Ledderhose, Carl Friedrich. Pauline Fatme: First Fruits of the Gallas to Christ Jesus. Translated from the German by J. L. Krapf, revised by J.[ames] E.[dward] Dalton. London: W.H. Dalton, 1857.
Source: Google Books
Picture
Biographical additions
Scheffbuch, Menschen, die Ungewohntes wagten, p. 21‒22, has the following to say about Pauline’s move to Korntal [transl. SR]:
“[Baron John Wilhelm] von Müller was a somewhat peculiar individual […]. He had repeatedly mistreated Fatme in his magnificent villa in Stuttgart [Cf. Firla, Exotisch, p. 73]. Following von Müller’s bankruptcy in 1851, the compassionate Baroness von Berlichingen arranged for the homeless African woman to be placed in Korntal’s ‘second daughter’s institution.’ This so-called ‘Mittelanstalt’ was run by Mr. Fecht and his resolute wife at their own expense. At that time—in 1851—it had already moved from Saalstraße to the former Schüle Manchester factory, today’s ‘Flattichhaus.’ Queen Pauline took on the financial sponsorship of Fatme. [p. 22] The pious Queen of Württemberg wanted Fatme to be trained for later use in the mission. “
For the letter Pauline Fatme wrote to Johann Ludwig Krapf, see p. 35‒37 of her biography above.
Further reading
1. German editions of Ledderhose’s book
Ganamee Yaa’ii Shaseedaa Odaa (aka Pauline Fatme [from Arabic Fatima]) passed away on September 11, 1855. Soon after, Rev. Ledderhose published the first edition of Pauline Fatmes’ biography in German. Unfortunately, this edition cannot be found in the online catalogs of major libraries.
The year following Pauline Fatme’s death, the second edition was printed at St. Chrischona. It included an introduction to the Oromo nation by Ludwig Krapf:
- Galla-Büchlein: Aus dem Leben der Galla-Negerin Pauline Johanne Fathme. Mit Einleitung von Missionar Dr. Krapf über die Galla-Nation. Ein Ruf zur Mission unter den Galla / von Karl Friedrich Ledderhose, evangelischer Pfarrer in Brombach. 2nd, expanded edition. Basel (Switzerland): Verlag von C. F. Spittler, 1856.
[(Oromo) Booklet. From the life of the (Oromo) Pauline Johanne Fathme (i.e., Fatima). With an introduction by missionary Dr. Krapf on the (Oromo) nation. A call to mission among the (Oromo) / by Karl Friedrich Ledderhose, Protestant pastor in Brombach (near Lörrach).]
The 3rd German edition (1867) was the most widely distributed. It included an update on the outreach to the Oromos.
The 4th edition was published in Hermannsburg in 1927—the year the German Hermannsburg Mission decided to send missionaries to (Western) Ethiopia: Leben und Sterben einer Gallachristin (Kleine Hermannsburger Missionsschriften 77). Hermannsburg: Missionshandlung, 1927. [23 p.; with a preface by mission director Chr. Schomerus; copy available in Hamburg, etc.).
2. English translations
The first English edition was translated by Krapf (probably in 1856). It appears to be lacking in major libraries.
The second English edition (on display above) was published in 1857. The editor, Rev. W.H. Dalton, made improvements to the translation and shortened the text a little.
3. Translations in other languages
Ganamee’s biography was also translated into
- French by Jean-Louis Micheli, Pauline Fathmé […], Basel: Spittler, 1857. [Copy available in the Swiss National Library]
- Dutch by Sijo Kornelis Toden van Velzen, Lets over de Galla’s […], Groningen: M. Smit, 1857.
- Swedish ?? Ahrens et al., In Memory of Them, p. 7, mention that there was also a Swedish translation of Ledderhose’s book about Pauline Fatme. However, the Swedish libraries’ search service (Libris), the list of published SEM books, and early Swedish publications about the mission to the Oromos (such as Kolmodin, Galla och evangelium) do not mention a Swedish version of the book in question.
4. Secondary literature
Firla, Monika, ed. Exotisch – höfisch – bürgerlich: Afrikaner in Württemberg vom 15. bis 19. Jahrhundert; Katalog zur Ausstellung des Hauptstaatsarchivs Stuttgart. Stuttgart: Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart, 2001.
- On Baron John Wilhelm von Müller and Pauline Fatme, see p. 73‒75.
Scheffbuch, Rolf. Menschen, die Ungewohntes wagten: Aus der geistlichen Geschichte Korntals. Edited by Andy Messner. Holzgerlingen: SCM Hännsler, 2019.
- On Pauline Fatme, see p. 21‒22. On Rev. Heinrich Staudt, see p. 95‒110.
Smidt, Wolbert G. C. “The role of the former Oromo slave Pauline Fathme in the foundation of the Protestant Oromo mission,” in Ethiopia and the Missions: Historical and Anthropological Insights, edited by V. Böll et al., p. 77‒98. Münster: Lit, 2005. [View online]
⸻. “Who Was Ganamee? Revisiting a Biography of a North Eastern African Slave in the 19th Century Fluctuating between Multiple Cultural and Religious Identities,” in Interkulturelle Brückenschläge — Building Intercultural Bridges: Europa ‒ Oriens Christianus ‒ Global, edited by Martin Tamcke and Egbert Schlarb, 183‒98. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2024.
5. Archival material
Staatsarchiv Kanton Basel-Stadt
Pauline Fatme’s letter to C.F. Spittler, Korntal 1855.
Ref. Code: PA 653a V. 289
Letters of [the leading deaconess] Sr. Trinette Bindschedler, 1852‒65.
Ref. Code: PA 653a L. 1.1
Cross-reference
Genome Duro, ein Galla-Mädchen aus Ost-Afrika: gestorben in Basel den 5. Januar 1874. Basel: C.F. Spittler, n.d. [probably 1874]. [View online]
Willy Ambilla (c. 1855‒73), another liberated youth who passed away in Riehen. [View vignette]