H for Hel and Hel Peninsula

H is for Hel and Hel Peninsula (in "My Polish Alphabet"). They are situated in the very north of Poland. 

(1)

Hel used to be a fisherman's village. These days, especially in the summer, the place is popular with tourists, amateurs of fresh fish, and sunbathing on the sandy beaches facing the open Baltic Sea.
During storms, the peninsula is often severely flooded by the sea waters, which temporarily turn it into an island.  

headland of Hel Peninsula (2)

 

The name of the place, "Hel" may make you think about those hellish type weather conditions. Considering etymology, it is related to the word "Valhalla" (Norse mythology).

Hel Peninsula - air view (3)

From the mainland, you can get to Hel by a small cruiser or by train. However, boats tend to be chosen more often. In the summertime, we did go there from time to time. I am not much of a beach-type person, but fried fish meals at local food places were quite enjoyable. On the other hand, I did not fancy the summer crowds of tourists there. Once, when we were coming back home by the last boat scheduled on that day, the ship was so overcrowded that its immersion was deeper than usual. The seawater was shaking the cruiser from one side to another. It all was a bit scary but we safely got to the harbor.

In 1938, my Grandfather was stationed there with his Military Gendarmerie unit (MP equivalent). Shortly before WW2 started in September 1939, he was transferred to the Gdynia city war port area, and his family (including my Mom) moved there from Hel as well. 

Photo taken in Hel, 1938 - Mom, with her parents and sister

In the above photo, you can see the Hel pier in the background. The picture was taken when Mom and her family were waiting for the arrival of a state/military official, his wife, and his entourage. Possibly, the state man was admiral Józef Unrug, but Mom cannot recall who exactly it was. Mom remembers, though that he wife of the official put candies into the pockets of her dress.

I have colorized and enhanced the copy of the original photo using the online MyHeritage tools. Its quality improved, but the colors are not completely true to life, close enough, though. The girls' vests were really red and their dresses (made by their Mom Irena) had red cherries on the white background.

 

More about Grandpa Józef and what happened to him after the war started in another post here.

More posts about Grandma Irena here and here.

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 "My Polish Alphabet" includes posts related to things, places, and people that come to my mind when I think about Poland. 

 

Sources:

1. Map of Poland - By Qqerim - own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3835854

2. By Jg44.89 - Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84888904

3. By Martin Hoffmann - Own work (Original text: self made), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57112944

Karl Richard Weiss

Pastor Weiss was mentioned in the previous post. Here is a bit more about the man.

Karl Richard Weiss was born on May 10, 1840, in Bavaria, Germany. His parents were Karl Weiss and Philippina Ertel.
Karl was christened a day later in the Evangelical church in Wörth on Rhein, Erding, Bavaria, Germany (1). 

 

Not much is known about his early years.

From 1868 to 1872, Karl R Weiss studied at St. Chrischona Pilgermission Institute in Basel, Switzerland.
After that, in 1872, the man arrived in Texas.

In January 1873, Rev. Karl Weiss started his service at Zion. Since then, due to his strong Lutheran beliefs and Christian leadership, the congregation grew. The construction of the second parsonage was completed. The plans for the church building reconstruction were created. 

Pastor Weiss preached also at the churches in North Grape Creek and Crabapple. Subsequently, he transformed those two branches of Zion into separate, filial congregations. 

Crabapple Church

During his work at Zion Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg, which lasted until Nov. 1883, Rev. Weiss performed 325 baptisms, 152 confirmations, and 10 wedding ceremonies.

Later, he was called to Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church in Coletoville, Victoria, TX, and then to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Victoria. 

Luther's translation of the Bible, 1756

 

1896 - Rev. Weiss was the first president of The Old German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas.

Pastor Carl Richard Weiss passed in Victoria on July 12, 1917 (2).

 Sources:

"German pioneers in Texas: a brief history of their hardships, struggles and achievements" compiled for the Fredericksburger wochenblatt and Fredericksburg standard by Don H. Biggers, Fredericksburg, TX, Press of the Fredericksburg Publishing Co., 1925;
ELCA Region 4 South Archives: https://swtsynod.pastperfectonline.com;
"150 Years of God's Grace 1852-2002", Zion Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, TX.
1. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPKF-HHK5 : 25 March 2023), Karl Richard Weiß, 11 May 1840; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Wörth (Ba. Germersheim), Bayern, Deutschland, , German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
2. "Texas Death Index, 1903-2000," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZN5-BYC: 24 May 2014), Karl Wiess, 12 Jul 1917; from "Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: 2006); citing certificate number 20636, Victoria, Texas, Texas Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit, Austin.

Johann Joachim Schmidt and Family

Quite a few men by the name of Schmidt came to the Fredericksburg area in the second half of the 19th century.Since Schmidt is quite a common surname, not all the people were related to each other.

One of them was Johann Joachim Heinrich Schmidt, born in Gresenhorst, Mecklenburg on 5 April 1826*. The baby, son of Johann Heinrich Schmidt and Marie Lisch Bruedegam was baptized 4 days later at the Evangelische Kirche in Blankenhagen, Ribnitz, Mecklemburg-Schwerin, Germany (1)**. 

On 25 November 1847 (2), Johann married Johanne Karoline Wilhelmine Koenig, daughter of Kuno Ludwig Koenig and Anna Katharine Fett. Johanne was born in Klein Mueritz, Mecklenburg, on 21 June 1818, and baptized on 27 June in Evangelische Kirche Volkenshagen (3).

 

Johann and Wilhelmine's sons were given similar or even the same names. In some cases, they did not use the first names as the main ones. It made my research difficult and quite confusing. It was easy to get lost in who was who.

I. Ludwig Karl Heinrich (Heinrich) - born in Klein Mueritz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin on 29 June 1847/baptized on 4 July (4) in Evangelische Kirche. Stadtkirche Ribnitz (Mecklenburg-Schwerin); 

II. Johann Wilhelm - born in Klein Mueritz , Mecklenburg on 26 September 1849/1940;

III. Wilhelm Heinrich Theodor - born in Klein Mueritz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin on 6 March 1852/baptized 14 March (5).

IV. Ludwig Karl Heinrich - born in Klein Mueritz, Mecklenburg on 23 December 1854/baptized 7 January 1855 (6);

V. Bertha Ernestine Johanna - born in Klein Mueritz, Mecklenburg on 26 Aug 1857/baptized 6 September (7);

VI. Bernhard Friedrich Johann (Fritz) - born in Klein Mueritz, Mecklenburg on 26 June 1860 (8);

VII. Karl Friedrich Heinrich - born in Klein Mueritz  on 12 December 1863/baptized on 25 December 1863 (9);

VIII. August Theodor Johann- born in Kelin Mueritz, Mecklenburg on 20 September 1865/baptized 8 October (10).

 

The three oldest sons of Johann and Karoline were Mariners in the Prussian Navy, in the service of Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany. Johann Wilhelm served for 2.5 years and was also a sailor for 9 years.

Ludwig in his teenage years happened to damage his trigger finger when he was chopping fodder. The finger healed but it stayed permanently bent. Due to that, he was disqualified from the military service. and worked as a head servant at a big farm estate.

👉 Census in Germany 1867 -  Johann ("arbeiter"/worker), his wife Wilhelmine, and their children lived in Klockenhagen, district Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. I. Heinrich worked as "Schiffskoch"/ship's cook. Other kids who appear in the register are Ludwig, Bertha, Fritz, and August. II. Johann was in Rostock then, and III.Wilhelm was registered in Klein Mueritz (11). Possibly, he was visiting his mother's family (?). VII.Karl Friedrich Heinrich was not listed there. The boy had most likely passed away by then.

According to the family history, III.Wilhelm Heinrich Theodor died during his maritime service. Tragically, he fell from a mast on the ship deck during a storm while helping a young sailor.  The story tells that Wilhelm was then buried at sea and it happened in the Yokohama Bay in about 1872.

I found III.Wilhelm Theodor Heinrich's death record (with the names of his parents). The church book says that the man died on 18 June 1874 and was buried on 21 June at the Evangelische Kirche. Stadtkirche Ribnitz church cemetery (12).

Ludwig Koenig, Wilhelmine's brother, was the first family member who left the old country in 1852 and emigrated to America. The man settled close to Fredericksburg, TX. Heinrich, the eldest son of Johann and Karolina, came to New York in 1873. Then, he led a farmer's life at Meusebach Creek, near Fredericksburg.
In the same year, on ♦ 28 January, Johann Joachim Schmidt's mother Marie Lisch Bruedegam passed away in Bartelshagen, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin (13). When his father, Joachim Heinrich, died, I do not know.

🚢 Johann, Karolina, and their children Johann W, Ludwig, Friedrich, August, and Bertha boarded a ship in Bremen and left Germany on 4 November 1875. The party was accompanied by Ludwig's fiancee, 20-year-old Lisette Lehmann, and Johann W's wife, Amalia Thomson. The family arrived in New Orleans and then, by a steamer went to Galveston, Texas. Ludwig and Lisette stayed in Galveston until they earned enough money to get train tickets to Austin. A few ox teams waited for the Schmidts in the city, including the oldest son Heinrich, and August Koenig, Wilelmine's brother. The latter had come to Texas in 1852. August's son Louis Adolph Koenig later married Ludwig and Lisette's eldest daughter Bertha.

Fritz, Lisette's brother served as an infantryman and later was a mail carrier for the German government. August cavalryman settled in Nebraska, where sister Dora had gone before.

🏠 Johann Schmidt and his wife Karoline settled on a farm in Doss. During the first year at the new place, all the family (besides Ludwig) worked at the farm in Doss (rented by Johann Joachim Schmidt). Ludwig worked at Heinrich's farm at Meusebach Creek. The $1400 that Johann had brought to Texas (the money from selling his farm in Germany) was soon gone as they all needed food, various household tools, and other items. Lisette worked as a maid at a family house in Austin.

 

⚭ 3 November 1876 - Ludwig married Lisette Lehmann (14), the daughter of Christian Nicholaus Albrecht Lehmann and Blondine Millahn. Ludwig and Lisette were married by Pastor K. Weiss at Zion Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg.

Lisette was born in Blankenhagen on 22 July 1855. In Germany, she worked as a maid at a farmer's house. Ludwig and Lisette had 7 children. At first, the young couple lived and worked at August and Sophie Koenig's place. Just before their first child was born, Ludwig and Lisette moved to a farm close to Live Oak. They rented the place that belonged to Mr. Schroeder. A few years later, Ludwig and his family relocated and they lived in Fredericksburg, where the man worked at a flour mill. In about 1886, they moved again, and then a few times more as Ludwig was a sharecropper. The couple had 15 children.

Johann Joachim Schmidt purchased a farm at Meusebach Creek and the family relocated there as well. Sometime later, the man bought a farm three miles west of the town of Fredericksburg, where he lived until his passing.

⚭ 13 May 1878 - Bertha was married to Heinrich Kuhlmann (15), son of Johann Peter Kuhlmann and Anna Margarete Sauer.

⚭ 26 December 1878 - Heinrich (Ludwig Karl Heinrich) married Anna Kuhlmann (16), daughter of f Johann Peter Kuhlmann and Anna Margarete Sauer. 4 children.

VI. Friedrich (Bernhard Friedrich Johann) married Bertha Treibs on ⚭ 22 February 1883 (17). She was the daughter of Jacob Treibs and Catharine Durst. Fridrich farmed until he fell and as a result of a concussion got blind.

👉 Census 1880 Johann Schmidt (farmer, age 63), his wife Wilhelmine, and son August (age 15) were registered in Justice Precinct 2, Gillespie, Texas. Heinrich (age 32), his wife Anna (age 28), and their son Gustav (6 months) lived in the next house (18).

Johann Joachim Schmidt passed away on ♦ 14 July 1887. He was buried in the cemetery in Fredericksburg, TX.

⚭ 8 May 1889 - August married Martha Strackbein (19), born 28 April 1869, the daughter of Johann Heinrich Strackbein and Katharine Elisabethe Crenwelge. August and his wife had 7 children.

Johann's wife Wilhelmine died on ♦ 18 November 1893. The family farm was then purchased by Johann's son August. At the beginning of the 20th century, August sold the farm and bought land on Llano Road.

===

*In the book "Ludwig Heinrich and Lisette Lehmann Schmidt", Wilhelmina Anna Karolina Koenig's birth date is given as 21 December 1818 and Johann Schmidt's birthday is noted as 9 April 1828.

** Since there are discrepancies in the sources, regarding Johann's date of birth, I do hope the names of Johann's parents given above are correct.

Sources:
"Ludwig Heinrich and Lisette Lehmann Schmidt" by Ruth Schmidt Dyar, Nortex Press, Austin, Texas, 1994.

Findagrave.com

1. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPJ5-2HW3 : 19 May 2023), Johann Joachim Schmidt, 9 Apr 1826; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Blankenhagen, Blankenhagen, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Dänschenburg, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.

2. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPVQ-W52C : 17 May 2023), Johann Schmidt in entry for Johann Joachim Schmidt, 25 Nov 1847; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Marriage, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.

3. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPKQ-WT8W : 19 May 2023), Wilhelmine Anna Carolina König, 27 Jun 1818; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Rostock u Volkenshagen, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.

4. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPV3-R9BL : 17 May 2023), Johann Joachim Heinrich Schmidt in entry for Schmidt, 4 Jul 1847; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
5. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPV3-T19C : 17 May 2023), Johann Heinrich Schmidt in entry for Wilhelm Heinrich Theodor Schmidt, 14 Mar 1852; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
6. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPVQ-4F33 : 17 May 2023), Johann Joachim Schmidt in entry for Ludwig Carl Heinrich Schmidt, 7 Jan 1855; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
7. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPVQ-WR92 : 17 May 2023), Johann Joachim Schmidt in entry for Bertha Ernestine Johanna Schmidt, 6 Sep 1857; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
8. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPV3-1STB : 17 May 2023), Johann Joachim Schmidt in entry for Bernhard Friedrich Johann Schmidt, 15 Jul 1860; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
9. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPVQ-C2JS : 17 May 2023), Johann Joachim Heinrich Schmidt in entry for Carl Friedrich Heinrich Schmidt, 25 Dec 1863; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
10. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPV3-YLB3 : 17 May 2023), Johann Joachim Heinrich Schmidt in entry for August Theodor Johann Schmidt, 8 Oct 1865; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Ribnitz, Ribnitz, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
11. "Deutschland, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Volkszählung, 1867", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV3S-Z4J9 : Thu Oct 05 07:42:38 UTC 2023), Entry for Johann Schmidt and Wilhelmine Schmidt, 03 Dec 1867.
12. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPVQ-3TW1 : 17 May 2023), König in entry for Wilhelm Theodor Heinrich Schmidt, 21 Jun 1874; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Burial, Ribnitz, Ribnitz, Ribnitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland, Ribnitz, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
13. familysearch.org
14. "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VXGC-25P : 10 March 2021), Ludwig Schmidt and Lisette Lehmann, 03 Nov 1876; citing Gillespie, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 982,801.
15. "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VXGC-PM9 : 10 March 2021), Henry Kuhlmann and Bertha Schmidt, 13 May 1878; citing Gillespie, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 982,801.
16. "Texas Marriages, 1837-1973", FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FX3B-55N : 22 January 2020), Heinrich Schmidt, 1878.
17. "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK8T-9JQV : 10 March 2021), Friedrich Schmidt and Bertha Treibs, 22 Feb 1883; citing Gillespie, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 982,802.
18. "United States Census, 1880", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFN8-LTD : Thu Oct 05 10:17:41 UTC 2023), Entry for Johann Schmidt and Wilhelmine Schmidt, 1880.

19. "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXSN-79Z : 10 March 2021), August Schmidt and Martha Strackbein, 08 May 1889; citing Gillespie County, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 982,802.

 

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Photos included in this post were taken during our walk on 3 August 2020.