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.
Dessau, 24 Jun 1824 – Hummelshain, 23 Oct 1897
9 facts3 sources
24 Jun 1824
Born in Dessau
2 Aug 1854
A daughter is born
23 Oct 1897
Dies in Hummelshain, aged 73
She lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Dessau.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
Around the world1825–1830
In England a steam locomotive pulled the first public train in 1825; within decades railways crossed every continent.
At the table
Daily wheat cake despite poverty
In some villages, even the poorest people ate wheat cake daily, fresh from the oven, which was criticized by doctors for supposedly damaging their digestion.
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
Faster express coaches were costly
The introduction of the "Diligence" or express post coach in 1821 allowed for faster travel at speeds of around 10 km/h, making trips of 100 km possible in a single day. However, travel remained expensive, with a short trip from Berlin to Magdeburg costing four talers, nearly a schoolteacher's monthly salary.
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
Daily lighting and water access challenges
Lighting was scarce and provided by tallow candles, oil lamps, or pine splinters that were often held in the hearth. Water for daily needs was typically retrieved from village pumps or springs, and chores like fetching water could be time-consuming, requiring one to wait for buckets to fill under a slow stream.