|
|
-
| Name |
KRAMER |
| Gender |
Male |
| Person ID |
I381 |
tree1 |
| Last Modified |
22 Jan 1999 |
-
| Notes |
- Steinfeld was 800 years old in 1987. It has many old farmsteads that go back nearly that far. Generally speaking, the area has poor soil and could not adequately feed its population in the early to mid 19th century. Many of the Heuerleute (hirelings/day laborers) who no longer had access to their annual trip to Holland to make a few pennies to survive and were also being robbed of their meager earnings for their handiwork (wool making and knitting) by a growing manufacturing base, left to go to America.
- The KRAMERS seem to have been heuerleute as they are scattered all over the area. None are listed in the records that survived the 30 Years war. They seem to have been late arrivals as workers in the Steinfeld area. Our line, as far as I've been able to trace it so far, lived and worked on the OSTERHUS farm. Johann Henrich KRAMER is refered to in church records as Johann Henrich KRAMER zu KLEINE OSTERHUS which means he worked and lived on that farm. The OSTERHUS farm was already divided into GROSS OSTERHUS and KLEINE OSTERHUS back in 1499. In the 1545 Penny Tax raised for the defense against the Turkish infidels lots of sheep were counted on both places.
- Destruction caused by the Swedish-Netherlands troops during the 30 years war, 1618-1648 resulted in few people left in the area. By 1665 there were 12 families again rebuilding and working on their farms. By 1699 we find a few more along with the farms BOSCHE-OSTERHUS (Ho'vel) and GROSS OSTERHUS. The population was back up to 210 souls. One can imagine how 200+ people lived on a handful of farms. Every available space was occupied. The farm, ROENBECK, supposedly had 60-70 living there. Eventually little heuerhauses were built for some of the more permanent residents who worked the land for the owners. They subsidized their income by digging peat, making wooden shoes, and spending the haymaking season in Holland. On top of that was knitting and weaving to make clothes for the family and hopefully to sell to others.
- Even the major farmers needed to do other things beside farming. Gross Osterhus had a brick making factory by 1841. By 1854, he produced all the brick and roof tile for the church being built in Steinfeld. In 1879 the guesthouse and foodmarket of Osterhus-Bering was founded.
- Things went so far that the pastor opened a school for boatsmen. Perhaps then they could get jobs where there were ships. In 1818 the Heringsfischerey Compagnie of Stettun wrote to the pastor with a brief thank you note for the well trained men. Among them was Gert Henrich Kramer [I haven't tied him in yet-JLS]. They asked for more men trained in various skills. The pastor organized more classes with Gert assisting him. Two more Kramers, Johan Herbst and John Arndt went off to Stettin [ditto-JLS] The Kramers had jobs there until 1822 when they were not invited back. They then applied for and got work in the herring fishery in Emden and Travemu'nde.
- Hinrich Arnd Kramer (formerly Ko'tter auf Hu'bel) finally left Holthausen with his 6 member family during the early 1840s. [ditto-JLS] Another Hinrich Kramer left between April and June 1849 with wife and three kids. He had owned a small place in Holthausen which he sold to raise money. IN 1858 THE HA'USLER H.H. KRAMER (OWNED NOTHING BUT A COTTAGE) LEFT WITH WIFE AND FOUR KIDS. These families all went to the U.S. Some to Ohio, others to Iowa.
- Other Kramers went off to settle in the Austro-Hungarian empire and their descendents were among the millions of Germans evicted from present day Czech republic after WWII. Johan Arend Kramer (b. 1789) had requested a three month passport to visit Hungary. His sons, Heinrich Arend and Heinrich Anton then settled there in 1859 and 1860 respectively. Many of the Mu'nsterlander settled in Tscherman which becameknown as little 'Tschermany' around Pressburg. They were able to pool their resources and purchase old estates from some of the local nobility which they then split up into sizeable farm spreads.
- Another Franz Heinrich Kramer (b. 1822) son of the heuerman Arnd Henrich Kramer from the farm of Bosche in Lehmden and his wife, Maria Agnes Su'dbeck also left on 3/16/1859 to settle in Gross-Rippin in the same general area. His brother, Johan Clemens and sister, Maria Catharina followed shortly thereafter. Although some left, Kramers still live in Steinfeld today.
- This information was provided by a fellow genealogist, W. Fred Rump of Beverly N.J. who has been to Steinfeld and has a book written to commemorate Steinfeld's 800 year anniversary. Excerpts from the book.
- I have no proof that Henrich Arend, Maria Elizabeth and Maria Engel are children of this Kramer or related to Johann Henrich. There were no Kramers in the Steinfeld area during the Status Animarum of 1749. Then there were these Kramers. I suspect they are related and came to Steinfeld together.
|
|
|
