Amalie Simon

born on 10 August 1843 in Harscheid
died on 12 May 1892 in Elberfeld

Amalie Simon and the author of this chronicle, Wilhelm Simon, were sister and brother

The author of this chronicle, Wilhelm Simon, was Amalie Simon's younger brother.

I was born on June 14th 1856 in Harscheid, a small farming village in the district of Marienberghausen, in Gummersbach county. I was the eighth of nine children. My father, Kaspar Heinrich Simon (christened Caspar Henrich) , can trace his family back to a farming estate called „Zum Hoff" in the district of Waldbröl. My father's father had a potash business and was nicknamed "ashman". He also worked on his farm. It seems fairly certain that my ancestors settled on this farm, Zum Hoff, several hundred years ago. It is difficult to confirm because the church in Waldbröl burnt down in the 17th century together with the church record books in which the people were registered. After our farmhouse burnt down in 1854 a cast iron stove plate was found bearing the inscription:

HENRICH SIMONIS GERTRUD
EHELEUTH (husband and wife) ANNO 1700
DEN (the) 16 OCTOBER

by Wilhelm Simon
completed Feb.10th 1927

I found the heavy iron plate, measuring about 90 x 90 cm, on another farm nearby. The farmer was using it to cover his cesspool. I assume that this plate was made for a young married couple and that they were fairly well off [Henrich and Gertrud Simonis actually were born in 1660 resp. 1662; (note of the editor)]. A lot of important family documents must have been destroyed in the fire at the Simon house. Some Simon family documents were in the possession of the neighbouring farmer (the one who used the iron plate to cover his cesspool). These included some settlements, discursions and requisitions of Johann Bertram Simon who lived at the time when all this area was in French hands. The farmer refused to give us the documents even though his family has no connection with them. I have included a written copy of a birth and marriage document at the end of this chronicle [these documents are not available].

Chronicle of the Simon family

translated from the German original (which is not available any more)
by Kurt Müller senior and partly reviewed by Anne Humphreys

"Tackeplatte" of Henrich and Gertrud Simonis
(Photograph from: Gottfried Corbach, "Geschichte von Waldbröl", Cologne

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Amalie Simon

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