Frederick Kohlhepp - Mission Journal Entries - February 1906

1 February 1906 – Thursday

Feb. 1st 1906 Sent the Deed with letter home, Gave the Lawyer a trac[t] to read.[N1] Feb. 1st Went to

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Wimmis and held Bible Class.

2 February 1906 – Friday

Feb. 2nd Visited family Wittur’s in Wimmis.

3 February 1906 – Saturday

Sat. 3rd Visited Iringers + Winterbergers.

4 February 1906 – Sunday

Sun. 4th Attended Sunday School and two meetings in Dürrenast.

5 February 1906 – Monday

Mon. 5th Went to Steffisburg a vill[ag]e, about a half hour walk north of Thun on buisness to see a Lawyer, about getting a new house to live in. Bro. [John M.] Kunz and I went togeather the roads were icy + slippery.

6 February 1906 – Tuesday

Tue. 6th I had to go to Steffisburg again. Visited with Sawers in evening.

7 February 1906 – Wednesday

Wed. 7th Stayed at home did not feel well.

8 February 1906 – Thursday

Thur. 8th Tracted along the road to Spietz [Spiez] and held Bible Class in Wimmis Thursday evening.[N2]

9 February 1906 – Friday

Returned home Fri. 9th

10 February 1906 – Saturday

Sat. 10th Paid rent on Lokal. Frau Feller gave me a german Calender

11 February 1906 – Sunday

Sun. 11 Went to Wattenw[i]l after [a meeting in Thun] and held [a] meeting. Bro. [Johann] Bäller died Friday after noon will be burried

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tomorrow at 3 O’clock. Returned to Dürrenast and held Bible Class in evening. Bro. Lugenbühl went with me to Wattenw[i]l

12 February 1906 – Monday

Mon. 12th Bro. J. M. Kunz + I went to Wattenw[i]l and held funeral services over the remains of Bro. Johann Bäller, held Bible Class in evening Returned home next day to Dürrenast

13 February 1906 – Tuesday

13th Feb. Received letter Minerva.[N3]

14 February 1906 – Wednesday

14th Went trackting in afternoon, and visited Thomanns in evening.

15 February 1906 – Thursday

Thur. 15th Went to Wimmis + held Bible Class.

16 February 1906 – Friday

Friday 16th returned home to Dürrenast

17 February 1906 – Saturday

Sat. 17 Received letter from home with deed to have signed by Notary Public.[N4] Went same day to Langnau [im Emmental] to preach on following Sunday.

18 February 1906 – Sunday

Sun. 18th 1906 Preached in Langnau [im Emmental]. Visited among the Saints + Friends while there had an enjoyable

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time many of the Saints are going to emigrate in the Spring. Found some folks in Langnau [im Emmental] by the name of Abbe, My grandmother's name.[N5] Visited Mon. + Tue.

21 February 1906 – Wednesday

Returned home to Dürrenast Weds. 21st 1906

22 February 1906 – Thursday

Thur. 22nd Tracted on the way to Wimmis held Bible Class at [the] Kaufmans.

23 February 1906 – Friday

Returned to Dürrenast Fri. 23rd

24 February 1906 – Saturday

Sat. 24th Feb Stormed all day stayed at home and studied + read.

25 February 1906 – Sunday

Sun. 25th Attended Sunday School in Dür. and Afternoon meeting in Wimmis. Returned and held meeting in Dürrenast in evening.

26 February 1906 – Monday

26th + 27th made out Monthly Reports for Branch.

28 February 1906 – Wednesday

28th Feb. Wrote letters + went to Thun.

NOTES:

[N1] This letter has not been located. A notary public is an officer who can administer oaths and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate documents and perform certain other acts varying from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Generally speaking, a notary public in the United States of America has powers that are far more limited than the role of a civil law notary in the rest of the world. For the purposes of authentication, most countries require commercial or personal documents which originate from or are signed in another country to be notarized before they can be used or officially recorded or before they can have any legal effect.

[N2] The road he most likely tracted down was Thunstrasse St.

[N3] Minerva sent him a birthday postcard on 6 February 1906 that reached him right on time for his birthday on the 13th.

[N4] No copy of this letter exists.

[N5] This would have been his father's mother, Anna Maria Abbe.

Frederick Kohlhepp - Missionary Journal Entries - January 1906

1 January 1906 -- Monday

Monday Jan 1st 1906 Visited with Bro. Lugenbühl. In the evening visited Bro. Andregg, we spent a pleasant evening togeather.

2 January 1906 -- Tuesday

Tues. Jan. 2nd 1906 Held Bible Class on Wattenw[i]l.

3 January 1906 - Wednesday

Jan 3rd returned home + wrote letters[N1]

4 January 1906 -- Thursday

Jan. 4th 1906 Wrote letters to Anna [Kramer Schneidt], Amelia [Kohlhepp Piquet], and Ernestine [Clara Kohlhepp] and Minerva [Kohlhepp Teichert].[N2] Went to Wimmis and held Bible Class.

5 January 1906 -- Friday

Jan 5th Returned from Wimmis. Wrote letter home.[N3]

6 January 1906 -- Saturday

Jan 6th 1906 Wrote letters.[N4] visited with Sawers

7 January 1906 -- Sunday

Sunday 7th held Sunday School + 2 meetings visited with Bro. Andregg.

8 January 1906 -- Monday

Mon. 8th Went to Thun in buisness + visited Sawers

9 January 1906 -- Tuesday

9th Tues. Held Bible Class in Wattenw[i]l.

10 January 1906 -- Wednesday

Wed. 10th 1906 Held Bible Class in Dürrenast.

11 January 1906 -- Thursday

Thur. Held Bible Class in Wimmis

12 January 1906 -- Friday

Returned home Friday. Studied and wrote letters.[N5]

13 January 1906 -- Saturday

Saterday  studied + visited

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with the Sawers family in evening.

14 January 1906 -- Sunday

Sunday 14th Went to Wattenwil and held Sacrament Meeting, an old man raised disturbance. He claimed that the women should have their heads covered in meeting[N6], In the evening held Bible Class in Dürrenast.

15 January 1906 -- Monday

Mon 15th Jan Bro. Hrieter[, John M.] Kunz + I went to Thun and got our pictures taken.[N7]

16 January 1906 -- Tuesday

Tues. 16th Studied and visited Frau Wolfli had supper there.

17 January 1906 -- Wednesday

Wed. Visited Sawer family.

18 January 1906 -- Thursday

Thur. Went to Wattenwill got the Zender childrens Trunk to the station + held Bible class in evening

19 January 1906 -- Friday

Frid. Returned to Dürrenast visited Sister Nussbaum + Lugenbühl on way home. Visited Winterbergers in evening.

21 January 1906 -- Sunday

Sun. 21st Meetings in Dürrenast

22 January 1906 -- Monday

Went to Gold[i]will Mon. 22nd Jan 1906 to visit some friends there could not find them. Gold[i]wil lies east from Thun on the mountain

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side. The road goes up through a beautiful forest, The road was covered with snow and it was packed hard, and many children and young men + ladies were coasting from Goldiwill to Thun as the road is quite steep all the way. In evening visited Bro. Ihrmzer.

24 January 1906 -- Wednesday

24th 1906 Bro. [John M.] Kunz + I went up to Wengen from Interlacken visited Von Allmens. The show is deep and it is very cold. We stayed a few hours with the family + their returned to Interlacken. Sister. V. Almen gave me $2.25 for a Song book, to send to her.

25 January 1906 -- Thursday

25th Returned from Interlacken went same day to Wattenwil + held Bible Class. Friday returned home Wattenwill. Borrowed from Jill for fr. 12.60 Paid.[N8]

26 January 1906 -- Friday

Fri. 26th Jan. Went to Thun and got picture.[N9] Visited friends in evening.

27 January 1906 -- Saturday

Sat. 27th Spent day [p. 29] writing letters.[N10]

28 January 1906 -- Sunday

Sun. 28th Jan. Went to Wattenwil and held meeting, Bro. Lugenbühl went along. Zehnder children left home that morning for America. I returned to Dürrenast and held meeting in evening -  The weather has moderated with heavy fog.

29 January 1906 -- Monday

Mon. Jan. 29th Made out monthly reports.

30 January 1906 -- Tuesday

The 30th Surprised my companion by coming home from Thun with my beard shaved off. Have been somewhat under the weather lately with the Influenza. Visited Iringers in the evening.

31 January 1906 -- Wednesday

The 31st Jan. Went trackting in a village south of Thun. Visited two families of Saints in the evening. Received letter from h[o]me, Containing deed for the Riverside property for me to sign before a Notary Public.

[N1] These letters have not been located.

[N2] These letters have not been located. Fred likely wrote in response to the letter he would have received from Tinnie around this time. 

[N3] This letter have not been located.

[N4] These letters have not been located.

[N5] These letters have not been located.

[N6] No doubt referring to Christian tradition of female head covering. This is referenced in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. Those who have a strict interpretation of the Bible, believing it to be a timeless moral and social code, typically think Paul’s admonition for women to cover their heads is in force today. Others believe Paul’s direction is correct in its historical context, as a means of directing the customs of his time period. A woman’s hair in ancient times was often a symbol of sexuality. If the
hair was let down, it communicated that the female was more sexually pervasive. Compare with the scandalous approach of a woman to Jesus in Luke 7:36-50. The letting down of the woman’s hair in the face of the Pharisee offends him. As a woman’s hair has ceased to share this symbolism today, Paul’s direction is no longer necessary.

[N7] These pictures have not been located.

[N8] Frederick often used his journal to keep track of money borrowed from church members, fellow elders, or kind German and Swiss residents.

[N9] This picture has not been located.

[N10] These letters have not been located.

Frederick Kohlhepp - Missionary Journal Entries - December 1905

1 December 1905 – Friday

Fri. Returned from Wimmis.

2 December 1905 – Saturday

Sat. 2nd Dec. Studied + went to Thun + Visited an ancient castle near Thun. It was very interesting. It is now used for a church. It was built in 1601.[N1]

3 December 1905 – Sunday

Sunday 3rd First day held meeting at Wimmis. Fraulein Toman of Thun was there, and we walked home togeather.

4 December 1905 – Monday

Monday 4th wrote letters home, Went to Thun in evening.[N2]

5 December 1905 – Tuesday

Tue. 5th Held Bible Class in Wimmis.

6 December 1905 – Wednesday

Wed. 6th Held Bible Class in Du[“]rrenast

7 December 1905 – Thursday

Thur. 7th Held Bible Class in Wimmis.

8 December 1905 – Friday

Friday morning visited Bro. Weber who is afflicted with consumption – administered to him, returned home to Durrenast same day.[N3]

9 December 1905 – Saturday

Saturday 9th Wrote letters[.] visited Bro. Luegenbihl stayed over night[N4]

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10 December 1905 – Sunday

came home Sunday 10th and held Sunday school + afternoon + evening meetings in Du[“]rrenast[.]

11 December 1905 – Monday

Monday studied and visited With [Lewers or Tewers or Sewers]

12 December 1905 – Tuesday

Tuesday went to Wattenw[i]l and held Bible class. Returned to Du[“]rrenast Land Yager [landjaeger] stoped us on the way and inquired about our buisness.[N5]

13 December 1905 – Wednesday

Pres. Mauss arrived in the evening Dec. 13th.

14 December 1905 – Thursday

Dec. 14th Held Bible Class in Wimmis. Went same night went to sit up with Bro. Weber who was very low with consumption, he passed away from this life quietly at […] 5 minutes past two.

15 December 1905 – Friday

Fri. 15th Dec. Bro. [John] Spr[i]nger + I washed and layed him out before going back to Thun.[N6]

16 December 1905 – Saturday

Sat. 16th studied.

17 December 1905 – Sunday

Sun. 17 Bro. [John] Spr[i]nger + I went to Wimmis to atend Bro. Weber funeral The Minister of the town said that any sexts could preach their funeral

[p. 22]
sermons in their meeting house but the Mormon’s. So I preached a short sermon in front of the house before going to the cemet[e]ry. There the Minister read the sermon and prayer at the grave after which we all went up to the old stone church, and the minister preached again, his Text was upon the Lords supper from 22 Chapt St. Luke.  Held afternoon Meeting at Roufmans house. After meeting returned to Du[“]rrenast and held evening meeting there.

18 December 1905 – Monday

Mon. 18 Went to Thun on buisness wrote letters,[N7]

19 December 1905 – Tuesday

Tues. 19th studied

20 December 1905 – Wednesday

Wed. 20 Studied + went to Thun on buisness.

21 December 1905 – Thursday

Thur. 21st Held Bible Class in Wimmis.

22 December 1905 – Friday

Friday 22nd We worked at home getting things ready for Christmas

23 December 1905 – Saturday

Sat. 23rd Dec. Went to

[p. 23]
Bern to attend Priesthood Meeting + Conference.  I atten three meetings Sat.  In the forenoon the Elders gave in their reports. We met in the Local hall. President Serge F. Ballif and Jacob Mausse were present. There were twenty two Elders present. I met Bro. Harry Shephard who came over from Utah in the same ship with me, we were so pleased to meet we pretty near fell into each others arms. We had a fine time. The meeting was continued in the after noon. In the evening we met again and had a swill time togeather with Song’s, speeches + recitations.

24 December 1905 – Sunday

Sunday we met in the Hotel DuPont. In Conference. The were three meetings held in the forenoon from ten untill two

[p. 24]
in the afternoon from two untill four. And in the evening from six o’clock untill half past seven. Every Elder had an opportunity to speak. There were some young Elders who just come over, and could not speak german, Pres. [Jacob] Mause had to interpret for them. We had a swell time. Sunday 24th Returned home to Thun on the nine twenty train from Bern.

25 December 1905 – Monday

Dec. 25th We had Christmas doings here in Du[“]rrenast. We had a Christmas tree and a little Theater play in which the children took part.. Presents were also given out. Three oranges a piece and a lebkunchen.[N8]

26 December 1905 – Tuesday

Dec. 26th Went to Wartenw[i]l and held Bible Class. Bro. Gurtsch came

[p. 25]
with me from Bern to visit friends around here.

27 December 1905 – Wednesday

Wed. 27th Received word for me to take charge of Branch. Bro. [John] Springer to go to Solothurn.

28 December 1905 – Thursday

Thur. 28th Went to Wimmis and held Bible Class.

29 December 1905 – Friday

Fri. 29th worked on Branch books, and took sulpher back for the itch and visited with winterbergers.[N9]

30 December 1905 – Saturday

Sat. 31 [30] Bro. John Sprenger left for Solothurn to labor there.

31 December 1905 – Sunday

Sun. 31st Held Meeting at Wattenwyl, In the evening Bro. Kunz Gu[“]rtsch + I went and visited with Familia Tomans. At half past eleven we all went to Thun to see the old year out and the New in. There was sing, and band playing. The streets were crowded there were some dressed like clowns. The whole town was out on the streets.

[p. 26]

NOTES:

[N1] It isn't clear which castle Fred is referring to. The castle in Thun itself, Thun Castle, was built in the 12th century C.E. Oberhofen Castle to the east was built in the 13th century. My suspicion is that he is referring to the Spiez Castle to the south. While built in 993, a "New Castle" was built in the 17th century, with the old castle also receiving extensive expansion in 1600. The "New Castle" did end up being repurposed as a church for a period of time.

[N2] Missing letters.

[N3] This is the first mention of consumption of his mission. Compare this with my notes on consumption in this post (note 3) and this post (note 5).

[N4] Missing letters.

[N5] A term for a mounted country police person. Also, a common name for a kind of sausage today, but definitely not what Fred was referring to. Mormon missionaries were often arrested, banished, and/or imprisoned for encouraging immigration (by encouraging them to gather to Zion), and had
to be careful.

[N6] Speculation here as to Fred contracting consumption from this person. On the flipside, Fred as I noted in other posts met other consumptives too (think of his sister Eda who had died from it, and he'd visited just prior to leaving for Switzerland). Many had. Fred wrote his sister Tinnie (Ernestine) about those suffering from consumption in Switzerland, as evident from the letter where she noted surprise in hearing that consumption was impacting people out there as it was in the United States.

[N7] Missing letters.

[N8] A lebkunchen is a German ginger snap cookie eaten during the holidays.

[N9] Just as it is now, sulfur is used for various skin treatments: today sulfur cream, lotion, ointment, and bar soap are used to treat acne. Sulfur ointment is used to treat seborrheic dermatitis and scabies.