1854. Xavier Fricker, a carpenter from Niedernai, and his wife Thérèse Bucher, a local midwife, set their sights on the American dream. In June, they had all their real estate and personal property sold by public auction. Thérèse orchestrated the operation, as Xavier was “currently in America” to prepare for the arrival of his family. Among the items up for auction were three “Kougelhopf shapes” and “two liqueur glasses”, silent witnesses to the long history of Alsatian traditions.
In August 1854, the whole family set sail from Le Havre for New York, leaving our three second-hand molds in Niedernai, which were sold for 25, 55 and 45 centimes. While the origins of the Kougelhopf in Alsace can be traced back much further (rumor has it that Queen Marie-Antoinette had something to do with it), it’s a safe bet that these three would have been delighted to conquer America…
Sources :
– Archives d’Alsace Bas-Rhin, notariat de Niedernai, 7E 34/23, deed no. 638
– Illustration: Alphonse Levy (1843-1918), “Woman with a Kougelhopf”.