Liwwat Bocke was a German woman who moved to Ohio as a young woman during the nineteenth century. From the 1820s until the 1880s she kept a journal of her experiences... a journal that eventually spanned 1100 pages, all of which is written in a dialect of northern Germany known as Plattdeutsch. When historians discovered her journal during the 1970s they thought it was a remarkable find, sure to shed valuable light on the history of the settlement of Ohio. But now they're not so sure. Analysis of the document has revealed that it's a fake, plagiarized from other sources and containing numerous anachronisms. What no one can figure out is who created this forgery, and why they did it.
As this article in The Plain Dealer notes, why would someone
"go to such great effort to fake a journal about life in the 19th century and then attribute it to a German-speaking farm woman who is buried in a rural church cemetery in Auglaize County... Who would go to the trouble of hand-writing more than a thousand pages in Plattdeutsch - a low German dialect spoken mostly by older, rural people - to describe the settlement of Ohio?"
Comments
Is the very existance of that woman actually a fact? Under that name?
This type of a hoax so subtle and sublime and yet utterly preposterous in its execution is his gift to our world.
And while we stand there scratching our heads muttering, but why...
Someone somewhere is laughing their head(s) off at our expense.
I love it.
(Liwwat Boeke is pronounced Livit Boh-key, the first name rhyming with "give it')
I don't believe anyone questions that Liwwit Boeke was an actual person. The question seems to be did she write the journal pages. Many local newspaper articles have been written over the past decade about the book published by the Minster Historical Society and none have questioned the authenticity of the journals, nor do we now.
I only recently learned of this dispute regarding the authenticity of the journal. I have yet to see any specific examples of forgeries or plagarisms cited in any of the articles on the subject.
I don't understand why it is so hard to believe that an immigrant could and would want to keep such a journal, much less a female immigrant. There are exceptions to the stereotypes throughout history, although fewer of them seem to be female. Even into the 20th Century, many women felt compelled to use male pseudonyms to have their work recognized.
If anyone can direct me to some of the specifics of the dispute, please email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). My family and I would be very much interested in what is acutally out there.
She was real. Her journals are real. They are not forgeries or fakes. I have personally seen the journals and various 20" x 30" pieces of art she drew. I know the person who found them among her things in the attic.
For those who question whether or not she existed, and for those who do not understand the name "Liwwat", here me now: You should not throw around such accusations without doing a little research.
"Liwwat" is the equivalent of "Elizabeth". Her maiden name was "Knapke", born in 1807 and died in 1882. She was well educated in Algebra, History, Latin, Music, and the Humanities at a cathedral school in Osnabruck. She married BERNARD BOEKE (note where my grandfather got his name).
She was a poet, writer, accomplished folk artist, community leader, innovator, and midwife.
All who make wild accusations about something of which they know nothing should take the time to do a little research before opening their mouths.
my review of the Liww
For the journals and drawings to have been 'forged'or 'faked', one would have to accuse a modern-day person of having attributed them to a source from which they did not come. That collection WAS, in fact, put together by Liwwat Boke (whether some parts are from her original ideas, and some from the ideas of previously produced material is irrelevant)during her lifetime in the 19th Century. Luke Knapke merely found the materials in the attic of Liwwat's home (which was lost to fire in 1999). He (nor any other modern-day person) did not manufacture the journal or modify the texts or the drawings (which is the implication of The Cleveland Plain Dealer article).
No modern day person, including Luke, can definitively know Liwwat's intent in producing the journals or drawings during her lifetime. It can quite reasonably be assumed, however, that she never intended them to be discovered and subsequently published as her own entirely originally conceived works. It is a very far reaching stretch to say this pioneer women would spend years of her life writing and sketching (whether all her own material or not) with the intent of a 20th Century publication attributing her handiwork as entirely all her own original thoughts and skill.
There is little doubt that she was, in fact, a talented artist, poet, and writer, and that she, as a female, was unusually well educated. Her artworks and journals, in my opinion, are part study of existing published works and study of language/translation, and part original. They are not 'fakes' or 'forgeries'. It is inconceivable that her intent was to make persons in the 20th-21st Century believe all the works were 100% her own thoughts. It is also inconceivable that a contemporary of Liwwat would manufacture these works and subsequently attribute them to Liwwat, and leave them in her attic--that would make no sense whatsoever. It is possbile that someone else worked with Liwwat on her journals--perhaps dictating to her. Again, a rather innocuous task with no intent to deceive the 20th century population.
There is little doubt these works are created in Liwwat's hand. With this in mind, the idea that the journals and drawings are forgeries/fakes by a third party who is falsly attributing them to Liwwat is dismissed.
1. The "Liww
Thanks for the information. So it looks like there are unexplainable anachronisms in Liww
I have to say that I stand corrected regarding the drawings.
I obviously could not read the German links you earlier provided and thus could not garner much detail (aside from your summary). I appreciate your English translation. I can order a beer in German, but that is the limit of my skill.
What seems clear, at this point, is that Liwwat could NOT have drawn the majority of these images, if any at all. She was long deceased when the Winter's drawings were published.
What I cannot understand is why someone would go through an elaborate construction and present it as Liwwat's work. There is no logical explanation for it, and I can personally attest that there is no family member that I know who would have the skill to craft such work.
Liwwat was an exceptional woman, journal and drawings aside. What a shame that a true pioneer of the Ohio frontier is now a victim, as all of us are, of these deceptions.
I own several of these sketches. One very large sketch is currently being restored by the Chicago Conservation Center. I am considering asking them to test the paper for when it was manufactured.
Do you have any other suggestions on where I could have some of these sketches tested and compared? I appreciate your assistance.
some of the writings I inquired are fakes also. See the English translation of my review published by the the Palatines to America Society, 611 East Weber Road, Columbus, OH 43211-1097, in the series Pages From the The Past, Number 7.
Phone: 614-267-4700
http://palam.org/pubsform.pdf
And if they have had testing done, would they please share the results?
If a Boke relation has an original Boke document available and could share the story of how they came upon it, it might add some insight into the material and explain some of the questions about it.
Thanks.
see:
Antonius Holtmann: no Masterpiece or: How "Liww
I reviewed the comparative drawings with some interest and I expect to have the article translated soon so that I can gain more insight.
I am curious about the age of the documents.
Thank you again.
My grandmother's brother, Luke, dedicated years of his life to translating Liwwat's writings from low German to English. (If you are familiar with low German, this is no easy task!)
In case you have not seen the book, her illustrations are beautifully detailed, and I was particularly drawn to her illustrations of tools that she and her husband utilized. Liwwat also illustrated maps from the home country.
My Uncle Luke's translations provide a rare glimpse into life in the early Ohio wilderness. Liwwat and her family settled and endured various hardships (loss of several children) but survived.
I understand that there will always be skeptics, but having lived in the extended family for 30+ years, I knew of Uncle Luke's dedication to the translation of the documents from low German...Uncle Luke sacrificed time with his own family in order to share Liwwat's story. I was aware of the work well before the time of its publication. There is no doubt in my mind of its authenticity.
Parting thouhgt...if Liwwat passed along the 'strong woman' gene, I can personally identify a slew of us that caught that one. (We don't hunt squirrels, but we're still pretty tough!)
😊 Emily
I never wrote that Luke Knapke was the plagiarist.
See my brochure:
Antonius Holtmann: No Masterpiece or: How "Liww
Indeed, the "Liwwat Boke" compilation is a fascinating look at early Ohio pioneer life. Whether or not the material is authentic as a first person account, or even accurate, the story is most interesting and compelling (to more than Liwwat Boke descendants I think) and deserves more study.
And of course, Luke K.'s translation from the low german was an immense task and key to the revelation of the text material. And Luke's introduction to the story, his unwitting yet apt quotations from Vincent Boeke (a foreshadow of our discussion?) and personal end notes are invaluable to begin to understand how the book came to be.
I have two 2nd edition copies of the book found while sorting out my mother's library this fall. I read the book in two days and my interest was piqued. So I googled, hoping to find additional mention of the pioneer woman and her story in women's history, Ohio, or American history academic listings. (Or maybe even a documentary or screen play.) I didn't find any significant mention of the book (which I thought was unusual given the amazing collection of essays) and only after reading Dr. Holtmann's research article linked to this site and doing additional research on my own,(for example, reading other diaries from the same time period and checking the Holtmann citations at the library) did I realize valid questions do arise.
I agree with others that whether or not the material is authentic, the Boke story is fascinating and the whole story, yet to be told, is even more fascinating.
That is why I wondered if any Boke/Knapke relatives have sourced, dated or authenticated the drawings they possess. Having heard only anecdotal support for the book, however, I can understand, after learning a bit more about your great uncle and other persons unwittingly involved, that the story has reached it's temporary ending for now and we will have to be patient and wait until the real story reveals itself. And that will be a fascinating one, too.
Best regards, j.
Liwwat Boeke did not do anything wrong here. She was writing and drawing for her own pleasure.
I have spoken with people at the Mercer County Historical Society and researchers in Europe. The forgeries are in a different handwriting and the forged drawings are clearly traced in a poor manner.
Thanks for your comment about the journal and it's authenticity. I am curious, too, about the circumstances of the journal's creation and the subsequent revelations about its degrees of integrity or falsity.
I am interested to know whether you had the opportunity to see and study pages that you believe are real (authentic) and those that have been alleged bogus, to see the difference for yourself? And if you could comment a bit more about the differences in the particular essays and writings if you have seen the pages.
And I'm also wondering whether you know if any of the journal pages have been examined for carbon dating (or whatever the newer methods of determining original dates are). And if not, do you happen to know why carbon dating hasn't been used?
After reading your comments, I'm trying to get a sense of how much of the journal is authentic and how much is copied. Thanks again. j.
After reading facsimiles of the original documents from the German professor's research, some of the (faked) essays could be deemed 'scurrilous' (i.e., the sections about the priests and nuns who settled in the area) and not true to Liwwat's spirit. Of course, I haven't seen any original documents to sort out which parts of the whole are authentic and what is 'inspired'. I'm only relying on what I could sort out from the Professor's links.
Of course, I was given to understand that L. Knapke (who resides in the Mercer County area) served as a translator from the Low German only, and was not the writer of the questioned essays.
The most fascinating aspect of the whole book, I think, is Mr. Boke's (who resided in Columbus) foreshadowing in the foreward and end notes. What irony!
Interestingly, I was in Maria Stein a week ago to tour the relic chapel and attend the Octoberfest in Minster. The subject of this book came up, and those in our group who knew of it were incredulous about the questions about it, too. They think a movie should be made of the whole story.
BTW, today I read the letter to Bishop Purcell regarding the teaching of Fr. Herzog (you all know what I mean). If you are at all familiar with heresies condemned by the Catholic Church, you will notice the letter refers to "Jansenism". This was a heresy dating back to the 16th century that taught in part that human nature was depraved and incapable of good. It called for extreme measures to avoid sin, one example being this Fr. Herzog's teaching against even married sex. Though the Church condemned the teachings, they still spread, leading many unfortunate souls to falsely believe everything they did was sinful and would never attain forgiveness. I suppose some would argue this is the root of what they would call "Catholic guilt". It was never a teaching of the Catholic Church, but rather the ranting of misguided preachers. If Liwwaet was educated in a cathedral school, as the book says, she would have definitely been well aware of Jansenism and the struggles against it. And I'm sure as a midwife, and it appears the town expert on medical issues, many town-women would have confided in her about their personal issues and confusion about this priest's teaching. They probably grew up with these ideas even in Germany and brought some of the ideas with them already, but then this guy was over-the-top! I just wanted to contribute that to the discussion here too, since I think someone else brought it up.
Of course, I'm just an amateur sleuth on this topic, but after review of the German professor's research notes, it appears to me that some of the best drawings, supposedly found in the attic, and (erroneously?) attributed to Liwwaet, were direct knock-offs of drawings created much later in time by a craftsman in Germany. Many believe that these copied/traced drawings were done by the late Mr. Vincent Boke from Columbus. This would explain the difference in the quality of the art, I think.
Unfortunately, Mr. V. Boke's relatives who may be able to shed some light on the mystery, have left the scene along with the boxes of manuscripts (some say to Canada, or maybe to teach at a college in Kansas?) and have not made comments, made the papers available, or assisted in any way to unravel the mystery (at least that I know of.) (One can only wonder why not?)
Your comments about Jansenism are interesting, and I think point up one of the 'red flags' in attributing the writings of the Liwwat journal solely to her. Following this thought, some of the researchers interested in Liwwat's book report that the essays are completely out of character for the person, period, and Ohio pioneer culture.
So I went to the Ohio history section of the public library here in Cincinnati to compare diaries of other women (and men) from the same period, many of them far more educated than Liwwat was said to be, and, indeed, there was a distinct difference in the writings. The specious writing attributed to Liwwat was far, far more complex and wide ranging in thought than the manuscripts from other women who were better educated, more worldly, and from distinguished families, even given Liwwat's old country midwifery background.
And without the trove of original documents (in the hands of Mr. Vincent Boke's decendants) to sort out, we will never be able to confirm how much is original, if any.
Obviously I am intrigued by this mystery, too. I would love to know more about the story from someone who has first hand knowledge of Mr. Vincent Boke's participation in this story, or from anyone who has original 'Liwwat' attributed documents who has had them analyzed for authenticity.
And I empathize with all the decendants from Mercer/Auglaize counties who are filled with consternation and disbelief about the book's origins. But obviously some up there continue to discount the research, or are blissfully unaware, since shopkeepers continue to sell it (as authentic material) and haven't pulled it from inventory. (And thus, many parents of Ohio grade schoolers are buying the book for 'show and tell' and 'family history projects' only to find out that they have been duped and quite probably are victims of a 'hoax', too.)
IF the Boke family ever comes forth with the manuscripts and allows them to be analyzed to resolve this situation once and for all, I would be very interested in a republication of Liwwaet's authentic writing and artwork. I'd happily trade this book for that one!
If you ask me, this sounds like a case for the History Detectives on PBS!
At least I didn't send my sixth grader to school with the book for an 'Ohio History' presentation on it (as some other parents/descendants have)!
And I think 'The History Detectives' would love to flesh out the story for a segment! Great idea! If you want to meet to talk about it, look me up in the phone book!
The world may never know...
So I guress we'll just have to write a 'fictionalized' script of what happened!
Keep us posted if you find out anything more about the 'mystery'.
My German is quite poor, so I look forward to the English translation of your article, Mr. Holtmann