Genealogy Is An Adventure

Tag: Krings

  • 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 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.

  • Maria Anna Josepha Weingartz 1756-1814

    Maria was my 3rd Great Grandmother and she was baptized on February 17th, 1756 in the St. Lambertus church in Düsseldorf.

    The photo of the church was taken by a famous photographer, Julius Söhn, probably during the late 19th century. This is her baptismal record:

    Maria’s parents were Petrus Josephus Weingartz and Anna Elisabetha Herbst. She got married to Joannes Winandus Josephus Krings, my 3rd Great Grandfather, in the same church on 24 June 1787. This is their marriage record:

    Their marriage was also announced in the local newspaper:

    Maria died in Düsseldorf on 17 September 1814. I found her death record at St. Martins church in Bilk which is nowadays a part of Düsseldorf.

    I know from this death entry that her calling name was Anna and not Maria. Anna had nine children, at least five of them lived to adulthood. One of them is my 2nd Great Grandfather, the shoemaker, Andreas Daniel Joseph Krings.

  • 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.

  • 100 Years

    Today would have been my Dad’s 100th birthday. His name was Karl Wilhelm Krings and he was born January 25th, 1924, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

    The picture was taken in September of 1946

    My Dad grew up in a large family. He had four brothers and three sisters. Two of his older brothers died in WW2 in Russia. He talked about them a lot. My Dad had his own wholesale flower business. He had to drive to the auction every morning and buy his flowers and then deliver them to the local flower shops. After my Dad retired, he moved to Bad-Neuenahr. There he spent time with his friends. He loved the casino and going for long walks. Dad died in 2006. I still miss him.

    Happy Birthday Dad!