Last month I wrote about the challenge of addressing my biases when writing Kitchener 1916 Project posts. This month the challenge is what I call “source bias.” I’m reading two English-language dailies for the Kitchener 1916 Project—The Berlin News-Record and The Berlin Daily Telegraph—therein, it’s easy to argue that by not including local German news […] Read more…
Spring comes to Alert City The ice broke on the Grand River, Robin Redbreast made his first appearance, and a young red fox trotted into town (he was quickly enlisted as the 118th Battalion’s mascot); all hopeful signs Berlin, Ontario’s cold, snowy winter would soon end. The city’s renaming contest was in its final days, with […] Read more…
Temperance and Prohibition The new federal temperance bill passed first reading without discussion. It didn’t go as far as Vancouver’s HH Stevens‘ and Bonaventure’s Charles Marcil‘s (Unionist and Liberal, respectively) proposed bill—they called for total prohibition of the import, manufacture and sales of intoxicating beverages, until the war’s end—this one prevented liquor imports into dry […] Read more…
Several days after his family left Berlin, Ontario, The New York Times ran an interview with Reverend CR Tappert’s brother. The brothers’ shared temperament, attitude, and nationalism were evident. Nothing, according to GH Tappert, his brother did or said while in Canada could ever be offensive or pro-German: “He is too conservative and too good […] Read more…
Carl Reinhold Tappert was born in Germany and grew up as its 19th Century imperialism swelled. He trained at the Kropp Seminary in Schleswig-Holstein, and at 22, he immigrated to the United States where he was ordained. Early in 1913, the 46-year-old reverend moved his wife and eight children from Meriden, Connecticut, to Berlin, Ontario. They were […] Read more…
Corsica, Ontario Every alderman (except for the two who opposed to the name change) attended a special council meeting to decide how to proceed. Mayor Hett wanted ratepayers to have the final word, but Alderman Cleghorn disagreed. He clung to his chestnut that the petition’s 1080 signatures (from a population of 20,000) meant the electorate’s voice […] Read more…