52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 30 "Health"

CANCER IN A FAMILY

Cancer is a horrible disease.  It has been around, in varying forms, for many, many years.  It has affected countless numbers of individuals and families, and while great strides have been made in conquering cancer, it continues to occur. 

I did some research on the history of cancer and learned that the disease was first called by the name of "cancer" by the Greek physician, Hippocrates, who lived from 460-370 BC.  As we know, Hippocrates was considered the "Father of Medicine".

While cancer may have been a known disease for many generations I admit that I was surprised to see it listed as a cause of death for my great-grandmother, who died in 1907, as well as the deaths of both her parents who died in 1885 and 1892.

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My great-grandmother, Christine Katharine Juliane Feucht, (known as Juliane) was born February 16, 1870 in Detroit, Michigan.  She was the sixth of ten children of parents, Johann Jacob Feucht and Magdalena Helena Bauer.

Juliane Feucht, ca 1884:

Juliane married Rudolph Myer Schulte on October 7, 1891 and they had two children:

1.  Irene Elisabeth Schulte, born and died on May 14, 1892 in Detroit.

2.  Elmer Meyer Schulte, born August 4, 1894 in Detroit (my grandfather).

Juliane and Rudolph Schulte with son, Elmer, ca 1906:

Juliane had a very short life, dying at the age of 36 on January 14, 1907 in Detroit.  Her death certificate stated her death was from "liver cancer".  She was the only one of her 9 siblings to succumb to cancer:

While I was somewhat surprised to note that cancer was used as a diagnosis as early as 1907, I was more surprised to learn that both the parents of my great-grandmother, Juliane, also died from cancer.

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Juliane's father, Johann Jacob Feucht, was born August 12, 1826 in Tamm, Ludwigsburg, Wuerttemberg, Germany.  He immigrated to the US in the mid-1850's and on February 20, 1859 he married Magdalena Helena Bauer at Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit, Michigan.

Together Johann Jacob and Helena would have 10 children.  I wish I had photos of Jacob and Helena but unfortunately I do not.

Jacob outlived his wife, Helena, by 7 years.  He died at the age of 66 on November 25, 1892 in Detroit.  His death certificate listed the cause of his death as cancer of the stomach:

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Juliane's mother, Magdalena Helena Bauer, was born January 30, 1840 in Schwarzenbach by Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany.  She immigrated to the US in the mid-1850's as a young girl where she met and married Johann Jacob Feucht.  Together they had 10 children.

When Helena died on September 22, 1885 she was only 45 and her four youngest children were only 4, 8, 10 and 15.  Her death certificate lists her cause of death as cancer of the liver:

These were all young deaths from a dreaded disease and at a time when current treatments were yet to be discovered.  

Sad indeed.

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte

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

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 29 "Fashion"

GREAT-GRANDMA'S HATS

My great-grandmother, Amelia Schluessler Wellhausen, was a fashion icon in her time.  She always had the latest dresses and coats and what I remember most were her hats.  She was born in 1876 and passed away in 1963 when I was 16 so I remember her well. When my brother and I were younger she would often come and babysit for us.  

When I developed my interest in genealogy she was already gone but my grandmother, her daughter, shared many photos and other memorabilia with me.  In studying the photos I noticed many photos in which great-grandma was wearing a hat.  

Here are some examples:

My oldest photo of my great-grandmother dates to approximately 1890 when she would have been 14.  She was in some type of production where she sat in a boat on a stage with a young gentleman and her hat was something to behold.  My grandmother told me this was a school production but I really doubt that my great-grandmother was still attending school when she was a teenager. This photo is a tintype, the only tintype photo I have:

Tintypes, originally known as ferrotypes or melainotype, were invented in the 1850's and continued to be produced into the 20th century.  The tintype was very popular during the Civil War because every soldier wanted to send a photo of himself back to his family with his rifle and sword.  The tintype actually does not contain any tin but is made of thin black iron.  It is sometimes confused with ambrotypes and daguerreotypes but is easily distinguishable from them by the fact that a tintype attracts a small magnet.

In 1925 in Detroit, this photo of my great-grandmother and my grandmother was taken.  I have no idea what the outfit is that my great-grandmother is wearing; she was not a nurse but perhaps she volunteered in a hospital as the outfit resembles that of a medical worker:

In 1928 she was pictured with her granddaughter, my aunt, Marilyn Gertrude Schulte.  In this photo little Marilyn is shown with her maternal grandmother, my great-grandmother Amelia, as well as little Marilyn's paternal grandfather, Rudolph Schulte.  In this photo great-grandma has another of her stylish hats on for the time period.  This hat reminds me of the hats shown on the TV show "The Walton's" when the "mama, Olivia" would be going to church:

In 1939 great-grandma was pictured in a different hat which I thought was very unique.  I really like the coat as well:

In 1940 great-grandma was photographed with her grandson, my uncle, Melbourne Schulte, at his high school graduation, and again she had a different hat on:

When I was 10 my aunt taught me how to knit.  The first project I tackled was a simple hat with ties.  I remember my great-grandmother asking me to make a special one for her in pink and I did.  She insisted on paying me $1.00 for this hat.  I doubt she ever wore it, I never saw her wearing it but she made me happy that she showed an interest in what I was learning.

I don't have a photo of that hat any longer but it was very similar to this one which is a photo from Etsy:

Hats were certainly a favorite of my great-grandmother and I will always remember her this way.

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte

Please Note

THE END OF FEED-BURNER 

This is an important message to those who follow my blog.  

Blogger is eliminating the feed-burner by which you receive my blog posts in your e-mail.  This change will be effective in August.

I have investigated other options and none "spoke" to me.

If you have previously signed up on my blog to receive my posts in your e-mail I hope you will begin to come directly to my blog to read my new posts.

I truly appreciate all my readers and thank you for your interest in what I write.

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 28 "Transportation"

MY ANCESTORS' MODE OF TRANSPORTATION

While I would love to have knowledge of, and photos of, the modes of transportation that my ancestors used in Germany and Poland unfortunately I do not.  What I do have, though, are some photos of ancestors with the various means of transportation that they used in the US.

My mother's uncle, Theodore Wierzbicki, husband of her aunt, Anna Kijak, used this means of transportation to get around while living in St. Joseph, Michigan.  

Unfortunately I do not know the name of the horse(!):

I do understand that my own great-grandfather, August Kolberg, had a horse and wagon which he used to drive from his farm in Stevensville, Michigan to the bigger town of St. Joseph.  The story goes that August visited a local saloon there in St. Joseph and at the end of each "visit" the horse was supposedly so smart that he could head back home to the farm in Stevensville on his own without the aid of August.  How I would love to have a photo of that horse and wagon but I do have a photo of August in approximately 1916:

My grandparents, Joseph and Ella (Kolberg) Kijak had a car prior to 1929 but my grandfather gave up driving after his incident with a member of Al Capone's gang, Fred Burke, as I wrote about here:

My 2'nd great-grandfather, William Schluessler, and his sister, Minnie Schluessler Bredow, sitting on the bumper of a car in the late 1920's:

My uncle, Melbourne Schulte, in 1938, with his brother, my father, Mylen and their sister, Marilyn with his 1935 Terraplane.  After the death of their grandfather, George Wellhausen, in 1938, Melbourne asked their grandmother, Amelia Schluessler Wellhausen, if he could have his grandfather's car.  His grandmother, always frugal, agreed if he would pay her $300 for the car.  He did and this was the reward:

My father's car, in 1942, after some reckless driving, just after graduating from high school.  Definitely his older brother, Mel, didn't let him drive the above Terraplane:

 

A very different mode of transportation, but very useful for my cousin, Melbourne Schulte, Jr. in 1944, was this carriage where he is shown with our grandmother, Ella Wellhausen Schulte, in the front, our great-grandmother, Amelia Schluessler Wellhausen, in the back-right side and our great-aunt, Gertrude Wellhausen Kolberg, in the back-left side.  This proved to be a much safer mode of transportation for cousin, Mel, than the one he chose when he was in his early 20's and drove his then sports car into the front of a local grocery store.  He was lucky to escape with his life but the car did not fare well.  While I don't have a photo of that poor car I do have the memory of my father taking me to view the car as a means of pounding into my mind the lesson of safe driving:

  

To conclude, while I don't have photos of any modes of transportation that my ancestors used while living in Germany and Poland, I do have photos of three of the ships that my Kolberg ancestors came to America on:

Passenger list information from the port of Castle Garden in New York states that my great-grandparents, August and Bertha (Kramp) Kolberg, along with their 3 year old daughter, Hedwig, arrived in New York on the ship, Lessing, on November 28, 1883.  They had traveled from their home in Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern to Berlin and on to the port of Hamburg where they boarded the Lessing going on to the port of Havre in France and on to the US:

August, Bertha, Hedwig (sitting) and Amelia Kolberg (born in America-standing) in 1888:

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According to passenger list information from the port of Castle Garden in New York, Otto Kolberg, brother of my great-grandfather, traveled at the age of 16 from his home in Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Germany to Berlin and on to the port of Bremen in Germany where he boarded the ship Weser, arriving in New York on May 16, 1883:

Otto Kolberg and wife, Alvina Truhn, at their wedding in 1892:

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According to passenger list information from the port of Castle Garden in New York, Paul Kolberg, brother of my great-grandfather, traveled from his home in Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Germany at the age of 18 to Berlin and on to the port of Bremen where he boarded the ship Werra going on to Southampton and then to New York.  Family lore stated that Paul came to America dressed as a woman to avoid military service in Germany but that is hearsay as Paul is listed on the ship manifest as a male:

Paul Kolberg in 1891:

Transportation - A vital form of movement both in the past and present! 

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 27 "Free"

MOM'S 96TH BIRTHDAY

As today, July 5, 2021, would be my mother's 96th birthday, I decided to deviate from the topic of "Free" and do a "Free Choice" post.

My mother and I were very close particularly the last 20 years of her life when she lived with me.  She has been in heaven now near 5 years and I think of her every day. 

Here is a collection of photos of my mom over the 91 years of her life:

Earliest photo I have of my mom, Eloris Kijak, in 1925, with her older brothers, Elden (left) and Harris (right):

Mom at 2 years old with her baby doll:

In 1933 with her younger brother, Leslie:

High school graduation in 1943:

Wedding day in 1946:

In 1954 at the 40th wedding anniversary of her parents (I still have the antique punch bowl set:

With first grandchild, Diane, in 1983:

1991 in Hawaii with both grandchildren, Jay and Diane:

At her computer in 2005:

In 2012:

With granddaughter, Diane, in 2014:

90'th birthday party, July 5, 2015:

Happy 96th heavenly birthday, Mom.  I will never forget you!

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte