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When we were young, we did not ask questions; now that we're old, there is no one to answer them.
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hi i am searching for my birth mother i was born 1958 hospital in washington dc adopted to a familly in new jersey through court records my mothers last name was hitt anyone with any info please!!!! contact me asap both my adoptive parents passed away last year have no other relatives thats why i am searching must have brothers/ sisters somewhere would like to find my mom for mothers day,
please call me at 518-488-0428 or email to::surfsidecustomz@gmail.com
I have recently completed a book entitled "Better Their Piece of Bread" which breathes life into the story of the immigration of Theobald Fawatt Crisler, son of Leonard and Anna Maria Bender Crisler from Lambsheim in the Palatinate in 1719. The Crislers first settled in Philadelphia County (now Montgomery County). As a young man in the 1730's Theobald moved to Virginia and joined the Second Colony Germanna settlers in the Robinson River Valley.
If you are a descendant of Theobald and his wife Rosina Garr, you may be interested in obtaining a copy of this book. Write to me at geniehall75@gmail.com for details.
Leslie S. Hall
I am interested in finding more information regarding Harmon Rector b. 1718 and the identity of his wife.
Francis Hieronymus married Elizabeth Rector which makes their descendants also Richter and Fischbach descendants and gives them a solid connection to the First Germanna Colony. On October 25-27, there will be a Hieronymus Reunion in Georgetown, Kentucky. The program and the meeting place is given on the www.hieronymusfamily.org website.
I hope to see some of the Germanna people there.
West Coast
Germanna Gathering
Saturday, October 20, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Village Inn
535 S. Columbia River Hwy, St. Helens, OR 97051
$20 per person*
Program:
Germanna for Beginners ~ John Blankenbaker
The Broyles – Frantz Family of St. Helens ~ Cathi Clore Frost & Friends
Life in Germany in times past ~ John Blankenbaker
Visit the graves of Aaron Broyles and his wife Susannah, Masonic Cemetery
Directions: From Portland, take Hwy 30 (Columbia River Hwy) to St. Helens. The Village Inn will be on the left after the second stoplight (Sykes Rd).
Accommodations: In St. Helens for out of town guests looking for a place to stay
Best Western Oak Meadows Inn – 585 S. Columbia River Hwy, St. Helens, OR 97051
The Village Inn – 535 S. Columbia River Hwy, St. Helens, OR 97051
Please detach and send the following registration form and payment to:
Cathi Clore Frost, 59656 Twin Oaks Drive, St. Helens, OR 97051, cathiclorefrost@comcast.net, 503-369-6733
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
West Coast Germanna Gathering Registration
Name(s): _____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________________________
Phone: ___________________Email: ________________________
Payment $20 x ____ = _____
*Registration and payment due by October 12, 2012.
Hello to anyone who could help me! I have a wedding party of about 30 to 40 people and wish to take them to visit the Germanna visitor site on 22 June arriving around 4pm. I know it may be closed but it would be a great thing for us to visit. I have many Amburgey's arriving (Conrad Amberger) and would know they would look forward to it. Some of us are elderly or arthritic so it would be nice to be able to pull up into parking lot area and also visit inside if it is too hot. Can someone please point me to the person to talk to about the hours for that day?
Also could be nice if someone could talk to us and give us a history lesson (10 minutes or so) . Bonus points if you include Amberger.
thanks
Keith
Are there any other Crisler and/or Garr descendants out there that would be interested in sharing information? I am descended from Johan Theobald Crisler and Rosina Garr and rarely see others researching those two lines.
Leslie Hall
Waynesboro, Virginia
I decend from this line through Julius Crisler my 4th g-grandfather and wife Elizabeth Souther. Julius is a descendant of John George Crisler Rev. War Patriot and they are documented through Germana. I have his DAR record. I'm glad to share if you wish to contact me at delta12339@aol.com.
Betty
Hi,
My great-great-great-grandmother was Cassandra Crisler daughter of Lewis Crisler. Both names you mention are in my records though not entirely sure off the top of my head how far removed Cassandra is from Johann Theobald Crisler and Rosina Gaar. I would be interested in sharing information. Just contact me via email at debellisfh@lycos.com
Thanks,
Jane DeBellis
Milton, Florida
I very much enjoy the beautiful Spring 2012 Newsletter! In reading through the Table Insert on the Second (1717) Germanna Colonists I do not see the name of Michael Wilhoit. Can someone tell me why he was omitted? I believe his land was patented 1728. Thank you!
Nancy Wilhite Bartlett
Hi Nancy,
I prepared the Second Colony insert for the newsletter. Michael Wilhoit was not on the list because he did not appear on Spotswood's importation list, was not sued by Spotswood, was not on the Gemmingen departure list, nor did he patent land in June 1726. As you mention his land patent was two years later. It is clear that he was an early settler in the Robinson River Valley / Hebron Lutheran Church community however nothing definitive points to his having come on the Scott.
Cathi
My name is Elmer Lee Wilhite, Jr.; born in Owensboro, KY in 1944; son of Elmer Lee Wilhite, Sr. and Mary John Crowe. My father was born in Joplin, MO in 1916; son of Harrison Wilhite and Jesse Mae Greenwell. Harrison was born in Harden County, KY in 1888; son of George Washington Wilhite and Sidenia Scott. George Washington was born in Meade County, KY in about 1852; son of William Wilhite and Lucinda Lemaster. William was born in Knox County, TN about 1809; William is believed to be the son of Julius Wilhite and Margaret Hise, but no proof has yet been developed.
Some months ago, I decided to pursue DNA genealogy. I had a Y-DNA test done by Family Tree DNA. Much to my surprise, my results came back as Haplogroup I2a, which is consistent with the surname Lawson rather than Haplogroup R1b1a2, which is the Wilhite result. I had a separate Y-DNA test done by the National Geographic genographics project and the result confirmed the I2a Haplogroup.
So, I’m trying to work out how this came to be. I was wondering if any of you have any information that would shed light on the WILHITE – LAWSON connection. If so, please respond here or, if you would prefer to email me privately, my address is wilhite@gforcecable.com
Did not Maria Elisabetha Fischbach and Johannes Spielmann also have a daughter named Mary (through whom I thought I descend)? The online Germanna genealogy site here does not have her.
The info I have says she was b. at Germanna ca. 1715; m. Timothy Redding; d. 1760 Fauquier Co, VA. I don't recall where I got this info, maybe from one of the books when I was at Germanna?
Are there known descendants who have not been entered into the online Germanna genealogy site? And I wonder if Mary is indeed a daughter of the Spielmanns or not (and if I really descend from them).
Does anyone have any information about the children of Elias Rector and Milly Edwards?
[Camryn Hitt is a descendant of Peter Hitt, who arrived at Germanna in 1714].
by Jeff Say, Culpeper Star-Exponent
When Britton and Crystal Hitt first saw the results of the ultrasound, they were devastated.
Their daughter, Camryn, was diagnosed during Crystal’s 20-month ultrasound with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which occurs when parts of the left side of the heart do not develop completely.
But thanks to doctors at the University of Virginia Medical Center and prayers from their church community at Stevensburg Baptist Church, little Camryn is making progress.
Stevensburg Baptist is hosting a spaghetti dinner for the Hitt family, to help with Camryn’s medical expenses, Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church.
That outpouring of support has humbled the family, Britton said.
“There are just not enough words to thank the people in the church,” Britton said. “They’ve been my church family my entire life. They’ve just embraced us and they’ve really helped out — whether it’s financially or just morale support.”
Members of the church have rallied around the Hitt family ever since the diagnosis, and when Camryn was born at 4:28 a.m. Feb. 2., she weighed a healthy seven pounds, 14 ounces and was 20-inches long, but she was already scheduled for her first surgery.
In patients with the condition, the left side of the heart is unable to send enough blood to the body. As a result, the right side of the heart must maintain the circulation for both the lungs and the body. The right ventricle can support the circulation to both the lungs and the body for a while, but this extra workload eventually causes the right side of the heart to fail.
The only possibility of survival is a connection between the right and the left side of the heart, or between the arteries and pulmonary arteries.
Camryn’s initial surgery took place just two weeks after she was born and took nearly five hours to complete.
According to Britton, the son of Donnie and Donna Hitt, of Stevensburg, they had to circulate the blood from the right side of her heart and essentially put a shunt in to circulate blood from her heart to her lungs.
She’ll have another procedure when she’s six months old and then another when she’s between 18-months-old and 3-years-old.
Britton said the survival rate for the first procedure is between 80 and 85 percent, with the survival rate increasing to 90 to 95 percent for the second surgery.
Discussing survival rates about his little girl never crossed his mind before that ultrasound.
“It was kind of devastating, to say the least,” he said. “The first day was the hardest. You want your kid to be here — they’re supposed to take care of you when you’re older.”
Camryn is the first girl born on Britton’s side of the family in 48 years, and the Hitts’ second child, son Braeden is 2. She began treatment in the NICU, but was recently moved to the PICU. Britton said she could be home nearly a month after her surgery.
He credited the doctors at UVa. — Drs. James Ganjemi and Andrew Hoyer — for their hard work and dedication to helping his daughter.
“You can’t put a price on what these people do, I just don’t have the words for it,” he said.
But prices are mounting, and that’s where their church family has come into play.
According to Stevensburg Baptist Church pastor Phil Walker, the church family just asked “what can we do?”
“People just started pulling together,” Walker said. “We knew that Camryn was going to be born and we knew she was going to spend a month or two in the hospital.”
He said members of the church family began organizing fundraisers — including donating funds from the church’s annual Groundhog Dinner to the family — while others baked and froze meals for the Hitts.
Walker said the church has prayed extensively for Camryn and her family, and those prayers continue while she’s in the hospital.
“Crystal has made the statement that they’re just blown away, the church has just rallied around them,” Walker said. “Even though we feel unworthy, God loves us. Britton and Crystal are starting to realize that. They’re not just loved by us, they’re loved by God.”
The spaghetti dinner costs $10 a person, or $25 for a family. Call (540) 825-3739 for more information.
What: Spaghetti dinner for Camryn Hitt and her parents, Britton and Crystal Hitt
When: Today, 5 to 7 p.m.
Where: Stevensburg Baptist Church
Cost: $10 for one person, $25 for a family
Call: 825-3739
Does anyone have information about the parents of Samuel Rector (1815-1884?)
Samuel died in Licking County, Ohio and was married to Emily R. Brown.
I am trying to locate and or differentiate any information about my Jacob Huffman, b. 1760, m. 1786 to Susannah Miller, father of Jacob II, Daniel, David, Samuel, Catharine, John H. Jospeh and Mary. He was married in Shenandoah County, VA on Nov. 4, 1786. Resided in Woodstock, VA for a time, also lived in Montgomery County, VA and Greenbrier County, WV. His son Joseph b. 1802, d. 1870-1880 in Greenbrier County, WV, married Margaret Smith on Aug. 25, 1830, she died 1850-1860. The Jacob Huffman from Germanna married a Mary Floyd in 1786. I just want to know for sure which Jacob is mine as there are three listed in the Germanna data base. Any information would be welcome and appreciated.
Great News!
We have had a sizeable donation of $650 toward the Zimmerman Memorial! As we had a total of $925 before, we have a total of $1575 of the $2000 needed. Therefore only $425 is needed to reach the goal! Who will start out the New Year with a gift, large or small to reach it? Any amount will be appreciated by the descendants of the Zimmermans. Thanks to the contributors!
Happy New Year to the Germanna Community!
Over the past several years we have received $975 in donations toward a large stone for Christopher Zimmerman. The stone will cost $2000, so we are just about halfway in the collection effort! Please if you are a Zimmerman descendant, consider helping in this lasting gift to your heritage. Thank you!
"The Germans are trying to preserve an eroding ethos of effort, productivity and self-discipline. In condemning them, we deny our own foundations." Read the rest of the column at
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/opinion/brooks-the-spirit-of-enterprise.html?ref=davidbrooks
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year All!
$25 has been donated toward the $150 needed for a memorial paving stone for Clay Cooper Rector, who was killed on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Would you join with others to honor his memory in the Germanna Memorial Garden? This is a lasting gift to your family and Germanna heritage! Thank you!
Barbara Bounds, Office Manager, Germanna Foundation
Just a note to descendants of Hans Jacob Richter (Rector) of the original 1714 Germanna Colony settlers and all other interested parties.
The very rare and limited edition book The Rectors of Wayne County Kentucky has been added to my website at the following address http://www.rector.org/genealogy.htm. This is a free PDF download of the entire book, and the file is searchable.
The book was compliled by Clara Rector Barnes Smart of Charlottesville, VA, and was published in 1975 to be in the public domain. My mother, Ruth Yingling Rector, helped Clara with the research on the 475-page book, which has many references to the original families who settled at Germanna. You may download this by clicking the "Free Download" link on the page referenced above.
I may be contacted at the following email address: leerector@gmail.com.
You are welcome to distribute copies at will.
Enjoy!
Lee Rector
11/12/11
Thank you very much, Wayne, that's very generous of you!!!
Barb Price
Holzklau/Otterbach/Heimbach/Fischbach
One of the Rector descendants in this book is Clay Cooper Rector (June 27,1920-December 7,1941), killed on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
Clay Cooper Rector was the son of Wendell Wesley and Lela Florence Cooper Rector. Clay was in charge of the storeroom on the USS Arizona. The last family member to see him may have been his cousin Clay who met him in the Pacific in 1940. His cousin Clay left Pearl Harbor two days before the attack on the USS Anderson. Clay Cooper Rector's brother was also lost in the military.
Clay can be found on pages 93, 136, and 137.
Photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/heartofkentucky/4168028236/
Does anyone have extra copies of Volume 15 since it is now out of print? I would like to purchase several if any are available.
Many thanks,
Ann Green Baise (niece of James E. Martin)
2201 Great Falls St
Falls Church, VA 22043-1626
703-534-1753
Hi I'm just getting started on my descendants of Jacob Utterback through his son Elijah Utterback I'm trying to get in the D.A.R. and I'm haveing truble getting brith and death records of them I sent to the Vriginia health dept. and they told me they did not have any records of them.I have the census but they do not show names of the household I need help and would be glad to pay for any information that I recive. Martha(Utterback) Luallen-martha.luallen@att.net
While viewing the photo page, I noticed a picture labled John WilhoitHouse. Could someone tell me which John Wilhoit house this is, and where the picture was taken.
Thanks
Sandra vines
My ancestor was Lewis Rector, b c 1765 in Fauquier Co., VA; m Elizabeth Martin 17 Jan 1799 in Campbell Co., VA; d c 1830 in Anderson Co., TN. Probate documents only mention that his will was probated in open court -- no mention of names of children or spouse. Does anyone have ANY good documentation to prove that one of his sons is Martin Rector (b c 1810 in TN; m Nancy Duckett Rector 29 Mar 1840 in Warren Co., KY; d unknown)????
I have a copy of the military papers for War of 1812 for Lewis Rector! The documentation would also help me with DAR. Can anyone help, please?
Marsha Young mrszorro@hotmail.com
Harvard had the second-highest team GPA among Division I schools in 2010-11 (Harvard Athletic Communications).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard men’s swimming and diving team recorded the second-highest team GPA among Division I schools in 2010-11, as the squad earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors, the organization announced. Six members of last year’s squad also received individual scholar All-America honorable mention honors.
The Crimson compiled a 3.40 team GPA during the 2010-11 season, tying it for second place among Division I schools with Boston College, and just .04 back of Denver. The team GPA represents an improvement from the 2009-10 season, where the Crimson placed sixth among Division I programs with a 3.34 team grade-point average.
Three freshmen led the way with the individual honors, as Chris Satterthwaite, Wes Stearns and Danny Crigler earned honorable mention accolades. Junior Nicholas Tan also earned a spot on the Scholar All-America squad, and seniors Blake Lewkowitz ’10 and Will Heyburn ’10 rounded out the sextet of honorees.
The CSCAA chooses its Scholar All-America team members on the basis of their performances in the pool and classroom. To be selected to the squad, swimmers must qualify for the NCAA Championships meet and achieve a GPA of 3.50 or higher. Honorable mention selections, meanwhile, must achieve an NCAA provisional qualifying time and a 3.50 or higher GPA.
Danny Crigler is the grandson of Germanna Foundation members Wayne and Elaine Crigler. According to Germanna Record 18 ("The Second Germanna Colony and Other Pioneers" by John Blankenbaker), Jacob Crigler, founder of the Crigler family in America, was probably a bachelor when he arrived at Germanna in 1717. Jacob Crigler married the widow Susannah (Clore) Weaver not long after arriving in Virginia.
I have received this information from Leslie S. Hall correcting information about the Crisler family.
Johni Cerny and Gary Zimmerman state that the father of Theobald (David), who was Leonard Sr., had his will probated in 1748 in Montgomery County, PA. This is incorrect as this Leonard was the Jr. and brother of Theobald Crisler of the Robinson River Valley. The father, Leonard Crisler, Sr., left no will when he died in 1740. HIs son, Leonard Crisler, Jr., died in 1748 and it was his will that was probated in 1748. There was a 1746 tripartite indenture between Leonard, Sr.'s widow, Anna Maria Bender Crisler, and her two sons, Theobald and Leonard, which spells out the relationships. A copy of this agreement was obtained from the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, PA which is in Franconia Township of Montgomery Co. In Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania has a copy of Leonard Crisler, Jr.'s will which was written in December 1748 which divides his estate between his widow and one daughter, Maria Barbara.
John Blankenbaker
John,
Thank you for clarifiying which Leonard is referenced in the 1748 will. I'm researching the Christlers in the RRV right now and appreciate the additional informatiion. On my next research trip to Philadephia, I will spend some time at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Suzanne Collins Matson
Germanna descendant Jesse Wilhite/Wilhoit was enlisted in Captain Gabriel Long’s Rifle Company, Daniel Morgan’s 11th Regiment, Virginia Continental Line, according to Lon Lacey, member of the Culpeper Minute Men Chapter, Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
While serving the patriot cause, Jesse Wilhite suffered at Valley Forge with George Washington.
The Wilhite family left Germanna and moved to Deep Run area north of Hebron Lutheran Church in Culpeper County (now Madison County).
In about 1805, he moved with other Wilhoit and Germanna families to Jefferson County, Kentuck, an area later to become Oldham County in 1826. They settled on Wilhoit Branch and Herrods Creek, and were founders of Herrods Creek Baptist Church.
His daughter, Lucy, married Jesse Lacy (spelling at that time), son of Elijah Lacy, who as a sixteen-year-old Goochland County militiaman, guarded Hessians at Albemarle Barracks. Elijah Lacy served twice near Richmond & Williamsburg and last at Yorktown.
More information on Germanna’s participation in the patriot’s cause can be found at http://www.germanna.org/revwar and at http://www.germanna.org/node/483.
What a neat picture. If I am correct and Jesse is the son of Matthias Wilhite and Mary Ballenger, he is also the brother of John Wilhite married to Lucy Stapp. The children of Matthias and Tobias seem to be complicated in all the sources. As I claim John, Joel and wife Mary etc. I am interested. My facts have John and Lucy in Woodford County and later in Owen County. Tobias, their son was married in Woodford County and was in the 1820 Owen Census. John and Lucy were also on the same Census and same page.
Yet I also have some of the same names for Tobias and Catherine (Walke) and come through Reynolds. Would sure like to know which children were which for old Tobias and Matthais.
According to Tobias will, PARISH of BRUMFIELD CULPEPPER COUNTY, VIRGINIA SEPTEMBER 1, 1761 (CULPEPER COUNTY, VIRGINIA) {WILL BOOK A,)His children listed were: Michael, Conrad, Mary (Broyles) Jesse and William. Jesse being born around 1739. According to the Germanna Record #13, it is believed Jesse, born ca 1748, son of Matthias, died young.. maybe there is more updated information out there that I don't have, but hope this helps.
I'm looking for a copy of this book. Any ideas? Also grateful for any help in researching my Rouse line. Descent from Matthias to Samuel to Moses to Moses Weaver to Con Alexander. Virginia to Kentucky to Missouri to Illinois. eeddy@cinci.rr.com
Hello,
Working on some Kemper, Hitt, Mauzy records today. Time to do some supplemental DAR applications and wondering if the Kemper book is a recognized source.
Looking forward to reunion/conference and seeing friends and cousins.
Beverly
NSDAR generally does not recognize books like Kemper's as an appropriate source. Usually family history books of that time are not adequately documented.
I am looking for some hints for where to start searching the area for family traces. I am coming to the area on Sunday to look around. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Nancy Briles
Fauquier Co Va Deeds compiled by John K Gott includes the following deed from Bk 6, pp 34-36, dated 23 May 1774. Bill of Sale between John Duncan and Elizabeth, his wife, of Culpepper Co. and Joseph Duncan Sr...L30...tract in Hamilton Parish..bought by sd Duncan of Joseph HITT...53 ac...oak on Marsh Road, joining Benj. Holtzclaw's land..saplings in Bumberry's line...oak on sd road near Turkey Run Church. Signed: John Duncan, Elizabeth (X) Duncan. Wit: Jos Blackwell, Thos. Keith, Samuel Blackwell. Recorded 26 Sep 1774. Ack. by GRANTORS.
The above seems straightforward, but some who have examined the above deed say that the abstract is not complete and that the list of GRANTORS also includes: Alice, Elisha, Eve, Harmon, Henry, John, and Peter HITT.
This additional list of GRANTORS seems very odd. Has someone garbled their notes regarding this deed? If these Hitt names are really there, what is their significance? Can anyone clarify this peculiar information that circulates on-line?
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The family secret behind the economic boom
Published: 18 May 11 16:57 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20110518-35083.html
The backbone of Germany’s booming economy isn’t huge industry – it's thousands of small and mid-sized firms spread across the country. The Local's David Wroe reports on the quiet achievers known as the Mittelstand.
During the depths of Germany’s recession in 2009, Carl Martin Welcker did something the family firm had never done since Welcker’s great-grandfather founded it 131 years ago. He went to the bank for a loan.
Welcker, the fourth-generation managing partner of the Cologne-based firm Alfred H. Schütte, was faced with a drop of up to 90 percent in orders for the machine tools the firm manufactures, which are used in factories around the world.
“At that point in time, it doesn’t matter how healthy you are – you are in a tough situation,” he told The Local. “I went to the bank and said, ‘It doesn’t matter that I never needed help. I do now.’”
At the same time, he made “massive” use of the federal government’s Kurzarbeit scheme, allowing him to reduce his employees’ work hours and in some cases their wages rather than laying them off.
“I went to the guys and said, ‘We’ll go through it together and we are not laying anyone off,’” he said.
That was just two years ago. Last year, Schütte’s sales rose 200 percent and will likely rise even more this year – a stunning turnaround that highlights the rebound of Germany’s economy since it suffered its worst recession since World War II between 2008 and 2009.
“As fast as it went down, it’s gone back up again,” Welcker said.
Schütte is one of what author Hermann Simon, of the consultancy Simon-Kucher & Partners, has famously called the “hidden champions” – the thousands of small- and medium-sized firms that form the backbone of the German economy.
The Mittelstand, as they are called in German, are playing a key role in the torrent of strong economic data coming out of Germany. Last Friday, official figures revealed the economy grew by 1.5 percent in the first quarter of 2011, its largest year-on-year growth since reunification. The country's economic output has now exceeded the pre-crisis level of early 2008.
Figures released earlier in the week showed that exports had reached €98.3 billion in March, the highest monthly figure since record-keeping began in 1950. Unemployment fell below 3 million for the first time in almost 19 years in late April.
“These hidden champions are playing a central role” in Germany’s economic recovery, Hermann Simon told The Local.
The breakfast of champions
The typical Mittelstand is an unpretentious, quietly successful manufacturing firm run by its owners – often families covering several generations – with a loyal, local workforce that has been trained at the firm through apprenticeships.
More than two thirds are family-owned and based in small cities or rural communities – especially in the Rhineland and Baden-Württemberg. The average age of these firms is 70 years. They employ more than two-thirds of the country’s workers and contribute half of its GDP.
Mittelstand firms such as machine tool-makers suffered heavily during the global recession but also bounced back quickly because their products are what Simon calls “postponable but indispensable.” They sell things that businesses absolutely need but rarely need right away.
“The strength of the growth is probably temporary – we won’t have a new export record every month as we did in March,” he said. “But the long-term prospects are quite good to very good.”
The Mittelstand have inherent strengths, many experts say. Management consultant and author Bernd Venohr told a recent conference in Vienna that they focus on long-term survival and consider themselves part of their local communities, which commands the loyalty of their workers and their suppliers.
The owner-managers consider themselves stewards of a firm they will pass onto the next generation rather than flashy CEOs.
"The culture was helpful to survive the crisis," Venohr told The Local this week. "The Mittelstand behaved counter-cyclically: they tried to keep qualified staff, invested in research and development and sales, whereas many publicly listed companies with short-term performance pressures laid off people."
Having avoided firing people in 2009, firms like Schütte still had their fully trained workforces when the economic climate improved, which helped them bounce back faster.
“Germany still has a strong industrial base, other than say Great Britain or the United States,” Welcker said. “There were also smart – and lucky – decisions by politicians and entrepreneurs, (such as) Kurzarbeit.”
He said this allowed companies like his to keep the employees on board and prepare for a bigger and better future instead of just shrinking towards oblivion.
Indeed, Welcker never ended up having to draw on the line of bank credit he eventually secured for his firm. Things picked up before he needed it.
Mittelstand firms also tend to make high-quality, specialised products such as machine tools that can’t be bought elsewhere. Emerging economies, most obviously China, can’t get enough of Germany’s well-made tools.
“China may be the world’s factory, but Germany companies are building it,” Venohr said.
Riding the dragon
Indeed China overall is a major factor in the current boom, presenting both a massive opportunity but also a longer-term challenge to German manufacturers, experts say.
For now, it is sucking up German exports, especially for the automotive industry.
“We are doing a lot of forecasting work and we always tell our companies that it’s not a question of whether, but how much, the demand is shifting to Asia,” said Gerhard Hein, the director of economics and statistics with the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association.
“Take China for example: the demand is one third of the entire order intake from abroad in the case of German machine tools. This portion will increase and ... in say 2013 or 2014 we will see 60 or even 65 percent of worldwide machine tool demand coming from Asia. This is the big challenge.”
German Mittelstand firms have been flexible enough to adjust well to the new demand from the Far East, Hein said. But he and others agree that the looming issue is that China won’t be satisfied to remain a second-rate manufacturer itself.
“The Chinese are always clever enough that they never buy a mere machine. They always ask for know-how, process support, training of the workforce and other after-sales services,” Hein said.
It won’t be long before China is a competitor as well as a customer.
“China is the most serious competitor to the Mittelstand,” Hermann Simon said. “They are saying, ‘We want to be world class. We are determined to become world class.’”
Until then, commentators agree that the next few years should be a healthy time for the hidden champions.
“I’m quite confident we are at the beginning of an upswing that should reach for three or four years,” said Gerhard Hein. “We will see a strong jump in production in 2011 and also a prosperous 2012 for the Mittelstand.”
Bernd Venohr agreed China would become a "formidable competitor" and said speed bumps such as a possible burst of China's real estate bubble could spring up but added, "mid-term, I am optimistic."
David Wroe (david.wroe@thelocal.de)
Experts agree that it is easier and greener to register on-line for the 54th Annual Germanna Conference and Reunion by clicking http://www.germanna.org/catalog/20/conference_registration_2011
Be sure to email this link to all your kith and kin. You can have that family reunion and won't have to do the dishes!
I am a Martin descendant through Peter, James, James T and James E.
Our Martins moved to Kentucky and then to Indiana. I am very interested in sharing genealogical information with Martin cousins.
I have noted that Karen Jensen, an announced speaker for our 2011 conference is also a Martin descendant.
thank you,
Barbara Martin Naef
Hi Barbara,
I am a Martin descendant through Jacob Martin whose daughter Elizabeth married Berryman Smith.
They moved to Scott County Kentucky as did Jacob and his wife Sarah_____. Later they all moved to Faquiar County, Indiana and then the Smiths moved to Fountain County, Indian and then to Illinois.
There are a great many people from that part of Virginia who followed that path. I know because they all married each other. I am coming to the reunion this year. I've been putting it off for 15 years. I will be looking for information on the Martins, Smiths and the Conners. Will you be there, I'll bring all my "stuff".
I hadn't planned on going to the convention because I'm not interested in the Civil War. All of my ancestors were in Illinois or Missouri by the time the Civil War broke out. Do you think Karen Jenson will have anything to share about the Martins?
Marilyn Kinnie
Barbara,
I also descend from the Germanna Martins, but by a very different lineage. However, there seem to be fewer of us who are interested in the Martins so perhaps there are some things we can share. You apparently still carry the Martin name as your maiden name; My grandmother Young was a Martin so the surname is not too far removed with me.
My Martins moved from Fauquier to Harrison/Lewis Co WV and then to Cass Co, Indiana....on to Missouri.
On Sunday I am off to Germany with the Germanna Foundation and we will visit Muesen where the Martins originated.
All best wishes,
Gary E Young
Washington, DC
ygeyoung@aol.com
Do I have to have a different passwors to see the "Journal" ?
The Germanna Foundation's Spring newsletter is on the News & Events page at http://www.germanna.org/node/466. The journal you may be thinking of is a new website that is being marketed by a few individuals under a name and logo that is similar to Germanna's, but in fact is registered to a Maryland limited liability company.
Dedicatory Prayer – Siegen Forest
Dr. Benjamin C. Holtzclaw, Rhodes Scholar, Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Graduate School, University of Richmond.
Sunday, July 21, 1957
Almighty God our Father: Thou who through countless ages hast been the refuge and mighty fortress of those who trust in Thee; Thou who dost guide the course of history by Thy mighty hand, so that in spite of the errors and blindness of sinful men, "all things work together for good to them that love the Lord"; Thou who, above all else, didst grant the great gift of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us, that we through Him might have eternal life in Thee:
We thank Thee on this day of commemoration of the distant past for all the blessings, that Thou hast bestowed upon us; we thank Thee especially for the courage and faith of these our ancestors who settled in this place, whom Thou didst guide across the waters to a distant land, to whom Thou gavest hope and sustenance and final prosperity in their new home, and who have left their heritage to us their descendants in this good and blessed land of America.
As we dedicate this tract of land on which they first dwelt, we pray that Thou wilt bless us, their descendants, and the organization that perpetuates their memory; we pray that Thou wilt especially bless our benefactor, who hails from our remote fatherland of Siegen and who enabled us to possess this original home of our ancestors in Virginia; and we pray that our organization may grow and thrive in future years, accomplishing good in our land and furthering Thy kingdom.
Grant above all that we, the descendants of this group of pioneers, may exemplify in our own lives the virtues of honesty, thrift, independence, and sturdy faith in Thee, our Heavenly Father, which enabled them to overcome difficulties and plant a home in the wilderness; that we may perpetuate these virtues in ourselves and our descendants; that we may be loyal to Thee in all that we do or say; that Thou mayest be first in our hearts and lives; that we may never forget that Thou art our Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer; and that this spirit of faith and love and loyalty to Thee may pervade our whole national life, so that we may preserve our souls and escape the manifest punishment which comes to peoples and nations that forget Thee.
Yea, more, we pray that men everywhere may come to Know Thee, to love Thee and to do Thy will, so that they may dwell together in peace and amity; that the spirit of the gospel may leaven the lump of humanity; that the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdoms of God and His Christ; and that Thy kingdom may come quickly.
These blessings we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
I am trying to connect my Jacob COUNTS (abt 1747-1829) to Jost Cuntz from the Germanna Colony. There seems to be little information about this family compared to others so I might be able to help link some of this together. He was born in either Pa or Maryland. Recognized Rev. War Soldier buried in Ohio. Lived (1783)in Fayette Co., VA/Bourbon Co. Kentucky Territory. Later followed his family to Miami Co., Ohio. Married Hulda Davis/Davies. They were Baptist. There seems to be a lot that points in the Gremanna direction but I just can't make it fit yet. Might you have anything to add? Thanks Stephanie Sprague.
In remembrance of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the National Archives and Ancestry.com <http://www.archives.gov/global-pages/exit.html?link=http://www.ancestry.com> have announced that newly digitized records are available free to the general public for one week beginning on April 7.