World Wide Gathering of the Pulskamps-How it started
Posted on September 25, 2007 - Filed Under World Wide Gathering of the Pulskamps
My daughter, Jennifer, and I toured Germany around Easter 2006, where we met the German Pulskamps. Though not really related to us, their family currently owns the farm from which both families acquired the Pulskamp name. They treated us like family, hosting us in their home and taking us to see wonderful places. After Easter, they sent us on to the farm in Merzen to meet other family members. Elfrieda Pulskamp suggested that we organize a World Wide Gathering of the Pulskamps and we have been working on that project ever since. We agreed to gather in 2008 so we would have time to plan.
In September, 2007, Jennifer and I traveled to Kentucky/Indiana/Ohio to meet Pulskamp cousins, both our cousins and the German Pulskamps’ cousins. We had a great time meeting all these wonderful people!
We have agreed to hold the World Wide Gathering of the Pulskamps August 1-3, 2008. Friday night we will gather at the Kolping Grove for appetizers, a little German music, story sharing, and dinner. Saturday morning we will take chartered buses or private cars to St. Mary-on-the-Rock near Batesville. There we will have lunch and dinner and explore the area where our family first settled. Events in Batesville will include hay rides, tours of family farms, visits to local churches and cemeteries with family connections, and Oldenburg, the village of Spires. Sunday, folks will be given a pamphlet highlighting Pulskamp and German related sites of interest in the Cincinnati area.
Mark your calendars and start making plans to attend! Share this information with all your Pulskamp family members so we can have a very successful gathering. And let us know if you want to help with the planning or organizing.
A Bit of the Family History
Posted on September 25, 2007 - Filed Under Family history
On July 5, 1845, a small ship, the Bark Louise, landed in New York harbor.
On board was the Pulskamp family: Herman Heinrich Pulskamp, wife Maria Katherine, three sons, three daugthers, a niece and a nephew. Baby Gerd Heinrich Ludwig Pulskamp, only eleven weeks old when they boarded the ship in Bremen, died at sea, 21 June 1845.
The family bought a farm in Indiana on 9 August 1845, just weeks after landing, paying $250. They settled in an area near Oldenburg, with many other German Catholic neighbors.
World Wide Gathering of the Pulskamps
Posted on September 25, 2007 - Filed Under Family history, World Wide Gathering of the Pulskamps
Something unique is beginning to form in the Tri-State (Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio) area. The Pulskamp family, which arrived in this part of the world in 1845, is planning the first ever World Wide Gathering of the Pulskamps to be held in the Cincinnati area next August. (August 2008)
In early July 1845, a family from Germany landed in New York and made their way to Cincinnati where other German immigrants had already established themselves. The little group consisted of mother, father, three sons, three daughters, one niece, and one nephew. A baby boy, only eleven weeks old when they boarded the ship in Bremen, died at sea. Just one month later, Henry (Herman Heinrich) Pulskamp paid $250 for the section of land in Franklin County, Indiana that became the family home.
In the Spring of 2006, Ellen Pulskamp Turner, from California, and her daughter Jennifer, went to Germany where they met with a German family that shares the Pulskamp name. Probably not related by blood, the German Pulskamps currently own the farm in Merzen from which both families take their names. The two from California were treated like family by the Germans and Elfrieda Pulskamp suggested a gathering of all the Pulskamps. Her family also has relatives in the Tri-State area, so the plan began.
This month, the two women from California visited the Tri-State area staying with Patricia and Tom O’Hara of Florence, KY. Patricia is second cousin to Ms.Turner’s father, though the two never met. In fact, the Californians have met many cousins this week, none of whom they had ever met before. They also met with the cousins of the current owners of the farm in Germany.
So the plans have been laid. The big gathering will take place August 1-3, 2008. On Friday evening the large family will gather at the Kolping Grove for hors d’ouerves, then dinner with a bit of German traditional music. Lots of sharing of stories, mementos, and pictures will take place. Saturday, everyone will board chartered buses to go out to St. Mary on the Rock for the day. Out there in Indiana, Pulskamps will be treated to hay rides, guided tours of family farms, exploration of Oldenburg, a light lunch and a nice dinner. There will be games for all. Sunday each family will explore Cincinnati with the help of a special pamphlet highlighting Pulskamp related sights along with the usual tourist locations.
There are books written about two branches of the Pulskamp clan in America. The first book, written by Leona Pulskamp Doll in 1980, focused on the family of the middle son. The second, written by Mary Elizabeth Ryan Pulskamp in 1986, focused on the family of the youngest son. The story of the family of the older son has not yet been written and little is known about the fate of the niece, nephew and daughters. Descendents of the middle daughter, Maria Catherine, have been found and hopefully they will participate in the gathering also.
Other family names related to the Pulskamps:
If you know a Pulskamp or the descendent of a Pulskamp, please join in the fun by contacting Ellen Pulskamp Turner at 408-272-9234 or ellenturner
You can also sign up for the Pulskamp News mailing list, which contains news and information about the Pulskamp Family and the World Wide Gathering of Pulskamps.
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