German-American

Almanacs

A Window on German-

American Life

An 1857 Pennsylvania German almanac, printed and

published by Johann Bär & Sons of Lancaster,

Pennsylvania, which followed the basic format and

appearance of the almanacs first published by

Christopher Sauer in the eighteenth century.

A listing of German-American publications inside the

pages of this 1870 almanac.

In the late nineteenth century, German-American

almanacs were issued in English not only to reach

American-born readers, but also to reach a wide

market and circulation.

This 1875 agricultural almanac in English shows the

early efforts to reach out to the community at large, not

just the German-American community, though keeping

with tradition, it was arranged after the German

calendar system.

Due to the mass-market appeal of almanacs, numerous

companies advertised in them, with this one from 1875

showing an advertisement from the Cincinnati

German brewing company of Foss-Schneider.

Almanacs often appeared in editions running into the

tens of thousands.

Almanacs were filled with wit, wisdom, and humor. A

humorous story about “Herring and Beer,” and a

German-English style poem “Dot Schmall Leetle

Baby” from a Cincinnati German almanac exemplify

this particular aspect.

Some almanacs were published by medical firms, and

carried the usual almanac information, but also plenty

of advertisements for their own products. This one was

published and distributed gratis by Dr. D. Jayne and

Son.

Volume 48 of a Cincinnati German almanac carried the

image and title of the Cincinnatier hinkende Bote (the

Cincinnati limping messenger), which was an image

popular on the covers of German and German-American

almanacs, and was an historical figure harkening back to

survivors of wars before the Thirty Year’s War (1618-48).

Dr. J.C. Ayer & Co. published almanacs advertising the

firm’s various products, such as Ayer’s Sarsaparilla,

which is depicted on the cover, and is noted for its

exceptional medicinal qualities.

The Abendschule, published by Louis Lange of St.

Louis, was a popular and well-illustrated almanac

aimed at German-American Lutherans.

Pautsch & Kline, general merchandisers in Centreport,

Pennsylvania, published almanacs, this one printed at

Reading, Pennsylvania, as the best vehicle for

advertising its stock of goods.

Almanacs were filled with humorous illustrations,

with this one depicting a local public library. The

librarian asks if the young lady would be interested in

the works of Paul de Kock, such as Der schüchterne

Liebhaber (The Shy Admirer). And the response is:

Heavens no, the title doesn’t appeal to me!

Recipes for doughnuts to articles on flannel mixed in

with the humor page of this ca. 1900 volume

Humorous stories were well illustrated and drawn from

German-American life. Ca. 1900

Almanacs were filled with jokes and short stories, as

seen here in this ca. 1900 publication.

More wit and humor, ca. 1900.

German-American almanacs also provided the vehicle

for illustrating German-American life and festivities,

with this example showing the ever-popular annual

celelebration of Maifest!

German-Americans collected not only German-

American almanacs, but also German ones as well for

dates of significance, such as for birth-years,

anniversaries, graduations, etc. One popular year for

German almanacs was 1900, marking the entrance

into the 20th century.

Volume 77 of the Pennsylvania German almanac,

printed and published by Johann Bär’s Sons, bears

almost exactly the same design as its predecessors, a

visible demonstration of its popularity that also served

as its trademark.

German-Americans often wrote notes, analogous to diary

entries, in their calendars. This 1912 almanac indicates

that its owner “Started cutting oats at home, July 24th to

26 A.M.” Such notes demonstrate the importance of

almanacs in the daily life, as does the fact that they were

saved by families like diaries.

The Germania Kalender was one of the most popular

German-American almanacs in the Midwest, and was

published by the firm of Geo. Brumder, Milwaukee,

Wisconsin. As a result of the First World War, the firm

changed the name to the America Kalender.

Almanacs often featured German folk dress, as seen

on this couple here; a reminder of the old country,

perhaps, to those longing for a view of their former

homeland. Ca. 1920s.

Illustrations from Grimm’s fairy tales were popular

almanac images, such as this of Hansel and Gretl in a

1920s era almanac.

Advertisements reveal what items were popular with

the general public, as in this ca. 1920s almanac.

Due to their popularity, religious denominations

published almanacs for their members, this one an

example of the 1922 edition published by the German

Evangelical Synod of North America’s Eden Publishing

Co., St. Louis.

An almanac listing the Protestant and Catholic

calendar as well as historic dates, ca. 1930s.

The Pionier, an almanac filled with art deco style

illustrations, was published in New York by the New

Yorker Volkszeitung, a German-American progressive

newspaper supporting the interests of the working-

class.

German-American almanacs were published across the

U.S., with this being an example of a German-Texan

volume for 1935, published by the New Braunfelser

Zeitung.

A 1936 edition of a German Catholic almanac that was

well illustrated and designed for the German Catholic

home.

A 1942 Texas German-American almanac, filled in

part with historical highlights from the state.

Almanacs featured historical articles, such as this one

on the origin of Uncle (Onkel) Sam from the 1950s.