Ancestry Magazine

While strictly speaking, fraktur refers to an ornate type of written or printed German (similar to Gothic lettering). It has become a generic term for the colorfully embellished German-American manuscripts that recorded births, baptisms, and marriages. They are now prized by folk-art collectors as well as by genealogists. For the genealogist, finding the family history recorded in the fraktur is usually the primary goal but acquiring one of these exquisite pieces of folk art to preserve as a family treasure for your descendants might be another.

Frakturs were produced mainly in Pennsylvania, which was the cradle of the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch settlements prior to the Revolutionary War. The term Pennsylvania Dutch refers to the German-speaking population (mostly of German and Swiss roots) and is said to be a corruption of the word Deutsch, meaning German. Frakturs also were made in western Maryland, Virginia, what is now West Virginia, the Carolinas, Ohio, and other states, as well as in Ontario, Canada, where many Germans immigrated to from Pennsylvania. People of many religions created these records including: Lutherans, German Reformed, Mennonites, Amish, Schwenkfelders, Moravians, Catholics, and others. However, Lutheran and German Reformed schoolmasters of Pennsylvania made the great majority of frakturs.

The most frequently found example of the fraktur is the taufschein (birth or baptismal certificate). It included names of the child, father, mother (with her maiden name), date of birth, place of birth (usuall y the township and county were given), name of the officiating clergyman (often with reference to his denomination), and the names of the witnesses present.

Although birth and baptism certificates are the most numerous frakturs, other types were made, including marriage certificates, writing examples, and songbooks. In addition, schoolmasters frequently decorated bookplates in commercially printed books. Fraktur bookplates also can be important sources of genealogical information for descendants of these German and Swiss families because they frequently include the date of birth and other genealogical information about the book owner. A bookplate in a hymnal of the German Reformed Church recorded that Maria Staufer was born 8 April 1777 im Zeichen des wieders (in the sign of the Ram); including a reference to the sign of the zodiac was a common practice.

The German text on frakturs falls into two main categories—primary text where the genealogical information is found and secondary text, which is usually religious and found in small heart-shape or rectangular enclosures positioned around the central primary text. The primary text holds the biographical information of interest to genealogists. Two basic variations of the primary text occur. They include certificates beginning with the parents’ names first, and those beginning with the child’s name first. By far, most begin with the parents’ names—Diesen beiden Ehegatten (these two spouses) and then the names of the father and mother. Those beginning with the child’s name were often printed on vertically oriented angel-type certificates and written in English from about 1820 into the twentieth century. However, some major early artists began their certificates with the child’s name first, so genealogists are cautioned not to assume the first name on the certificate is the father’s name.

The Pennsylvania Dutch regarded their homes as sacred, and the blessing of God was frequently invoked in a type of fraktur known as Haussegen. Haussegen (house blessing) is in substance: a prayer for the preservation of the house from destruction through fire, storm, or other calamity; and a benediction upon the owner, upon his wife and children, and upon all those who may go in and out. Frequently, there are prayers for a vigorous life and a happy entrance into heaven. Der Segen Gottes Kron dies Haus (the blessing of God crown this house) is the opening and characteristic prayer that appears frequently in Haussegens. The owner’s name usually appears in these records. Others occasionally added genealogically significant information, such as combining birth records and a house blessing.

Originally, frakturs were created by educated ministers and schoolteachers, then later by professional itinerant penmen and local artisans. American frakturs were popular from about 1750 to 1900, with their golden age considered by experts in the field to be from 1790 to 1830. Many of the hand-colored specimens found in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from 1800 to 1820 bear the signature of Peter Bernhart, a post rider and teacher.

In America, even before 1800, these certificates were printed with borders of birds, flowers, and other decorative designs, which were then colored by hand. However, the taufschein quickly passed out of its original manuscript form into a printed certificate, with blanks for names and dates to be filled in by a competent scribe. At later dates, certificates were printed in color by various printers. A printer named Gustav S. Pet ers, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, began using a process early in the nineteenth century by which he could run a print through the press three times and obtain multi-colored forms. First, black ink was put down to print the text and popular angel-type decorations. The second time, a yellow design on the angels’ dresses was done, and lastly, a contrasting red design. Eventually printed taufscheins were mass produced by major printing firms such as Currier and Ives and various other printers, mostly in Pennsylvania.

It became the practice for penmen (called scribeners) to prepare certificates with blanks and to peddle them from house to house. Ferdinand Klenk, who lived in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, was one such itinerant penman. He traveled in rural areas and entered the records of birth, marriage, and death into customers’ family Bibles. His notebook dated 1 January 1875 shows samples of his handwriting with prices he charged for his work. The costs were: one name with the date of birth, 10 cents; with the addition of the place of birth, 15 cents; with parents’ names, 25 cents. In a letter to his wife from the western end of Lebanon County and dated Christmas Day 1875, he states that he has a large amount of work to do and that he can’t work fast enough to suit his customers. To fill the demands of the Pennsylvania Germans for birth and baptismal certificate forms that the local minister or schoolteacher could fill in, the printers supplied a page with the text arranged in a rectangular block at the center. The space for the names and dates were left blank and the borders provided ample opportunity for decoration, if the owner so desired.

Fraktur decorations vary greatly in design and color. All kinds of flowers were used, but tulips were especially popular. Birds, such as dove s, cardinals, parrots, eagles, peacocks, chanticleers, scarlet tanagers, and yellow warblers, appear in the borders. One may find crocodiles, sheep, an occasional serpent, mermaids, angels, and even portraits. Also among the designs were: the sun, moon, stars, rainbows, vines, leaves, trees, butterflies, and various fruit. Friedrich Krebs, one of the most prolific fraktur artists, often drew a “sun face” on his frakturs, which now make his works immediately recognizable. In some manuscripts there are portraits of individuals, such as George Washington and Andrew Jackson. On a few wedding certificates, there are pictures of a bride and bridegroom, which may have been an effort at portraiture. In general, the decorations are of a joyful depiction—birds, flowers, leaping harts, children, and angels with trumpets, but the text often reminds the reader of the shortness of this life, of the approach of death, and of the probable sudden passing into eternity.

For descendants of these Pennsylvania Dutch families, there is a good possibility of finding frakturs made for their ancestors. Frakturs may be in old family papers, in Bibles and books; in files of distant kinsmen and genealogists, in libraries, archives, historical societies, and antique shops; or even pasted inside the lid of an old chest. Many frakturs have a fold-line through the center as they often were preserved between the leaves of large Bibles or in hymnals, music books, or schoolbooks. Others, such as the highly esteemed baptism certificates, were framed and hung upon the walls of the home. Some were rolled and put into drawers, while still others were pasted inside of the lids of dower chests or in schranks (wooden wardrobe closets).

Marketplace value of a fraktur is largely determined by overall condition, color, fullness of decora tion, and motifs. Today, hefty prices are being paid for frakturs as they are cherished among folk-art collectors. Elaborate examples of frakturs by well-known artists bring up to $200,000, but some frakturs without rare motifs can be found in the $2,000 to $5,000 price range. As a result, many frakturs are pictured in antique publications and auction catalogs. For the genealogist, this means the genealogical information may be available, even if one never actually sees or owns the fraktur itself. The Internet has increased the opportunity to find and view many of these magnificent treasures. A good starting place is at http://frakturweb.org/.

Each fraktur, no matter how fragmentary, should be recorded so the work of the artist and the genealogical data are preserved for posterity. Each fraktur is unique and has the potential of being the only place that the genealogical information was recorded—making it a priceless family treasure. It might be worth some real money, too.