A German Christmas in Bowling
Green, 1889 by
Alan Borer
Like
most cities and towns across the Midwest, Bowling Green, Ohio,
had a sizable German-speaking minority in the.
“In 1900, 204,160 native-born Germans resided in Ohio,” according to the Ohio Historical Society,
and many more citizens had whole or partial German ancestry. And because Christmas, at least American
Christmas is of German immigrant origin, I thought it would be worth sharing
some German Christmas memories from my boyhood hometown of Bowling Green.
That
I can share these memories at all is possible because Bowling Green, in the 1880s, had enough
German-speaking citizens to establish a German newspaper. Die
Post, easily translated as The Post,
was published for the German speaking and reading population of central Wood County. Like many newspapers in small towns, it had
an off-again, on-again publishing career.
Microfilm copies exist for 1889, but another incarnation of Die Post was
being published by “Dammon and Holterman” in 1899. “Dammon” might refer to the G. J. Dammon, listed
in the 1900 Census as a resident of Portage
just south of Bowling Green. The 1899 Post
appeared to cease around 1903, but the trail is just too faint to say with
certainty.
But
if your goal is to see what Christmas like in the German community, the December 19, 1889 issue of
Die Post survives for perusal. Not surprisingly for a new immigrant
community, the news offered in Die Post
was tilted heavily toward news from Germany and Austria. Even on page three, where local news was
offered, the news was about other German-Americans and advertisements for
German-owned and operated businesses.
For
example a very large advertisement for the clothier Brunning and Witte in Pemberville
was headed “Weihnachtssachen,” literally “Christmas things.” Among the “things” offered were “mantel,
scharpe, schuen und stiefeln (coats, sashes, shoes, and boots).” Adhering to the German stereotype of
practicality and frugality, the Pemberville merchants offered useful gifts.
Other
“news” listed the doings of German neighbors and neighborhoods. Philip Berger, of the Bowling Green Glass Works,
was back to work after four weeks of serious illness. Herr Hoffman, Perrysburg’s “genial” grocer,
was taking a trip. Friedrich Roessinger
died in Pemberville at age 52. And
Charles Kistner and Alice Strohl were married.
There
were even a few humorous references, although sometimes the humorous items were
actually advertisements in disguise. A
short article labeled “Der beste Beweis (The Best Evidence”) is roughly
translated thusly:
“What
should I do, young lady, to prove my love for you?”
“Take
my hand”
The conversation ends not with an
engagement, but with, “Buy your Christmas things at Holden’s 5 & 10 Cent
Store.” I’m not sure the lady would have
been won with a 10 cent ring, but who am I to judge?
Another
fragment labeled “Die Bauern Sagen (The Farmers Say)” also turns out to be an
advertisement for “Tanners Schuladen,” which has the “einem Laden in Wood County
(the best selection in Wood
County.” The Bowling
Green merchant knew his customer base – Germans – and
where they looked for information – Die
Post.
Another
appeal to a rural audience was the following:
Farmer:
Der beste Plaz, eine gute Wahlzeit zu bekommen, ist im “People’s Eatinghouse.” Die erste Lokal nordlich von der
Postoffic. E. G. Ward
(The best place for having a good
time is at the “People’s Eatinghouse.”
Located the first block north of the postoffice.)
Retail
selling, whether shoes or restaurants, was a cutthroat operation. Especially in the nineteenth century, when
merchants had few advertising options beyond signs and newspapers, businessmen
placed much hope in the holiday push for sales.
Knowing your customer base was as essential as it is now. So it was no surprise that the advertisers in
Die Presse marked their local news column with a bold “Froliche Weihnacht! (Merry Christmas!) We can only hope it was!
No comments:
Post a Comment