Dear Reader,

If you are following our story on the website (http://www.ThinkPint2.com/ripleyroots/mosch_stories.html), you know there are often months between the times new acts are uploaded into cyberspace. During that time, our ace researcher, Cousin Greg Rittenhouse, often finds new material that entirely change how we view events. That has happened again since the last time we visited Webenheim (Scene Three, Act Four in 1862) and now.

We are currently writing Scene Four, Act Three, in the winter of 2002. Greg's mother, Dorothy, died just a few days short of her 89th birthday on January 30, 2002. Dorothy Estelle Phillips Rittenhouse was an avid genealogist for most of her adult life. It is in her memory we write this Scene and think of how our ancestors have shaped our lives and continue to shape our lives.

The Picture Case

When we left the Moschels in 1862 in Webenheim, Philipp Moschel was our storyteller. Philipp was 49 and his wife, Louise, 47. Their oldest son, Christian, had emigrated to Peoria, Illinois. They had three other sons, all who died very young. We knew Philipp and Louise also had four daughters. When the previous scene was written in fall 2001, we knew two of those daughters had remained in Webenheim. One daughter, Louise, it appeared had not married and lived and died in Webenheim. The second daughter, Caroline, married and lived and died in Webenheim. She is the third great grandmother to Markus Klein of the Cousins Four. But in fall of 2001 we did not know what had happened to the two other daughters of Philipp and Louise. Their records could not be found by Cousin Greg in Webenheim. We speculated they had moved to nearby villages and had married, lived, and died there. Markus encouraged us to put them in the "missing" category until we could find more.

And find more we did. To be specify, Greg found more. Much, much more!

Outside of Picture Case

To put the story in context we need to remember one (or more) of the Moschels who left Webenheim sent a picture case with four pictures back to Philipp and Louise Moschel still in Webenheim probably sometime in the early 1860's. The case has been kept to this day. That fact alone is notable considering the number of wars and evacuations between the picture case's arrival in Webenheim and now. Pictures were not common in rural Germany at the time, but clearly becoming more common in the U.S.

The Cousins Four have been trying to identify the four people in the picture since we reunited in March 2001. Markus emailed a story from his grandmother, Elfriede, on March 31, 2001, and he said, "...after telling these stories, Elfriede said she has some pictures inherited from her grandmother and she had them from her mother Caroline Moschel (!). Elfriede went to her "gudd stubb" that is dialect and means "gute stube" and that means a good room, a room only for Christmas, birthday, and other special events. She came back with an old ornate box. In it there were 4 photographs, and Elfriede said her grandmother said the box came from America and the woman on the left above should be Charlotte Moschel. The Charlotte who went away in the night. Fantastic, isn't it?"

Since that day on March 31, 2001, we have continued trying to identify the people in the picture. We knew who Charlotte Moschel was. She was one of the original older generation Moschel emigrants from Webenheim, who by oral history, left Webenheim, leaving her husband and child behind and moving to Peoria, Illinois, and starting a new life.

Inside of Picture Case

It was the other three people in the picture whom we did not know. One was a young looking man and the other two were young women, one with a baby in her arms. On April 3, 2001, Markus continued his story about the picture case with these hints from his grandmother in another email, "As I told you, there are FOUR pictures in the case. A woman that should be Charlotte, a younger man and two young women, one of them with a child. Due to the story of my grandmother, these women should be sisters and one was married with the man above. After her death in her younger years, the man married again, his sister-in-law."

That was where we stood with the story of the picture case for many months. When we wrote the 1862 story of Webenheim, not knowing anything further, we featured the picture case in the story, but we had the people wrong in the picture. We wrote the story as if the picture had been sent by Philipp's sister, Charlotte, and then made the people in the picture Philipp's son, Christian, who was living with Charlotte at the time in Illinois. We assumed Christian married twice and these were the pictures of his two wives. This made perfect sense us; son goes to Illinois and sends back a picture of his first wife with child and then his second wife after the first wife dies.

Wrong.

On November 29, 2001, Cousin Greg surprised the rest of the cousins, by laying out in great detail the probable story of who was in the picture. Through meticulous research he documented that Philipp's two daughters, Jacobina and Catherine, came to America and eventually married the same man, Herman Gerbing. In all likelihood the picture case holds the picture of Herman Gerbing who married Jacobina Moschel in 1863. They had four children, and then Jacobina died in childbirth in 1869. Then Herman Gerbing next married Catherine Moschel, his former sister- in-law. This couple had another child in 1875. Thus, Markus' grandmother's story was accurate all along. In the 1880 census Catherine Moschel Gerbing is listed as a asylum resident and Herman Gerbing is in Urbana, Illinois. His later odyssey takes him out to the West Coast where we might visit him in a later scene.

Reflect a moment what this means to those left in Webenheim. By 1876 Philipp Moschel is 63 and his wife, Louise, is 61. Philipp is the only Moschel left of that generation in Webenheim, his last brother having died in 1868. Philipp's only living son is 40 and in Peoria, Illinois. Two daughters have emigrated to the U.S. One, Jacobina, is now dead and the other, Catherine, is raising her sister's children and just given birth to her own child, and is possibly not mentally stable. She is just four years from being listed in a census record as in an institution for the insane. Philipp and Louise have two daughters left in Webenheim, one unmarried, and the other, Caroline, is married to Friedrich Schmidt and has two young children in 1876. We will take a glimpse at Caroline later in this act.

Germany Reunification

In addition to the family story, we also have the developments in Germany and how they effect our Moschel family in Webenheim. As we pointed out in the introduction to this scene, between 1862 and 1876 there were three periods when Germany was at war. The first was in 1863 when Bismarck supported the Danish crown against the Danish army in the dispute of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. The second occasion was the so-called Seven Weeks War in 1866 in which there was a dispute between Prussia and Austria over the administration of the Danish duchies. A Prussian victory enabled the organization of the North German Confederation. The third occasion of war brought the southern German states, where Webenheim is located, into the new German nation. The military event was a war with France in 1870 over the succession to the Spanish throne. The southern German states, which had fought against Prussian in 1866, joined Prussia's side. A month after the war started the French army was beaten and the southern German states acceded to the Northern German Federation. This Franco-Prussian war accelerated unification. Four months after the victory, Wilhelm I of Prussia was crowned Deutscher Kaiser and thus began the climb of Germany as a modern European nation state.

The first two conflicts noted above did not directly affect Webenheim, except for men drafted into the military. The third conflict, though, saw Webenheim in the midst of battle as it would be again in the coming decades.

Webenheim in the 1870's

What was Webenheim like in this time period? In 1875 Webenheim had 801 inhabitants in 145 households. There were 412 males and 389 females. The businesses in Webenheim included a bakery, smithy, butchery, cabinet-making, shoemaker, tailor, linen weaver, and at least two pubs. Between 1874-1879 a railway was built between Zweibrücken and Saargemünd with one station at Blieskastel. This railway connected Webenheim to Zweibrücken and to other towns in the Blies valley. The Webenheim residents now had an alternative way to travel other than by foot or horse-driven wagon.

Webenheim Schoolhouse

Webenheim had one school house during this period which was just across the street from the house of Philipp Moschel from 1822 to 1904. Initially there was just one teacher, but a second was added after 1864. Webenheim had one church built in 1867. The pastor from 1865 to 1870 was Vicar H. Dahl. Pastor Dahl wrote a report in April 1870 which describes his parishioners in the preceding year. Through the report we get a glimpse of life in Webenheim at this time.

Pastor Dahl reports giving religious education to his young parishioners once a week. The pastor complains that the adult residents of Webenheim often miss church services. He says the people are only interested in material and worldly goods and not in the concerns of the soul and spirit. The vicar goes on to comment on the moral behavior of the residents and reciting that 1 out of 10 babies were born out of wedlock and that all acts of sexual infidelity must be confessed to the pastor, even though confession is not a part of reformed churches. After a confession to the pastor, the church member can once again receive holy communion.

The list of complaints goes on with the vicar reporting such behaviors as drinking and smoking among adolescents. Parents, too, are condemned for not teaching their children better morals. On the positive side, the vicar points out there is little crime in the community and the residents work hard and there are no beggars in town.

One last tidbit from the vicar. He says Webenheimers do not properly celebrate the birthday of King Ludwig II. He thinks they should do so, but then tries to explain by saying many of the peasants do not celebrate their own birthdays. The residents, probably feeling somewhat distant from their royal house and king, pray for King Ludwig at every church service and perhaps think that is enough homage to the man.

Start of the Second Reich

As noted, the war with France in 1870 brought German unification. France declared war on July 18, 1870. People in the Webenheim area, because of its location, immediately felt the effects of the war. Between July 18 and 26 a Bavarian infantry regiment was billeted in the area. That was only the beginning. The area became a battleground between the Prussians and the French. The most famous battle was at Spicherer Berg where several Saarbrücken regiments defeated the French troops. Two divisions under the leadership of Field Marshall Prinz Friedrich Karl came directly through Webenheim. The date was August 7, 1870, a Sunday, and the citizens of Webenheim watched the marching thousands of men come through. In total there were two divisions of between 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers following the Field Marshal.

The soldiers pitched their tents in Webenheim on this day swelling the towns' population from 800 people to 50,000 plus. The citizens of Webenheim sold food to the soldiers and by the next day, August 8, the victory against the French in Saarbrücken was announced to all and one heck of a party followed. The troops then moved further down the Bliestal Valley, leaving the Webenheim area.

Webenheim Residents Cutting Potatoes

On the following days in August, more troops came through Webenheim. One can only imagine what life was like at that time for the residents of Webenheim. Foot soldiers were coming through the town, needing food, water, medical attention, and shelter. The peasants of Webenheim helped the army transport goods and guns with their horse and cow-drawn wagons. For these services they were well paid. Webenheimers themselves were involved in the war as soldiers. Town records state that two Webenheimers became invalid because of the war and three became French Prisoners of War.

On March 12, 1871, the Webenheim residents acknowledged the end of the war with a great celebration which included speeches and a performance of the town choral society. The town's memorial was to plant two trees in front of the new church. One tree was for the new Kaiser, Wilhelm I, and the other tree was Ludwig II, King of Bavaria.

Even though the war was over, Webenheim was not finished with hosting military troops. From April 14, 1871, through June 21, 1871, the victorious troops came back from France through Webenheim. The spirit of the Webenheimers was often shown in cheering the troops and waving the flags of Bavaria and new German flag. The enthusiasm was not equal in all towns. Webenheim supported the war, but the Catholic towns in the Blies Valley were called "...the reluctant towns on the other side of the Blies River." Webenheim's pastor, K. Wilhlem Renatus Aign, wrote very strongly of his loyalty to the new Germany and the Webenheimers support of the new Germany. Webenheimers also continued to profit by providing services for the troops as they went back to their own homelands.

One must remember there was somewhat of a love/hate relationship in Southern Germany with many of the Prussian soldiers (or North German troops) who fought the 1870-1871 war. In the 1866 Seven Weeks War the Webenheimers fought on the side of Austria against the Prussians and even worse memories were recalled from the German Revolution of 1848 when the Prussians invaded the Bavarian Rhineland. Now, in this new and latest war, Webenheimers were on the same side of the Prussians. Strange bedfellows one might say.

One final date to remember is April 16, (which also happens to be Markus Klein's birthday) 1871, when the Constitution of the German Empire was adopted. The Second Reich had begun. The town pastor was supportive of the new leader and the new times. Pastor Aign in his report of the town in 1872 says, "...but the Citizens shall lay down the sacrifice of obedience, faithfulness, German discipline, custom and Christianity on the altar of the rescued Fatherland. In order that justice and peace will be the fortress of the Reich and our land will be a land, where one can live well. God, do one's duty. Amen"

These are strong words for a community leader. Clearly, the pastor of Webenheim is throwing his support to the new Germany and he preached that to his parishioners.

The Moschels in Webenheim

In 1876 Margaret Schantz Moschel and her son were leaving Illinois and heading for a new life in Beatrice, Nebraska. At the same time Catherine Moschel Klein and her husband were starting a new store in Beatrice, Nebraska, and Catherine was waiting for the arrival of her mother, Margaret, from Illinois. In Webenheim we have Moschels living and working and keeping contact with their relatives in the U.S.

Caroline & Friedrich Schmidt's House as it might have looked in 1876

With the background of what we have described of the family situation and political situation, we now join Caroline Moschel Schmidt on an early autumn day in 1876 in Webenheim in her house on the main street of the town which is called Hauptstraße. Carolyn's house belongs to the family of her husband, Friedrich Schmidt. Caroline's father-in-law, Georg Nickel, lives with them in the house as a widower. Even though the house is on the main street, it is not in the central area. The house where she grew up was directly in the center of town and just steps from the town church, schoolhouse, and a pub next door. Caroline's house has no space in front on the house because it resides on a main road from villages down the Blies Valley to the bigger town of Blieskastel just across the Blies River. The back of the house has a steep slope and thus no room is left for children to play or having a small garden. Caroline and Friedrich did have space for a garden across the main street. This is where we find the next generation of the Moschel family in 1876.

***

Caroline adjusted her skirt. It was getting just a bit too tight which meant she would soon have to begin wearing even more generous clothes to cover what would soon be her very ample tummy. After two pregnancies and two births she knew the landscape of how her body would change in the next few months. She put her hand on her stomach and felt a kick back as she did so. The unexpected response brought a smile to her face, and she wondered if that kick was a girl or a boy. After two boys, she hoped it would be a girl. If it was not, that was fine, but she really wanted a girl.

Today was not just an ordinary day because it was, Saturday, September 30, and the second birthday of her second child, Christian. Caroline decided over a week ago to make it a special day and invite her family for supper. Last year her parents surprised her by having a little party for Christian and the family and giving her something she never expected. Her parents decided on Christian's first birthday they would give her a gift. The symbolism of the gift still brought tears to her eyes.

Jacobina Moschel Gerbing

Christian's birthday, you see, was also the same birth day as her sister, Jacobina. If she had lived, on this September 30th Jacobina would have been 35. So, on Christian's first birthday, her parents and sister had decided to give her the only picture they had of Jacobina, namely the picture case sent from America a few years prior. Caroline was overwhelmed with the gift and said it was too early. They should keep it. The response was both firm and warm. No, it had been decided by her parents and sister. Caroline should have the pictures and they thought it perfect to give it to her on Christian's first birthday. They told her it was up to her to decide who would next get the picture, but for them the decision had been made. That was final.

Yes, it was final but it still left a tug in her heart whenever she thought of the gesture.

But now she must set the table. There would be 10 adults, and her two children. As she set the table, she thought of each person. Her mother and father and sister often ate with them. They lived just steps away, but tonight was more festive and an dessert added which Christian might not understand at age 2, but certainly would enjoy. They lived in the same house as her father-in- law, Georg, and as a widower he had much enjoyment of his two young grandsons. Her husband's mother's parents would come, the only living great grandparents of her two children. Also Friedrich's sister and husband would come, probably bringing something from their kitchen which was next door to her own kitchen.

As she finished setting the table, she thought of those she would have liked to invite. Among them were her brother Christian in Illinois, her sister Catherine in Illinois, and her husband's three sisters who were all in America. They had given much to America.

Catherine Moschel Gerbing

Caroline worried the most about Catherine. She was not only raising her young son, John, who was almost the same age as Christian, but she was raising Jacobina's children as well. If she dwelled on how her sister was and what she was doing, it upset her terribly. She could not mention her sister much to her parents. They, too, worried about her. It was only her husband and sister to whom she could confide her concern. If only Catherine could be nearer to them. She could help her raise Jacobina's children. So would Louisa. So would her mother. If only, sometimes she thought her life lived on "if only" as far as her family.

If only they all still lived in Webenheim. If only Jacobina had not died. If only she could know what America was like. If only she could see her brother and sister again. If only........Caroline stopped her "if only" thought in mid stream. Today was Christian's birthday and that is who she would focus on today, not the "if only" thoughts.

***

Dear Reader,

Caroline Moschel was only 20 years old when the German nation was born in 1871. She lived through the months of the war when thousands of soldiers came and stayed at Webenheim. She saw war first hand. Her family in America, by living in Illinois, knew of war, but probably did not experience it first hand. Imagine the worry of those in Illinois hearing of the war in Webenheim in 1870. Many events collide at the same time. Jacobina died in childbirth in Illinois in 1869. Her sister, Catherine, married her former brother-in-law in January 1870 while a war is breaking out in Webenheim. The family in Webenheim was worrying about what is happening in Illinois, and those in Illinois are, no doubt, worrying about what is happening in Webenheim.

In all likelihood Caroline Moschel Schmidt's life in Webenheim is much like the life her parents and even grandparents lived. She was a wife of a peasant farmer who lived in Webenheim and probably works fields that are some distance from Webenheim. Her husband, Friedrich Schmidt, we know lived for a period of time in Altheim which is about 10 kilometers (or six miles) from Webenheim. Because of this fact he had a nickname of Der Altheimer, or a man from Altheim. This fact does demonstrate that living a short distance away from Webenheim makes you "different." Imagine then, how different it must seem if you are in America! Caroline and Friedrich lived in a house in Webenheim which still exists. Cousin Markus has taken pictures of the house and even used a draw program to imagine what the house looked like when it had a barn attached. When you entered the house there was a hallway. To the right took you to the living room, no doubt a Gudd Stubb to used only on special days. On the left the door took you to the barn and stable. All the floors in the house were wooden. There was a basement under the kitchen and living room. In the kitchen was a stairway that took you to the second floor with three bedrooms. Friedrich Schmidt lived in the house until 1938.

We have Markus' grandmother, Elfriede Schunk Klein to thank for the level of detail about the family, house, and times in Webenheim in 1876. If there ever was a living treasure for family history, we have found it in Elfriede! The party planned above is probably more accurate than not because of Elfriede and also the description of the house/stable and what surrounded it.

The Cousins Four think there is no doubt that the families in the U.S. and Webenheim were still close knit in 1876. The evidence is in the picture case sent back to Webenheim and one original Webenheim emigrant going back to Webenheim and taking family back with them to Illinois and elsewhere in the late 1860's and early 1870's. These were not people that were estranged from each other. They were engaged with other.

How long will this engagement continue?

Follow us to the next scene set in the 1890's to find out.

A Note:

We want to thank two local Webenheim resources. The two pictures of Webenheim were collected by Horst Weingart, a genealogist who lives in Webenheim and has worked for years preserving local history. His work has made our work much easier. The second thank you goes to the former pastor of the Webenheim church, F. Grund and Christoph Schwarz who published the book 125 Years of the Lutheran Church in Webenheim.