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Caroline of Berlepsch

Bad Hersfeld, 9 Jan 1820 – Knauthain, 21 Feb 1877

9 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 9 Jan 1820

    Born in Bad Hersfeld

  2. 21 Feb 1877

    Dies in Knauthain, aged 57

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Bad Hersfeld.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1820s · Caroline is born in Bad Hersfeld

Around the world1825–1830

The first passenger railway

In England a steam locomotive pulled the first public train in 1825; within decades railways crossed every continent.

At the table

Potato schnapps among common men

Potato schnapps was a popular and widespread drink among common men in East Prussia, so much so that some would sell their last chicken to afford it.

What people wore

Saving fabric with the Magsachte patch

Women saved money on expensive fabric by sewing a hidden patch of coarser linen, called a Magsachte, onto their dresses where it would be covered by an apron.

Getting around

High cost of travel

A short stagecoach trip from Berlin to Magdeburg cost four Taler, which was nearly the entire monthly wage of a village schoolteacher.

What it cost

Marriage requirements and net worth

To obtain permission to marry, a couple often needed to prove a minimum net worth of 100 to 200 guilders.

Music

Daily castle tower music in Königsberg

City tower musicians performed chorales daily from Königsberg's castle tower, such as 'Ich weiß mein Gott, daß all mein Tun' at 11 am and 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder' at 9 pm.

Daily life

Child labor and rudimentary schooling conditions

Children in rural areas were often tasked with labor, such as preparing and binding daily bundles of fuel for the household fire, a chore that frequently left their hands bleeding. Schooling was frequently held in the teacher's house, where the teacher was often a poorly paid local craftsman.