Lottie's Photos: Christmas 1939

 

Back: Lewis, John and Emma
Front: Anna, Mom, Marge and Bert

It’s Boxing Day – the day after Christmas and I feel a sense of relief. Celebrating Christmas in our family was a double-whammy because my mother Lottie was born on Christmas day in 1919. So, there was always a lot of excitement and later a lot of pressure to make it extra special for everyone but especially for my mother. For many years I've felt a tremendous sense of relief when Christmas, and all its preparations, was over. 

This photo was taken the first Christmas after my parents were married and long before I was born. I like this photo because it shows all four of my grandparents and my only aunt and uncle. I have that necklace that mom is wearing in this photo. It opens to reveal a photo of Mom and Dad.

 

That year Mom and Dad hosted the family on Christmas Eve. Everyone arrived at 6 PM and they served Tom and Jerry’s. Then they opened their packages. Our family always opened gifts on Christmas eve which I thought was great – one less day to wait. Mom wrote, “They went home about 11 PM. I was tired as heck, but terribly happy.”

 

The following day Dad went to mass with Mom – something he did on occasion when they were first together. Dinner was at Gramma and Grandpa Thornally’s. Gramma served turkey and carrot pudding. The Pattillo’s spent Christmas at Dad’s cousin Jo’s home in Brentwood but they stopped by on their way home.

Caspar Stolte 1821-1875 My 2nd Great Grandfather on my Mother's Side

Home of Caspar Stolte

Caspar Arnoldius Aloysius Antonius Stolte was the eldest son of Gottfried Edmund Stolte and Gertrudis Sophia Hohmeister. He was born on February 6, 1821, in the family home at Kehrwieder 1057 in Hildesheim, Germany. He had two brothers Anton and Fredrick and three sisters Marianna, Theresia and Josephina. His long name comes from his godparents who were present at his birth — so the name Caspar was after Caspar Müller and Arnoldius was after Arnoldius Becker. I don’t yet know how these two men are connected to our family, but it is very likely that they are relatives of some sort. There were two other men present, Henrius Coffa and Henrius Ohlenrozt. It is not apparent from Caspar’s birth record where the names Aloysius or Antonius came from. So far, none of these four names have appeared in other records. 

Caspar was baptized by Pastor Brandeis on February 11, 1821, at St. Godehard’s Catholic Church. He likely attended school for a few years and then entered an apprenticeship program to become a bottchermeister, or cooper master, which means he learned to make barrels and kegs. That is the occupation recorded in my great grandfather’s journal and what is shown on the birth records of Caspar’s children. This is how he made his living and supported his large family.

Historic map showing the location of
Hildesheim in relation to Achtum and Einum

When he was 26, Caspar married Louisa Brönneke, on July 18, 1847, in St. Godehard’s Basilica. The wedding ceremony would have been a grand affair inside the spectacular cathedral. Imagine walking down a long aisle between massive columns as family and friends watched from the pews, then standing beneath a giant circular gilded chandelier to profess your vows.  Caspar and Louisa had twelve children, of which nine survived.

 

Caspar was the eldest son of Gottfried and Gertrudis, he was able to buy the family home when his parents were ready to sell it. Traditionally, the workshop for his barrel making business would have been on the ground floor of the home and the living quarters on the upper floors. The home at Kehrwieder 1057 was still standing in 2020 and in active use. The street address has been changed to Kehrwieder 37, and what had been the workshop has been converted to a café.

Original birth record in German for Caspar Stolte

Caspar died from tuberculosis on his birthday in 1875 at the age of 54, and was buried in Hildesheim two days later. Pastor Kruger officiated at his funeral service. Unfortunately, graves are re-used in Germany every few years, so unless someone is notable or wealthy it is very unlikely that a grave could ever be found for Caspar or any of our German ancestors.

Death record for Caspar Stolte in German

Interior of Caspar Stolte's home. Photo taken by Thomas Henze
in 2019.

Sources for this Post: My great grandfather's journal, Birth, marriage and death records for Caspar and for his children. Information provided by Thomas Henze, and FamilySearch website.

Louisa Brönneke 1828–1893 My Second Great Grandmother on My Mother’s Side

A historic home in Hildesheim, Germany

Louisa’s full name was Louisa Sophia Magdalena Brönneke. She was the daughter of Heinrich Brönneke and Gertrude Budde. Louisa was born on April 18, 1828, at house number 841 in Hildesheim. She was baptized two days later by Pastor Brandeis, the same church official who baptized her future husband. She had three godmothers present at her birth: Louisa Bogershausen, Sophia Budde and Magdelena Brönneke. These are the sources of Louisa’s full name.

Hildesheim where Louisa was born and where she and her husband lived and raised their children is one of the largest cities in Germany. It is located in a valley 24 miles southeast of Hanover, on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Leine River, and is surrounded by hills.

 

Historically, Hildesheim was known as the cradle of art. Today, Hildesheim is one of the most important places for Romanesque art in Germany. One of the most important historic buildings is St. Godehard’s Basilica, which was originally constructed between 1133 and 1172. The building was restored between 1848 and 1863 and is considered one of the finest Romanesque buildings in the world. Another is St. Michael’s Protestant Church which was built by Bishop Bernward. Both of these buildings are designated World Heritage Sites.

The original birth record for Louisa that Thomas Henze
found and sent to me.

Hildesheim is a quaint and picturesque town with many very old homes. A large percentage of these buildings and homes were either destroyed or damaged during the last two months of World War II, but many have been restored or reconstructed to match the original design.

This portrait was among my grandmother's things.
I think it is a photo of her grandmother but
I am not certain. If anyone recognizes this photo
and can tell me who it is please contact me.

Louisa was nineteen when she married Caspar and twenty when their first son, Friedrich Joseph, was born. Her second child, another son, died just six days after his birth. Her fourth child and first girl was my great grandmother Gertrude Elizabeth Stolte, who was born in 1853. Louisa continued to give birth every couple of years until she was 41 years old. Sadly, of her last two children, one died at five months and the last died at birth. Then her husband Caspar died five years after their last child was born, and Louisa was left a widow at the age of 46. Here is a list of Casper and Louisa’s twelve children.

Louisa's baptism record in German found by Thomas

Friedrich Joseph Stolte born August 14, 1848

Friedrich Carl Heinrich Stolte born March 6, 1851, and died March 12, 1851

Friedrich Heinrich Stolte born March 4, 1852.

Gertrude Elisabeth Stolte (my great grandmother) born October 21, 1853

Johanna Maria Stolte born October 23, 1855

Heinrich Wilhelm Stolte born February 15, 1858

Gertrude Stolte born January 10, 1860

Magdelena Stolte born November 24, 1861

Carl Heinrich Stolte born July 1, 1863

Maria Gertrude Stolte born October 30, 1866.

Georg Friedrick Stolte born on February 8, 1868. King George V was listed on his birth record as the godfather. Unfortunately, George died on July 25^th of the same year.

Their twelfth and last child died at birth on March 31, 1870. 

Interior of the Basilica of St. Godehard's 
where Louisa was baptized and married.

Somehow Louise managed to survive after her husband’s death and raise their children. She died on September 15, 1893, at the age of 65. She too was buried in Hildesheim, probably with her husband and the children who had died before her.

Sources for this post: Birth, baptism and marriage records found by Thomas Henze, FamilySearch website, and my great grandfather's personal journal.