Five Views of Siddinghausen

by Joe Beine, July 1995

 
 
Siddinghausen is a small village of about 1,090 people in Nordrhein-Westfalen near Büren. My great great grandmother, Christine Walter, was born there in 1840. Using microfilmed copies of the church books, I traced her Siddinghausen ancestors, eventually finding branches in the nearby towns of Weiberg and Hegensdorf. I visited the area in 1995 and here are some of the photographs I took.
 


Siddinghausen Sign
Welcome to Siddinghausen, Gold Village
  Interior View of St. Johann Baptist Catholic Church
Interior View of St. Johann Baptist Catholic Church
   
War Memorial in the Church Yard, Siddinghausen
War Memorial in the Church Yard
  Pigs Relaxing in Siddinghausen
Pigs Relaxing in the Village
   
Siddinghausen Heiligenhauschen memorial  
This stone memorial lies at the bottom of the hill that the town church is on. In German these are called "Heiligenhäuschen" ("mini chapels" or literally, "holy little houses"). Most of the inscription has weathered away, but near the base it says "Elisabeth Kemper 1866." I have Kemper ancestors from Siddinghausen so I was curious as to the nature of these chapels. They are built as a thanksgiving to God for the memory of a person. Many farms have these along the roadside at the foot of the farm. On All Souls Day (November 2nd) candles are sometimes lit and placed in the enclosed "chapel" area. Thanks to Matthias Plass, who lives near Paderborn, for providing some of this information.  


Return to German Roots

Visit Hegensdorf, a Small Village in Germany


Siddinghausen 1200 Jahre

799-1999

Siddinghausen celebrated its 1200th anniversary in 1999.
  page made by Joe Beine
27 February 1999

photos © 1995
please do not copy or distribute without permission



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