Approximately 130 members of the Broderius-clan attended a family reunion in Friedrichsholm and Kropp. 15 of them came from the United States to verify the roots of their family background.

Organized the family reunion: Juergen Groth from Friedrichsholm (Photo: Lorenzen)

The paper role, that depicts the entire tree of the family Broderius, has to be 34 meters long, as far as the "distant" relatives have been already explored by Juergen Groth. "In this form the information is untamable", says the 54-year-old from Friedrichsholm. The data is stored electronically and additionally sorted in a set of folders.

Juergen Groth belongs to the family Broderius, because his grandmother Magdalene, the mother of his father Claus, was born 1898 in Erfde as a Broderius. Genealogy is his passion. Since Klaus Broderius from Dellstedt (Dithmarschen) contacted two years ago his American cousin Claus, who emigrated in 1952 from Hohn to Linden ( New Jersey ), the passion awakened again. He sent all of his family data, starting with his grandmother from Erfde up until today, to the relatives beyond the Atlantic Ocean . Moreover combed the Friedrichsholmer through all German telephone books for the name Broderius and called them all. "So I found piece after piece of the puzzle," says Groth and adds, "the more you are involved, the more you are getting hooked." Proudly can the 54-year-old refer to the result: "As we aligned our research, we had 700 family members, now we have 2800. But the research is still far from complete, loopholes must be closed, connections to be made.

Opportunity to a lively exchange between the various branches of the Broderius-clan exists at the family reunion, at which Juergen Groth expects on Saturday, the 4th August, in the restaurant "Rose Garden" in Kropp 130 participants from all parts of the Republic, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and, last but not least, from the United States. He had sent invitations to 120 families. "Everyone gets a name tag with a color that represents his family branch," says the organizer. On the basis of the exposed pedigree posters everyone can find its place in the clan again.

The impetus for the large-scale Broderius-reunion this year came from the Americans, who in October followed the footsteps of their ancestors in the Hohner Harde. The group of 15 with participants from Colorado , Minnesota , North Carolina , Wisconsin , Virginia , California and New Jersey meets today in Friedrichsholm. The guests from overseas will stay until 11th August. They are guided around the church of Hohn by pastor Andreas Wegenhorst and officially received by the municipality of Hohn and Lohe-Foehrden, as well as Kropp and Owschlag, where the roots of their clan are.

The great-great-grandparents of Juergen Groth: Johann Broderius from Lohe (1840-1918) married Margaretha Roeschmann from Eisendorf (1838-1905) in Nortorf and opened up a blacksmith's shop in Erfde. (Photo: private)

On the program of the Americans is also a visit to the church in Klixbuell ( Berlin ) on Saturday. For this church worked from 1569 until 1612 the pastor Claus Broderus (attend the missing “i” in his name), the very top of the tree of the family. The era Broderius in Lohe begins with the wedding of Juergen Broderius (born 1760 in Norby) with the widow Magdalene Carstens nee Mumm (born 1790).

Apart from the America-emigrants had the family been quite down-to-earth between Owschlag and Hohner Harde, many were farmers and blacksmiths. Even Juergen Groth somehow fits in the series. The son of a farmer is an engineer for heating, ventilation and sanitation.

Around 1900: Widow Elsabe Broderius, nee Heit, with her four children. Her husband Johann, born 1825 in Lohe, died 1896 in Blue Island near Chicago. (Photo: private)

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