The Birthday at Geradstetten
Father Lederer was born on May 1st, 1851, and was accompanied by a twin, whose identity we have two accounts which conflict a bit.
From the Lederer records found in the Lutheran church books at Geradstetten, the twin was a sister who passed away in infancy. However in a sermon book now in father's possession, we find in Grandfathers' handwriting, the twins' name, Christian Jacob, born May 1st, 1850, and passed away May 13th, 1851. Now Grandma certainly knew the sex of her young - having birthed six children previous to this event. Even if Grandpa had guessed wrong at, or before the moment of arrival, he most certainly would have made a correction sooner or later.
Deeming his entries as correct, we copy them in full, viz:
Briefly the above were known to us elder of this generation as:
Truly a long-lived family.
Geradstetten is located 85 miles west of the French border, 70 miles north of the Swiss border, 90 miles NW of the Austrian border line, and 30 miles SE of Stuttgart, the capitol and leading city of Wortemberg province, Germany.
This village nestled mid slightly rolling hills, homed the soil tillers of the grape vineyards of the grape vineyards and other crops on the nearby plots and acreages. Pictures in father's possessions show the house where he was born and is said to have been over 200 years old at that time. Also showing the church where he was baptized and purported to be still standing before World War II. Here in spring, summer and autumn, the villagers busied with garden, field and flock. At Christmas time 1851, winter had descended and found the Lederers eight observing the eve and day, befitting the followers of Luther. There were the parents Gottlieb and Katherina, now 41 and 37, respectively; Fricka 13, Johann 11, Anna 5, Lizzie 3, Carl and Christian nearing 8 months of age.
Geradstetten in 1851
Father's twin, Christian, having passed away May 13th, there were but seven in the immediate family at Christmas time but fifteen had gathered on this occasion, counting other Lederers living in the same village, namely; Fathers' grand-parents, Carl Gottlieb and Anna Margaretta; his five uncles, Frederick, Tobias, Christian, Jacob and Johann. Also Aunt Magdelina.
On such, as well as other winter evenings, the family eagerly listened to the tales of the good old days recalled by Grandpa. Visiting with Grandma who was 66 and who loved to tell of her ancestry, the Schoals, Grandpa Carl, now 70, recited how his father Johann Frederick, also his grand and great grandfathers were the successive Mayors of the town - always ending the historical citation with the account of his great, great grandfather Simon, who, born in 1609, became Judge of all Geradstetten!
(A few happenings that occurred meanwhile on this side of the Atlantic: Two prominent figures passed away. Author James Fennimore Cooper, 62, and Scientist John James Audubon, 71)
And in 1852 - Christmas
The annual get-together of the Lederers of Geradstetten were entertained this eve by Uncle Frederick, 47, with some tales he had learned from his Grandad Johann Frederick about the family history.
Also being somewhat of a scholar, he had developed into an ancestor hunter; a trait that four generations later broke out like the itch to worry the author of all this.
The following synopsis of our earliest ancestry as given by Great Uncle Frederick has been carefully checked with several authentic historians by said author and found to be coincidently similar.
Uncle Frederick's Story
"From the Bible, the works of God, we find not only the religious record of long ago inhabitants of the world but as well the historic wanderings of races, peoples, families and outstanding individuals. Therefore it behooves us to read well the writings of the Judges, Prophets, Apostles and Disciples as contained in the Book of Books."
"Briefly the we find that the ten Patriarchs from Adam to Noah, including Mathusela the oldest, averaged 857-1/2 years of living. The ten old timers from Sem to the birth of Abraham, 287-1/2 on an average."
"With such examples of long life lines we begin our Lederer history."
"Noah's oldest son, Japeth, was a young man a little over 100 years of age at the ending of the flood, or about 3000BC. Being a great grandson of Methusela, who lived longer than any other human in history, Japeths' life-span outlook was a far one. The three sons of Noah; Japeth, Ham and Shem, had 14 sons total, who were admonished by word passed down from God loving fore-fathers, that their job was to be pioneering forth and people the earth. Now Gomer, the eldest son of Japeth, chose the territory the Greeks later called Galatia, the borders of which reached as far as parts of Europe, even unto Southern Germany as it is now known."
"Then followed the centuries when Celts, Gauls and whatnot were chasing each other about, sometimes resulting in a merger of northern blondes with the dark and swarthy denizens of the Alps region."
"Next we have the tribes as mentioned by early Latin writers; the Marcomanni, the Quadi, Hermandri, and Longobardi. From these sprang our tribal Sueve Suebi of Southern Germany, which were first contacted when Caesar came to cross the Rhine in 58BC, with his Roman artillery and horses. In 13BC, General Drusus was sent to conquer Suebic tribes, whom he defeated in battle but he bit the dust at the River Elbe a little later, when the Subian and other tribes returned the favor. Not long after, these united tribes practically annihilated three Roman legions under Varus, who hari-karried himself. Thus we see our early forefathers learning their first lessons in mass warfare - and that from the Romans."
The World's First Christmas
Uncle Frederick now asked for Great-grandfathers German Bible and read as follows:
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he that is born King of the Jews?, for we have come to worship him'. When Herod the King had heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea; for this it is written by the prophet, - and thou Bethlehem in the Land of Judea art not the least among the princes of Judea; for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.'"
"The Herod, when he had called the wise men, privily, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem, and said 'Go and search for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also'. When they heard the King, they departed, and lo, the star which they saw in the East, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was, and when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him, and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense and myrrh."
The reader then, with his listeners, bowed his head in silent prayer, ending with a fervent "Amen".
The Romans
The narrative as continued by Great Uncle Frederick:
"17AD. Nor yet any Christmas down Wortemberg way. Instead on Drudus Caesar indulged in the sport of urging the tribal folk to war on each other then to nab the spoils himself, but he got schwoped out of the way at the ripe age of 38."
"Titus Domitianus the 13th Caesar, attempted to Romanize Dacia (Romania) AD 81, but our Subians helped stop him cold. Like a good percent of such Roman potentates, his fling ended in the night - a bedroom stab and he was done at 45."
"The damning, warring influence of ancient Rome, upon every people they contacted, had always left that dark brown taste. However, one Hadrian, Emperor, visited the Subia in 122, the first of his kind to treat them as human. Possibly a ray of light from far off Judea was changing some to a new estimate for God and man."
"Another emperor, Marcus Antoninus, also a Caesar, came near a crowning for the worse by tribes along the borders of their home grounds (Schwabia). Marc dies awarring AD 180 and his sone Commodus beat it for Rome." (Note by author - as late as 1874 a statue of this Commudus was dug up in Rome - representing him as Hercules - a club in one hand and apples in the other. A fine specimen for the Dagoes to salute or a Schwope to spit at.)
"Ancient history is pudgy with names of Roman rulers but note we are mentioning only those affecting that area in which our ancestors lived and fought for."
"AD 235-238. Maximinus J.G. Verus, of big, bum barbarian birth, got a pull with the Roman emperor because of his hugeness and headed a devastation program in the locality of now Southern Germany and France. At Aquileia he was headed off; i.e., his top section was carted to Rome for cremation exercises."
"About 258, V.P. Licinius and Son did a chasing business driving tribes thither and yon, even to Subia territory. The nobly born old V.P's final chapter would make a Schwope grin. He was captured, taxidermined by a straw filling and put in storage as a trophy."
"In 250 to 360 a few underground churches were organized, even in Rome, tho still no Christmas Eve anywhere."
"268 AD. Gallienus, son of his stuffed papa, took after the Alamanni, which included our Subian ancestry, but he was goose-stepped backwards to the Alsace country. However in 270, Claudius the 2nd, helped drive the Subians back home."
"In defeat or victory our Swabians religiously held to the original camping or fox-holing ground, now lower Wortemberg. No other tribal part of Gaul or Germany maintained their hold for so long a period on the good earth of their choosing."
"From 288 to 1067 the first batch of Constantines, a dozen of them, came to power for better or worse, beginning with #1, an illegitimate. In marriage or otherwise they claimed relationship when convenient. On a poor average, we note a slight improvement in discovery, art and writing. Religious tho was expressed in much state and little church. To be pointed out as a Christian meant more or less public ignominy. Yet some writers dared mention such as Metrodorus, the first Christian architect in 340. The art of painting applied to Christian uses 350 AD, etc."
Romans, Huns and Franks
"Some of the Constantines separated the meaning for 'Christian' by urging our ancestors to accept the Roman concept, rather than the Judean principle. In this and other ways they attempted to hold subjects in line by a pat on the back while maneuvering for a shellacking."
"The Schwopes might have appeared dumb to the missionaries from Rome but their thinking machinery was improving."
"It took some centuries and many generations after Christ' coming to mark the anniversary of His birth as Dec 25th. At first festal days were held on Jan 26, Mar 25th, and other dates. From 353 to 400, Dec 25th came to growing usage and much later from festal occasion to Christ-mass. However not until real missionaries of Christ came to the Schwabian territory did the true story of Christmas reach them. This must have been around the 10th or 11th century."
"Come the Huns! Crossing the Volga in 375 they conquered the East and Central Goths, rampaging about for 50 years, sometimes aiding the Romans. However their invasion did not stir the revulsion of the Swabians to any such degree as that caused by the Roman antics. When the great Hun leader, Attila, laid down the sword in 453, the empire he had cornered but failed to consolidate, went on the rocks."
"Rome! SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS, to you! For now (418-?), the Goths were at the gate. Alaric, the Teutonic mogul, asked ransom before lifting the siege. Panic stricken, the Roman citizenry agreed to pay a quarter million sterling, precious garments of silk and leather and (don't sneeze) 3000 # of pepper."
"But back to our Wurtembergian forbears. The Swabians were of the people who toiled with the soil; bowed so low with their burdens of labor and warring over-lords, they could kiss the clay of Gods' earth. They shunned the wars whenever possible. All the powers of Hell and Rome could not uproot them! While rulers passed, emperors swayed and dictators fumbled, they held the line in their day for the long away coming of the Kingdom of Peace and Goodwill. Thus we contrast how much more a band of tribal folk, a thousand and a half years ago, did to treasure up the hard earned grain of civilization, to the day, than all the swashbuckling, bloodletting years of Roman rule."