Conrad Hölzer
Conrad Hölzer was born July 8, 1860 in Norka, the son of Heinrich Hölzer (1826) and Anna Katharina Brill (1827).
Conrad married Katharina Margaretha Glanz on June 8, 1882. Katharina Margaretha was born on December 6, 1862 in the colony of Bettinger, the daughter of Heinrich Gottlieb Glanz (1835) and Maria Charlotte Müller (1840).
Conrad was known by the Spitznamen (nickname) Dicker Hölzer which means he was rotund. Conrad's son-in-law, Conrad Brill shares more about him in Memories of Norka.
Conrad married Katharina Margaretha Glanz on June 8, 1882. Katharina Margaretha was born on December 6, 1862 in the colony of Bettinger, the daughter of Heinrich Gottlieb Glanz (1835) and Maria Charlotte Müller (1840).
Conrad was known by the Spitznamen (nickname) Dicker Hölzer which means he was rotund. Conrad's son-in-law, Conrad Brill shares more about him in Memories of Norka.
Many of our neighbors, as well as my father in law, Dicker Helzer, sold their dusch (land allotment) when departing the area, but in the case of my father-in-law, who died in Minsk, his family returned to Norka, and the Bolsheviks made the buyer get off the property and return it to them. They insisted that only people actually living in the household were entitled to land, another reason was because the buyer had paid in Czar’s moneys, which the new regime didn't recognize.
Different families would use their houses for harvest celebration ceremonies (Kerb) which lasted from three days and nights to a week. In our neighborhood it was usually held at Dicker (portly) Helzer’s home. He would take the windows out of the house and put them into the barn for safe keeping, lay in a supply of liquor and hire a band. The participants would pay so much for a set of music which paid the musicians, who collected from dancers after each set. Helzer sold the drinks and kept order with a scale stock about the size of a baseball bat, which he actually used if things got out of hand. Different villages went to different extremes. I have heard of non-alcoholic Kerb celebrations, but in Unterdorf they were rough and rowdy, as well as long remembered. The celebration usually started after church on Sunday, with street singing and marches to the place of celebration.
Sources
Brill, Conrad. Memories of Norka.
Norka database.
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Norka database.
If you have additional information or questions about this family, please Contact Us.
Last updated September 3, 2020.