Louis Kirchmann (1840-1891) born in the village of Bockholz in Eckernfoerde near Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein, was one of a group of tough early tavern keepers, who had Chinese wives. Kirchmann held the licence for The Land We Live In from 1871 until his death in 1891. He and the Swede, John Olson, licence holder of the National Hotel (1866-1885), were close neighbours in Ladder Street Terrace living in nos. 1 and 4 respectively. Kirchmann’s countryman, C.F.W. Petersen, born in Kiel in 1832, was intermittent license holder of The German Tavern from 1858 until his death in 1896 and the oldest of this trio of friends. Through the German Consulate, he also built up a lucrative business as shipping master for the recruitment of crews. (The German speaking community in Hong Kong 1846-1918.) He and John Olson named each other as mutual executors. Louis Kirchmann was one of two German tavern keepers elected to posts in the Freemasons Lodge of St. John in 1881 (Patricia Lim, pp. 489-90). Jarrett's "Old Hong Kong" names Louis's younger brother Henry as licence holder of the Rising Sun in the list of hotels and taverns published in 1873. Baptised Carl Ludwig Conrad Kirchmann, Louis anglicised his name on arrival in Hong Kong.
Sex
Male
Status
Deceased
Other reference
Freemasons
Comments
Gravestone inscription
He's buried in the Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Valley. Here's the inscription on his gravestone (see http://gwulo.com/node/8741):
Gravestone of Louis Kirchmann
A photo of his gravestone can be seen on HKMemory.
Marriage of Carolina Kirchmann at Berlin Foundling Chapel
I've been following the trail of Louis Kirchmann as he was a close friend of my great-grandfather, John Olson snr. I'm interested that the wedding of his daughter, Carolina, in 1888 was held at the Berlin Foundling Chapel. Was this a part of the Berlin Foundling Mission and at the same address? Was this also the normal church for Eurasian girls with German fathers to be married in? According to Carl Smith, Carolina married a German master mariner, Carl Holm.
Jill
Chapel of the Berlin Foundling Home
The principal at the Berlin Foundling Home served at the same time as Pastor for the German-speaking Protestants in Hong Kong. When in 1888 Caroline Kirchmann married Karl Holm the chapel might have looked like in this photo which was taken a year later at the wedding of missionary Gottschalk an Sister Schneebeli. Note the two white cushions at the altar for the bridal pair to kneel down. The pastor at that time was Ferdinand Hartmann.