Genealogy Is An Adventure

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  • Johann Müller 1813-1893

    Johann Müller, my paternal second Great Grandfather, was born exactly 211 years ago, on 25 November 1813 in Ohl near Engelskirchen.

    His parents were Martin Müller and Elisabeth Fluch. Johann was married to my second Great Grandmother, Franziska Gertrud Müller. Yes, her last maiden names was Müller as well. Müller is one of the most common last names in Germany. We don’t know when and where they got married. It’s a still a mystery. The first two children were born in Hückeswagen.

    The next three children, including my Great Grandmother, Bertha Müller, were born in Elberfeld. Elberfeld is world famous for its suspension railway.

    The last two children were born in my home town in Düsseldorf.

    Johann died 26 March 1893 in Düsseldorf. The dates and locations about Johann and his family have been obtained through my research and collaboration with second and third cousins I found through DNA testing. Below is a map of where Johann and his family had lived. Ohl, Hückeswagen, Elberfeld and Düsseldorf.

  • Anna Catharina Steinhaus 1870-1958

    Anna Catharina Steinhaus

    Anna Catharina Steinhaus was my maternal Great Grandmother. She was born 18 November 1870 in Heerdt. Her parents were Balthasar Hubert Steinhaus and Anna Christina Gather. Below is her birth certificate.

    On the bottom of the certificate you can see the signature of her Father, Balthasar Steinhaus. Anna was baptized 21 November 1870 in the catholic church in Heerdt.

    Her godparents were Wilhelm Steinhaus and Catharina Gather nee Wanders.

    Anna was married 9 June 1893 in the same church to my handsome Great Grandfather, Franz Sevenich.

    Witnesses were Gerhard Sevenich and Michael Bolten. Below is a picture of my Great Grandparent on their 25th anniversary.

    Followed by a picture of their 50th wedding anniversary in 1943.

    Both my Great Grandmother and my Great Grandfather survived WW1 and WW2. They had nine children together. One of them was my Grandmother, Adelheid Sevenich.

    Anna died 10 March 1958 in Heerdt at the local hospital. Below is a postcard of the hospital from 1920.

    The hospital still exists.

    Anna is the youngest of my Steinhaus ancestors. My oldest Steinhaus came originally come from Eckkamp and Ratingen across the river Rhein.

  • Henriette Sophie Friedericke Hagemann 1822-1899

    Sophie Hagemann was my maternal second Great Grandmother. The only document I have, is her death certificate.

    The information on the certificate was given by her son in law Wilhelm Althoff. It states that Sophie, a widow, was living in his house in Hamm and that she died at the age of 76. She was married to my second Great Grandfather, the linen weaver, Christian Ontrup, in Gadderbaum near Bielefeld. She was the daughter of the shoemaker couple Hagemann who died in Werther also near Bielefeld, Germany. I already had found her parents. Their names were Friedrich Wilhelm Hagemann and Anna Maria Elisabeth Feldhorst. The son in law did not have that information.

    Sophia Hagemann and Christian Ontrup had 11 children together. One of them was my Great Grandmother, Sophia Hermina Louisa Ontrup. I blogged about her in June of this year.

    The map below shows where Sophie was born (Werther), where she got married (Gadderbaum) and where she died (Hamm).

  • Karl Beiersdörfer 1881-1951

    Karl Beiersdörfer was my husband’s maternal Great Grandfather. Karl was born 16 November 1881 in Friesenheim and died 15 March 1951 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany. His parents were the butcher, Franz Beiersdörfer and his wife Elisabeth Höcker.

    Karl married Margarete Senck 20 June 1908 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein.

    The marriage certificate states the names of the bride and groom and their parents. It states that the location of Karl’s Father Franz is unknown and that his Mother had married a second time and her last name is now Steiner. We also learn that Karl is a mason. It also says that the bride, Margarete Senck is a magazine worker and that she was born in Oggersheim. Her parents are Christoph Senck and Margarete Weinacht. The marriage certificate has several side notes (Randvermerke in German) These side notes can be of utmost importance for further research. On the right side of the first page it is written that Karl died 18 Mar 1951 in Ludwigshafen and the number of the death certificate is number 370/1951. There is a second side note that states that his wife Margarete died 5 May 1953 and that the number of the death certificate is 6061/1953. On the second page is another side note which mentions the birth of one of the children, Oscar Beiersdörfer, born 24 Sep 1924 and his marriage on 30 September 1950. Per German privacy laws I would not be able to order the Oscar’s birth or marriage certificate yet. You can order birth certificates after 110 years, marriage after 80 years and death after 30 years.

    Karl fought in WW1 in the Alsace Lorrain region an area the Germans and French have fought over for hundreds of years.

    In the Bavarian personal roster we we learn that Karl is catholic, when and where he was born, that he was a mason, that he was married and had three children at the time. We also learn that his Father, Franz, apparently lived in America, however the location is unknown and his Mother lived in Friesenheim.

    Last month I travelled for the very first time to the Alsace Lorraine region on our way to Switzerland. We spent a few hours in the beautiful town of Colmar. The German spelling would have been Kolmar. Here are few of my pictures I took.

    If you have the chance, go and visit the Alsace Lorraine region. It’s very beautiful. I hope to go there again on my next trip to Europe.

    My Mother In Law said that Karl her Grandfather was a very kind person. He had a garden where he grew rhubarb, chamomile and peppermint. He also had a cherry tree and would get upset when the grandchildren came and picked the cherries too early. Karl also had rabbits, chicken and a goat.

    Oggersheim and Friesenheim are all part of Ludwigshafen am Rhein.

  • Anna Christina Gather 1842-1906

    Anna Christina Gather was my maternal second Great Grandmother. She was born 16 October 1842 in Büderich and died 13 May 1906 in Heerdt, Germany. She was baptized 18 October in the Sankt Mauritius catholic church in Büderich.

    Her parents were Peter Jacob Gather and Anna Catharina Unterdenbäumen. Her godparents were Carole Gather and Anna Gertrude Hellenthal who lived in Kaarst.

    Anna got married 18 November 1869 in the same church, to my second Great Grandfather, Balthasar Hubert Steinhaus (1838-1893).

    It states the names of the groom, the bride and the names of their parents and the witnesses at the end. We also find out that Anna’s Mother is not alive during her wedding. In fact, Anna’s Mother had died when she was only six years old.

    Anna died 13 May 1906 in Heerdt.

    The death certificate was signed by her daughter and my Great Grandmother, Katharina Sevenich.

    I know from my aunt that only that my Great Grandmother, Anna Catharina Steinhaus and her sister Anna Christina Steinhaus survived. A map below shows where Anna was born and where she died. Only 3.2 km or 1.9 miles apart.

  • Wilhelm Eduard Josef Hubert Krings 1882-1952

    The picture above is of my paternal Grandfather, Wilhelm Krings and my Grandmother Maria and their first born son, Wilhelm.

    Wilhelm was born 25 September 1882 and died 19 May 1952 in Düsseldorf, Germany. His parents were the gardener, Wilhelm Hubert Krings, and Bertha Müller. I have a copy his birth certificate.

    The certificate states the names of the Father, Mother and the given name of my Grandfather. It also states that they were catholic and they lived on the Grafenbergerchaussee street. Below a postcard from my collection of the street where he was born.

    My Grandfather had only one younger brother, Johann Krings. Through a DNA match I was able to find a descendent of Johann. I met my second cousin, Peter Hambach, in Köln (Cologne) in 2018. Wilhelm and Johann also had a sister who died in infancy.

    Wilhelm got married to my Grandmother, Maria Becker, 13 May 1907 in the Sankt Martini church in Wesel. The church was destroyed in WW2. The city archives in Wesel shared two pictures with me of the church before its destruction. One from the inside and one of the outside of the church.

    Martinikirche

    My Grandfather apparently served in WW1 in France and in Russia in 1915. I found this in a denazification file that came online recently. I had no idea that these files existed. I also found out that he had blue eyes and that he was 5 feet and 5 inches tall. The file also stated that he was not a threat to Germany before, during and after WW2.

    My Grandfather had his own business in Düsseldorf. An upholstery and decorating shop. I found him in a directory from 1926. His residence was on the Kloster street and his business on the Kölner street in Düsseldorf. No phone number was listed.

    My Grandfather and Grandmother had a large family. They had eight children together. One of them is was my Father, Karl Krings. Two of them, Hans and Josef were killed in Russia in WW2.

    My Grandfather died suddenly 19 May 1952 in Düsseldorf. I am sad that I never met him.

    Sources:

    City Archive Wesel Germany

    City Archive Düsseldorf

  • Peter Johann Sevenich 1838-1910

    Peter was my maternal 2nd Great Grandfather. He was born 13 September 1838 in Brachelen and died 10 July 1910 in Düsseldorf-Heerdt, Germany. His parents were the farmer, Franz Sevenich, and Maria Sybilla Wilms.

    Peter married my 2nd Great Grandmother, Josephine Odilia Gröbbels, 8 November 1867 in the Sankt Gereon church in Brachelen. Below is an old image of the church.

    A typical street in Brachelen with the church circa 1920’s

    Peter and Josephine had eleven children, one of them is my Great Grandfather, Franz Sevenich. Franz and his older sister Josephine were born in Brachelen and the rest of the children in Düsseldorf-Heerdt.

    Franz worked for the rail road. He was a switchman.

    Above a portrait of Franz and his family circa 1890. I received a copy of this picture from a third cousin in Germany.

    Peter received some sort of medal in 1907. I had found this in a local newspaper. He used his second name Johann for this occasion.

    Less than three years later, Peter died 10 July 1910 in Düsseldorf-Heerdt. Below is his death certificate.

    Peter moved from Brachelen to Heerdt to work for the railroad.

    Sources:

    Newspaper Clipping

    Death Certificate

    Family

    Google Maps

  • Adelheid Katharina Sevenich 1899-1982

    Adeleheid Katharina Sevenich was my maternal Grandmother. She was born 24 September 1899 and died 17 October 1982 in Düsseldorf Heerdt, Germany. Her parents were Franz Sevenich and Anna Katharina Steinhaus. My Grandmother or Oma came from a large family. She had six sisters and two brothers. Oma was baptized in the catholic Sankt Benediktus church in Heerdt. An old postcard of the church from about 1910.

    A picture of my Oma, her parents and her siblings circa 1920. She stands in the middle behind her parents.

    Another image of her circa 1920

    A picture of my Oma with her Mother and some of her siblings circa 1907. She is the girl with the white apron standing to the left above her Mother.

    My Oma got married to my Grandfather, Alexander Theodor Schneider, 7 October 1922 in Heerdt. They were married for 60 years.

    Oma was a seamstress and she would make all the clothes for my dolls. She made the best paprika chicken and “Schnibbelskartoffeln”. Fried potatoes from left over boiled potatoes. I haven’t been able to duplicate these recipes. I can still smell them when entering her apartment. Oma also made a special desert for us grandchildren called Tutti Frutti. It was a layer of fresh or canned fruit, sour cream and vanilla pudding. It was made with love and tasted so yummy.

    Oma died 17 Oct 1982 peacefully in her sleep. Even so that she has been gone for over 40 years, I will never forget her. I still miss and love her.

  • Andreas Daniel Joseph Krings 1808-1871

    Andreas Daniel Joseph Krings was my paternal second Great Grandfather. Andreas was born 23 September 1808 in Bilk and died 23 Oct 1871 in Derendorf. Both of these locations are nowadays a part of Düsseldorf, Germany. Andreas was baptized 26 October 1871 in the catholic church, Sankt Martin. His parents were Joannes Winandus Josephus Krings and Maria Anna Josepha Weingartz. Below is his baptism.

    Andreas married my second Great Grandmother, Maria Agnes Götzen, 12 August 1835 in the same church.

    Andreas and Agnes had five children together. One of them was my Great Grandfather, Wilhelm Hubert Krings.

    Andreas and his small family appeared in a census taken from 1854-1860 in Düsseldorf. It states that Andreas was a shoemaker by trade. The first child, Johann was crossed out, he probably had died.

    Andreas also appeared in an address book from 1855. Once again it states that he was a shoemaker. Schumacher is the German word for shoemaker.

    Andreas died 23 October 1871 in Derendorf.

    His obituary states, that Andreas was born in Bilk and that he had been a widower for eight years. He was survived by two sons and two grandsons. Andreas was only 63 years old.

    A map shows that Andreas pretty much lived in the same area all his life.

    Sources

    Church Books online for Düsseldorf

    Düsseldorf Census (Bürgerbücher) 1854-1860

    Obituary you can find here

    Address Book Düsseldorf 1855

  • Emil August Ferdinand Schneider 1855-1935

    Emil August Ferdinand Schneider was my maternal Great Grandfather. His calling name was Ferdinand. He was born 13 September 1855 in Berlin and died 12 July 1935 in Wuppertal, Germany. Ferdinand’s parents were the master armorer, Martin August Eduard Schneider and Caroline Francisca Amelie Büttner. He was baptized 7 October 1855 in the Sophien church in Berlin.

    Above is Ferdinand’s baptismal entry from the church book.

    Ferdinand got married 12 May 1883 in Gadderbaum, Bielefeld to my Great Grandmother, Sophia Hermina Louisa Ontrup. The couple had nine children together, including my Grandfather, Theodor Alexander Schneider 1898-1990.

    Ferdinand died 12 July 1935 in Wuppertal.

    Sources

    Ancestry

    Sophienkirche

    Google Maps