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ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SECRETARY
OF THE
Society for the History of the Germans in
Maryland,
Mr. President and Gentlemen:
As "everything has its two sides," so this Eleventh
Annual Report of your Secretary will have its encouraging as
well as its discouraging feature.
And as it is generally considered more wise to seize upon
any discouraging feature in the path with a bold courage, per-
mit me to call your attention, first in place, upon the discour-
aging feature that confronts us as we review the events of the
past year. It lies — in the decreasing number of our active
members.
Entering upon the year closing, the first in the second de-
cade of our existence, with sixty-three active members upon our
list, we number at its close, inclusively of the gentlemen elected
at this meeting, only fifty-nine, showing an actual loss of four
members.
The total loss in our membership during the year, however,
was nine. Of these, five were dropped from our list for non-pay-
ment of dues; Messrs. F. Gardner, Rev. P. A. Menzel and Dr.
B. C. Steiner resigned, whilst Mr. H. A. Schroeder was removed
from our midst by death, which occurred October 31st, 1896.
IV
Five new members were received during the same period.
Whilst your Secretary ventures to call this loss in member-
ship the discouraging feature of the year expiring, it is his
opinion, that the cause of this decrease in numbers, does not lie
in a waning interest on the part of the Community, but rather
on our part in a lack of effort in securing new members and
thus increasing our number.
This lack of effort, however, I am quite sure, is explained,
not so much by a want of interest on the part of the members,
but rather by a commendable zeal and care as to the character
of this body.
Your Secretary is convinced, that by a little personal effort
on the part of the members, our number can be easily doubled,
add he expresses the hope, that such may be the case at the
close of the year, upon which we are about entering.
Such an increase of membership is all the more desirable
in view of the greater demands made upon our treasury.
And this brings me to
THE ENCOURAGING FEATURE
of our affairs.
The Annual Report,, about to be distributed, will be one of
the most important publications ever issued by this Society,
both in regard to its size, as well as in regard to its contents.
Some very interesting papers of original research will be pub-
lished in this Report, whilst others of even larger extent and of
no less interesting character are already in view.
THE ORIGINAL ARTICLES
read at our meetings during the year, were:
1. "The Early Settlements of Germans in Maryland," by
Mr. E. T. Schultz.
2. "The German Turner Lyric," by Prof. M. D. Learned,
Ph.D.
3. "History of the Germans in Virginia" by Mr. Herr-
mann Schuricht.
v
The last two have become the property of the Society. The
former will appear in our Report, about to be issued; the lat-
ter, which has thus far been but partially read, will, very likely,
appear in our next Report. A number of other articles were
read and brought to the notice of the Society at their meetings,
but they were not of an original character.
The Society adopted during the year
A MEMBERSHIP-CERTIFICATE
of a very neat and becoming character, designed by one of our
own members, viz: Prof. O. Fuchs.
The meetings of the year were regularly held at their ap-
pointed time and place, and
OUR LIBRARY
enriched by a number of valuable books and pamphlets, both
by donation and by purchase.
THE DONORS,
who thus kindly remembered us, are:
1. Historische Gesellschaft des Künstler-Vereins von Bre-
men.
2. Bureau of Education, Washington, D. C.
3. The Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore.
4. Yonkers Historical and Library Association, N. Y.
5. The Leland Stanford, Jr., University, Cal.
6. Drew Theological Seminary.
7. The Pennsylvania German Society.
8. The Oneida Historical Society, Utica, N. Y.
9. Proprietor of Baltimore Correspondent.
10. Proprietor of Baltimore Journal.
11. Proprietor of Baltimore Sun.
12. Mrs. S. Trowbridge of Baltimore, Md.
13. Mr. L. P. Hennighausen.
14. Mr. E. T. Schultz.
15. Rev. P. Anstadt, D,D., of York, Pa.
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16. Rev. B. Sadtler, D.D.
17. Mr. Moritz Sonner of Baltimore, Md.
18. Mr. Morton L. Montgomery of Reading, Pa.
19. Mr. Chas. Hennighausen of Richmond, Va.
20. Prof. H. Froehlicher.
21. Mr. L. C. Schneidereith.
Respectfully submitted,
F. PH. HENNIGHAUSEN, Secretary.
BALTIMORE, MD., February 22d, 1897.
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