Banner: On November 18th, 2021, Mark Daly , Chair of the Upper house of the Oireachtas, began Ireland’s Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia and in doing so mentions Charles Peterson in the struggle for Irish independence.
The Petersons, c. 1914: Annie, Charles, Con, and Soldie
Nearly every Pete Geek I’ve emailed or talked to has told me over and over how much joy Peterson pipes have brought him over the years. Today I have exciting and extremely important news to share with you, news that I hope everyone who is active in social media, on forums and in clubs around the world will spread. It involves restoring the final resting place for Charles Peterson’s unmarked grave. That’s right—it appears his grave may never have had a monument. My friend Jonathan Boldt, Gigi, and myself hope you will read the following the consider what you can do to spread the news in whatever way you and donate to the cause.
This was the passport photo taken for Peterson’s last trip
Peterson was 67 years old and on a routine business trip to Hamburg. As Sandra Bondarevska relates in her mandatory Petersons of Ireland book (available worldwide through Amazon), it was late August of 1919 when, after writing a final postcard to his daughter Soldie, Peterson fell ill. He was attended by a close friend and business associate but died on September 10th—107 years ago this past week. His last words, recorded by his friend, were directed to his wife Annie: “meine liebe, meine liebe, meine liebe.”
For reasons undetermined, his grave never had a monument. Now, if the worldwide Peterson community and those who love Latvia and Ireland’s culture and history work together, we can correct that and honor the man whose pipes continue to bring us such joy and comfort.
Jonathan Boldt
We have this opportunity because Jonathan Boldt, a law student in Hamburg, contacted me about a System pipe he’d recently purchased. As we became better acquainted and he realized Charles Peterson had no monument over his grave, he offered his legal and civic expertise to accomplish this important work and then set about this long and bureucratically challenged task. I’ll let Jonathan tell you more, and then I’ll explain how together we can get it done.
(I) My Peterson Pilgrimage to Ohlsdorf Cemetery
The chapel on the way to Charles Peterson’s grave
Jonathan: Not long ago Mark mentioned that Charles Peterson had died in Hamburg where I live, and as an aside that the grave is unmarked. On a whim I decided to search the online register of the city, and it returned a hit! I prepared a tin of Red Rapparee, replacing the cancer warning with Ad Memoriam C.P. and off I went.
I took some photos and was a little astounded by the fact that many Petersons had been buried there and then hidden behind a fern frond I saw it: “died in 1877.” I had certainly found the grave of a “Charles Peterson,” yet obviously not the one we were looking for, the one who died in 1919!
I then retreated to a quiet part of the giant Ohlsdorf Cemetery Park—which is the largest park cemetery in existence at around 1000 acres, I might add—to enjoy a bowl of Red Rapparee in my 307 System, which I had originally wanted to smoke in CP’s honor right by his last resting place. Sigh.
Returning home, I told Mark in an email of my disappointment. And that was the beginning.
(II) The Game is Afoot
Jonathan: Mark wrote to Ambassador Štālmeistars at the Latvian Embassy in Dublin, and a map and photographs of the location of the unmarked grave came to me via the Peterson family’s biographer, Sandra Bondarevska. Sandra, he said, had tried unsuccessfully to have a monument placed about 15 years ago.
This time I came to Ohlsdorf Cemetery Park prepared. First stop: the cemetery office, where I was welcomed by a Mr. Will. It seemed to be a busy day and at first, I got little response to my query. I knew I had to pull out all the stops or the whole affair would have died that very moment. So, I spoke of the Latvian embassy, a group of historians, and Kapp & Peterson all being already behind the project. I whipped out my map and said quite nonchalantly that the Latvian embassy had sent it to me—and watched Mr. Will’s interest spark into flame.
“Where there is a [Mr.] Will, there is a way” he said half-jokingly. He gave me an updated map and the phone number of the cemetery director and then set I out to find the grave’s location. This time I found it.
The resting place of Charles Peterson
The section where Charles Peterson is laid to rest is truly beautiful, but alas, there’s no monument! Nothing to indicate this is his final resting place.
From the left (you can just see the tobacco tin):
Centered:
From the right (you can see the white speck of the tin):
(III) Funding the Monument for Charles Peterson’s Grave
Mark: Two things that had to be done to get the ball rolling:
First, the only way to reinstate a grave site for CP is by making an archival inquiry. This establishes that Peterson’s body is indeed buried in the cemetery at said location.
Second, after validating the grave’s location, an exhumation and reburial is required. This is because Peterson’s current resting place is ruled out. His section of the park is being remodeled under an impending 2050 agenda so that no new monuments may be placed there. When the repurposing occurs, graves there will be moved to another section of the cemetery and remain unmarked unless prior action has taken place. In other words, we will know Charles Peterson is buried somewhere at Ohlsdorf, but not where his body rests.
So Jonathan filed the archival search request and prepared to wait. He was told it would take about six weeks. It arrived in 11 days.
With the request, he was able to correlate the the cemetery register record with the state archive death register to confirm the finding.
Our first obstacle: the accompanying grave letter to the cemetery register was lost. That wasn’t a hindrance, though, as the cemetery register had substantiated our claim to a reburial.
Cemetery Register
From the certificate, we learned that “A. Ertel, Jr.” whoever he was, he cared enough for Charles Peterson to arrange a proper burial for him when Peterson’s family couldn’t be there.
Two of the many wonders in the original Cordes Park section
The burial took place in section A.C., a rather prestigious location in the original Cordes Park area of the cemetery, which in its day was considered revolutionary in its design.
From the certificate’s date (September 13th) we know that Peterson’s wife Annie and his young son Conrad (known as Con) in Dublin didn’t attend the funeral. Setting out immediately after receiving the international telegram, they wouldn’t have arrived any earlier than the 16th (see her probable travel itinerary below).
Because Charles Peterson is so important to Latvian, Irish, and world history, he is eligible for internment in the beautiful free-design Pearl Ponds (Grabstätten zur freien Gestaltung) section of the park. This–if I’ve understood Jonathan correctly–requires official patronage, that is, recognition of his importance by the German, Latvian, and Irish governments. Jonathan and I have already begun this process, both locally in Hamburg with the Latvian Honorary Consul Dr. Sabine Sommerkamp and Ireland’s Honorary Consul, Dr. Guido Michael Fisser, and with important local civic committees.
The budget drawn up by Jonathan (which you can download above and been reviewed by Gigi) takes into account a new plot lease, exhumation and interment, the administrative reburial request fee, transport of the coffin, the monument, in perpetuity maintenance, and a contingency buffer. Our goal is $17,367.
Monument Tiers: Jonathan went to four different stone masons to get quotes for the proposed monument, and the one he chose gave us our first donation on the spot. It will be cut in black granite. We deliberately built our GoFundMe with three monument tiers in mind, although the price differences aren’t in the end that much. But Jonathan is a scout master, and like all good scouts believes we should hope for the best then prepare for the worst:
Tier 1: Granite, gold-inlaid inscription in English and Latvian, foundation, installation.
Tier 2: Adds the three Irish Nickel-Mount marks of Wolfhound, Shamrock, Round Tower.
Tier 3: Adds a 1:1 scale bronze-cast System 4s Pipe (“The Thinking Man” shape), tenon-mounted to the stone.
Funding sources: The worldwide Peterson community, hobby and trade; official patronage (by government and others); and of course Kapp & Peterson.
Collection: Funds will be collected via GoFundMe. Jonathan writes, “the GoFundMe Terms and Conditions make it clear they are the right choice. Let me emphasize that in the event we do not raise enough to place a memorial, every donation will be refunded automatically and in full, less any transaction fees the payment processor does not return. GoFundMe’s fee for their service is 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction, nothing much but something to be aware of.”
Publicity: This is absolutely critical, as you can see from the amounts we’re trying to raise. Everyone knows that I (Mark) am horrible at social media. Many of you are really involved and we are depending on you as the real “street army” for our cause:
Are you a pipe smoking forum moderator or regular participant?
Are you involved in Pipe Smokers of Ireland or other Facebook pipe-smoker’s groups?
Are you an artisan who uses Instagram to promote your pipes?
Are you on the trade side and run a brick and mortar?
Are you on the trade side and work for or own an online shop?
Are you a blogger, either as a pipe smoker or in another capacity?
Are you in a pipe club here in the US, in India, Australia, Germany, Sweden, the UK, China, or elsewhere?
I’ve registered readers of PPN from every continent save Antarctica and in every country recognized by the United Nations, so if you’re reading this, think about what you might be able to do. If you’re a Peterson collector or just a Peterson smoker, think about paying forward what Charles Peterson’s pipes means for you.
Campaign Timeline: By German law, bodies can only be exhumed and reinterred between November and February, so we have to meet our minimum goal by the end of January.
The Memorial Service. Right now we’re planning the memorial at Ohlsdorf Cemetery for Sunday, May 9th, 2027. We are hopeful that the Latvian and Irish Honorary Consuls will attend, and schedules permitting, we’re hoping the good people from Kapp & Peterson may also be able to attend. You, of course, are invited!
*(V) Annie Peterson’s 1919 Travel Itinerary
Annie Peterson and Con c. 1919
If you’re wondering why Annie Peterson couldn’t make it to the funeral, the answer is a matter of how quickly Charles Peterson had to be buried by law and the time it took for her to get to Hamburg from Dublin.
Travel in 1919 was heavily affected by the aftermath of the Great War. Borders, passport controls, and customs were strictly re-established, and maritime infrastructure across the North Sea was only slowly returning to regular civilian schedules. It was, in short, a mess.
In September 1919, international long-distance calling was not possible between Hamburg and Dublin. Annie would have been contacted via international telegram, which could have taken anywhere from a few hours to a day. Assuming she was sent the telegram on Wednesday, September 10th, the day Charles died, she might not have received it until late Thursday the 11th. To pack and make travel arrangements meant that she and Con probably could not have left any earlier than the 12th, but more probably the 13th. If things went smoothly—and looking at what had to happen below you’ll see how complicated that would have been—she wouldn’t have arrived until at least the 15th, but probably the 16th or 17th.
To get from Ireland to Weimar-era Germany, Annie and Con would have to cross the Irish Sea, traverse England, cross the North Sea, and navigate a heavily restricted German rail system. Here’s what such an itinerary would have looked like:
Leg 1: The Irish Sea Crossing
- From: Dublin (North Wall or Kingstown/Dun Laoghaire), Ireland
- To: Holyhead, Wales
- Transport: Twin-screw steam packet (operated by the London and North Western Railway or the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company).
- Historical Context: You would board a daytime or overnight ferry. The crossing took roughly 3 to 4 hours.
Leg 2: The Trans-England Rail Journey
- From: Holyhead Station, Wales
- To: London (Euston Station), England
- Transport: LNWR Steam Express Train
- Route Context: This route took Annie and Con through Chester, Crewe, and Rugby, arriving in London in about 5 to 6 hours.
- Transfer: She would then need to take a horse-drawn cab or the early London Underground network from Euston Station to Liverpool Street Station.
Leg 3: Connecting to the East Coast
- From: London (Liverpool Street Station), England
- To: Harwich (Parkeston Quay), England
- Transport: Great Eastern Railway (GER) Boat Train
- Route Context: A quick 1.5 to 2-hour transit took Annie and Con directly to the docks on the eastern coast of England.
Leg 4: The North Sea Crossing
- From: Harwich, England
- To: Rotterdam or Hook of Holland (Hoek van Holland), Netherlands
- Transport: GER Steamship Passenger Liner
- Historical Context: Because direct passenger ship lines to German ports like Hamburg were heavily disrupted or non-existent immediately following WWI due to blockades and mines, traveling through a neutral gateway like the Netherlands was the safest and most reliable route. This overnight crossing took about 8 to 10 hours.
Leg 5: The Continental Rail Journey
- From: Hook of Holland / Rotterdam, Netherlands
- To: Hamburg (Haupt Bahnhof), Germany
- Route Path: Rotterdam ➔ Utrecht ➔ Hengelo ➔ Osnabrück (Germany) ➔ Bremen ➔ Hamburg.
- Transport: Dutch State Railways connecting to the German Reichs Bahn (using older pre-war rolling stock).
Historical Context: Crossing the German border at Bad Bentheim required extensive passport controls and customs checks under the newly formed Weimar Republic. Due to severe coal shortages in Germany in late 1919, trains ran at reduced speeds and schedules were highly unpredictable. This final rail leg would easily take 10 to 14 hours.
Total Estimated Travel Time: If all connections lined up perfectly and customs went smoothly, Annie Peterson’s entire journey from Dublin to Hamburg would take approximately 36 to 48 hours of continuous travel. This is a conservative estimate and it might well have taken another 48 hours.
Many thanks to Sandra Bondarevska
and to the Brady Family for their kind permission
in using archival photos.
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If you have questions, concerns, comments,
don’t hestitate to write them below
or drop me a line at petegeek1896.org.
On behalf of Jonathan, Gigi, and myself–
thank you in advance for your support.
