Heinrich and Dorothea Arnts, Silver Anniversary, 1893

ARNTS, PFARRDRESCHER

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 4/25/2005 at 14:34:02

I translated the following article from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on 28 April 1893. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

Silver Wedding Anniversary

Last Saturday, the married couple Heinrich and Dorothea Arnts celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. Due to the mourning over the death of their beloved daughter Anna, Mrs. George Pfarrdrescher, Mr. Arnts had expressed the desire that the occasion be celebrated only in the small circle of friends and relatives, all of whom, with few exceptions, arrived to bring the anniversary couple their best wishes. If the festive atmosphere was somewhat subdued, it was due to the above-mentioned situation and to the fact that not all of the other children were able to attend because one son-in-law was ill. Relatives and neighbors, as well as his colleagues and employer from Moses Simon’s business had arrived in the afternoon. Several friends from the Germania Verein [Germania Club], of which Mr. Arnts has been an honorable member since it was founded, gathered at the clubhouse around 7:00 p.m., and marched to the home of the married couple in order to deliver their best wishes to their good friend and his wife. The new arrivals were heartily welcomed by Mr. Arnts and his charming wife, and soon it seemed that everyone present was part of the family, and everyone appeared to enjoy the celebration. It certainly goes without saying that the guests did not suffer a lack of anything. They entertained themselves with all manner of pleasant amusements and, when the hospitable rooms emptied out, the clock had long since tolled 12:00. At a large round table, the company had undertaken to drink the cellar dry, but when they examined the situation around 3:00, they realized their efforts were in vain, and these men left the hospitable house in order to get a few hours of rest. A short biography of the anniversary couple may be desirable here:

They have now been joined in Christian marriage for 25 years. They were born in the small town of Calcar am Niederrhein [on the lower Rhine], and were married there on 21 April 1868. After they had lived in Calcar until 1872, they moved to Altendorf bei Essen, in the Province of Rhine Prussia. From there, the couple moved to America in 1879, and settled here in Carroll County, Iowa, where, as everyone knows, they have earned the love and respect of all their fellow citizens. This marriage produced seven children, two boys and five girls, of which one boy died in Germany, and another was killed in an accident here at a young age. A daughter, Mrs. Anna Pfarrdrescher, died just a few months ago at the age of 23. Thus, our anniversary couple has not escaped the heavy blows of fate, but the joyful day of the 25th anniversary once again demonstrated that the relatives, friends and neighbors of Mr. Arnts and his spouse are quite fond of them. The gifts which were presented to the anniversary couple were all quite fine, as follows: from Mr. and Mrs. Hendrichs, a silver sugar bowl and table cloth; from Mr. Arnts’s colleagues at the business of Moses Simon, as well as Mr. Simon and the clerks, a silver butter dish and butter knife; from Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Meyer, a magnificent table lamp; from Frank Fritz, a beautiful picture depicting the Last Supper; from George Pfarrdrescher, a silk plush lounge; from Mr. and Mrs. Peter Giesenfeld, a half-dozen silver forks; from Mr. and Mrs. John Huegerich, a half-dozen silver tea spoons; from Mr. and Mrs. Ferd. Becker, a fine table cloth; from the friends in the Germania Verein, a dozen silver forks and knives, and silver cake platter, on which the inscription “On your silver anniversary, given by his friends” was engraved.