GRANDPA
~WILLIAM J BRUEMMER~
And Our German Roots-Part1
Surname Bruemmer was first found in Wurtemberg, where the name Broem became noted for its many branches with the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied enrolled by the princes of the region. In their later history the name became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family.
Variations of this family name include: Broemm, Broemme, Broeme, Broam, Broamm, Broamme, Bromm, Bromme, Brome, Brom, Bröm, Broem, Brumm, Brumme, Brume, Brum, Bruemm, Bruemme, Brueme and many more.
You may recall from my blog posting titled, "To DNA or no to DNA~That is the Question" that I described a wee bit about our family's roots, that included Spain to Germany to Ireland and England!
Now in this new year, I wanted to know just how far back the German Bruemmer ties really go. I started first with Grandpa William and then worked my way backwards to the late 1600's. As I soon found out, our Bruemmer linage goes back at least 5 generations and it began with a man by the name of Johann Bernard Brümmer (the original spelling of the last name) born in/around 1690. As to nobility within our Bruemmer family there is none. However, family has always been fundamentally important to most Germans, so together our ancestors did whatever was needed to survive the rural life in country during that time.
You will notice that several of the men have the first name of Johann. This was somewhat typical of a male given name to German boys who were almost always baptized with the first name Johannes (or Johann, abbreviated Joh). The name means, "God gave pardon". The name Gerhard or Gerhardt also comes up frequently and means, "Spear-hard, spear brave, or spear ruler".
German girls were baptized Maria, Anna or Anna Maria. (This tradition started in the Middle Ages.) A family could (and commonly did) have five boys with the first name "Gerhard/Gerhardt or Johann" and perhaps three or four girls with the first name of "Maria Anna or Anna Maria" . The name Anna means "Present, Graceful" and the name Maria means, "Of the sea or beloved".
On February 20, 1718 Bernard would marry Maria Aleid Borche (born 1696)
Below is a screen shot from the Bremen, Germany and Hannover, Prussia, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, from the years 1574-1945. Although I do not speak the German language, this was absolutely identified as the written entry of their marriage from several other ancestry members with Bruemmer family trees!
Locating early census information on what Bernard did for work became quite difficult to find. Annual censuses did not start until 1769, some 36 years after Bernard's death in 1733 and Maria's in 1734. Still I wanted to know was he farmer, and did he own the land ?!
The ancestry site called, Family Search has an almost daily blog featuring all sorts of information and/or tips for the those ancestry researchers just starting out. Their blog posting from May 13, 2011 described what life for men in rural Germany was like:
"Most Germans lived in rural areas between the 17th and 19th century. In the 18th century, statistics show that this was true for about 80% of the population. Most farmers were not owners of the land. The land belonged to wealthy land owners, and the cultivator of the land was a mere servant and in many instances, a serf. If a farmer was treated as a serf, he had no personal freedom, i.e., he was not able to marry without consent of his sovereign lord, he could not move anywhere else and could not sell or obtain land. Therefore, few people were able to sell out. If they did, they were free of obligations towards the authorities and could buy, sell, lease, inherit, etc., without interference.
"Still, their business was recorded. People who were put in charge of land and a working farm were able to pass it on with the understanding that the successor would ensure the same care and yield as the previous user did. If a farmer died, several scenarios could take place. The farmland could be divided among all heirs or be given to the oldest or youngest son while other brothers and sisters received monetary compensations. If a farmer had no heir, the sovereign or manor lord took back the property and gave it to another farmer who could be a relative of the deceased.
"All members of a farming community had to develop a fine-tuned working relationship with each other. This did not work smoothly at all times. There were disputes. People would let their cattle graze on fields just ploughed or cattle would trespass an area not yet harvested, for example. This happened because the farming land was divided into narrow strips, therefore not easily accessible.
"The social hierarchy of a village was determined by the size of farmland and personal property. People with little or no property found themselves at the bottom on the social ranking. These were the sons and daughters of farmers who were not entitled to inherit the farm. The number of people in such predicament grew steadily after the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). They had to work as day laborers or seasonal workers and had to be very creative to make ends meet. Many bought looms and made money by weaving."
Before it was called Germany, it was called Germania. In the years A.D. 900 – 1806, Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Then it became known as the Kingdom of Prussia (German: Königreich Preußen). This constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. It was the driving force behind the unification of Germany in 1871 and was the leading state of the German Empire until its dissolution in 1918.
Our first generation of Bruemmers lived in the area of Lathen, Emsland, Niedersachsen, Germany. Lathen is a municipality in the Emsland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Below are the first five generations of Bruemmer Ancestors taken off my ancestry.com tree. It starts with the first generation to our great grandparents!!!!
BRUEMMER FIRST GENERATION
Johann Bernard and Maria had the following six children :
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Janna Margaretha (1719–)
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Johann (1721–)
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Gerhard Hinrich (1724–1811)
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Maria Aleid (1728–)
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Johann Bernard (1731–)
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Maria Catharina Elisabetha (1734–)
Like so many men with large families living in the rural areas of Germany, Bernard was a farmer who worked steadily on the land. But to further understand about what life was like during our ancestors time, my google search lead me a website for the Skagit Symphony of Mount Vernon, WA.
The music director is Michael Wheatley whose symphony not only performs on a regular basis, but holds music appreciation classes as well.
As described on their website, "This year we celebrate the 250th birthday of one of the “Three Bs” of classical music. Along with Johannes Brahms and Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven is part of the shared cultural experience."
This is followed by the next page titled, "Adventures with Beethoven" providing a great deal of information not only on the composers but how our German ancestors lived in the 18th century.
"Boys would be expected to achieve high status in the military or government.
Girls were brought up to be valued for their marriageability. They were expected to be graceful, beautiful, and virtuous. Most girls would have learned needlepoint, music, and other creative lessons.
Although in Germany girls and boys were educated by government mandate, girls’ education was often less important. Many noble and upper-class families would employ governesses, nannies, and tutors to raise and educate their children.
Sometimes children would spend most of their days in their own quarters and only see their parents for a few hours at night. Children were often expected to be seen and not heard, and to behave as well as adults.
Middle- and lower-class families had greater access to education, especially in Germany. Children would attend school and at least learn the basics of reading and writing. Many lower-class families apprenticed their boys so that they would learn a valuable skill. As an apprentice, you would live with the master craftsman, a blacksmith, for example, and would spend years learning the trade, sometimes as many as seven. At the end of the apprenticeship, the new master would be able to make a steady wage and be able to support a family.
"Lower-class boys and girls often had to start working early to help their families. If they could not be apprenticed somewhere, they would often work in menial and difficult tasks in factories, mines, or farms. Peasants had very hard lives. In order to make even a meager yearly income, the entire family would have to work hard every day to make the farm profitable. Most peasant families had many children. This was for a couple of reasons. First families needed all the help they could get to make the farm operate. More children meant more hands to work. Second many children did not survive to adulthood, (Keep in mind the most common cause of death in the 1700s was dysentery) so families often had a lot of children, hoping a majority of them would survive.
Both Johann Bernard and Maria passed away in/around 1743. Johann Bernard was 43 and Maria 38.
A Farm in 1794 Germany,
By Johann Ludwig Ernst Morgenstern,
BRUEMMER SECOND GENERATION
Of the six Brümmer children, the next generation starts with second born son of Johann Bernard and Maria, called Gerhard Hinrich Bruemmer.
Born on July 24, 1724, Gerhard is shown on two ancestry trees as having married a woman by the name of Angela Schulte on November 10, 1758.
Using this name for research, I found there to be some variations of the name such as:
Angela Angelina Schulte
Engel Schulte
Engel Elisabeth Schulte
However, the birth and/or baptismal dates did not match up to the approx age she would have been upon her marriage to Gerhard.
In regards to the age that young people could get married at, really depended upon the legal situation which varied from county to county within Germany. Often times if was determined by the church: Catholic Canonical Law allowed marriages for males at 16, females at 14, but legal guardians had to consent for juveniles.
As to when or why Gerhard and Angela separated is unknown but it appears that they had no children.
On June 17, 1777 Gerhard remarried a second time, to a woman by the name of Engel (Angela) Helena Kampelen (Hans?).
Born in 1750, Angela Helena was the only child born of Bernard and Elisabeth (Hans) Kampelen. Information on her parents dates of birth and/or township where they lived is unknown at this time.
Gerhard and Angela lived in Lathen, Hannover Prussia (Germany). To give you an idea of where this is on the map, I did a little research.
Lathen
Coat of Arms
Lathen is a province located in the Hannover area. Hannover, (English Hanover) is the city, capital of Lower Saxony Land (state), northwestern Germany. It lies on the Leine River and the Mittelland Canal, where the spurs of the Harz Mountains meet the wide North German Plain.
Below are pictures of German family members (not ours) working on the farm. This gives you an idea of what our ancestors might have looked like.
On June 14th, 1778, Angela Helena would give birth to their first son they named Gerhard Johann Henrich. Over the next several years, six more children would follow:
Census information on the siblings has been difficult to find as ancestry hints do not always match up from tree to tree. What I do enjoy is seeing their first names and/or the spelling of them.
Sanne as a girl's name is both Dutch and German and is a short form of Susanna. It comes from the Hebrew roots, Sanne meaning "Lily".
Their parents lived well into their eighties! Gerhard Hinrich died at age 86 on January 11 in 1811. His wife Engel Angela died at age 80 on February 10 in 1830.
BRUEMMER THIRD GENERATION
Of the seven Brümmer children of Gerhard and Maria, the next generation starts with their third born son called Heinrich Herman.
Born on October 15, 1871, Heinrich Herman continued on the path of a farmer just as his father and grandfather had done before him.
On May 24,1814, he married Maria Elisabeth Bölscher.
Born on April 3, 1792 Maria Elisabeth and her older sister Anna Elisabeth (born 1787) were the only children of Otto Christopher and Maria Elisabeth (Lantermann) Bölscher.
The Bölscher family lived in the area of Beel, Emsland, Hannover, Germany and below is a map to show the approximate area.
Heinrich Herman and Maria's first born child Gehard was born on April 21 in 1815. Over the next several years, eight more children would follow. You'll notice that there are incomplete dates of death for three of the children.
Often times when babies were stillbirth (meaning the death or loss of a baby before or during delivery) dates of death were not put down in the census and/or family bible. The pain of losing a child to this or illness was just too sad to remember.
Of the nine siblings, there were three that got married and went onto having families of their own: Gehard, Otto and Gerhard Anton.
On November 21, 1848, Gerhard would marry Maria Susanna Meyering.
Maria Susanna was one of eight children in the Meyering (or sometimes spelled Meiering) family. Their parents were Bernardus Henricus and Anna Helena (Bruens) who lived in Wesuwe-Altharen. Below are two maps showing the approximate location.
Their mother Anna Helena lived to age 68 passing away on March 11 1895. It is unknown as to when their father Bernardus died.
As to whether Gerhard and Maria Susanna had any children is unknown at this time. Maria Susanna died at age 33 on October 9 1856. Gerhard lived to age 83 passing away in 1898
Born on March 2 1817, Otto Bern was the second born son of Gehard and Maria. He also appears to be the first Bruemmer to visit America!
Records for the ship known as the Barque Republic, show an Otto Bern Bruemmer age 22 departing Bremer Germany on November 12th, 1838. Below is the passenger and crew list which shows his name.
This ship was full of German Lutherans who were looking for a new start in America. It arrived in New Orleans on January 12, 1839, and then departed for New York arriving on June 29 1839. Below is a picture of the ship called Barque which looked quite similar to the Repubik Ship.
According to the Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum of Altenburg, Missouri, a sea voyage from Germany to America took between 40 and 90 days, depending on the wind and weather. In steerage, ships were crowded (each passenger having about two square feet of space) and dirty (lice and rats abounded), and passengers had little food and ventilation.
With so many Germans moving to America, it is quite possible Otto knew someone or a family to stay with. Five years later Otto returned to Germany and soon married Anna Margaretha Merten.
Born on August 18, 1816 Anna was one of four daughters in the family of Johann and Gesina (Schröer) Merten. The family lived in Werpeloh, Emsland, Niedersachsen, Germany. Below is a map of Emsland District showing the approximate area.
Otto and Anna Margaretha were married on April 22 1845. The following year on February 10th, a son named Heinrich "Henry" was born. Four more children would soon follow.
Below are a few pictures of the oldest two children Heinrich and Gesina.
Gesina Bruemmer
Heinrich with his wife Anna Gertrude Tehar
Gesina Bruemmer Prayer card. She married a man by the name of Philip Temmeyer
The fourth child had a rather interesting name of Thekla which prompted me to do a bit of research. The name Thekla is a German Girl name and means "God's Fame / Glory; Divine Fame"
Anna Margaretha passed away at age 46 on January 29, 1863. Otto lived to age 62 passing away on October 2, 1879. It appears he did make one more trip to America but never made a permanent home there. However his brother Gerhard Anton Bernhard did!
Gerhard Anton Bernhard was born on October 26 1835. He was the last child born to Heinrich Herman and Maria and it is with him, that the fourth generation of the Bruemmer begins.
BRUEMMER FOURTH GENERATION
Perhaps inspired by his brother's stories of America, Gerhard Anton Bernhard made the decision to leave Germany and make a permanent move, to America in/around 1860.
To better understand why so many Germans came to St. Louis Missouri, the website www.stlouis-mo.gov explains it this way:
"Knowing who came from where, when they came, and what happened to them once they were here is central to understanding the history of St. Louis. These waves of immigrants have had their impact on the direction and growth of the city. They have influenced politics, growth patterns, and industrial growth through their views, heritage and skills brought to St. Louis.
"Growing trade meant growing opportunity for entrepreneurial activity. People came to start and run new mercantile activities based in the west, or to serve the growing number of people living here. The town burgeoned into a full-blown city in the first half of the nineteenth century. The population of St. Louis increased 228 percent between 1810 and 1820. It doubled between 1835 and 1840, and again by 1845; in ten years St. Louis went from half to twice the size of Pittsburgh. Earliest arrivals were from farther east or England, followed by Irish and, soon after, Germans.
"The first wave of Germans came in the mid-1830s. Only eighteen German families lived in St. Louis in 1833, but some 6,000 German souls lived here four years later. Most came looking for land to escape crowding, lured to Missouri by romanticized descriptions of the state through the Giessen Emigration Society which described it as the American Rhineland. Within two years, Saxony Germans started stepping off riverboats too. These Saxons brought with them their conservative brand of Lutheranism. Within ten years they established Trinity Lutheran Church and the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church. The denomination moved Concordia Seminary here in 1849, making it the first college in Missouri to accept both men and women.
"Germans established their own neighborhoods and towns as well. Between the river and Broadway from Buchanan to Salisbury on the near north side, German immigrant Emil Mallinckrodt established the town of Bremen in 1844. The promise of a friendly environment where German was spoken attracted many new and recent arrivals. Omnibus connections between St. Louis and the ferry landing at Bissell's Point started in 1845, linking the hamlet to St. Louis. It became part of the incorporated city ten years later. Now the Hyde Park neighborhood, it retained its German character well into the twentieth century.
"Germans arriving after 1850 were usually ardent abolitionists and nationalists. Their political activism made them instrumental in keeping Missouri in the Union during the Civil War. Friedrich Hecker is an example. Fleeing Germany in 1848, Hecker found his way to St. Louis. He became an avid abolitionist, and a colonel in the Union Army. Such was his post-war leadership in the German community that it unveiled a statue of him in 1882, still standing in Benton Park.
Germans were a cohesive group into the twentieth century. Some one St. Louisan in four claimed some ethnicity by 1880; Germans accounted for slightly more than half. Some 46 percent of public school children were German and, a year later, 20,000 of the young scholars in St. Louis still received their lessons in German every day. Even at the turn of the century, one St. Louisan in five had immigrated here, and another 41 percent had foreign-born parents."
Gerhard Anton Bernhard (from this point forward known just as Gerhard Anton) arrived in America just as the Civil War was beginning. As you may recall from my earlier blog post regarding DNA - I wrote that he would soon join the battle as a private in the 2nd Regiment, Missouri Light Artillery. Below are the two images I had included, one of the actual draft card and the other of the type of uniform he would have worn.
The civil war ended on May 9th 1865. Three weeks later Gerhard would marry Maria Adelaide Meismann.
Maria Adelaide was born on April 24th 1844 in Südlohn, Borken, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. She was one of six children in the family of Theodor Bernhard and Adelheid Mary (Schwatken) Meismann.
The Meismann family lived in Südlohn, Borken, Nordrhein-Westfalen. Südlohn is located in North Rhine-Westphalia and below are two maps showing the approximate area.
In or around August of 1860, the Meismann family departed Bremen Germany on the ship called The New Orleans. They arrived two months later Oct 29, 1860 at the port of New Orleans Louisiana, eventually making their way to Franklin (formerly known as Pacific) county Missouri.
Five years later, their daughter Maria would meet Gehard Anton Bruemmer.
The marriage took place on May 30, 1865 at the Vincent De Paul Church in St. Louis Missouri. This beautiful Church still exists today and below are two pictures found on google search. In addition, I was able to locate the actual marriage certificate of Gerhard Anton and Maria which you can see below.
