Genealogy Is An Adventure

Tag: Düsseldorf

  • An Ancestor I admire

    For the year 2026 I am participating in Amy Johnson Johnson’s Crow 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks.

    I didn’t have to look far for the ancestor I admire, it’s my paternal Grandmother, Maria Becker Krings nee Becker. Maria was born in Hamminkeln just about 5km outside of the city of Wesel. Her parents were the policeman Johann Heinrich Becker and his wife Gertruda Johanna Görtzen. Somehow, I always thought my Grandmother came from a big family, because she had eight children herself. So far I have only been a able to find a brother and a sister. More possible birth and baptisms records are not in the public domain yet.

    My Grandmother was always calm, she always smiled and she participated in whatever her large family was up to. I never heard any unkind words from here. She attended church every Sunday.

    Grandma lived through WW1 and WW2. She married my Grandfather, Wilhelm Krings in 1907 in Wesel in the Catholic Sankt Martini Church.

    Martinikirche

    And the inside of the church

    My Grandmother was also baptized in the church and her parents got married there. Unfortunately the church was destroyed during WW2 during British Air Raids.

    My Grandparents raised their family in Düsseldorf were my Grandfather grew up. The first four children, Wilhelm, Trude, Johann and Josef were born from 1907-1914.

    Wilhelm Krings & Maria Becker With Their First Born Son Wilhelm

    My Grandfather apparently served in WW1 in France and Russia according to a document I found online. It didn’t say where exactly. Unfortunately most military records were destroyed in WW2. My Grandfather came back from WW1 but many men did not. Four more children, Mathilde, Karl (my Dad), Richard and Ursula were born between 1919 and 1929.

    My Grandmother with two of her youngest children, Ursula walking and Richard in the pram circa 1929 in Düsseldorf.

    Life was good in 1929, their family was complete. My Grandfather had his own upholstery and decoration shop and the family had a nice apartment.

    Fast forward to Christmas 1938. A picture of my Grandmother with most of her children and the first grandchild sitting on her lap.

    Life was still good in this picture before WW2 broke out in the spring of 1939. My Grandmother in the middle, her oldest daughter, Trude and her husband Heinz on the right side. The two youngest, Ursula, smiling and Richard being held by the oldest. My Grandfather on the left side was cut off. My father, Karl, directly behind my Grandmother and behind him his older sister, Mathilde. I don’t know who the young man is behind her. One of my uncles who died after the war is on the right smoking a cigarette and holding a guitar. Two sons are missing, one was Wilhelm who had to move to the mountains because of his asthma and the other one was Josef who had moved to Berlin and later was killed in Russia.

    My Dad and his younger siblings wanted to join the Hitler Youth Groups. Children and teenagers did not have to go to Saturday school if they joined. Thankfully my Grandmother didn’t allow it, otherwise her own children would have spied on her and my Grandfather. It was a very dangerous time in 1938. Freedom of speech didn’t exist.

    In 1943 my Grandmother’s Father, Heinrich Becker, was killed in an air raid in Wesel. His body probably was never recovered. His death certificate was not issued until 10 years later. The same year, one of my Grandmother’s son, Josef was killed during a battle in July in Korowina, Russia.

    Josef with his son circa 1942, location unknown

    Also in 1943 her son Karl, my Dad, was drafted into military service. He had no choice in the matter, all the young men had to serve. My Dad was sent to Russia twice, however he kept getting sick and he had an injury on his leg, they released him from military service. He was one of the lucky ones.

    During the war in Düsseldorf my Grandmother and her family were bombed out three times. I don’t know how they managed to find shelter or food, after all they lived in the city and not in the country. There were 243 air raids on Düsseldorf. I can’t even imaging what that was like. My Grandmother lived through it with her family. Even after the war was over, the city was pretty much destroyed. Food was scarce, disease was rampant.

    In 1948 she lost another son, Johann. He died in Düsseldorf. In 1952 she came home to find my Grandfather deceased at the kitchen table.

    My Grandmother had her faith, I think this is what got her through the terrible times and she had her large family which kept growing after the war. She had 17 grandchildren. She attended all their baptisms, first communions and weddings. Her family had a big celebration for her 80th and 85th birthday.

    Grandma with her oldest son Willi and my Dad on his 50th birthday in 1974.

    Grandma and me circa 1973 at home in Düsseldorf

    When I grew up, none of the adults would talk about the war. I never even heard my Grandma talk about her parents or siblings, at least not that I can remember.

    Grandma died in 1975. All the surviving children and all her grandchildren attended her funeral. Her grave was a simple one, just like she would have liked it.

    Despite all the hardship she had to endure, she kept going and she stayed positive. I still miss her and I wished I could talk to her about her family and the war.

    Do you have an ancestor you admire? Please leave a comment below!

  • Merry Christmas

    Long before I got into genealogy, I collected postcards. It started when I was a little girl. When relatives or neighbors would go on vacation they would send me or my parents a postcard. I have quite a collection from people who are not with us anymore. About 10 years ago I started collecting images from my hometown, Düsseldorf, Germany. I have two binders full organized by publishing dates. The oldest one I believe was posted in 1896. A few years ago I saw a Christmas postcard and started to collect those. Those images are rare and hard to come by. Here are three from my Düsseldorf Christmas collection.

    I love this postcard, it shows an angel hovering over the new bridge spanning over the river Rhein. It was mailed 23 December 1900 to the Netherlands.

    This image is of Santa on the Graf Adolf Street. This image is from circa 1906. The street looks totally different today, as most of it was destroyed during WW2. The postcard was not mailed.

    This image is of the Marien Church and the Franciscan Monastery. The postcard was mailed 23 December 1905, 120 years ago. It’s hard to imagine all the things which happened during that time.

    I do hope you enjoyed these Christmas images. I wish all my readers a

    Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

  • St. Martin’s Day

    In Düsseldorf, Germany where I grew we celebrated St. Martin’s Day on November 11th. Every year in elementary school we mad lanterns for the parade. A tea light was used for illumination.

    When it started to get dark, we met in the school yard with our lanterns. St Martin on his white horse and with his red cloak led the parade through the part of the city where I lived. The band played music and we sang St. Martin songs. The most famous one was: “Ich geh mit meiner Laterne und meine Laterne mit mir”. Translation: “I walk with my lantern and my lantern with me”. At the end of the parade we returned to the school yard and St Martin would share part of his cloak with a beggar.

    After the parade we children would go from store to store and receive candy and other goodies. The bakeries would give out Weckmänner.

    It’s a sweet bread with raisins and a pipe. After eating it we would pretend to smoke the pipe.

    Martin was a roman soldier in the fourth century who shared his cloak with a freezing beggar. According to legend, that night he had a dream in which Jesus Christ appeared and carried half of his cloak. This prompted him to become a soldier and later a bishop in Tours, where he became known for his charity and humble lifestyle.

    Martin was born in Hungary around 316 AD and served as a Roman soldier. He was 17 years old when he performed the famous deed.

    One cold winter day, he encountered a freezing beggar outside the gates of Amiens. Having only his sword and cloak, he cut the cloak in half and gave one half to the man to save him from the cold.

    During the night, Christ appeared to him in a dream, wearing half the cloak, and told him that with his act he had clothed Christ himself.

    After this experience, Martin was baptized and left the army. He later became a monk and founded the first monastery in Europe.

    Although he initially hid from the office, he was consecrated Bishop of Tours. Even as a bishop he lived very modestly and dedicated himself to the poor and needy.

    He died November 8, 397 and was burred on November 11. To this day, he his venerated as a saint and on St. Martin’s Day he is commemorated with lantern parades and roast goose.

    Did you celebrate St. Martin as a child?

    Please leave a comment and/or subscribe!

  • Mary Anne Sinclair Frost’s Unsual Family

    Mary Anne Sinclair was born 11 October 1837 in Cape Town, South Africa. She was the daughter of Thomas Kenneth Sinclair and Maria Magdalena Weingartz. She was also the granddaughter of my distant cousin, Adamus Paulus Weingartz, who immigrated to South Africa, from Düsseldorf, Prussia via the the Netherlands in 1787. I blogged about Adamus a while ago. You can read about him here.

    Mary Anne married Frederik Dunch Frost 12 October 1855 in Cape Town, South Africa. Frederik was born 22 June 1828 in Stepney, England. The couple had their first child, Frederik James, on 31 July 1857 in Capetown. He was baptized 28 August 1857 in St. Georges Church in the same town. I have no further information on Frederik, he might have died very young.

    The young family then left South Africa and went to England. Their second child, Sara Perry Frost was born 30 November 1858 at sea. In the 1861 England Census we find Sara and her parents in Middlesex. No sign of her brother Frederik. The father’s profession was mariner or sailor.

    Sara stayed single her whole life. I found her in the 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 Census. She never married and she never worked. May she inherited some money. Sara died in January 1938.

    Sara’s sister Mary Magdalena Frost was born 18 June 1860 in Shadwell, London. I also found Mary in several censuses in England and she never married. In fact I found her living together with Sara and a younger, sister, Alice Mary Frost in 1921. Alice Mary also never married.

    Mary died April 1935 in Conway, Wales. So, why did the sisters not get married?

    The fourth child, Angelina Anna Frost was born circa 1862 and you guessed it, was also a spinster. She died in March 1900. What is going on in this family?

    The fifth child, Alice Mary Frost, was born 1863 in Islington, London and died in July 1939 in Surrey, England. I already mentioned her earlier, living together with her other unmarried sisters. We know have four sisters, all unmarried. Let’s take a look at the rest of the siblings.

    The sixth child, Frederick James John Frost was born in 1866. He left England and immigrated to Ohio, USA in 1892. He married Gertrude Mae Walker 11 October 1899 in Trumbull, Ohio. The couple had three children, Florence, Dorothy and Frederick Theodore. Frederick James died 13 August 1936 in Youngstown, Ohio and Gertrude died 27 January 1948 in Warren, Ohio. Their children Dorothy and Frederick both married. I couldn’t find a marriage or death date for Florence.

    The seventh child, Ada Frost, was baptized 31 May 1867 in Surrey, England. I did find her in the 1891 and 1901 England censuses. I couldn’t find anything specific after the 1901 census.

    The eighth child, Henry James Frost was baptized 20 September 1868 and died in October 1952 in Surrey, England. I did not find a marriage for him.

    The ninth child, Claud Frost, was baptized 10 April 1873 in Surrey. He married Rose Mabel Ledbrook 3 September 1902 in Saint Mark, England. They had three children together, Barbara, Evelyn and Phillip. I haven’t been able to find any marriages for them.

    The tenth child, Elsie Maude Frost, was baptized 22 January 1875 in Lambeth, England. I found her in the 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 England censuses plus in the 1939 England and Wales Register. Yes, you guessed it, she was not married either.

    The eleventh child, Albert George Frost, was born circa 1876. He immigrated to Australia and married Madeleine Henrietta Bode 7 April 1899 in Queensland, Australia. The couple had three children, Horace, Vivian and Adrian.

    The twelfth child, Horace Frost, was baptized 24 August 1877. I was able to find him in census records. In 1911 he lived together with his sisters, Sara and Elsie Frost. I have no specific dates for him after that.

    The last child, Leslie Howard Frost, was born in 1879 and died in 1880

    This family is mind boggling. None of the girls go married! Two of the boys went to America and Australia respectively. One stayed in England.

    Have you ever encountered such a family in your research? Leave a comment below.

  • 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.

    Sevenich Family early 1900’s

    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!

  • Happy Father’s Day

    Tomorrow is Father’s Day here in the USA. I will honor my Dad and his direct paternal line, meaning his father, grandfather and so on. You can read my Mother’s Day blog here.

    My Dad, Karl Franz Wilhelm Krings, was born 25 January 1924 and got married married 9 March 1946 to my Mom in Düsseldorf, Germany. He died 21 May 2006 in Bad-Neuenahr.

    Dad circa 1946

    Mom & Dad December 1968

    Dad came from a large family family. He had seven brothers and sisters. Two of them died in WW2. He was a hard worker. He apprenticed as a sales clerk in a local clothing store called C & A in the 1940’s. In the 1950’s Dad wanted to be his own boss and became a local flower wholesaler. It was a hard job. He had to be at the flower auction house at six in the morning trying to buy the flowers at a good price, stayed there until nine or ten and then delivered them to the shops. In the evening the leftovers were stored in an air conditioned warehouse. After dinner, Dad still had to do bookkeeping. He worked twelve to eighteen hours a day, including some weekends. The neighbors had the audacity to wake him up on Sunday mornings to buy some flowers from him and of course my Dad would never say no.

    Dad retired in 1984 and moved to Bad-Neuenahr, a smaller town where he would spend time with friends, go for walks and play Roulette at the casino. In 1994 we celebrated his 70th birthday.

    Dad’s 70th Birthday with his siblings.

    From left to right: Ursula, Dad, Trude and Richard

    Dad’s Father and my Grandfather, Wilhelm Eduard Josef Hubert Krings, was born 25 September 1882 and died 19 May 1952 in Düsseldorf. He married my Grandmother, Maria Becker, 13 May 1907 in Wesel.

    My Grandparents with their first child circa 1908

    Grandpa’s birth certificate

    His birth announcement in the local newspaper

    Grandpa only had one older brother. A sister had died in infancy. He fought in Russia and France in WW1 and later had his own business.

    From the 1926 Düsseldorf’s directory: – Krings, Wilhelm., Upholstery and decoration shop, Klosterstr. 112A; workshop: Kölner Street 50AU

    Grandpa suddenly died at home in 1952. I never had the pleasure of meeting him. I was born many years later.

    Grandpa’s Father and my Great Grandfather, Wilhelm Hubert Krings, was born 21 October 1840, got married to my Great Grandmother, Bertha Müller, 8 October 1869 and died 17 April 1909 in Düsseldorf.

    His birth announcement from 1840 in the newspaper. His mother’s maiden name Götzen is highlighted. Wilhelm was a professional gardener as seen in the Düsseldorf directory from 1881.

    Krings, Wilhelm, Gardener, Grafenbergerchaussee 8.

    Wilhelm died 1909 in Düsseldorf. His death certificate is below.

    Wilhelm’s Father and my 2x Great Grandfather, Andreas Daniel Josef Krings, was born 25 September 1808, got married to my 2x Great Grandmother, Maria Agnes Götzen, 12 August 1835 and died 28 October 1871 in Düsseldorf.

    1808 Baptism in the Sankt Martin’s church in Düsseldor-Bilk.

    He got married in the same church.

    Andreas and his family were in the census taken in Düsseldorf between the years 1854-1860.

    It contains the last and first names, professions, Andreas was a shoemaker and his wife Agnes had her own market stall. It also contained the family’s birth dates. One son, Johann, is crossed out. He probably already had died. Another child, Henricus 1838-1840, was not mentioned at all.

    Andreas as well as his wife Agnes were in the 1855 directory for Düsseldorf. Her name was mentioned right under his name. They lived on the Duisburger Street 71.

    Andreas was 63 years old when he died in 1871.

    His death card mentioned that he had been widowed for seven years and that he had left two sons and grandsons behind.

    Andreas’ father and my 3rd great grandfather, Joannes Winandus Josephus Krings, was born 10 March 1760 and died 2 May 1823 in Düsseldorf. He married my 3rd great grandmother, Maria Anna Josepha Weingartz, 27 June 1787 also in Düsseldorf.

    Baptism 1760 and Marriage 1787

    St. Lambertus Church in Düsseldorf

    Newspaper announcement after the wedding.

    Winandus died at the age of 68 in 1823.

    Winandus’ Father and my 4th Great Grandfather, Nicolaus Krings, was born 15 January 1733 in Birgelen. This small village is located 33 miles east of Düsseldorf, near the Belgium border.

    Nicolaus married my 4th Great Grandmother, Maria Clara Schadens, 26 January 1760 in Düsseldorf.

    They had only one child together, my 3rd Great Grandfather. Nicolaus got married again in 1761 to Anna Catharina Fasbender. They had three children. Nicolaus died 9 August 1781 at the age of 48 in Düsseldorf-Bilk.

    Nicolaus’ Father and my 5th Great Grandfather, Godefridus Crins, was baptized 22 March 1708 and died 18 August 1743 in Birgelen. He was married to my 5th Great Grandmother, Agnetis Leonards.

    Godefridu’s Father and my 6th Great Grandfather, Nicolaus Creins, was born circa 1680 and he was married to my 6th Great Grandmother, Sophia Greven.

    My direct paternal line ends with Godefridus for now. I have high hopes, that one day the church books will be online. The last name Krings was at one time spelled Crins and before that Creins. It really depended on how the people would pronounce their names and how the pastor would hear and record it. Some descendants might still carry the name Crins or Creins or another different spelling.

    I was able to go back eight generations for my direct paternal line.

    The first Father’s Day in the USA was celebrated 19 June 1910. In Germany Father’s Day is celebrated on Ascension Day. It’s always on a Thursday. The very first one was also celebrated in 1910.

    I do hope you enjoyed this article.

    Please leave a comment and/or subscribe! Thank you!

  • Anna Elisabeth Herbst 1722-1782

    My paternal 4th Great Grandmother, Anna Elisabeth, was baptized 21 June 1722 in the Sankt Lambertus Catholic Church in Düsseldorf, Germany. Her parents were Joannes Dionysius Herbst and Anna Elisabeth Borrigs.

    The church is located in old town Düsseldorf near the river Rhein.

    Anna Elisabeth had ten brothers and sisters, all born and baptized in Düsseldorf.

    • 1. Maria Gertrudis born 1717
    • 2. Anna Christina born 1718, married to Bernhard Henricus Robertz, they had 16 children.
    • 3. Anna Sophia born 1721
    • 4. Joannes Petrus born 1724, married to Sybilla Schumachers. They had one child.
    • 5. Theodorus Godefridus born 1726
    • 6. Theodorus Wilhelm born 1727, married to Margaretha Dahmen
    • 7. Joannes Theodorus born 1729
    • 8. Anna Margaretha born 1730
    • 9. Joannes Ferdinandus born 1732
    • 10. Anna Sybilla born 1734

    Anna also had five half siblings from her Father’s second marriage to Anna Margaretha von Rath

    • 1. Catharina Sophia born 1737, died 1802 in Benrath, was married to Joannes Wilhelmus Heubes. They had 8 children.
    • 2. Anna Gertrudis born 1738
    • 3. Anna Maria born 1740
    • 4. Sybilla Catharina born 1744
    • 5. Maria Anna born 1746

    Anna married my 4th Great Grandfather, Petrus Josephus Weingartz, 4 August 1746 in Sankt Martinus Church in Düsseldorf-Bilk.

    The Weingartz couple had 11 children, all born and baptized in Düsseldorf.

    • 1. Anna Gertrudis Bernadina born 1747, died 1787 in Düsseldorf, married to Petrus Josephus Sebus. They had 8 children.
    • 2. Joannes Petrus born 1749
    • 3. Christina Catharina born 1750
    • 4. Henricus Paulus born 1752
    • 5. Maria Sophia born 1754
    • 6. Maria Anna, my 3rd Great Grandmother born 1756, died 1814 in Düsseldorf, married to my 3rd Great Grandfather, Joannes Winandus Josephus Krings. They had 9 children including my 2nd Great Grandfather, Andreas Daniel Joseph Krings born 1808.
    • 7. Joannes Angelus Josephus born 1758, married to Anna Wilhelmina Margareta Hellersberg.
    • 8. Joannis Henricus born 1759, married to Anna Catharina Hoenen.
    • 9. Magdalena Josepha born 1761
    • 10. Anna Elisabetha Josepha born 1763
    • 11. Henricus Antonius Bernardus born 1767

    Anna died in April of 1781. I found her in the catholic burial’s announcements in the local newspaper.

    Transcription: Den 21ten, Anna Elisabetha Herbst, Ehefrau Weingartz, alt 59 Jahr 10 Monat. Translation: The 21st, Anna Elisabetha Herbst, wife of Weingartz, age 59 years and 10 months.

    Elisabeth had lots of descendants. 11 children, 17 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren and 82 two times great grandchildren. Those are the ones I have found, there might be a lot more.

    I would love to be able to time travel and meet all my ancestors to see how they lived, what they ate, how they cooked, what they feared. Were they able to read and write? Did they go to school?

    Which ancestor would you like to meet and why?

    Please leave a comment and/or subscribe! Thank you!

  • Josef Richard Heinrich Krings 1914-1943

    My paternal uncle, Josef Krings, was born 18 May 1914 in Düsseldorf, Germany and was killed 5 July 1943 during WW2 at the battle of Korowina, Bjelgrod, Russia. His parents were Wilhelm Krings and Maria Becker. I recently was able to obtain a copy of his birth certificate, which is now in the public domain, from Düsseldorf City Archives.

      His birth certificate has two Randvermerke or side notes. One is for his marriage and the other one for the death certificate. I have copies of both.

    Josef grew up in a large family with seven brothers and sisters. At one point he moved to Berlin. I don’t know exactly when and why. There, he married Antonia Sotola, 24 July 1940. She was born in Stockerau near Vienna, Austria. They had a son in 1941, named Georg, my first cousin. I have never met him.

    Uncle Josef, probably with his wife Antonia and may be his mother in law. Location unknown, probably taken in Berlin, circa 1940.

    Uncle Josef and cousin Georg circa 1942, location may be in Berlin.

    Josef and Georg 1941 in Berlin

    Cousin Georg 14 months old probably in Berlin, 1942

    Josef was killed in Korowino, Russia in July 1943. The death certificate was issued a year later, in July 1944, in Berlin.

    Josef’s wife, Antonia, together with their son Georg, moved back to Austria.

    I gathered the information about Josef from several source.

    • 1. Birth and death dates I learnt from my Dad who passed away in 2006
    • 2. The pictures were given to me by his younger sister, Ursula, who also passed away in 2006.
    • 3. Berlin death certificates are online from 1874-1985 at Ancestry. I didn’t know that my uncle had lived in Berlin, until I saw the certificate. From the side notes I learnt where to order the marriage and birth certificate.
    • 4. His marriage certificate from 1940, which I did not post here, I ordered from the City Archives in Berlin .
    • 5. I tried to look for his grave, but there is none. His body was never recovered. You can search for graves here at the German War Graves Commission.

    A few tips when you search at the German War Graves Commission site. The spelling of the names have to be exact. I would start with just a last name. Birth dates also have to be exact as well. German dates are written differently. For example today’s date is 5-19-25. In Germany the date would be 19-05-25.

    Every time you search the site, they want you to enter your name, address, email and so on. If you do find your relative, you then have the option of getting updates by email and/or also make donations to the website. I have never received any junk mail, only an occasional email every few years if there is something new on the battle/grave site.

    You can order military records at the Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive) in Germany. The web site is in German and English. I ordered my Dad’s service record over 10 years ago. It took two years to get them. It might even take longer nowadays. If you are looking for WW1 service records, you will have no luck. They were destroyed during WW2. The only exception are the Bavarian WW1 Personnel Records 1914-1918 which are at ancestry.

    Here is a map of where Josef was born (Düsseldorf), lived (Berlin) and died (Russia)

    In a future post I will write about Josef’s brother who was also a soldier and died shortly after the war ended. I am still gathering facts and documents.

    If you like this post, please leave a comment and/or subscribe! Thank you!

  • Overlooked

    Once again I am participating in Amy Johnson’s Crow 52 ancestors in 52 weeks. This weeks title is ” Overlooked”.

    Have you ever overlooked something in your family tree? It’s easily done by not checking facts or looking at original records. Let’s get right to it. My two times paternal Great Grandparent Johann and Franziska Müller had at least seven children together. For all them I had their birth and or baptism dates and for some I had the marriage and death dates. In 2018 I had a second and third cousin match on “My Heritage” for that line and I was able to fill in a lot of dates and received copies of marriage and death certificates. One of the children was Helena Müller born and died November 1852 in Düsseldorf. Helena would have been my Great Grandaunt. From what it looked like the infant was still born and or died right after birth. I didn’t have a source for the death. My third cousin gave me this information and I thought may be she had already checked the church books. I didn’t pay anymore attention to this person.

    Fast forward to the spring of 2024. I had a new third cousin match at “Ancesty.com”. Most people in the USA have lots of first and second cousin matches. I have neither. I grew up in Germany and lots of people don’t get tested in European countries. So a third cousin match is a big deal for me, in fact this is the best one I have on ancestry. There was no tree associated with the match, so I contacted the owner hoping for an answer. She was living in South Carolina and her first name was Bettina. That first name is quite common in Germany. So I thought may be that there was a chance that she might be from my home country.

    Bingo! Bettina answered a couple of weeks later and yes, she was not just from Germany, but also from my hometown in Düsseldorf. Emails went back and forth. I told her that I probably would be able to figure out our common ancestors. She gave me as much information as she had and I got to work. It took me less than two days to figure it out. As soon as I saw the name “Müller” as one of her ancestor, I knew I had the answer. Her direct ancestor was as you guessed it “Helena Müller” who came back from the dead.

    Helena Müller was born 9 November 1852, got married 1 January 1877 to Reinhold Gossen and died 20 August 1909 in Düsseldorf. I have her marriage and death certificate as well. Her marriage certificate has her birth date, so I know now had proof that I had the correct name.

    Marriage Certificate

    Death Certificate

    The moral of the story is, only enter a death date if you have proof. I was pretty lucky to have the DNA match with my new found cousin and she was willing to give me the information she had. I have been able to add a new branch to my family tree and that’s always very exciting. Below all the children of Bettina and my common ancestral couple Johann and Franziska Müller.

    If you like my blog, please make a comment and/or subscribe. Thank you!

  • 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