FRIEDRICH BROSS, 1840 & ANNA MARIA IRION, 1852

FRIEDRICH BROSS, 1840 & ANNA MARIA IRION, 1852

Friedrich Bross, my great grandfather, was born 13 November 1840 in Alt Posttal and died 14 September 1910 in Alt Posttal. His godparents were Friedrich Brosst, Friedrich Koenig and Dorothea Doelker. Friedrich was confirmed on 3 April 1855 in Alt Posttal when he was 15 years old. His home was Alt Posttal Haus number 58 located on Kirchen Strasse which was close to the old church. Just behind his property was the ‘friedhof’ (village cemetery). This was the house of his father Adam Bross and before that the home of his grandfather Michael. Michael Bross helped establish first the village of Wittenberg in 1815 and then resettled to found Alt Posttal in 1823. In 1823 Friedrich’s father Adam was a boy of age 9. Friedrich’s grand uncles Georg Bross born 1795 and Friedrich born 1808 are also listed as founders of Alt Posttal.

Friedrich was the father of 19 children. Friedrich married first, Christina Weiss, daughter of Christian Weiss and Barbara Schulz, on 4 December 1859 in Tarutino, Bessarabia. Christina was born 29 October 1840 in Alt Posttal and died 21 August 1873 in Alt Postal.

Friedrich and Christina had nine children:

Friedrich Bross was born 30 June 1861 in Alt Posttal and died 11 April 1940 in Alt Posttal. Friedrich married Barbara Jauch, daughter of Christian Jauch and Rosina Sept, on 16 December 1882 in Tarutino, Bessarabia. Barbara was born 5 February 1863 in Alt Posttal and died 9 September 1918 in Alt Posttal.

Anna Maria Bross was born 21 November 1862 and died 24 August 1875 in Alt Posttal. Anna Maria lived 12 years, 9 months, 3 days.

Christina Bross was born 9 March 1864 and died 22 August 1873 in Alt Posttal. Christina lived 9 years, 5 months, 13 days.

Dorothea Bross was born 11 September 1865 and died 2 September 1875 in Alt Posttal. Dorothea lived 9 years, 11 months, 22 days.

Jakob Bross was born 17 January 1867 and died 5 November 1873 in Alt Posttal. Jakob lived 6 years, 9 months, 19 days.

Daniel Bross was born 4 October 1868 and died 11 September 1875 in Alt Posttal. Daniel lived 6 years, 11 months, 7 days.

Regina Bross was born 2 March 1870 and died 14 March 1871 in Alt Posttal. Regina lived 1 year, 12 days.

David Brost (Bross) was born 2 October 1871 in Alt Posttal and died 16 October 1948 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. David married 1^st, Christina Vossler, daughter of Gottlieb Vossler and Christina Krause, on 31 December 1894 in McIntosh County, North Dakota, USA. Christina was born 9 June 1873 in Alt Posttal and died 17 October 1929 in Medicine Hat, Alberta. David and Christina (Vossler) had four children: Ida Brost, Olga Brost, Fred Brost, and Elma Brost. David married 2^nd, Katharina Zieffle in 1930. David and Katharina had no children.

Samuel Bross was born 17 February 1873 and died 8 July 1873 in Alt Posttal. Samuel lived 4 months, 21 days.

In the short span of just over 4 years from 14 March 1871 to 11 September 1875, most of the members of this family including the mother, Friedrich’s wife, Christina Weiss, died. In the village of Alt Posttal 83 people died in 1873. In that year the village suffered from Pochen (pox) and Cholera. In 1875 the village suffered from Diphterie (diphtheria) and Masern (measles). 65 people died in that year.

On 26 October 1873 in Tarutino, Bessarabia, Friedrich married his second wife, my great grandmother, Anna Maria Irion, daughter of Friedrich Irion, born 28 March 1824 in Wittenberg and Louisa Heidinger, born 1 August 1825 in Alt Posttal. Anna Maria was born 22 September 1852 in Alt Posttal and died 6 December 1922 in Alt Posttal, Bessarabia, Romania.

Friedrich and Anna Maria had ten children:

Regina Bross was born 13 August 1874 in Alt Posttal and died 25 June 1907 in Alt Posttal. Regina lived 32 years,10 months,12 days

Karolina Bross was born 4 January 1876 in Alt Posttal and died 28 February 1949 in Germany. Karolina lived 73 years, 1 month, 24 days.

Christian Brost (Bross) was born 8 March 1878 in Alt Posttal and died 24 October 1947 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Christian lived 69 years, 7 months, 16 days.

Daniel Bross was born 10 April 1880 in Alt postal and died 8 October 1890 in Alt Posttal. Daniel lived 10 years, 5 months, 28 days.

Christina Salomina Bross was born 13 March 1883 in Alt Posttal and died 8 November 1918 in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada. Christina Salomina lived 35 years, 7 months, 26 days.

Martha Maria Bross was born 23 May 1885 in Alt Posttal and died 24 August 1964 in Wuerttemberg, Germany. Martha Maria lived 79 years, 3 months, 1 day.

Jakob Bross was born 16 June 1888 in Alt Posttal and died 25 June 1888. Jakob lived 9 days.

Ottilie Bross was born 16 July 1889 in Alt Posttal and died 3 May 1995 in Altensteig, Calw, Wuerttemberg, Germany. Ottilie lived 65 years, 9 months, 17 days.

Daniel Brost (Bross), my grandfather, was born 17 May 1892 Alt Posttal and died 22 October 1976 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Daniel lived 84 years, 5 months, 5 days.

Jakob Emanuel Bross was born 10 June 1896 and died 5 November 1913 in Alt Posttal. Jakob Emanuel lived 17 years, 4 months, 26 days.　

Friedrich was a farmer, knew the craftsmanship of wagon building, and the natural healing arts.

Friedrich was a ‘Oberschulz’ and served as the district mayor responsible for the villages of Alt Posttal, Wittenberg, Kulm, Tarutino, Krasna, Katzbach, Alt-Elft, Neu-Elft, Teplitz, Dennewitz and Plotzk. This was number 1 district Malojaroslawetz. The other two areas were called Kloestitz and Sarata. Friedrich’s term of office was from 1889 to 1898. In the picture above, Friedrich is wearing an ‘amtskette’ (office chain), his badge of office. My grandparents had said to me that it was a gold chain.

In 1864 Friedrich was an assistant for village mayor Haag who held office from 1858 to 1865. In 1865 Friedrich was an assessor under Chief mayor Gaeckle. A village mayor by the name of Bross is listed during 1870, 1874 and 1889.

From the Bessarabian Newsletter December 2004 Volume 8 Issue 3, pages 8-9 is a translated article by Ellen-Hardy Birt, titled "Our Village – The Administration". This article originated in the book, Wie’s Daheim War – Der Schicksalswag der Bessarabiendeutschen, by J. Becker, published 1950. It gives us a good idea of the duties of my great grand father as the Chief Mayor.

"As far as the administration of our colonies is concerned, it can be said that until 1871 they stood under the guardianship of the colonial authority, with the Welfare Committee (Fuersorgekomitte) at the top. Each village had a mayor, so-called ‘Schulz.’ He had two officers. He had much power and was honoured and respected by all village members. He even was allowed to impose punishments. Usually, the cleverest and most courageous among the farmers was elected by the community. Very often, drunkards and lazy-bones received harsh treatment. Only the mayor could permit music and dancing. In addition, the permission of the inspector of the German colonies had to be applied for.

"Strong action was taken against thieves and slanderers. Cantankerous people, who repeatedly caused fights and trouble in the community, were banished from the community. The colonists had to be respectful towards the office holders, like mayor, officers, minister, teacher, etc..

"Above the village mayor stood the Chief Mayor. The later was responsible for several municipalitties and was at the same time the judge. All mayors were subordinates, as already mentioned, to the colonial inspector. The highest instance was the Welfare Committee (Fuersorgekomittee) with its seat in Odessa. They published all guidelines for the immigrants-colonists. Until 1871, German was the administrative language. From then until 1918 however the Russian language was also introduced in the German villages as the administrative language. Starting in 1918, Bessarabia belonged to Romania. The Romanian language immediately became the administrative language. From then on the mayors were subordinate to the region prefects (district magistrate). Their rights were reduced. The authority sank. The instructions were given no more by the Welfare Committee, but by Romanian Prefects.

"The mayor was now a plaything in the hands of the superiors. It even happened that the German mayor was now replaced by a Romanian, because he did not know or understand the Romanian language. Although the administration was made equal to the Romanian, it must be said nevertheless that our communities still looked completely different to the others. The word of the mayor still had weight. There was not one citizen who would come into the town hall and kept his cap on the head, as was possible in other towns. Until recently ‘the Haeusle’ (a village or community lock-up) existed in our town halls. The drunkards, who perhaps created unrest, would be locked up there, until their intoxication and aggressiveness had passed. Also high-spirited boys, who were noisy and had started fights, were slung in the ‘hole,’ so that the surplus energy could be spent there. It happened again and again that some spent one or even two nights in the ‘Haeusle.’ The local council (the Konsilium) stood by the side of the mayor, its size of which depended on the number of inhabitants of the community.

‘In order to ensure an easier administration, the village was divided into groups of one hundred. Each group of one hundred had a group leader known as ‘Sotzki.’ He was selected and obliged to see that his region was in order. During the time of the Romanian administration, these were maintained, although it was not required by the Romanian laws and authorities. The male youth feared them. If they made noise on the road, it was the ‘Sotzki’ who drove them apart with a whip. Only then was peace on the road.

"Apart from the mayor there was also a pastoral mayor (Hirtenschulzen) for each end of the village and/or district. Each village had an upper and lower end – upper and lower village. The shepherds master (Schaeferschulzen) was subordinated to the pastoral mayor. They had to collect the monies and to pay the salaries to the herdsmen/shepherds and other expenditures. They had to keep accounts. At the end of the year everything was examined and the result of the examination made public. The pastoral mayor had to determine where and when the animals could be tended. He was the superior. That was a perfect self government. No national law obliged us to accomplished this. Since the administration – the self-government – had already been introduced by our fathers, and because it had also proven to operate so well, it was maintained up to the day of our repatriation to Germany. Even the representatives of the state frequently admired the exemplary order in our colonies. Of that we could be proud. And today we are even prouder. We remained steady as a lonely Swabian island in a mixture of peoples and were popular in our neighbourhood. We lived with very neighbourly relations with one another. Couldn’t it also be so in the life of the nations? How beautiful it would be!"