1900: THE PARIS EXHIBITION; A WEEK IN ENGLAND

On May 1, we moved to 25 Hochallee. In June, I went with Albert to Lauenberg.

On July 1, Frank got a position at the Imperial Shipyard in Kiel RIN. He came at the end of June for a visit.

On July 18, to Paris. I spent one night with Julius and Louise at 44 Rue Vital, Passy.

We visited two days in the Paris Universal Exhibition. We saw the trottoir roulant [moving sidewalks], etc. I went with the Szoboszlays, Trottoir roulant. Moving sidewalks at the Paris Exhibition, Martin Lipman and his wife, A. 1900. Held, Bertha Held, and Cäcilie Hamel.

On the 20th, I went with Cäcilie on the Alma to Southampton via Havre. On the 21st and 22nd, I stayed in Southampton at the Hamburgers' residence, "Home Lea." Hamburger is significantly better.

On the 23rd, I was in London at the Great Northern Hotel. On the 24th, I went to Bradford, and, that evening, to Manchester and Stockport. On the 25-26th, I stayed at the Grand Hotel Manchester and saw [Evan Stuart] Macpherson. On the evening of the 26th, I was in London at the South Place Hotel.

On July 27, I visited "The Cedars" with Gladys, etc., and her sister Aldyth. In the afternoon to Hermann’s home in Brondesbury. In the evening, I was at David’s home at 13 Redington Road with David, Susette, and their children: Olga, Evy, Gerty, and Paul; and Hermann and Cäcilie Hildesheim, and their children: Ned and Lily; and Lily’s husband, Dr. Franz Lindheimer.

On July 28, I went early with Therese to Parkeston Quay, Harwich. We had luncheon in the Great Eastern Hotel, Harwich, then went by steamer to Felixstowe. Coincidentally we met A. Gallagher. I had dinner at the Great Eastern Hotel, and spent the evening on board the Peregrine. With Gallrein, I played the card game “Kopf”; with Lüdicke, “Skat.” On Monday the 30th, I arrived in Hamburg early in the morning (I saw McAdams). On August 4-5, Frank and James were in Hamburg for a visit. On August 9, Martha returned from Binz [on the Island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea] where she was for four weeks in July. Dagmar came back from Oeynhausen.

In the fall, I went with Fleming on a Saturday to Lübeck, Eutin, Grevesmühlen, Holsteinische Schweiz, and Kiel. There we dined with Frank and James. On Sunday evening, back to Hamburg. Therese took a position in Plön with Mrs. Harms.

1901: PARIS, BRUSSELS, ENGLAND, GLASGOW

On January 22, I went in the evening to Paris--I was there on Julius's affairs. January 23 was the death of Queen Victoria. On January 24, McPherson was at the Hotel Regina. On January 25, he went to Villefranche. On January 26, I was at the Hotel de L'Ecu de France with Julius and Monsieur L. Rénaud from Lyon. In the evening of January 27, I was back in Paris.

On Sunday morning January 28, I was in Aubervilliers. I left on January 28 at 1:50 in the afternoon for Hamburg. On Monday morning, January 29, I was back in Hamburg, where Wollheim, Simonis, and Rothwell waited for me.

I had laryngitis until about April 9.

On August 12-13, I went via Holland and Antwerp to Brussels. I visited Muguets. In the evening, I left via Ostende. On August 14-15, I was in London at the Hotel Russell. I met with Mr. Walmsley, Hofmann from Vienna, and Henschel from Moscow. Then I visited with Cäcilie at Lenton, Nottingham. In the evening of the 15th, at the Grand Hotel Manchester, I met Fleming, Stahlbuhk and Eggers. On Tuesday, August 16, I went to The Glasgow International Exhibition. The Hall of Machinery, Tootal’s.1 On August 17, I went to Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901. Glasgow to see the Exhibition.

I was at Fleming's in Lochanbrae August 20-22, then, on the 24th, I took the Coblenz from Leith back to Hamburg. On October 1, I sold Admiralitätstrasse 392 to I.W.C. Buhse. On November 12, I visited Frank in Kiel regarding my patent for a device for unloading rifle

1 Manchester textile manufacturer Tootal Broadhurst & Lee.

2 B.H. Meyerʼs shop and office. cartridges. I made an agreement with Benzian. In December, I made an agreement with Rosenbacher. I move my office to 50 Hohe Bleichen.

1902-1904: DEATH OF JULIUS

On January 31, I visit Rothwell. On February 6, I visit Fleming, Stringer, Kenneth Lee [of Tootal Broadhurst & Lee], and Paul Rottenburg.

I spend September 5-8 with James touring Schleswig-Holstein: Flensburg, Flensburg Föhrde, Sanderburg, Augustenburg, Düppeln, Glücksburg, Kappeln (where we met Frank and Jacobsen), Schlei, Schleswig, and Segeberg-Oldesloe. In October, I paid a visit to Hermann’s wife Cäcilie Hildesheim.

In November, I met with Albert Szoboszlay, Adams, and Vardon. Rothwell got married. On November 4, I went to Berlin and back. I visited Mr. Huhn at the Ludwig Loewe & Co. gun factory and F.A. Deichen, the machine manufacturer.

On November 12, Therese was sick with scarlet fever. By November 26, she was substantially better. By December 20, she was recovering.

On November 30, I received a message about the death of my brother Julius in Paris, which occurred on November 27 or 28, 1902.

In May, 1903, I was in Glasgow. I visited Lochanbrae and went on a tour with Fleming. I visited Schoelles in Helensburgh. I visited Cäcilie in Nottingham. In Manchester, I met at the Grand Hotel with Mr. and Mrs. Macpherson. I met in London with Mr. Hay. Therese visited the Segelbergs. In August, I met with Walmsley in the Berlin Kaiserhof. I heard of the Kreibig affair. Kenneth Lee was in Hamburg for three months.

In April, 1904, I went to Manchester, Nottingham, and London. Rothwell died in Manchester on April 2. I had dinner with Mrs. Harold Lee.

In the summer, we spent three days in Fallingbostel. In August, we had a visit from Walmsley's wife and daughter. They came from Norway. In September, I saw Vyvyan Marr.3 In October, Mrs. Macpherson died. On November 1, Aunt Ida was 80 years old.

1905: FOOT TOUR WITH JAMES; DEATH OF MALVINA HAMEL ROTHERA

On May 5, I went on a foot tour with James [through Holstein]: Eutin, Ukleisee, Bennskoppe, Lütjenburg. We saw the house of Philipp Otto Runge,4 Triddelfritz,5 and Field Marshal Alfred Waldersee's grave. On May 6, we visited Panker, Waterneversdorf, the Baltic coast, Schönberg Beach, Stein, Laboe, and Kiel.

3 An accounting expert.

4 A painter and fairy-tale author (1777-1810).

5 Triddelfritz was a regional literary character created by Friedrich Reuter (1810-1874). In July, we visited the forest at Göhrde, which is overseen by a forester called the “vogt.” I visited the pond called the Körnung there with Pauline.

In August, we learned of the death of Cäcilie’s daughter Malvina. In September, we had a visit from Adolf.

1906: HARZ TOUR WITH JAMES AND THERESE

On March 10, I went to Leith on the Weimar. From March 15-18, I stayed at Fleming's, 19 Kensington Gate, Glasgow. On March 16, I attended the Anglers’ Dinner. On March 17, there was a performance at the German Club on Renfrew Street. I spent March 19-20 in Manchester. On March 20-21 I went to Bradford and Nottingham. On March 21-24, I went to London and visited Frank at the Wilton Hotel, 158 Warwick Street, near Victoria Station. On March 25, I went back to Hamburg via Hook of Holland.

Flemingʼs house. Ebenezer Brown Flemingʼs townhouse foyer, 19 Kensington Gate, Glasgow. John stayed here in 1906. Photo Rettie & Co. Glasgow, 2014.

At Easter, from April 12-16, I went on a Harz tour with James and Therese. On April 12, we went to Hildesheim and stayed at the Hotel Hotopp. On In the morning of April 13, we went sightseeing in Hildesheim. Then by train to Wernigerode through Goslar and Heudeber. At the Gothic Haus hotel, we had egg pancakes. We went on foot to Hasserode where we visited the Steinerne Renne Hotel, which is built above a waterfall. We climbed the Ottofelsen. We visited the town of Three Annen Hohne. Chales de Beaulieu was there. On April 14 we went on foot to Elend, then took the Trans-Harz train from Elend to Ilfeld. At Ilfeld we stayed at the Hotel zur Tanne, and had trout. We went by foot to Hohnstein and saw the ruins. Then we went through Hainfeld to Stolberg. We had anchovies on toast at the Hotel zum Kanzler and admired the topiary beech trees, which looked like this:

We rode an omnibus to Rottleberode, where we tried the Auerberg schnapps. We took a train through Berga-Kelbra to North Hessen. We stayed at the Hotel zum Römischen Kaiser, and were amused by two teen-age daughters who were there. On April 15, we went by train to Walkenried and saw the ruined monastery with a painted wood statue of the Count von Hohnstein. We went by foot in a lovely little Stolberg. The main street is still lined with beech-tree topiary as in 1906. forest through Bad Sachsa to the Ravensberg, where there was a view of Brocken mountain. Chales de Beaulieu. Franz Martin Chales To dinner and "von dem da" local de Beaulieu wine, Harz cheese, and Nordhäuser (1847-1945), when liquor. We made the descent to encountered by John in 1906, had recently Lauterberg via Wiesenbeker Pond. I resigned from the had coffee at Mennecke’s gasthaus. German general staff. Then we went further through He served in the German Southwest Scharzfeld to Herzberg and by train Africa colony, but from Herzberg to Osterode. There resigned in 1904, were Easter celebration fires in the citing a heart condition, after being forest and fields. We stayed at the reprimanded because Hotel Kaiserhof in Osterode. There he opposed a brutal we saw “giant” bones at the city hall. campaign to put down a r e b e l l i o n o f t h e On April 16, we went by foot through Herero people. The campaign against the old Harzstrasse Lerbach in the valley, Africans later came to be regarded as a precursor of leaving through Heiligen Stock. Then Nazi genocide programs. Chales de Beaulieu we went via the Prinzen lake at subsequently commanded troops in World War I. Bunterbock to Clausthal, where we Easter fires. In the Harz and other parts of Germany, lighting bonfires on the evening before Easter Sunday is traditional, a custom that dates to pagan times. It is thought that the custom originally involved human sacrifice. “They are generally lit upon particular heights and mountains which are hence called Easter Mountains. In the Harz the fire is commonly made by piling brushwood about a tree and setting it on fire, and blazing tar barrels are often rolled down into the valley. In Osterode, every one tries to snatch a brand from the bonfire and rushes about with it; the better it burns, the more lucky it is.” Sir James George Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Macmillan, 1890) Volume 2, p. 253. Photo by Frank Vincentz, 2013 (Wikimedia Creative Commons)

Giant bones. In Osterode, John was shown bones-- probably those of a fossilized mammoth--that were said to be the bones of a human giant. Similar exhibitions existed throughout Europe in the 19th and previous centuries. John painted “Good Old Times: Execution of the giant Machnow in the 17th century. Historical costumes.” about 1878. The source of the story is unclear. A giant named Feodor Machnow traveled in Europe and America in the late 19th century but died a natural death. saw the Schützenhaus.6 We went by train to Goslar through Wildemann. We ate dinner at the Achtermann Hotel in Goslar, then traveled through Hildesheim and Lehrte to Hamburg.

From July 13- September 13 Marie Macpherson7 was in Hamburg. At the beginning of August, Hamburger came here together with Carrie and Frank. My son-in-law's mother Frau Charles Hugo died on March 29, 1906, in Hamburg.

1907: DEATH OF SUSETTE WARBURG HILDESHEIM

My sister-in-law Susette Hildesheim died in London, June 28, 1907.

My wife's aunt, Frau Therese Meyer Abraham,8 died in Copenhagen July 27. Pauline and I traveled for the burial to Copenhagen July 30-August 3. We visited Rosenborg, Frederiksborg, and Klampenborg.

From August 25-26, I was in Berlin at the hotel Askanischer Hof and met there with David and his daughter Evy--who shortly before were in Hamburg--and with Anna Warburg.

From August 26-September 8, we Susette Warburg. Susette Warburg was born in Hamburg were visited by Friken Sine in 1837 to Aron Samuel Warburg and his wife Hannchen Madsen from Copenhagen. Dr. Warburg of the Warburg banking family. She married Johnʼs eldest brother David in Hamburg on June 16, 1861. James Hugo died on September 14 1907, 39 years old.

Macpherson and Peter Robbers visited December 16-19. Our son Frank, who has become an A.M.I.C.E. (Associate Member, Institution of Civil Engineers), visited us December 21, 1907 to January 1, 1908.

6 A medieval defense guild (militia) armory.

7 Evan Stuart Macphersonʼs daughter, about 20.

8 Born 1821. 1908: JOHANN KIEP MOVES TO BALLENSTEDT; VACATION WITH FLEMING; VISIT TO BERLIN

On March 1st, 1908, Robbers & Jörss took over as Tootal’s export agency. At the beginning of March, Mr. Powell and Bruce Macpherson9 visited. In the middle of April, Evan Stuart Macpherson and Adolf Hildesheim visited, both staying in the Hotel Esplanade.

The Kiep House at Ballenstedt. After many years as the German Imperial Consul in Glasgow, in 1908 Johnʼs friend Johann Nicolaus Kiep and his wife Charlotte Rottenburg Kiep moved to a villa in the town of Ballenstedt in the Harz mountains. It remained the Kiep family home after their deaths. The villa now is used as an elder care faciliity and residence.

We had supper with Mr. and Mrs. Johannes Kiep in the Kaiserhof Altona. They are buying a house in Ballenstedt.

On July 2, I traveled on the Hamburg-American Liner Kaiserin Augusta Victoria to Southampton with Captain Puser, Dr. Heim, and Frau von Ladiges. I stayed in London at the Wilton Hotel. Frank was in the Franco-British Exhibition on July 4.

On Sunday, July 5, I visited Hermann in Brondesbury, then dined at David’s home. In the evening, I left from St. Pancras station for Nottingham. There, on July 6, I visited with Cäcilie, [her daughters] Alice and Lieschen, and [David’s son] Ernest Hildesheim from Buenos Aires. Early on July 7, I went to Manchester, spending the evening and night at Macpherson’s. Marie played tennis.

In the afternoon of the 8th, I went via Carlisle, Carstairs, Coatbridge, and Stirling to Oban, where I arrived early in the morning of the 9th. I visited Loch Awe. On July 9, I stayed at the Caledonian Hotel in Oban and went with Fleming in his new trap to Kilchoan via the Pass of Melford. We arrived in the afternoon. Ethel, Frances, Miss Sim, and Miss Spence were there. On July 10-11 we caught trout. On Sunday, July 12, we went on a walk over the hill.

On July 13, I went with Fleming on his motorboat over Loch Melford. From there we traveled by coach through Kilmartin, where we saw the Druidical Stones, then through Lochgilphead to Ardrishaig. Then we sailed on the Jones through the channel called the

9 Evan Macphersonʼs son. Kyles of Bute to Rothesay and Ganrock, then went on the train to Glasgow. In the evening, we visited Fleming's factory and had supper in the Clarence Restaurant. I stayed at the North British Station Hotel.

I was looking for my lost suitcase on July 14. I had breakfast with Fred Moir in the Clarence. They discovered the suitcase in Glasgow. I spent time with Consar, Whyte and Mackay, McAuly, Alfred Davis, Jr., Sotwelles Jr., Lammie Paterson, Hevil, Charles Seligmann, etc., etc. In the evening I went with Rottenburg by auto to his estate "Dalnair" at Drymen.

On the morning of the 15th, we went back to Glasgow by auto. In the afternoon I traveled to Leith, then went on the Weimar with Captain Thomas to Hamburg, where I arrived on the evening of the 17th.

On October 16-17, I went with Berlin theater. “Hurra wir leben noch,” a musical revue at the Alfred Wyatt Smith to Berlin, Berlin Metropol in 1910. staying at the Central Hotel and visiting the Sorau technical trade school. On October 17, I went to Frankfurt am Oder.

That evening, I went to the Metropol Theater in Berlin. I spent the night at the Askanischer Hof. On October 18, I visited the royal palaces Sans Souci in Potsdam and the Neues Palais. In the evening, I was back in Hamburg.

On October 20-21, I was visited by M. Clayton. On October 22, Paul Rottenburg came. I also had a visit from Johannes Kiep.

1909: JAMES’ SUICIDE; FRANK’S ENGAGEMENT

On February 26-28, I had a visit from E.B. Fleming. On March 12, James became engaged to Elisabeth Rosenfeld.

From April 30-May 1 I had visits from Walmsley, Howe, and Hofmann. Carl Schneider from Munich visited me on May 25.

On May 29, the Saturday of Pfingsten, the death of our dear son James occurred. On May 28, Frank visited from London. About the middle of July he accepted a position with Director Toussaint, and reported on August 25.

On July 27, I had a visit from Fleming. I went with him on July 29 by steamer via Lübeck, Travemünde, Kellenhusen, and Dahme, to Burg auf Fehmarn. On July 30, we went to the Tiefstaken resort and on an excursion to Marienleuchte. We stayed at Wissers Hotel in Burg auf Fehmarn. On July 31, we went by railroad until Burgstaken, then by steamer via Heiligenhafen to Kiel, staying at the Hotel Germania. On August 1, I went back to Hamburg.

On November 11, I went to Bremerhaven for an arbitration with Moritz Kayser of H. Meyer & Co. Lübeck, regarding the Seebeck Shipyard. On November 12, I went on a hunt at Scheessel with Dr. Wiengreen and R. Freggeng.

There was a fire at my office at 50 Hohe Bleichen on November 26. Louis Rosenfeld10 died that day.

In December, my brother Hermann was in Hamburg. At Christmas, Frank became engaged to Helga Kongsted in Copenhagen.

Suicide of James Hildesheim. James died in the Hamburg Harbor hospital (Hafenkrankenhaus) on May 29, 1909. The death was reported to the registration office by the local police on June 1. Although no cause of death is stated, in the family it was known as a suicide. The location of his death, near the harbor, about four kilometers from home, suggests a possible drowning.

10 Probably Elizabeth Rosenfeldʼs father.