750 Jahre
BROMSKIRCHEN
(1238 to 1988)
The following translated pages relate to DORNSEIF(F)(FEN) mentioned in this book which celebrates the 750th anniversary of the town of Bromskirchen.
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p. 38
Building of the City Hall 1619
The growing village still lacked a town hall. It was built from 1619 to 1621. The work was carried out by master carpenter Daniel Dornseif of Somplar. Several years before the appearance of the epidemic, the population must have been quite economically secure, for they were in the position to erect a quite stately, half-timbered building such as a city hall on the “Kreuz”. The inscription over the entryway gives information about the builder. The passage is still inscribed:
Pax intrantibus Salus exeuntibus
Anno christi 1619 June 22
Peace on those entering! Well-being to those going out!
Beautiful ornamental carvings adorn the paneling.
The open space lying directly in front of the city hall served as a market place. However, the earliest documented proof found is from the beginning of the 18th century.
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pp. 65-66
Taxes in the year 1655: Smoked Chickens
Before us lie the bills from the Battenberg offices for the year 1655 (Marburg state archives). From these it comes forth which Bromskirchen families had to turn over smoked chickens. This was a sort of tax.
List in alphabetical order:(list included:)
Emanuel Dornseiff
Emanuel Dornseiff senior
Emanuel Dornseiff junior
Joachim Dornseiff
Johanchen Dornseiff
The local pastor and the forester were exempt from the smoked chicken tax.
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pp. 66-68
The Subjects of Bromskirchen 1711/12
(list includes:)
#16. Johannes Dornseiff, senior Farmer
#19. Johannes Dornseiff, laborer, Farmer
#25. Jacob Dornseiff, Farmer
#26. Daniel Dornseiff, the older, Farmer
#34 Daniel Dornseiff, junior, Farmer
#44. Johannes Dornseiff, at the Erbes lane, Farmer
#47. Johannes Dornseiff Koch., Farmer
#54. Ludwig Dornseiff, Farmer
#82. Longinus Dornseiffs Wit., Farmwoman
#83. Johannes Dornseiff at the Hallenberger mountain, Farmer
The subjects mentioned here, as in other villages in the area, were required to perform a certain amount of compulsory service to his Serene Highness.
Note: According to the information of Dr. Pietzner, Bromskirchen is the “entry-way” of a small wheelbarrow farmer who drives with one wheel and owns no equipment (and also no horse). Concept and content correspond to the expression “Kossaet" common in eastern and northern Germany. An “Ausschusslieutnant und Taback-Spionier” is a tax controller for the tobacco works (today would be the equivalent of a tax official).
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pp. 70-85
Surnames in the Bromskirchen Churches' Books
Benner
According to the church penance record of 1725, Anna Elisabeth Benner, daughter of the late Johann Curt Benner of Allendorf and a maidservant at the inn “Am Fort,” had an illegitimate child by Ludwig Dornseif, senior. In 1728 Johann Henrich Benner, son of Johann Georg Benner, married Maria Elisabeth, daughter of the gamekeeper Ehrenreich Klein, in Dachsloch. Johann Ludwig, the son born in the same year, no longer appears in the church record.Heinrich Ehrenreich Ludwig Benner, son of Jacob Benner “from the Oel”, of the Dodenau parish, was married in 1799 in Neuludwigsdorf.
Busch
Zacharias Busch, son of Johann Busch of Roeddenau, married Anna Martha Dornseiff of Somplar in 1724. Daniel Busch, illegitimate son of Catherine Mueller and Ludwig Busch of Weidenhausen/Wittgenst, married Catherine Rumpf in 1849. They had three children who died young.
Dornseif(f)
One of the original families, along with at least two others (Laurentius and Hermann), which settled in Bromskirchen before 1500. 1462 and 1467 in Hallenberg the married priest Hermann, who later lived in Bromskirchen and was the father of the Mayor Hermann Dornseif, junior. Before 1500 priest Gottschalk in Schuellar, who around 1500 moved to Bromskirchen where his son lived.Gottschalk Dornseif, born ca. 1463, first a priest, later a Lutheran minister in Bromskirchen (formerly Girkhausen), was presumably the son of priest Hermann of Hallenberg. According to the church record, those settled in Bromskirchen in 1625:
Johenchen D., died of plague 1628
Jakob D., son of Johann D., died of plague Nov. 24, 1640
Manuell D., juryman, born 1573, died 1668
Hermann D., died of plague 1637
Michael D., called Meissenhen, died of plague 1636
Johannes D., married 1625
and in Somplar:
Simon D., miller, died 1645
Daniell D., master carpenter, died of plague 1628, builder of the town hall in Bromskirchen
Homrighausen
Christian Daniel Homrighausen of Diedenshausen, presumably “Schulze”, married Luise, daughter of the mayor Becker of Berleburg, in 1817. From Girkhausen originated Ludwig Georg Hermann Homrighausen, who with Anne Marie Dornseif had 5 illegitimate children in Neuludwigsdorf between 1840 and 1853. The mason Konrad Homrighausen of Alertshausen married Anna Elisabeth Ringler in 1873 in Bromskirchen.
Krieger
“A Trajoner of Casselisch by the name of Krieger of Travemuende” had, between 1724 and 1734 with Catherine Elisabeth Dornseif of Somplar, three daughters who received the family name of their mother. Two of them were married in Somplar.
Lache
Johann Lache was one of the new settlers who in 1528 built new homesteads on the inherited land of the church (at Merklinghausen Hallenberg). Though not known, it is presumed that he came from Hallenberg, where Loetzel bequeathed one acre to the church in 1518. The name appears in the 16th and 17th centuries in Wildungen. The names in the Bromskirchen church record for 1625 are presumably: Werner Lache, son of Johann and Anna Lache, married Elisabeth Dornseiff, daughter of the juryman Manuel Dornseiff, on April 19, 1636. He is the ancestor of all family members in Bromskirchen, Sachsenberg and Wunderthausen.
Pfeil
For Johann Henrich Pfeil of Elsoff (or Alertshausen) and his wife Anna Gueta, nee Michels, who lived on the Linsphe, the birth of a daughter in 1765 is entered in the church record. In 1788 he had another daughter by his second wife, Anna Elisabeth Dornseiff who lived on the Puetze. Johann Pfeil, son of Henrich Pfeil of Alertshausen (born June 1, 1767, died Sept. 1, 1847 in Somplar), moved to Somplar and was married in 1795. He was originally a carpenter and later a hog farmer. Whether he was the son of the above-mentioned Henrich Pfeil of Elsoff cannot be determined from the record book of the Bromskirchen parish. The son Christian, a carpenter like his father, died in 1866. His sons Georg and Heinrich appear for the last time in the church record in 1855.
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p. 107
“Ludwig Dornseif has a field of 5 Mesten in the pasture which, as lay assessors, directors and tithe collectors attest, has always been exempt from the tithe, and may have previously been sold by the nobility.” Furthermore, this piece of land was not charged with a tax.
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p. 109
On August 18,1854, the document of tax substitution was displayed. The former Mayor Dornseiff made several comments on the document, which are to be appreciated as a true reflection of the time: “The undersigned cannot refrain from saying that it is to be attributed solely to him that the present tithe substitution has come to pass. Most of the local townspeople taking part in the general assemblies were against the commutation, and put all obstacles in my way. At such assemblies they explained through a spokesperson that it should remain with the tithes as it was with our forefathers. On this point I explained to the assembly that one can also make changes, as our forefathers had; according to the old descriptions, these ancestors had on the door a clapper instead of a lock (a bundle and a piece of string). This helped like a lightning bolt.
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p. 111
The document regarding the hereditary property of Daniel Dornseif V of Pfuetze states that the property was valued at 1100 guldens, and this amount was used as the basis for the change. Out of this the property holder paid an interest of 12 fl. 51 ¾ kr. This sum was 18 times the annual total of the yield up to that time. With the dissolution of the established economic structure and ways of living, the structure of society was loosened. Above all, the small farmers, who would now be left completely to their individual initiative, had it especially hard. They were forced to seek for new possibilities for earning money in skilled trades, commerce and business. They often emigrated.
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p. 124
Passenger List for the crossing of the “Barque Maurant”
from Bremen to new Orleans on 25 Nov.1845 (George Williams, master) (the original list can be found in the Hessen state archives in Marburg. Here the names of the Bromskirchen emigrants are extracted).
DornseifJacob 58 JahreFarmer
DornseifCatherine 58 Jahre
DornseifFriederike 19 Jahre
DornseifJacobine 15 Jahre
Muller Jakob 3 JahreFarmer
Muller Catherine 34 Jahre
Muller Johanna 11 Jahre
Muller Catherine 5 Jahre
Muller Friedrich 2 Jahre
Krock John Philipp 35 Jahre
Krock Christina 32 Jahre
Krock Augustes 6 Jahre
Langenbach Louis 18 JahreFarmer
WindJohannes 28 JahreCarpenter
Daam Konrad28 JahreTailor
SchnorbusJakob 23 JahreSainer
Steuber Hermann 34 JahreFarmer
Steuber Gertrude 31 Jahre
Steuber George 8 Jahre
Steuber Heinrich 4 Jahre
Steitz Michael 27 Jahre
Muller Johannes 54 JahreFarmer
Muller Elisabeth 51 Jahre
Muller Werner 24 Jahre
Muller Daniel18 Jahre
Muller Friedrich 16 Jahre
Muller Johannes 16 Jahre
Bohlichen Friedrich 40 Jahreaus Hallenberg
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pp. 125-126
Marriage Contract
between
Jacob Dornseiff XI of Bromskirchen
and
Anna Maria Wind of Bromskirchen
1
The engaged wish to take one another in marriage, and will soon let this be fulfilled through the marriage ceremony of the church.
2
The young married couple will make their home in the house of the bride in Bromskirchen.
3
The bride turns over to this marriage a dowry which her father promised to give her, to profit from as long as the marriage lasts or until the property should be divided among the siblings.
1 three acres of land on the Lensphergrube beside Georg Marburg, laid out with grain and potatoes.
2 2 acres of land behind the Boehl beside Johannes Voepel II, sown with oats.
3 the meadow in the Bembach for a wagonload of hay.
4 planting land on the Schreife.
and particularly a two-year-old cow.
4
In exchange, the bridegroom turns over his entire means to the marriage.
5
Should this marriage be dissolved through death, without children resulting from it, thus is it agreed:
a) if the present bridegroom should die before the bride, she shall inherit exclusively 200 fl. (200 guldens) of his means; she will receive the remainder of his means for her use, as long as she does not enter into a second marriage.
b) if the present bride should die before the bridegroom, he shall inherit exclusively 100 fl. (100 guldens) of her means; he will receive the remainder of her means for his use, as long as he does not enter into a second marriage.
c) The acquisitions will be divided according to the laws.
Read aloud, approved and signed.
Daniel Wind Jacob Dornseiff XI
Maria Wind
The foregoing three handwritten signatures confirmed.
Bromskirchen on 3 June 1858.
Court of the Grand Duke, Bromskirchen
Dornseiff
(seal)
The foregoing marriage contract will, with the attached materials, grant the official confirmation that the fulfillment of the marriage will be confronted with no known legal obstacles.
Battenberg 3. June 1858
Court of the Grand Duke
Reitz.
(seal)
Grand Duke of Hessen
Court of Battenberg
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p. 131(PHOTO)
Still at the beginning of the 1930’s, the sheep were washed in the Linsphergrund before being sheared. We see the washers by the reservoir in the Rodewiese (below the present day “Silbersees”) with a view on the blue side. To be identified in the picture (from left): Karl Dornseiff, Fritz Steuber, Wilhelm Mueller, August Schwarz, Wilhelm Wind.
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p. 138
The Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Bromskirchen
Belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran congregation of Bromskirchen are, along with Bromskirchen itself, Neuludwigsdorf and Dachsloch; just as Somplar (former seat of the of the electorate of Hessen) Hof Heiligenholz and Siebelsbach would be reorganized into the Evangelical Reformed congregation of Wunderthausen after they were overseen by Wunderthausen according to a 1920 internal agreement. Also belonging to the Bromskirchen congregation in the region of Westphalia are the dispersed towns of Hallenberg, Liesen and Braunhausen, incorporated into the parish in 1933, as well as Hesborn, incorporated in 1963.
The Kollatur of the Bromskirchen parish belonged to the landowners of Winter until the latter half of the 18th century, and then was passed over to the house of the prince of Waldeck. This family has given up its rights of patronage since the middle of our century.
In the time before the Reformation Bromskirchen had already been the nucleus of the parish, and was with its St. Martin’s Church one of the church centers of the hinterland. It withstood the deanship of Bromskirchen, which a dean – also called high priest – presided over and to which belonged several towns around Bromskirchen which later in the 16th century were abandoned. This deanship was a component of the archdiocese St. Stephan at Mainz. Unfortunately not much is known about the Reformation itself at Bromskirchen. It is certain that Gottschalk Dornseiff was from 1503 to 1533 first a Catholic priest and then a Lutheran minister. According to this the Reformation must have been introduced in Bromskirchen between 1527 (after the Homberg synod) and 1533.
In 1567 Phillip the magnanimous, count of Hessen, died, and fixed portions of his legacy were allotted to his four sons through his will, according to which the entire hinterland, and thus also Bromskirchen, fell to his second son Ludwig IV. He would become count of the newly established district of Hessen-Marburg.
Already in 1604 he died childless. According to his will, fixed portions of his legacy should again be given to both of the still living Hessian lines of ancestry, Hessen-Kassel and Hessen-Darmstadt. The latter, however, was not satisfied with this portion and kindled such disputes that Bromskirchen suffered under what may be spoken of as a war of succession. Next the hinterland fell to Hessen-Kassel, after count Moritz accepted the Calvinist denomination and introduced the so-called “points of improvement” for the advancement of the creed. Bromskirchen minister Daniel Corvinus (Cronauge), was dismissed from his post because, as his father’s successor, he was not prepared to give up his Lutheran faith.
In 1606 he was forced to abandon Bromskirchen, and left for lower Hessen-Darmstadt, where he received an offer for a new position as minister in Ostheim.
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pp. 159-160
Dedication of the new church bells on January 30, 1921
In his “Pages of Memory” pastor Steubing writes: A special ceremony which constitutes a landmark in the history of our congregation and will perhaps stand out as unique for centuries to come, is the dedication of the three new bells for our evangelical church. To all members, also to those who cannot celebrate with us on this day, let this page be presented as a token of memory, that this day of commemoration may be kept in remembrance by our children and our children’s children. It should be at the same time a greeting and an admonition, and call to us: “Wherever you are in life, do not forget your home! In grateful loyalty, think always upon your evangelical church!”
In October 1917, after the military situation created the need to proceed with the expropriation
of the bronze bells belonging to the churches, our congregation also saw it necessary to sacrifice to the need of the fatherland the 2 smallest of its 3 bells, which were cast in 1668 and 1758. Immediately after the end of the war it would be the desire within the congregation to provide a replacement for the bells which were given up. However, the money collection, at that time arranged under the organization of the congregation members, would not nearly be able to cover the necessary costs. In this position pastor Steubing, on New Year’s Day 1918, turned to 37 children of our parish in America living primarily in St. Louis, explained to them our wish and our need and requested that for their part they contribute a bit to provide for the new bells. The reply, which arrived in the spring of 1919, thereby set down a splendid testimony that they would serve not only for the providing of the longed-for ringing of bells, but should also be of service from now on, to relieve difficulties of every kind within the congregation. The names of the contributors follow:
(Names listed, including #32. Daniel Dornseif)
Thus was the church board able to come nearer to procuring the 2 new bells as well as retaining the old bronze one. Only cast steel bells came into consideration, because bells of difficult-to-obtain materials such as bronze are almost exorbitant in price. Consequently, the church board contacted the association for mining and cast steel production in Bochum, and for the time being entrusted to them the casting of 2 new cast steel bells. The sound testing of the still existing bronze bell, undertaken by the one expert sent from there, resulted nevertheless in the fact that, due to the impurity of tone of the bronze bell, the guarantee of complete harmony of tones could not be assumed. Consequently, the joint church corporation decided in their meeting on Sept. 12, 1920 to undertake the production of the bell tones from 3 cast steel bells, and to sell the still existing bronze bell. They proposed the task to the bell foundry firm of F. W. Rincker. The cost of the new bells amounted to 22,000 marks, which was covered by the arriving donations and the sale of the bronze bell. At the end of November the news came that the bells were completed, so that the delivery and sound testing could follow. Pastor Steubing was entrusted with the latter, with the engagement of a music expert, the music director R. Hoffmann of Bochum. The outcomewas set down in an opinion which states: “The character of the bell tone is similar to the bronze bells throughout, and in its soft toll of ceremonial mood, earnest, solemn and moving tone.”
The bells have a pleasant and agreeable form. The largest bell has a lower diameter of 1260 mm, the pitch F# and weighs 837 kg; the middle one has a lower diameter of 1016 mm, the pitch A and weighs 463 kg; the smallest bell has a lower diameter of 890 mm, the pitch C and weighs 319.75 kg. They carry the following inscriptions:
Largest bell:
Front: O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! Jeremiah 22:29
Back: Faithful love of the homeland gave this bell from across the ocean in a difficult time, while Hermann Steubing was pastor and Karl Koch was mayor.
Middle bell:
Front: Sing to the Lord a new song! Psalm 96:1
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p.164
To the inaugural of the new bells
(by teacher i. R. Wilhelm Dornseiff, 1987)
(POEM )
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Pastor of Bromskirchen
(list includes:)
1505-1533Dornseiff, Gottschalk (Catholic then Lutheran)
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pp. 168-171
If the St. Martin’s Church could speak…
(compiled by pastor Wilhelm Schmidt)
If the St. Martin’s Church could speak, what would she relate to us of her nearly 1000-year history: From the pre-Reformation time, “Vromoldeskyrchens”, of the Reformation, which gripped Hessen in 1526 and therewith also the “enforced church”; of the 30-Years War, which raged from 1618-1648 and which also left behind terrible marks in “Brommelskirchen”, as our town was called at that time, from natural disasters, plague years and war years, to the two world wars…
Out of the abundance of events recorded in archives or chronicles of the parish office come the following reports, some common, some uncommon or singular:
1528 the Reformation was introduced in Hessen. Gottschalk Dornseiff, born around 1460, pastor of the St. Martin’s Church since 1505 and at the same time responsible for Diedenhausen and Wunderthausen, is the first protestant minister of Bromskirchen. The counts of Wittgenstein reproached him in a letter of complaint, saying that he was not only “the illegitimate son of a priest, but also had begotten seven illegitimate children himself…”
1818 the 7-year-old child Jacob Dornseif was the last to be buried in the church cemetery. On Nov. 26,
1818 Anna Elisabeth, nee Dornseif, would be “the first to be given Christian burial in the new cemetery on the Boehl.”
1829 the awakening movement made its beginning in the Hessian hinterland with the founding of a pious convention (a private religious gathering) through the Bromskirchen town councilor and shoemaker Jacob Dornseiff.
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p. 181(PHOTO)
The church board of directors in the year 1961
From left to right: Wilhelm Friebe (Hallenberg), August Henkel, Rudolf Hornig, Juergen Freischmidt (Hallenberg), Karl Dornseiff, head teacher Heinrich Brueckmann, sexton Johann Hain (not a church director), Karl Weishaupt, Karl Friedrich Voepel, Heinrich Klein (Somplar), Luise Lache, Bernhard Finger (Somplar), Fritz Rumpf and pastor Zell
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p. 184
Kindergarten
The evangelical kindergarten is supported by the Bromskirchen parish, the political community and parental contributions. Children from Bromskirchen, Neuludwigsdorf and Somplar are accepted. The care is divided into two groups. The kindergarten leader is Mrs. Brigitte Treissl. At her side stand Ulrike Fischer and Martina Dornseiff.
The new kindergarten building was dedicated for its purpose on Sept. 24, 1965.
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p. 186
Bromskirchen Brass Choir
The brass choir will be outwardly represented by a choir spokesperson. This function will be seen to by Gustav Schnorbus and Georg Finger (representative). The task of cashier lies in the hands of Heinz Mueller and Markus Dornseiff. However, all necessary regulations will be commonly discussed and decided upon by the majority in a democratic fashion. Thereby, a young member has the same say as an “old hare”.
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p. 188(PHOTO)
Members of the brass choir: (1987)
Back row from left: Dieter Benner, Heinz Mueller, Karl-Kurt Helduser, Reinhard Dornseiff, Dietmar Voepel, Gustav Schnorbus, Volker Dicken, Jochen Benner, Marcus Raabe, Georg Finger, Christian Steuber,
Middle row from left: Harald Bender, Rosemarie Schmidt, Thomas Hornig, Markus Dornseiff,
Alexandra Kapler, Cordula Hornig, Burghard Ringler, Gisela Schmidt, Wolfgang Mankel,
Front row from left:Urte Helduser, Ute Kuemmel, Carmen Blueggel, Ulrike Weiland, Susanne Steuber, Petra Dicken, Sabine Hallenberger, Inge Mankel
Not pictured: Manfred Dornseiff (trumpet), Dr. Jan. Ranniko (trumpet), Stefan Mueller (trumpet), Ulrich Finger (trumpet), Heinz Krause (trombone).
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p. 189
Parish controversy between Bromskirchen and Somplar
(According to the documents of the church archives compiled by head teacher R. Dornseiff, 1986)
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p. 200
The Free Evangelical Congregation of Bromskirchen
1. Early History
At the beginning of the 19th century a spiritual movement which we call the “awakening movement” went over extensive parts of Europe (1). It is the opposite of the righteousness of the Enlightenment. In this movement the “peace in the land” played a particular role (2). The Biblical-Reformed teachings of the sin and guilt of man before God and his redemption through the living belief in Jesus Christ were newly set down. With this steps were taken towards the overcoming of rationalism and idealism (3).The major centers of the awakening movement were Wuertemberg, the Niederrhein, Wuppertal and the Siegerland.
From there it worked outwards in the former Dill region and the Hessian hinterland, at that time the Biedenkopf region. The ministry of Battenberg with Bromskirchen belonged to this region in that time.(4) This reception was
aided by the fact that since the middle of the previous century true religious freedom and right of assembly were granted in our country. In Germany since the Reformation it was accepted that the ruler determined the religion of his subjects. Therefore there was no room outside of the official and state churches for independent congregations of faithful Christians. Such endeavors were suppressed. This would change when after the revolution of 1848 there was a new constitution for most of the German states. So, after 1850 various free protestant churches could be formed in our country.
As pastor Kissner came to Bromskirchen in 1829, there existed already a “pious” convention (a private religious gathering) under the care of the town councilor and shoemaker Jacob Dornseif. The teacher Leich must have also been a “member of the pious association” (5). As the basis for the formation of the convention, local pastor Kissner cited the negligence of church life occurring under his predecessor, and the fact that young journeymen of Bromskirchen had returned, whom the least “awakened’ sermons of the local pastors would not satisfy. They gathered in a house, there to read and contemplate the Bible and to pray together (6). These “pietists” were “irreproachable people”, no dreamers or visionaries, and diligent servants of God. In the spring of 1831 the shoemaker journeyman Johannes Helduser returned from Wuppertal and organized meetings. Now Jacob Dornseif also held occasional speeches. That provoked a great stir in the village. It came to argument. Johannes Helduser left Bromskirchen.(7)After that it would be quiet in the region.
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p. 206
Fallen and Missing of the First World War from the Bromskirchen community
(List by Carina Geldbach)
(List included Dornseiff Fritz Died from combat 13.11.17)
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p. 207
Victims of the Second World War (1939-1945)
(also included in the list are the relatives of people who came to Bromskirchen as evacuees and refugees)
DornseiffWilli 29.01.1910
DornseiffFerdinand12.08.1907
DornseiffFerdinand14.08.1901
DornseiffEwald 20.05.1907
DornseiffHeinrich 12.04.1906
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p. 215
Excerpt from the directory of rural district Waldeck-Frankenburg 1958
Publisher H. E. Kaspar and Co., Cologne
Dornseiff, Elise, farmer, Hauptstrasse 122
----- Georg, farmer, Hauptstrasse 120
----- Herb., farmer, Hauptstrasse 130
----- Jak., farmer, Fortstrasse 70
----- Karl, pensioner, Hauptstrasse 52
----- Karl, road watchman, Lichtenberg 61
----- Maria, farmer., Boehstrasse 143
----- Otto, master cabinetmaker, Boehlstrasse 139
----- Paula, housewife., Eichenhardtstrasse 30f
----- Rosine, farmer., Hauptstrasse 130
----- Willi, farmer, Hauptstrasse 121
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pp. 222-223
Accommodation of the Hungarian German refugees in Bromskirchen after April 14, 1946 (day of the arrival)
(List including:)
#23. Family Johan Weis jr. to the Family Dornseif (Handels)
#26. Johann Beer with mother to the Family Dornseiff (Saares)
#41. Family Georg Reder to Family Dornseiff (Hutmachersch)
Several families had to spend the first night in Dachsloch, forester’s cottage Elbrighausen and even at the Seibelsbach farm.
(The list was graciously compiled from memory by Mr. Johann Tihanyi in 1984).
In August 1956 yet more Hungarian refugees were taken in. The 14-year-old Eduard Haber came to his uncle Johann Eisenkramer. He traveled the way from Perbal for the most part by foot. The grandson of the Eitzenhoefer family came with four more friends from a camp in Austria.
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p. 226
News reports on the happenings in Bromskirchen and surroundings of the time from 1815 to 1988
excerpts from the compilation of Reiner Gasse
Remarks: Historians do not like to refer to journalistic reports. They are often lacking in objectivity. But in this chronologically constructed compilation it may be impressively portrayed what was more or less of significance for our village in the last hundred years (and more).
The oldest available news report originates in the year 1815! In 1981 Mr. E. Juschkewitsch of Dodenau was able by chance to rescue a copy of the “Newspaper of the Grand Duke of Hessen” before its destruction on a rubbish heap. From the Battenberg offices on March 7, 1815
it was reported:
“In accordance with the approval of the government…to defray the expenses of the community for the year 1814 following the decline of the tax rate in the local council, the following will be raised:
1. at Battenberg from the gulden land-tax-capital 3 Kreuzer 0 Pfg.
9. Bromskirchen from the gulden land-tax-capital 0 kreuzer, 3 Pfg.
Grand Duke of Hessen, Battenberg court office
reported by: Buff
*
Not to be overlooked is a list from 1842. There are presented all the men who took part in the campaign of 1795-1815 (for or against Napoleon I). From 1842 on they received a small pension. Some of them received nothing because they were no longer in need. 15 fl. (Florin) were received by Bromskircheners Johannes Rebe, Jacob Dornseif and Johannes Mueller. Werner Boehle, Johannes Bonacker, Johannes Helduser, Jacob Hornick and Daniel Phillips remained without pensions. Johannes Bonacker also received no money, because he could not demonstrate that the damage to his property was caused by the campaign.
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p. 228
From the “intelligence page”
3. April 1858: Carpentry will be done on the Vicinalweg of Bromskirchen, near the Oelmuehle past Dachsloch. The total estimate is 327 fl. (Gulden). The roof work on the schoolhouse of 4.60 Klftr. is estimated at 50 fl. 36 kr.
Grand Duke mayorship
reported by: Dornseiff
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p. 238(PHOTO)
1913: The transport contractor Daniel Dornseiff (Sares) has brought wood to the vinegar factory in Zueschen.
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p. 239
From the “Hinterland announcements”, year of publication 1913
17. February: At the Shamrock mine 30-year-old Rudolf Mueller of Bromskirchen was killed from getting
between the two cushions of a wagon and being smothered.
p. 239 (continued)
18. February: The road keeper Johannes Dornseiff has died. He tumbled down the front steps and after a few hours breathed his last. The deceased was in the 12th Hessian sharpshooters squadron in 1866 and took part in the battles at Lansach, Aschaffenburb and Wuerzburg. At the grave the veterans’ association delivered the customary mourning salute.
16. March: At the edge of the main road between Bromskirchen and Hallenberg the 45-year-old sheep trader J. Schneider was found dead. It is probable that Schneider died of alcohol poisoning, especially since on the previous day he made numerous wine purchases at the Battenfeld market, and thereby had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol.
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p. 246
Home-Addressbook 1928
Community of Bromskirchen
(including the villages of Bromskirchen, Dachsloch, Elbrighausen, Heiligenholz, Neuludwigsdorf, Obermuele, Seibelsbach, Untermuele)
number of inhabitants: 863 - number of homes: 171
Dornseiff 1, Daniel, farmer
----- 1, Ferdinand, worker
----- Friedrich, pensioner
----- Georg, railroad worker
----- 16, Jacob, farmer
----- 1, Johannes, road watchman
----- Karl, hog trader, F. Hallenberg 40
----- Katharina, teacher
----- Luise, day laborer
----- Willi, farmer
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p. 258
13. March 1953 – Founding of the association for the promotion of tourism and beautification of Bromskirchen. The assembly elected as the first director court employee Franz Regen. Merchant Heinrich Bornemann, pensioner Christian Dornseiff and master tailor Wilhelm Guntermann were elected to the more select board of directors. As a pressing duty one notes the installation of 25 benches for resting…
*
12. January 1954 – Bromskirchen debates over the settlement of open fields. In a meeting of the townspeople cultivator Matzdorf of Marburg spoke as the representative of the authorities for the allocation of land, along with the director of agriculture Grede and cultivation expert Schlapbach.Matzdorf explained, among other things: The advantages of land settlement lie in greater yield with less work in practicable ways, and are sealed in the land settlement register. Grede explained that the majority of the large estates in Bromskirchen lay by the 5 ha-borders. At the time there are 2177 allotments of arable land and 1708 allotments of pasture land, while 15% of the plain will not be cultivated. Our agriculture must work economically if it wants to remain able to compete on a European basis...
22. April : Settlement of open land is initiated. The concerned parties elected their trusted persons, three main authorities and three representatives. The selection fell to the farmers Karl Kessler, Wilhelm Guntermann, Otto Dornseiff, Phillip Steuber and Karl Voepel.
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p. 276 The School Developments
p. 278
So it came to an opposing attitude with respect to academic concerns, or better said, opposed to the lawgiver. Around the year 1846/47 the existing schoolhouse must have been found in a bad state, for it comes forth from a record of the district council of Biedenkopf that an extensive repair assessed at 1500 fl. would take place. Likewise the teacher Zimmermann complained that the roof of the schoolhouse, as
with the accompanying farm building, was utterly dilapidated. Meanwhile it became necessary to arrange a second school location, for which further space would be needed. It was decided to obtain the house up for sale by the Jew Schoenthal and arrange it for the school. Since 1847 the “first school” was then in the newly obtained building. The second school site, only after lengthy deliberation, was prepared and staffed with the school candidate Repp in 1855.
In 1822 the children of the town of Neuludwigsdorf would be instructed by a young man raised in Bromsirchen by the name of Dornseiff. As payment he received to begin with 1 fl. and later 1 fl. 30 kr. per student. The yearly salary for him amounted to 21 fl. on average. In 1838 the school district committee examined the lay teacher and employed him with a yearly salary of 155 fl.; at the same time the school was raised to the rank of elementary school. From then on the teacher regulated “school premises and apparatus” for instruction.
When the above-mentioned teacher Kaspar Dornseiff retired in 1872 after fifty years of service, the children of
Neuludwigsdorf were to go to school in Bromskirchen for the time being. It is attributed to the resistance of the Neuludwigsdorf parents, which ultimately degenerated into a school strike, that it was officially decided to keep the school there open.
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p. 283
From the chronicle of the school of Bromskirchen
(by Maria Schnorbus)
From the time of its founding and the following decade until the next century, only scattered names and dates exist.
The school was founded in 1601.
Johannes Dornseif, born 1 May 1575, attended the “pedagogical institution” in Marburg in 1595. He was the head schoolmaster in Bromskirchen from 1601-1625. From 1642- approximately, Manuel Dornseiff gave instruction here as school principal. Around 1677 the school was led by Christian Garte. At the time the children of the neighboring affiliated church of Somplar went to school in Bromskirchen, as they still come here today for confirmation instruction. From 1712-1740 the schoolmaster Hermann Reinbott minded academic concerns. A teacher Jakob Rumpf, a native of Bromskirchen and a blacksmith by profession, took over the school after 1740. As an assistant, his grandson Georg Rumpf was active as a teacher here from 1778-1804. On 10 July 1817 the teacher Friedrich Seip of Allendorf/Eder came to Bromskirchen to the school.
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p. 286
Neuludwigsdorf School
(by Maria Schnorbus)
According to the school chronicle, nothing is known about the circumstances of the school before 1800.
In 1815 a candidate of theology by the name of Becker was in Neuludwigsdorf, who gave instruction to the children; by no means regularly, because he also had to go to Osterfeld. For his service at the school he received his daily meals from the families alternately. It is not known where he stayed.
On 1 November 1822 one Kaspar Dornseiff of Bromskirchen came to Neuludwigsdorf. The schoolroom was in the home of Karl Feige. The rent was paid by the community. In 1838 the school was “raised to the rank of elementary school”. With the retirement of Mr. Dornseiff in 1872, a period of changes began for the school. The children were to go to Bromskirchen for education. The parents fought against this. It was agreed that the second teacher from Bromskirchen would give instruction in Neuludwigsdorf 3 afternoons each week. The names of the teachers Weyl, Koch, Wehr, Haas and Keiper are mentioned. In the long run the parents were dissatisfied with this solution. They turned to the administration in Wiesbaden and received as an instructor the teaching-post candidate Georg Hellwig, starting in January 1888. Meanwhile another school room in the home of Johannes Jost Klein was rented. After the old schoolroom was enlarged, the school was moved back to Karl Feige. In 1891 the instruction had to be stopped from 3 March through 15 March because the lease had run out. The use of the schoolroom until the settlement of a new contract was forbidden by the owner. Also the room was in a bad state after the enlargement, as was the equipment. It consisted of a table around which the children sat on completely rickety benches without backs. In 1894 the school received a new chalkboard because the old one was no longer usable. Beginning 1 April 1894 a room in the Guecker house would be rented for teaching.
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p. 303(PHOTO)
Johannes Dornseiff, (shoemaker), Bromskirchen signalman in 1909 on Schreife ground between Schaftrift and Untermuehle. Above left in the picture is the new railway embankment.
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pp. 318-319
Holders of forestland
Gamekeepers’ houses of Bromskirchen, forestry office of Battenberg,
compiled by forester Willi Moos
List from the year 1930 of those employed in the forest (wage earners)
(list includes:)
#6. DornseiffEwaldWorkerborn 20.5.06Bromskirchen
#7. DornseiffWilli Workerborn 26.1.10Bromskirchen
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p. 323(PHOTO)
Bromskirchen “mash-mouths” and Somplar “scalding soup” assemble on 17 December 1970. They have “broken up” the consolidation of the community and must now “spoon out the soup together”.
From the left, at the table: Somplar’s mayor August Finger, mayor Karl Althaus of Bromskirchen and Otto Dornseiff.
Left standing, always in good humor, the “crown prince” Rudolf Mueller and at right Willi Schneider, Somplar.
Furthermore: The soups are not alike! Karl Althaus eats the burnt gruel of Somplar and August Finger eats the milk-pap of Bromskirchen.
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pp. 332-336
Family names and house names in 1987 in Bromskirchen
(list from M. Watzlawik)
Hauptstrasse
Dornseiff, PaulineHandels
Dornseiff, HerbertApfel-Liese
Boehlstrasse
Grube
Dornseiff, HeinrichHaennels
Lichtenberg
Dornseiff, Luiseshoemaker on Lichtenbaerg
Alter Weg
Dornseiff, Georghatmaker
Langelohstrasse
Dornseiff, ReinhardFosses am Langeloh
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p. 372
Tourism
The court employee Franz Regen was elected as head chairman. Belonging to the select board of directors were merchant Heinrich Bornemann, pensioner Christian Dornseiff, and master tailor Wilhelm Guntermann. Noted as a pressing concern, is the installation of 25 benches for resting which should be set up on suitable roads and squares. Also the construction of a bathing establishment and the improvement of the sidewalks were considered necessary.
In July 1974 Bromskirchen became the fifth community in the Frankenberg district to receive the distinction of “state-recognized holiday resort”. The abundance of forest and game land is an advantage for Bromskirchen. Pollution-producing industry is lacking, and the food is superior. Besides the inns, private accommodations are offered for the vacationers. Holidays on the farm also possible. Otherinvestments for the promotion of tourism were the construction of the community building on the Boehl (1973) and the improvement of the banquet hall, which has 1000 seats. Many visitors take part yearly in the traditional Bromskirchen club events and local festivals.
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p. 378
A son was Georg Mankel (born 1842). In a second marriage he wedded Marie Dornseif of Reinhard’s house. The third child resulting from this marriage was Heinrich Mankel, the last miller. He took Marie Geldbach as a wife.
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pp. 395-396
St. Hubert’s Shooting Club 1899
Development of the St. Hubert’s Shooting Club 1899
The shooting club is the oldest club of the Bromskirchen community. The following founding members are still known to us from the year 1899:
[list including Karl Dornseiff (Abbellieses)]
Until 1931 the shooting matches were celebrated on the Boehl. The bird-shooting took place on the river beds until 1938. From 1949-1952 the bird perches were at the current shooting hall. From 1953 the position was transferred the Ruppelsberg. When in 1930 the shooting club built its first small banquet hall at the Fort, as it is told, the riflemen to be sure had a reserved place to meet and drink at the chief forester’s. He was gladly accustomed to playing cards in social circles with them and gave generously of the store of wood materials (he did not prevent the cutting and removal of trees). From 1932 the festivals were celebrated in the new shooting hall. The long tenure of the shooting captains (along with the head chairman) from the founding year until today demonstrate a vigorous, healthy and harmonious co-operation. Their names are:
(list including Karl Dornseiff )
The captain at that time, Karl Dornseiff, determined the first Sunday in August as the date for the traditional shooting festival. It was not altered henceforth. Unfortunately the world lived through the suffering of two disastrous wars in the first half of this century, in which millions of people were made to lay down their lives. Many members of the Bromskirchen shooting club perished as well. The fallen comrades left an abiding memory. It goes without saying that the continuation of all activities and festivities was superfluous during all war years.
The first shooting festival after the Second World War (along with the anniversary festival) could take place in 1949. The American military authority had strictly forbidden the possession and operation of firearms. Necessity is the mother of invention, and so the bird was shot off the pole with an outdated wooden rifle. The club member Willi Grasshoff had preserved these “antediluvian” guns and in 1985 could donate them to the group. They now have a place of honor in the shooting hall. Because the old club flag was lost in the confusion of war, they were glad to be able to arrange for a new flag again in 1950. A significant symbol of the club is the king’s necklace. It was purchased in 1951 and was carried for the first time by King Herbert Dornseiff.
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pp. 402-403
Royal couples of the Bromskirchen Shooting club
1950/51 Dornseiff, Herbert Dornseiff, Irmgard
1952Mueller, Karl Dornseiff, Maria
Royal couples before 1949
1899/1900Heinrich Althaus Rosine Dornseiff
1913/14 Karl Dornseiff Kath. Marburg
1922/23 Wilhelm Metzger Lina Dornseiff
1928/29 Wilhelm Mueller Paula Dornseiff
1933/35 Heinrich Seifert Marie Dornseiff
1935/36 Walter Dornseiff Paula Steuber
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p. 410(PHOTO)
Bromskirchen “Cheerful Quartet Society” in the year 1926
3rd row from left: Konrad Klaus, Karl Kessler, Emil Voepel, August Wagner, Karl Helduser, Jakob Dornseiff and Josef Klaus.
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p. 419
Bromskirchen Gymnastics and Sporting club 1912/1960
Sporting activities in Bromskirchen between the First and Second World Wars
The Bromskirchen gymnastics and athletics club, established in 1912, was typical of the gymnastics clubs then arising all over Germany, which modeled themselves after the presentation of the “Father of Gymnastics” Ludwig Jahn.
During the First World War athletic activities in Bromskirchen died off. Starting in the time after 1921 they would again be active, specifically with:
-----Soccer
An only-soccer club with the name “Teutonia 1921/1922 Bromskirchen” was founded. Belonging to the executive committee were:
3. Jakob Dornseiff (Frangel’s) as treasurer, in the meantime deceased
-----Winter Sports
In 1923 a ski club was founded on the initiative of Hermann, at that time a forester of Bromskirchen. Instructor Lehmann was active as a trainer. A skiing instructor from Winterberg was also involved on and off during training times. There existed a men’s team and a women’s team. The training ground was at Lichtenberg. The athletic activity was very vigorous. So, the first ski race took place in 1925. Mrs. Groeper won the first prize (a coffee service) and Auguste Helduser, nee Dornseiff, won the second prize (a flower crib).
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p. 420(PHOTO)
The first Bromskirchen soccer club, founded in 1921 under the name “Teutonia”.
Standing from left to right: Willi Rumpf, Jakob Dornseiff, Willi Wind and Gustav Geldbach.
Kneeling from left to right: Heinrich Dornseiff, Gustav Gloeser and August Wagner.
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p. 422
The executive committee in 1960-1985
Having led the club as first chairman:
Second chairman:
1969-1972 Hartmut Dornseiff
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p. 423(PHOTO)
Soccer Retrospective
Before the cup-tie in Hatzfeld at the beginning of the 1960’s
Kneeling from left: E. Weishaupt, H. Sawatzki, E. Diele, H. Dornseiff
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p. 424(PHOTO)
June 14, 1970: Bromskirchen is vice champion of division B
Back row: H. J. Weishaupt, Ru. Mueller, K. Mueller, T. Tihany, H. Dornseiff, T. Zink, K. Majewski
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p. 427
Chronicle of the table tennis division
The table tennis division of the Bromskirchen gymnastics and athletics club was founded in the summer of 1976. In the round of 1976-77 a men’s team played for the first time in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district.
The first male youth team played with Josef Fress, Andreas Doberschuetz, Manfred Dornseiff, Wolfgang Grimm, Carsten Diele and Klaus Wind.
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p. 432
Ski Club
In the summer also they were not inactive. Hiking or skiing trips were on the program (to Bromskirchen for the first time in Stubaital). The events of common cross country, cross country, competition for the “golden ski” and for club and village championships organized by the ski club since 1979, have been popular. Since 1987 the North Hessen cup run was added to the competitions. 30 active skiers from the club take part in contests regularly, up to the Hessian championship. On March 3, 1986 the club was admitted to the state sports league.
The board of directors was seated as follows:…Dirk Dornseiff (representative)…
Rural women’s club
The Bromskirchen rural women’s club was established on 17 April 1978 in the presence of the district chairwoman at that time, Mrs. Margarethe Bornscheuer of Haina/Kloster, and the district manager Mrs. Elfriede Hoehne of Frankenberg, as the 23rd club of the Frankenberg district. It consisted of the following 37 women:(list includes Luise Dornseiff )
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p. 445
Handicraft, Business, and Industry in Bromskirchen and Somplar
p. 450
Painter
Karl Dornseiff (hatmaker), Langelohstrasse, since 1930, today Reinhard Dornseiff
p. 454
Cabinetmaker's shop
Otto Dornseiff from 1933-1973 from 1973 his son Gerhard (door manufacture)
p. 455
Hog dealer – Cattle dealer
Daniel Dornseiff, gen. Sares, Hauptstrasse and his son Heinrich
Karl Dornseiff, house painter, Hauptstrasse from 1910
Herbert Dornseiff, from 1955
