If we go back to the very earliest days of the township, two names that pop up time and again are Schierding and Schween. These families were some of our earliest residents and were interconnected through a marriage that occurred around 1840 in Chicago.
The tale of how the families met is told in this marvelous account by Clara (Schween) Kaste. She was the granddaughter of Ernest Philip and Mary (Schierding) Schween. (We see the Schween name often popping up as “Swain” in many documents.
The second half of the account will focus on how German weddings were celebrated around the turn of the twentieth century. It continues here:
–The following account was written by our Mother, Clara (Schween) Kaste, wife of William Kaste, before her death in 1956.
AS TOLD TO ME BY GRANDMOTHER SCHWEEN – Mrs. Ernest Schween (Mary Schierding)
A Wedding
A wedding was something to be looked forward to. The people of Hessian descent brot (brought) some of their old country customs along and, although unusual to an American born person, they took it for granted that their way was the only way.
About three or four weeks before the wedding, a near relative of the bride, preferably a brother or single cousin, was dressed up in his best clothes and, with a horse all decked up in different colored ribbons attached to the bridle, also riding crop decorated with ribbons and, sometimes an additional tissue paper head piece on the horses head, the young man set out to do the inviting to the wedding feast.
With a “You Hu” coming up to the place, then doffing his hat would resite (recite) a poem [saying] where and when the important event would take place and asking them to attend. This invitation would be for the family, including hired help.
Then it was up to the head of the family to give him some money, preferably a dollar, and offer the “Hochzeit’s bitter” a drink (Hochzeit’s bitter means the man that is giving you a bid to the wedding). After the young man had been out all day going from place to place, by the time it got to the late afternoon, he’d be hardly able to recite his poem! But people knew what he came for anyway.
As to the number that were asked, [it] generally depended on the size of the relationship on both sides but, two hundred families wasn’t considered unusual.
The next step was to see the town “cook” and make out a list of food required. About a week before, long tables would be made in the orchard or some shady place [and] also a large platform built to be used for dancing, and then the baking and cooking began.
Near relatives were asked to help as all bread, cakes and pies were homemade. Two days before, the chickens, calves or pigs were slaughtered and, the day before, the young beef and, also, sausage was made of beef.
The night before [the wedding] the young men from the neighborhood would gather at the bride’s home and “shiv-a-ri” her and they would make noise. All the old kettles and washboilers, milk cans, etc. would be beaten with sticks [and] also boards slapped together–in fact, anything that would make noise. And this noise would be kept up until some small coins were thrown at them and light refreshments or cake, and a glass of beer or wine was given.
The next morning or, rather the Wedding Day, you could see the wagons begin loading with people driven up to the place for lunch, which was served from nine to eleven o’clock. This consisted of hot beef sausage called “rinder-wurst,” bread, hot coffee and coffee cake.
In the meantime, the bride and her attendants would be dressing and the wedding procession would begin to form in line. Most of the people at that time had two or three-seated spring wagons or open buggies. The horses and wagons of the bridal couple and attendants were especially decorated with colored crepe paper and ribbons, but the other wagons had some kind of decoration–either the whip in the whip pocket had a colored ribbon tied on or the horses had a ribbon on the bridle.
The line of procession was something like this: a three-seated spring wagon with the driver (a special honor) and one couple on the front seat, the bridal couple on the second seat and the second couple that attended them on the last seat.
If more than two couples “stood up” with the bridal couple, these would ride on the next wagon but usually there were only two couples, [who were] near relatives of the bride and groom. The driver of this wagon would be a married brother or brother-in-law.
The next two wagons would have the flower girls or near, unmarried friends of the bride. They would be wearing flowers or wreaths on their heads, [and] then would follow the wagons of the parents, and after them would come other relatives, and then friends.
There would be quite a line up and then to church they went. As soon as the caretaker at church would see them coming, he’d begin to ring the church bell up to the time the bride was off the wagon. Then the organist would play the wedding march and he would keep on playing until everyone was in church and seated. Then they would sing an appropriate hymn followed by a real sermon by the minister and then the actual marriage ceremony took place.
Then another short hymn and the blessing, and the bridal couple would start the procession out of church and back home they’d go. But, they would be stopped somewhere on the road with a rope drawn across the road and the rope would be let down after they received some small coin from the bridal couple.
Now, before we get back to the house, let me describe their clothes. The groom would get a new suit with white shirt and tie while his attendants wore nearly the same, only the suit would not necessarily have to be new as long as they were clean and pressed. The only difference was the groom wore artificial orange blossoms in his lapel while the [bride’s] attendants had real flowers. The attendants were called “Brautmaedchen” or “bride’s maids.”
The bride’s dress would be usually black or blue silk, (a dress that could be used for all special occasions afterwards) with black shoes and stockings although, in later years, if possible to procure, they would have white shoes and stockings with a colored silk dress, although I’ve seen pretty woolen dresses too. Of course, they would have an artificial orange blossom head piece and a lace or tulle veil – mostly tulle – reaching to the bottom of the dress. [The] length of [the] dress was that it almost touched the floor.
So, back at the house they went for a big meal. But now the minister and family would be there too and he would be seated at the bridal table and would be asked to say Grace and, even the waiters at the table and anybody near, would stand still and bow their heads.
Of course, after this, everybody helped themselves to the eats. If there were not enough places set for the number of people there, you just had to wait to get the second sitting of the tables and, sometimes, if it was a very large wedding you’d have to wait for the third setting of tables and, would a person be hungry by that time.
I remember at one of my cousin’s wedding I was so hungry that my mother found me upstairs crying! And I had been too bashful to push myself in when the tables were set the second time. It was taken for granted that everybody ate when they would find a seat at the table, except the bridal table and there the seats were reserved for the bridal party, minister and family and nearest relative!
You, no doubt, will wonder who washed dishes, waited at tables, etc. The bride would ask some of her girl friends several weeks before the wedding to wait on tables [as] this was considered an honor. The neighbors’ wives would help wash and dry dishes and reset the tables under the direction of the cook who had helpers to dish out the vegetables, cut meat, bread, etc.
After the main meal, called the dinner, was over, the musicians would begin to play dance music and whoever wanted to dance could do so. The older men would play cards or just stand around and talk. About five o’clock, another meal would be served and before tables would be cleared it would be about 8 o’clock.
In between times, beer or wine would be served although, sometimes a bar would be there, and anybody could go there and be served, although the bartender and helper would be “considerate” of those who came too often and, with tact, would see to it that they wouldn’t drink so much.
About eleven o’clock p.m. tables would be reset and anybody that cared to eat could do so. This meal would consist of bread and butter, cold meats, cheese, pickles, etc. Also cakes [would be served] and, of these, there was a large variety of pound cake, marble cake, and different kinds of layer cakes.
At about one o’clock the older people would start for home and slowly the crowd would dwindle down so at about daybreak the last ones would be leaving.
As to the gifts for the young couple, each family was supposed to bring something for the new household – from rocking chairs, knives and forks, bed linen, down to tin pie plates. At that time there were no bridal “showers” [and] these gifts would be brought the day of the wedding and an extra room was in readiness for these presents. And such a variety, although I have seen four living room clocks at one place. What happened to all four I don’t know but it was considered rude to exchange a wedding gift, as a wedding gift was a wedding gift!
We can thank Clara for taking the time to record the account of the Schweens and Schierdings in Schaumburg Township. This description of the German Lutheran wedding process is a bonus. It is a priceless document of our local history.
Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org
History of Schaumburg Township 