Figure 1.-- Drawing by Birte Koch.

Families at the time tended to be larger than modern families. Modern German families often only have only one child. Families with more than two children are a destinct minority. Families with several children were quite common in the 1900s. Readers can also follow the getting dressed project by each child. Families at the time tended to be larger than modern families. Modern German families often only have only one child. Families with more than two children are a destinct minority. Such families were quite common in the 1900s. The Berger children are Klara (almost 1 year old), Friedrich (4 years), Margarete (5 years), Charlotte (8 years), and Hans (12 years). Baby Klara and Friedrich are still at home. Margarete would be old enough for Kindergarten, but Kindergartens were not yet widespread in the early 1900s. Charlotte has begun primary school Hans has begun the Gynamium. We have chosen a middle-class family living in a city under comfortable circumstances.

German Families

Families at the time tended to be larger than modern families. Most of them lived in or nearby to relatives, parents, siblings etc. And relatives may live in another region or even abroad. Modern German families often only have only one child. Families with more than two children are a destinct minority. Families with several children were quite common in the 1900s. This was especially the case in rural areas, but there were large city families as well. Almost always there were more than one child. A German reader who grew in the 1940s tells us, "Yes the families were larger. My father had one brother, my mother two brothers, my grandma two brothers, and my grandfather three sisters."

Berger Family

We have chosen a middle-class family living in a city living under comfortable circumstances. They are not rich, but live a stable middle-class life. Mother probably was not working outside, at home she managed family life and the children's education.

Individual Children

Readers can also follow the getting dressed project by each child.

Klara

Baby Klara is almost 1 year old. With such a large family, mother may have had a nurse-maid to help out. In the larger families, an unmarried aunt or a grandmother might take care of children if the mother was not available or needed help.

Friedrich

Friedrich is 4 years old and still at home with baby Klara. There are different possibilities for nickname-forms of Friedrich. The most popular, I guess, is Fritz. Other forms are Fidi, Friedel, maybe Frieder. Birte tells us, "One of my relatives' Christian name was Friedrich. He was always called Fiedel. I think this form is not very common." A reader writes, "Friederich is an old German name. German emperors had this name. Common nicknames to my knowledge were Friedel or Frieder or Fritzle (in Southern Germany)." ."

Margarete

Margarete is 5 years old. She would have been called Grete, Gretchen, or Marga in the family. She would have been old enough to begin Kindergarten. Kindergaerten (this is the plural) were not everywhere, not in villages or small towns. May be there was a children home with a church (mostly for orphans). The German Kindergarten began in the 19th century. There were some Kindergartens operating in the major cities during the 1900s, but most likely Margarete was not attending Kindergarten.

Charlotte

Charlotte is 8 years old. Did she prefer to be called Lotte or Lottchen? Charlotte has begun primary school. If the family had not a private teacher she would have attended a state (public) primary. Private schools were not as common in Germany as in England and the state schools had very high standards. Upper middle class families, eg., a doctor living in the country side, had no appropriate (clerical) school nearby for such a small child. In public school Charlotte probably would be in the second or third grade (counting begins with one).

Hans

Hans is 12 years old. Hans is a clever boy and the parents are able to pay tuition for a secondary school. He would be in the Quinta or Quarta of a gymnasium (counting was Sexta, Quinta, Quarta, Untertertia, Obertertia, Untersekunda, Obersekunda, Unterprima, Oberprima. All pupils started with Latin in the secondary school in the Sexta. Other less clever boys or boys whose parents were not as affluent probably attended the 6th or 7th grade of a public school (Volksschule). If the family lived in a rural area Hans might attend an Internat, a school in a town nearby with a dormitory where the children could board. Note that in the early 1900s only about 3 to 5 percent of the boys (1 - 2 percent of the girls) attended a secondary school. Upperclass families and aristocratic families had private teachers. Children from poor families did not normally advance beyond primary school.

Created: 6:45 AM 12/11/2005
Last updated: 10:34 PM 1/28/2006