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Countess Margarethe von der Schulenburg

1864–1940

Born
30 May 1864, Bobitz
Country of birth
Germany
Died
1 Jan 1940, Bristow
facts
5
sources
1
images and files
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Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth30 May 1864, BobitzProbable1 source
  • Death1 Jan 1940, BristowProbable1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Bobitz

    Birth, Bobitz

  2. Child born: Countess Ina Marie von Bassewitz

    Birth, Schorssow

  3. Died · Bristow

    Death, Bristow

What was it like?

The world around Bobitz, 1864: 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.

Countess was born the same year as Max Weber, Wilhelm Wien, and Richard Strauss.

Born the same year

  • Max Weber

    German sociologist, philosopher, and political economist (1864–1920)

  • Wilhelm Wien

    German physicist (1864-1928)

  • Richard Strauss

    German composer and orchestra director (1864–1949)

  • Camille Claudel

    French sculptor (1864–1943)

  • Branislav Nušić

    Serbian writer

  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

    French painter and illustrator (1864–1901)

Fashion

Children's Footwear in Rural Areas

While better-off families could afford varied clothes, children of the impoverished often went barefoot over stone and stubble during the summer months.

Creative Sewing to Save Fabric

To save money on expensive fabrics, rural women often sewed a piece of linen into the hidden parts of their dresses that were covered by an apron, a practice known as Magsachte.

Music

Music and dance at public festivals

Popular festivities like shooting festivals and local fairs were central to social life, while the educated classes attended balls, concerts, and theater performances.

Rise of male choirs and music festivals

The 19th century saw a massive surge in male choirs, known as Liedertafel, which moved from private social gatherings to public music festivals.

Getting around
Around 1870–1870

Costly travel between Prussian villages

While railways connected major cities, travel between Prussian villages often required hiring traps, which could cost more for a short trip than a full railway journey between cities like Berlin and Dresden.

Around 1870–1870

Costly travel in Prussian villages

In 1870, travelers between Prussian villages often relied on hired traps driven by resentful locals, who might charge more for a short ride between hamlets than a full five-hour railway journey from Berlin to Dresden.

Daily life

Compulsory schooling and kindergarten costs

Children were required to attend school from ages six to fourteen, often carrying books in long tin satchels. In model kindergartens, families could pay fees between sixpence and three shillings a month for care and meals.

Food

Alcohol as a Daily Staple

Schnapps, distilled cheaply from potatoes, became a daily staple for the poor alongside sugar-sweetened coffee. Beer was also consumed, and by the later part of the period, the invention of bottled beer with swing stoppers made it more accessible.

Potatoes and Bread as Staples

Working-class families relied heavily on potatoes and rye bread as their staple diet, often eating potatoes two or three times a day. Eggs and butter were considered expensive luxuries, with some workers rarely, if ever, having access to an egg.

Prices and wages
Around 1860–1860

Wages and shoes for farm servants

Farm servants received low cash wages, often supplemented by essential goods. A farm maid earned 18–24 Thalers annually and might receive a pair of shoes as part of her compensation.

Work

A monotonous and unappealing diet

While working as a brickyard finisher, one laborer reported that his daily meal consisted of nothing but peas, which caused him to feel queasy even years later.

Grueling 18-hour workdays on Prussian farms

In eastern Prussia, a standard summer workday for farm laborers often stretched from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m. or later, totaling 18 to 19 hours including short rest breaks.

News and letters
Around 1865–1874

Pneumatic tube mail in Berlin

Starting in 1865, Berlin introduced a pneumatic tube system where metal canisters carrying messages were shot through underground pipes at 40 to 50 km/h, aiming for delivery within one hour.

During their lifetime

  1. 1871

    The German Empire is proclaimed

    The German Empire was proclaimed in 1871, uniting various states under Kaiser Wilhelm I.

  2. 1873

    Economic crash triggers long crisis

    The Panic of 1873 began with a stock market crash, triggering a period of economic hardship known as the Great Depression.

  3. 1876

    Telephone Invented in 1876

    Alexander Graham Bell exhibited the telephone, a device that would eventually quicken social and economic life for millions.

  4. 1877

    Great Railroad Strike Occurs in 1877

    The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 marked the beginning of major industrial labor confrontations over wages and working rules.

  5. 1882

    Chinese Exclusion Act Passed in 1882

    The Chinese Exclusion Act suspended immigration of Chinese laborers under penalty of imprisonment and deportation.

  6. 1883

    First national health insurance introduced

    Germany became the first country to introduce a national social insurance system with the approval of a worker's health insurance plan.

Family

Spouses

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.