author
L. A. (Louis August) Wollenweber
1807–1888
A German-American journalist and poet, he helped bring Pennsylvania Dutch speech and everyday life into print. His work bridges immigrant history, regional language, and 19th-century newspaper culture.
1 Audiobook
Die Berg-Maria, oder: Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten. Eine Geschichtliche Erzählung aus Pennsylvanien.
by L. A. (Louis August) Wollenweber
About the author
Born in 1807 in the Rhineland region, Louis August Wollenweber trained as a printer before leaving Germany and settling in the United States. He became a German-language journalist in Pennsylvania and is remembered as a writer of both prose and poetry, especially in Pennsylvania Dutch.
Sources about his life describe him as part of the world of German-American newspapers in Philadelphia and Reading. His writing drew on the language and customs of Pennsylvania German communities, giving readers lively sketches of everyday people and local life.
Wollenweber died in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1888. Though not widely known today, he stands out as an early literary voice who helped preserve a regional dialect and document the experience of German-speaking immigrants in America.