Maruguerite, maybe you will benefit after all from Nancy's info on Cook County first papers. I found the following on ancestry.com, Selected US Naturalization Record Indexes:
Karkutt, Christian
452 Otto St., Chicago
Certificate # R31 P514
Circuit Court of Cook County, IL
Country of Birth: Germany
Date of Naturalization: Dec 1, 1891
Witness: H. C. Rouschke, 154 Belmont Ave., Chicago
Date of N
I found the three key genealogical trees I needed to fill the gaps in my Mother's father's side. However, the three families are all condensed into a GEDCOM with 100k people in the database.
The problem here is My Family Tree 6 does not seem capable of handling that large a number of people. Is anyone else having that kind of issue with MacFamily Tree 6??? More importantly, how do I get these families incorporated into my tree without having issues?
Nancy, How flattering to be asked to respond to your blog. I did, and received the message that my comment will be posted after approval. Thank you!!!!
I have obituaries from the 1880's that I found in a German newspaper. The Westlich Post was printed in German and I wondered if anyone out there can translate the obits for me?
Thanks
This question may have been asked before but I'd like some links to some free websites that would give me German deaths for the 1800's to early 1900's that are in English as I do not know the German language. I did find that FamilySearch gave me plenty of births and marriage records but very few death records for the families I am working on. Thanks.
I like Google Translate or Systran better than Babel Fish--they seem to have larger dictionaries. However, there are a couple of problems using German records before you get as far as using a translator. The first is the old German script which is quite different from the Roman script we use. The old German is what you will find in at least the Protestant and civil records. (Since Catholic records are usually written in Latin, you may not have the same script problem--don't know, I've never used Catholic German records.)
The second problem is that the older records may contain words that are obsolete now, and so aren't in any modern dictionary or translation program. I've run into a couple where even a German friend's grandfather (who grew up when the Sutterlin script was still used) was unable to figure out the words.
However, it is possible to figure out the most important parts of a record on your own. There are some good research helps at familysearch.org. On that site, click on the "research helps" tab at the top of the page, then on "articles" on the dropdown, then "G," and scroll down 5 or 6 lines until you find the documents for Germany. The "word list" is helpful, but the "research outline" is the real gem. It includes a section on reading the German handwriting, as well as another section describing the various kinds of records that may be available in different parts of Germany.
Thank you Catherine and Michael for the suggestions for excellent sources for written script translation. I was thinking only of the printed word. My genealogy world is small---thus the narrow focus. I keep learning so much from both of you. I appreciate your sharing your knowledge so freely.
I've recently discovered my great grandmother's maiden name on one of her son's death record on the beta family search site. Louise M. Karkutt's maiden name was Rousckke and lived in West Prussia. When I've searched for Rousckke I've found many variations of that spelling and none list Louise as a first name--but as a second or third. I am yet to locate a Christian Karkutt, but both of them lived in Prussia for 35 years. I also can't locate a marriage record in Prussia.Any new suggestions on where to look or how to approach this? The time fram is 1845-1880 when they emigrated from Bremen to Baltimore. Marriage was in 1870. I found Louise's death date on beta search, but no details---(1930 in Arlington Heights, IL) Thanks in advance for your insight.
From ancestry--an immigration record index card--
Christian Karkutt
452 Otto St.
Chicago
Certificate Number (or volume and page): R31 P514, Circuit Court, County of Cook, IL
Country of birth or allegiance: Germany
Date and Port of Arrival: X
Date of Naturalization: Dec 1, 1891
Witness: H. C. Rouschke, 154 Belmont Ave., Chicago
To Marguerite Sykes [sorry the previous post got away from me] re not finding Louise Karkutt listed by her first name in German records. In Germany, particularly if Roman Catholic, a child's first name was a "church" name such as John, Joseph, Ann, Maria, etc. So she might be Maria Louise, or something like that. The same applied to men. A child might have 3 names depending on custom. Families used the same names over and over, often following a naming pattern [1st son named after paternal grandfather, 2nd son named after father, as just one example] - a nightmare for genealogists! My great-grandfather was John Gerhardt, called Gerhardt until late in his life when he reverted to John for simplicity. Even in mid-20th Century America, when I was baptized I was given a first name [after my two grandmothers but combined into one name], and a middle name [a feminized version of my father's middle name], and at confirmation a third name [a variation of my mother's first name].
thanks, Marianne for the naming info. Almost everyone (female) in my German family was a Louise--and there were 4 Karkutt sons who all had daughters and grand daughteers. Yes, Balimore was the port---but one data base had them listed as Ellis Island--which obviously wasn't open in 1880. I believe that was the point I was trying to make.
Marguerite, you've just pointed out why we can't just take someone else's work for gospel and need source documentation. Even then, we have to make interpretations that my be different than the interpretation another would make. I truly believe that most of us interested in researching our family are doing our best to be accurate, but we can make mistakes. And then, there are those who don't really do research, but pass on undocumented work, or even go so far as to make up the history they want. So we have to be vigilant. It's wonderful that we have this genealogy wise mechanism for helping each other find information and sharing sources and ideas, so that, in the end, each of us can be true to our own family and to ourselves.
Hello,
My grandmother was Ruth Afton Harr b. 1898 in Dalton, Nebraska
Her father was John Frederick Harr b. 1862 in Big Creek, Wisconsin
Her grandfather was John George Harr b. 1836 in Bayern, Germany
They sailed to America around 1850
My ancestors include:
Caroline Ann Slaver (or Schlaver) b. 1839
Frederick Slaver b. 1813 in Posen, Prussia
Carrie Tucholke b. 1804 in Germany
Johann Fredrich Herr (father of John George Harr) b. 1796 in Bayern, Germany
Rosine Elfein b. 1796 in Germany
Peter Herr b. 1745 in Germany
Katherina Schmeringer b. ?
Johann Peter Elfein b. 1760 in Germany
Susanne Krausslich b. 1765 in Germany
Am hoping that someone with substantial experience is German genealogy might help me. I've searched unitl I'm blue in the face for the origin and the meaning of the surname HEITERT. Have Googled with as many search parameters of which I can think, have gone to numerous library sites, and visited countless surname sites (some even German) which promise to have an exhaustive database of names. I do know that currently the name is no longer common in Germany ... a search of a national German telephone directory site identifies fewer than a dozen people of this name. I am aware that HEITERT is frequently misspelled, but I don't believe any of my Heitert ancestors actually changed the spelling of the name. Frustrated!
Thanks for the suggestion, Christine ......but I would have no idea, after placing an expensive overseas call, if the individuals speak English or not.
Heitert is not in my dictionary, but according to google translate, heitert means "cheers." The word "heiter" is in my dictionary and means serene, bright, fair, cheerful. Possibly your name is a derivation of this and was a descriptor of the first Heitert.
Catherine ....thanks so much for taking the time to look this up for me. I appreciate it so much. Can you suggest any ways I might follow through now and research derivative names? Interesting ....in my research, I have found that the German word "heiter" is used very frequently. I read recently that the suffix -er, when appearing at the end of German surnames, means "one who ...." Is this accurate?
I am researching the surnames HAENTZSCHEL and MERZENICH. My great grandfather was born in Cologne on 1 Feb 1848. His full name was Carl Gustav Esais Haentzschel. His parents were Ferdinand Esais Haentzschel and Elise Merzenich. Carl (later changed to Charles) immigrated to the US sometime in the mid to late 1860's. I don't know much about his immigration. He went to sea as a teen-ager. He may have "jumped" ship after several Atlantic crossings?
I checked ancestry.com. They have a Bremen sailors registry which shows various ships on which Carl Gustav Esais Haentzschel was a crew member between 1866 and 1870. There are also several passenger lists for different spellings of Carl Hentschel (none with Haentzchel, though) with similar birth years. One, however, Carl Hentschel, age 22, b. Germany, sailed from Liverpool to NY in 1870 aboard the ship Idaho. I also found this record at the free Castle Gardens webpage (that's the site for NY arrivals prior to the start of Ellis Island).
Have you found Carl in any US censuses? The censuses for 1900-1920 will tell you the year he immigrated. The 1920 census, if he was still alive will also tell you the year he was naturalized, if he was. You can then look for naturalization records in the town he lived in during the year he was naturalized.
Katie, I don't know German so can't answer your question about the -er on the end of words. And, I really don't know where you can find out about derivative surnames. But many surnames in any language derive from occupations (e.g., Miller/Mueller) or descriptive adjectives (e.g., White-from something like Philip the White Haired One), so I always check a dictionary to see if a surname might also turn out to be the same word as an occupation or an adjective. Have you checked out the LDS research guide for Germany? There is a brief discussion of both fornames and surnames included in it. If you don't have this document, go to the new familysearch.org, click on browsing records at the bottom of the page, then click on Germany, and then scroll down to research tools. Almost at the end of the research tools section is a link to the "BYU Research Guide."
Catherine, Thanks. I am aware of the Bremen sailors registry. I'll check out the Carl Hentschel entry at Castle Gardens. Charles, aka Carl first shows up in the 1880 US census in SF CA. By then he is married and my granddad is 2yrs old. (He's "Charley Henshell" and his wife is Mary). Our names has been spelled and miss-spelled seven or eight different ways. I've fought it all my life and found humor in discovering that it started way before my time. I have found his naturalization records and history. About the time of WW I, I think he got panicky about getting deported back to Germany. So he finally became a naturalized citizen. Those records indicate that "he first arrived in the US in 1864". The 1910 census says 1866. So maybe he was literally floating back and forth for a few years and 1870 may be possible. He died in 1934, and I have visited the mausoleum where his cremains are stored. I have a death certificate, but I know some of the info on it is incorrect. I started my research with almost no info. Because he resided in San Francisco prior to the earth quake and fire, I have had little luck in finding marriage records and my grand dad's birth record. I am hoping to find some info about his German parents and other siblings. Thans again, Fred
Catherine ...thanks so much for the suggestion to return to LDS and use the research guide. I feel as if I should give myself a thump on the head ...didn't even think about that.
Thanks Michael. Yep, those are all spellings that I am aware of and have considered. It's my understanding that the name HAENTZSCHEL and its derivitives are fairly common in Germany. What appears unique is the middle name ESAIAS. For some reason this name has been passed down through generations. I was excited to discover it in my Great grandfathers citizenship papers. I'll try to learn more about Clemens Esaias Haentzschel. I'm aware of a Emil Esaias Rudolf Haentzschel (1907-abt 1926). I'm hoping someone else has done some genealogical research on there folks and maybe developed some family history and a family tree. So far I don't know where to look in Germany and I don't speak or read German, (but I know how to use the on-line translators if I find something).
Michael, I think the address given is more likely the address of his residence in Schwerin where he census was taken, rather than in Cumlosen. And the more I look at it, I think the street name may be Alexandrina or Alexandriea. German letters that are all squiggles and e's that look like our n's given me fits. And the thing in the address that I originally thought was a # is missing the bottom hatch mark, so now I don't know what the mark before the number 16 might be. It doesn't really look like Str for strasse, or street. It looks a little like one of our H's, but the old Germans didn't make H's that way.
Michael, thanks to you for posting the Auschwitz links. As a result, I acted on a hunch based on a comment made by a family member and discovered that 17 ancestoral persons were indeed prisoners at Auschwitz. Amazing stuff! Mindblowing at this point.
Hello, I just joined the group in hoping to make some connection to my German ancestors. My Greatgrandfather Wilhelm Herman Buchalla born 16 Apr 1871, do not know when he came over. but his father was named Franz and the mother's name was Auguste (Werner)BuchallaTheir were 3 children Wilhelm,Fredrich and Carolina. Have been told the children stowed away on the ship, they were caught shortly afterwards and were made to worked for thier passage. I have been hunting for him for close to 35 yrs.I know they were here by 1900, becuase he married my Greatgrandmother Dec 24,1900. Would love to finally make a connection. Thank you for reading this.
Rhonda, I'm not finding the spelling Buchalla with any of the first names you've mentioned in any of the censuses or in any ships list. Do you know if the name may have been spelled differently? Or where in the US the family settled?
Hello All list, Just a bump up on my Giesen Death Details,like Gerhard Giesen,Joes Hermannus Giesen,Wilhelmus Giesen Anna Giesen Magdalena Giesen,Maria Giesen in previous Comment,Many Thanks Albertus
I was always told thier spelling of Buchalla had 2 h's in it before they came over. I found a 1900 census where there is a Hermon Buchaller in Harvey Co Ks and he is single and working as a servant and born in 1871.might be him don't know. I found his father came in Baltimore 1893 on ancestry but I also found another Franz Buchalla came in much later after the 1900's I am so ready to put this tree to rest, I have been working on it for to many years.
Catherine,,The deaths i am looking for are in Germany ,the area i think is Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Mulheim(Ruhr) Or is this The Register,the time frame about Late 1800's but not sure as i don't know German at all ,hope that helps ,many thanks Albertus.
Unless someone in the group has done research on your family and can supply you with translated copies of the records, you're going to be pretty much stuck with using records in German. As far as I know, there is no place where you can find already translated German records. I had no experience with the German language until I started researching my husband's family. Then, I found that with a dictionary, the LDS genealogical word list, and a "cheat sheet" of the old German script, reading the records was doable--a lot of work but doable. Have you seen
http://net.lib.byu.edu/fslab/researchoutlines/Europe/Germany.pdf ? The research guide that shows up includes a section (on p 39) that gives clues to reading the handwriting. Also, If you look at the left hand column of the webpage, the 4th file is the genealogical word list; click on this. Also, check with your local Family History Center; someone there may have enough German experience to help you get started reading the records, or who might, for a fee, do the research for you.
Regarding your question about "Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Mulheim (Ruhr), that is the name of the church--Evangelisch means Protestant (or Lutheran in Germany), Reformierte means Reformed. Kirche means church, and Mulheim is the town. So, if you find this in the LDS catalog, it means you are looking at the Protestant Reformed Church in Mulheim. I checked the catalog--Mulheim also has an Evangelisch Kirche (i.e., Lutheran) and also a Catholisch Kirche (Catholic Church). Hopefully, you have an idea of which church you want. If you click on the title of the church you'll end up with a whole series of film numbers showing such stuff as taufen (births), heiraten (marriages), and toten (births). The en is the plural form of the words, so you might also see the words without the en. Pick the dates you're interested in, and that's the film you want.
Hello Catherine,Many thanks for the details on German language etc,no i have not seen that site so will give it a try also local family center is too far to go over 4 hrs drive,so will have to try and make a day sometime,i have found some details ,such as birth & Marriage but very hard to follow so your will try your input ,once again many thanks Albertus.
Augustus, Have you tried the people search routine on familysearch.org? I found birth record transcriptions, not actual records, for a couple of different Gerhard Giessens in Mulheim, one in 1762, one in 1806. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any death records out there yet, as least for Gerhards.
marguerite Sykes
Aug 3, 2010
Catherine Davis
Karkutt, Christian
452 Otto St., Chicago
Certificate # R31 P514
Circuit Court of Cook County, IL
Country of Birth: Germany
Date of Naturalization: Dec 1, 1891
Witness: H. C. Rouschke, 154 Belmont Ave., Chicago
Date of N
Aug 3, 2010
marguerite Sykes
Aug 3, 2010
Donna Gates-Smeall
The problem here is My Family Tree 6 does not seem capable of handling that large a number of people. Is anyone else having that kind of issue with MacFamily Tree 6??? More importantly, how do I get these families incorporated into my tree without having issues?
Aug 5, 2010
Catherine Davis
Aug 6, 2010
Jeanie
Thanks
Sep 3, 2010
Sarah Coles
Sep 3, 2010
Albertus Lang
Sep 3, 2010
marguerite Sykes
Sep 3, 2010
Catherine Davis
The second problem is that the older records may contain words that are obsolete now, and so aren't in any modern dictionary or translation program. I've run into a couple where even a German friend's grandfather (who grew up when the Sutterlin script was still used) was unable to figure out the words.
However, it is possible to figure out the most important parts of a record on your own. There are some good research helps at familysearch.org. On that site, click on the "research helps" tab at the top of the page, then on "articles" on the dropdown, then "G," and scroll down 5 or 6 lines until you find the documents for Germany. The "word list" is helpful, but the "research outline" is the real gem. It includes a section on reading the German handwriting, as well as another section describing the various kinds of records that may be available in different parts of Germany.
Sep 5, 2010
marguerite Sykes
Sep 6, 2010
marguerite Sykes
Sep 22, 2010
Catherine Davis
Christian Karkutt
452 Otto St.
Chicago
Certificate Number (or volume and page): R31 P514, Circuit Court, County of Cook, IL
Country of birth or allegiance: Germany
Date and Port of Arrival: X
Date of Naturalization: Dec 1, 1891
Witness: H. C. Rouschke, 154 Belmont Ave., Chicago
Sep 22, 2010
Catherine Davis
K623 and 0900-58302
Sep 22, 2010
Marianne Szabo
Sep 23, 2010
Marianne Szabo
Sep 23, 2010
marguerite Sykes
Sep 23, 2010
Catherine Davis
Sep 23, 2010
Kathleen Squires
My grandmother was Ruth Afton Harr b. 1898 in Dalton, Nebraska
Her father was John Frederick Harr b. 1862 in Big Creek, Wisconsin
Her grandfather was John George Harr b. 1836 in Bayern, Germany
They sailed to America around 1850
My ancestors include:
Caroline Ann Slaver (or Schlaver) b. 1839
Frederick Slaver b. 1813 in Posen, Prussia
Carrie Tucholke b. 1804 in Germany
Johann Fredrich Herr (father of John George Harr) b. 1796 in Bayern, Germany
Rosine Elfein b. 1796 in Germany
Peter Herr b. 1745 in Germany
Katherina Schmeringer b. ?
Johann Peter Elfein b. 1760 in Germany
Susanne Krausslich b. 1765 in Germany
Oct 15, 2010
linda
Nov 2, 2010
Valerie Schweers
My name is Valerie and I am looking to link with anyone researching the Schweers family name from Essan Germany 1800 to present.
Nov 7, 2010
Katie Heitert Wilkinson
Am hoping that someone with substantial experience is German genealogy might help me. I've searched unitl I'm blue in the face for the origin and the meaning of the surname HEITERT. Have Googled with as many search parameters of which I can think, have gone to numerous library sites, and visited countless surname sites (some even German) which promise to have an exhaustive database of names. I do know that currently the name is no longer common in Germany ... a search of a national German telephone directory site identifies fewer than a dozen people of this name. I am aware that HEITERT is frequently misspelled, but I don't believe any of my Heitert ancestors actually changed the spelling of the name. Frustrated!
Dec 27, 2010
Christine Kay Olsen-Needham
Dec 27, 2010
Katie Heitert Wilkinson
Dec 27, 2010
Catherine Davis
Katie,
Heitert is not in my dictionary, but according to google translate, heitert means "cheers." The word "heiter" is in my dictionary and means serene, bright, fair, cheerful. Possibly your name is a derivation of this and was a descriptor of the first Heitert.
Dec 27, 2010
Katie Heitert Wilkinson
Dec 28, 2010
Frederick george henchell
Dec 29, 2010
Catherine Davis
Frederick,
I checked ancestry.com. They have a Bremen sailors registry which shows various ships on which Carl Gustav Esais Haentzschel was a crew member between 1866 and 1870. There are also several passenger lists for different spellings of Carl Hentschel (none with Haentzchel, though) with similar birth years. One, however, Carl Hentschel, age 22, b. Germany, sailed from Liverpool to NY in 1870 aboard the ship Idaho. I also found this record at the free Castle Gardens webpage (that's the site for NY arrivals prior to the start of Ellis Island).
Have you found Carl in any US censuses? The censuses for 1900-1920 will tell you the year he immigrated. The 1920 census, if he was still alive will also tell you the year he was naturalized, if he was. You can then look for naturalization records in the town he lived in during the year he was naturalized.
Dec 30, 2010
Catherine Davis
Dec 30, 2010
Frederick george henchell
Dec 30, 2010
Katie Heitert Wilkinson
Catherine ...thanks so much for the suggestion to return to LDS and use the research guide. I feel as if I should give myself a thump on the head ...didn't even think about that.
Katie
Dec 30, 2010
Frederick george henchell
Thanks Michael. Yep, those are all spellings that I am aware of and have considered. It's my understanding that the name HAENTZSCHEL and its derivitives are fairly common in Germany. What appears unique is the middle name ESAIAS. For some reason this name has been passed down through generations. I was excited to discover it in my Great grandfathers citizenship papers. I'll try to learn more about Clemens Esaias Haentzschel. I'm aware of a Emil Esaias Rudolf Haentzschel (1907-abt 1926). I'm hoping someone else has done some genealogical research on there folks and maybe developed some family history and a family tree. So far I don't know where to look in Germany and I don't speak or read German, (but I know how to use the on-line translators if I find something).
Thanks Fred
Dec 30, 2010
Marvin A. Huggins
See http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/cyclopedia/02/display.asp?t1=h&word=...
and
http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/cyclopedia/02/display.asp?t1=h&word=...Dec 30, 2010
Catherine Davis
Michael, I think I have most of the stuff on your record figured out, although I've had to give you question marks on some items.
Census place: Schwerin, Mechlenberg
Fore and family name: Friederick Hesse
Sex: male
Age: born the 8 th May in year 1869 (not absolutely sure if this is an abbreviation for 8th or 18)
Birthplace: Cumlosen, state of Prussia, province of Brandenburg
Religion: Evangelisch
Personal status: single
I cannot figure out all the wording of 7a, but the handwriting says "soldat" = soldier
7b: position in occupation--looks like the German letters hurbhe or hurshe to me but I can't find anything close to this in the dictionary
Nationality : Deutsch = German
Place of Residence: Alexandrinen (?) # 16
10. Active in Mechlenberg Grenadier Regiment No. 89
Jan 3, 2011
Donna Gates-Smeall
Dang! Catherine, you are good at the reading of old records! Bravo!
That is about the same translation I got for that record on Hesse too.
Jan 3, 2011
Catherine Davis
Jan 3, 2011
Donna Gates-Smeall
Jan 16, 2011
Rhonda Buchalla-Foley
Hello, I just joined the group in hoping to make some connection to my German ancestors. My Greatgrandfather Wilhelm Herman Buchalla born 16 Apr 1871, do not know when he came over. but his father was named Franz and the mother's name was Auguste (Werner)BuchallaTheir were 3 children Wilhelm,Fredrich and Carolina. Have been told the children stowed away on the ship, they were caught shortly afterwards and were made to worked for thier passage. I have been hunting for him for close to 35 yrs.I know they were here by 1900, becuase he married my Greatgrandmother Dec 24,1900. Would love to finally make a connection. Thank you for reading this.
Rhonda
Feb 17, 2011
Catherine Davis
Feb 17, 2011
Albertus Lang
Feb 17, 2011
Rhonda Buchalla-Foley
Feb 18, 2011
Catherine Davis
Feb 18, 2011
Albertus Lang
Feb 18, 2011
Catherine Davis
Albertus,
Unless someone in the group has done research on your family and can supply you with translated copies of the records, you're going to be pretty much stuck with using records in German. As far as I know, there is no place where you can find already translated German records. I had no experience with the German language until I started researching my husband's family. Then, I found that with a dictionary, the LDS genealogical word list, and a "cheat sheet" of the old German script, reading the records was doable--a lot of work but doable. Have you seen
http://net.lib.byu.edu/fslab/researchoutlines/Europe/Germany.pdf ? The research guide that shows up includes a section (on p 39) that gives clues to reading the handwriting. Also, If you look at the left hand column of the webpage, the 4th file is the genealogical word list; click on this. Also, check with your local Family History Center; someone there may have enough German experience to help you get started reading the records, or who might, for a fee, do the research for you.
Regarding your question about "Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Mulheim (Ruhr), that is the name of the church--Evangelisch means Protestant (or Lutheran in Germany), Reformierte means Reformed. Kirche means church, and Mulheim is the town. So, if you find this in the LDS catalog, it means you are looking at the Protestant Reformed Church in Mulheim. I checked the catalog--Mulheim also has an Evangelisch Kirche (i.e., Lutheran) and also a Catholisch Kirche (Catholic Church). Hopefully, you have an idea of which church you want. If you click on the title of the church you'll end up with a whole series of film numbers showing such stuff as taufen (births), heiraten (marriages), and toten (births). The en is the plural form of the words, so you might also see the words without the en. Pick the dates you're interested in, and that's the film you want.
Feb 21, 2011
Albertus Lang
Feb 21, 2011
Catherine Davis
Feb 21, 2011
Barb Morisette
wordelmann
Feb 24, 2011
Rhonda Foley
Feb 28, 2011
Albertus Lang
Feb 28, 2011
Catherine Davis
Feb 28, 2011