Heinrich Carstens (folklorist)

Klaus Heinrich Wilhelm Carstens (born August 22, 1849 in Heuwisch ; † January 5, 1910 in Dahrenwurth ) was a German teacher , folklorist and publicist .

Life

Heinrich Carstens was a son of the worker Claus Carstens (* 1811) and his wife Katharina Margaretha (* 1817). Since the father died on March 26, 1849 before the birth of his son and the mother died shortly afterwards on November 1, 1850, he grew up as an orphan.

At the age of 18, the pastor of Neuenkirchen helped him get a job as a candidate for teaching in Erfde . He then taught as a substitute teacher in Föhrden and Hohn . In 1870 he was given a permanent position in Hütten and at the same time had apprenticeships in Eckernförde and Schwienhusen . From 1874 until the end of his life he taught in Dahrenwurth. In 1877 he passed the teaching qualification examination in Tondern as an autodidact according to the Prussian school regulations applicable at the time .

Heinrich Carstens was married to Antje Hinrichs (1856-1892). The couple had their son Heinrich (1879–1961), who was a well-known dialect poet.

Act as folklorist

As a teacher and folklorist, Carstens spent his whole life studying the history of people and culture in the Norderdithmarschen district and the area around Stapelholm , on which he collected and published extensive sources. His contributions can be found primarily in the first 20 years of his homeland , in the “Lower Saxony correspondence sheets”, in the “Year books for German language research” and the “Pomeranian sheets”.

Together with his teacher colleague Höft, Carstens founded the magazine “Am Urdsbrunnen” (messages for friends of folk-scientific knowledge) in 1881, which was published by Timm-Verlag in Lunden . It was the first German folklore magazine that encouraged teachers in Schleswig-Holstein to take on the leading role in the field of “newer folklore endeavors”. After he had expressed himself too socialist in the magazine, Carstens received an official warning. In 1889, he therefore handed over the editing to his colleague, Ms. Kraus, in Vienna . The monthly was then titled "Am Urquell" and was also read outside the province. Both partners fell out after a short time, which led to the cessation of the paper.

Carsten's “Walks through Dithmarschen”, which was published by Timm-Verlag, date from 1903. The author gave explanations about the history and folklore of the region. Carstens also began the "Dithmarscher dictionary" and the "Stapelholmer sagas and fairy tales", which he however no longer completed and numerous unpublished children's songs.

literature

• Magdalene Weihmann: Carstens, Heinrich . in: Schleswig-Holstein Biographical Lexicon . Volume 1. Karl Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster 1970, pp. 104-105

Web links

Wikisource: Heinrich Carstens  - Sources and full texts