Ottilie Johanna Wilhelmina Slezak, Great Grandmother

There is an interesting back story regarding my great grandmother Johanna Slezak. My father; Donald A Schultz, always told me his grandmother was born in Germany, and her name was Johanna Slezak. She came over on a ship.

Ok so the first record found from Geburtenregister der Berliner Standesämter (Bestände P Rep. 100 bis P Rep. 840) 1874–1908. Digital images. Landesarchiv Berlin, Germany was dated 20 December 1877 and says

"Nr. 524
Schöneberg, on the 20 December 1877

Today, before the undesigned registrar, there appeared the person known as the carpenter Johann Slezak, a resident of Schöneberg, Bedankstrasse Nr 22, of the Catholic religion, who declared that Ottilie Slezak, nee Nessel, his wife, of the Lutheran religion, residing with him in his apartment in Schöneberg......"

Nothing further written in the form. There is a vertical line drawn through the entire page with several crossing lines, indicating that this entry was canceled for some unknown reason.

Comment in the left-hand margin: Amtlich gestrichen, Standesbeamter Jeurig.

Translation: officially crossed out by the registrar Jeurig

This indicates that the registrar stopped mid-way through the entry and crossed it out. Possibly due to an error in the data entry.

The second one I found in Landesarchiv Berlin; Berlin, Deutschland; Personenstandsregister Geburtsregister; Laufendenummer: 74

"Nr. 201
Schöneberg on the 14th of May 1877

Today, there appeared before the undersigned registrar the person known as the midwife Mrs. Kretschmar Amalia, nee Gross?eiethel, a resident of Schöneberg, Hauptstrasse 46 of the religion and declared that the unmarried Ottilie Nessel, a female worker of the Lutheran Religion, residing in Schöneberg, Sedanstrasse 79 gave birth to a female child in Schöneberg in her apartment on the fourteenth of May of the year one thousand eight hundred seventy seven at six forty-five in the morning, which child was given the names Ottilie Johanna Wilhelmine.

Mrs. Kretschmar explained that she was present during the unmarried Nessel's labor.

Read out, certified and signed
Amalie Kretschmar

The Registrar
Jenrig"

Now the marriage record (Berlin, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1920) for her parents cited same place of marriage a yr later which states,

schöneberg, 2nd November 1878
Before the undersigned registrar appeared today for the prupose of marriag the joiner Johann Slezak personally known, Catholic religion, born on 6 August 1851 in Dobrenic, county Königgrätz, residing in Schöneberg, Zubeilscher Haus, son of the cottager Johannes Slezak aund his wife Anna, nee Kklucky, both resident in Dobrenic, county Königgrätz. Parents listed here for Johann Slezak
2. the worker Ottilie Nesrel, personally known, Protestant religion, born 12 July 1858 in Neubrück, county Lamter, resident in Schöneberg, Zubeilscher Haus, daughter of the worker Joseph Nesrel, deceased in Neubrück, and his wife Catharine, nee Noack, resident in Schweinert, county Schwerin an der Warthe (Schwerin upon Warthe)" Parents listed here for Ottilie Nesrel (Nessel)

What I cannot find is a marriage record for Ottilie's parents Joseph Nessel and Catherine Noak. Catherine Noak had married a Johann Wolinzack 1873 in Waitze, Brandenburg, Preußen as Joseph Nessel was deceased and she died 9 August 1899 • Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt. Her father mentioned in the marriage record for daughter Ottlie Nessel and Johann Slezak (and in her second marriage to Wolinzack) as Franz Noak but I cannot locate anything on him either.

For whatever reason my great grandmother Johanna Slezak was born out of wedlock. She was not born in Poland as I had originally thought but apparently in Berlin. So her father is from the Czech Republic and mom was from Neubrück before coming to America in 1883 aboard the Switzerland via Antwerp Belgium. This is the stuff my father never knew!

She had 6 sisters, and 3 brothers. Listed on ship manifest for the Switzerland as Johanna Lleyak (name misspelled on record) with parents Johann and Ottilie along with siblings Ferry (sister Fannie in previous blog post) Max, and Liberte (probably Bertha). Arrived in New York City 26 Nov 1883 at the age of 6. 

She married Joseph Schultz, son of William Schultz and Wilhelmina Trnka 14 March 1898 in Manhattan New York and lived in the Bronxfor many years. She died on 25 Sep 1936, in Bronx New York buried in Woodlawn Cemetery with husband Joseph Schultz, and son Eugene.