George Blaettermann

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George Blaettermann (born April 4, 1782 in Langensalza, Saxony, according to various sources as either Georg Wilhelm Blättermann or Georg Walter Clemens Blättermann ; † January 1, 1850 in Keswick , Virginia ) was founding professor for modern languages at the University of Virginia from 1824 to 1840 and in this position temporarily teacher of Edgar Allan Poe .

Live and act

Blaettermann studied in Göttingen , Heidelberg and Leipzig . Albert Bernhardt Faust commented in 1912: “He had obtained a doctorate in both rights in Göttingen and at the time of his appointment was working as a professor of philology at Oxford University in England . Professor Blättermann also introduced the study of Anglo-Saxon and comparative language studies. ”In 1812 Blaettermann joined Napoleon's Russian campaign and then moved to London . Probably from this time onwards he used his anglicised name.

From London, Blaettermann wrote a letter in French to Thomas Jefferson on April 27, 1819 , in which he offered his services as a professor at the newly founded University of Virginia (UVA). In it, he refers to twelve years of teaching experience in French, German, Italian, English and Latin as well as attached references from some friends from London. Five years later, at the age of 41 and just in time for the start of teaching, Blaettermann was actually appointed to this position and moved his center of life from London to Charlottesville . Jefferson's confidante Francis Walker Gilmer served as the commissioner to test the suitability as a potential professor for the UVA .

Pavilion IV on the famous Lawn of the University of Virginia, whose first occupant was Blaettermann
Pavilion IV on the famous Lawn of the University of Virginia, whose first occupant was Blaettermann

Once in Charlottesville, Blaettermann initially lived in Pavilion IV on the UVA campus . His pedagogical and didactic skills were reportedly modest. His behavior towards both colleagues and students was described as "arrogant, rude, impolite". As a result, his salary was cut in 1830 in order to be able to provide his students with a tutor . Poe, however, “seems to have been one of his rare admirers” and Blaettermann's influence was evident in several of Poe's works, including a. in his first published short story entitled Metzengerstein .

In 1828 Blaettermann bought the Limestone Farm in Keswick, south of Charlottesville, at auction. It had first belonged to Robert Sharpe Jr., a friend and neighbor of Jefferson's, then James Monroe, who, however, could no longer service the mortgage payments. The limestone quarried there was used by Jefferson to build Monticello . Blaettermann made the purchase possible because, in addition to his work at the UVA, he traded real estate in Albemarle County . Blaettermann had another building built on the site, the Limestone House . The site covers a total of 137 hectares ; the building stock was expanded several times during and after Blaettermann's work. In 2006 the farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places .

Blaettermann and his wife Elizabeth Charlotte Dean Blaettermann adopted two of their great-nephews as early as 1820. The marriage has been described as stormy. On September 8, 1840, Blaettermann and his wife reached an agreement on the repeal of this. In connection with this, it became known that Blaettermann had beaten his wife twice in public. As a consequence, Blaettermann was removed from office on September 14, 1840 by a unanimous vote.

On January 1, 1850, George Blaettermann died an unexpected death in Limestone. Although the university agreed to be buried in the university cemetery, he was believed to be buried anonymously on his farm.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Brent Tarter and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography: George Blaettermann (1782-1850). In: Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. April 28, 2016, accessed March 26, 2019 .
  2. ↑ George Walter Clements Blatterman: Memoirs of George Walter Clements Blatterman . 1902 ( worldcat.org [accessed April 5, 2019]).
  3. ↑ Albert B. Faust: The Germanness in the United States in its meaning for American culture . Springer Fachmedien, Wiesbaden 2018, ISBN 978-3-663-15611-6 , pp. 194-195 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-663-16185-1 .
  4. ^ A b Thomas Jefferson: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, Volume 14: February 1 to August 31, 1819 . Ed .: J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 2018, ISBN 978-0-691-17783-0 , pp. 252-253 .
  5. ↑ Kevin J. Hayes: The Road to Monticello. The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson . Oxford University Press, New York 2008, ISBN 978-0-19-989583-0 , pp. 622-623 .
  6. ^ Francis Walker Gilmer. Accessed March 26, 2019 .
  7. ↑ U.Va. Web Map: Pavilion IV. March 26, 2019, accessed March 26, 2019 .
  8. ^ William E. Engel: Poe's Cultural Inheritance: Literary Touchstones and the Cultivation of Erudition . In: J. Gerald Kennedy & Scott Peeples (Eds.): The Oxford Handbook of Edgar Allan Poe . Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK 2019, pp. 505-508 , doi : 10.1093 / oxfordhb / 9780190641870.013.29 .
  9. ↑ Limestone Land. Accessed March 26, 2019 .
  10. ↑ United States Department of the Interior: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM. (PDF) 2016, accessed on March 26, 2019 (English).
  11. ↑ National Park Service: NPGallery Digital Asset Management system. May 10, 2006, accessed March 26, 2019 .
  12. ^ Virginia Department of Historic Resources: 002-0090 Limestone. September 27, 2018, accessed March 26, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Blaettermann, George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blättermann, Georg Wilhelm (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Founding professor of modern languages ​​at the University of Virginia and teacher of Edgar Allan Poe
DATE OF BIRTH April 4, 1782
PLACE OF BIRTH Langensalza
DATE OF DEATH January 1, 1850
Place of death Keswick , Virginia