Week 6 (Feb 5-11) – So Far Away. Which ancestor is the farthest from you, either in distance or in time/generations? Which ancestor have you had to go the farthest away to research?
The SCHWARTZ-GORGES Family of Osweiler (1866-1996)
The summer of 1991 the grandchildren, and possibly a great-granddaughter, of Johann SCHWARTZ and Margaritha GORGES met for lunch and had a group photo taken. Unfortunately most of them are deceased and I have only been able to identify three of the cousins.
Back to the Beginning
Johannes SCHWARTZ was born on 26 January 1866 at 9 in the evening in Osweiler, in the community of Rosport, canton of Echternach, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. His father Johann SCHWARTZ, 41 years old mason (Maurer), reported the birth two days later at one o’clock in the afternoon to Mathias HASTERT, an alderman in Rosport. The age of the mother of the child, Catharina SCHMIT (sic, SCHMITT), was not mentioned.[1]
Margaritha GORGES was born on 27 July 1868 at 8 in the evening in Born, in the community of Mompach, canton of Echternach, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Her father Johann GORGES, a 30 years old laborer (Taglöhner) reported the birth two days later at 9 in the morning to Victor GRAF de VILLERS, mayor of Mompach. The age of the mother of the child, Catharina SCHERFF, was not mentioned.[2]
So Far Away – Married in 1891, Rectified in 1907
The villages that Johannes and Margaritha grew up in, Osweiler and Born, are not that far apart. I have no idea how they met but by the time they were in their twenties they came to be married in Rosport.
In 1996 I took at short trip, less than 9 km from where I live, to visit the records office at the town hall of Rosport. The plan was to ask if they would look up several marriage records and make copies for me to take home.
The person in the office opened the vault and gave me permission to find the documents on my own. I had never been given access to original records and you can imagine how nervous I was handling the old ledgers.
I found several of the marriage records that I was interested in, including the 1891 marriage record my children’s great-great-grandparents Johann SCHWARTZ and Margaritha GORGES. Photocopies were kindly made and I was on my way home within an hour.
Johann SCHWARTZ age 25 married Margaritha GORGES age 23 on the 24th of August 1891 in Rosport. At 5 o’clock in the afternoon they met with Mathias BISDORFF, alderman, and were joined in marriage. In the marriage record Mr. BISDORFF named the parents of the bride and groom, including their ages and occupations, and remarked that they were agreeable to the marriage. He also included a sentence about the birth records of the bride and groom having been seen. Banns had been read in both communities on two Sundays, the 2nd and 9th of August in Rosport, and the 9th and 16th in Mompach. Four witnesses, none of whom were relatives of either party, were present: Johann Peter HIPPERT, Franz SCHABERT, Johann DALEIDEN, and Johann SCHABERT. Everyone present, it was believed, signed the marriage record.[3]
I didn’t have to go far to get the record. But was it enough? I was still so far away from having a document that would prove their legal marriage. In the left margin of the marriage record, an annotation was made 16 years later, in 1907: The absence of the signature of the civil official was rectified by a judgment of the District Court in Diekirch on 5 June 1907. See Register of Marriage 1907 record No. 16. The civil servant of the community Rosport, Mayor M. RIES.[3]
What happened? In 1907 or earlier someone realized that Mathias BISDORFF, who did a great job with information on all the persons concerned, never signed the marriage record. Not only was the original in Rosport not signed by him but also the duplicate that was sent to the archives. I have a copy of both. Above right, the one I obtained in 1996[3] and, above left, the scanned image of the copy found in the Luxembourg National Archives that I accessd at FamilySearch in 2013.[4]
Note: When I began doing genealogy in the early 1990s I did not have internet access and concentrated on the families in Luxembourg, visiting, calling, and writing to the city/town halls for information. In 2000 I switched over to doing research on my American families when we got access to the internet. Fast forward to the early 2010s when I finally went back to working on the Luxembourg families using the records on FamilySearch. That is one of the reasons being able to use the “so far away” theme.
While preparing to write this, nineteen years after finding the original marriage record, I searched for the 1907 marriage entry that was noted in the margin. It was not a regular marriage record. It was a transcript of the court records that finally rectified the error on the marriage record. See page 1 and page 2 & 3 of the judgment transcript.[5] By the time that the courts got involved Johann SCHWARTZ and Margaritha GORGES had been married nearly 16 years and were the parents of 10 children.
Johann and Margaritha in the Luxembourg Census
In 1895 Johann and Margaritha are seen for the first time together on the Luxembourg census in their own household. Johann’s occupation was Tüncher Meister which could be translated today as a master plasterer. In earlier days due to the overlapping of crafts, a painter was also called a Tüncher. This is the only record in which Johann was seen as Tüncher, a term that is no longer widely used. The word Tünch was a term used in the mid-19th century for a fine layer of plaster that was put on walls and ceilings. In the birth records of his children, Johann was seen as Weißer (literally, whiter) or Anstreicher (painter).
In the household were their four children Catherine, Marie, Josephine, and Johann. At the time that this census was enumerated Johann had only three living siblings: Heinrich, Nicolas, and Marie. A closer study of the census shows that Johann’s parents Johann SCHWARTZ and Catharina SCHMITT and his brother Nicolas were living with the young SCHWARTZ-GORGES family. Turning the page, on the back side of the sheet, are the names of two persons who normally would be living in this home but were away from home. Johann’s sister Marie had been working in Trier, Germany, as a maid (Dienstmagd) for 6 months. Johann’s brother Heinrich was in America and had been there 5 years.
By 1900 there were more children in the household of Johann and Margaritha SCHWARTZ-GORGES. Along with Catherine, Marie, Josephine, and Johann seen in the 1895 census we now see Magdalena, Angela, and Elise. Johann’s widowed mother Catharina SCHMITT is also in the household. His brothers Heinrich, back home from his stay in America, and Nicolas married during the year and have their own households.
Child 1: Catherine “Ketty” SCHWARTZ (1892-1974), my husband’s grandmother, was born 2 February 1892 in Osweiler.[8] At the time of her marriage on 15 June 1923 in Diekirch to Johann Peter MEDER (1888-1954), Ketty was working as a midwife.[9] Ketty and Johann Peter were married in a religious ceremony the next day. They were the parents of two sons, Fritz and Marcel. Ketty died 1 February 1974 in Ettelbrück, as annotated in her birth record.[8]
Child 2: Maria Anna SCHWARTZ (1893- ) was born 2 April 1893 in Osweiler.[10] She married Mathias “Metti” WOLF (1879- ) on 16 February 1917 in Echternach.[11] They were the parents of three daughters and two sons. The death date of both Maria Anna and her husband Metti are not annotated on their birth records which would suggest that they died before this became a practice.
Child 3: Maria Josephine SCHWARTZ (1894-1982) was born 24 July 1894 in Osweiler.[12] She married Mathias SCHAMINÉ (1892- ) on 24 February 1919 in Rosport.[13] They were the parents of a son and a daughter. Maria Josephine died 8 November 1982 in Esch-zur-Alzette, as annotated on her birth record.[12]
Child 4: Johann Bernard “Jean” SCHWARTZ (1895-1969) was born 20 August 1895 in Osweiler.[14] He married Sophie Cathérine LEHNEN (1896- ) on 29 August 1923 in Ettelbrück.[15] At that time his occupation was a caretaker of the ill (Kranken-Wärter). Jean and Sophie were the parents of two daughters. He died 3 January 1969 in Luxembourg City, as annotated on his birth record.[14]
Child 5: Magdalena “Madeleine” SCHWARTZ (1897-1949) was born 16 January 1897 in Osweiler.[16] She married Pierre RECKING and they did not have children. Madeleine died 23 January 1949 after a long and painful illness in Luxembourg City per her obituary found in the Luxemburger Wort.[17]
Child 6: Angela SCHWARTZ (1898-1983) was born 5 August 1898 in Osweiler.[18] She married August KRAEMER and they had one daughter. Angela died 25 May 1983 in Salzgitter, Niedersachsen, Deutschland, as annotated on her birth record.[18]
Child 7: Elisabetha SCHWARTZ (1900-1978) was born 15 March 1900 in Osweiler.[19] She married Nicolas RIPP and had a daughter and a son. Elisabetha died 3 November 1978 in Luxembourg City, as annotated on her birth record.[19]
Child 8: Florentine SCHWARTZ (1901-1996) was born 15 September 1901 in Osweiler.[20] She married Pierre POOS. They had two daughters, one who died at the age of 12 years. Florentine died 24 October 1996 in Luxembourg City, as annotated on her birth record.[20]
Child 9: Anna Margaretha SCHWARTZ (1903- ) was born 30 July 1903 in Osweiler.[21] She died at the age of three months on 23 Oct 1903 in Osweiler.[22]
Child 10: Virginie SCHWARTZ (1905-1974) was born 8 October 1905 in Osweiler.[23] She married Michel WOLF (1894-1979) and had one son. Virginie died 17 December 1974 in Esch-sur-Alzette, as annotated on her birth record.[23] Her husband Michel WOLF was the brother of Mathias “Metti” WOLF who married her sister (Child 2) Anna Maria in 1917.
Child 11: Anna SCHWARTZ (1907-1919) was born 26 September 1907 in Osweiler.[24] She died 8 June 1919 in Osweiler at the age of 12.[25]
Child 12: Ernst Johann SCHWARTZ (1910-1975) was born 23 September 1910 in Osweiler.[26] He married a Miss ROULLING, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. ROULLING-WEISGERBER. They had a daughter and a son. Ernst died 29 January 1975 in Esch-sur-Alzette, as annotated on his birth record.[26]
The Deaths of Johann and Margaritha
Funeral Notice
Mr and Mrs Pierre Meder-Schwartz and their sons François and Marcel; Mr and Mrs Mathias Wolf-Schwartz and their children Lisy, Ketty, Albert, Marguerite and Charles; Mr and Mrs Math. Schaminé-Schwartz and their children Marcel and Angèle; Mr and Mrs Jean Schwartz–Lehnen and their daughters Nelly and Marie-Thérèse; Mr and Mrs Pierre Reking-Schwartz; Mr and Mrs Aug. Kraemer-Schwartz and their daughter Yvonne; Mr and Mrs Nicolas Ripp-Schwartz and their children Marguerite and Fredy; Mr and Mrs Peter Poos-Schwartz and their daughters Thilly and Maisy; Mr and Mrs Mich. Wolf-Schwartz and their son Erny; Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Schwartz–Roulling and their daughter Marie-Josée; the Gorges, Schwartz, and related families have the profound pain to share the irreparable loss they have experienced in the person of
Mrs. (widow of) Jean SCHWARTZ née Marg. GORGES their beloved and lamented mother, stepmother, grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, and cousin died piously in Osweiler, October 23, at 8 o’clock in the morning after a short illness, in her 71st year, provided with the last rites of the church.
Burial followed by funeral service to be held at Osweiler, Wednesday, October 24, at 10.30 am.
Osweiler, Diekirch, Echternach, Esch-sur-Alzette., Niedercorn, Pétange, Bettembourg, Belvaux, 24 October 1938. 4954
This notice serves as a letter of participation.[28]
Sources:
[1] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Rosport > Décès 1815-1823 Naissances 1797-1888 > image 1067 of 1499, 1866 Birth Record No. 4. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11618-14115-74?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-L6K:n1548117469 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[2] Ibid, Mompach > Naissances 1834-1890 Mariages 1797-1814, 1796-1809, 1799-1830 > image 337 of 1393, 1868 Birth Record No. 14. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12131-132414-2?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-LHS:2047330937 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[3] Rosport, Registres d’état civil (originals), photocopy of 1891 Marriage Record No. 12 obtained in person in 1996.
[4] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Rosport > Naissances, mariages, décès 1891-1894 > image 84 of 176, 1891 Marriage Record No. 12. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12165-230927-71?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-L6R:n2017357688 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[5] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > images 577 & 578 of 823, 1907 Marriage Record No. 16 (court rectification). (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32046-4821-20?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 5 February 2015 and https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32046-4613-12?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 5 February 2015
[6] Luxembourg, Volkszählungen 1843-1900 (images), FamilySearch, (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Rosport > 1895 > image 218 of 677. Schwartz-Gorges household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32393-11394-75?cc=2037957&wc=M5GZ-RM6:346331501,345878001 : accessed 04 Aug 2014).
[7] Ibid, Rosport > 1900 > image 354 of 690. Schwartz-Gorges household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32396-11815-30?cc=2037957&wc=M5GX-J4V:346331501,345873901 : accessed 04 Aug 2014).
[8] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages, décès 1891-1894 > image 19 of 176, 1892 Birth Record No. 9; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12165-230679-90?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-L6R:n2017357688 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[9] Ibid, Diekirch > Mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 461 of 661, 1923 Marriage Record No. 9. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32037-28712-77?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2NF:21518491 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[10] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages, décès 1891-1894 > image 40 of 176, 1893 Birth Record No. 17. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12165-232142-74?cc=1709358&wc=9RYZ-92Q:130314401,129717601 : accessed 21 May 2011).
[11] Ibid, Echternach > Mariages 1906-1923 Décès 1895-1912 > image 161 of 675, 1917 Marriage Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32043-11426-91?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2VR : accessed 2 February 2015).
[12] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages, décès 1891-1894 > image 64 of 176, 1894 Birth Record No. 25; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12165-229965-68?cc=1709358&wc=9RYZ-92Q:130314401,129717601 : accessed 21 May 2011).
[13] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 664 of 823, 1919 Marriage Record No. 4. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32046-4513-34?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-L6G:2025664037 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[14] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 13 of 823, 1895 Birth Record No. 40; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32046-3928-15?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[15] Ibid, Ettelbruck > Mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 481 of 731, 1923 Marriage Record No. 22. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32038-27338-78?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-SPD:129625001,130043302 : accessed 3 February 2015).
[16] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 42 of 823, 1897 Birth Record No. 5. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32046-3763-41?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[17] Luxemburger Wort, digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg, http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu (Verlage der St-Paulus-Druckerei, Luxembourg), 1949 January 25, page 5, column 3. (http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=813930&search_terms=Recking#panel:pp|issue:813930|article:DTL532|query:Recking : accessed 8 February 2015).
[18] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), <i>FamilySearch</i> (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 70 of 823, 1898 Birth Record No. 35; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32046-3755-6?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accesed 11 January 2013).
[19] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 104 of 823, 1900 Birth Record No. 13; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32046-3497-16?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[20] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 129 of 823, 1901 Birth Record No. 41; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32046-5430-62?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[21] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 168 of 823, 1903 Birth Record No. 38. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32046-6150-60?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[22] Ibid, Rosport > Décès 1903-1923 > image 8 of 262. 1903 Death Record No. 26. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32039-4575-3?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-7MC:130314401,129640001 : accessed 8 February 2015).
[23] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 207 of 823, 1905 Birth Record No. 60; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32046-5842-19?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[24] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 244 of 823, 1907 Birth Record No. 46. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32046-5402-62?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[25] Ibid, Rosport > Décès 1903-1923 > image 212 of 262, 1919 Death Record No. 22. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32039-5909-92?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-7MC:130314401,129640001 : accessed 15 Aug 2014).
[26] Ibid, Rosport > Naissances, mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 295 of 823, 1910 Birth Record No. 41, includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32046-5633-38?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-YWL:130314401,130635602 : accessed 11 January 2013).
[27] Ibid, Rosport > Décès 1903-1923 > image 218 of 262, 1920 Death Record No. 1. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32039-6540-19?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-7MC:130314401,129640001 : accessed 15 Aug 2014).
[28] Luxemburger Wort, digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg, http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu (Verlage der St-Paulus-Druckerei, Luxembourg), 1938 October 24, page 8, column 5. (http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=747094&search_terms=gorges#panel:pp|issue:747094|article:DTL629|query:gorges : accessed 3 February 2015).
© 2015 Cathy Meder-Dempsey
This is my weekly entry for Amy Johnson Crow’s challenge:
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2015 Edition. It was so successful in 2014 that genealogists wanted to continue or join in on the fun in 2015. Be sure to check out the other great posts by visiting Amy’s blog No Story Too Small where she’ll be posting the weekly recap on Thurdays and allowing all participants to leave a link to their post(s) in the comments.
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Opening Doors in Brick Walls 
German documents, the Funeral Notice written in French – I wonder if they used to speak Luxembourgish at home? I really appreciate your style and presentation of this story and I’m very impressed by your detailed source citation, story for itself! Thanks for sharing this, Cathy!
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Yes Karen, everyone spoke Luxembourgish at home and even in the workplace. If you click on the link to the funeral notice in the newspaper you’ll see that some people had their notices in French and others in German. Even today the Luxemburger Wort has articles in both languages as well as in Luxembourgish.
I’m working on the source citations and figured out how to hyperlink the footnotes. Thank you!
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Great article!
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Thank you Wanda!
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I really like your presentation of the records in this post. I like your posts not only for your excellent genealogy work and the stories you create from the records, but also because I get good ideas from you about posting on my own blog. I look forward to your posts every week.
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Thank you Becky. Appreciate the praise and look forward to seeing more of your blog. The url you use with your picture only takes me to a dead blog. But I am following your The Shoebox Under the Bed.
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