Reffelt’s First German Book for School and House

Now housed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, this German textbook was once used by August Kuebeler. Reffelt’s First German Book for School and House included instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic and drawing. On pages 20 and 21 from the German textbook, you can see examples of math problems, handwriting, and several vocabulary words. The drawing sample features a weaving pattern.

Here are pages 62 and 63 from Reffelt’s First German Book:

In Sandusky,  classes were taught in the German language for native German speakers in the public schools during the 1800s. In the 1872-73 school year, there were five German schools in the city. The 1876 Sandusky City Directory listed J.A. Falk, C. Wormelsdorf, J.G. Doerflinger, and Mrs. E. Lewetz as instructors of the German language in Sandusky’s public school system. In addition to classes for German speakers, instruction in the German language for English speakers was available in all the schools.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view this interesting piece of Sandusky’s educational history.