother in 1989 at which time my aunt took possession of the lamp.

After the death of my aunt, her son had the lamp in his home.  I had a deep desire for the lamp and approached my cousin about this. He agreed that the lamp was not "his style" and he was happy to pass the lamp on to me.   I continue to display this lamp in my home.  It holds a special significance to me as I can imagine my great-grandmother lovingly caring for this very extravagant lamp for the times.

Cut glass mushroom lamp:

Hubbell lamp socket with pull chains:

A few years ago representatives from Antiques Roadshow came through my town and I took the lamp to them for appraisal.  I was pleased to learn that it continues to be a very collectible and valuable item some 100+ years after my great-grandparents had it in their home.

A little lamp history:

Since my grandfather had assumed that the cut glass mushroom lamp had been a wedding present to his parents I took him at his word.  However, when the Internet came on the scene I decided to do a little research on the Hubbell Lamp Company.

I learned that on August 11, 1896 a Bridgeport, Connecticut inventor and industrialist, Harvey Hubbell, patented a socket for incandescent lamps.  It utilized a simple on/off switch contained in the base of the light socket and was controlled by a pull chain. This is a design that remains popular to this day.  The website of the Hubbell Lamp Company shows a socket that is a perfect match for the socket (labeled as Hubbell) within my "grandma lamp" and thus dates the lamp to no earlier than August 11, 1896.  Therefore, my lamp was not a wedding gift for Rudolph and Juliane Schulte but something they either purchased or received later.

As my grandfather, Elmer, could remember the lamp in his childhood home, he could remember his mother caring for the lamp, and as he was only twelve when his mother passed away, I can safely date the appearance of the lamp in the Rudolph and Juliane Schulte home to between 1896 and 1906.

Note:  A similar cut glass lamp in a slightly different pattern recently sold at auction for $14,000!

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 10 "Siblings"

MY GRANDPARENTS AND THEIR SIBLINGS:

In my ancestral research, between the 1400's to the late 1800's, it was very common to see enormously large families with a child having perhaps 12, 14 or even a greater amount of siblings.  By the time I researched down to my grandparents' generation, families began to be much smaller.

My focus in this post is to discuss the siblings of my 4 grandparents, all of whom were born in the 1890's in Michigan.  

MY SCHULTE FAMILY:

My paternal grandfather, Elmer Meyer Schulte, was born August 4, 1894 in Detroit, Michigan to Rudolph Myer Schulte (1869-1940) and Juliane Feucht (1870-1907).  Unfortunately my grandfather was an only child as his mother died very young.

But an interesting feature that I discovered was that my grandfather had two cousins who were all born the same year as him.  My great-grandfather, Rudolph Schulte, and two of his sisters, Elizabeth and Ida Schulte, all had babies born in 1894.  These 3 cousins were as close growing up as though they were siblings as indicated by the following photo.

Left to right:  Mamie, Elmer and Evelyn in 1900:

This sweet photo shows Mamie Schulte, (1894-1958), who was born May 9, 1894 to Ida Schulte, followed by my grandfather, Elmer Schulte, (1894-1968), and then Evelyn Hauer, (1894-1988), born April 1,1894 to Elizabeth Schulte and Felix Hauer.  All 3 children were born in Detroit, Michigan. 

I can clearly remember family gatherings in the 1950's when both Mamie and Evelyn, along with their families, would be present for the festivities.  It was clear that though my grandfather had no siblings of his own, he certainly considered Mamie and Evelyn as close as siblings could be.

MY WELLHAUSEN FAMILY:

My paternal grandmother, Ella Anna Helene Wellhausen, was born November 15, 1896 in Detroit, Michigan to George William Wellhausen (1869-1938) and Emilie Auguste Christina Schluessler (1876-1963).  My grandmother had two siblings, Gertrude and George Wellhausen, Jr. as depicted in the following photos.

In 1900, Gertrude and Ella Wellhausen:

This adorable photo shows Gertrude Wellhausen, (1895-1973), who was born April 10, 1895 and my grandmother, Ella, (1896-1989), appearing in a contest for the "Dancing Darlings" of Macomb County, Michigan.  They won the contest and were featured in the local paper at that time.  Their baby brother, George, (1906-1985), had not been born at that time but he would appear in later photos with both his sisters and their mother.

May 19, 1942 with siblings Gertrude (Wellhausen) Kolberg, George Wellhausen, Jr. and Ella (Wellhausen) Schulte, with their mother Emilie (Schluessler) Wellhausen:

and in approximately 1955, the three siblings again, George, Gertrude and Ella with their mother, Emilie, looking over their shoulders:

My grandmother and her two siblings were extremely close through the years.  I even have very fond memories of my great-grandmother, the above Emilie (Schluessler) Wellhausen, as she lived until 1963 when I was 15 years old.  As a child my brother and I often had our great-grandmother Wellhausen babysitting us when our parents had an evening out.

MY KIJAK FAMILY:

My maternal grandfather, Joseph Kijak, was born August 3, 1892 in Bay City Michigan to Joannes Albert Kijak (1861-1945) and Marianna Rubis (1874-1918).  My grandfather had three sisters, Anna, Martha and Rozalie, however, I do not have any photos of them together.  In recent years I have been able to receive individual photos of my grandfather's three sisters as follow.

Joseph Kijak (1892-1960) in 1912:

and, again in 1945:

Anna Kijak (1894-1995) in 1940:

  

Martha Kijak (1896-1992) with husband Samuel Mills in 1920:

Rozalie Kijak (1898-1969) in 1915:

MY KOLBERG FAMILY:

My maternal grandmother, Ella Emma Louise Kolberg, was born August 8, 1895 in Stevensville, Michigan to August Gottlieb Kolberg (1854-1920) and Bertha Kramp (1860-1915).  My grandmother was the youngest of the six children that her parents had that lived to adulthood.  These children were Hedwig (1880-1956), Amelia (1887-1963), Kurt (1890-1935), Robert (1892-1950), Hugo (1894-1951), and my grandmother, Ella (1895-1973).

I have many photos and stories of my grandmother as I was extremely close to her.  Here are a few pictures of my grandmother and her siblings.

Robert, Ella and Hugo Kolberg in 1902:

Robert Kolberg confirmation in 1908:

Ella Kolberg confirmation in 1910:

Kurt and Edna (Filbrandt) Kolberg at their wedding on October 22, 1913:

Kolberg siblings in 1942 (brother Kurt had already passed away):

Kolberg sisters and sisters-in-law in 1945 at the 50th birthday of Ella:

The sisters-in-law, in the back row, were:  Irene (deCaussin) Kolberg, wife of Robert Kolberg, Edna (Filbrandt) Kolberg, widow of Kurt Kolberg and Gertrude (Wellhausen) Kolberg, wife of Hugo Kolberg.

The Kolberg sisters in the bottom row were:  Hedwig (Kolberg) Kuse, wife of Emil Kuse, Amelia (Kolberg) Mielke, wife of Edward Mielke and my grandmother, Ella (Kolberg) Kijak, wife of Joseph Kijak.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 9 "Faith"

FAITH, HUMOR AND STRENGTH:

My paternal uncle, Melbourne Schulte, had a great sense of humor.  He always managed to make family gatherings enjoyable with his jokes and storytelling.  He was also my godfather and he took great pride in reminding me of that numerous times.  Whenever he would call me he would start out the conversation by saying "this is your godfather calling".  

My uncle was also a man of tremendous faith and he was an active member of his church, Mt. Zion Lutheran in Detroit, Michigan.  He was always the one in the family to mediate squabbles and disagreements reminding everyone of the need to be kind to everyone regardless of the situation.  

I had him in my life a long time; he was 92 when he passed away in 2013.  Even all these years later I often remember something he would say or do that would make me smile.  

When looking through the multitudes of photos that I have inherited from family members, I will often see photos of my uncle which make me smile. 

Following are a few of those photos.

In 1922, not even 2 years old:  

My uncle, Mel, with his mother, Ella Wellhausen Schulte, standing in front of the family grocery store "Kolberg and Schulte" in Detroit, Michigan.

Unfortunately, this photo has degraded over the years and it appears that my uncle was a "child with no face".  Despite my abilities with Paint Shop Pro, and after calling in the enormous talents of one of my Schulte cousins, we conceded that it wasn't possible to enhance the photo any more.  I still enjoy the photo and one of the few photos of the family grocery store.

In 1935, with his brother, Mylen, and sister, Marilyn:

Always the prankster, sticking his tongue out at the camera.  I'm glad that my grandparents saved some of these photos.

In 1962, at my confirmation gathering:

My uncle, picking up HIS uncle, George Wellhausen, Sr.  I don't know what prompted this display of humor but it was so typical of both men when they were together at family gatherings.  This photo was taken in the backyard of my childhood home on Dwight Avenue in East Detroit, Michigan.

If my uncle could see these photos now I know that he would be pleased that I have maintained these memories and he would get a good laugh out of the photos.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 8 "Migration"

MIGRATION OF MY SECOND GREAT GRANDFATHER, JOHANN JACOB FEUCHT:

I will be incorporating in 16 of my posts this year, a feature on each of  my 16 second great grandparents.  Today, on the topic of migration, I am featuring my paternal second great grandfather, Johann Jacob Feucht.

Johann Jacob Feucht, my father's great-grandfather, was the earliest of my ancestors to migrate to the US, arriving in 1857.  Throughout all of the records on him in the US, he was known simply as "Jacob" Feucht.

Jacob Feucht was born on August 12, 1826 in Tamm, Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, Germany.  He was the 5th child of Johannes Feucht (1783-1854) and Ana Barbara Meile (1789-1865).  I have been fortunate to have gained access to the actual vital records for my Feucht ancestors, however, they are not of a high enough clarity to be clearly visible on Blogger.

Map of Tamm, Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, Germany:

According to the Württemberg, Germany Emigration Index, Johann Jacob Feucht emigrated to the US as follows:

District:  Ludwigsburg

Name:  Johann Jakob Feucht

Birth Date: 12 Aug 1826

Birth Place:  Tamm

Application Date:  1857

Destination:  America

Number:  837991

Jacob settled in Detroit, Michigan and on February 20, 1859 he married Magdalena Helena Bauer (1840-1885) who was from Schwarzenbach by Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany.

In the case of Jacob and Helena Feucht, I have uncovered their marriage record in three different places in the US.  I have the marriage record from the City of Detroit, one from the State of Michigan and another (with the most vivid details) from Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit where they were married.  All of the records agree on the facts involved but an added bonus was that on the Trinity Lutheran Church record, the places of birth of Jacob and Helena were listed with precise detail down to the villages of birth.  This was an exceptional bonus allowing me to quickly write to the two villages - Tamm in Ludwigsburg, Württemberg and Schwarzenbach by Nürnberg, Bavaria from which I received documents of their births.

Jacob and Helena Feucht were blessed with 10 children as follows:

Johann Georg (1860-1860)

Anna Margarethe Elizabeth (1861-1937)

Kunigunde Margarethe Rosa (1864-1908)

Johann Conrad (1866- ?)

Karoline Margarethe Mary (1868-1869)

Christine Katharine Juliane (1870-1907)

Margarethe (1872-1936)

Helene (1875-1957)

Johann Georg (1877-1933)

Charles Henry (1881-1945)

There is a possibility that Jacob served in the Civil War based on war memorabilia and Grand Army of the Republic memorabilia that I was given by my grandfather who was a grandson of Jacob Feucht.  Upon research, some records were found of a Jacob Feucht having served in the Civil War in the years from 1861-1863 but there wasn't enough information to definitively state that this was MY Jacob Feucht.  Looking at the birth years of his children there was a 3 year gap between daughter Elizabeth (1861-1937) and daughter Kunigunde (1864-1908).  Their other 8 children seemed to appear every 2 years without fail.  This will require further research to confirm.

On census records and city directory entries, Jacob was listed alternatively as a beltmaker or a tailor.  

Jacob's wife, Helena, died on September 22, 1885 leaving him with 8 children.  Jacob died on November 25, 1892 and both are buried in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery on Mt. Elliott Avenue in Detroit in Lot 4C.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of Jacob or Helena but in 1993 I visited Germany and was able to travel to 16 of the villages of my ancestors where I was able to take photos of the villages and in some places visit the various churches.

Photos of Tamm, Germany:

With the advent of DNA research, I was pleased to receive notification from Ancestry.com of a DNA match for my brother with a person in Germany.  Upon further research and correspondence I was fortunate to connect with a wonderful and sharing gentleman with shared ancestry with my Feucht family.  Through him I was able to obtain vital records going back several generations from my Jacob Feucht as follows:

My second great-grandfather, Johann Jacob Feucht (1826-1892), son of:

Johannes Feucht (1783-1854) and Ana Barbara Meile (1789-1865).  Johannes Feucht was the son of: 

Matthaeus Feucht (1732-1791) and Christine Ade (1748-1805).  Matthaeus Feucht was the son of:

Matthaeus Feucht (1701-?) and Anna Maria Kraus (1700-?) who were my fifth great grandparents.

I am pleased with the progress I have made on tracing this line of my family.  

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 7 "Letters and Diaries"

AUGUST GOTTLIEB KOLBERG'S 10TH BIRTHDAY:

I have created the following post using notes and recollections that my maternal grandmother, Ella Kolberg Kijak, shared with me regarding HER father, August Gottlieb Kolberg's, 10th birthday.  

On November 24, 1919, during a celebration of August's 65th birthday, he related the details of his 10th birthday celebration as follows:

"I was born on November 24, 1854 in Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Preußen*.  I was the third son of my parents.  In our family, a boy's 10th birthday was a special occasion and the year I was turning 10 my birthday in November was on my mind constantly.

Thursday, November 24, 1864 began early.   I awoke even before it was light outside and could hear Mama and Papa working in the house.  Today would be my special birthday and many aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors would be coming by.  Papa and Mama had a strict rule in our family that each child must attend school for four years; that was very important to them as they were not able to have any schooling.  So far my two older brothers, Albert and Fritz, had studied for four years in school and then when they were 10 they were allowed to stop school and begin working on the farm with Papa.  I was looking forward to this as well.  I must admit that school was not my favorite thing to do; I would have rather been outside in the fields or playing with my brothers but Papa and Mama were very strict about the school rule.  Today I would be allowed to stop school and begin to work on the farm as well.

Papa called to us boys to get up while it was still dark.  Fritz and I got up immediately.  Our oldest brother, Albert, had died last year at age 12 and that had been a very sad time for all of us, especially Mama and Papa.  Today our younger brothers, Heinrich and Johann, were lazier and had to be prompted to get up.  They were only 7 and 5 at the time.  Baby Hermann would be 2 tomorrow and he was still sleeping.  Mama also had the new baby, Gustav, who was only 5 weeks old.  There had also been another brother,  Franz, but he had died last year when he was only 2.  Mama had been so hoping that this latest baby would be a little girl but now we were a family of Mama, Papa and 6 sons.

That  morning Mama had our breakfast ready for us and told us to hurry and eat because aunts would be arriving soon to help with the birthday celebrations.  Because Mama had baby Gustav to tend to some of the aunts would be helping with the food for the birthday so that Mama could rest.  Mama would do this for the aunts in return as well.  Having a large family was important Mama would say because everyone would help everyone else.

We had barely finished our breakfast and the light was just beginning when we could hear a wagon outside.  It was Oma Kautz coming to help with the birthday.  Oma was Mama's mother and all us boys loved Oma Kautz because she always brought us special breads and cakes that she had made.  Oma was the only grandparent I had anymore.  I had not known Opa Kautz because he had died long before I was born.  When he died, Oma married Mr. Krause so that she would have help on the farm.  Mr. Krause was very stern and never smiled so we boys stayed away from him.

Oma came in the house and told me "Happy Birthday, August" and showed me the basket she was bringing that held some special cakes with sugar on top.  She went over to Mama and inquired how baby Gustav was doing.  Mama said he was sleeping fine but not eating well and she was worried.  We did not know it then but in a few months baby Gustav would die.

After breakfast all us boys were sent outside to give Mama and Oma room to work on the birthday.  Soon the aunts arrived carrying baskets of food as well.  Mama was going to make my favorite Pommern potatoes and the aunts had been helping her the last few days by boiling and cooling pounds of potatoes.  Now they were bringing them to the house so Mama could prepare them.  The potatoes took a long time to make but it helped Mama that the aunts had boiled them ahead of time.  Mama then sliced them and put them in the pan on the fire with lots of lard.  The potatoes sizzled and fried for quite some time while Mama kept slicing more potatoes.  We would need a lot for all the family that were coming.  What made these potatoes special was that after they were almost done frying Mama would crack eggs into the potatoes and fry them together; the eggs would work into the potatoes and Mama would get them very crispy.  I always wanted the potatoes around the edge of the pan because they were the best.  Many times we had only these Pommern potatoes for dinner because they were so good.  Mama had promised me she would make them herself for my birthday because her potatoes were much better than those made by the aunts though we could not tell them that.

Aunt Carolina and Uncle Johann arrived soon with some of the cousins.  Aunt Carolina was one of Papa's sisters.  They brought more food and chicken as well for the meal.  Mama was happy to see them because Aunt Carolina was a hard worker.  Soon Uncle August and Aunt Friederike arrived.  Uncle August was Papa's brother and he was my godfather which was something he reminded me of all the time.  I liked Uncle August because he would take my older brothers out behind the barn and let them smoke some tobacco and he had been promising this to me all year.  Aunt Friederike came bearing her usual gift for all the cousins which were hand knit socks.  She took great pride in using heavy yarn so that the socks would be warm and she would always say the same thing "if your feet are warm you won't get sick".  We boys thought her socks were picky and uncomfortable but Mama always frowned at us and we quickly thanked Aunt Friederike.  Later Mama would tell us that we needed to be grateful because we had many feet in the house to put socks on and it helped Mama when an aunt would give us new socks.

By midday we had many guests - aunts, uncles, cousins and even some neighbors all coming for my 10th birthday.  Uncle Gottlieb and Aunt Karolina brought a smoked ham from the hogs on their farm and Papa praised the ham. Uncle Gottlieb was Papa's brother as well.  They had children the same ages as us boys and even had an August born the same year as me.  Sometimes it became very confusing when all the cousins were together.

The day went by quickly but it was grand fun.  Uncle August tried to take me out behind the barn to show me his tobacco but Papa saw us and quickly stopped this.  Uncle August and Papa talked loudly about this for a while but in the end Uncle August shrugged and walked away.  Papa told me that there would be plenty of time for tobacco but he didn't want me to be sick today on my birthday.  I wasn't very happy but we boys knew we had to obey Papa.  That was the way it was.

By the end of the day the families were all leaving but Aunt Carolina and Oma Kautz stayed longer to help with cleaning up the house.  Mama was looking very tired and Oma was worried about her.  But Mama said to me "I think August Gottlieb that you had a grand 10th birthday and now you are a man".  Oma Kautz reminded me that Mama had worked hard on my Pommern potatoes while tending to baby Gustav and I should never forget the grand birthday I had.

And I never did!"

August Kolberg, November 24, 1919, 65 years old, Stevensville, Michigan:

(As a side note - the making of Pommern potatoes continues in our family to this day and the recipe has been passed down mother to daughter.)

* Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Preußen is currently, as of 1945, Tuchomko, Bytow, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte