rich man's only son who ran away from home because his father wanted him to be an accountant and he wanted only to paint. The hardships of his western life were too much and he died quite young--57.
This snippet is interesting in emphasizing Fred's interest in painting, and for claiming that this was one of the two important factors that encouraged Fred to run away. Fred does not mention this in his own autobiography. It is clear from severa documents that Minerva seemed to see her career as an actualization of the dreams and interests of her father. The accountant remark likely refers to Fred's time at the Comer's Commercial College in Boston.
I really enjoy learning more about Fred Kohlhepp and his family through your research. This blog is great. I'm a great-grandson of Minerva, and I've been curious about the Kohlhepp ancestors in Germany. Have you by any chance looked into it and found any interesting sources from Germany?
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I found this blog! Or that it even exists! And your still posting! I'm a great great granddaughter of Fred Kohlhepp :) My great grandma is Eda, Freds oldest daughter. I was just asked to talk about Minvera Teichert in a Relief Society thing coming up and was looking up some different stories when I happened upon your blog...very impressive! I can't wait to read more...I don't know a whole lot about Fred before he married Ella...but i do know a lot about Ella and her maternal line. My grandma made books for my sisters and I packed full of stories that you may or may not have...if your interested! Where do you get all your information?
ReplyDeletejust kidding eda wasn't the oldest...but you already knew that huh...so i was chatting with my mom about your blog and she reminded me that she has a couple of hand written letters that Fred wrote to Eda (i think) and also a neat one that Ella wrote to him about joining the church and marrying her that you you might be interested in...also, i told my grandma (Eda LaPreal Lisonbee) about your blog as well and she is very interested in knowing who you are and where you are getting all your information! She could be a really great resource for you...and maybe you have some insider stories i can use about Minerva Teichert that I can use for my talk :) thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi! It has been quite a while since I visited your site. I have a TERRIFIC photo that may clear up some mysteries as to the "dye house" that the Kohlhepps owned and ran outside of Boston, MA. I am the great-great-great granddaughter of Maria Elisabeth Benedikte Wetzler Kramer Kohlhepp. (Wetzler was her maiden name; Kramer is her first husband's name; Kohlhepp is her second husband's name. I descend through the only child of Elisabeth's first marriage.) For all those interested, see the photo of the main house and the dye house (and their gravestone) at my blog: http://web.me.com/jude33/Judy/Blog/Entries/2011/1/26_My_Kohlhepp_Connections.html
ReplyDeleteWhen I get some more time, I'll post more info.
Hey Judy, I imagine that you are a descendent of Anna Kramer, then? Fred loved her deeply, as far as I can tell from their open correspondence. Can you provide me with a higher resolution scan of the postcard that has past down to you? I have seen a very small blue-colored rendition of the dye house, but nothing of this high quality. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGregory, I have not looked too much into the German work yet, but I am sure I will come to it as I look at Fred's parents more and his childhood. I have only taken 1 year of German, and sometimes it is quite hard to read the documents. I have to convert the letters of the old victorian German fonts into a more readable modern German and then try to translate. Fortunately, my mother speaks German and helps me out some. I have done some German research in terms of Fred's mission, reading Der Stern, the LDS church's periodical for the mission there, and also translating the missionary tracts that he passed out. I was interested in what sort of things he was teaching the Germans. If I get any Kohlhepp German work done, I will let you know.
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren, sorry that I could not help you with your Relief Society talk. I really need to check comments more on these blogs, but I hadn't been getting many comments, so I just spaced it (on the flip side, I hadn't been posting for a while either). I wrote you a note on Facebook regarding my interests and documentation. I would love to swap information, stories, documents, etc. Let's get in touch!
ReplyDeleteMartin - How can I send you the jpg? Can I access your email address via this site? And, yes, I am a direct descendant of Anna Kramer - one of the few left, sadly. In fact, only my two college-aged nieces can pass on her bloodline. (Anna's two sons died without issue; her daughter had two sons who each had only one child - one died without issue and the other is my mother; I had no children and my only sibling has those two college-age daughters.) Also, do you have any correspondence between your Fred and my Anna Kramer??? It sounded like you did. I would love to better know this great-great grandmother of mine!
ReplyDeleteits really cool :)
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to the dye company photo:
ReplyDeletehttp://jwhittaker.us/Judy/Blog/Entries/2011/1/26_My_Kohlhepp_Connections.html
(just changed my web host....the old link will no longer work)
Judy