A “Poem” that flowed forth from my typewriter, in Odessa’s parsonage, on Saturday afternoon, November 18, 1967, when my ‘morrow’s sermon – after hours and days of work, study & meditation – consisted of a blank sheet of paper! A LAMENT IN MIDST OF MY DILEMMA Help me, O God, off the horns of […]
A Lament in the Midst of My Dilemna Read More »
On August 9, 1967 at 816 East 18th St. in Odessa, Texas, I was sitting at the kitchen table of the parsonage with a heavy-laden heart, for some antagonistic members were attempting to subvert our pastoral ministry. As I looked out the window, I saw some pansies blooming under three sapling live oaks – all
Most of the descendants of the Wends in the United States do not know the impact that Old Lutheranism had on their Wendish forefathers who came to Texas in the middle of the 19th century. What is Old Lutheranism? Who were the Old Lutherans? Actually the Old Lutherans were just plain confessional Lutherans, but because
Old Lutheranism and the Wends Read More »
The table shows the German migration to the United States from 1821-1900*. 1821-1830 9,987 1831-1840 157,265 1841-1850 439,270 1851-1860 976,678** 1871-1880 781,273 1881-1890 1,641,571 1891-1900 728,348 Total 5,552,946 * Taken from Deutsch-Amerikanische Geschichtsblaetter, Vol III, No. 3 on page 30. ** Includes the large Wendish immigration of 1854.
German Immigration to the USA Read More »
Names of the provinces of modern Germany in German and English. GERMAN ENGLISH Baden-Würtemberg Baden-Wuertemberg Bayern Bavaria Berlin Berlin Brandenburg Brandenburg Bremen Bremen Hamburg Hamburg Hessen Hesse Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-West Pomerania Niedersachsen Lower Saxony Nordrhein-Wesfallen North Rhine-Westphalia Rheinland-Pfalz
Provinces (Länder) of Modern Germany After Unification of 1990 Read More »
To better understand the Oder-Neisse Line, the modern boundary between Germany and Poland, please refer to Map I. The 1937 eastern boundary is outlined by the heavy black line. Hitler and Stalin divided Poland in 1939. See Map II. The light-shaded area in the east (four dark arrows) covers Polish territory that was annexed by
The Oder – Neisse Line Read More »
The emancipation of the peasants of Silesia was set in motion by the Oktoberedikt of 1807. This edict brought many reforms which abolished the feudal system. It freed the peasants as of St. Martin’s Day (November 11), 1810. The emancipation set aside servile or compulsory labor and services of the peasant class. Those peasants who did
Emancipation of the Peasants in Silesia and Saxony Read More »
While searching for my roots I discovered that eleven of my ancestors were on the BEN NEVIS that brought the large immigration of Wends to Texas in 1854. There were seven on my father’s (Otto Biar) side and four on my mother’s (Lydia Biar, nee Moerbe) side. Three of the seven ancestor’s on my paternal
My Foreign Born Ancestors Who Came to Texas Read More »
It is a pity that so much of the history written about the borderland between Slavs and Germans is steeped in bias and prejudice. There were no early Slavic historians. Much of the early history of the Slavs was written by Germanic writers. Since Germany was not a homogenous nation, the early writers represented Germanic
Some Observations about Researching the Wends Read More »
Early German and Slavic tribes did not know the art of construction with brick and stone as the Romans did, but used wood. Later on as wood became scarce a method usually referred to as “HALF-TIMBERED” construction was employed. In England it is also known as “WATTLE AND DAUB” construction and in Germany it is
Half-Timbered Construction Read More »
