[KS] Percival Lowell

[Frank Hoffmann]

A clarification question: 

Robert Neff's 'disagreement' stirred me up. 
Since I am more familiar with Lowell Library than Lowell himself, let 
me ask you for clarification: Professor Pai stated in her mail that 
Lowell visited Korea in 1882-83. Isn't that just a typo? I think it 
must be 1883-84. Please see pages pages v of Lowell's _Chöson_ book, as 
well as the footnote on page 165. Lowell refers to August 1883 -- and 
he seems to have then stayed for two months, and to January 1884. That 
"winter stay" was the winter 1883-84: "middle of December" (1883) ... 
"I spent the winter".

Have cleared this up, we then do not talk anymore about the year 1882, 
a year were indeed very few Westerners resided in Korea! Thus far I 
agree with Robert Neff's disagreement. But I disagree to disagree when 
it comes to 1883, a time when a plenty of foreigners had begun to work 
in live in Korea. Please see again H.-A. Kneider's list -- as an 
EXAMPLE for the germans alone (of course, there also were French and 
Americans, possible others):  

http://maincc.hufs.ac.kr/~kneider/Kodienst.htm: 

- from spring 1883: H. Classen -- for several years in Korea, first 
working for the customs office, then for the German consulate

- from spring 1883: H.G. Arnous -- for any years in Korea, working for 
various customs offices in Pusan and elsewhere; published a book (1893) 
of Korean fairytales, legends, and customs

- from spring 1883:  H.W. Laucht -- works for the Korean customs office 
in Pusan

- from spring 1883:  F.H. Mörsel -- works for the Korean customs 
office, and in later years as harbormaster in Chemulp'o

- from spring 1883:  F. Schulze -- works as harbormaster in Chemulp'o


PS:
QUOTE:  "I fully agree that the spelling of names can be confusing."
Well, name variations are not confusing, once we know what period we 
talk about. People just did not have that same kind of barcode 
mentality of legality and correctness they have these days. 

PS 2:
QUOTE:  "Rosenbaum appears to have been Seigmond Rosenbaum and not 
Joseph/f."
You must mean "Siegmund Rosenbaum (not SEIgmOnd). And since Rosenbaum 
is a German Jewish name, likely also "Sigmund" as a variation (as in 
Sigmund Freud). It is still possible that Joseph was a later official 
name -- a typical case would be, and there are plenty such cases around 
that time! -- that this person converted to protestantism, or if in 
Austria then maybe Catholicism, and was thus given an additional 
Christian first name. You can find out by searching the Ellis Island 
Archive for his immigration records.


Best,
Frank



--------------------------------------
Frank Hoffmann
http://koreanstudies.com