Geographic Genealogical Roots - Olbernhau, Sasony, Germany!

So yesterday as I was thinking about the Dogon people and their home land I started to think about my ancestors and their homeland. On my father's side that homeland is Germany. My great-grandparents on my father's mother's side came from Dresden, Germany in 1911 and 1912. My great-grandfather Herman Meyer came first, arriving in Philadelphia in 1911, the rest of the family Helene, and daughters Irmagard and Charlotte (my grandmother) arrived in Philadelphia in September of 1912, five months after the sinking of the Titanic. Herman Meyer was born in Koningswalde in August of 1871 and Helene was born in Dresden in 1880. A German genealogist hired by a cousin has traced the Meyer line back two more generations to 1812 in Koningswalde. Helene Wendel Meyer was the daughter of Wilhelm Moritz Wendel and Christina Ehnert. I don't know where Moritz was born, but Christina was born in Olbernhau in 1854.

Both cities are located south of Chemnitz and Dresden along the border of the Czech Republic. What, whoa back up a bit. I am supposed to be pretty good at geography, but I guess I screwed this up, for years I thought that Austria bordered to the south and it does, west Germany!! Well, but for a few miles I would be of Czech ancestry! You learn something new everyday!! Anyway here's what Wikipedia says about Olbernhau.

Olbernhau is a town in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, 35 km southeast of Chemnitz, and 23 km north of Chomutov, Czech Republic

Presumably, the town's name arose from the old German name Albert (Albernhaw, Alberthau, Albernhau, Albretshain). Olbernhau has its origins back in the 13th century. Encouraged by Archbishop Albert I. of Meissen, the so-called White Monks (Cistercians) from Osek founded the first settlement in the upper Flöha valley, shortly after ore was found here. Olbernhau was first mentioned in records in 1434 (as "Albernaw") in a contract documenting the sale of Olbernhau to the patritian Caspar von Berbisdorf.

Ore mining started in 1511. In the course of the Protestant reformation Olbernhau became a parish in 1539. A school is mentioned for the first time in 1556. The solidly built church was consecrated in 1590. About 1684 the industrial art of gunsmithing was introduced in Olbernhau. In 1690, Olbernhau's first barrel forge was erected in the Rungstock valley, and in 1708 the gun manufactory delivered 12,000 guns to the Saxonian Army. In 1815, a gunpowder mill was founded, which was partly destroyed by explosions in the years 1835, 1850 and 1865. The last gun left the Olbernhau factory in 1854

The launch of the "Floehatalbahn" in May 1875 linked Olbernhau to the railway network. A Kindergarten was built in 1878. In the 1880es, Olbernhau gained a hospital, gasworks and gas street lights, and in 1892 Saxony's very first electric power station began operation in Olbernhau. From 1895, steam trains ran on the section of line between Olbernhau and Neuhausen. On 1 January 1902 Olbernhau received town privileges. In 1906, the beautiful art deco Concert and Ball Hall "Tivoli" was inaugurated. A public swimming bath opened in 1930. In 2002, one of the worst Flöha floods in history destroyed parts of the town centre and many houses on the river's banks. Thanks to many private donations from all over Germany, most of the enormous damages (amounting to several million Euros) was repaired within one year. 

Read Complete Article : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olbernhau

From: Virtual Tourist.com

Here's a webcam with shots of Olbernhau. So it was nice to finally take the time to virtually visit the home of one of my ancestors and to see that but for the Ore Mountains and a few miles I could have been Czech! Anyway looking at the map and seeing the close proximity of Koningswalde, Chemnitz, Dresden, and Olbernhau makes my genealogy come alive. Maybe tomorrow I'll visit Koningswalde!!