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Man of Two Worlds

Man of Two WorldsMan of Two Worlds (book)

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In 1854, Wilhelm F. Kempe, 26, and his sister Auguste, 20, left their native Kingdom of Saxony in Europe for a new home in Texas. Remaining in Saxony were their aging, widowed father and a 10-year-old sister and an 8-year-old brother -- people who struggled for decades to reconcile their lives in the Old World with that of their relatives in the New World. Their letters to Wilhelm tell, often painfully, of the emotional toll this disruption took on the lives of family and friends who remained in the Fatherland. As the only connection betwen his family in Europe and his family in America, Wilhelm carried the weight of both. Over half a century he coped with all of their needs, as well as the Civil War and the desires of others who wanted to leave Europe and join him in Texas -- challenges that come alive through the letters they wrote.
READER'S COMMENTS: "Having just finished this book I just had to write to say how much I enjoyed reading it. Even though I am not directly connected to the Kempe family, I found their story very engrossing and poignant. Most of my own ancestors came to Texas from Germany early on in the mid 1800s much like the Kempes, and having a peek into the lives of those left behind in Germany was very interesting and very enlightening. For those readers interested in German Texas history, and for just history in general, this book is a nice look into that subject." -- J.T. K., Washington
READER'S COMMENTS: "Grasshoff's research puts the correspondence in context with a thorough description of events in Texas and Germany that impacted the lives of family members on both sides of the Atlantic who were determined to keep in touch. Reflecting the tough emotional struggles that immigrants faced in addition to other hardships, this book is a welcome addition to the history of the German settlement of Central Texas." -- Elaine T., Texas
REVIEW: "Ray Grasshoff’s Man of Two Worlds makes a fresh contribution to the study of nineteenth-century German immigration to Texas. Based on letters written to Wilhelm F. Kempe by his friends and family in Germany over a forty-year period, the book documents the tremendous disruption that his emigration brought to those who remained in his native Kingdom of Saxony. Man of Two Worlds emphasizes the fact that not only did emigration affect European immigrants like Wilhelm Kempe themselves, but it also affected the lives of loved ones left behind for decades after they left for America." -- "Southwestern Collection," Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 113 (2): 251, October 2009
REVIEW: "[Man of Two Worlds] also shows the pressure they received — and resisted — from their German relatives to end their American “holiday” and return home to Germany." -- Galveston County Daily News ( http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?wcd=145091)
NEWS ARTICLE: Killeen Herald (Texas) -- www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=33157
NEWS ARTICLE: Colorado County Citizen (Columbus, Texas) -- www.coloradocountycitizen.com/articles/2009/06/24/news/news08.txt