Week 20 (May 14-20) – Black Sheep: Each of us has an ancestor who was the troublemaker or the ne’er-do-well. This is their week.
It may be hard to work the Black Sheep theme into this week’s family. It doesn’t look too promising but I think I might have an ace up my sleeve. We’ll see how it turns out in the end.
The Births of Marie ZWANK and Nicolas PEFFER
The declaration and presentation of the birth information was given in the presence of Nicolas Weyland, day laborer, 56 years old, and Nicolas Dondlinger, a farmer, 26 years old, both residents of the community, who signed the birth record after it was read to them. The father declared that he could not write and read. ~ followed by signatures of Nicolas Dondlinger, Nicolas Weyland, and P. Dondlinger.[1]
The declaration and presentation of the birth information was given in the presence of Jean Weiler, school teacher , 30 years old, and Franciscus André, 28 years old, a day laborer, both residents of the community, who signed the birth record after it was read to them. ~ followed by signatures of J. Weiler, Anton PEFFER, J. Weiler, and N. May.[2]

An interesting addition to the birth record of Nicolas PEFFER was the notation made above the record. The father Antoine was born in Obermertzig in Feulen on 2 prairial in the year XI. The handwriting is not at all similar to the rest of the page and makes me wonder why, when and who wrote this information.
The Marriage of Nicolas PEFFER and Marie ZWANK
On 30 November 1859 Nicolas PEFFER, his mother Maria GRASSER, and his bride MARIE ZWANK met with Hubert SALENTINY, the mayor of Bettendorf. The fathers of the bride and groom had both died the previous year. Sadly, Marie’s mother had died only two days earlier on 28 November 1859. As both of her parents were deceased it was noted in the marriage record that her grandparents were also deceased and all death records were to be found in the death records of the town of Bettendorf. The four witnesses to the marriage were not related to the bride and groom. The bride and the mother of the groom declared not being able to write. ~ signatures of the groom, 4 witnesses, and the mayor followed.[3]
Note: Marie’s surname was spelled ZWANCK on her birth record and ZWANK on her marriage record.
The Deaths of Nicolas PEFFER and Marie ZWANK
The children of Nicolas PEFFER and Marie ZWANK
Nicolas and Marie had seven known children, five daughters and two sons. Three of their daughters, all named Margaretha, died in childhood:
- Margaretha born 9 June 1860[6] died 24 April 1862[7]
- Margaretha born 3 June 1871[8] died 8 July 1871[9]
- Margaretha born 16 November 1874[10] died 30 April 1881[11]
The two daughters who lived to adulthood never married and lived to the ages of 66 and 51.
- Margaretha born 5 January 1863[12] died 6 March 1929[13]
- Marie born 4 November 1867[14] died 29 November 1918[15]
One of the two sons was my husband’s great-grandfather Nicolas PEFFER.
- Nicolas born 9 February 1866[16] and died 31 December 1941[17]
- Johann born 28 October 1869[18] and died after 6 May 1892
The Luxembourg census records of this family were found for the years following the marriage of Nicolas PEFFER and Marie ZWANK until their deaths in 1887 and 1892. Links to the census can be found in the sources for the census events of Nicolas PEFFER in my GEDCOM file.
Was There a Black Sheep in this Family?
Nothing is known of Nicolas and Marie’s younger son Johann PEFFER after he reported his mother’s death on 6 May 1892.[5] Like his brother Nicolas he was single and living at home when his mother died.
-
- He was not present at the marriage of his brother Nicolas in 1895.[19]
- He was not an informant on the death of his sister Marie in 1918.[15]
- No record of marriage for the years 1892-1922 was found for Johann PEFFER in Bettendorf or in Strassen where his brother Nicolas married.
- No record of death was found for him in Bettendorf for the years following his mother’s death until 1922.
- No articles were found in the Luxembourgish newspapers for a Johann PEFFER.
As long as the civil records of Luxembourg are not indexed at FamilySearch I will probably wonder about Johann PEFFER. What became of this illusive man? Was he a troublemaker or a ne’er-do-well? In terms of researching, yes, he caused a lot of trouble!
Afterthought – Who Wants a Black Sheep in their Family?
I did not like the fact that I couldn’t find my husband’s great-grand uncle Johann PEFFER after the death of his mother Marie ZWANK. This was ready to post but I had to give him one more chance. I searched for “Jean Peffer” instead of “Johann Peffer” on eluxemburgensia, the National Library of Luxembourg’s newspaper site. And I hit the jackpot!
Now I’m off to find the birth records of the children, search for the three who went to American, and hope to find some new American cousins who’ll forgive me for suspecting a Black Sheep in the family.
Sources:
[1] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 103 of 1507. 1832 Birth Record No. 51. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-3911-1?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28S:1346120346 : accessed 03 Apr 2013).
[2] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 116 of 1507. 1833 Birth Record No. 44. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-6643-72?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28S:1346120346 : accessed 03 Apr 2013).
[3] Ibid, Bettendorf > Mariages 1817-1890 Décès 1800-1859 > image 521 of 1494. 1859 Marriage Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12456-35911-81?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2ZY:2071013250 : accessed 03 Apr 2013).
[4] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1860-1890 > image 422 of 465. “.” 1887 Death Record No. 12. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11711-60202-94?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2ZR:n1595569028 : accessed 03 Apr 2013).
[5] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances, mariages, décès 1882-1894 > image 122 of 155. 1892 Death Record No. 24. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11578-25158-66?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28F:1967249950 : accessed 03 Apr 2013).
[6] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 668 of 1507. 1860 Birth Record No. 34. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-1625-14?cc=1709358&wc=9RYD-FM9:129626601,129945501 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[7] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1860-1890 > image 39 of 465. 1862 Death Record No. 13. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11711-62212-56?cc=1709358&wc=9RYH-82S:129626601,129626602 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[8] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 879 of 1507. 1871 Birth Record No. 19. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-1561-17?cc=1709358&wc=9RYD-FM9:129626601,129945501 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[9] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1860-1890 > image 186 of 465. 1871 Death Record No. 70. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11711-66815-15?cc=1709358&wc=9RYH-82S:129626601,129626602 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[10] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 940 of 1507. 1874 Birth Record No. 41. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-983-44?cc=1709358&wc=9RYD-FM9:129626601,129945501 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[11] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1860-1890 > image 334 of 465. 1881 Death Record No. 29. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11711-66596-11?cc=1709358&wc=9RYH-82S:129626601,129626602 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[12] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 719 of 1507. 1863 Birth Record No. 4. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-6303-91?cc=1709358&wc=9RYD-FM9:129626601,129945501 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[13] Luxemburger Wort, digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg, http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu (Verlage der St-Paulus-Druckerei, Luxembourg), No. 94, Thursday, April 4, 1929, p. 6 column 3. Zivilstand der Stadt Ettelbrück, Margaretha Peffer age 66 yrs of Moestroff.
(http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=1362224&search_terms=avis#panel:pp|issue:1362224|article:DTL404|query:avis : accessed 19 Feb 2015).
[14] Civil records, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 815 of 1507. 1867 Birth Record No. 53. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-5306-94?cc=1709358&wc=9RYD-FM9:129626601,129945501 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[15] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1895-1923 > image 334 of 389. 1918 Death Record No. 31. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32048-23908-78?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-926:129626601,129623802 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[16] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 783 of 1507. 1866 Birth Record No. 11. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-7084-85?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28S:1346120346 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[17] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 783 of 1507. 1866 Birth Record No. 11. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-7084-85?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28S:1346120346 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[18] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 849 of 1507. 1869 Birth Record No. 37. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-4385-81?cc=1709358&wc=9RYD-FM9:129626601,129945501 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[19] Ibid, Strassen > Naissances, mariages, décès 1891-1894 > image 65 of 117. 1894 Marriage Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12396-19061-71?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-LNR:27729865 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[20] Escher Tageblatt, digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg, http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu (Verlag Editpress S.A., Esch-sur-Alzette), Nr. 201, Friday, 27 August 1937, p.5 column 3. Death Announcement. (http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=654384&search_terms=jean%20peffer#panel:pp|issue:654384|article:DTL82|query:jean peffer : accessed 18 May 2015).
[21] Ibid, Nr. 200, Thursday, 26 August 1937, p. 7 column 4. Avis Mortuaire. (http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=654117&search_terms=jean%20peffer#panel:pp|issue:654117|article:DTL440|query:jean peffer : accessed 18 May 2015).
[22] Civil records, Kayl > Naissances 1913-1923 Mariages 1895-1912 > image 414 of 767. 1897 Marriage Record No. 15. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32048-12961-74?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-MJM:129946501,130450502 : accessed 18 May 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.
Cathy, I love your stories and how fantastic that you were able to pick up Johann/Jean’s trail at the last moment. Even better that you now have another new branch of the family to research.
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Thank you Linda. I’m really excited to find some of my husband’s relatives emigrated to America. Not the first since Julie Cahill Tarr of http://genealogy.julietarr.com/blog/ is a distant cousin to him.
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So your black sheep wasn’t so black after all 😉 good job on finding him!
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Thank you Dara. We wonder about the ones we can’t find and when we finally find them their stories are completely different from the ones we’ve dreamed up for them.
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One bonus about taking part in this 52 Ancestors project is the focus that is given to one individual each week, sometimes resulting in finding new information. Good for you for sticking to his story and finding that elusive documentation.
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You are right about the bonus of this project. The 52 Ancestors challenge has helped me to review and add information to my database while writing the story others cannot “see” when looking at my GEDCOM file. I don’t like loose ends so finding “Jean” was so satisfying. Thank you Joanne for stopping by.
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