Pauline Widenmann Kempf In April, Kempf House Museum received several historic photographs from Robert Widenmann. We are especially grateful for the picture of ‘Pauly’ as a young woman. Though undated, the picture likely was taken between 1881 and 1883. At that time, Pauline was a member of the music faculty at the prestigious Somerville School for girls in St. Clair, Michigan. Upon graduating from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music at age 18, Pauline taught for five years until she married Reuben Kempf in 1883. Though daughter Elsa was born the following year, Pauline chose to maintain a professional career as a voice instructor and performer. Pauline was the first choir director of the Congregational Church. In 1888, she performed as Stalacta in The Naiad Queen at the Grand Opera House. As Ann Arbor’s favorite soloist in the late 1800s, Pauline continued to improve her voice by spending a winter in New York studying with Oscar Saenger, coach of Metropolitan stars. Throughout her career, Pauline taught private pupils, including internationally-known singer Helene Allmendinger. Finally, at the age of 85, Pauline retired from teaching.

Robert August Widenmann and Billy the Kid Robert H. August Widenmann, was the eldest brother of Pauline Widenmann Kempf (wife of Reuben). Born in Ann Arbor in 1852, Robert left in 1874 only to become a central figure in the Lincoln County War in the New Mexico Territory. Robert was responsible for bringing Billy the Kid into the conflict and then deputizing him. In the early settlement of the Western territories, deputy U.S. marshals were charged with maintaining law and order over thousands of square miles. Robert Widenmann, the son of a Michigan businessman and personal friend of U.S. Interior Secretary Carl Schurz, was appointed a U.S. deputy marshal in a place where two rival factions of ranching and mercantile store owners quarreled. The conflict escalated and in 1878 a cattle-trader was shot. This death triggered the Lincoln County War. Robert and a youthful ranch hand named William Bonney, best known today as Billy the Kid, witnessed the gunfight. As a deputy marshal, Robert Widenmann had it within his power to deputize men to form a posse, and Bonney was one of the men he deputized. Soon after, the posse was involved in a deadly gunfight. Billy the Kid was accused of killing the Lincoln County sheriff and the faction that supported the sheriff came after Robert and Billy the Kid. Robert requested imprisonment at Fort Stanton where he felt safe in military custody, rather than in the hands of the Lincoln County deputy. After months of pursuit, the Kid surrendered, and was jailed in Lincoln under a sentence of death. But, the Kid escaped his restraints, killed the guard, and then shot down the deputy. Several months later deputies found Billy and shot the Kid dead. Robert’s post–New Mexico career took him to Great Britain and then to Haverstraw, New York. According to his daughter, Robert lived in fear of his life for many years because of his role in the Lincoln County War and in bucking powerful New Mexico politicians. He died on April 17, 1930. Note: R. A. Widenmann’s grandson, Robert J. Widenmann, has been a correspondent and friend of the Kempf House Museum for many years. The source for this article was Wild West magazine, February 2007. The article written by Virginia author David S. Turk, historian for the U.S. Marshals Service and posted at HistoryNet.com

Peninsular Saengerfest Program In August, 1886, Reuben H. Kempf welcomed choruses from Michigan, Ohio and Canada to Ann Arbor for the Seventh Annual Peninsular Saengerfest. A souvenir program for this event was donated to Kempf House Museum by Susan Wineberg, author of Lost Ann Arbor. Glancing at the 25-page program, one is reminded of the predominance of Germans in Ann Arbor at this time. Many of the advertisements and the musical program are written in German. As Director, Professor Kempf, opened the 3-day concert in University Hall (where Angell Hall is today). The Mayor and a Regent welcomed the crowd, and then orchestras from Saginaw, Bay City and Canada performed. Miss Ida Belle Winchell offered a solo by Becker and the concert closed with the Ann Arbor Choral Union, directed by C. B. Cady. Mr. Charles Slocum and Frau E. Miltner were featured singers on the third day of entertainment. It appears that a picnic and fireworks in Turner Park and a Ball rounded out the Saengerfest. The regional event was promoted to showcase Ann Arbor. A description of the City in the program describes the educational advantages, successful businesses and handsome residential areas. The page of attributes concludes, “And a very important item is, the city has no debt.” Thank you, Susan, for this excellent historical resource.

Reuben Kempf and the Smoking Pipe The celebration of Christmas was a beloved tradition in the Kempf family. Weeks of preparation and anticipation led up to Christmas Eve when the parlor drapes were opened to reveal the tree, with ornaments and flickering candles, and surrounded by presents. Paul Kempf remembered a special Christmas Eve about a century ago when he was a boy of six. As the ladies hurried to make the final arrangements on Christmas Eve, Reuben slipped away. Reuben Kempf dressed in Santa garb as a surprise for his six-year-old son. What a sight for passersby on a cold winter’s eve; alongside a charming Greek Revival house in the gas streetlamp’s glow, Santa’s red suit against the drifting snow. Reuben lit his pipe and waited in the blowing snow. Inside the house the festivities were underway. The parlor drapes were pulled open. Paul was thrilled to see the sled he had wanted from Schlenker’s Hardware store. And, there was more. His mother asked him to look out the window. Paul wiped the frostly glass and said, “Mutter, I think it is someone in a red suit…I think it is Santa out there. I can see him now. He is striking a match… Oh, but his whiskers are on fire…Santa is burning up…” Pauline and her mother tap on the window only to see Reuben desperately patting his chest and face. The women scream and cry as they help Reuben inside. The false whiskers are burned. Reuben’s eyebrows and mustache are singed. Fortunately, his injuries are minor and the holiday was unspoiled. In order to represent this story, we have added a pipe to our collections. Dick Pitcher, of the Orion Wind Ensemble, donated the European Meerschaum style pipe. It has a long terracotta bowl and hinged metal lid. You will find it in the Library, though we don’t know where Reuben kept his pipes since he wasn’t permitted to smoke in the house. Thanks to Hazel Proctor for the article “Ein Bösser Bub.”

Chapbooks The Chapbook is a cheap, small book, containing 24 pages or less without a hard cover. It was created from a sheet or half sheet of paper folded and provided with a soft cover. For many people, particularly in the country, they were the only source of reading entertainment readily available from the 16th to the 19th century. 'Chapmen' or peddlers sold, amongst other wares, the popular penny Chapbooks at local fairs. The content varied from Biblical texts to nursery rhymes, but by the late 18th century, children’s stories and lessons were most popular. The Chapbooks at Kempf House are part of the Cust Collection. Major Edwin Cust collected items from England, China and India while in Her Majesty’s Service, bringing them to Livingston County, Michigan around 1840. The collection includes over a dozen chapbooks ranging in size from 1 ½ x 2 ½ inches to 4 by 6 inches. Our collection includes “The Disastrous Journey of Johnny Gilpin” published in 1806 in the St. Paul’s churchyard in London. Chapbooks were commonly published and sold near London’s famous churches. A famous chapbook printer, John Marshall, was located from the 1700s in the Aldermary Churchyard. The “Introduction to Botany” chapbook from 1803 has copper-plate engravings with detailed colored ink illustrations. Most of the books have rough wood-cut black ink images. Because the books were generally bound in flimsy cardboard, people created their own book covers. Several of our chapbooks retain covers of period newspaper. The chapbooks are kept in storage but will be exhibited soon.

	Top			Link to this page