Genealogy Is An Adventure

Tag: Düsseldorf

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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?

  • Earning A Living

    I am participating in Amy Johnson Crow’s

    52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Themes for 2024

    This weeks’ topic is “Earning A Living”. 

    There is one ancestor couple that stands out. My second Great Grandparents, Andreas Daniel Joseph Krings and Maria Agnes Götzen. In an Düsseldorf, Germany, address book from 1855 I find them living on the the Duisburger Street 71. He is shoemaker and she must have something like a grocery store.

    It reads: Krings, Andreas, Shoemaker, Duisburger Street 71 and she is underneath and it reads: Krings Andreas, wife, grocery store dealer. I would think that this was a big deal back in 1855. Both husband and wife were working and had possibly their own businesses. A census, which I have a copy of, was taken in Düsseldorf between 1854-1860. Once more it shows the jobs they have in those years.

    It shows their last and first names, professions, where they lived in Düsseldorf, their exact birth dates and where they were born. Three children are alive at this time. From Andrea’s obituary I know that he had only two surviving sons and grandchildren. The daughter Katharine must have died before 1871. Agnes was only 49 years old when she died.

    It says: Died: Agnes Krings nee Götzen, 49 years old, wife, Duisburger Street. Andreas died in the year 1871.