Distant Cousins

We all grow up with first cousins if we are lucky enough. I grew up with several of them living close by in Düsseldorf and a couple who lived near Munich. Even though the Munich cousins were far away, I still got to see them at least once or twice a year.

When I grew up, I never even heard of the term, distant cousin. No one talked about the family history. My Oma, Adelheid Sevenich, had several siblings whom I never really met, except for one great aunt, named Tante (aunt) Grete.

I do have a picture of Oma and her siblings and her parents from the 1920’s.

Oma is the pretty lady in the middle standing behind her parents.

My Oma and all her siblings lived in Düsseldorf-Heerdt all their lives, except for her sister Sibilla who had moved to the Netherlands.

In about 2011 I started to contact the Heerdter Bürgerverein (Heerdter Citizens’ Association) via messenger on Facebook. I did this several time to gather information about Heerdt and my extended family. I am sure they got tired of me and low and behold a second cousin, named Gabi, contacted me. Gabi’s grandfather, Jakob, and my Oma were siblings.

Jakob Sevenich circa 1920’s

Cousin Gabi and I met in Germany in 2018. She is on left side.

Gabi then proceeded to tell me about a third cousins, Annemarie, who still lives in Heerdt. Annemarie’s grandfather was Gerhard Sevenich

who was the brother to our great grandfather Franz Sevenich.

Gerhard Sevenich is sitting on the left side, next to 2x Great Grandfather, Johann Sevenich and Franz is sitting next to 2x Great Grandmother, Josephine Gröbbels Sevenich.

Another 3rd cousin, Ursula, contacted me. She is the descendant of Adelheid or Adele Sevenich, who is standing behind Gerhard on the left side.

Adelheid Sevenich Lenzen 1871-1943 was also my Oma’s Adelheid Sevenich 1899-1982 godmother.

Baptism entry for my Grandmother. All children were baptized in the Saint Benedict Church.

Cousin Gabi and I found yet another second cousin, named Hermi, short for Hermine. Her grandmother was Anna Sevenich, who was the sister of Gabis grandfather, Jakob and my grandmother Adelheid.

The Sevenich family came from Brachelen and migrated to Heerdt in about 1871. I do have one distant cousin named, Peter, whom I have contact with and who reads my blog on a regular basis. He has been able to help with our oldest Sevenich ancestor. Peter still lives in Brachelen and has send me some wonderful literature about the area. I love the way ancestry breaks down how we are exactly related.

Peter Wilms 
5th cousin 1x removed

Karl Josef Wilms 1935-2016
Father of Peter Wilms

Helene Franziska Sofia Coenen 1903-1986
Mother of Karl Josef Wilms

Peter Johann Coenen 1875-1965
Father of Helene Franziska Sofia Coenen

Peter Jacob Coenen 1842-1927
Father of Peter Johann Coenen

Anna Barbara Gertrud Sevenich 1817-1883
Mother of Peter Jacob Coenen

Johann Jacobus Sevenich 1784-1865
Father of Anna Barbara Gertrud Sevenich

Johann Peter Sevenich 1751-1800
Father of Johann Jacobus Sevenich

Franz Sevenich 1797-1874
Son of Johann Peter Sevenich

Peter Johann Sevenich 1838-1910
Son of Franz Sevenich

Franz Sevenich 1870-1950
Son of Peter Johann Sevenich

Adelheid Katharina Sevenich 1899-1982
Daughter of Franz Sevenich

Katharina Josephine Schneider 1927-1982
Daughter of Adelheid Katharina Sevenich

Yvonne Katharina Krings
You are the daughter of Katharina Josephine Schneider

Finding my second, third and fifth cousins has been the highlight of my genealogical research. Distant family members don’t just have names, dates and locations, but they come alive.

I want to thank my cousins, Gabi, Annemarie, Ursula, Hermi and Peter for helping with my research. They contributed names, articles, pictures and so much more. I am so happy that I found you!

Have you made contact with any distant cousins? If yes, please leave a comment or subscribe!