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| The Catholic parish church of St. Johann in Donaueschingen, Germany. The building with a double tower facade in the Bohemian Baroque style was built from 1724 to 1747 to a design by the Prague architect František Maxmilián Kaňka. Photo H. Helmlechner, CC BY-SA 4.0. |
Wilhelm Kritzer (b. 10 Jan 1844), son of Michael Kritzer and Maria Agatha Hall, married Flora Wilhelmina Gleichauf (b. 26 Jan 1851), daughter of Johann Nepomuk Gleichauf and Waldburga Baur, on 26 Jun 1873 at the Katholisch (The Catholic parish church of St. Johann, consecrated to John the Baptist) in Donaueschingen, Villingen, Baden, Germany.
Wilhelm and Flora Kritzer had five children, all baptised in that same church:
- Amalia Kritzer, born 7 Oct 1873, baptised 19 Oct 1873
- Julius Kritzer, born 18 Aug 1874, baptised 23 Aug 1874
- Karl Kritzer, born 3 Nov 1875, baptised 14 Nov 1875
- Josef Kritzer, born 30 Oct 1877 and baptised 11 Nov 1877
- Wilhelm Kritzer, born 10 Mar 1879, baptised 23 Mar 1879,
but who sadly died on 14 Sep of the same year.
At least three of the siblings came to England to work in service in some very distinguished households and were in England at the outbreak of the First World War, where they found themselves at the epicentre of the anti-German hysteria and Spy Fever, incited by the press of the time.
The parallels with the present day are many.
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| Source of the Donaubach in Donaueschingen (historically considered the source of the Danube) Donaueschingen, in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) near the confluence of the two sources of the river Danube, close to the borders with Switzerland and France, is postcard perfect. This video gives us a look around the town today and the pronunciation of Doe-now-ess-shingen. |
