August Mervell

August Mervell was born on June 27, 1829, as the younger of twin brothers to Hubertus Mervell and Marie Hoff. His elder brother is Alexander Mervell. He was born into a noble family that specialized in banking. Like many noble families, he was raised by nannies and private tutors. When he was about ten, he and his brother were sent to boarding school. August was expected to learn about economics and law, but he found these subjects boring. Unlike his brother, August didn’t take school seriously and preferred to play with his schoolmates or cause mischief. During the first weeks of boarding school, he almost got expelled for pulling a prank on one of the teachers. August realized that by doing the bare minimum, he could still finish school and get a diploma. However, life didn’t go as planned. While his brother Alexander graduated and worked for the family business, August wandered in his brother’s shadow. He chose to spend his time and money on extravagant parties and suitors. His parents disapproved and stopped supporting him financially. He managed to cover his living expenses by borrowing money from his brother.

To get August back on track, his family believed the right woman could help stabilize him. They introduced him to Cornelia Von Galen, a strong and outspoken woman who quickly addressed August’s behaviour. Facing family pressure and potential bankruptcy, August agreed to marry her. They wed on February 20, 1860. The marriage brought a substantial dowry from Cornelia and reinstated financial support from August’s parents. Under pressure from Cornelia, August started to use his entertaining skills to establish and nourish relationships in the family business. Not the extravagance August hoped for, but a party is still a party.