Franz was my paternal second Great Grandfather. He was born 30 August 1827 in Messinghausen and died 21 May 1907 in Hamminkeln, Germany. He was baptized in the catholic St. Dionysius Church in Thülen 1 September 1827. His parents were Johann Becker and Christine Münster. Below is a postcard from my collection of Messinghausen from the 1950’s.
Franz was married to my second Great Grandmother Maria Sickel. To this date I have been unable to find their marriage. Franz was a signalman and worked for the railroad. Him and Maria had only two children that we know of. My Great Grandfather, Johann Heinrich Becker 1861-1945 and his brother, Theodor Becker born in 1863. Franz and Maria lived and died in Hamminkeln.
Franz died in 1907. His death certificate above, states that his son, Theodor, gave this information to the registrar. It states that he died in Hamminkeln and that his son had no further information about Franz’s parents.
I found this old image from the Hamminkeln train station circa 1914. In the 19th century, it was pretty common for people to move to areas where they could work for the railroad. I have another ancestor who also moved and worked for the railroad at the time time.
From the map you can see that Messinghausen was far away. 191 km or 118 miles. It would have taken Franz probably several days if not weeks to get to Hamminkeln.
Maria Agnes Götzen was my paternal second Great Grandmother. She was born 23 August 1813 in Heerdt and died 15 March 1863 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Her parents were Joannes Petrus Wilhelm Götzen and Helene Catharina Mühlensieb. Her baptismal record from the Sankt Benediktus church in Heerdt is below. It gives her baptized name, parents’ names and the godparents. Church book entries for this time frame were written in Latin.
Maria married my second great grandfather, the shoemaker, Andreas Daniel Joseph Krings, 12 August 1835 in the Sankt Martinus church in Düsseldorf.
The church book entry states the groom and the bride and their parents and the witnesses.
The marriage was also mentioned in the newspaper.
Maria and Andreas had five children together. One of them is my Great Grandfather, Wilhelm Hubert Krings 1840-1909.
Maria had her own grocery store. I found her right underneath her husband in a 1855 Düsseldorf address book.
It states: Krings, Andreas, shoemaker Duisburger Street 71 and Krings, Andreas, wife, store owner, Duisburger Street 71 I think that’s pretty amazing to see that my female ancestor had her own business in 1855.
Maria was only 49 years old when she died. Her name was mentioned in the newspaper.
The name is under “Gestorbene” which means “The Deceased”. Agnes Götzen, wife, 57 years old.
The map shows where Maria grew up and where she lived and died. Heerdt and Bilk are now part of Düsseldorf.
Maria Sybilla Wilms was my maternal third Great Grandmother. She was born 8 March 1804 and died 12 August 1869 in Brachelen, Germany. Maria was the daughter of the basket maker, Joannes Petrus Wilms and Maria Catharina Heinen.
The birth certificate above was obtained from the State Archive in Brühl, Germany. The archive has since moved to Duisburg. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia and its archives have put death certificates from 1875-1938 and marriage certificates from 1875-1899 online. I believe that birth certificates will be next. It is a very exciting time for genealogists like myself to be able to view these certificates online. It’s hard to keep with all the genealogical news.
The birth certificate of my third Great Grandmother is from 1804. May be one day, those earlier certificates will come online as well.
Maria married my third Great Grandfather, the widower, Franz Sevenich, 13 April 1833 in Brachelen. They had four children together, one of them was my second Great Grandfather, Peter Johann Sevenich.
The marriage certificate above stating the names of the bride and groom, when and where they were born including their parents. The second page has all the witnesses and signatures of the wedding party.
I do not have her death certificate. It’s not always possible to obtain all certificates or copies of church book records. I use Family Tree Maker to create genealogical reports.
Peter Wilhelm Steinhaus was my maternal third Great-Grandfather. From his death certificate I know that his calling name was Wilhelm. He was born 1 June 1811 in Eckkamp and died 15 August 1881 in Heerdt, Germany. His parents were Wilhelm Herman Steinhaus and Gertrud Strotmans.
Wilhelm married my third Great Grandmother, Marie Christine Bolten, 14 June 1830 in Eckkamp. The family lived in Heerdt and had eight children together. One of them was my second Great Grandfather, Balthasar Hubert Steinhaus 1838-1893.
Wilhelm died 15 August 1881 in Heerdt. His death certificate below, states his name, when and where he died. It also states that his parents died in Rath. The information was given by Wilhelm’s son, the farmer, Mathias Steinhaus. The mother on the death certificate, Elisabeth Brückman, is actually his stepmother. Mathias probably never met his real Grandmother.
You have always to research official documents. They are not always correct.
Wilhelm’s oldest sister, Anna Maria Steinhaus 1806-1883, married Peter Ohren 5 August 1833 in Eckamp. Anna Maria and Peter had three children together in Germany. They immigrated and arrived in New York 28 September 1852. The family settled in Old Ripley, Bond County, Illinois. I have DNA matches with some of their descendents. I will write a seperate blog about Anna Maria in the future.
Here is a map of where Wilhelm was born and where he lived after he got married.
Maria Johanna Becker was born 12 July 1885 in Hamminkeln and died 4 March 1975 in Schiefbahn, Germany. She was my paternal Grandmother. This is her birth certificate from Hamminkeln
It states that her parents were the day laborer, Johann Heinrich Becker and Gertruda Johanna Görtzen. To the left is a side note that says that she died in Willich 4 March 1975 and the number of the death certificate Nr 75/1975.
Maria was baptized in the St. Mariä Himmelfart Catholic Church in Wesel
Above is her baptism entry in the church book. Her Godparents were Mathias Görzen and Mara Becker nee Sickel who was her Grandmother.
Maria got married 13 May 1907 in Wesel to my Grandfather, Wilhelm Eduard Josef Hubert Krings.
Above is the front and back page of the marriage certificate. Most of the time, marriage certificates will mention the bride and groom and their parents. On page one, the side note states that my Grandfather died in 1952. Three different side notes on the back page mention three of the children.
My Grandmother and Grandfather had eight children between 1907 and 1929. They were all born in Düsseldorf. This picture shows them together with their first born, my uncle Willi circa 1908.
Two of her sons died while fighting during WW2.
Hans Krings 1911-1948
Josef Krings 1914-1943 Shown With His Son
My Dad missed his brothers very much and talked about them often.
Shortly after WW2 in 1952 my Grandfather died suddenly at home. Now my Grandmother had lost three family members within a ten year period.
My Grandmother had her faith. When I grew up, every Sunday we would pick her after church services at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Düsseldorf. She would have lunch with us at home.
Her large family kept her very busy. She attended all the baptisms, first communions and weddings of her all her children and grandchildren. She got to fly in a very small plane for the time ever when she was 85. She would never say a bad word about anyone. Family was everything to her.
Near the end of her life she became very frail. All three of her daughters took care of her around the clock. In the end she had to be put into a nursing home in Schiefbahn. My aunt had tried to find one in Düsseldorf but it didn’t work out. My Grandmother hated it there and told us flat out that she wouldn’t make it a year. She was right. Grandma died peacefully 4 March 1975. All the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren attended her funeral in Heerdt. Her grave doesn’t exist anymore. Graves in Germany get recycled.
Sophia Hermina Louisa Ontrup was born 17 June 1860 in Bielefeld and died 11 June 1934 in Galkhausen, Germany. Her calling name was Louisa. She was my maternal Great Grandmother. Louisa’s parents were the damask weaver, Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Ontrup, and Henriette Sophie Friedericke Hagemann. The couple had at least eleven children including Louisa.
Louisa got married to my Great Grandfather, the locksmith, Emil August Ferdinand Schneider, 12 May 1883, in Gadderbaum which is now part of Bielefeld. His calling name was Ferdinand.
Below is their marriage certificate
The certificate first states the name of the groom, Ferdinand, and his parents, the diseased master armorer, Martin August Eduard Schneider, and the widowed Caroline Francisca Amalie Büttner who lived in Berlin at the time of the marriage. It also the states the name of the bride, Louisa, and her parents which I mentioned already at the beginning of the blog. On the second page the witnesses and the bride and groom signed the certificate. Louisa and Ferdinand had at least nine children together, one of them was my Grandfather, Theodor Alexander Schneider. The oldest child was born in Bielefeld, the rest of them were born in Wuppertal.
Above is Louisa with two of her daughters, my Great Aunts, Anna on the left and Frieda on the right.
Louisa died 11 June 1934 in a hospital in Galkausen, near Düsseldorf.
Above his death certificate which dates her name, the death date, her birth date and the city she was born in. Please note, that German death certificates do not have a doctor’s signature. The registry office will issue the certificate.
Above is a map of where Louisa lived. She was born in Bielefeld, got married in Gadderbaum, lived most of her life in Wuppertal and died in Galkhausen.
Barbara Wippel was my husband’s paternal Great Grandmother. She was born 28 May 1881 and died 3 February 1933 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein in Germany. Her parents were Heinrich Wippel and Elisabetha Hochdörfer.
Above is Barbara’s birth certificate from Ludwigshafen. It shows her Father and Mother and their ages. He was 45 years old and quite a bit older than her Mother who was only 32 years old at the time of her birth.
Barbara got married to my husband’s Great Grandfather, Johann Christoph Päbst, 29 September 1906 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. Most marriage certificates will have two pages. Here is the first page:
Under number 1 the groom is named and that his parents live in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. A side not the right, states the groom died 12 January 1916. Under number 2, the bride is named and that her Father lives in Ludwigshafen am Rhein and that her Mother died in the same city. A side note to the right states that the bride died 3 February 1933. The second page has different information as seen below.
Under number 3 and 4 the witnesses signed the certificate. To the left of the witnesses are more side notes. These notes state the birth of the twins Herbert and Lothar in 1913 and their respective marriage dates. Underneath is the birth of another son, Ottmar, who was born in 1907 and got married twice. The second marriage was in 1957, the first one is unknown. Barbara and Johann had six children together. The second oldest, Werner Päbst, was my husband’s Grandfather.
Barbara became a widow in 1916 when Johann died. She had a young family to provide for and got quickly married to her second husband, Phillip Friedrich Schneider, 6 March 1917 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein.
The marriage certificate has the same layout as the first one. Under number 1 the groom’s name is stated and that he was born in Pirmasens and that his parents had died there. Under number 2 it states the bride’s name and that she is a widow and that her Father lives in Ludwigshafen. Her Mother died in Ludwigshafen am Rhein.
Above is once again the second page of the marriage certificate. Under number 3 and 4 are the witness. To the left of the witnesses, once again more side notes. This time you can see 4 children and their respective marriages. Philip Anton born 1918, Renate Ann Else born 1921, Manfred Jakob born 1922 and Edgar Adolf born 1920. All four children were born in Ludwigshafen am Rhein.
Unfortunately Barbara lost her second husband in 1925. The older children had to pitch in and help raise the family. Barbara died in 1933 leaving behind a large family. The second oldest, my husband’s Grandfather, Werner Päbst took on the responsibility of taking care of the family.
Barbara was only 51 years old when she died. She was widowed twice and left behind 10 children.
Above is her death certificate. I have a picture of eight of her children.
All ten of her children had families of their own and were successful in their careers. My husband’s Grandfather is the handsome man on the right side of the picture.
Ed Hickman was my husband’s paternal Great Grandfather. He was born 16 May 1880 near Almota, Whitman County, Washington and died suddenly during a visit to his daughter in Redding, California, 24 June 1946.
Ed’s parents were Joseph Henry Hickman and Mary E Davis. He had three brothers and three sisters. Ed got married to my husband’s Great Grandmother, Edith Martha Burgess, 11 July 1906 in Whitman County, Washington.
A copy of this picture was given to me by his Granddaughter, Claudia Hickman Young (1936-2019). It shows Ed and his wife Edith. Ed received a wedding gift from his Father Henry Hickman.
The Colfax Gazette
Colfax, Washington • Fri, Jul 27, 1906Page 2
Ed and Edith Hickman had two children together. Lloyd (1912-1972) and Lucy (1916-1997), who was my husband’s Grandmother. A picture of the children below.
Ed’s wife Edith died 7 May 1928 in Colfax, Washington. Three years later he married his second wife Nancy Bartlett. Ed and Nancy did not have children together. At the time of Ed’s death, they lived together in Moscow, Idaho. Ed died suddenly in 1946 in California. He is buried in the Onecho cemetery in Whitman County, Washington.
The picture above shows Ed in the middle with his brothers Will and Jim Hickman. The copy was given to me by his Granddaughter Claudia Hickman Young (1936-2019).
Ed lived most of his life in Almota, Washington and moved later in his life to Moscow, Idaho. He died in Redding, California. Whenever possible, I will include a map.
Helene was my maternal 3rd Great Grandmother. She was born 8 April 1783 in Derendorf and died 30 August 1827 in Oberlörick, Germany. Her parents were Heinrich Mühlensieb and Anna Catharina Kauertz. Helene was baptized in the Heilige Dreifaltigkeit church. This is her baptismal record.
Look at the beautiful penmanship! Here you can learn a little Latin. Parentes are her parents, infans is the infant and patrina are the witnesses. Helena married my 3rd Great Grandfather, Joannes Petrus Wilhelmus Goetzen, 13 April 1809 in Düsseldorf. They had only three children together, one of them was my 2nd Great Grandmother, Maria Agnes Götzen 1813-1863. Helena got married again 5 Oct 1817 in Heerdt to Joannes Mathias Glassmacher.
Above is the marriage record from the church in Heerdt. It shows the name of the groom, the bride and their parents. It also states that Helene was a widow. Helene and Mathias had four children together. I didn’t know about the last child, Anna Maria Glasmacher 1827-1827, until I found Helene’s death entry in the church book in Heerdt.
Helene died 31 August 1827. Right above her on August 25th is her stillborn daughter Anna Maria Glasmacher. It is so important during your research to get copies of the original records. You just never know what you might find. Helene was only 44 years old when she died.
I always like to include a map. Helene was born and baptized in Derendorf. She also lived in Lörick and got married in the church in Heerdt. Derendorf, Lörick and Heerdt are nowadays all part of Düsseldorf.
Josephine was my maternal 2nd Great Grandmother. She was born 24 March 1842 in Brachelen and died 27 April 1920 in Neuß, Germany. Her parents were the saddler Godfried Gröbbels and Marie Josephine Hubertine Meisen. Josephine had at least nine brothers and sisters. All of them were baptized in the catholic church, St. Gereon, in Brachelen.
Josephine married my second Great Grandfather, Johann Sevenich, 8 Nov 1867, in the same church. They had 10 children together, one of them was my Great Grandfather Franz Sevenich 1870-1950. This is a copy of their marriage certificate from Brachelen.
The certificates states the date, names of the bride and groom and their parents’ names. It also states that both sets of parents agree to the marriage. There were four witnesses, all of them signed the certificate.
This a picture of my second Great Grandparents and their young family circa 1884. The tall boy is my Great Grandfather, Franz Sevenich.
The first two children, including my Great Grandfather, Franz Sevenich, were born in Brachelen. The rest of the children were born in Heerdt, which belongs now to Düsseldorf.
Josephine died 27 April 1920 in Neuß. I found her name mentioned in the newspaper.
I also have her death certificate
The death certificates states when and where Josephine died and that she was a widow. It also mentioned that her parents were both diseased in Brachelen.
Here is a map of where Josefine lived. Josephine’s husband worked for the railroad, this why they probably moved to Heerdt.
Genealogy Is An Adventure 