[Eliese] Elise Marie Schapekahm Aufderheide: 150th Birth Anniversary 1857 - 1929

by Jim Graupner, et. al.
[...with exerpts from writings by Gertrude Graupner, George Gieseke, Carol Gieseke Baer, Norbert Boock; genealogical information provided by Jim Aufderheide, Marilyn Boock Schmidt, and Darcy Kleeman Boock; translations by Philip Graupner, and materials from the Emma Marie Aufderheide Boock collection. Photo identification by Jim Graupner.]

Elise (Eliese) Maria Schapekahm Aufderheide
9 October 1857 Gehrde, Hanover - 6 August 1929 New Ulm

Elise (Eliese) Marie (Maria) Schapekahm Aufderheide was the third of five children born to Gerhard Johann Schapekahm (1820) and Maria Adelheit Kaiser (1829) 150 years ago on the 9th of October 1857 in Gehrde, Hanover, Germany. Her siblings included Johanne Margaretha Maria Schapekahm (born on 13 June 1852 in Rusfort, near Gehrde), Herman Gerhard (born 28 April 1855 in Gehrde), and Gehard Herman (Jr.), born 16 August 1860 in Rusfort, near Gehrde.

The Early Years in Gehrde

Sadly, when Eliese was five years old, her mother died on 14 April 1863, having never recovered from the stillbirth of her daughter on the 21st of February 1863. Eight years later, on 16 August 1871, Eliese, Johanne, Herman, and Gerhard Jr. emigrated with their father directly to New Ulm. Little is known about their lives in Gehrde, except that Eliese attended school, much as her mother had done.

Surviving are two composition books, one from Eliese's mother, Maria, and the other from Eliese. The compositions, written in the old German script, reveal little about their lives, except that they had received a practical education. Interestingly, they also clarify (or confuse) the name order and spelling preference for their names in their own hand. For example, Maria's Composition Book's title page reads "Maria Adelheit Kaiser Gehrde 4th October 1843" and the inside back cover reads "Johann Gerhard Schapkahm". Eliese's book has an ornate frontisepiece and no title page, but the contents of apparently formal business letters are signed in a variety of versions of Elise's name: "Mara Eliese Schapekabe", "Maria Eliese Schapekabe", "Elise Marie Schapekabe" and "Eliese Schapekabe." Perhaps she was trying out different versions that she might use for immigration purposes. The first page of Eliese's book contains a notation of her first two sons: "Wilhelm Johann Aufderheide geboren 17 April 1883" and "Karl Hermann Wilhelm Aufderheide geboren 19 August Morgan 1/2 4 ? 1889 gafundt 13 October" [jfg].

[Maria Adelheit Kaiser's school composition book at age 14 (1843) in Gehrde. Notation at the top from Emma Aufderheide Boock is recent. jfg collection]

[Details of writing examples in Eliese Schapekahm's Composition Book from early 1871, above. Below is the inside cover page with Wilhelm and Karl's birth notations. jfg collection]

Later notations.

When Eliese was 14 years old in 1871, she emigrated with her father and three brothers from Gehrde to America. Her girl classmates wrote notes with various sentiments and quotations written on them that she collected, as shown on the following note, dated Gehrde 28 May 1869. Many were from the spring of 1871 [jfg collection].

The obituary [REWIEW, 19 August 1891] for Eliese's father, Johann Gehard Schapekahm, born 17 May 1820, recounted that he was a soldier for eight years in Gehrde, Hanover. After emigration in 1871, his sons became contractors, builders and carpenters in New Ulm. Johann was characterized as "a respected and useful citizen" in his obituary.

Eliese Schapekahm and Friederich Aufderheide Marry in 1871

The following exerpt is drawn from an account of Fred Aufderheide and the New Ulm Brick & Tile Company, published in 1916 in the History of Brown County, F. A. Fritsche, M.D., Editor:

On March 25, 1881, Fred Aufderheide was united in marriage to Elisa Schapekahm, who was born in the town of Gerde, Hannover, October 9, 1857, daughter of Gerhard and Maria Adelheid (Kaiser) Schapekahm, both natives of that same section of Germany and the parents of four children Mrs. Aufderheide having a sister, Mary and two brothers Herman and Gerhard. Mrs. Schapekahm died in her native land in 1862 and Mr. Schapekahm and his children then came to the united States, settling in New Ulm, being seventy one years of age at the time of his death. Elisa Schapekahm was thirteen years old when she came to this country and she grew to womanhood in new Ulm, where she married Mr. Aufderheide.

The man Eliese married (1881) was a resourceful, successful, and enterprising entrepreneur. Like Eliese, Fred Aufderheide also emigrated from Germany when he was young--just 17 years old in 1870. After learning the brick-making trade in Cincinnati, he founded the New Ulm Brickyards with his brother-in-law, William Wiethoff, and became proprietor in 1875.

Already by 1885, Fred and Eliese could celebrate a thriving business at the brickyard with a workforce of maybe 18 workers; a family of two children: William, born in 1883 and Emma, born in 1884; and a beautiful new home at the brickyard. Soon, three more children were born to Fred and Elise: Karl (1889), Herman (1892), and Hertha (1894). Eliese played a key role in the success of the brickyard by managing a turn-of-the-century household, which included boarding a couple of workers and producing home-made meals for the workers.

[1885 Photo of Aufderheide brickyard home, soon after it was built]

The brickyard office was located in the house, with the office entrance (shown above) on the west side facing Minnesota Street, so brickyard business was conducted within the context of a household of domestic activity (laundry, cooking, cleaning, seamstering, chickens, gardening, etc.). Eliese had hired women who helped with the meals and ran errands. And, until the children were of middle-school age, they were educated by a hired tutor at home. Thereafter, they were taken to school by horse-drawn buggy during fall and spring or by a horse-drawn open sleigh in winter. And, of course, Phillip, the beloved carriage horse was every child's favorite.

[1910 photo of Philip pulling the cutter along Minnesota Street in front of the Aufderheide home, with brick-drying sheds in the background.]

Over the years, the brickyard operations expanded with of new methods of producing brick, the addition of tile production, and more efficient transportation and distribution of the products. Increasingly, sons Karl and Herman assumed greater responsibilities in brickyard operations and in January 1921, they purchased the business from their father. During these years, Fred's entrepreneural interests went beyond the brickyard, into banking, a funeral home, and land speculation out West.





In 1906, Elise and Fred celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with this portrait (detail), taken for the occasion. Their first-born, William, died in 1900. The four surviving Aufderheide children, standing behind their parents are: Emma Marie (m. Arthur Boock 1908), Karl Herman (m. Clara Weddendorf 1913), Herman John (m. Esther Sannwald 1917), and Hertha Margaret (m. George T. Gieseke 1917). They had ten grandchildren, all but Frederick born during their lifetime: Norbert Boock 1909, Gertrude Boock 1912, Carl John Aufderheide 1914, Esther Boock 1914, John (Jack) Aufderheide 1916, Howard Aufderheide 1918, Ruth and Robert (twins) Aufderheide 1919, Arthur Aufderheide 1923, Carol Gieseke 1923, and Frederick Aufderheide1928.

Photos and Remembrances

Ca. 1918 brickyard photo, possibly by Karl Aufderheide, of his parents Fred and Eliese and Karl's sons Carly anJohn. Without exception, Eliese's grandchildren recall both the work and play activities of the brickyard homestead with affection.

A large gathering at an outdoor venue to perhaps celebrate Eliese and Fred's 35th anniversary on 25 May 1916. Uncles John Schapekahm (with bowtie) and Wm Wiethoff (kneeling) are to the extreme left.

Revising my date from the 1983 Settler on The Aufderheides, where the date was estimated as 1920, perhaps this undated photo was taken by Karl Aufderheide (running into the photo from the left) on the occasion of Fred and Eliese's 30th Anniversary, 25 May 1921. One clue is the absence of John and Mary Schapekahm; another is the estimation of the ages of the kids.

IDs from left to right first row: Herman Raabe; Albert Plagens; Norbert Boock with ball; Jack Aufderheide; Ida Boock (Mrs. Adolph) Klause; Clara Weddendorf Aufderheide with Ruth and Robert (born 1919); Esther Sannwald Aufderheide with Howard (but not Arthur); John, Lester, and Willard Raabe; Olivia Raabe kneeling behind with twins Henry and Herman; Mrs. Ferdinand Sannwald kneeling; Carl (Carly) Aufderheide seated; Wilhelmine (Mrs. Christian Frederick) Boock; and Gertrude Boock. Back Row: Karl Aufderheide (kneeling from left); Andrew (from Morton); Ferdinand Sannwald; Grandpa Fred Aufderheide, Adolph Klause; Rose Plagens; Hertha (nee Aufderheide) and George Gieseke, Emma (nee Aufderheide) and Arthur Boock; Grandma Weddendorf; Herman Aufderheide,John Weddendorf; and Eliese Schapekahm Aufderheide

Perhaps this portrait was taken by Herman Aufderheide on the west side of the Aufderheide home in the summer of 1912. Emma Aufderheide (Mrs. Arthur) Boock was living in Spencer at this time. Karl Aufderheide and Clara Weddendorf would be married the following year on 12 July. From left: Clara Weddendorf, Eliese Schapekahm Aufderheide, Hertha Aufderheide, cousin Ida Schmidt from Minneapolis, Hertha Weddendorf, and Karl Aufderheide.

Eliese's Aunt Mary and Uncle John Hermann Schapekahm for a family gathering at the brickyard for Easter Sunday 20 April 1919. Esther Sannwald Aufderheide's mother is "comforting" Eliese from the giggles of presumably something happy. The Schapekahms departed New Ulm in September 1920 to live near their children in Milwaukee.

Gadgets and New Technologies Added Excitement

Relatives who knew Fred and Eliese thought highly of them; this regard is reflected in the anecdotes included below. A number of wonderful photographs of Eliese and Fred with their children, grandchildren, friends and relatives have survived; it's a legacy that not every family is fortunate to have.

With the development of excellent studio photographic technology, family portraits were in vogue. With early Twentieth Century advancements in portable personal cameras, candid snapshots and outside group photos could be taken by amateur photo-enthusiasts. Three family photographers of that time were Karl Aufderheide, George Gieseke, Jr., and Hertha Aufderheide Gieseke. It's hard to attribute photos to specific individuals, but one might infer, in context with the subject, who might have taken the picture.

George had a Graflex camera and developed his own photos. Hopefully, some of his photographs might yet emerge. I interviewed George at nearly 100 years old at his home in Watertown, Wisconsin. With a bright smile opening on his face, he spoke reverantly about Hertha's mother. "Elizabeth? Well, she was a very pleasant person; very congenial. She served all the meals during the day and also on Sundays when the whole relationship got together; she always served the food. She was great in taking care of the grandchildren; that is the boys, Gertrude and my daughter, Carol. She was a very friendly person."

The Aufderheide's had a penchant for other technologies as well, whether they were an Edison phonograph or a radio kit that they could assemble, but especially new automobiles. Fred Aufderheide, who never drove his cars, but nonetheless purchased them, originally had a Dodge which Hertha drove for him.

Uncle George remembered that his own first car was a two-passenger Model-T Ford which he and Hertha loved to drive. The car in the picture above shows Hertha and Herman in that very Ford at the brickyard, in 1917, the year she and George were married (at the brickyard homestead). [Photo presumably by George Gieseke. Fall 1917]

George recalled, "Hertha drove cars throughout her life. At age 14, she drove the Dodge car for her father, Fred Aufderheide. The old gent bought a Dodge car, a five-passenger open-top car--curtain top--and she did any driving when the old man wanted to go anywhere; her father or mother wanted to go anywhere and she did the driving. The car was later given to Hertha after we were married and she continued driving for her parents."

Karlie Aufderheide with Grandma Eliese feeding the chickens kitchen scraps as one of the Aufderheide dogs monitors the action. Photo probably taken by Karl Aufderheide in 1916, the year Karlie got a little brother named John, but known as Jack.

This photo, perhaps taken by George Gieseke, might be from 1924 at the brickyard, with the George Giesekes, Herman Aufderheides, and the Arthur Boocks. Front row left: Eliese Aufderheide, Gertrude Boock, Arthur Aufderheide, Fred Aufderheide; Back row left: Hertha Aufderheide Gieseke with daughter Carol, Emma Aufderheide Boock, Howard Aufderheide, Norbert Boock, Esther (Sandy) nee Sannwald Aufderheide and Herman Aufderheide.

On the hill to the west of Minnesota Street from the brickyard and east of what is now 19th Steet is a great hill for sledding. There are a number of photos of college-aged members of the Aufderheide family and friends taken in winter. Hertha Aufderheide and Norbert Boock are identified in this photo, along with another Aufderheide dog named Bruno.

This photo was taken on the northwest corner of the Aufderheide house near the office entrance, probably taken in 1924. From the left are Grandma Eliese (seated) holding a pet dog; Norbert and Gertrude Boock are in front with Carol Gieseke; Hertha Aufderheide Gieseke, Emma Aufderheide Boock, and Grandpa Fred Aufderheide. Most probably George Gieseke is taking the photo. At that time the Boocks lived with the Giesekes, having sold their home on State Street.

[Note: Additional rememberances by Norbert and Gertrude Boock, the oldest grandchildren of Fred and Eliese will be posted separately. Previous articles about the Aufderheides and the Brickyard and the Aufderheide homestead can be found in the archieves of this blog. jfg]