V18No1-Spring 2010 - Hermann Deutschheim Verein

V18No1-Spring 2010 - Hermann Deutschheim Verein

The Deutschheim Association Journal
aibaum
er
The Deutschheim Verein Journal
Spring 2010
Vol. XVIII No. 1
THE ST. LOUIS GAST FAMILY
Leopold, August, Paul, John
Preface to selections from “Ein Gast Auf Erden” by Leopold Gast
“Leopold and August Gast, who produced our cover print, seem to belong to that
class of busy people who are known chiefly 'by their works.' The existing
information concerning them is conflicting and despite their long prominence
in Missouri, disappointingly meager. They were born in Belle, LippeDetmold, Germany, and were trained as lithographers before coming to
Saint Louis during or before 1849. As Leopold Gast & Brother, they
grew more and more successful during the fifties, and from their shop
poured a series of prints of Missouri and Illinois scenes, illustrations
for books and magazines, and other commercial work.”
The Cover, Missouri Historical Society Bulletin,
(St. Louis, MO, October 1946), 5
*
*
*
As readers of “Der Maibaum” may remember, an account of
Leopold Gast's participation in a competitive wine tasting in St.
Louis in l858 appeared in the Fall 2009 issue. The experience
was the subject of a chapter in his autobiography, “Ein Gast Auf
Erden” (A Guest on Earth), written for his children and
grandchildren in the German language and published in two
volumes in 1894 and 1897 by C. Bertelsmann in Guetersloh,
Germany.
The fully translated “A Guest on Earth - And His Pilgrimage
in The Old World and in The New World” (over 1000 pages
long in German) is now on the shelves of the Washington
Historical Society's “ Ralph Gregory Library.” Present-day
descendants living in Washington, Missouri have graciously
made it available for research there.
Two of Leopold's siblings, Jette Isermann and Ernst Gast,
resided in the Washington area in the 19th century and are
mentioned in the memoir. In the 1990s, a consortium of
dispersed Gast descendants headed by James A. Jenkins
collaborated on a 6-year “Gast Project” which, with a
few chapters previously translated by Ralph Gregory
in the 1980s, resulted in this modern rendering of
Leopold's autobiography.
Leopold Gast
continued Page 6
Harolyn Schultz
1936 - 2009
Deutschheim
Verein
The Deutschheim Association
Board of Directors
George Bocklage
Washington, MO
President
Carl Fust
St. Louis, MO
Vice-President
Lois Puchta
Hermann, MO
Treasurer
Richard Baumann
Columbia, MO
Secretary
Shelly McCaskill
Washington, MO
Der Maibaum Editor
Ralph Rowlett
Columbia, MO
Dr. Steven Rowan
St. Louis, MO
Carol Kallmeyer
Hermann, MO
Robert Wagstaff
St. Louis, MO
Ralph Gregory
Marthasville, MO
Harolyn Schultz, a faithful member of the Verein Board of
Directors since 1996, died very unexpectedly on December 16, 2009, one
day short of her 73rd birthday. She was born in Sauk City, Wisconsin, of
German heritage both maternally and paternally.
Harolyn married the Rev. Valerius Schultz, a native of Gasconade
County, Missouri, in 1954. Together they served churches in the United
States in Lyman, Nebraska, where Harolyn grew in her knowledge of the
German language from the many German-Russians living in the area;
Faribault, Minnesota; and Owensville and Stony Hill, Missouri. From
1959-1970 she and her husband served as missionaries in Ijui, Rio
Grande do Sul, Brazil, where her husband was the superintendent of 100
churches and where they started a school in 1961. Portuguese was the
principal language, but Ijui was in an area of strong European influence
and German was spoken as well. Harolyn took lessons in both languages
while in Brazil and was quick to become fluent in both. Harolyn and her
husband had plans to return to Brazil for a visit in 2011 on the occasion
of the 50th anniversary of the school they had started.
Harolyn was very well read and enjoyed reading a number of
German publications on a regular basis. She was a woman of strong
convictions and was willing to stand firm on those convictions.
Besides her service to the Deutschheim Verein Board of
Directors, Harolyn was a weekly volunteer at the Gasconade County
Historical Society Archives & Records Center in Hermann, where she
provided the valuable service of indexing the Hermanner Volksblatt. In
fact, death came to her within two hours of her having left the Archives
& Records Center after a full day of service.
Harolyn was buried at Bethany Cemetery, Big Berger, Missouri,
a few miles east of Hermann.
Membership in the
Deutschheim Verein is
$25.00 per year for
Individuals; $35.00 per
year for Dual/Family membership; $50.00
per year for Curator's Club membership;
and $100 for the Director's Club
membership. Senior citizens or students
may join for $20.00 per year and dues for
organizations and institutions (archives,
libraries and universities)
are $20.00 per year.
Membership benefits
include semi-annual issues
of Der Maibaum. Please
send all membership
applications and renewals
to: Deutschheim Verein,
P. O. Box 16, Hermann,
MO 65041.
Please help us by
renewing by January 1st to
keep your membership
current.
page 2
Der Maibaum © 2010 is
published by the Deutschheim
Association, P.O. Box 16,
Hermann, MO 65041. Back issues
are available for members in
hardcopy ($3.00 ea and shipping
and handling) or digital copy
(through Fall 2009, $25 and
shipping and handling). Written
permission is required to photocopy, reprint, or electronically
disseminate articles. Other material
may be used, with permission, as
long as credit is given to the source.
We invite submissions to Der
Maibaum Please send two copies
of articles to: Publications
Committee, P.O. Box 16, Hermann,
MO 65041. State availability of
illustrations. If article was
previously published, give date and
name of publication. Copies
submitted cannot be returned.
Please include a stamped selfaddressed envelope and allow two
months for response. If accepted,
we will request a copy on disk or
via electronic submission.
Administrator’s Report
The state of Deutschheim State Historic Site.
Welcome to the latest edition of Der Maibaum. I have been asked to try to give you a short synopsis of what has
been going on at Deutschheim recently.
As many of you may have already been aware, the State of Missouri is struggling financially. There have been
numerous cuts to programs across the state to try to alleviate some of this financial burden. The Division of State Parks,
which is part of the Department of Natural Resources, receives 75% of its annual budget from the dedicated 1/10 of 1%
sales tax that has been approved by the voters several times over the past two decades. We actually only receive half of that
revenue, as the other half goes to soil and water conservation. The other 25% of our budget is generated in house by retail
sales, cave tours, historic site tours, camping fees, etc. With overall sales in the state being down, the revenue generated by
the dedicated tax has not been at a level that allows us to stay within our budget, so the decision was made to reduce staffing
within the State Park system. This reduction in staffing went into effect this past November, within the guidelines of the
state merit system process. Each state park district was asked to submit positions within their district that could be
eliminated, with as little negative impact to each facility and/or public service as possible. One of the positions eliminated
was the Administrator's position here at Deutschheim. The administrative duties have thus far been filled on an interim
basis, by two different Assistant Site Administrators from other Historic Sites. I wish I could tell you what the future plans
are for Deutschheim, but I do not know. The Interpretive Resource Specialist position will be vacated at the end of May
when Cheryl Hoffman retires, and I have not been informed on what will happen after that.
Other changes that have occurred at Deutschheim in the past 6 months include some operational efficiencies and
tour price increases. Effective January 1, 2010, the hours of operation of Deutschheim have been changed to the following:
• April 1 through October 31, the site will be open Sunday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• November 1 through March 31, the site will be open Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Tours are offered at 10:00 ~ 12:30 ~ 2:30 daily whenever the site is open.
Tour fees were increased, effective January 1, 2010. The new fee rates are:
Adults:
$4.00
Children 6-12:
$2.50
Children 5-under: Free
Adult group rate:
Student group rate:
Family rate:
This site has under gone many changes in the past year, with
more to come. Your support of Deutschheim is very important
during times like these, and I thank you for all you do.
Bob Adams
$3.00
$1.50
$15.00
Announcements
The printing press is working and on view
in the Strehly house, which originally housed the
"Second Street Press".
Greetings to you! My name is Shelly McCaskill (nee Price)
and I am the new editor of Der Maibaum. As many of you
may already know, the previous editor, Dr. Petra DeWitt,
after faithfully bringing forth Der Maibaum since Spring of
2007, has retired from her publishing efforts to spend more
time with her family. We send to her our warmest wishes.
Thank you Petra!
It pleases me to work alongside this group of dedicated
professionals who are very interested in preserving German
history and do so by supporting the Deutschheim State
Historic Site, via the Deutschheim Verein.
Who am I in short form? A wife, a mother, an artist, who
lives in Washington, Missouri, who graduated from Hermann
High School in 1983 and went on to get a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree from University of MO-Columbia in 1987. I’ve
done much since then, all art related. I value my early years
growing up here, the Missouri River, the beautiful landscapes
and German influences.
Hermann is a looking glass into the past!
More later,
Shelly
page 3
Owners Carl Strehly and Edward Muehl,
printed two
different
newspapers
from this
basement
over the course
of 11 years.
We have a web site!
Please check it out and tell your friends.
www.hermanndeutschheimverein.org
Part 1 of 3
Introduction:
This is the first of a three part article on the book that led
to the formation of the Giessen Emigration Society. This
society occupies an important place in the history of
German emigration. According to Gustav Koerner, it was
“perhaps one of the best organized in Germany. It was
founded by intelligent, honest people, who were well
known by many of its members.” In addition to this,
Koerner notes that: “Only families with a good
reputation were accepted, and only such as could prove
that they had the means required for the beginning of the
settlement. An exploratory commission had been sent to
the west before embarkation. Duden and other sources
had been eagerly studied.” (1)
What did this book have to say to its
readers that would have caused them to join the society
and emigrate to the U.S.? To answer this question, the
second edition of the book will be examined here by
means of a summarization of its contents. To place the
work in historical context, some preliminary information
will first be provided regarding the authors and the
publication history of the work.
Editions
The first edition of this work appeared in March 1833, but
swiftly went out of print, appearing several months later
as an expanded edition. The response apparently was
tremendous. According to Muench, thousands wanted to
join the Giessen Emigration Society and, ultimately, five
hundred actually did sign up for the emigration. (3)
The society came about as a direct result of the
publication of a small book of 51 pages, which might
best be described as a manifesto on German emigration
aimed at the creation of a New Germany in America. (2)
It was entitled: Aufforderung und Erklärung in Betreff
einer Auswanderung im Grossen aus Teutschland in die
Nordamerikanischen Freistaaten. Zweite, mit den
Statuten der Giessener Auswanderergesellschaft
vermehrte Auflage. Giessen: Verlag von J. Ricker, Juli
1833. In translation this would be: Invitation and
Explanation Regarding a Great Emigration from
Germany to the North American Free States. Second
Edition, with the Statutes of the Giessen Emigrants
Society. (Giessen: Publishing House of J. Ricker, July
1833). For convenience, this will be referred to as the
Invitation and Explanation.
The second edition consists of two parts. The first part
calls on all interested parties to join the Giessen
Emigration Society and provides an explanation of its
goals and objectives. The second part of the work
contained the statutes of the organization. The original
first edition consisted only of the first part, whereas the
second part was added for the expanded second edition.
Both parts comprise roughly half of the volume of the
second edition: part one, pp. 1-23 and part two, pp. 24-51.
Although generally referred to as the Giessen Emigration
Society the title of the book, as well as its constitution
indicate that its name actually was the Giessener
Auswanderergesellschaft, or Giessen Emigrants Society.
This name differential is worth taking note of, as it
implies that this was to be an organization for
prospective emigrants and that such a publication would
focus on them, their rights, duties and responsibilities.
In short, the members were being placed at the forefront
by means of the very naming of the society. However,
since the society is generally known as the Giessen
Emigration Society, that name will be used here due to
its familiarity.
Taken together, both editions must have totaled several
thousand copies, an impressive print-run for the time. The
first edition is exceptionally rare, no doubt due to the fact
that it was more on the order of a pamphlet. The second
edition, which was twice the size of the first edition, is
also quite rare.
The Authors
The title-page indicates that the work was written by the
“The Contractors” of the society. Their names, however,
are not found until the end of the first part of the work,
where they are identified as: Paul Follenius and Friedrich
Muench. (4) They, of course, were not only co-authors of
the book, but also the co-founders of the Giessen
Emigration Society.
page 4
By Don Heinrich Tolzmann
Follenius was
the youngest of three brothers, all of
whom were born in Giessen, had studied at the university
there and participated in the War of Liberation against
Napoleonic France. They all yearned for greater
freedoms at home and for unity of the German states as a
whole and were deeply disillusioned by the postwar
Restoration. The eldest brother, August (1795-1855),
edited a newspaper after the war, but was imprisoned for
two years on charges of treasonous activities. He then
moved to Switzerland, where he taught German language
and literature and published several works on German
literature. He was elected to the council in Zurich, but in
1847 was arrested on charges of involvement in
“communistic activities.” After his release, he continued
publishing works on German literature.
became acquainted with the Follenius brothers. He
joined a university fraternity there led by Karl Follen
known as the “Giessener Schwarzen,” or the “Giessen
Blacks,” so-called as they wore black jackets. Follen
drafted the statutes for the group, which was viewed as
subversive by the authorities (Grand Duchy of Hessen),
as it was dedicated to the cause of German unity,
something that obviously was a threat to the individual
German states in general and the Grand Duchy in
particular. The Blacks viewed themselves as German
patriots imbued with a deep love of the German nation
as a whole. They envisioned a united Germany with a
republican form of government. They also stressed their
Christian faith, but did not have a reputation for
attending the state-supported churches in Giessen and
might best be described as Christian Freidenker.
Another brother, Karl (1795-1840), had studied law, but
became a private instructor after the war and then got
involved in what the authorities referred to as
“demagogic activities.” As a result, he fled to
Switzerland, but due to Prussian, Austrian and Russian
pressure for his extradition, immigrated to the U.S. in
1824, where he dropped the Latin “ius” ending of the
family name. Ultimately, he became a professor of
German at Harvard, the first such position in the U.S.,
and later a Unitarian minister active in the abolition
movement. Both brothers of Paul Follenius were,
therefore, well known for their involvement in
liberal causes and the youngest brother followed in their
footsteps. (5)
Follen was a dynamic and charismatic leader who deeply
influenced the political Weltanschauung of Paul
Follenius and Friedrich Muench. Although sharing his
views, they had seen that political agitation had led to
the exile of the two older Follenius brothers. The life and
work of Follen in particular provides the basic backdrop
to an understanding of Paul Follenius and Friedrich
Muench and their subsequent course of action. (7) In
choosing emigration as their response to the political
situation in Germany, they envisioned not only a
German colony, but a democratic one with a republican
form of government.
With the guru-like leader, Karl Follen, now gone,
Muench, like Follenius, completed his studies and then
took a position, as a minister while still retaining his
political beliefs and discontent. Ultimately, they would
follow Follen to America, but opted not for emigration
as individuals, but for the group emigration model.
According to Muench, “The thought of emigration came
to me earlier than to him (Follenius); he hesitated,
because he still believed in the possibility of being of
service to the Fatherland, even if it might cost him his
life.” (8)
After completing his studies, Paul Follenius (1799-1844),
became a prominent lawyer in Giessen and the possibility
of a great professional future stood before him. (6)
However, after his brothers had left the city, he became
the recognized leader of the liberal-minded elements
there. Not surprisingly, he increasingly came under the
suspicion of the police after the July 1830 Revolution in
France and especially after the 1832 Hambacher Fest.
This was partly a case of guilt by association simply by
being one of the three Follenius brothers. Friedrich
Muench (1799-1881) was born in Niedergemünden and
studied theology at the University of Giessen, where he
Gustav Koerner wrote of Muench: “He was a man of
sterling character, very well informed, of an iron will
page 5
continued page 14
sweated heavily, what a healthy appetite and sleep I
had, and how delicious a pot of sour milk from our
own cow, together with a slice of bread, tasted in the
evening. On the other hand when I stayed inside for a
few days to do some lithography, a work I really liked
to do, the appetite and healthy sleep left me and all my
old troubles came back again. That's why we thought
seriously one more time about giving up the city life
and going to the countryside. An opportunity to check
out the country life soon came up.” I, 424
On May 1, 1851 Leopold and a companion walked 40
miles west of St. Louis on the Jefferson City post road
and spent the night with his sister, Jette Isermann, near
Washington. The next day they rose early, crossed the
Missouri River by ferry boat and walked five more
miles to attend a wedding at the seminary of the
“Evangelical Society of the West,” located near
Marthasville. During the three days spent visiting
there, he scouted the area for available farmland. He
writes, “In the neighborhood of the seminary I looked
over a farm of which I had already heard, lying very
beautifully in the pretty level valley and bounded on
one side by a long stretching hill where here and there
rocks projected. Another side was bordered by a fairly
wide brook with clear water. It was still uninhabitated
and there was no house on it as the owner lived far off.
It might have been sold earlier for $500.00 or if it were
160 acres, then $800.00. When I gave Pastor Kroenke
the task to seriously inquire about it, $2,000 was asked
and that was, naturally, too much for us.” I, 428
continued from front cover
Beyond his participation in the 1858 wine tasting in St.
Louis, the biography has revealed Leopold's own
personal interest in winemaking and the subsequent
growth of the family vineyard into a substantial
commercial winery in St. Louis.
*
*
Back in the city, refreshed by the foray into the
countryside, he attended to the complexities of his
business and social life with new vigor. When his
vines were harvested that year, he “sold the grapes to
the green grocer which were brought downtown by his
young sons, Hans and Paul.” I, 432
*
In Chapter 77, Again Swaying Back and Forth, Leopold
tells us of his successful first amateur season in the wine
business. “In October 1850, after one of my neighbors, a
winegrower, had told me all the necessary things and had
more or less trained me in this completely unknown skill
of wine growing, I pressed my first wine from my large
vineyard. The first grapes I had sold to a grocery store
downtown, at the beginning for $.25 and later for only
$.10 per pound, but I still had enough for 21 gallons of
wine out of my Isabella grapes. So I was one of the first
winegrowers here in the state of Missouri, which was in
the following years a prosperous trade. The wine business
became one of the main industries in Missouri.” “Ein
Gast auf Erden” I, 423, 424
“When I looked at my garden in the spring of 1851 and
when I could work and build there a stable, a vineyard,
fence and so on outdoors, I felt really good. When I
“Hans and Paul attended a public school to learn
proper English from October, 1855 until Easter, l857
(both of them also received drawing lessons from Herr
Roetter) when they got confirmed at 14 and 15 years
old.” A serious financial Panic in 1857 left Leopold in
a quandary about their futures. “What should become
of them after confirmation?”, Gast writes. “Most boys
in the country were brought into a business after
confirmation where they immediately earned some
money as errand boys or apprentices. The character of
talents of both were very different: Paul, by nature
rough, energetic and willing to do any work, liked to
be busy outdoors and after school hours looked after
the cow, goat, chickens and the garden. He was smaller
than Hans but stronger and more powerful. Hans was
fragile, soft natured and from his youth he showed
talent and liking for drawing, painting and so on, and
page 6
started with lithography.”. . . “Hans, the future artist,
couldn't do without a higher education. So it was decided
to send him for the time being, to Washington University,
a recently founded school. To let Paul be a farmer we
could not agree on.”. . . “so, Paul became a printer and
Hans left in September, l857 for school. The outcome
was different than we had expected, but more about that
later.” I, 506 - 507
In l859, Leopold and an employee, John Flynn, bought at
auction some vacant railroad land in Baden, a St. Louis
suburb. “We wanted to build something away from the
busy city and to have at last, since we couldn't fulfill our
dreams about a farm, a country life in our old days not
far away from the city. This was also Flynn's plan. We
immediately laid out our sites on paper. Also I had a
picket fence built around the land to protect it from
strange animals. We, ourselves, Flynn, Paul and I built it
well. For the fence, I had to pay about $200.00. Paul
stayed there already for some time in the spring of 1860
and rented a room from neighbor Heinz, so he already
could work at the place and soon plant some vines and
fruit trees. He was still young and inexperienced and he
needed to first learn thoroughly about vineyards.
Therefore I contacted the best, well-known winegrower
in Hermann, Michael Poeschel (a former farmer from
Altenburg), who agreed to take him on. At the beginning,
when he saw Paul, he didn't have much confidence in
this small lad, and thought he would not stay long with
him. The old Poeschel, back then still in his strongest
years, was more than diligent and never tired of work.
Paul left on April 12, 1860 for Hermann, and Poeschel
soon realized that Paul was also a tireless worker and not
a spoiled city child.” I, 520-521 Poeschel was the
pioneering vintner in Hermann whose winery eventually
became the Stone Hill Winery, one of the largest in the
world.
complain about being bored. At the same time this was the
ideal remedy for home sickness.” II, 64 Thus Hans began
his multi-year residence in Germany studying art and
visiting the art centers of the country.
Paul was not happy in Hermann, writes Leopold's wife,
Bertha, to him in Germany. “Paul is among strange and
ungodly people and therefore totally lonesome. After
having visited us Paul was very unhappy at Hermann in
the beginning. This impious person P. . . . . and his
people seem to have conducted themselves a lot more
recklessly than they presented themselves while visiting
here. Swearing, cursing and blasphemy are daily habits.
Well, the hard Paul has become soft in this school; he
wrote that he sheds more tears than he drinks water. . .'by
now I am pretty good with crying and I cry enough every
day. Later I always feel pretty happy because then I
know that I do not enjoy this ungodly creature. In this
respect I have to thank the Lord for sending me here
because it is only now that I really detest the world and
its mobs.'” II, 32 - 33
“Poor Paul!”, his father laments. “But the fact that he has
to suffer for Christ's sake is my consolation. And
therefore my advice is that he should endure in patience,
in gentleness and in faith, the only and strong weapons
of a Christian to overcome all enemies and opponents.
Yes, if somehow possible, then endure faithfully and let
all the derisions wash over him because such loyalty
even towards a hard master is often followed by
important events. It would also be very good if we could
keep some contact with Herr Poeschel after the
apprenticeship since it would be important for our
vineyard.” (Footnote ) “After 23 years this particular
wish of mine came true when the old Poeschel became a
partner in the Gast Wine Company.” II, 46
Shortly afterwards, Leopold and Hans
left St. Louis on a journey which would
take them to Germany. Leopold had a
large order from Leopold Richter,
Illinois State Topographer, for a map of
Illinois which he thought could be
produced more cheaply in Germany than
in his small St. Louis shop. He also
wanted to introduce Hans to the art of
Germany and to test his artistic talent.
“Hans was admitted as a regular student
at the academy in Berlin and had access
to all the subjects any time he wanted
to”. . . (plaster modeling, perspective,
anatomy, landscape, animals).
“In
addition, he had lessons in art history,
German history, piano lessons. . . I also
had him take Latin. . . so that he was kept
busy and would not have any reason to
page 7
After having stayed in Germany for
thirteen months, Leopold arrived home in
1861 on the day before the Camp Jackson
affair in St. Louis, which he considered to
be the beginning of the Civil War. Hans
continued his studies in Berlin. As the
nation split apart and prepared for war,
Illinois declined delivery of the maps and
he was able to sell only four dozen.
“Unfortunately, the textbooks that I had
equipped with four copperplates in
Germany did not do much better.
Governor Jackson of Missouri took all the
available money of the school fund of the
public schools in order to use it for war
purposes in support of the rebels, which
was completely unlawful.”. . . “We only
printed and sold a few of the textbooks
one by one.” II, 178
Golden Wedding Anniversary
September 20, 1890
August Gast
Emma
Koenig
Samuel
Van Hoefen
Otto
Koenig
John
Koenig
Ulyses
Gast
Hattie
Columbus
Van Franklin Ellen
Hoefen Gast Comfort Elsa Gast
Van
Hoefen
Alexander
Gast
Julius
Koenig
Calvin
Gast
Nellie
Clara
Koenig Van Hoefen
Carl
Struckmeier
Ida
Gast
Martha
Koenig
Juiius
Koenig
Martha
Rebekka
(G) Van Hoefen
Emile
(Senn)
Gast
L. Paul
Gast
Leopold
Koenig
Gast
Rolland
Van Hoefen
Bertha
(Volkmann)
Gast
Felix
Gast
Bertha
(K) Struckmeier
Paul
Struckmeier
Siegfried
Van Hoefen
Paul was
ready and
waiting in
Hermann to join the
Union Army in case he
was called for the state
militia. “Most people who
waited until they were forced
preferred to be contracted now under
Fremont instead of having to become a government
militia. We had no other choice for Paul and we had
decided even before to let him go and therefore pull
him out of his job in Hermann. We wanted him to join
one of Fremont's Hussar regiments which was being
formed near the Prairie House. Last Friday I went there
with Paul in order to get some more information. We
also visited the Fairground. It was full of soldiers and
tents, infantry and cavalry from Illinois, Iowa, Indiana,
Ohio, etc. in and around the Fairground.” II, 144
“Yes, I would have liked to see Paul among Fremont's
body guards because this equestrian corps consisted of
many nice and educated people, mostly Americans,
many of whom were from Washington University,
Paul's former co-students, some lawyers that had
nothing to do at that time. However, despite the fact that
Dr. Pope recommended Paul directly to General
Fremont and Captain Zagonyi (a Hungarian who had
fled with Bem) would have liked to take him in, Paul
lacked the required size and strength.” Ibid.
“Then, completely unexpected, Gotthold Wert arrived
on horse in order to say good-bye because he had been
ordered as Lieutenant to an engineer corps at Cape
Girardeau.” II, 145
Dora
(Volmer)
Gast
“We
regarded
this as a hint
from destiny. The
two young men
immediately came to an
agreement and we were happy
that Paul would leave with
Gotthold. In a hurry we prepared
everything for Paul's departure.” Ibid.
A flood of letters from Paul, in English, began from
Cape Girardeau, New Madrid and Island No. 10. After
half a year, Paul's health broke under the stress of his
duties. “He had a high fever. Therefore he had to take
some time off and took the first ship home, a horrible
journey for him. At 9:00 p.m. on April 21st, the second
Easter Holiday, we were sitting in the parlor when we
heard our dogs bark and some steps outside. Paul
walked in but after a short greeting he started to totter.
He did not think that he would make it from the wagon
to our house. Since February he had not been in good
health.” II, 164
”Paul's whole nature had matured years in the eight
months of his service. His liveliness and active and
quick character were gone. Oh, and when he would talk
about the hundreds of miserable characters that would
walk around in Cairo, ill people, many of whom died of
home sickness after all, many who had wife and
children at home, and some who had to suffer under the
hands of unskilled physicians. War is a horrible thing!”
II, 165
Paul had an intestinal inflammation and went back to
Hermann to recuperate. “And, at old Poeschel's house
page 8
in the vineyards, having good care and healthy food and
drinks, especially Poeschel's famous Virginia-Seedling
wine, and in fresh, healthy air, Paul improved from week
to week.” Ibid.
To request an extension of Paul's leave, Leopold
approached Col. Bissel, his commanding officer, who said:
“'What a man like your son does, is all right!' He extended
the vacation until September 1 and said that they could use
such orderly people in the service. Then he asked me
whether I had received Paul's pay and when I said I had
not, he immediately ordered his adjutant to take care of it.
If Paul had not gotten sick he would probably be a
Lieutenant by now because Gotthold wrote that he had
been on the list.” II, 166
“Paul had recovered in such a wonderful manner in
Hermann so that he felt strong enough to return to his
regiment although his leave had not yet expired. On
August 2, 1862, after a stay of eight weeks, he returned
from Hermann, stayed five days with us and then went by
steamer to Columbus, arriving on August 7th, and from
there to his regiment at Jackson, Tenn.” II, 184 Leopold
includes more letters from Paul in the many chapters he
writes about the progress of the war along the Mississippi
River in the South.
“On the afternoon of December 1st (1863) I came home
from the post office and from doing some other things in
the city and was about to repair the door to the backyard,
with the hammer and pliers in my hand, when somebody
banged on the outside. I opened the door thinking that it
was one of the little students from Martha's school
standing in front of the door. But just imagine my surprise.
The little Orderly Sergeant of the 'Company G, Engineer
Regiment of the West' was standing in front of me,
carrying himself in a military fashion with his coat and his
belongings. I dropped hammer and pliers. I ran along the
arbor towards the house while yelling as loud as I could:
'Hello! Calvin! Martha! Calvin!'. They immediately came
down the stairway: Martha was pale and in shock because
she thought that the business building was burning; her
whole small school was right behind her: Calvin was first
and he climbed up on Paul and then came Mama. Oh, what
happiness! Later Rebecca came home from school: she
started to cry out of happiness and surprise when she saw
Paul so unexpectedly.” II, 226 Paul was now a recruiter in
the State of Missouri for a term of a few months and was
promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. By January
20th he returned to his company headquarters in Nashville.
meager remittances and the charitable loans of friends and
relatives. Making his way slowly to Bremen, he took
passage “between decks” with poor immigrants and was
back in St. Louis on September 28 after an absence of 4 ½
years. II, 239, 240
Although military recruiting was continuing, Hans' name
was not yet on the draft list. “The day Hans arrived I was
sworn in as a City-Guard, a position I had volunteered
for,” writes Leopold. . . .“the whole national militia of St.
Louis was being called on. . . Since the militia did not
usually hurry to follow the calls until they were caught on
the streets or even taken out of mother's house, everyone
was now being arrested. Nobody could walk in the streets
unless he was able to prove through his passport that he
had passed the recruiting age or that he was ill and weak
or that he had made the official payment to be relieved
from service. Therefore, Hans would not have been able to
walk on the street. Thus, we thought it would be best if he
immediately volunteered for the company of our district
so that he would receive a national passport as well.” II,
241
At that time, St. Louis was being threatened by
Confederate General Sterling Price's invasion of Missouri
and the city was full of refugees. Union reinforcements
were rushed to St. Louis. Luckily, “there were no
incidents at all. And Price made a big detour around St.
Louis. He terrified the cities of Washington, Hermann and
Jefferson City on his way.” II, 244 Hans was not called to
military service and the city returned to normal.
*
*
*
From a camp south of Atlanta, after Sherman had burned
the city, Paul writes home, “On the 27th I cancelled my
commission and was discharged with honors from the
*
*
*
Hans was still studying in Germany and although the
family was concerned that he might be conscripted if he
returned, he finally left Berlin on May 1, l864, bound for
America. Due to currency inflation and severe exchange
restrictions, he had subsisted for four and a half years on
page 9
gentleman with his fine manners so that he won all the
hearts instantly. Besides that he loved the art of music in
which he educated himself pretty well.” Ibid.
service of the United States on September 29th. . .
Now I intend to return home as soon as possible to
order to cultivate our land before the winter. . .” II, 251
Leopold exalts, “This was Paul's last letter from the
army. On October 25, l864 Paul arrived, marching
through the streets of the city in front of his company
with his out of service regiment, accompanied by
drums and whistles. I happened to be in the city and
was able to watch the march into the city. I was
overcome with a strange melancholic feeling of
happiness when I saw my eldest, yet small son Paul
marching in his officer's uniform in very upright
posture. He had left his horse behind which he had
sold. 'Our merciful God has spread his protective
wings over him during so much hardship.'” Ibid.
“Both sons returned home happily to their parents and
brothers and sisters. How many prayers, how
many sighs had been sent to heaven for them!
The one had been in danger of his life almost
daily; the other one, exposed to other types
of dangers that could have harmed his soul
by fall into arrogance and lushness if his
meager means had not forced him to be
extremely frugal. Besides that, his
extraordinary strive for learning helped
him so that he did not have the time for
careless pranks. To the contrary, he was more
likely to jeopardize his health due to working
too long and too hard. Therefore we had a lot of
reasons to thank God that he had helped both of them
through all difficulties.” II, 252
“Although both sons had quite different characters
since their childhood, the differences became even
more apparent now. Johannes, of tender nature, was
very imaginative, quite sentimental yet always
cheerful and gifted with natural wit. He had become a
“Berliner” in Berlin, a joker (without substance), very
clever and not free of selfishness. He became a
“Paul had the opposite nature: serious, dry, holding back
all pain, always choosing the harder work, very reliable.
And these characteristics had become stronger during his
life as a soldier.” Leopold writes in a letter to a friend:
“'Paul's whole nature has completely changed he is
strange to me and sometimes almost repulsive. He is the
“sergeant,” short and concise. One can tell that he had to
keep some 80 men in order for 2 ½ years. He was not only
in charge of their physical and overall wellbeing but he
also had to make sure that these big and often quite
disobedient and rough kids who were not used to
obedience, were clean, orderly and doing their work. And
that was not an easy job, which he often had to execute
with a lot of strictness. According to a saying 'the captain
is the father of a company while the Sergeant is the
mother.' Therefore Paul's childlike nature is gone and he
has become a grown up man. He was turning 23 and Hans
was almost 22 years old.” II, 253
After his discharge, Paul occupies himself working to
improve the family's vineyard in Baden, Bertha writes to
a family friend: “Paul has been working in the countryside
for a year with a will of iron and without the minimum of
care for his body. He lives in a wooden hut, sleeps on a
straw sack on a floor-board and eats little food at dirty
neighbors. And he still did not have any reward because
human beings or animals stole or destroyed the products
of his sweat while he was here at home with us on
Sundays. He either has to live out there at all times
or give up the land. Therefore Papa had to decide
to build, even though it was very hard for him.”
II, 268
Leopold and Bertha do eventually relocate to
a new house in Baden but Paul's personal life
improves before that, when he courts and
marries a girl from Hermann. Leopold
describes the situation: “Emilie Senn was the
youngest of three children, only a little younger
than Paul, with a strong body but not very tall.
She was not only skilled in fine handicraft but she
also knew how to operate the plough if she had to, the
way it was often necessary during the years of war. She
used to be engaged to a very nice young man, Georg
Klinge from Hermann who, however, died in the Hospital
at Memphis as a consequence of the exertion he suffered
near Vicksburg. Paul had mentioned this incident three
years ago.” II, 269
“Emilie's father was from Rheinbayern, studied theology
in Tuebingen and in Berlin around 1829; he still had a
page 10
soon realized that in this respect I could not expect any
help from him for the business yet.”. . . “Although
Hans was very talented, he had spent too little time in
Europe. America was not the right place to get trained
in painting.” II, 256
“The professors and the President of the University
who would visit me once in a while in business
matters, were very interested in Hans' drawings and
painting, especially since he had been a student of
their institution at one time. And thus one of the
German professors, Dr. Tafel, a nice man from
Wuerttemberg, proposed our Hans for the position of
drawing teacher. His official certificates from the
Berliner Academy helped a lot. He was hired.” II, 257
very good evidence from these years of hard work.
But he emigrated with several other “Latins” before
his employment when he was still a candidate. He
worked as a teacher in Philadelphia and Cincinnati
for a while. From there, after Hermann had been
founded by a group of mostly “Latins,” among them
the wellknown bookseller Wesselhoest from Jena,
Senn went two miles from Hermann into the jungle in
order to cultivate vine and tobacco on his farm. But
only the farm remained. He gave up the two other
occupations and only later the cultivation of the
vineyard would be successful.” Ibid. Senn became a
major grape grower of the region and, after he died,
his widow continued the vineyard operation.
“Senn was defeated by the hard work of a farmer's life
which he was not used to in his forties. His widow
was a weak, calm and modest woman from a good,
formerly rich family who had lost almost all their
fortune at the shooting of Mannheim during the first
French Revolution. After a few years she remarried to
Herrn Jakob Sutter, now an old and friendly man who
had attended the Gymnasium (German Highschool) in
Chur to become a teacher but then emigrated to
America with several young people. He taught at the
County District school.” Ibid.
“Sutter's farm, 120 acres large was located in a quite
beautiful setting near a creek, in the middle of the
mountains at the road from Hermann to Second Creek.
On this farm Paul's wedding was celebrated on
November 27, l865.” II, 270
The story of Paul and Emilie's Gast Winery in St.
Louis will be told after we learn of Hans' post-Civil
War situation.
*
*
“Hans continued having his ideas of becoming a
painter and it took him a long time to fully let go of it.
He seemed to have a good talent for teaching and they
were very happy with him. He had lost his aversion
for the business more and more and realized that
lithography was a good thing and an area where one
could apply the noble art of drawing in hundreds of
ways. Over here, the colleges have almost three
months vacation in the summertime; we had him use
this time well. As soon the Uncle (August) returned
from New York, we sent Hans there. He formally
joined a lithography company as a salaried worker.”
He “went there for a short period of time in order to
learn.” II, 267 After the summer was over, Hans
returned to his responsibilities in St. Louis.
On an extended trip to the eastern states the next year,
Leopold decided that Hans should be allowed to
further his skills in Europe. “All the considerations for
income, help for us, the business in St. Louis had to be
put aside. He should even give up the good position as
a drawing professor at Washington University for a
while or, if necessary, forever, in order to leave one
more time as long as he was young. Go to New York
and thereafter to Europe or right away over there to
Paris and also to Italy for a short time. Even though
there were many reservations against it, my reasons
for it, especially considering the future, were the
crucial factors in this decision.” II, 346
With his father's blessing, on June 24, 1867 Hans left
on a trip which would take him to Paris where he
continued his art education in general and found
employment with a lithographer. “Even if it costs him
and my friend Winter some travel and some vain
inquiries he finally found a position in a business
where only plates for oil-color printing were designed.
The owners were the Thuerwanger brothers (from the
Alsace), one of whom had been to America. He taught
Hans some useful things out of consideration among
colleagues since Hans was the son of a lithographer. It
*
After Hans returned in August, 1864 from his sojourn
in Germany, Leopold writes: “He set up his formal
painting studio in our place of business and started to
paint landscapes and portraits. In the beginning I let
him do it although I did not like it. Unfortunately I
soon realized that he did have a good base for
painting, but still needed a lot of improvement in
exact drawing, the type of skill a lithographer,
copperplate engraver or wood-carver needed. Thus I
page 11
is true that Hans did not make more in a month than he
would have made here or in New York in about three
days. But that couldn't be the most important matter
because the main issue was his continuing education.” II,
to come to New York himself even if it was only for
three months. He had to get a larger chromo done
according to a large painting.” II, 382
357
Hans left for New York on September 30, 1869.
“Now, however, on top of all my worries, my fears that
Hans considered it more appropriate to stay in New
York became reality. This was the place for him, that's
where he would be able to make money quickly and
that's where he had the right company of artists and
people which could be helpful and useful for him. And
just like he used to badmouth Paris, suddenly St. Louis
had sunk to an ugly village where no respectable
person could live. There were nothing but
uncomfortable letters back and forth during the whole
winter. And the main topic he
wrote about was to request an
immediate marriage since he was
tired of his bachelor's life.” II, 384
Hans would rather have been in Berlin but Leopold
wanted him to widen his perspective of the art world.
“But I stuck to my decision and insisted that Paris was
the right location for him right now and that he should
take advantage of everything he could learn there. I
wrote friend Winter especially because of Hans. And
after he got to know his friends and family, he started to
feel more at home and the complaining about Paris got
less. Well, soon he felt very much at home in the Winter
family as we were able to read between the lines.” II, 358
In July of l868, after the death by
drowning of a key employee, Charles
A. Moeller, “unpleasant negotiations”
ensued among the family concerning
the future leadership of the lithographic
business. Leopold had sent Hans a
telegram in Paris urging him to come
home immediately. After days of
meetings, it was finally agreed that
Hans should lead the enterprise under
the name, “John Gast & Co.” II, 379
“Now suddenly everything was quiet and peaceful again.
And not only Hans had achieved something without
much effort for what I needed many years and what
some young people never reach: a well established
business under his own name. But I would be able to
work and earn a good living, whereas it would be
difficult for me to decide to work for another business
here. Hans quickly got used to the business since he (the
elegant gentleman according to his appearance) didn't
lack a certain smoothness, especially when dealing with
Americans” II, 381
Hans (John) had had some experience abroad with
chromo-lithography in Paris and . . . “due to the fact that
chromo-lithographers were still rare, Bencke (in New
York) had wished that Hans, whom I had recommended
to Bencke, stay with him after his return from Paris.
After Moeller's sudden death, Hans was not able to keep
the promise he had given Bencke from Paris but had to
come back home right away instead. Bencke, however,
who was in an embarrassing situation, sent a little oil
painting together with the stones to us in order to have
some complete proofs printed in chromo. We then sent
the stones back to New York in order to be printed there.
After this job had been done to his satisfaction and we
had received good payment for it, Bencke sent us a
second painting with the necessary stones. Before this
painting was even halfway finished, Bencke urged Hans
page 12
Hans did leave the family business
at a meeting in St. Louis in which
Leopold refused to participate. He
wanted to start a chromolithography business with Bencke
in New York. II, 384 His father
refused to help financially but
Hans was able to get a loan from an aunt in Paris “who
was crazy about him.” II, 392
Hans soon became engaged to Auguste Stohlmann
against his family's wishes. Leopold had made the
acquaintance of the Stohlmann family in New York a
few years previous. In spite of friendly relations
between the families, he was against the match. “They
became engaged on - I can't remember what day. I
ignored it just like the day of the marriage shortly
thereafter. Instead I had it communicated to Hans,
since they talked about making a pleasure trip here,
that he should not come because I didn't want to see
him. I asked him to save the money, to think about
Germany, etc. I had learned by now that he would not
return here in order to stay but that he intended to stay
and live in New York.” II, 399, 400
Stubborn as the proverbial ox, Leopold rebuffed the
couple when they traveled to St. Louis on their
honeymoon. Four years later, in 1874, he had softened
his attitude a bit. In a letter to a friend he wrote, “Then
finally Martha [his daughter], whom I highly regard
and who was probably the only person who could do
this, took the initiative and wrote me a harsh letter: I
should think about what I was doing and that I could
suddenly die without a reconciliation with Hans, that
Mama was in danger because of her grief which was
eating on her life, as was the poor, innocent Auguste,
and even Hans had no peace and quietness, and so forth. I
sent her letter back with a nice compliment and that a
personal reply was to follow. Then I took the first
opportunity and rode my horse out there, picked her up
from work and went with her to the nearby large and
beautiful Bellefon-taine churchyard. Here I heard for the
first time about Hans and Auguste and how they had been
doing, etc. Finally we soon received one invitation after
the other from the incredibly happy Auguste who was
extremely delighted about the positive change of the
situation. Even though I didn't say “Yes” yet, I didn't
decline either. I only knew that we should not visit them
during the summer-time, not only because of the heat
which could become a nuisance even over there, but also
because of other thoughts. Therefore it would be advisable
to delay the journey until the fall.” II, 404 He and Bertha,
with their youngest son Calvin, made the trip to New York
in the fall, stopping off to see Niagara Falls on the way.
Leopold writes, . . .“we traveled to Albany,
the Capital of the State of New York and
from there we continued, with wonderful
weather on a splendid steamer along the
beautiful Hudson River all the way to New
York where Hans was waiting for us at the
dock. He took us over the East River to
Brooklyn and to the extremely happy
Auguste.” II, 408
to coast, a clear, colorful allegorical picture of the
opening of the West. Crofutt listed the items that he
wanted Gast to include from his own pioneering days in
the l860s. Hunters, prospectors and farmers, Indians,
buffalo, wagons and three transcontinental railroads
were all to be shown moving westward to the Pacific.
Overhead would float a symbolic figure of national
enlightenment carrying a schoolbook in one hand and,
in the other, the wire of the expanding telegraph system.
Ibid.
John Gast produced the oil painting, 12 ¾ “ x 16 ¾”, as
instructed by his patron in 1872. Crofutt bought the
painting and copyrighted it, taking advantage of a new
law which had expanded copyright protection to fine art
works. John Gast also made a chromolithograph for him
from the original painting and thousands of copies were
printed in 1873. They were given as a gifts to the
purchasers of Crofutt's travel guides. R.
S. Bross produced a steel engraving
based on the original which was used in
many of the future guide books.
Copyright procedures and
administration of the copyright law
were centralized at the Library of
Congress. Ibid.
Crofutt's initiating role in the design of
Gast's picture has been little known,
then or now. The painting attracted
modern interest when it was exhibited
in Washington, D. C. as part of the 1976
Bicentennial celebrations. It is now
known as “American Progress” after
having been catalogued in the past as
“Westward Ho!”, “Manifest Destiny”
and “Spirit of the Frontier.” Ibid.
After a two-month stay in New York,
making new acquaintances and accepting
almost daily invitations from friends and
relatives of the Stohlmann family, Leopold
and Bertha headed back to St. Louis. 17year-old Calvin had set sail for Germany
where he would enroll in a university in
Guetersloh. There is no further mention of
Hans and Auguste in Leopold's
autobiography.
*
*
*
Further research identifies John (Hans) Gast as the artist
who created the painting, “American Progress,” in 1872. It
was commissioned by George Crofutt, a travel guide
promoter in New York. Crofutt was the leading purveyor
of American tourist guidebooks in the decades after the
Civil War and published Crofutt's Trans-Continental
Tourist Guide. His headquarters were at the Park Hotel in
Manhattan where he met John Gast who had rented a
small studio nearby at 116 Fulton St. J. Valerie Fifer,
American Progress, The Growth of Transport, Tourist and
Informational Industries in the Nineteenth-Century West
(Chester, Connecticut: The Globe Pequot Press) 202 - 205
Crofutt discussed an idea with Gast for a promotional gift
for his customers. He wanted a chromolithograph to show
a panoramic view of the westward movement from coast
After l873, John Gast rode the crest of a
boom in chromolithographs. While he continued to live
in Brooklyn, he moved to bigger quarters on Park Place,
just off Broadway, where he worked full time in his
shop. In later years, research places him at various
business locations until 1890. New York City
Directories, l876-l890.
Today the original oil painting is in The Museum of
Western Art in Los Angeles. A full color image of the
chromolithograph can be downloaded at no cost from
the Library of Congress' digital archive.
*
*
*
After Leopold Gast sold a portion of his share of the
lithography business to his brother August in 1866, he
and son Paul formed the Gast Wine Company. “The
Gasts began growing grapes in earnest on their fiftyacre plot in the Baden community in north St. Louis.
page 13
Various brands of wine and champagne were produced and
the business flourished. Years later, Paul was joined in the
wine business by his son Alexander Tecumseh Gast.”. . .
“In addition to the winery, vineyard and wine garden, the
family also ran a restaurant called the Gast Viticultural
Café, which like the family home was located at 8541
North Broadway.” [The Baden vineyard was also the site of
the lithography shop.] Henry Herbst, Don Roussin and
Kevin Kious, St. Louis Brews, 200 Years of Brewing in St.
Louis, 1809-2009 (St. Louis, Missouri: Reedy Press, 2009)
104-106
“By the late 1890s the Gast Winery sales were being hurt
by the onslaught of cheaper brands. The family then
decided to phase out the wine business and, in a rather
unusual move, went into the brewing business. The Gast
Brewing Company was formed in 1899. . .The Gast
Brewing Company did not remain an independent business
for long; in 1907 it joined with numerous other area
breweries in forming the Independent Breweries Company
(IBC) . . .Alex Gast helped to organize the merger and
profited nicely as he owned 80 percent of the Gast
company stock.” Ibid.
With time-out for Prohibition, and with changes in
ownership, a bankruptcy and a second plant in Highland,
Illinois, the Gast brewery product occupied a niche market
which lasted until October 8, 1949 when production
ceased. Ibid.
Postscript: After both Leopold and his brother August
were retired from business in St. Louis, a
large successor firm “August Gast
Bank Note and Lithography
Company” prospered into
the 20th century making bank
checks, deposit tickets, receipts
and other bank stationery
items. “Gast File,” Missouri
Historical Society, St. Louis,
Missouri
Article by George Bocklage,
Recording Secretary,
Washington Historical Society,
Washington, Missouri
continued from page 5
and an iron constitution. A warm
German patriot, he had despaired of his
country and longed to become a citizen of the
great Transatlantic Republic.” Of Follenius, he wrote
that he “was a very noble character. Like Muench he had
given up all hopes of a political regeneration of
Germany.” (9)
Follenius agreed with Muench on emigrating, but
insisted that plans be expanded to a large scale
emigration. Muench, on the other hand, wrote later that
his original plan was to emigrate with a few families that
he knew well and seek a new homeland in America,
possibly in Ohio, where he had acquaintances. However,
he gave in to the expanded vision of Follenius, noting
later that they both learned how much more difficult this
had made their plans. Herein, we might note that
contrast between the two: both were idealists, but of the
two, Muench was more the pragmatist. The latter had a
small scale emigration of several families in mind,
whereas Follenius envisioned something much greater.
Muench wrote further of the plan that the purpose of the
society was to establish “a bit of New Germany on
American soil and to settle it with the best elements of
the German population that was fed up with conditions
in Europe at that time a group extant in great numbers
as this would make possible the emergence of a German
settlement that was fresh and free in America.” (10) He
noted that new colonies would annually join those that
had already been established, and when a sufficient
population had been established that the settlement
would seek entrance into the Union as a new state. The
ultimate goal was to establish a German republic in
America, something that was impossible in Europe, but
would be realizable in America. This would also exert
positive influence on the reactionary political conditions
in Germany.
Impact of the Book
In less than a year and a half after the initial publication
of their book, the Giessen Emigration Society had been
organized and two groups had embarked for the U.S.
under the direction of the book's authors. According to
Rolf Schmidt, an estimated one thousand people had
been interviewed regarding their interest in joining the
society, with five hundred finally being selected for the
emigration. (11)
The impact of this book was no doubt due to the time
period in which it appeared. The Wartburg-Fest had
taken place in 1817 to protest the prevalent political
conditions in the German states, thereby revealing a
page 14
deep and growing discontent with the status quo. And,
Gottfried Duden's Report on a Journey to the Western
States of North America appeared in 1829, awakening
great interest in the idea of emigration to America.
(11) Additionally, the July 1830 Revolution in France had
just taken place, followed by the Hambacher Fest in
1832. The publication of the small book by Follenius
and Muench, therefore, fell on fertile ground and ignited
the interest of those who viewed conditions in the
German states as hopeless. However, such a work must
have been well written and formulated to have led to the
swift formation of the Giessen Emigration Society and
the subsequent emigration of such a sizable group of
emigrants. (13)
Of the two authors, Follenius was better known. Indeed,
the mere name “Follenius” probably contributed to
interest in the work. In addition to this, there was the
factor of the growing interest in America, especially after
the publication of Duden's book in 1829. Taken together,
all of these factors contributed to the book resonating
positively with its many readers. (14)
Chronology
The chronology from publication of the first edition of
the Invitation and Explanation through the time of the
actual emigration of members of the Giessen Emigration
Society reflects a relatively short timeframe, clearly
demonstrating that this publication exerted a great impact
on its readers.
- March 1833: Publication of the first edition of the
Invitation and Explanation
- July 1833: Publication of the second edition of the
Invitation and Explanation
- 1 September 1833: Foundation of the Giessen
Emigration Society
- 31 March 1834: Departure from Bremerhaven of the
first group (250 people) led by Paul Follenius
- May 1834: Tentative date of departure listed in the
second edition of the Invitation and Explanation
- 3 June 1834: Departure from Bremerhaven of the
second group (250 people) led by Friedrich Muench
Note: Part II of this article will examine the first half of
the Invitation and Explanation by Follenius and
Muench.
Notes
1. See: Gustav Koerner, “German Immigration and Settlement,” in:
Don Heinrich Tolzmann, ed., Missouri's German Heritage. Second
edition. (Milford, Ohio: Little Miami Publishing Co., 2006), p. 8.
2. Regarding the various plans for a New Germany in America, see:
John Arkas Hawgood, The Tragedy of German-America. (New York:
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1940), pp. 93-224, especially the chapter on
Missouri, pp. 109-36.
3. See: Friedrich Muench, Gesammelte Schriften. (St. Louis: Im
Verlag von C. Witter, 1902), p. 99.
4. For
Muench's biography of
Follenius, see: Ibid, pp. 92-106, and
for Muench's autobiography see, Ibid, pp.
107-25. For a translation of the latter, see: Friedrich
Muench, Autobiography of Friedrich Muench. Translated
by Ralph Gregory. (Marthasville, Missouri: Three Pines
Publishing Co., 2001). Also, see: Don Heinrich Tolzmann, “The
Writings of Friedrich Muench,” in: Don Heinrich Tolzmann,
German-Americana: Selected Essays. (Milford, Ohio: Little Miami
Publishing Co., 2009), pp. 113-23. Additionally, see: Gert Goebel,
“Aus dem Privatleben des alten Veteranen Friedrich Münch aus
früher Zeit,” a series of articles that appeared in the Hermanner
Wochenblatt (1881-82). This series of articles by Goebel would be a
worthy project for translation due to the light they shed on Muench.
Also, see: Siegmar Muehl, “A Visit with Friedrich Muench,” in:
Tolzmann, ed., Missouri's German Heritage, pp. 97-108.
5. See the article on the Follenius brothers in: Alexander Schem, ed.,
Deutsch-Amerikanisches Conversations-Lexicon. (New York:
German Cyclopedia Publishing Co., 1871), Vol. 4, pp. 288-89.
6. Muench, Gesammelte Schriften, p. 98.
7. Regarding Karl Follen, see: Muench, Gesammelte Schriften, pp.
39-91. In addition to his own autobiography, it is significant that
Muench's collected writings contained the biographies of only two
other persons: Karl Follen and Paul Follenius, the two persons that
are central to an understanding of Muench's life and work.
Unfortunately, Karl Follen never got the opportunity to visit his
brother Paul after he had gotten to Missouri. This was due to the fact
that Follen was concerned about the safety of traveling to Missouri,
where slavery was allowed, given his outspoken views against
slavery. See the following biographies of Follen, all of which contain
references to Follenius and Muench: George Washington Spindler,
Karl Follen: A Biographical Study. (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1917; Edmund Spevack, Charles Follen's Search for
Nationality and Freedom: Germany and America, 1796-1840.
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997); and: Frank Mehring,
Karl/Charles Follen: Deutsch-Amerikanischer Freiheitskämpfer.
(Giessen: Verlag der Ferber'schen Universitäts-Buchhandlung
Giessen, 2004).
8. Muench, Gesammelte Schriften, p. 98.
9. See: Gustav Koerner, Memoirs of Gustave Koerner, 1809-1896:
Life Sketches Written at the Suggestion of his Children. Edited by
Thomas J. McCormack. (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Torch Press
Publishers, 1909), Vol. 1, p. 307.
10. Muench, Gesammelte Schriften, p. 99.
11. Interview with Rolf Schmidt in Cincinnati (7 October 2009).
Also see: Rolf Schmidt, Warten auf die Flut: Ein historischer
Harriersand-Roman. (Oldenburg: Isensee Verlag, 2008). This
fascinating historical novel focuses on the Giessen Emigration
Society.
12. See: Gottfried Duden, Report on a Journey to the Western States
of North America…Edited by James W. Goodrich. (Columbia,
Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 1980). Also, see: Dorris
Keeven-Franke, “Gottfried Duden: The Man behind the Book,” in:
Tolzmann, ed., Missouri's German Heritage, pp. 85-95.
13. Regarding the conditions of the time, see: Don Heinrich
Tolzmann, “Understanding the Causes of the German Immigrations:
The Context of German History before 1830,” in: Don Heinrich
Tolzmann, ed., Das Ohiotal The Ohio Valley:The German
Dimension. (New York: Peter Lang Pub. Co., 1993), pp. 3-19.
14. Regarding the German literary image of America, see: Alexander
Ritter, ed., Deutschlands literarisches Amerikabild. (Hildesheim:
Olms, 1977). For an older, but still quite useful history of the topic,
see: Paul C. Weber, America in Imaginative German Literature in the
First Half of the Nineteenth Century. (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1926).
page 15
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