Josef Nieland's 80th Birthday
Actualy
There Should Be 69
The
Ruhrwacht, Oberhausen, Germany,
Tuesday, June 19, 1962
Yes, altogether there are
69 of them, namely 12 daughters, 3 sons, 52 grandchildren, and
one great grandchild and naturally the head personthe old
gentleman in the back on the stairway, he is Number 1that
everyone in the picture, big and small (and about a dozen and
a half more family members), want to congratulate today. Mr. Josef
Nieland of 8 Michel Street, Osterfeld is 80 years old today and
his whole extended family is gathered around him.
Photo: Josef Nieland with his extended
family on his 80th Birthday. Josef is standing on stairs at
back. Click image to enlarge
Born on June 19, 1862, Josef Nieland learned the
carpentry trade. As a journeyman, he traveled around and ended
up in Bavaria. After his military service and an injury in the
First World War, he started work in the railroad industry as a
civil servant. He soon earned the confidence of his colleagues
as a deputy in the south Osterfeld railway station, and until
1932 he was Chairman of the Switchmen in Osterfeld. In 1945 he
lost his wife in a tragic accident (she drowned in a car accident
in Lippe River). Also hard was the sudden loss he encountered
one of his two brothers in America who had visited him in 1956
after 61 years. (We reported at that time about the: "Visit
After 61 Years".)
The birthday boy is still physically and mentally
very spry and, yes, he knows all of his 52 grandchildren and the
one great-grandchild by name.
The Ruhrwacht wishes our old faithful reader
yet many years of health and good fortune in the circle of his
large family!
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