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  3. Genealogy

Verkaufs-Schwester im Schwesternhaus

English translation: shop clerk (or vendor) in the Sisters' House

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Verkaufs-Schwester im Schwesternhaus
English translation:shop clerk (or vendor) in the Sisters' House
Entered by: Maurite Fober

01:17 Jul 25, 2004
German to English translations [PRO]
Genealogy
German term or phrase: Verkaufs-Schwester im Schwesternhaus
From a Dienerblatt about a woman who started as a Maedchenvorgesetzte, then after being a Verkaufs-Schwester became a missionary, then returned home and went into Diasporadienst.
Maurite Fober
Australia
Local time: 06:56
shop clerk (or vendor) in the Sisters' House
Explanation:
She may have been Moravian or Mennonite. All members were called brothers and sisters. Adults lived in group houses, brothers' or sisters' houses, until they were married. The houses usually had small shops where they sold their products. Enter Moravian + "Sisters' House" in Google and you will get many hit. Here is one example.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs 51 mins (2004-07-25 18:08:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Another fact pointing to the Moravians is that they also had a diaspora. Enter <Moravian + Diaspora> in google and read about it.
Selected response from:

Ann C Sherwin
Local time: 17:26
Grading comment
Thanks to all for trying so hard to pin this one down for me. I appreciate all your efforts, the light relief too! Ann, I'm very grateful as your explanations made sense of the whole document for me.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +2NFG
Richard Benham
3 +1nurse selling goods in the nurse's home
Christine Lam
4salesperson in a nursing house
Derek Gill Franßen
3 +1vending sister at a deaconess home
Robert Schlarb
4shop clerk (or vendor) in the Sisters' House
Ann C Sherwin


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
nurse selling goods in the nurse's home


Explanation:
I can imagine that the nurses lived there and had to sell crafts and home made food etc.

Christine Lam
Local time: 17:26
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Derek Gill Franßen: The term "nurses' home" reminds ME of nursing home which would be the equivalent of "Altersheim". How about "nurses' house"? ;-)
15 mins
  -> I'm not sure about the 'house'... A Schwesternhaus is more like a community of many nurses living together in a 'Heim' which is different from a 'Haus' in my view.
neutral  Robert Schlarb: Schwester is not necessarily nurse in this context
8 hrs
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6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
salesperson in a nursing house


Explanation:
Not to be confused with a "nursing home".
;)

Derek Gill Franßen
Germany
Local time: 23:26
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Christine Lam: nursing house reminds me of nursing home which would be the equivalent of "Altersheim"
4 mins
  -> Don't say I didn't warn you... ;)
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
NFG


Explanation:
I can't help being reminded of the earliest joke I remember from my childhood....

A monastery goes into business as a fish and chip shop. The first customer comes in and asks one of the monks, "Are you the Fish Friar?"

"No, I'm the Chip Monk!"

Richard Benham
France
Local time: 23:26
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  jerrie: ;-)) Bald humour? Hope this becomes a habit, and nobody gets into a pate ;-( Carry on Fostering 'em!
24 mins
  -> Actually, I read the joke in a battered old magazine in a barber's shop....
agree  Textklick: > Seems I have to rely on my scaly ISP to get something for the weekend tro laugh at ;-)
1 hr
  -> My ISP's a bit flaky...probably owned by some shark....
neutral  TonyTK: Like they say, one man's fish is another man's poisson (even more battered - no pun intended)
6 hrs
  -> That's a new angle on an old pun....
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
vending sister at a deaconess home


Explanation:
I am assuming that she was a sister in a protestant deaconess order, perhaps Bethel. Today there still exist many deaconess homes, which serve as retirement and care residences for sisters who have left active service. Patterned on the Catholic nunnery, in the past these homes were also important for training young sisters for further service, as temporary accommodations for sisters going to the mission field or just having returned and even as shelters for homeless mothers or orphans. While a student, I myself stayed a few days at such a home for retired deaconesses in Stuttgart on one occasion.

http://www.altstaedten.com/b-seiten/kloster.htm
--
http://www.bethel.de/page_en/1_0/1_1/1880.htm
The Sarepta deaconess' home has 263 deaconesses
--
http://www.baptisten.org/aktuelles/nachrichten/berichte/binl...
Für das zum Diakoniewerk Bethel gehörende Haus Bethel in Buckow gibt es innerhalb unserer Bundesgemeinschaft eine neue Zukunftsperspektive. Ursprünglich wollte das Diakoniewerk das nach der "Wende" nicht mehr genutzte Haus, in dem noch zwei Bethel-Schwestern leben, verkaufen.


Robert Schlarb
Local time: 23:26
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Derek Gill Franßen: Vending sister!? - I like the term, but have never heard of it... // No... which is why I suggested "salesperson"; in light of your suggestion I could also imagine "vendor". :)
57 mins
  -> Have you ever heard of "Verkaufsschwester"?
agree  Kathleen
21 hrs
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
shop clerk (or vendor) in the Sisters' House


Explanation:
She may have been Moravian or Mennonite. All members were called brothers and sisters. Adults lived in group houses, brothers' or sisters' houses, until they were married. The houses usually had small shops where they sold their products. Enter Moravian + "Sisters' House" in Google and you will get many hit. Here is one example.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs 51 mins (2004-07-25 18:08:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Another fact pointing to the Moravians is that they also had a diaspora. Enter <Moravian + Diaspora> in google and read about it.


    Reference: http://www.horseshoe.cc/pennadutch/religion/moravian/moravia...
Ann C Sherwin
Local time: 17:26
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
Thanks to all for trying so hard to pin this one down for me. I appreciate all your efforts, the light relief too! Ann, I'm very grateful as your explanations made sense of the whole document for me.
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