June 1996 Newsletter [v5.0] - RootsWeb

Whats New
As you have already seen we have made some
changes to our newsletter. First we have changed
the name to include “Heimatbrief” meaning
homeland letter or letter from the homeland. One
of the purposes of this newsletter is to educate our
members about the homeland with interesting
articles that give you a sense of what life was
like “over there”. We hope that this newsletter
is like a letter from the homeland whether you
feel your homeland is New Ulm, Minnesota or
Muttersdorf, Bohemia.
The photograph in the upper left corner is the
German-Bohemian Immigrant Monument erected
in 1991 by the German-Bohemian Heritage
Society. The bronze statue of a man, woman and
child was sculpted by a German-Bohemian,
Leopold Hafner of Germany. If you would like to
“read more about it” order the German-Bohemian
Immigrant Monument book in the “History For
Sale” section of this newsletter.
We have also changed our print to a more reader
friendly style that will be easier on the eyes
making the newsletter more enjoyable to read.
Also, we have included more photographs and
images to break up the text trying to follow the
saying that “one picture is worth a thousand
words”.
It is said that change is good. We hope you agree.
Write us and let us know. LAL
Our Readers Write
I received my March 1996 copy of the G.B.H.S.
Newsletter and noticed portions of my last letter
to you printed in the 'Our Readers Write' column.
Also noticed the town in Bohemia that my
grandparents, Andreas (Andrew) Ubl and
Margaret (Foraschick) Ubl came from was spelled
incorrectly. Since the correct spelling of family
names and town names is so important, I am
requesting a correction of the town name to be
printed in the next Newsletter. The correct
spelling is WOTTOWA.
I would also like to comment on the article 'The
Village of Wasserau and the Rubey Family'. The
article was Wonderful! The part that interested
me the most was the part about the end of the
Second World War and the expulsion of all
2
German-speaking people from Bohemia.
I have German-Bohemian great-grandparents
who emigrated from Bohemia in 1882, leaving
their village of Ulbersdorf (county of Komotau) to
settle in Nebraska. Ulbersdorf is located north
northwest of Prague. Hollmotz cousins who
remained in Bohemia were among those forced
from their homes and out of the country that had
been home to their ancestors for generations.
Leaving Bohemia with only the belongings they
could carry and with the small amount of money
they had, they traveled to Germany. At this
point I do not know exactly what happened to
them. They ended up in an 'immigrant camp' on
the Isle of Usedom, which is located directly
north of Berlin on the Baltic Sea. They were
apparently held there for weeks and even months
before they were allowed to relocate. The
conditions were not good in the camp and several
of my cousins died there. They had little money
and were forced to sleep on beds of straw in barn
like structures. They probably were barns! I don't
know if they were held there by the Germans or
by the Russians as that was part of the Russian
Zone.
After leaving the Isle of Usedom, the surviving
cousins, Adolph and Theresia and their daughter
Sophia settled in one town and their son Herbert
settled in another. Sophia apparently worked
and cared for her parents as they were not young.
(Adolph died in 1978 at the age of 88)
The saddest part of their relocation is that when
the Berlin Wall went up, Adolph, Theresia and
Sophia were on one side and Herbert was on the
other. Herbert, being in East Germany, was not at
first allowed to visit his parents. By the time he
became a pensioner he and his wife were allowed
to ' cross over' twice a year to visit his parents. By
this time Herbert had a grown son and two
grandsons that Adolph and Theresia had never
seen. Sophia died in 1974, leaving Adolph and
Theresia old and lonely with no family to care for
and comfort them.
My great-grandfather, Joseph Hollmotz
corresponded with his cousin Adolph for many
years. After his death his daughter (my great
Aunt Maxine) continued the correspondence, and
after her death in 1986, I found Adolph's address
and I wrote to him only to find out he had died in
1978. His wife Theresia and I wrote back and