[email protected] writes: > Speaking of eggs -- we always had a tradition where on Easter we would have > egg wars -- hardboiled -- where 2 people would knock the fat ends together > and then the more pointy ends. If your egg didn't crack you would go on to > the next opponent? Anyone know about this -- I don;t know the origin?? > Claire > My wife, who is Polish, introduced me to this tradition (Egg Fights - the winner gets the opponents egg) when I met her family over 45 years ago. Her grandparents had done the same thing in Poland and we've carried on in our family. Mike Mattes El Paso, Texas [email protected] Searching for: MATTES, DINAN, DONOUGHUE, TUFFY, KEANLE/KIENLE Germany, Ireland, Wayne Co., PA, Brooklyn and Queens, NY I think my ancestors were born under a bridge and buried in the backyard.

Dave, We lived in the small village of Oberkostenz just north of the road that runs from Kirchberg to Sohren. I envy your trip. I have heard that the old shops on the main shopping street in Simmern are closing in the wake of discount stores on the outskirts of town. Did you see that? Brenda Hey, Brenda< -- I have ancestors (WALLAUER) from Simmern and the area back in > the 1700s/1800s, and back to Kreuznach in the 1500s. We had a most > enjoyable > time there last spring. There's still a Wallauer Bakery in Simmern. > > Dave Ross > Denver > > > > ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- > Return-Path: <[email protected]> > Received: from rly-ye01.mx.aol.com (rly-ye01.mail.aol.com > [172.18.151.198]) by air-ye04.mail.aol.com (v77.14) with ESMTP; Tue, 19 Dec > 2000 10:59:47 -0500 > Received: from lists4.rootsweb.com (lists4.rootsweb.com [63.92.80.60]) by > rly-ye01.mx.aol.com (v77.27) with ESMTP; Tue, 19 Dec 2000 10:59:21 -0500 > Received: (from [email protected]) > by lists4.rootsweb.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) id HAA30533; > Tue, 19 Dec 2000 07:54:57 -0800 > Resent-Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 07:54:57 -0800 > X-Original-Sender: [email protected] Tue Dec 19 07:54:57 2000 > From: [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 10:54:47 EST > Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re:=20[GERMAN-LIFE]=20Schinderhannes=20aka=20Joha?= > =?ISO-8859-1?Q?nnes=20B=FCckler.=20?= > Old-To: [email protected] > MIME-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows sub 106 > Resent-Message-ID: <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Resent-From: [email protected] > Reply-To: [email protected] > X-Mailing-List: <[email protected]> archive/latest/3061 > X-Loop: [email protected] > Precedence: list > Resent-Sender: [email protected] > > >

Speaking of eggs -- we always had a tradition where on Easter we would have egg wars -- hardboiled -- where 2 people would knock the fat ends together and then the more pointy ends. If your egg didn't crack you would go on to the next opponent? Anyone know about this -- I don;t know the origin?? Claire ----- Original Message ----- From: "DavidBischoff" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2000 12:49 PM Subject: [GERMAN-LIFE] Holiday Traditions Recently, I interviewed my grandfather, Erwin Bischoff, who immigrated to the United States from Illingen, Maulbron, Württemberg in 1925. When I asked him if he could remember any special holiday traditions witnessed as a young boy, the only thing he could think of was one that he thought was associated with Easter. He remembered his sister, a young and attractive teenager, holding an egg in her hand - the tips of the thumb and index finger touching and the egg sitting inside the ring that these two fingers made. A number of boys, presumably her admirers, would gather around her and each try to pierce the egg with a coin tossed from some distance. My grandfather couldn't remember what the boy would win. Perhaps a kiss or the right to hold her hand or some such thing. Anyway, I was amused by this story and I thought others on this list might enjoy it also. Has anyone heard of this game? Perhaps others would like to contribute their own stories of holiday traditions. > ---David J. Bischoff

"Heinz L. Zulauf" wrote: > > Jack's story is excellent and correct! And by the way, The name > "Schinderhannes" means "Hannes, the son of a knacker" (I hope everybody > knows what a knacker is) > > My Merriam-Webster 7th says it's a buyer of worn-out or dead animals for use as fertilizer or animal food. In Great Britain, they say, it's a buyer of old structures for their constituent materials.

[email protected] wrote: > > In Soren, on the Hunsrueck, there's a Schinderhannes restuarant; good food, > great ambience. If you get into that area, try it. "Schinder" means > "oppressor," but what the meaning of Schinderhannes is I don't know for > certain. > > Dave Ross > Denver In my Langenscheidt (1993), a Schinder is a slave driver. But, Eindruck schinden (wollen) means to try to impress, showoff. Could there have been a dialect or a vulgate in which Schinden Hans might have meant something like "big shot," or "loud mouth," or "braggart?" Stan from Livonia, MI

Recently, I interviewed my grandfather, Erwin Bischoff, who immigrated to the United States from Illingen, Maulbron, Württemberg in 1925. When I asked him if he could remember any special holiday traditions witnessed as a young boy, the only thing he could think of was one that he thought was associated with Easter. He remembered his sister, a young and attractive teenager, holding an egg in her hand - the tips of the thumb and index finger touching and the egg sitting inside the ring that these two fingers made. A number of boys, presumably her admirers, would gather around her and each try to pierce the egg with a coin tossed from some distance. My grandfather couldn't remember what the boy would win. Perhaps a kiss or the right to hold her hand or some such thing. Anyway, I was amused by this story and I thought others on this list might enjoy it also. Has anyone heard of this game? Perhaps others would like to contribute their own stories of holiday traditions. > ---David J. Bischoff

Jack's story is excellent and correct! And by the way, The name "Schinderhannes" means "Hannes, the son of a knacker" (I hope everybody knows what a knacker is) _________________________ Heinz L. Zulauf Flotowstrasse 9 D-64287 Darmstadt Germany e-mail: [email protected] Visit my Private Homepage "The Classical Music Site" http://myweb.vector.ch/zulauf _________________________ ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2000 4:54 PM Subject: Re: [GERMAN-LIFE] Schinderhannes aka Johannes Bückler. > Hey, Brenda< -- I have ancestors (WALLAUER) from Simmern and the area back in > the 1700s/1800s, and back to Kreuznach in the 1500s. We had a most enjoyable > time there last spring. There's still a Wallauer Bakery in Simmern. > > Dave Ross > Denver > >

Hi, This are no nicknames Schinder is the last name Hannes is the first name. In the southern part of Germany , they always they the last name (surname) first and then the first name. Katharina > >I was typing up my grandfather's 1898 letters from the Klondike. While he >was up there, he met and joined a group of 9 Germans and 1 Swede from >Minnesota. (He met a lot of Germans while he was up there.) Everyone >had nicknames, one person was Schinder Hanes and my grandfather was called >Kisor Rot Pahort. The spelling in English was pretty bad, so I imagine >the German was too. The letters were written on very thin paper (tissue >paper) and he wrote in pencil because the ink would freeze, so I had some >difficulty reading them. Any idea what these two names mean? I asked a >German speaker who suggested Schinder Hanes was a character in a German >story/play but she couldn't remember exactly. Does anyone know? >Thank you, >Sue Schafer > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

On 19 Dec 2000, at 14:35, Katharina Hines wrote: > Hi, > This are no nicknames > Schinder is the last name Hannes is the first name. > In the southern part of Germany , > they always they the last name (surname) first and then the first > name. In northern Germany (Oldenburg) my dad was always known as Rumps Fritz. 'Ah, Du bist der Sohn von Rumps Fritz' is how people recognized me. Fred 4788 Corian Court Naples, FL 34114 941-775-7838 [email protected] Pelican Lake Motor Coach Resort

Thanks everyone for your input. Jack, thanks for a great story. And Katharina, that is interesting about the names being reversed, and that may be the case here. So I guess I would be SchaferSue....has a nice ring to it. (Maybe better than Sue Schafer since sometimes people misunderstand me and call me Sushi. There are a lot of immigrants from Asia in Seattle.) I think kisor rot pahort, may be a misspelled attempt at Kaiser Red Beard. Someone else was Black Beard and another person, well, I'll just say the name had to do with his tanned skin, reminiscent of Mark Twain. Sue Schafer Seattle

Hey, Brenda< -- I have ancestors (WALLAUER) from Simmern and the area back in the 1700s/1800s, and back to Kreuznach in the 1500s. We had a most enjoyable time there last spring. There's still a Wallauer Bakery in Simmern. Dave Ross Denver

Thanks, Jack, for the Schinderhannes story. It's a keeper !! Dave Ross Denver

In Soren, on the Hunsrueck, there's a Schinderhannes restuarant; good food, great ambience. If you get into that area, try it. "Schinder" means "oppressor," but what the meaning of Schinderhannes is I don't know for certain. Dave Ross Denver

My uncle ran a very successful industrial advertising agency for 70 years. He never had a written contract with a client; all business was done on a handshake and the gentleman's agreement based on his reputation. DaveRoss Denver, CO

Jack, Thank you for a much more complete version of Schinderhannes. I guess he didn't have much in common with Robin Hood; he apparently forgot to "gave to the poor." I lived in Kreis Simmern and sampled my share of Kirner Pils - so am familiar with the beautiful Hunsrueck. Brenda

In a message dated 19/12/00 04:33:49 GMT Standard Time, [email protected] writes: << Any idea what these two names mean? I asked a German speaker who suggested Schinder Hanes was a character in a German story/play but she couldn't remember exactly. Does anyone know? >> Hi Sue Fascinating and true story I have discovered, spurred on by the fact that another posting suggested that Schinderhannes was a German Robin Hood. I live in the land of Robin Hood so you can see why I got interested! Very briefly this is what I have discovered: His name was Johannes Bückler born in Merzweiler. At an early age he started to steal sheep and was caught in Kirn. He managed to escape at night by climbing over the roof of the town hall at night. And so began the life of a robber between the years 1796 to 1802 in the area between Saarbrücken and Mainz. He was so successful that people began to believe that he was in league with the devil. In 1799 he was imprisoned in Hunsrückstadt Simmern and began to plan a much bigger band or gang of robbers and managed to escape by jumping from the prison tower and breaking a leg. He had visions of forming a a state within a state complete with his own army. In 1800 he married without the blessing of the church, a pretty singer called Julia Bläsius who became part of the robber band and wore mens clothing to disguise the fact that she was a woman. The band had a definite method of going about staging a robbery, they rammed the door of the house with a wooden beam, bound and gagged the occupants and threatened them with death if they should give them away. But all this began to pall, he always wanted to retain a vestige of respectability and after further spectacular robberies he decided that he had had enough and eventually joined the German Imperial army. However a soldier serving with him recognises him and betrays him in order to claim the reward for his capture. He was arrested in Frankfurt and taken to Mainz. On the 24th of October, 1803, he went before a special court and on the 20th of November 1803 was sentenced to death with 19 of his accomplices. His father, Bückler, was sentenced to 22 years and Julia Bläsius to 2 years. She subsequently married and died a well respected citizen in 1851. The death sentences were carried in Mainz. The guillotine was erected before the gates of that city and on 21 November, 1803, before a crowd of 40,000 spectators, Schinderhannes died. This is only a short version extracted from various sites on the internet, those of you who have a better understanding of German than I, may care to look at some of them. Tschüß Jack In the land of Robin Hood

I lived in the Hunsrueck for 3 years, that is the rural area just south of the Mosel and west of the Rhein. I was under the impression that Schinderhannes was from that area. He was described to me as similar to Robin Hood, but I was lead to think that he was a bit more ruthless than the Robin Hood of legend. Sorry I don't know more. I'll check to see if I have any sources on the bookshelves. Brenda

I was typing up my grandfather's 1898 letters from the Klondike. While he was up there, he met and joined a group of 9 Germans and 1 Swede from Minnesota. (He met a lot of Germans while he was up there.) Everyone had nicknames, one person was Schinder Hanes and my grandfather was called Kisor Rot Pahort. The spelling in English was pretty bad, so I imagine the German was too. The letters were written on very thin paper (tissue paper) and he wrote in pencil because the ink would freeze, so I had some difficulty reading them. Any idea what these two names mean? I asked a German speaker who suggested Schinder Hanes was a character in a German story/play but she couldn't remember exactly. Does anyone know? Thank you, Sue Schafer

I had a friend who continued doing business on a handshake. He said, "If you won't honor a handshake, you won't honor a piece of paper." Roy Schmidt >>> "C. Lisa" <[email protected]> 12/14/00 07:04PM >>> Did anyone see the PBS Germans Americans last weekend? I thought that it was interesting that even item names changed because of WWII. It seems peculiar that anyone would call sauerkraut "Liberty kraut" And to think that someone's "word" or "handshake" was considered a done deal because there was honor in a person's WORD. I wish that were true today -- it seems there is very little that anyone can trust in nowadays. Claire

Fred: Thanks for renewing fond memories of my small town in upper New York State. There were no contracts except for heavy stuff like real estate purchases and mortgages. Day-to-day transactions were always oral plus the handshake. Unfortunately, too many of us miss stories like yours because we live in or near cities. Thanks for sharing, with the hope that there are many list members enjoying your message. Ken Everard --------------------- >> Claire: During my childhood days, a handshake was considered a "done >> deal" in my rural setting. Thanks for reminding of this tradition >> that has died. Today the handshake is with a lawyer plus a check. Oh, >> to where has integrity fled? >I dissagree that such things as a word of honor or a handshake >don't exist any more. One only needs to go to small town America >or Mid-America (call it Bush country) where such customs are still in >use. > >Last year I ordered a motorcoach (close to a half a mill) on a >handshake in Carthage, MO. When I questioned the owner how he >can do that, he said that if I can trust him with such a large >purchase, how can he not trust me. It made me feel proud to be >dealing with him. > >In addition, my company does a lot of business in PA Dutch country >in Pa. We don't need contracts there. To ask for a signature >questions the honor of the buyer so we just give them the >paperwork under the excuse that we all know what's happening. >Never had a problem in over 30 years there. > >I suspect lots of business all over the country is done on a >handshake. It's how small business operates. > >Personally I have always trusted everyone to follow through on what >they say. In every transaction there are always two parties of >interest and if I exprect you to trust me, how can I not expect the >same of you. It's worked pretty well for me. >PS A long, long time ago back in the late 50s or early 60s I was >very impressed when my dad (a 1952 immigrant who could hardly >speak any English) was buying his first car. I was with him and my >father didn't know if he should buy this or that so the salesman told >him to just take the car home with him and try it out over the >weekend. He never asked for one bit of identification and he just let >us drive off with the car. Naturally we came back to buy it - cash - it >was a Plymouth Valiant. One never forgets such things.