Page 13 - The Diary of A. H. W. Behrens

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I. About my childhood, 1854 – 1863
My grandfather and my grandmother lived in Hermannsburg in der Heide, in the area of Hannover, Germany. He was the own- er of a farm by the name of “Rissmanns Hof”, one of the larg- est farms in Hermannsburg, with fields, heathlands and forests, besides the various buildings, located on the river Ürze, close to the bridge.
I never got to know my grandparents. I only know that my grandfather had fought in the battle of Waterloo under Welling- ton against Napoleon and experienced the entire French period and told my father a lot about these times.
My father was born on 13 February 1827 as the oldest son and heir of the farm. His siblings were: 1) Uncle Peter who became a teacher and died as such and left behind a number of chil- dren, sons and daughters. 2) Uncle Christoph who also became a teacher and emigrated to America and settled in Milwaukee as a teacher at the St John’s church, where his descendants
are still to be found. 3) Uncle Heinrich who became a brick- layer and died as such in Hermannsburg and whose wife and children then relocated to join us in Africa, where Uncle Au- gust and his big family in Kroondal near Rustenburg are well known.