Genealogy Is An Adventure

Category: Uncategorized

  • Anna Catharina Unterdenbäumen 1808-1850

    Anna was my maternal third Great Grandmother. She was born 23 February 1808 in Neuß and died 3 February 1850 in Büderich, Germany. Her parents were the farmer Johann Unterdenbäumen and Maria Sibilla Gather. Anna had three sibling, two of them died in infancy before she was born, and her sister Anna Gertrud was born after her and lived to adulthood.

    Anna Catharina was married to my third Great Grandfather, Peter Jacob Gather, 7 October 1832, in Büderich which is not far from Neuß.

    Above is the marriage certificate from the registry office in Büderich. I also have the marriage record from the church. Underbäumen Anna Catharina 1850 Death

    Anna Catharina Unterdenbäumen and Peter Jacob Gather had eight children together. One of them is my second Great Grandmother, Anna Christina Gather, who was born 1842 in Büderich and died in 1906 in Heerdt. At least two more sibling lived to adulthood.

    Anna Catharina died 3 February 1850 in Büderich. She was only 41 years old. This is her death certificate. It does not give a cause of death.

    The name Unterdenbäumen literally translates into “Under The Trees”. I have not found an explanation where the name comes from. Most likely that someone had a house under the trees and started using that name once church records were being created. According to google and I cite: “Family names, or surnames, came into use in Germany during the 1500s and became a legal requirement in the 1800s. Most German surnames reflect characteristics such as these: Family, such as Ahrends (or son of Ahrend) Occupation, such as Schmidt and Mueller (or Smith and Miller)”.

    I like to include a map in my postings. Here is a modern map of where Büderich is in relation to Neuß. One has to be careful while doing research. There is another Büderich near the city of Wesel.

  • Joannes Winandus Josephus Krings 1760-1823

    My paternal third Great Grandfather, Joannes Winandus Josephus Krings, was baptized on March 10th, 1760 in the St. Lambertus church in Düsseldorf, Germany. His parents were Nicolaus Krings and Maria Clara Schadens.

    In his bapstismal record it shows his Father and his Mother, his given names and the witnesses. The witnesses were Joannes Krausen, Winandus Andermahr and Anna Brewers. You can see that he was named after two of the witnesses, Joannes and Winandus. Joannes Winandus got married in the same church to my third Great Grandmother, Maria Anna Josepha Weingartz on June 24th, 1787.

    In the marriage record his name was written in a different way. Joan Winandy. It has the same meaning. The witnesses were Josephy Krings and Petrus Engels. The marriage was also mentioned in the newspaper.

    I think it’s so cool to see the names of my ancestors in a newspaper from the year 1787.

    Winandus died May 2nd, 1823, at the age of 68, in Düsseldorf. Krings Winandus Death 2 May 1823 (2)

    Winandus only had step brothers and sisters. His Mother, Maria Clara Schadens had three children in her first marriage with Joannes Georgius Brandt. One year after Winandus was born, his Mother died and his Father remarried a year after her death to Anna Catharina Fassbender. They had together three children.

    My third Great Grandparents had nine children together. The youngest was my second Great Grandfather, the shoemaker, Andreas Daniel Krings.

    Here is a picture of St. Lambertus Church in Düsseldorf, which I took in 2018.

    Quite a few of my ancestors were baptized and married in this church.

  • Mardi Gras

    I grew up celebrating Mardi Gras. I only have one picture of me circa 1968 in my Mariechenkostüm. Roughly translated ” little Mary’s costume”.

    In my hometown, Düsseldorf, Germany Mardi Gras is a big deal. We have a huge parade on Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) which is always two days before Ash Wednesday. I have some old postcards from the circa 1960’s of Mardi Gras in my home town.

    Did you celebrate Mardi Gras when growing up?

  • Origins

    I am participating in Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 ancestors in 52 weeks.

    52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Themes for 2024

    I have always had difficulties researching one of my Grandfather’s line.

    My Grandfather, Alex Schneider (1898-1990) was born in Elberfeld which

    now belongs to Wuppertal. I have his birth certificate, however I am not sure

    if ever was baptized. Alex’s Father, Ferdinand Schneider (1855-1935) was

    born in Berlin and died in Elberfeld. Ferdinand left the evangelical church at

    one point in his life. I don’t know when and why he left the church.

    Ferdinand was baptized in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophienkirche_(Berlin)

    and he got married in the evangelical church in Gadderbaum, Bielefeld in

    1883.

    Ferdinand’s Mother, Caroline Francisca Amalie Büttner (1816-), was

    married in 1841 at the https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George%E2%80%99s_Church_(Berlin)

    Her church marriage record shows her age and her Father, but not when and where she was born.

    Caroline’s Father, Franz Xavier Büttner (1790-1836) was born in Steinwitz,

    Germany, which is nowadays in  Scinawica, Dolnoslaskie, Poland.

    Franz’s Father, Anton Büttner was born in Wöfelsdorf which is

    nowadays in Wilkanow, Dolnoslaskie, Poland.

    It’s nice to able to visualize on a map where one of my oldest known ancestor

    came from.

    Genealogy is not just an an adventure, but also a big puzzle. I still have to

    work on this line and sort out some of the dates.

  • The Art of Connection

    Welcome to WordPress! This is a sample post. Edit or delete it to take the first step in your blogging journey. To add more content here, click the small plus icon at the top left corner. There, you will find an existing selection of WordPress blocks and patterns, something to suit your every need for content creation. And don’t forget to check out the List View: click the icon a few spots to the right of the plus icon and you’ll get a tidy, easy-to-view list of the blocks and patterns in your post.

  • Beyond the Obstacle

    Welcome to WordPress! This is a sample post. Edit or delete it to take the first step in your blogging journey. To add more content here, click the small plus icon at the top left corner. There, you will find an existing selection of WordPress blocks and patterns, something to suit your every need for content creation. And don’t forget to check out the List View: click the icon a few spots to the right of the plus icon and you’ll get a tidy, easy-to-view list of the blocks and patterns in your post.