Uncle Gustav and Aunt Hanna

At the beginning of the sixties (1860) we were told that we could anticipate a happy event. Uncle Gustav, mother’s younger brother, wanted to get married. No one would ever have thought that he would get married. He was in his early forties, an old bachelor who until now had not chased the women. He continued working on the estate Essern after the death of his father. He got along reasonably well with his stepmother, they would growl at each other, but it worked itself out. She looked after the work inside and he outside. Otherwise he was rather gruff and crude to his relatives, neighbors, and acquaintances. He always wanted to be smarter. That’s why behind his back he was called “gruff old Eeck”.

Well he wanted now to get married. And he was lucky with his choice, a very nice young girl would he bring home. She came from Wenden and was called Hanna Gernsdorff. Her mother was a very poor widow with several children. An aristocratic family Loewis of Menar on the estate Fistehlen had taken in the oldest daughter Hanna to be educated with their own children. Mrs. Gernsdorff probably had been a maid there at one time. In this way Hannah was well educated. She was now 25 years old, pretty, modest, and charming. This is the way we got to know her, when the happy groom introduced her to us.

The wedding was in June, the most beautiful month of the summer. It was a true old-fashioned country wedding and lasted for three days with beautiful happenings before and after. The circle of relatives was large. Many came, especially from Wenden. Uncle Gustav greeted them with: “Well you ‘Plukatten’ from Wenden, are you also here?” But it was a happy group. Enst Ibenoff was the best man and Ludwig Stanke as second groomsman was always leading. He was the husband of one of the Ibenoff daughters. Son-in-law Sollman was kept under strict observation by his jealous wife. There were others from Wenden and they answered the greeting with: “Eeckchen, you cannot survive this wedding by yourself, that’s why we came to help you.” And they danced around him and sang several pretty songs with harmonies.

Well the mood was wonderful. On the morning of the wedding we all drove to the church in several carriages that were all decorated with greenery and bells that were ringing. The church was in Altenwoga, about a mile. There the bride arrived, escorted by the aristocratic family from Fistehlen. Seldom did I see such a charming but at the same time humble and modest bride in front of the altar. She now became our dear Aunt Hanna. Uncle Gustav seemed ecstatic. His groomsmen did their best to move him to all the people he should be talking to, like the old pastor Stoll who came to congratulate, and also Mr. Von Loewis of Menar, his wife and daughters where he had to express his thanks. In the forecourt of the church we said good bye. The aristocratic family went back home and our train of people started to move. In the front the groom and the bride and then the rest of the wedding party. Many neighbors joined us.

At home there was a big feast on long tables outside. And soon four musicians started playing and the dancing started. Even the groom who had never danced had to join in, his groomsmen saw to it. It was so humorous and so very much fun! The neighbors went home after having danced through the night. Only the ones from farther away remained. We slept wonderfully in the stable on deep straw beds, while the animals remained out in the pasture. By the way it was an exemplary management of the estate Essern at that time. The floor of the stable was dry because it was made out of bricks, you could dance on it if you wanted to. Nowhere else have I seen that, especially not in Lithuania or Russia where the animals often stood up to the tummy in dirt.

At that time I remained in Essern for the whole vacation. Aunt Hanna was extremely nice to me and she soon became my confidant. She had it very difficult under the thumb of the old mother-in law, who did not want to give up the reins of the household. Often I saw her in tears and I thought she should complain to her husband. But she said, “ Why should I start dissension, she herself is only an unhappy cripple.” But everyone else loved Aunt Hanna, even the animals. All of them turned their head towards her when she put a handful of salt into the feed of cows, had a piece of sugar for the horses, or was feeding the chicken. You could always hear when she was coming.

With the neighbors she also started to have active contact. Close by – about two verst (1 verst = 1.07 kilometers) along the lane along the fields – was a glasshouse were green glass was being blown. The director a Mr. Greiner and his wife were well-educated and charming people. They lived in a pretty house surrounded by a beautiful rose garden. When we visited, we always got chocolate to drink and crispy waffles. Afterwards we were asked to visit the glass factory. But Mrs. Greiner first had to announce that there would be visitors, since the glass blowers worked naked because of the great heat and had to throw on some clothes. Watching the procedure of making glassware was very interesting. Afterwards we always would be given a little present, a small cup or bowl, which we had watched being made. What more could one ask for!!! And we always loved to walk over to Greiners and the glasshouse.

Several years passed, I think about four or five. In the winter we did not see much of the relatives, and we always just waited for the summer vacation, which we wanted to spend in Essern. Then one spring we got the very unexpected message that Aunt Hanna had died. It hit us like bolt of lightening. Mother immediately drove to the funeral, where she was told the details of how it happened so sudden. The couple had lived very happy and content only the children very missing and both wanted children very badly. Then they heard that a woman’s doctor had appeared a few miles away, who said who could make it happen that they would have children with a simple operation. Supposedly he had helped many young women to have children. Aunt Hanna, who heard of this, decided to drive to him. Doctor Schonfeld operated but under very primitive circumstances as was common at that time. It was not a real clinic, which did not exist in the village, and there was no real nursing care or supervision. She just got the order to remain in bed for a week or so. Aunt Hanna, who was staying in an inn, felt not as weak after a couple of days and was getting anxious whether at home everything was going well and the mother-in-law was not getting too upset. So she got up, had carriage hitch to the horses, and drove the few miles home. When she got home, she immediately had to go to bed with a high fever. After a few days she passed away. The grief of Uncle Gustav was impossible to describe. He cried like a child at the grave.

After this catastrophe Uncle Gustav no longer took any interest in life and everything went downhill. The good influence that his wife had had on him disappeared and his harsh side came more to the front. He neglected the farm and he fell out with the owner Mr. Von Hahnenfeldt who gave notice. Thus they had to leave Essern. A big auction was held where everything was sold for bargain prices. He moved to Wenden with his stepmother, who he quartered with her relatives. He had immediately new, big plans with his so-called good friends. They wanted to start a soap factory, where it would be easy to make lots of rubels, so he said flamboyantly. He put all his money into this venture that went bankrupt very quickly without him ever earning a Rubel.

After that Uncle Gustav came to Riga and moved in with us. He no longer had any money to pay the boarding fee for the stepmother, therefore our mother had to pay it until the stepmother died. Father helped Uncle Gustav to get several jobs. For instance, one was with the building contractor Schwerin where he was supervisor and warehouse foreman, which should not have been too difficult for a hale and hearty man. But nothing lasted very long. He always had to be smarter than his employers and spoiled it with everyone. He also would just walk out into the country visiting one or another of his former acquaintances. He also had to go back to Essern to visit the grave of his wife. Then he came back to us. Finally he went to Wenden to the relatives there. I think the old Mrs. Gernsdorff took him in. Mother, of course, had to send the boarding fee for him. It was said that he was half-blind. He died in the year 1894 shortly before our mother closed her eyes forever.

It is sad to think back to some of the relatives. When the crutch that you need for your life is missing, some people have a shipwreck.