The Great Hollenberg Saga

1000 years of Life,

1000 years of Struggle,

and moments of Happiness.

“The most comprehensive genealogical

data gathering of the 1000 year old

Hollenberg-Family-Tree on both sides of the Atlantic”,

and an amazing discovery: how this ancestral-trunk has given us over

centuries a multitude of branches and buds, of leaves and blossoms

– strong and beautiful – all way to the survival of our times.

Picture on front cover shows:

The backside of both estates,

Niederste-Hollenberg and

Oberste-Hollenberg,

(fall of 2010)

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Dedication ........................................................................................................................................10

Introduction and Acknowledgement ................................................................................................11

This Is The Place ..............................................................................................................................16

The People .......................................................................................................................................17

The Location ....................................................................................................................................18

This Caused it All ............................................................................................................................20

Our place, Our Land, Home for Generations of Hollenbergs working the Soil. ............................21

Where It All Began ..........................................................................................................................22

Time before A.D. and Early Settlements and Dwellings in the Region ..........................................26

The Battle nearby at 9 A.D. with the Romans .................................................................................30

The Saxons in Westphalia ................................................................................................................36

The Long Struggle between the Saxons and the Franks ..................................................................39

Charlemagne Establishes the Tithe in the Area ...............................................................................45

Early Middle-Age Housing Details in the Area ...............................................................................53

The “Befiefing” of Old Farms in the Parish of Cappeln ..................................................................56

Changes to the Hollenberg Name ....................................................................................................59

Some Details of the Family Tree .....................................................................................................63

The chronological family tree of the ................................................................................................66

Niederste Hollenberg and Oberste Hollenberg strings ....................................................................66

Waves of Immigration to America in the 19th Century ................................................................100

The Other Hollenbergs ...................................................................................................................109

Family Problems during the 19-th Century ...................................................................................198

Total Inventory of the Family Farm in 1836 .................................................................................200

World-War I ...................................................................................................................................208

The 1920s and 1930s ....................................................................................................................214

World-War II ................................................................................................................................221

Present Generation .........................................................................................................................226

The “Living Generation” ...............................................................................................................242

The Future! .....................................................................................................................................249

An Old Man’s Review ...................................................................................................................253

Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek

Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Inter-net abrufbar über http://dnb.d-nb.de.

Dieses Werk und alle seine Teile sind urheberrechtlich geschützt.

Websites der Verlagshäuser der Frankfurter Verlagsgruppe:

www.frankfurter-verlagsgruppe.de

www.frankfurter-literaturverlag.de

www.frankfurter-taschenbuchverlag.de

www.public-book-media.de

www.august-von-goethe-literaturverlag.de

Nachdruck, Speicherung, Sendung und Vervielfältigung in jeder Form, insbesondere Kopieren, Digitalisieren, Smoothing, Komprimierung, Konvertie-rung in andere Formate, Farbverfremdung sowie Bearbeitung und Übertragung des Werkes oder von Teilen desselben in andere Medien und Speicher sind ohne vorhergehende schriftliche Zustimmung des Verlags unzulässig und werden auch strafrechtlich verfolgt.

ISBN: 978-3-8372-5238-5

©2019 FRANKFURTER LITERATURVERLAG GMBH

Ein Unternehmen der

FRANKFURTER VERLAGSGRUPPE GMBH

Mainstraße 143

D-63065 Offenbach

Tel. 069-40-894-0 ▪ Fax 069-40-894-194

E-Mail: lektorat@frankfurter-literaturverlag.de

It’s here where 1146 A.D. it all started in short:

Holenberg

It’s the story of an ancient place in the dark, old times:

The “origin”of the Hollenbergs.

At the beginning there was soil and few people.

And there was love and flowers and freedom.

There was family, the clan and that was the beginning.

Those people were working the soil.

In those times it was just making a living -- to survive.

The large family resulted in spreading around.

The early centuries meant roaming around in familiar territories.

Territories what are today North-West Germany and neighboring areas.

Those early times were periods of common ownership and individual freedom.

Then the “Others”came, threatening, endangering the Clan’s free life.

The story of man-kind --- allover again:

There was competition with new ideas, other beliefs --- and survival again.

Thus, either facing or accepting the early forms of changes, adjustments --- or fighting.

Leading into the “Dark Period” of the Middle-Ages:

The Catholic Creed was forced upon and vassalage applied.

Many siblings had to leave, serving different masters in different territories.

Then, there were changes in matters of Religion.

First, around 800 AD, it was all Catholicism --- enforced.

Then, with Luther (1517 AD), it was Protestantism --- enforced.

Some others turned Jewish or else --- voluntary.

At all the time poverty, enforced by man: Church, Crown, Nobility

or nature increased the need of spreading around as in times before.

This time, however, there were alternatives:

And that’s what’s all about:

The Great Hollenberg Saga

The

Great Hollenberg Saga

The history of the family farm

Special emphasis given to the lineages of:

---- Teepe- Tapy- Hoffman (Missouri)

---- Frederic John Hollenberg (Indiana)

---- Gerat “Henry” Hollenberg (Kansas)

---- Hermann Friedr. Oberste-Hollenberg,(Indiana)

---- The Gerlemann girls (Missouri/Indiana)

---- Niederste-Hollenberg/Kuhlmann Specials

---- „All other Hollenbergs in America“

And many other names of related families, like:

Ahlemeyer, Baumunk, Beck, Beimdiek, Bergmann, Binns, Bloomquist, Bünemann, Bremer, Chambers, Clark, Consmüller, Dasmann, Determann, Dentzer, Diekmann, Echelmeyer, Elstrodt, Epennart, Gerding, van Hamle-den, Hilgediek, Hischemöller, Hoff, Hollers, Hunzicker, Kellermeyer, Knapp von, Knüppe, Kreiger, Kuhlmann, Lohans, Lowenhaupt, Maury, Meyering, Mitchel, Oberhellmann, von Poseck , Purnell, Rehmeyer, Ried, Riesen-beck, Schohmeyer, Schreck, Schulte, Sticker, Schwermann, Telgemeyer, Tiemann, Wiele, Witte, Wulf.

The history of the family farm

Niederste-Hollenberg Oberste-Hollenberg

Old House – Inscriptions from 1792 AD

For the estates of:

Niederste Hollenberg Oberste Hollenberg

„Ach, Gott, hilf, daß ich such Dein Reich „Der Herr unser Gott sei uns freundlich

O, Herr, allsorg, gib Brot dabei“. und fördere das Werk unserer Hände; ja,

das Werk unserer Hände solle er fördern“.

„Godt mit uns, wel kann dann weder uns“. (Plattdütsk=Low-German) – before 1700 AD)

Soil and Plow

– Partners throughout the Saga –

This plow has served generations of Hollenbergs. Was retired at the end of WWII.

Dedication

• To all families carrying the Hollenberg name, their relatives and friends.

• To all who left or had to leave the home-base

• To get to know each other.

• To better understand their history and our own past.

• To learn about the achievements of our ancestors, as well as their

grievances and struggles.

• To prepare us and our children for the challenges of the future.

• To improve the relationships of our people across the Atlantic.

• To the place of “Origin” of the Hollenberg Saga.

• To the beginning of an old and long story, yet unfinished.

Introduction and Acknowledgement

Having reached retirement in 1996, I channelled my ardent interest in history and politics into the investigation of the past of our family and historical events in the area in order to better understand the correlations of the land and the people, their lifestyle and tradition.

The fact, however, that I did spent considerable periods of my life on both sides of the Atlantic proved to be most helpful in the pursuit of this project.

In writing this story, I dug through old papers, faded pictures, historical data that were available in miscellane-ous archives, and beyond all of it, the many memories of my childhood at the parental home, the old Hollenberg estate.

To my surprise, I found old documents, which gave me the opportunity to take a glance at the lives of our ancestors, of many generations which carried our name through at least eleven centuries in time of despair as well as in moments of glory.

However, this book should beyond the very personal and private element also help to give an insight to details and developments of our common past on both sides of the Atlantic.

Let’s confront us with our history and determine whence we came from.

The prime emphasis in this edition is the migration of people across the Atlantic, their reasons and their get-ting along. I have taken some effort throughout this book to explain certain historical facts about their “Why”, the“Why”of those who decided to take their life into their own hands.

Instead of starting with the macro picture, I used the micro approach: The basis were many data of several dozen of families gathered and analyzed over years from their familiar historical background in order to find a very per-sonal answer to their “why” --- whatever the circunstances might have been. This question”why”, however, has many answers necessitating some specific explanations of a few historical developments in the early centuries of the Middle-Ages, like:

--- The “tithe” and the consequences thereof, first issued by Charlemagne around 782 A.D.

at the Imperial Diet near Lippspringe, Saxony, in his attempt to Christianize the territory under his control, after he had subdued the Saxons in a 30 year long struggle.In one of the 14 laws of the “Capitulatio departibus Saxonae”, he declares that

every parish is to receive 2 “Hufe” (approx. 50 acres) of land, plus the services of farm hands and maids and the tenth (tithe) of any income.

--- The “feudalism” that followed and what nobility and clergy later did with those initial

rulings. Feudalism came from Italy, and then started first when the Merovingian and Franconian king paid their generals and administrators with grands of land. Soon it became hereditary and (semi-)independent. Feudalism developed then to total economic subjection and military allegiance of a man to a superior. Over time it had in parts of central Europe hundreds of variations in material volume and human/personal severity.

--- The conflict between Crown and Clergy and what came of it, lasting till modern times.

--- And within that framework the suffering and endurance of living creatures throughout the following centuries.

Every visit at the family estate there reminded me of what did it take throughout those 1000 years to stick to-gether, to struggle and to survive: It was just that kind of family glue that held together pieces of my life as well, to help me find my own way. The parents Mama Alwine and Papa Wilhelm did and brother Erich and his wife Christa still keep the family bonds alive to this day.

I will never forget my parents’ final farewell when I migrated to the United States: “Son, whatever happens, never forget where your home is, and that’s where you always can come back to”.

Even now, when driving down the “Hollenberg Straße” towards those old, big oak-trees, I am again the young boy at the place where I grew up and where I was allowed to be a child. A place full of liberality (not to be mis-taken with the modern US-version of liberalism!) and permissiveness coupled with strictness and discipline and lots of family – often kinship. A place where I could count the clouds in the sky from under the huge oak trees lying under the biggest of them and where one could dream about the world, the future and what it might hold for me, for all of us.

There I learned riding the bike, played soccer with brother Erich and the boys from the neighbourhood.

There was PAPA, our father, the thraight-forward, always responsible chacacter, and MAMA, the “woman of love”.

Then on-going, there came the educational/schooling part of those years at the Gymnasium in Tecklenburg and at the University of Hannover.

That’s what childhood is all about!

This kind of childhood with its accompanying environment has in the German language only one word:

--- Heimat ---

As life has gone by, and now with an opportunity to look back, I am grateful to my first wife Edda, who passed away too early in 1990, the caring and loving mother of our children Sassia and Sascha.

Sassia lives in Kentucky, near Lexington, with her partner Rick Wilke, while Sascha lives in Wald-Michelbach with his wife Kathy and is working for a US based corporation in the IT business.

A few years later, my present wife Sigi, partner and companion, helped heal the wounds and dispel the sorrows, and she has given me comfort and love ever since. Without her support, there would be great darkness.

Her son Uwe is working near Heidelberg with the software Company SAP, and her daughter Petra, who is mar-ried to Peter Zuber. They returned some time ago with their two girls, Jule and Svea, our only grandchildren, to Germany, after having lived and worked for over 15 years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Several years of research were needed, including the familiarisation with the old German letters and their sym-bols, plus the editing of texts and pictures to complete this account.

The translation of the old Latin documents might be a bit amateurish considering my engineering education, but, nevertheless, it should reflect the intentions and decisions of the superiors of the Church around 1146 AD in the land of the Saxons.

The book, after all, is very much addressing all the genealogically interested and related folks, their offspring and friends who left Europe for America centuries ago for freedom, a better life or for many other personal reasons. All of them carry the historical burden of being more or less tied to the Hollenberg name.

The immigration waves from Europe to America defined and determined in a dramatic way the historical bonds across the Atlantic with noticeable contributions by the miscellaneous genealogical tables of the “Old Hollenberg Families”.

These particulars cover several hundred years of marriages, name changes, new blood lines, off-springs, emig-rations etc., with plenty of inspiration to take those data as a starting point for new personal genealogical endea-vours.

The direct name-bearer of those many immigrants is relatively easy to trace. Others, with different names by mar-riage or otherwise, are much more cumbersome. The many personal details presented provide plenty of reasons to interconnect with all of the Hollenbergs, and can, at the same time, also be a starting point for further research in the “book of ancestors”.

In reviewing the details of the family tree, the reader is going to find, besides the two Hollenberg strings of Nie-derste-Hollenberg and Oberste-Hollenberg, many other names which are either directly or otherwise connected to the original base of the two estates which, however, started out at one place for the first time mentioned in an

old Church document as

“Holenberg” around “1146 A.D.”

Those names, to name a few, are e.g., Echelmeyer, Dasmann, Teepe (later in America to become Tapy), Knüp-pe, Hoffmann, Gerlemann, Diekmann, Telgemeyer and many others.

Our friends and distant relatives in the New World should be encouraged to get in touch with them and gather additional information and data about their struggle, anxieties, hopes and achievements.

That longing for: “Where did I come from? How was it at the time? How did it all happen?”

All those questions are still valid to us and throughout times.

And yet, it is already at this point my utmost desire to thank - outside of my family – all and everyone who did encourage me on my work and gave helpful hints and comments.

Special credit is given throughout the book where applicable.

However, a few names need to be mentioned for their outstanding help and support:

Krista Hollenberg-Cussen, Brigitte Jahnke, Lois Rupert Edmister, Rachel Clark, Dr. Gunter Böhlke.

Particularly invaluable was the support of my son Sascha and my daughter Sassia. I am very grateful and thankful to my wife Sigi for her unrelenting patience and enduring help, her constructive critique and advice.

After all and in conclusion, a never ending gratefulness to my parents and the parental home at the Hollenberg Street 5, (49492) Westerkappeln, Westphalia, Germany, is going to be with me until the end of my days.

Fripp Island, South Carolina – USA

Wald-Michelbach ---- Germany

Heinz Niederste-Hollenberg

PS/ --Errors and mistakes in wording and grammar should be excused with grace and lenity.

Another note-worthy remark: All of the following is not only meant to be a summary of family affairs, it is also, in part, a way of taking position on historical and present day political matters.

As such, I am particularly concerned about “Our Situation” in general, i.e. our relation across the Atlantic:

The European-American Relations.

“The Western World” (the old classical Occident), and that is Europe and America, is being challenged politically, strategically, economically, and even in the long run, militarily.

These challenges come, for different reasons, from different directions and different power centers, and they are aiming at the very basic foundation of our society:

• Our culture

• Our understanding of liberty and freedom

• Our religion

• Our democracy and free-market economy

• The common basis of our “Mediterranean Logic”

All our commonalities on both sides of the Atlantic (85%) make present day differences (15%) look minor, if we realize that our platform is not shared by anyone else in other parts of the world. We are one part of the same.

Europe is still busy with its own fate and needs time to find its own identity.

Americas’ power, on the other hand, is not without limitations.

Both need each other, and less resentment on one side and less political arrogance on the other is needed.

Our commonalities go way beyond the elements of consanguinity and culture. In particular included is the “Medi-terranean Logic”, which originated in the Jewish-Christian source of our religion in the Middle-East, then moved via Greece and Rome to the Renaissance and Enlightenment in Europe, all the way into the 20th century with the tremendous sacrifice America made to help form a unified, peace-loving, democratic Europe.

Although, it all started out as a family story, and the history of an old farm in Germany, it now turned out to be much more than that: It is a reflection on a life between Europe and America, and a review of events in politics and society across the Atlantic over a span of a life time.

I am convinced: Both, Europe and America, need each other in view of the challenges ahead. Let us put together our assets and our strengths!

Together, we can face all challenges.