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Emilie Kraus von Wolfsberg

1785–1845

Born
15 Dec 1785, Idrija
Country of birth
Slovenia
Died
15 Apr 1845, Gnigl
facts
7
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth15 Dec 1785, IdrijaProbableDisputed2 competing claims1 source
  • Death15 Apr 1845, GniglProbable1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Idrija

    Birth, Idrija

  2. Child born: Eugen Megerle von Mühlfeld

    Birth, Vienna

  3. Died · Gnigl

    Death, Gnigl

What was it like?

The world around Idrija, 1785: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Emilie was born around the same time as Niccolò Paganini, Carl Maria von Weber, and Daniel François Esprit Auber.

Born around the same time

  • Niccolò Paganini

    1782 · Italian violinist and composer (1782–1840)

  • Carl Maria von Weber

    1786 · German Romantic composer (1786–1826)

  • Daniel François Esprit Auber

    1782 · French composer (1782-1871)

  • Friedrich Fröbel

    1782 · German educator

  • Martin Van Buren

    1782 · president of the United States from 1837 to 1841

  • Shaka Zulu

    1786 · leader of the Zulu Kingdom

Fashion
Around 1825–1849

Festive and daily women's clothing

For feast days, women wore grey jackets adorned with gold or silver velvet ribbons around the neck and lapels, alongside skirts, aprons, and sometimes belts made from tin or yellow wire. Their everyday garments were usually produced at home from coarse linen or wool, while festive items were bought or made from finer fabrics like silk or printed cotton.

Around 1825–1849

Traditional attire for ordinary men

In the first half of the 19th century, men typically wore home-made wool or linen jackets, short vests with buckles, and knee-length linen trousers, often pairing them with tall boots that had funnel-shaped cuffs. Their outfit was completed by a wide-brimmed round hat with a low crown.

Music
Around 1825–1849

Ritual dancing under the linden tree

In the Gail Valley, the parish fair was centered around a linden tree, where a ritual dance called visoki rej was performed to alternating instrumental music and singing.

Around 1825–1849

Traditional Resijan instruments

Resijan musicians played a custom violin called a cytira with a lowered bridge, accompanied by a búunkula, a type of adapted cello or small contrabass.

Getting around
Around 1825–1849

Travel by Horse-Drawn Mail Coaches

Between 1825 and 1849, people in the region traveled between towns using horse-drawn mail coaches known as Eilwagen, which replaced slower, less comfortable carriages. These coaches, which carried passengers, mail, and money, featured padded interiors and could seat 4 to 12 people.

Around 1825–1849

Travel Times and Railway Efficiency

A journey by post coach from Vienna to Trieste typically took three days, with the carriage running day and night and changing horses three times a day. By the mid-19th century, the arrival of the railway significantly reduced travel times, such as the route between Vienna and Graz which dropped from twenty-nine hours by coach to just nine hours by train.

Daily life
Around 1825–1849

Irregular school attendance for children

Compulsory primary education was officially introduced, but attendance was often irregular as children were needed for seasonal farm work, especially in winter. Rural children who did not attend state schools often received basic instruction in reading and arithmetic at the local parish house.

Around 1825–1849

Smoky homes without chimneys

In the first half of the 19th century, many rural houses lacked chimneys and proper ceilings to separate the attic from living areas, leaving them smoky and at high risk of fire. Households often relied on open hearths, with some families even using wooden structures plastered with mud above the fire to catch sparks.

Food
Around 1825–1849

Honey and herbs for flavorings

Honey was the primary sweetener used by ordinary people, as sugar was scarce and expensive, and salt was also used sparingly because it had to be purchased. Meals were often flavored with vinegar, homegrown onions, garlic, or other garden herbs to improve their taste.

Around 1825–1849

Meat was a rare and preserved luxury

Meat was a rare treat for ordinary peasants, as they typically sold or gave away high-quality livestock like poultry and pork as taxes or market goods. Families often preserved only lower-quality cuts, such as trotters or bones, which were then stored in cellars to be eaten sparingly during hard labor or celebrations.

Prices and wages
Around 1821–1821

Daily diet and holiday meals

In 1821, rural laborers in the Podsreda district primarily relied on flour-based soups, beans, cabbage, and potatoes for their daily meals. Meat, such as roasted dishes, was served only during major holidays like Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas.

Around 1800–1849

Clothing provided by masters

Due to low wages, rural servants often could not afford to buy their own shoes or clothing. Instead, they were typically provided with essential garments and footwear by their masters, sometimes receiving a pair of shoes as a Christmas gift.

Work
Around 1825–1849

Memorable struggle with hunger and rare feasts

Peasant families often faced extreme scarcity, and in severe years, some individuals suffered from hunger or even died. In better times, festive meals like those for weddings or fairs provided rare occasions to eat well and drink wine.

Around 1825–1849

Twelve-hour shifts in sawmills

Lumber and sawmill workers operated machines like the venetian saws nearly continuously throughout the day in two 12-hour shifts.

News and letters
Around 1825–1849

Collecting Mail Personally

Until 1821, people had to travel to the post office themselves to collect their letters, as door-to-door delivery was not yet standard.

Around 1825–1849

Letters Were Folded Sheets

Envelopes were rare as they increased the postage cost, so most letters were folded sheets sealed with wax or paper.

During their lifetime

  1. 1785

    Certified Medical Staff Decree of 1785

    In 1785, the Emperor decreed that every community must have a state-certified midwife and doctor to prevent epidemics.

  2. 1816

    Famine and hunger plague rural areas

    Severe harvest failures and resulting famine gripped the countryside, causing significant negative population growth in rural areas.

  3. 1831

    Cholera epidemic of 1831

    A cholera epidemic struck the area around Vienna in 1831, causing significant mortality and leading to systematic expansions of the sewage system.

  4. 1837

    First steam railway in 1837

    The first steam railway line in the empire opened in 1837, connecting Vienna to Deutsch-Wagram and marking a new era for travel.

  5. 1845

    Typhus epidemic hits railway workers

    An outbreak of typhus, spread by lice on workers' clothing, devastated railway construction crews and local residents in Laško, claiming 224 lives.

Family

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.