Keidel, Kurt and Margaret K 1970-03-25
The Keidels discuss their family history, experiences of the area German pioneers, the early Fredericksburg community, and the medical careers of the Keidel family members.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: Kurt Keidel and Margaret K. Keidel
Additional Parties Recorded: None
Date: March 25, 1970
Location: Fredericksburg, Texas
Interviewer: Fred Carpenter
Length: 2 hours
Abstract
Tape 1, Side 1: Family background,
Discusses his grandfather’s settling in Fredericksburg as a doctor,
Matilda Eisfeld, grandmother,
William Keidel’s (grandfather’s) work as a physician in the Meusebach colony,
Albert Keidel’s (father) birth (1852),
William Keidel befriends the Indians,
Research on William Keidel’s education in Germany,
Discusses William Keidel’s life in the colony,
Albert Keidel’s education in Germany,
Story of the building of a road in Fredericksburg,
Discusses Albert Keidel’s medical practice,
Story about Albert Keidel helping a poor family,
Discusses Albert Keidel’s sons, their educations and careers,
Describes eating habits of German settlers,
Discusses territory of Dr. Albert Keidel’s medical practice.
Tape 1, Side 2: Story about Kurt Keidel’s runaway horses,
Story about a baby sitter running off Indians with a hot iron,
Tells about the funeral and mourning traditions of the Germans,
Discusses German colonizers,
Trip from Germany to Fredericksburg,
Types of professions represented,
Building log and mud houses,
Adapting to Texas wilderness,
Assistance from the Mormon Community of Zodiac,
Self-subsistent living,
Organizations for entertainment and service,
Discusses noteworthy people born in Fredericksburg,
Admiral Chester Nimitz,
Story about Kurt Keidel being punished at school.
Tape 2, Side 1: Story about a barrel of wine rolling down a hill,
Discusses recreation for boys in early Fredericksburg,
Self-subsistence of the Fredericksburg settlers,
Contrast between early and present day pharmacies,
Story about Kurt Keidel saving a man from a rattlesnake bite,
Making of drugs in the store,
Albert Keidel serving as doctor during the flu epidemic (1918),
Discusses the Keidel family members.
Tape 2, Side 2: Describes the White Elephant Saloon in Fredericksburg,
Discusses the building of the Keidel Medical Building and later the Keidel Memorial Hospital,
Discusses entertainment for the Germans in Fredericksburg,
Story about a marriage arranged by contract,
Discusses the generosity of the settlers,
Discuses food and wildlife in Fredericksburg in time of early settlers.
Range Dates: 1847-1970
Bulk Dates: 1852-c. 1920
Access Information
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Recording Format Notes:
Transcript:
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