Martin Bowers was born in Darmstadt, Germany in 1805 along with his Wife Elizabeth Stephan; he died in 1845 the same years his wife gave birth to twins Catherine and John Martin Bowers in Mogadore, Portage, Ohio.  His other four children were born in Germany and died in Ohio or Illinois.  His father may be Johnann Martin Bauer 1769-1838?

Keith, familysearch.org shows a Martinus Andreas Bauer, born Oct 23, 1801, christened Oct 25, 1801 at the Katholischekirche in Oppenheim, Rheinhessen, Darmstadt-Hesse

https://familysearch.org/search/record/results#count=20&query=%....

But, as you can see from that webpage, there are other Bauers spread around different parishes in Darmstadt, although I didn't see another Martin.  And, adding Johann Martin Bauer as father did not yield any Martin as a son. 

LDS has films for many of the parishes, but without more information, I'm not sure how you'll find Martin.  Do you have the church birth records for his German-born children?

Catherine,

Thanks for your information and the link from the Darmstadt area the family was Catholic and I have the baptism records for the children born in Ohio but have not looked for the Bauer the childrens birth records from Germany:  Catherine, Margaret, Adam, and Gearhart.  I do have the record from Oberöwisheim, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.  Today I'm new to Genealogy Wise.

I am searching the surname "Kristoffer von Holten" born 1848 from Hannover and "Karolina Schmitt/Roth" born 1843 from Alcasse/Loraine. I will be very happy if there is someone who have any connections to this ancestors. 

I am still looking for information on my Great Grandmother, Wilhelmina Nesensohn. b:May 21,1855, in or near Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany. She came to USA sometime from 1872 or 1882. Her Fathers first name was Mathew, according to her death cir. but no mention of her Mother. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Bertil, there are records for several Caroline Schmitt/Schmidts and Caroline Roths on familysearch.org.  And there is a Christoff Von Holtum there as well, although he was from Rheinhessen.

Hi Catherine !! I have seen those pesons in familysearch but I am looking for more specifik data for example "what parish in Reinhessen were they born, there is a lot of different data in familysearch, so if you have something about their life before they came to US. I am not familier with german records if there is any.

Bertill, without knowing the individual town in Rheinhessen from whence they came, my suggestion to you is to first get the date range of the period in which they resided there, then find the parishes that made up the area.  That will whittle down the possibilities and give you specific records to look at.  It's not that easy as many of the records are not in a database and I wouldn't suggest trusting anyone else's transcription of the records. Right now, I'm scouring all the handwritten records for Höchstenbach from 1720 - 1744 for a family name. 

Sorry, Bertil, I'm not researching this family so I don't have any specific information beyond what I've searched since you posted your request.  But, Rheinhessen and Hannover are not close geographically, so if you're sure Christoffer came from Hannover, it would make more sense to start there if you're going to go through individual church records via microfilm at an LDS family history center.  Rheinhessen, however, is closer to Alsace-Lorraine than is Hannover.  It looks like this family was in Champaign, Illinois?  Have you checked local history books for that area to see if Christoff or one of his children might have had a biographical sketch which might give more info as the birthplace.

Thanks Catherine and Kate for your help. I will try to reach the sources!!

My grandfather, Carl Heinrich POKALLUS b. 1858 in Gross Sauerken, EP Germany. 

Gross Saurken
Today's Name : Surzyk Wielkie
County: Mohrunge
Province: Ostpreussen (EP as noted)
Today's Province: Olsztynskie
Location: East 19°45'
North 53°4'
Description: This village/town is located 4.0 km and
199 degrees from Simnau, which is known
today as Szymonowo.

This information was taken from Kartenmeister.

Parents were Heinrich POKALLUS  and Carolina BRADLAU (no dates).  Would it be possible for anyone to give me direction on where to look for information about where Heinrich & Caroline were born/died/buried?  Related names are ZIMMERMANN, OSTIKE, BOTCHER, all from the same area.

PE_P0702ZB_Hill_Rudolph_PA_G%C3%BC-2.pdf

Hi,

can anyone translate this letter from German to English? i may have written them before but I wanted to know if they had any information. its a pdf they sent

Thanks,

Brian

Brian,

This the closest i can come up with.It appears there is a charge to obtain the information. My German is not very good. Some of the words were impossible to figure out but  I hope it helps.

Responding to your inquiry
Dear Mr. Hill
Your request has been received in the city archives Chemnitz.
Due to the large number of such concerns and extensive research into the matter over traditional person and registration documents , the processing time in months amounts to more than three months.
The short form of this writing, is a fast ,  way to edit your message.
Genealogical research in the city archives are chargeable in Chemnitz.
The high level of FEES depends on the effort we need to expend search costs are also negative Info request .
Ground calculated 12.00 Euro per quarter hour . For copies fall .70 euros per side, authentications for 5.00 Euro . In your case, we assume that 1 hour / s research time .
For processing your request we Require following information from your

Assurance of FEES Underwriting
Postal address ( no PO Box)
Please send us your answer by post or email .

Thanks,

I wrote a number of places in Germany several years ago and this may have been one I already exhausted. I was curious if they actually found something but I guess the are asking for a search fee. i think i may have already searched here because i remember reaching a dead end.

I am searching for my Lawbaugh (Labach, Laubauch, Laubaugh) ancestry.  I don't speak German nor am I familiar with German geography.  I do know they were in PA, OH, IL as well as Kansas - where I live.  My mother's maiden name was Lawbaugh.  Hopefully being a part of this group will be helpful.

Linda Gray  

Please take a look at this and see how we helped Bob!

http://video.visitdenmark.com/video/3495646/denmark-on-demand-american

If any of you live in Bavaria, I would like to contact Mrs. Elizabeth Jung from Kleinwallstadt.  I have heard that she has collected information from the town of Elsenfeld for the past forty years. My great, great grandfather, Louis Fischer was born there in 1834 and I would like to ask her if she has anything about his family or the time when he lived there (1834 to 1854 when he emigrated to America.

@Barbara Gray--Can you supply more information about your family?  Have you followed them back as far as you can go in the US?  What is the time frame for when they came to this country and what are the names of those who came?  Do you have any indication of where in Germany they came from or names you might search for there?  Germany is a tricky country to find anyone without a known starting point.  There are some good pointers on German research at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Germany.

I am still having bricks wall trying to find info on my father's family.  this most of the info I have. to date except for a slight lead to Lipsig.  If you are familiar with this please let me know.  The following is what I have.

My ancestor was Johann Heinrich TUPHORN, born In Ictershausen, Thuringia, Prussia in (perhaps) 1812.  He left Germany because of his involvement in the 1848 Student's (Bonn) Rebellion, also known as the Carl Schurz Rebellion and eventually settled in Sparta, Wisconsin.

Are there any descendants of 48ers on this forum?  

I am looking for info for Bonifacius Schmidt.  He was born in 1824 in Herbolzheim, Germany.  He came to the US in July 1845.  According to Ancestry His father was Franciscus Anton Schmidt and his mother was Johanna Hoch.  Franciscus was born in 1777.  That is as far back as I can get which is why I need help.  I would write to Germany if I knew where to write or what exactly to ask for.  Any help I can get will be greatly appreciated.

Diane, Have you researched on familysearch.org? Their records appear to be from 1558.  

I looked there but I couldn't even find anything for Herbolzheim, Germany.  That is why I need help.  Thank you.

 Go to the familysearch.org site and order the record to go to your nearest Family History Center.  It looks like 4 rolls. You have to order and pay for them on line these days.  Get an expert German reader to go with you when they arrive. The old script is hard for modern Germans, I understand. The World Cat has it, but also in Salt Lake, and I can't tell if it is in book form or what.    

Search Results for FamilySearch Catalog

Yes, FamilySearch is the best (cheapest) way to go first.

If that does not help you, contact me privately. I can contact the local Standesamt and see what/if they charge for records.  Plus it is not to far of a trip for me (about 90 minutes). I am not free, but a lot cheaper than if you were to hire someone from the states.  I read old German script also.

Re Marilyn's post to Diane--the kirchenbuch is on film.  Kirchenbuch simply means Church Book.  It is not the usual BMD but is more like a census in that it lists every couple in the parish and their children.  It will also tell you the parents of the couple, gives birth dates for all, and often includes death dates of all and marriage partners and marriage dates of the children.  It is not a substitute for the BMD but was compiled by the priest or minister from them.

I do not think you need to take a German reader with you.  I do not know German but can read the kirchenbuch with the assistance of an alphabet chart and a dictionary.  The old German script is difficult to read in that letters are not in the Roman alphabet that we are familiar with and it takes a lot of patience to read it but it can be done.  Your average modern German can't read the script any easier than you can because it has not been used in Germany since before WWII.  See http://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Germany_Handwriting  for assistance in reading the script and to obtain an alphabet chart. 

Diane, I wrote to several members of the Tuphorn family in Germany and received a little information, but the best was a response from someone on the internet in Germany.  Her English was wonderful.  She understood contractions, and wrote with such seeming ease I thought she had gone to school here. Turned out, she was a high school student, and had never been out of Germany.  She was a descendant of a sister of my 48er.   She and her siblings have gone on to college and I don't hear from her anymore. But I have the information taken from the Kirchenbuch saying he had gone to Amerika because of his involvement with the rebellion thus confirming a family legend. 

To Paul and Catherine: I tend to forget that some folks live far from research facilities like Family History Centers.  In San Diego, I have a multi-stake FHC within ten miles by interstate, a public library with a whole floor devoted to Gen research books  45 miles up the coast, and a nearby branch with a Librarian with a Masters in Library Science. Now that I am somewhat disabled, I love doing a little research on the computer, but It is not the same as cranking the handle on a microfilm reader and getting hints from other researchers present. 

Yep, FHC’s are the way to go. Not all the records are there, but you should check there first. :) We actually have a small one in Kaiserslautern. I volunteer there once a month or so to help folks with their German research.

Yes, most people here can speak some English. Some are reluctant to speak, but can at least understand.

@Catherine, I agree you do not need a German speaker for pulling names and dates out of the records. However, I think it is a mistake not to eventually get them completely translated as much as possible. I have seen some great stories hidden in the records. That is what we are after right? I once found a whole branch of my tree still living here in Germany because I translated my distant aunt’s marriage record (from about 1840) and found a brother (who I had thought might have died young) in the record. He was living 30km away and I had had no idea where he was. His name and town were buried about 75% down in the record. Not all records are gold mines, but you never know.

I've gone back in the forum archives from several years ago.  I wish there was a way to pull out the names of those being researched without having to do so, but I am persistent.  Is there a list?

@Paul Hart.  I agree that the entire record should be translated, but most records are not that difficult to figure out at least the gist of what is there and do not require professional help.  Perhaps I am lucky that I have a knack for reading languages.  Speaking a language is a different story.

I will share and hope to find information on the following German families that came to America.

Gottlieb Benninghoven md Henrietta Krieger in Duesseldorf area. born in area.

   ]Krieger parents?]  immigrated @ 1875 to Seward, NE.

son Otto Benninghoven md Flora Winkler b Riley, KS

Auguste & Fredrick Winkler born Germany to St. Louis then Riley, KS & built mills on Fancy Creek, KS.  These brothers married sisters who came from Germany also.

Anna and Pauline Voegler.

On my side, Johann Henrich Rehm born 15 Jan 1818 Darmstadt, Hesse ?... came by 1850 Cen in Ozaukee, WI with mother Katarina nee ? b1782 & sister Maria b 1816 Hessia.  HENRY md. Louisa Thieme b 15 Jan 1838 [TC Thieme & Emelie Mai Thieme-Lanstadt >] 9 Sept. 1902 9th Ward Milwaukee. They are buried in the Union Cemetery Milwaukee. Ang help is welcome & I'll be happy to share.  mgarabians@eaglecom.net.  Joy

Hi Joy, I have family from the Düsseldorf area and have done some research there. Right now I have no plans for going back, but that could change. Contact me privately and let me a little more about where you are researching and I will try to remember to look for you when/if I go.

Paul, it's really not that difficult to gleen the story from the records without hiring a translator or imposing upon the next person over at the research table. It's called a German to English dictionary, learning the basic terminology of the records, and availing oneself of several free online translators. Works for most European languages. I can't speak for translating Chinese, Japanese, etc. but for the Romance languages, it works like a charm. Perhaps it's just that I'm more private in my research and enjoy the quiet and solititude of the respositories to think and analyze my findings, while engaging in conversation with other researchers from time to time.  My work is mine alone.

Another question for you wonderful people...I'm attempting to search my great-grandfather's military service.  I know that he was in the German Army during World War II.  Then at some point he was captured (not sure where) and sent to a POW camp in Yugoslavia.  I know nothing about searching military records in foreign countries.  I've been focused on the Civil War here in the United States.

My question is, is it possible to scan records/search records here in the United States without making a trip to Germany?  The war is a very emotional topic for my grandmother and she was only 10 when the war ended so she doesn't know very much of my great-grandfather's service.  Any help or direction would be very much appreciated.

--Michelle

Michelle,

See https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Germany_Military_Records .

I am trying to find documentation that William Lawbaugh, b. Oct. 10, 1823 in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio is the son of John J. Laubach (Lawbaugh), b. July 8, 1799 in Columbia PA.  This John J. was the son of Lewis Laubach and Mary Ann Clinger. They are both buried in the family plot in Geneseo, IL.  So far I have not found birth, death, or church records linking them as father and son.  William married Lydia Ummel in Nov. 1849 so was out the the family home of John J. and Margaret Schaub for the 1850 census. I seem to be against the wall and could use any help one might be kind enough to give.  Thank You, Linda Gray

Kate, I agree with you that it is possible to get the information from Google Translate. It is fine for pulling names, places and dates out of a document.

However, if you are not familiar with German, and you are looking for a detailed translation, it may not work or give you the wrong info. I know. I have tried it. There is an older woman on a German mailing list with the current problem. She is 85 years old, does not know German and according to her it is, "too late for me to learn now."

I have been translating records for about five years now. Nobody is perfect, but I do a lot better job of translating the record into readable English. It took me four hours to get an A in the five-week German language course listed above.

So if funds are tight and you just want an overview of the document, yes use Google Translate. However, if you have no clue how to read German and do not want to learn; if you want the record in detail and in readable English, you may want to hire someone to do the translation.

Paul, are you a translator who gets paid for your work or are you volunteering your services?

I am not a certified translator if that is what you mean. I do not translate new stuff. In fact, I have been working specifically for about the last five years only on German documents from the 1800s.

I am willing to help folks with minor stuff for free. Things like words not found on Google Translate or where the German writing is bad. I have so much on my plate though that I cannot be doing full out translations unless it was worth my while. Between a full time job, school, kids, home and my own research, I just do not have the time.

Family Historians do try to help each other though, so I volunteer at the local FHC. I have helped a good number of people find paths around the brick walls in their German research.

I also have a database online documenting records I have seen. These are just names, dates and places I have noted in my own research. I am considering eventually doing up books of translated records from specific German towns and self-publishing them. Once again, when and if I ever find the time...

In Milwaukee, WI, USA, Gary Rebolz has been translating German Obits.  He helped me find my Dad's family now in Union Cemetery.  I paid him per obit and am SO grateful.  I now know where my Rehm & Thieme families came from in Germany.  I now need to know the next step in Darmstadt Hessen 1818 and Langstadt Germany 1811 were their birth dates. Thanks for any help.

I'm researching my Langguth line. I have the Civil War pension file for Simon Langguth (also known as Longhead/Longguth in Civil War records). According to the file Simon married Caroline Baetz September 1862 in Weidersrothe, Germany. However, I cannot find this location and have no clue as to where in Germany it is located. According to the New York passenger list in 1875 they came from Sachsen and the 1880 U. S. Census record states they came from Saxony. Has anyone heard of Weidersrothe or come across the name in your research?  I tried to Google it but got nowhere. Any suggestions of where I might find some clues?

Velma - the person filling out the Civil War pension file may not have heard the name of the town correctly, or spelled it incorrectly.  I was able to find Wiedersbach in Sachsen, Preussen (Prussia), Germany on familysearch.org.  They have a microfilm of church records from there that you can request to be sent to a Family History Center near you.

https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/results?count=20&placeI...

When I search Simon and his wife at FamilySearch.org, 300 possible records come up:

https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%...

Thank you so much, Marianne. It's a great lead!

Paul Hart.. Thank you for letting me know you were going to Duesseldorf on holiday.  If you had time to look up my Lutheran records for family, I look forward to hearing from you.  Joy B

I am trying to help my husband research his family line. I know my father in law immigrated to the US from Belgium when he was 8 with his parents but they never really talked about their lives. To start I have Johann Doum (1915-1996) and his wife, Nanna Dunzelman (1917-1988). I know the names of Nanni's parents but that is as far back as I can go on her. As far as Johann, I know he has 15 brothers and sisters and that is all I know. I can probably get some more information from my father in-law but this really is the bulk of what he knows. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Melissa - is this who you are looking for (Ancestry, but you should be able to see the results, if not the images, even if you're not a member. 

http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&ran...

Family Search doesn't have records for Belgium for the years involved.