Through the generosity of members of the Schulzke family, Keepa is permitted to post photographs to accompany Friedrich Schulzke: “It Fell to My Lot to Guide the Little Branch.”
Friedrich Schulzke (1843-1937)
Friedrich Schulzke, Anna Egliens Schulzke, and son Kurt
One of three hand-made notebooks owned by the Schulzke family,
in which Friedrich kept records of the Memel Branch.
This page indicates that meetings were canceled on 21 March 1915 because of Russian invasion;
the following week, meetings were held as usual.
Max Schulzke (front left), Friedrich’s son, posing with his U-boat graduating class;
Max died during the war, believed to have been torpedoed at the mouth of the Thames River.
Friedrich, with Oliver H. Budge, president of the German-Austrian Mission, in Memel.
Anna Egliens Schulzke (1860-1945)
This Latter-day Saint woman, nearly 85 years old, died as a refugee somewhere in Lithuania or Poland,
fleeing the Russian army and trying to reach the comparative safety of Berlin,
where Friedrich’s daughter Marta lived.
Grandson Ernest and great-grandson Stuart, at the site of Friedrich’s grave, in Memel, 1995
Terrific. Thanks to you Ardis. And many thanks to the Schulzke family.
Thank you, everyone. It’s so cool to have faces to put with the amazing story. This just might be my favorite post ever, simply because of what generated it.
Incredible.
Oh, this is wonderful to see the people behind the story. Thank you so much.
Great pictures, and a wonderful story. I love Friedrich’s line, “but with the help of the Lord things were opened up for me.”
I can only imagine the feelings of the grandson and great-grandson visiting Friedrich’s grave.
Great photos. They say a picture tells a thousand words. These certainly speak volumes. I wonder if the picture of Friedrich and Oliver Budge (President of the German-Austrian mission) was taken on the occassion when Schulzke was ordained a High Priest.
This is so great. Thanks, Ardis, and thanks to the family for letting us share a piece of their heritage. It’s so inspiring. I wish I had known him.
Thank you again, Ardis, on behalf of the extended Schulzke family.
A few footnotes: Our son Kurt and I, with some help from the internet, today correctly located the sinking of U-Boat #32 with Friedrich’s son Max aboard — off Tynemouth, off Roker Pier near Newcastle, not as the survivor (one of three) of the sinking reported many years back, the Mouth of the Thames. One understands the confusion of this German-speaker between the two locations.
In regard to President Budge’s visit: this is the only visit of which we are aware, so that ordination was almost certainly then, probably in 1931.
We were thrilled to find the grave site undisturbed. We had been told the Russians had covered what had been the German cemetery where he is buried with a sports stadium. But as we arrived at the site (all the gravestones had been plowed down and removed) we wondered whether this park area was it, or the neighboring stadium. As we stood there an elderly lady came along, who told us through our translator that she had lived there before World War II, and that this was indeed the cemetery. Moments later, we stood at this location, which Ernest remembered from being present at Friedrich’s burial in 1937.
Thank you, Margot. The story gets better with every detail that you add.
I taught Relief Society last month based on President Uchtdorf’s conference talk where he told the story of his mother’s being separated briefly from her children while traveling during World War II. I told that story at the beginning of my lesson, and Anna’s at the end. There were several parallels between the stories. Although the Uchtdorf story had, on the surface, a happier ending than Anna’s story, the subject of the talk was “the infinite power of hope,” and we talked about where Anna’s hope was invested — which meant that ultimately her story ended well.
Margot:
This entry from the Quarterly Report of the German-Austrain mission, dated 31 March 1933, might be of interest to you and your family. “High Priest ordination: The first local Saint residing in this mission, known by us to have received the office of a High priest was Brother Friedrich Schulzke of the Memel branch. Brother Schulzke was ordained under the hand of President Oliver H. Budge on February 24. This brother has served faithfully in the capacity of Branch President of the Memel branch for many years. He is now reaching the age of 90 years.”
What an honor and distinction!
Big thanks from saints in Lithuania. This story is an eye opener for us.
Mindaugas, Are you the same who came to Ottawa, Canada a few years back? And visited with the Schulzkes there? Trajan, is the great-grandson of Friedrich Schulzke. That would be an amazing connection.