From Whence I Came - Bertha Kramp

BERTHA KRAMP

Bertha Kramp was my mother's maternal grandmother though Bertha had died long before my mother was even born.  When my mother was growing up nothing was ever discussed about her grandmother and she knew nothing about her.  I have always wondered why my grandmother never mentioned her own mother to me either as I am sure there would have been many stories that I could have heard.

Bertha Kramp was born July 26, 1860 and she was the second of ten children of Albert Kramp and Emilie Rott.  At the time of Bertha's birth the family lived in Borntuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Germany where the first four children of this couple were born.  Between 1864 and 1866, Albert and Emilie Kramp moved their family to the nearby village of Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Germany where their remaining six children were born.  I was able to visit these areas in 1993 and took these photos of Borntuchen:

Nothing is known of Bertha's early years but on October 4, 1878 in Groß Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Germany she married August Kolberg at the Evangelical Church.  Interestingly, Bertha's sister, Pauline Kramp, married on the same date in the same church to Heinrich Gersonde:

It should be noted that I received the above certificate in 1983 from the now Catholic church in Tuchomie, Poland - the area is now part of Poland and Groß Tuchen has been renamed Tuchomie.  The former Evangelical church is now a Catholic church though the former Evangelical church books are still there; the priest recorded this marriage on a Catholic/Polish form but the facts are still accurate.

The former Evangelical church of Groß Tuchen, now a Catholic church in renamed Tuchomie as I viewed it in 1993:

At least three children were born to August and Bertha (Kramp) Kolberg while they were still living in Klein Tuchen.  These children were:

Paul Lui Robert, born June 8, 1879 and died October 20, 1879.

Hedwig Johanne Auguste, born June 2, 1880.

Berta Hermine Franziska, born January 14, 1883 and who died on September 7, 1883.

In the fall of 1883 the family of August, Bertha and young Hedwig (age 3 years old) began their long journey to America.  August's brother, Heinrich, had already made the journey and had settled in Lincoln Township, Berrien County, Michigan.

Passenger list information from the port of Castle Garden in New York states the following:  August, Bertha and Hedwig COLBERG arrived in New York, on the ship, Lessing, on November 28, 1883.  They traveled from the port of Hamburg in Germany, to the port of Havre in France and then on to the US.  Their name was spelled Colberg on the ship passenger list.  Bertha's sister, Emilie Kramp, and Emilie's future husband, Friedrich Skibbe, also traveled with them on the same ship.  Arriving in New York they took a train to Michigan and were met in St. Joseph by brother, Heinrich:

Bertha brought with her to the US her German prayer book which I am fortunate to have received from my grandmother and which I still have and treasure:

Once in the US another six children were born to August and Bertha.  These children were:

Frederick Gustav Emil, born November 6, 1886 and who died July 13, 1887.

Amelia Alvina Henreitta, born December 6, 1887.

Kurt Paul Hugo, born July 23, 1890.

Robert Ernest Paul, born September 19, 1892.

Hugo Otto Heinrich, born May 29, 1894.

Ella Emma Louise, my grandmother, born August 8, 1895.

According to US census records, Bertha had given birth to 11 children and it is believed that the remaining two unknown children were perhaps born in Klein Tuchen as well given the three year gap between daughter Hedwig's birth in 1880 and daughter, Bertha's birth in 1883.  No additional birth or death records for children of this couple were ever located in county or church records in Berrien County, Michigan.

When I began my genealogical research, my grandmother was already deceased and I had to rely on the memories of many of her cousins for information.  I only have this one photo of my great-grandmother, Bertha, which based on the ages of the two daughters in the photo, must have been taken around 1889.

August and Bertha Kolberg with Hedwig (sitting) and Amelia (standing):

When I interviewed several of my grandmother's cousins I was told that August and Bertha Kolberg did not have much prosperity in their lives.  Times were very hard and August had a desire for excessive drinking.  I was informed that Bertha and daughter, Ella, would come to the farm of another Kolberg relative to pick berries which they would then sell on a stand in front of their own property for a little money to keep the family going.  I was told that on many a morning August would ride his horse through the countryside in Lincoln Township on his way to town to drink.  At night he would ride back with the horse knowing the way without guidance.  A very religious woman, this must have been a trying lifestyle for Bertha.  When talking to four different cousins of my grandmother, on separate occasions, it was interesting that each one of them all remembered these same incidences.

In early 1915 Bertha became too ill to remain at home and her son, Kurt Kolberg, took her to Kalamazoo, Michigan, approximately 60 miles away, where she was admitted to the Kalamazoo State Hospital. She passed away there on February 26, 1915 with her death certificate stating death was due to nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys), aggravated by mental depression and exhaustion.  Perhaps the hard life that she was forced into in this country and the loss of five children, along with having to work extremely hard to raise her family, became too much for her.

Newspaper articles reporting her death and funeral showed the religious woman that she was and how she would be missed by many:

August and Bertha Kolberg are buried in City Cemetery in St. Joseph, Michigan very close to my home.  Even though I never knew my great-grandparents I do place flowers on their grave every year to let them know that somebody is thinking of them:

I often have thoughts of just how difficult my great-grandmother's life was in this country and the fact that she died so young with her own mother outliving her by a good 10 years.  It is a sad commentary on her life but I hope that somewhere during her 54 years of life that she had happy times - perhaps with her children and the grandchildren that she was able to know.

Today I am thinking of my great-grandmother on what would be the 161st anniversary of her birth and I like to think that she would be pleased to see how large her family had become by the year 2000 when we had a Kolberg Family Reunion:

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte