My Great Grandfather in 1932

Well, we think we found his house. Next, a lengthy discussion as to what became of him. Lengthy because I am constantly sorting out characters, this time sorting out the confusion between my Grandfather and Great Grandfather.

Great Grandfather Johannes owned the nice house across the street. He was a Volst mayor, which encompasses Rohrbach, Worms, and probably a few other small villages in the area. This also made him a magistrate, or judge, with some additional political influence that came along with it. A very nice position to hold in the German community. A death sentence once the communists took over the village.

More specific research is needed, but I believe the final thrust of the communist takeover in that area was around 1928. By other accounts I have read, the local officials were the first to lose their properties and their freedoms. My dad was still young (9-10 years). His first recollection was when grandfather was arrested in 1932. He was not, however, sent to prison, but spent his time in the local jail. Let's speculate that his influence in the community may have made the local communist officials leery about disposing of him too quickly. They tried at first to gain the cooperation of the local community, but were soon forced to resort to more persuasive methods.

Four months after Johann's arrest, college students were sent to Rohrbach to tend the orchards. Tending to fruit orchards was totally foreign to these students (as was probably anything agrarian). Thus, the officials decided to release Johann from jail and put him in charge of managing the orchards, at the same time teaching his skills to the students. The orchards had been in the family for perhaps 100 years. We know very little about that summer in the orchards. We do know that it was now the fall of 1932 - the onset of the Great Famine. The soldiers came to confiscate all of the food. The village was sealed off. Johann could not go back to his house. It wasn't his anymore. Anyone harboring him would be arrested if caught.

Johann was never heard from again after the summer of 1932. My dad's sentence tailed off at the end. "Starved" was what he said. My dad's cousin, who grew up with dad in Rohrbach, whom I interviewed in Germany in 2012, corroborated this conclusion.

Magistrate, Volst Mayor, proud farmer. Prisoner, street beggar, starved to death in a quiet ravine? Will we ever know what became of this once-proud man?

See this link for more information on The Famine of 1932-33.