52 Ancestors: #15 The FABER-LORENTZ Family (1813-1915)

Week 15 (April 9-16) – How Do You Spell That? What ancestor do you imagine was frequently asked that? Which ancestor did you have a hard time finding because of an unusual name?

Jean FABER was born on 25 April 1813[1] in Diekirch, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Two days after the birth of his son, the father Jean FABER, age 25, went to the townhall to register the child born to his wife Marguerithe SCHENTEN. They wanted to name him after his father. The birth record was recorded in French as were the names. The father however signed his name Johann FABER, using the German version of his name.

1813 Birth Record No. 35 [1]

When “Jean FABER” married the record was in German. Johann FABER married Maria LORENTZ, daughter of Mathias LORENTZ and Margaretha PREUSEN, on 28 July 1841[2] in Diekirch. Johann was 28 and Maria was 27. Of the four parents of the bridal couple only the father of the groom and the mother of the bride signed the marriage record. The groom’s mother could not write and the bride’s father was deceased. All of the witnesses were relatives of the bride – makes me wonder if the bride’s family was making sure that they went through with the marriage. Three of the witnesses were her uncles and the fourth was a brother-in-law.

1841 Marriage Record No. 13 [2]

As with Jean FABER, his wife Maria’s birth record is in French. Marie LORENTZ was born at 7 in the morning on 1 April 1814[3] in Diekirch. Her father Mathias LORENTZ only waited until after the mid-day meal to go to the town hall at 3 in the afternoon to register the birth of his daughter born to his wife Marguerithe PREISEN. Mathias LORENTZ was literate as he signed his name on the birth record.

1814 Birth Record No. 30 [3]

How do you spell that?

Here is where the theme for this week comes into the picture. How was the mother of the bride’s maiden name spelled? PREISEN or PREUSEN? It was interchangeable in the census records. I believe that this is mostly due to the fact that this family lived during a time that house names were often used instead of their surnames. In this case, PREISEN most likely was the house name. I checked the phone book for Luxembourg and both spellings of the name appear to have died out. There are a few people named PRUSEN in Luxembourg but none who spelled their name PREISEN or PREUSEN. It would be interesting to follow all the collateral lines of this family to see if all male lines of the family died out or if they changed the spelling of the name sometime during World War I or II as Preisen is an offensive term for Germans.

The Children of Jean and Maria FABER-LORENTZ

Jean FABER and Maria LORENTZ had the following children.

• Johann “Jean” FABER was born on 1 January 1842[4] in Diekirch. He died on 20 May 1880[5] in Diekirch. Johann married Marguerite DAHLEM, daughter of Nicolas DAHLEM and Elisabeth BERINGER, on 6 December 1876[6] in Diekirch. Marguerite was born on 28 January 1848[7] in Diekirch. She died on 27 April 1922[8] in Diekirch. They did not have children.
• Catharina “Cathérine” FABER was born on 8 January 1844[9] in Diekirch. She was not with her father in 1864 or 1871 when the census was taken. She was listed on the 1867 census in her father’s household but marked out with the notation that she married in Metz, France. No further trace has been found.
• Elisabetha “Elisabeth” “Elise” FABER was born on 19 February 1846[10] in Diekirch. She died 0n 28 February 1915[11] in Diekirch. Elisabetha married Franz “François” MEDER, son of Théodore MEDER and Susanna REIFFER, on 20 September 1869[12] in Diekirch. Franz was born on 17 May 1846[13] in Diekirch. He died on 7 September 1930[14] in Diekirch. They were the parents of 11 children.
• Marguerite FABER was born on 27 April 1848[15] in Diekirch. No trace of this child after 1871.
• Peter “Pierre” FABER was born on 25 July 1850[16] in Diekirch. He died on 18 March 1851[17] in Diekirch.

1851 Death Record No. 12 [18]

The mother of this family Maria “Marie” LORENTZ died on 11 February 1851[18] in Diekirch. Jean was left to raise his four living children under the age of 10 on his own. Less than a year after the death of his wife he found a new partner and step-mother for his children.

The Second Marriage of Jean FABER

Jean FABER married Cathérine GIVER, daughter of Conrad GIVER and Cathérine PROBST, on 4 February 1852[19] in Diekirch. Cathérine was born on 8 October 1823[20] in Medernach.

They had the following children.

• Marie FABER was born on 18 August 1854[21] in Diekirch. She died on 10 May 1855[22] in Diekirch.
• Pierre FABER was born on 30 January 1857[23] in Diekirch. He died on 1 February 1858[24] in Diekirch.
• Marie FABER was born on 15 January 1859[25] in Diekirch. No further trance of this child was found after 1871.

Jean’s second wife Cathérine GIVER died on 19 February 1862[26] in Diekirch less than two weeks after their 10th wedding anniversary. She gave Jean FABER three children, only the youngest Marie, who was only 3 years old, lived.

Jean, once again widowed, had five children aged 3 to 20 years. His oldest daughter Catharina may have gone to Metz, France, to work soon after her step-mother’s death as she was not in her father’s household in 1864. By 1867 a note was made on the census that she had married in Metz. The Tables Décennales (10-year lists) for Metz is online however marriages are listed in alphabetical order by groom making it tedious to find a bride with such a common name. When I have some spare time I plan to run through the marriages in hopes of at least finding a date of marriage and a name for the groom.

Jean was counted in Diekirch on the Luxembourg census in the following years and households:

• 29 December 1843 in the Faber-Lorentz household.[27]
• 5 December 1846 in the Faber-Lorentz household.[28]
• 31 December 1847 in the Faber-Lorentz household.[29]
• 3 December 1849 in the Faber-Lorentz household.[3]
• 31 December 1851 in the household of the widower Jean Faber.[31]
• 3 December 1852 in the Faber-Giver household.[32]
• 3 December 1855 in the Faber-Giver household.[33]
• 5 December 1858 in the Faber-Giver household.[34]
• 3 December 1861 in the Faber-Giver household.[35]
• 1 December 1864 in the household of the widower Jean Faber.[36]
• 3 December 1867 in the household of the widower Jean Faber.[37]
• 1 December 1871 in the widower Jean Faber and Meder-Faber household (two families).[38]

1863 Death Record No. 27 [39]

The father of this family Jean FABER, seen as Johann FABER, died on 26 April 1873[39] in Diekirch.His death was declared by his son Johann FABER who signed Jean FABER. The names of both of his wives are included on the death record.

His son married in 1876, died in 1880 and did not have children. His two youngest daughters, Marguerite and Marie, were single in 1873. They have not been located in the census after 1871, no marriage records or death records were found for them in Diekirch. Could they have followed their oldest sister Catharina to Metz, France?

This leaves only one child of Jean FABER and Marguerite LORENTZ, as far as records have been found to date, who had children to continue this line: his daughter Elise, my husband’s great-grandmother, who married Franz MEDER and had 11 children. Six of these children did not marry or have children. The other five children, all sons, married and continued the line.

Sources:
[1] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Diekirch > Tables décennales 1803-1892 Naissances, mariages, décès 1797-1800 Naissances 1800-1823 > image 1141 of 1493. 1813 Birth Record No. 35. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11030-125930-69?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2N5:n983817566 : accessed 02 Apr 2013).
[2] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1879-1890 Mariages 1796-1842 > image 1461 of 1492. 1841 Marriage Record No. 13. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11618-102229-19?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2N2:1627336735 : accessed 02 Apr 2013).
[3] Ibid, Diekirch > Tables décennales 1803-1892 Naissances, mariages, décès 1797-1800 Naissances 1800-1823 > image 1173 of 1493. 1814 Birth Record No. 30. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11030-125996-59?cc=1709358&wc=9RYM-W38:129628901,130575701 : accessed 27 Sep 2014).
[4] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 460 of 1507. 1880 Birth Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-26364-6?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-BZ9:129628901,130131601 : accessed 24 March 2015).
[5] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1825-1890 > image 1121 of 1358. 1880 Death Record No. 33. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12147-160312-73?cc=1709358&wc=9RYC-2NL:129628901,129628902 : accessed 24 March 2015).
[6] Ibid, Diekirch > Mariages 1843-1890 Décès 1797-1824 > image 661 of 1493. 1876 Marriage Record No. 18. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12052-49231-73?cc=1709358&wc=9RYC-929:129628901,129848701 : accessed 1 May 2010).
[7] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 612 of 1507. 1848 Birth Record No. 8. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-30862-96?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-BZ9:129628901,130131601 : accessed 29 March 2015).
[8] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1903-1912 > image 461 of 500. 1922 Death Record No. 26. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32027-19213-66?cc=1709358&wc=9RTY-J4Q:129628901,129787701 : accessed 29 March 2015).
[9] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 511 of 1507. 1844 Birth Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-33880-82?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-BZ9:129628901,130131601 : accessed 1 May 2010).
[10] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 562 of 1507. 1846 Birth Record No. 13. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-35573-94?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2NV:n960823085 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[11] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1903-1912 > image 292 of 500. 1915 Death Record No. 12. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32027-19436-87?cc=1709358&wc=9RTY-J4Q:129628901,129787701 : accessed 11 January 2015).
[12] Ibid, Diekirch > Mariages 1843-1890 Décès 1797-1824 > image 562 of 1493. 1869 Marriage Record No. 12. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12052-48904-35?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2ND:n1913802954 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[13] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 569 of 1507. 1846 Birth Record No. 39. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-27954-74?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2NV:n960823085 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[14] Enders-Meder family tree drawing
[15]  Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 616 of 1507. 1848 Birth Record No. 24. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-34330-37?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-BZ9:129628901,130131601 : accessed 1 May 2010).
[16] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 675 of 1507. 1850 Birth Record No. 49. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-28816-85?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-BZ9:129628901,130131601 : accessed 1 May 2010).
[17] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1825-1890 > image 441 of 1358. 1851 Death Record No. 19. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12147-170660-73?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2NH:n538876208 : accessed 24 March 2015).
[18] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1825-1890 > image 439 of 1358. 1851 Death Record No. 12. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12147-170657-76?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2NH:n538876208 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[19] Ibid, Diekirch > Mariages 1843-1890 Décès 1797-1824 > image 222 of 1493. 1852 Marriage Record No. 7. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12052-48662-30?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2ND:n1913802954 : accessed 02 Apr 2013).
[20] Ibid, Medernach > Naissances 1779-1825 > image 343 of 368. 1823 Birth Record No. 20. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11694-60750-88?cc=1709358&wc=9RYS-BZ9:130066901,130121101 : accessed 29 March 2015).
[21] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1825-1890 > image 513 of 1358. 1855 Death Record No. 30. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12147-162945-64?cc=1709358&wc=9RYC-2NL:129628901,129628902 : accessed 29 March 2015).
[22] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1825-1890 > image 513 of 1358. 1855 Death Record No. 30. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12147-162945-64?cc=1709358&wc=9RYC-2NL:129628901,129628902 : accessed 29 March 2015).
[23] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 858 of 1507. 1857 Birth Record No. 9. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-27217-96?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-BZ9:129628901,130131601 : accessed  ‎19‎ Mar ‎2010).
[24] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1825-1890 > image 574 of 1358. 1858 Death Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12147-164187-82?cc=1709358&wc=9RYC-2NL:129628901,129628902 : accessed 29 March 2015).
[25] Ibid, Diekirch > Naissances 1823 > image 920 of 1507. 1859 Birth Record No. 8. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11681-30493-23?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-BZ9:129628901,130131601 : accessed 29 March 2015).
[26] Ibid, Diekirch > Décès 1825-1890 > image 650 of 1358. 1862 Death Record No. 20. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12147-166052-72?cc=1709358&wc=9RYC-2NL:129628901,129628902 : accessed 29 March 2015).
[27] Luxembourg, Volkszählungen 1843-1900 (images), FamilySearch, (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Diekirch > 1843 > image 51 of 444. Faber-Lorentz household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32349-19385-40?cc=2037957&wc=M5LR-MJ4:345999901,345863501 : accessed 7 January 2015).
[28] Ibid, Diekirch > 1846 > image 39 of 347. Faber-Lorentz household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32358-16472-49?cc=2037957&wc=M5LT-82R:345999901,345858602 : accessed 11 March 2015).
[29] Ibid, Diekirch > 1847 > image 48 of 506. Faber-Lorentz household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32360-33313-5?cc=2037957&wc=M5LT-7MB:345999901,345864101 : accessed 11 March 2015).
[30] Ibid, Diekirch > 1849 > image 5 of 504. Faber-Lorentz household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32360-14249-70?cc=2037957&wc=M5LT-44Q:345999901,345864801 : accessed 11 March 2015).
[31] Ibid, Diekirch > 1851 > image 439 of 601. Faber household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32368-2402-92?cc=2037957&wc=M5LT-6Y3:345999901,345865601 : accessed 24 March 2015).
[32] Ibid, Diekirch > 1852 > image 367 of 551. Faber-Giver household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32376-18512-46?cc=2037957&wc=M5LY-Y4T:345999901,345865501 : accessed 25 March 2015).
[33] Ibid, Diekirch > 1855 > image 267 of 534. Faber-Giver household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32378-32616-41?cc=2037957&wc=M5GM-K6Y:345999901,345866501 : accessed 24 March 2015).
[34] Ibid, Diekirch > 1858 > image 468 of 635. Faber-Giver household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32378-11465-28?cc=2037957&wc=M5LB-VZL:345999901,345867601 : accessed 25 March 2015).
[35] Ibid, Diekirch > 1861 > image 570 of 646. Faber-Giver household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32381-10670-71?cc=2037957&wc=M5LY-16P:345999901,345867101 : accessed 14 March 2015).
[36] Ibid, Diekirch > 1864 > image 430 of 689. Jean Faber household 16b. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32373-28311-79?cc=2037957&wc=M5LY-168:345999901,345868401 : accessed 25 January 2015).
[37] Ibid, Diekirch > 1867 > image 156 of 649. Jean Faber household. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32377-7786-90?cc=2037957&wc=M5GM-SP8:345999901,345869101 : accessed 25 January 2015).
[38] Ibid, Diekirch > 1871 > image 1359 of 1420. Faber-Lorentz and Meder-Faber households No. 18 & 19. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32382-19035-72?cc=2037957&wc=M5GS-ZNP:345999901,345869501 : accessed 7 January 2015).
[39] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Diekirch > Décès 1825-1890 > image 970 of 1358. 1873 Death Record No. 27. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12147-165974-79?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2NH:n538876208 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).

Genealogy Sketch

Name: Johann “Jean” FABER
Parents: Johann “Jean” FABER and Marie Cathérine “Margaretha” SCHENTEN
Spouse: Maria “Marie” LORENTZ(*), Catherine GIVER
Parents of spouse(*): Mathias “Mathieu” LORENTZ and Margaretha PREUSEN
Whereabouts: Diekirch, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: husband’s great-great-grandfather

1. Johann “Jean” FABER
2. Elisabetha “Elisabeth” “Elise” FABER
3. Johann Peter “Jean-Pierre” MEDER
4. Marcel Mathias MEDER
5. Cathy Meder-Dempsey’s husband

© 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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