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  • Maria Johanna Becker 1885-1975

    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.

    I always try to include a map

    Sources

    Stadtarchiv Hamminkeln

    Stadtarchiv Wesel

    Baptismal Church Records Wesel

    Google Maps Hamminkeln

    Stadtarchiv Düsseldorf

  • Joannes Petrus Wilhelmus Goetzen 1783-1816

    Joannes Petrus Wilhelmus Goetzen was my paternal third Great Grandfather. Joannes was baptized 9 July 1783 in Düsseldorf Heerdt and died 1 September in Oberlörick near Düsseldorf Heerdt. His parents were Heinrich Goetzen and Anna Catharina Boeckers.

    In his baptismal enty it says that he is the legitimate child of Heinrich Goetzen and Anna Catharina Boeckers. An older picture of St. Benediktus Church in Heerdt.

    You can read about the church in German in Wikipedia.

    Joannes got married 13 April 1809 in Düsseldorf to my third Great Grandmother, Helene Catharina Muehlensieb. The church book for that year is not online.

    Joannes and Helene had only three children together. One of them is my second Great Grandmother, Maria Agnes Götzen 1813-1863.

    Here is a group sheet for Johannes and Helene

    Joannes died 10 days before his third and last child was born.

    The church book entrance above, states that he died 1 September 1816.

    I always like to include a map

    From now on, I will also try to include my sources whenever I can.

    1. Family Search
    2. Ancestry
    3. St. Benedictus Baptisms In Heerdt 1779-1862
    4. St. Benedictus Death 1779-1884
    5. Google Maps

  • Adamus Josephus Dittmar 1833-1912

    Adamus Joseph Dittmar was my brother in law’s third Grandfather. Adamus is the Latin form of Adam. Adam was born 25 October 1833 in Buttlar, Germany and died 25 November 1912 in Jersey City, New Jersey. His parents were the farmer, Johanni Adamus Dittmar and Sophia Ezel.

    Adam was the youngest of ten children. Coming from a very tiny village, he probably had no chance of getting a good job besides being a farmer. The oldest son would have inherited the farm. Adam travelled to Bremen, where he boarded the Ammerland to sail to New York. The ship arrived 9 November 1850.

    Adam is on the Ammerland’s manifest as seen above and the arrival is also mentioned in his passport application from 1893.

    Adam stayed in New York City for a little while. He married his wife, Elisabeth Kircher, 5 July 1855. As seen below, Elisabeth was born 9 April 1932 in Buttlar, Germany. Most likely Adam and Elisabeth had met already in their home village.

    OkIn this country Adam was known as A J Dittmar. I found him on a New Jersey tax list in 1864. Is occupation is builder.

    Adam and Elisabeth had together 14 children born from 1856-1877. All of them were born in New Jersey. One of them, Adam J Dittmar Junior was my brother in law’s second Grandfather. 80th

    A J Dittmar was a prominent citizen in Jersey City, New Jersey as you can see from his obituary.

    The Jersey Journal

    Jersey City, New Jersey • Mon, Nov 25, 1912,Page 1

    A J Dittmar had a very busy and successful life.

    My brother in law recently flew to Germany and visited a brewery with the Dittmar name.

    The brewery is only 27, 6 km or 17.14 miles away from Buttlar. It’s very possible that the original owner were somehow related to A J Dittmar.

    Owning a brewery must be in the Dittmar genes. If you are ever in the Seattle area, you can visit Airways Brewing owned by my brother and sister in law Alex and Dione Dittmar.

  • Sophia Hermina Louisa Ontrup 1860-1934

    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 1881-1933

    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.

  • Edward “Ed” Hickman 1880-1946

    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 Catharina Mühlensieb 1783-1827

    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 Odilia Gröbbels 1842-1920

    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.

  • 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.

  • Franciska Getrud Müller 1812-1886

    Franciska was my paternal second Great Grandmother. She was born on 23 March 1812 in Engelskirchen and died on 27 July 1886 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Her parents were the shoemaker, Johannes Müller and Anna Catharina Miebach.

    Above her death certificate from Düsseldorf. It mentioned her son, Eduard Müller who gave the death information to the registrar, her husband Johann Müller who was still alive and it also stated that her son only knew that her parents died in Engelskirchen, however he didn’t know their names.

    Franziska was married to my second Great Greatfather Johann Müller. The marriage date has been a mistery. We don’t know when and where they got married, even so both of them were from Engelskirchen. A second cousin of mine in Germany has tried very hard to find the marriage, but no success so far.

    Franziska and Johann Müller moved a lot and they had a large family. Their first two children, Elisabeth and Wilhelm, were born in Hückeswagen. Their next three children, Bertha who is also my Great Grandmother, Johann and Eduard were born in Elberfeld (Wuppertal). The last two children, Helena and Gertrud were born in Düsseldorf. May be Johann was looking for better job opportunities. In Düsseldorf he worked in a factory.

    Here you can see the towns of Engelskirchen, Hückeswagen, Elberfeld and Düsseldorf on a modern map. My guess is that my second Great Grandparents married somewhere between Engelskirchen and Hückeswagen. Why did they not get married in Engelskirchen? May be their parents didn’t approve? Lots of questions I can’t answer yet. I am also waiting for Engelskirchen church books to come online.

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