Surname Saturday – Braun (Germany / Illinois)

Mary BRAUN is my second great-grandmother. She was born 19 November 1855 in or near Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany. I believe that she and her husband Carl STOFFEL were married in Germany and arrived in the US together in 1884. They settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, where they had seven children. My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.

Mary1 BRAUN was born on 19 November 1855 in or near Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, and died on 9 August 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Mary married Carl "Charles" STOFFEL, about 1884, probably in Germany. Carl was born on 16 September 1855 in or near Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, and died on 8 November 1902 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

2	i.	Heinrich2 "Henry" C STOFFEL was born on 28 October 1885 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 March 1919 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. He never married and had no children.
+ 3	ii.	Anna E STOFFEL was born on 19 January 1887 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 12 June 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
4	iii.	Margaret Elisa STOFFEL was born on 10 March 1889 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 21 July 1970 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
5	iv.	Corporal Charles Louis STOFFEL was born on 30 August 1890 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died circa 12 April 1976 in Illinois.
6	v.	Marie "Elsie" A STOFFEL was born on 26 October 1892 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 10 July 1979 in Illinois. Elsie married Clarence Henry HAMMAN on 25 November 1922, in Cook County, Illinois. Clarence was born on 22 August 1899 in Indiana and died on 18 December 1979 in Illinois. Elsie and Clarence had two daughters.
7	vi.	William STOFFEL was born on 14 November 1894 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 February 1934 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. William married Elizabeth HARRELL on 12 November 1914 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Elizabeth was born in 1898 in Kentucky and died in 1989. William and Elizabeth had at least two children.
8	vii.	George STOFFEL was born on 1 October 1901 probably in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 3 September 1978 in Illinois. George married Marie DAHL on 10 June 1922 in Cook County, Illinois. Mabel was born on 9 April 1900 in Illinois and died on 7 January 1969 in Illinois. George and Marie had at least one daughter.

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Second Generation

3.

Anna2 E STOFFEL (Mary1 Braun) was born on 19 January 1887 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 12 June 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Anna married George ROTTMAN, son of Phillip ROTTMAN and Mary Eva REEDER, on 12 February 1914 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. George was born on 19 June 1882 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa, and died on 19 February 1946 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

9	i.	Edward George ROTTMAN was born on 14 December 1915 in Illinois, and died on 10 January 1968 in Mundelein, Lake, Illinois. He served in the US Army during World War II. Edward married Helen –?– after 1940. Helen was born on 23 November 1920 and died on 23 December 1999 in Wisconsin.
10	ii.	Margaret Ann ROTTMAN was born on 28 January 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 12 June 1999 in Round Lake, Saratoga, New York. Margaret married Lawrence Henry "Turk" COMERFORD, son of Nicholas D COMERFORD and Margaret A FREEMAN, on 22 July 1940 in Cook County, Illinois. Lawrence was born on 9 November 1916 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 9 September 1970 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
11	iii.	Marie Ethel ROTTMAN was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, DuPage, Illinois. Marie married Harold Leslie MILLER, son of Emil Karl August MILLER and Alma Mary LEPPIN, on 6 July 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Harold was born on 4 August 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1982 in Maywood, Cook, Illinois. Marie and Harold are my grandparents.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 27 February 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Braun family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

Surname Saturday–Hänfler (Germany / Illinois)

Minnie HÄNFLER (with variants including Henfler, Hamfler, and Hemfler) is my second great-grandmother. She was born in Germany and married Herman LEPPIN in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

I previously discovered a possible sister, Augusta HÄNFLER, who married Philipp Zimmermann, and just days ago confirmed my suspicion further with a baptism record for Augusta and Philipp's daughter naming Minnie Leppin as a witness. Clues in other church records suggest that Minnie may have had a brother, Carl HÄNFLER, and that her parents might have been Carl HÄNFLER and August --?--. Further research is needed to prove/disprove these connections.

My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.

Minnie1 HÄNFLER was born on 9 April 1871 in Germany and died on 17 May 1945 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Minnie married Herman LEPPIN on 26 March 1894 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Herman was born on 22 March 1873 in Germany and died on 31 March 1948 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. Children from this marriage were:

+ 2	i.	Alma2 LEPPIN was born on 1 September 1896 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 December 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois
3	ii.	Heinrich "Henry" August LEPPIN was born on 11 July 1898 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 26 March 1958 in Cook County, Illinois. Henry married Ann M FORNER, daughter of Lena, on 5 July 1933 in Cook County, Illinois. Ann was born on 10 March 1912 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1976 in Cook County, Illinois. They had three known children: Henry, Mary, and Susan.
4	iii.	Herman Paul LEPPIN was born on 17 May 1900 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 2 November 1959 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. He never married and had no children.
5	iv.	Carl "Charles" Friedrich LEPPIN was born on 13 February 1906 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 October 1980 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. Charles married Maida "Meta" HOFFMANN about 1928 in Illinois. Maida was born on 22 June 1906 in Germany and died on 28 July 1997 in Arizona. They had one known son, Warner.

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Second Generation

2.

Alma2 LEPPIN (Minnie1 HÄNFLER) was born on 1 September 1896 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 December 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Alma married Emil Karl August MÜLLER, son of Emil MÜLLER and Hulda WACH, on 4 September 1915 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Emil was born on 9 February 1889 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 21 February 1938 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

6	i.	Roman3 "Raymond" Henry MILLER was born on 18 August 1916 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 May 1979 in Whittier, Los Angeles, California. Raymond married Roma C BENING between 1939 and April 1940. Roma was born on 26 August 1917 in Illinois and died on 4 August 1995 in Orange County, California. They had three children.
7	ii.	Harold Leslie MILLER was born on 4 August 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1982 in Maywood, Cook, Illinois. Harold married Marie Ethel ROTTMAN, daughter of George ROTTMAN and Anna E STOFFEL, on 6 July 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Marie was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, DuPage, Illinois. They had two children, their daughter, Jean, being my mother.
8	iii.	Mildred Dolores MILLER was born on 10 December 1922 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 September 1976 in Mountain View, Santa Clara. Mildred married Sidney William HICKS on 14 February 1940 in Cook County, Illinois. Sidney was born on 17 June 1916 in Illinois, and died on 6 August 1990 in Santa Clara County, California. They had one daughter and an adopted son.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 9 April 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Hänfler family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

Help With German Translation—Pretty Please :)

Long story short.  I have a civil death record for a child of Heinrich Wach and Emilie Weitzke.  I have translated the record, except for one line.  Normally in this section it would name the spouse of the deceased, but since this was a child, the word verheirathet [married] is crossed out and then it starts with Sohn [son], followed by words I can’t read, followed by the father’s name.  Also note that the mother was the one who registered the death. 

I’d like to know what the words are in both German and English.  Any help would be MUCH APPRECIATED!!  Click to see an enlarged version of this image.

Surname Saturday – Stoffel (Germany / Illinois)

The earliest known Stoffel in my line is Carl STOFFEL, who was born in or near Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, on 16 September 1855. I believe that he and his wife Mary Braun, were married in Germany and arrived in the US together in 1884. They settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, where they had seven children.  My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.

Carl1 "Charles" STOFFEL was born on 16 September 1855 in or near Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, and died on 8 November 1902 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Carl married Mary BRAUN, about 1884. Mary was born on 19 November 1855 in or near Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, and died on 9 August 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

2	i.	Heinrich2 "Henry" C STOFFEL was born on 28 October 1885 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 March 1919 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. He never married and had no children.
+ 3	ii.	Anna E STOFFEL was born on 19 January 1887 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 12 June 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
4	iii.	Margaret Elisa STOFFEL was born on 10 March 1889 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 21 July 1970 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
5	iv.	Corporal Charles Louis STOFFEL was born on 30 August 1890 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died circa 12 April 1976 in Illinois.
6	v.	Marie "Elsie" A STOFFEL was born on 26 October 1892 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 10 July 1979 in Illinois. Elsie married Clarence Henry HAMMAN on 25 November 1922, in Cook County, Illinois. Clarence was born on 22 August 1899 in Indiana and died on 18 December 1979 in Illinois. Elsie and Clarence had two daughters.
7	vi.	William STOFFEL was born on 14 November 1894 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 February 1934 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. William married Elizabeth HARRELL on 12 November 1914 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Elizabeth was born in 1898 in Kentucky and died in 1989. William and Elizabeth had at least two children.
8	vii.	George STOFFEL was born on 1 October 1901 probably in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 3 September 1978 in Illinois. George married Marie DAHL on 10 June 1922 in Cook County, Illinois. Mabel was born on 9 April 1900 in Illinois and died on 7 January 1969 in Illinois. George and Marie had at least one daughter.

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Second Generation

3.

Anna E STOFFEL (Carl1) was born on 19 January 1887 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 12 June 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Anna married George ROTTMAN, son of Phillip ROTTMAN and Mary Eva REEDER, on 12 February 1914 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. George was born on 19 June 1882 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa, and died on 19 February 1946 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

9	i.	Edward George ROTTMAN was born on 14 December 1915 in Illinois, and died on 10 January 1968 in Mundelein, Lake, Illinois. He served in the US Army during World War II. Edward married Helen –?– after 1940. Helen was born on 23 November 1920 and died on 23 December 1999 in Wisconsin.
10	ii.	Margaret Ann ROTTMAN was born on 28 January 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 12 June 1999 in Round Lake, Saratoga, New York. Margaret married Lawrence Henry "Turk" COMERFORD, son of Nicholas D COMERFORD and Margaret A FREEMAN, on 22 July 1940 in Cook County, Illinois. Lawrence was born on 9 November 1916 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 9 September 1970 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
11	iii.	Marie Ethel ROTTMAN was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, DuPage, Illinois. Marie married Harold Leslie MILLER, son of Emil Karl August MILLER and Alma Mary LEPPIN, on 6 July 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Harold was born on 4 August 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1982 in Maywood, Cook, Illinois. Marie and Harold are my grandparents.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 27 February 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Stoffel family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

Surname Saturday – Leppin (Germany / Illinois)

My Leppin line currently ends at my second great-grandfather, Herman LEPPIN. I don't know much about his roots other than he apparently came from Germany and settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.

Herman1 LEPPIN was born on 22 March 1873 in Germany, and died on 31 March 1948 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. Herman married Minnie HEMFLER, on 26 March 1894 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Minnie was born on 9 April 1871 in Germany, and died on 17 May 1945 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

+ 2	i.	Alma2 Mary LEPPIN was born on 1 September 1896 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 December 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
3	ii.	Henry August LEPPIN was born on 11 July 1898 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 26 March 1958 in Cook County, Illinois. Henry married Ann M FORNER, daughter of Lena, on 5 July 1933 in Cook County, Illinois. Ann was born on 10 March 1912 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1976 in Cook County, Illinois. They had three known children: Henry, Mary, and Susan.
4	iii.	Herman Paul LEPPIN Jr. was born on 17 May 1900 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 2 November 1959 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. He never married and had no children.
5	iv.	Charles F LEPPIN was born on 13 February 1906 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 October 1980 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. Charles married Maida "Meta" HOFFMANN about 1928 in Illinois. Maida was born on 22 June 1906 in Germany and died on 28 July 1997 in Arizona. They had one known son, Warner.

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Second Generation

2.

Alma2 Mary LEPPIN (Herman1) was born on 1 September 1896 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 December 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Alma married Emil Karl August MILLER, son of Emil MILLER and Hulda WACH, on 4 September 1915 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Emil was born on 9 February 1889 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 21 February 1938 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

6	i.	Roman3 "Raymond" Henry MILLER was born on 18 August 1916 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 May 1979 in Whittier, Los Angeles, California. Raymond married Roma C BENING between 1939 and April 1940. Roma was born on 26 August 1917 in Illinois and died on 4 August 1995 in Orange County, California. They had three children.
7	ii.	Harold Leslie MILLER was born on 4 August 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1982 in Maywood, Cook, Illinois. Harold married Marie Ethel ROTTMAN, daughter of George ROTTMAN and Anna E STOFFEL, on 6 July 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Marie was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, DuPage, Illinois. They had two children, their daughter, Jean, being my mother.
8	iii.	Mildred Dolores MILLER was born on 10 December 1922 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 September 1976 in Mountain View, Santa Clara. Mildred married Sidney William HICKS on 14 February 1940 in Cook County, Illinois. Sidney was born on 17 June 1916 in Illinois, and died on 6 August 1990 in Santa Clara County, California. They had one daughter and an adopted son.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 18 February 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Leppin family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

Surname Saturday: Rottman (Bavaria / Georgia / Iowa / Illinois)

Ah, now we get to talk about my crazy ROTTMAN family.  The earliest known ancestor is Philip ROTTMAN, my second great-grandfather.  He apparently came to the US from Bavaria, Germany.  This family has been difficult to research for many reasons, but mainly because they moved around the country several times.  My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.

Philip1 ROTTMAN was born about 1835 in Bavaria, Germany and died on 24 June 1885 in Golden, Jefferson, Colorado.  He married Mary Eva REEDER (or LASSER) before 1870 possibly in Germany or France. Eva was born cal. 18 March 1849 in France and died on 26 October 1889 in Iowa. Children from this marriage were:

+ 2	i.	John2 W ROTTMAN was born in July 1870 in Henry County, Georgia, and died before 11 October 1937 in Linn County, Iowa.
3	ii.	Louise ROTTMAN was born on 19 October 1871 in McDonough, Henry, Georgia, and was baptized on 27 May 1873 in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky.  She likely died before June 1880.
4	iii.	Gottlieb ROTTMAN was born 14 January 1873 in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, was baptized on 27 May 1873 in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, and died on 10 July 1873 probably in Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, where he is buried.
5	iv.	Anna E ROTTMAN was born in April 1874 in Missouri and died in 1964.  Anna first married Joseph W ZARUB on 24 December 1896 in Marion, Linn, Iowa. Joseph was born in February 1874 in Iowa.  Anna married second, Jacob M HOAG on 18 December 1912 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Jacob was born in 1871 in Illinois and died in 1949.
6	v.	Malissa Elizabeth ROTTMAN was born in 1875 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died between 1896 and 1900.  “Lizzie” married Joseph RUSHEK on 6 April 1896 in Big Grove, Johnson, Iowa. Joseph was born on 13 August 1874 in Solon, Johnson, Iowa.
7	vi.	Charles Henry ROTTMAN was born on 11 August 1877 in Ivanhoe, Linn, Iowa, and died on 11 February 1927 in Wilton, Muscatine, Iowa.  Charles married Rosanna Elizabeth "Anna" BEATTY on 14 April 1899 in Cedar Rapids, Linn, Iowa. Rosanna was born on 25 November 1880 in Sugarcreek, Cedar, Iowa, and died on 24 July 1958 in Wilton, Muscatine, Iowa.  They had 13 children.
8	vii.	Mabel Louise ROTTMAN was born on 28 September 1879 and died on 1 April 1961.  Mabel married Paul Frederick William HAASE on 8 May 1901 in Solon, Johnson, Iowa. Paul was born on 3 May 1877 in Germany.  They had two children.
+ 9	viii.	George ROTTMAN was born on 19 June 1882 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa, and died on 19 February 1946 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

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Second Generation

2.

John2 W ROTTMAN (Phillip1) was born in July 1870 in Henry County, Georgia, and died before 11 October 1937 in Linn County, Iowa.  John married Melvina E HORN, daughter of Samuel HORN and Mary A MARSHALL, on 31 December 1891 in Lisbon, Linn, Iowa. Melvina was born in October 1862 in Johnson County, Iowa, and died in 1944. Children from this marriage were:

10	i.	Ethel3 Mary ROTTMAN was born on 29 May 1892 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa, and died on 17 November 1986 in Iowa.  Ethel married George W COSTER, son of James COSTER and Alice F KING, on 21 September 1920 in Lisbon, Linn, Iowa. George was born on 8 September 1893 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa and died on 26 January 1954 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa.
11	ii.	Clarence Leo ROTTMAN was born on 20 September 1895 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa, and died on 6 November 1985 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa.  Clarence married Marguerite Alma COSTER, daughter of James COSTER and Alice F KING, on 10 December 1919 in Lisbon, Linn, Iowa. Marguerite was born on 23 April 1899 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa, and died on 12 November 1978 in Iowa.

9.

George2 ROTTMAN (Phillip1) was born on 19 June 1882 in Mount Vernon, Linn, Iowa, and died on 19 February 1946 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  George married Anna E STOFFEL, daughter of Carl "Charles" STOFFEL and Mary BRAUN, on 12 February 1914 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Anna was born on 19 January 1887 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, died on 12 June 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  It is possible that George was married once prior to Anna (still working on this). Children from this marriage were:

12	i.	Edward3 George ROTTMAN was born on 14 December 1915 in Illinois, and died on 10 January 1968 in Mundelein, Lake, Illinois.  He served in the US Army during World War II.  Edward married Helen –?– after 1940. Helen was born on 23 November 1920 and died on 23 December 1999 in Wisconsin.
13	ii.	Margaret Ann ROTTMAN was born on 28 January 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 12 June 1999 in Round Lake, Saratoga, New York.  Margaret married Lawrence Henry "Turk" COMERFORD, son of Nicholas D COMERFORD and Margaret A FREEMAN, on 22 July 1940 in Cook County, Illinois. Lawrence was born on 9 November 1916 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 9 September 1970 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
14	iii.	Marie Ethel ROTTMAN was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, DuPage, Illinois.  Marie married Harold Leslie MILLER, son of Emil Karl August MILLER and Alma Mary LEPPIN, on 6 July 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Harold was born on 4 August 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1982 in Maywood, Cook, Illinois.  Marie and Harold are my grandparents.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 2 February 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Rottman family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

When In Doubt, Map It

Continuing on from My Adventure With Meyers Gazetteer, I was trying to take the information that I learned and develop some sort of research plan.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get very far as I ran into a stumbling block.

Have you ever noticed that some entries in the Family History Library Catalog contain special notes?  For example, in the listing for Zivilstandsregister, 1874-1878, the note explains that these are civil registrations of births, deaths, and marriages for Damsdorf, Pommern, Preußen.  It further goes on to list the other towns that are included in these registers.  Furthermore, it also indicates that Damsdorf is now Niezabyszewo (Bytów), Koszalin, Poland.  That’s a lot of useful information.

More importantly, this added information is helpful when there is no specific location entry for the place you are looking for.  In my case, there is no location entry for Germany, Preußen, Pommern, Bernsdorf, so finding records for this location is a little difficult.  However, noting that Bernsdorf was listed in the notes section of the entry described above, I tried a “keyword” search for Bernsdorf.  There were 15 matches, one of which is the one above.  But there were two other entries related to Pommern that needed to be explored and both were more civil registrations.

The first one was quickly ruled out; the other place names that were included indicated to me (by looking at the gazetteer) that this was a different Bernsdorf altogether.  But the other entry, well there were some place names that were familiar, particularly the civil registration district of Gersdorf.  From my excursion into the Gazetteer, and taking the time to translate it, I recognized Gersdorf and the district government office for Bernsdorf.

Now, I have no idea how this government works or what each “branch” was responsible for.  I also don’t know if you can register, say births, in another location.  But I know enough to question whether the Bernsdorf in this listing is the same Bernsdorf that I’m working with.  So to Google Maps I went!

View this map in Google, which will show each place with its previous and current name.

I already knew from the FHL listing for the Damsdorf registrations, that it was now Niezabyszewo (Bytów), Koszalin, Poland, so I marked it on the map.  The same listing also included the new name of Hygendorf, so on the map it went.  The FHL listing for Gersdorf indicated that it is now Ząbinowice (Bytów), Koszalin, Poland; mapped. 

Through a variety of websites that provided the new names for all of the other towns listed in both FHL catalog entries, I was able to place them all on the map.  I color coded them so I knew which towns were in which batch of civil registrations.  And wouldn’t you know, as I suspected, Bernsdorf is right in the middle (the marker in yellow).  The civil registration office in Gersdorf is about two miles closer to Bernsdorf than Damsdorf, which is the one its assigned to.

Is it possible that some of my family’s records ended up being registered in Gersdorf?  According to the FHL catalog entry there were some from Bernsdorf, so I think it’s worth pursuing.

Had I not first deciphered the gazetteer listing, I would not have recognized the town of Gersdorf.  And, although I suspected a “border” situation, had I not mapped these locations, I would not have known to consider looking in the civil registrations for Gersdorf.  So when in doubt, map it!

My Adventure With Meyers Gazetteer

Back in February, I spent quite a bit of time at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.  I hadn’t planned on working on my Miller/Wach/Wietzke clan, but after discussing German research with some friends over dinner, I shifted gears.  Later that night, I headed over to the reference desk to talk to an expert and after about 15 minutes and a pile of books, he had figured out where my second great-grandmother, Hulda Wach, came from.

Mind you, I had some clues.  I had a town name from her obituary, but unfortunately, there were several Bernsdorfs to choose from.  I knew that they were Lutheran, which narrowed the pool down a bit more.  He asked what other information I had and off the top of my head, I had nothing.  So, with my Kindle Fire in hand, I went through all the notes/events in my Legacy database. 

On the passenger list for her departure from Hamburg, her previous place of residence was listed as Zerrin, Pommern.  That was all he needed to narrow the choices down to one likely location.  A search in the FHL catalog revealed that the FHL did not have any church records for this town.  Back to the stack of books that had now amassed, the light bulb went off, and back to the catalog he went.  This time, it revealed that there were a few years of civil registrations available for Damsdorf, which, he said, covered Bernsdorf.   Lo and behold, in the few years of records (1874-1878) I confirmed that this was the place where Hulda came from.  Although her birth was not available (she was born in 1869), I did find the birth of her brother, as well as several other records with the Wach and Wietzke surnames (Wietzke is Hulda’s mother’s surname).

Until the other day, I had no idea how he found the correct location, what books he consulted (I assumed gazetteers), or how he knew that the civil registrations in Damsdorf would have what I needed.  Having attended the Tazewell County (IL) Genealogical Society fall workshop last weekend, I now had an idea about how he found the location.

Carol Whitton presented Using and Understanding the German Gazetteer, in which she discussed how to use the Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs.  After my crash-course in German gazetteers and reading the script, I immediately accessed the Meyers Gazetteer through Ancestry (you can access this resource even without an Ancestry subscription).

I printed out the entry for the Bernsdorf location of interest and proceeded to transcribe and translate it.  Now I can see why the location of Damsdorf was relevant in my search—it’s the location of the civil registry office for Bernsdorf.  I also now know the government district, county, lower court district, and other things that might help me further research this family.  Additionally, I know that this town had both a Catholic and Evangelical church, and that there was a savings and loan, a mill, and a brickyard.  Of course this particular place is now part of Poland and will likely make my research a bit more difficult, but at least I now have some basic information to hopefully get started. 

Below is the transcription (into English characters) and translation (including the deciphering of the abbreviations) of the Meyers Gazetteer entry for Bernsdorf (clicking on the image will open a PDF file).  And for fun, I found a font that does old German script so I did an exact transcription.  (The font that I used was MarsFraktur Normal and I found it at Fraktur German True Type Fonts and Others  Of the fonts listed, this particular one included all of the special characters.)

German Engagement Customs

While doing research in a local newspaper for my ancestors in Harvard, Illinois, I found this interesting tidbit published in a 1904.

Transcription:

German Betrothal Customs.

When a maiden is betrothed in Germany she is called “bride” by her sweetheart, who addresses her thus until it becomes time to call her “wife.”  Immediately upon betrothal the lovers exchange rings, which, if the course of true love runs smooth, are to be worn ever afterward until death parts them.  The woman wears her betrothal ring on the third finger of her left hand until she is married, and then it is transferred to the third finger of her right hand.  The husband continues to wear the ring just as the wife wore hers when she was a “bride,” so that one can easily tell at a glance if a man be or be not mortgaged as to his affections.

Source:  "German Betrothal Customs," (Harvard) Herald, 6 October 1904, p. 8, col. 4.

Fearless Females – Photo

Back in 2010, in honor of Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo created a list of writing prompts for each day during the month of March.  I didn’t participate in 2010, so I’m going to take the opportunity to participate this year, since Lisa was kind enough to resurrect her prompts for 2012.

Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?

This is a photo of Maida “Meta” Hoffman, who married my great-granduncle, Charles Leppin.  It was supposedly taken on the ship when she emigrated from Germany to the US in 1928.

Read all of my Fearless Females posts.

Hulda (Wach) Müller Severing

Hulda Wach was born in January of either 1868 or 1869 in Bernsdorf, Pommern, Preußen, daughter of Heinrich Wach and Emilie Wietzke.  She appears to be the oldest of the four known children of Heinrich and Emilie: Alvina, born about 1873; Carl August, born in October 1874; and Heinrich Emil, born in August 1876.  Because Hulda’s mother remarried sometime between 1876 and 1884, it is possible that her father died during the same period.  Emilie married “Fred” Schultz and they had one know child, Mildred, born about 1884. 

At the age of 15, Hulda left her home, possibly alone, to seek a better life in the US.  She departed from Hamburg, Germany aboard Suevia on 12 October 1884 and arrived in New York on 27 October 1884 with her sights set on her final destination of Chicago.

About two years after settling in Chicago, she married Emil Müller on 8 August 1886.  Over the next few years, Emil and Hulda built their life together, having three children: Heinrich, born 1 June 1887; Emil, born 9 February 1889; and Ida, born 31 July 1891.  In 1890, Hulda’s sister, Alvina immigrated to the US, followed by her mother, brother Heinrich, and half-sister Mildred in 1891, all settling near one another in Chicago.

By March 1895, Emil and Hulda were separated.  Hulda filed for divorce in 1900, which was finalized in December of that year.  She was now free to marry John Severing, of McHenry County, Illinois, on 19 January 1901 at Chicago.  One child, Lillian, was born of this union.

After marrying John, Hulda moved to Dunham, McHenry County, Illinois, about 70 miles northwest of Chicago.  The local newspaper shows her visiting Chicago frequently to spend time with family and friends.  By June 1912, Hulda was suffering from stomach cancer, which took her life on 15 May 1914.

According to her obituary, her “life was marked by industry, frugality and attentiveness to the affairs of her home and those committed to her care, as well as a life of faithfulness to her Christian duties.”

These are just the facts that I’ve accumulated so far as I continue to piece together Hulda’s life.  I’m interested to know what drove her to leave her home and family at the age of 15, and why her family followed her six years later.  I’d also like to know how she adapted to big-city life in Chicago.

1905 map of Pommern illustrating the small village of Bernsdorf where Hulda was born.

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This post was written as part of my commitment to The Family History Writing Challenge.  Since my main goal is to put fingers to keyboard, I was not concerned with citing sources, however, sources are available if you are interested.

SNGF - “Heritage Pie” Chart

This week’s challenge from Randy is:

• List your 16 great-great-grandparents with their birth, death and marriage data (dates and places). 
• Determine the countries (or states) that these ancestors lived in at their birth and at their death.
• For extra credit, go make a "Heritage Pie" chart for the country of origin (birth place) for these 16 ancestors. [Hint: you could use the  chart generator from Kid Zone for this.] [Note: Thank you to Sheri Fenley for the "Heritage Pie" chart idea.]
• Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook or google+.

Here’s mine:

 

16.  Thomas CAHILL - bap. 8 May 1860 in Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland; died 15 October 1929 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois; married Margareth MILLETT, 3 July 1887 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

17.  Margareth “Maggie” MILLETT – bap. 3 February 1863 in Old Grange, Kilkenny, Ireland; died 7 January 1945 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

18.  John SCHWARTZ – born 11 Arpil 1856 (cal.) in Luxembourg; died 20 January 1912 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois; married Margaretha KRAMER, 6 September 1888 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

19.  Margaretha “Margaret” KRAMER – born 31 October 1866 in Consdorf, Echternach, Luxembourg; died 14 January 1945 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

20.  Timothy McMAHON – born 14 May 1874 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; died 14 October 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; married Sarah Jane WARD, 11 November 1899 in Lake County, Indiana.

21.  Sarah Jane WARD – born 7 April 1875 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; died 8 October 1956 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

22.  James Manly GARRISON – born 26 December 1861 in Picton, Prince Edward, Ontario, Canada; died 23 May 1909 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; married, Sarah Jane MULLIGAN, 23 January 1893 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

23.  Sarah Jane “Jennie” MULLIGAN – born 16 April 1870 in Flint, Genesee, Michigan; died 26 April 1947 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

24.  Emil MILLER – born January 1864 in Germany; died after 1902, probably in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; married Hulda WACH, 8 August 1886 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

25.  Hulda WACH – born 9 January 1869 in Germany; died probably between 1910 and 1920 in McHenry County, Illinois.

26.  Herman LEPPIN – born 22 March 1873 in Germany; died 31 March 1948 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona; married Minnie HEMFLER, 26 March 1894 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

27.  Minnie HEMFLER – born 9 April 1871 in Germany; died 17 May 1945 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

28.  Philip ROTTMAN – born about 1835 in Bavaria, Germany; died between 1885 and 1889, probably in Linn Couny, Iowa; married Mary Eva REEDER before 1870, possible in France.

29.  Mary Eva REEDER – born 18 March 1849 (cal.) in France; died 26 October 1889 in Iowa.

30.  Carl “Charles” STOFFEL – born 16 September 1855 in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany; died 8 November 1902 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; married Mary BRAUN, about 1884.

31.  Mary BRAUN – born 19 November 1855 in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany; died 9 August 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

Saturday in the Attic – 05/15/10

 

This book first belonged to my grandfather, Harold Miller.  It was then passed on to his younger sister, Mildred.  When she got it, she covered it with paper to make a book cover.  The Evangelical Catechism was used for religious instruction, so I gather that they used it either in a Sunday School setting or for confirmation.

According to the United Church of Christ website, this version was approved by the Evangelical Synod of North America in 1929. 

“The Synod's roots were in the ‘unierte’ or ‘united’ church tradition in Germany. As such, it reconciled the separated Reformed and Lutheran expressions of the Christian faith, and affirmed the authority of both Reformed and Lutheran confessions of faith. The Catechism reflected the spirit of German Pietism with its emphasis on personal conversion to Jesus Christ.”

Through my research, I’ve known that this family was involved with Trinity Lutheran Church in Chicago, which was a Evangelical Lutheran church, for at least three generations.  Knowing that it was deeply tied to German beliefs, hopefully it will help me with further research whenever I cross the pond.

Although the family had been active in Trinity Lutheran Church, in fact, Harold had been baptized there in 1918, I’m not sure if this was the church they were attending at the time they used this book.  There is no church listed on the book, however, there is an address, which is where the family lived in the 1930s.  The church was quite a distance away, so I wonder if they found another church closer to home.  Further research will need to be done to determine this.

Family Events – Week of August 9 to August 15

Mary BRAUN – Mary is my second great-grandmother, who was born on 19 November 1855 in Germany.  She died on 9 August 1936 in Chicago, Illinois.

Edward P MULLIGAN & Sarah RALPH – Edward is my second great-granduncle, who married Sarah on 9 August 1891 in Chicago, Illinois.

Gov. John WEBSTER – John is my eleventh great-grandfather, who was born on 9 August 1950 in England.  He died on 15 April 1661 in Massachusetts.*

Mary LEWIS – Mary is my ninth great-grandmother, who was born on 6 May 1645 in Connecticut.  She died on 10 August 1722 in Connecticut.*

Dorothy E TRAPP & George J MAZZUCA – Dorothy is my second cousin twice removed.  She and George married on 11 August 1939 in Chicago, Illinois.

Sarah NORTON – Sarah is my fifth great-grandmother.  She was born about 12 August 1780 in Vermont.  Sarah died on 18 August 1823 in Auburn, Michigan.

Richard TROTT (TREAT) & Joanna – Richard and Joanna are my thirteenth great-grandparents.  They both died on 14 August 1577 in England.*

*Based on information from several compiled source, of which I have not personally verified at this time.

Saturday Night Challenge – 08/08/09

Randy’s challenge for this evening is as follows:

List your 16 great-grandparents in pedigree chart order. List their birth and death years and places.

Figure out the dominant ethnicity or nationality of each of them.

Calculate your ancestral ethnicity or nationality by adding them up for the 16 - 6.25% for each (obviously, this is approximate).

If you don't know all 16 of your great-grandparents, then do it for the last full generation you have.

Write your own blog post, or make a comment on Facebook or in this post.

Here’s mine:

I have 10 German, 4 Irish, 1 Canadian, and 1 French.  Further generations on Sarah MULLIGAN would also have English.  But according to the way Randy asked us to figure this, I am: 63% German, 25% Irish, 6% Canadian, and 6% French.

German Brick Walls

The topic for the 22nd edition of Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is roadblocks and breakthrough encountered during your genealogy research.

I have actually had some breakthroughs with my German ancestors, although it’s all been through research here in the U.S.  Now, they’ve become my German brick walls, as I am having a hard time finding information across the pond.

There are several reasons they are now brick walls:

• In some cases, I don’t know where in Germany to start looking.
• I don’t know enough about Germany to effectively search.
• I don’t speak/read German, so when I do find something with potential, I can understand it (online translators do help).

So I am going to use this carnival topic to share what I have found so far on each of my direct-line German ancestors.

Emil MILLER & Hulda WACH – Emil and Hulda are my second great-grandparents.  Alternate spellings I have come across for Miller are Muller and Mueller (with and without the ü).  From the information I have gathered, I believe he was born in Germany around 1862.  He and Hulda married on 8 August 1886 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  They had three children:  Heinrich “Henry” Frederick, Emil Charles, and Ida (all born in Chicago).  Except for their marriage, I cannot find Emil in the U.S. and suspect that he died before 1900 (I have yet to find a death certificate).  As for Hulda, she remarried in 1901 to John Fred SEVERING, had another daughter, Lilian, and then I lose her after the 1910 census.  I haven’t the slightest clue where to look for them in Germany.

Henry WACH & Amelia WIETZKE – Henry and Amelia are my third great-grandparents.  This is a recent discovery.  I’ve known of Amelia (also spelled Emillie) since I started my research, as she is found with her children in the U.S. up through the 1920 census.  I had no idea who her husband was, nor her maiden name.  A few months ago, I obtained her son Henry’s death certificate.  Lo and behold, it listed his father’s name AND Amelia’s maiden name and confirmed that they were both born in Germany…jackpot!!  Since Amelia remarried while in Germany, I suspect that Henry died in Germany.  But again, I have no idea where to start looking for either of them.  Henry and Amelia had three children: Hulda (mentioned above), Alvina, and Heinrich :Henry” Emil.  Amelia married an unknown SCHULTZ and had another daughter, Mildred.  All of the children were born in Germany.

Herman LEPPIN & Minnie HAEMFIFLER – Herman and Minnie are my second great-grandparents.  Research indicates that they were both born in Germany.  Herman was born on 22 March 1873 and died on 31 March 1948 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.  Family notes indicate that Minnie was born in 1872 and died in 1946.  They were married on 26 March 1894 in Cook County, Illinois.  Together they had four children:  Alma Mary, Henry August, Herman Paul, and Charles F. all born in Cook County, Illinois.  Nothing as of yet points to where to further my research in Germany.

Phillip ROTTMAN & Mary Eva REEDER – Phillip and Mary are my second great-grandparents.  Family notes indicate that Phillip was born in Germany, while Mary was born in France.  The notes also indicate that they were married in France.  Research indicates that Phillip and Mary had six children:  John W (born in Georgia), Anna E (born in Missouri), Malissa Elizabeth (born in Pennsylvania), Charles Henry (born in Iowa), Mabel Louise (born in Pennsylvania), and George (born in Iowa).  Research also indicates that Phillip was born in Bavaria, so I guess this could be a place to start.

Charles STOFFEL & Mary BRAUN – Charles and Mary are my second great-grandparents.  Of all the direct-line German ancestors, there is potential to finding information on the across the pond.  Family papers indicated that they were born in Frankfurt, but I was able to confirm that at least Mary appears to have been born in Frankfurt as it is indicated on her death certificate (which I just recently obtained).  I have not been able to find a marriage certificate for them in Illinois, so I suspect they may have been married in Germany.  Charles and Mary had seven children, all born in Illinois:  Henry C, Anna E, Margaret, Charles L, Elsie A, William, and George.  I started to do a little digging when I confirmed that Mary was born in Frankfurt, but was unable to find anything relevant.

There you have it; my German brick walls.  I hope to do a little digging on Charles STOFFEL and Mary BRAUN since they’re the only ones that I have some proof of where in Germany they came from.  I am heading to SLC in September, and they are on my list.

Family Events - Week of March 22 to March 28

Herman LEPPIN & Minnie HAEMFIFLER - Herman and Minnie are my second great-grandparents.  They were married on 26 March 1894 in Cook County, Illinois.  Herman was born on 22 March 1873.

Samuel PARKE - Samuel is my ninth great-grandfather.  He died on 22 March 1709 in Stonington, New London, Connecticut.

Alvina WACH - Alvina is my second great-grandaunt.  She was born in Germany around 1873.  She died on 24 March 1959 (calculated based on date of obituary and funeral).

Noah WEBSTER - Noah is my second cousin nine times removed (father of dictionary Noah Webster).  He was born on 25 March 1722 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut.

Julie Marie CAHILL - Happy birthday to me on March 25th.

Names, Places & Most Wanted Faces

Taking the bait from Craig over at GeneaBlogie, here's my list of names, places, and most wanted faces.

Names	Places
Cahill	Cook Co., Illinois Kane Co. Illinois Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland
Garrison	Cook Co., Illinois Picton, Ontario, Canada
Leppin	Cook Co., Illinois Germany
McMahon	Cook Co. Illinois Tipperary, Ireland
Miller/Mueller/Muller	Cook Co., Illinois Germany
Millet	Kane Co., Illinois Kilkenny, Ireland
Mulligan	Genesee Co., Michigan
Norton/Naughton	Connecticut Rutland Co. Vermont England
Parks/Parke	New London Co., Connecticut Oakland Co., Michigan
Rottman	Cook Co., Illinois Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois (Quad Cities) Germany
Ryan	Tipperary, Ireland Dublin, Ireland
Schwartz	Kane Co., Illinois Luxemburg, Germany
Stoffel	Cook Co., Illinois Frankfort, Germany
Trapp	Cook Co., Illinois Lake Co., Illinois Germany
Wach	Cook Co., Illinois Prussia, Brandenburg, Germany
Ward	Cook Co. Illinois Ireland
Webster	New England States Oakland Co., Michigan

Most Wanted Faces

I'd really like to find Sarah Jane WARD McMahon's parents.  Mother's name was Bridget; father's name unknown to me.  Both were born in Ireland.

Also on the list, Hulda WACH Miller's parents.  Mother's name was Amelia/Emilie; father's name is unknown to me.  Both were born in Germany.