Part I: Remacle Trausch (1761-1804) and Theresia Braun (1766-1798) of Colmar

Remacle TRAUSCH (1761-1804) and Theresia BRAUN (1766-1798) were a challenge to research. When I wrote about their son Michel in 52 Ancestors: #47 Michel Trausch and Catharina Hames of Mamer, I didn’t know anything about Michel and Catharina’s parents other than the names found in their 1787 marriage record.

Remacle and Theresia, my fifth great-grandparents and my children’s sixth, were ancestors who lived in Luxembourg. As I reviewed the records I’d found prior to writing about their son, I thought this would be straightforward. However, inconsistencies were found in the story I was seeing in their records and timeline. This led to further research. With each new record, I found myself asking more questions.

I believe I am now at a point where I can tell their story – in several parts.

Part I: The marriage of Remacle TRAUSCH and Theresia BRAUN

On  23 July 1787 the banns were published in Colmar and Mersch for the marriage between Remacle TRAUSCH, son of Peter TRAUSCH and Elisabeth CARMES, both deceased and from Mersch, and Theresia BRAUNERS, daughter of Martin BRAUNERS and Magdalena SCHMIDT, both deceased and from Colmar.

1787 Marriage Publication and Record of Remacle TRAUSCH and Theresia BRAUNERS

The following day Remacle and Theresia were married in Bissen. Present as witnesses were Johann SCHILTZ and Remacle’s brother Nicolas TRAUSCH. The marriage record was signed by the groom, the two witnesses, and Franz BIWER tutor. The bride could not write and left her mark.¹

I would like to make four points concerning the information found in this marriage record:

1. The name of the mother of the groom was not correct. A record will be presented to prove this in part IV.
2. The surname of the bride and her father was a variation of the name BRAUN.
3. Franz BIWER was not mentioned in the record, however, he signed as a guardian. He was the brother-in-law of the bride, Theresia.
4. The groom signed his name. This will be important in later years.

The children of Remacle and Theresia

Remacle was 26 years old when he married Theresia who was only 20. She was with child when they married. Less than six months later, on 3 January 1788 around noon, Theresia gave birth to their son Franz TRAUSCH. He was baptized the same day in the church of Bissen with Franz BIWER of Colmar and Susanna KLEIN of Hollenfels as his godparents. His mother’s name on the record was Theresia COLLING.²

On 29 May 1790 at ten in the evening, Catharina TRAUSCH was born in Colmar. She was baptized the following day in Bissen. Her godparents were Catharina SCHMIT, wife of Clemens TRAUSCH of Mersch, and Nicolas SCHMIT of Colmar. Once again the mother of the child was recorded as Theresia COLLING.³

My fourth great-grandfather Michel TRAUSCH was born on 9 May 1792 at ten in the evening in Colmar. He was baptized the following day in the church in Bissen with godparents being Michel WALZING of Hollenfels and Anna Maria STOLZ, wife of Nicolas TRAUSCH of Mersch. His mother’s name was written, Theresia COLLIN.⁴

In May 1794 Nicolas TRAUSCH was born to Remacle and Theresia in Colmar. He was baptized in Bissen. His godparents were Nicolas MORBUS and Catharina COLLIN, both single and from Colmar. The corners of the register may have been eaten by mice and parts of the entry for this child are missing.⁵ In 1813-1814 when Nicolas later served in Napoleon’s army⁶ and in 1819 when he married his date of birth would be seen as 11 May 1794.⁷ The mother’s name was seen as Theresa BRONGERS. Braun is German for brown and in Luxembourgish this is brong. As the surname BRAUN was also seen as BRAUNERS, BRONGERS is likely another variation of the name.

1794 Baptismal Record of Nicolas Trausch with partly missing text.

Susanna TRAUSCH was born on 13 April 1796 at six in the evening. She was baptized the following day in the church of Bissen. Her godparents were Susanna SINNER of Berg and Matthias SCHMIT of Colmar, both single. The mother’s name was seen as Theresia CHOLLINGE.⁸

On 8 February 1798 at one in the afternoon the last child of Remacle TRAUSCH and Theresia BRAUN was born in Colmar. Their daughter Maria was baptized in Bissen the following day. Her godparents were Maria NEU and Dominique MEDER were both from Ettelbrück. The mother’s name was seen as Theresia BRAUN.⁹

The death of Theresia BRAUN

On 16 February 1798, eight days after the birth of Maria, Theresia died at ten in the evening. Her husband Remacle TRAUSCH, her brother-in-law Franz BIWER, and a neighbor named Mathieu NICKELS reported the death of Theresia BRAUN. Remacle and Theresia were living in Colmar in a house called Laplume, la maison de Laplume, were she died. The civil servant went with the three witnesses to the home to confirm the death of the deceased. The witnesses and the civil servant signed the death record.¹⁰

On all of the above mentioned baptismal records, Remacle TRAUSCH signed his name. The same signature as seen on his marriage record and the death record of Theresia BRAUN, further evidence his wife Theresia was known as BRAUN as well as COLLING.

I will discuss the mystery of Remacle TRAUSCH’s wife Theresia’s use of the COLLING name in my next post.

Posts in this series:

Part I: Remacle Trausch (1761-1804) and Theresia Braun (1766-1798) of Colmar

Part II: Why was Theresia BRAUN also seen as Theresia COLLING?

Part III: “Maison dite” Leads to Parents and Grandparents of Magdalena SCHMIDT (1743-1782)

Part IV: The Parents and Siblings of Remacle TRAUSCH (1761-1804)

Part V: A Horrific Crime in the Fortress City of Luxembourg

Part VI: Tying up the loose ends

© 2019, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.

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1. Luxembourg, registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Bissen > Mariages 1779-1791, sépultures 1779-1791 > image 65 of 91. 1787 Marriage Record (p.120+121). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WS-Q784?cc=2037955&wc=STHD-DPJ%3A1500938201%2C1501129408 : accessed 15 January 2018). ↩
2. Ibid., Bissen > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1785-1793 > image 60 of 186. 1788 Baptismal Record (right, 1st entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WM-9WZ9?cc=2037955&wc=STH6-FMS%3A1500938201%2C1500938228 : accessed 15 January 2018). ↩
3. Ibid., Bissen > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1785-1793 > image 105 of 186. 1790 Baptismal Record (left, 2nd entry). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WM-9W9Z?cc=2037955&wc=STH6-FMS%3A1500938201%2C1500938228 : accessed 15 January 2018). ↩
4. Ibid., Bissen > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1785-1793 > image 146 of 186. 1792 Baptismal Record part 1 (right, bottom). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WM-94K3?cc=2037955&wc=STH6-FMS%3A1500938201%2C1500938228 : accessed 15 January 2018). ↩
5. Ibid., Bissen > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1794-1805, confirmations 1803 > image 6 of 219. 1794 Baptismal Record (lower left and upper right). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WM-94PN?cc=2037955&wc=STH6-FMQ%3A1500938201%2C1500969294 : accessed 15 January 2018). ↩
6. Matricules Napoléoniens 1802-1815 (index and images), Mémoire des hommes, Registres de matricules de l’armée Napoléonienne (garde impériale et de l’infanterie de ligne) pour la période 1802-1815. (Entry point for database https://fr.geneawiki.com/index.php/Matricules_Napol%C3%A9oniens_1802-1815/Mode_op%C3%A9ratoire), Number/Source: GR 21 YC 755, 103e regiment d’infanterie de ligne,28 juillet 1813-8 janvier 1814 (matricules 9594 à 11388), Page: 128, Matricule: 10341. (https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/fr/ark:/40699/e0052ab334d79f0f/52ab334f4505b : accessed 2019). ↩
7. Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1662-1941 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Tuntange > Naissances 1858-1890 Mariages 1796-1890 Décès 1796-1872 > image 467 of 1488. 1819 Marriage Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-68K3-PXQ?cc=1709358&wc=9RYH-168%3A130493401%2C130649501 : accessed 10 July 2019). ↩
8. Luxembourg Church Records, Bissen > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1794-1805, confirmations 1803 > image 43 of 219. 1796 Baptismal Record (right bottom). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WM-94ZM?cc=2037955&wc=STH6-FMQ%3A1500938201%2C1500969294 : 15 January 2018). ↩
9. Ibid., Bissen > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1794-1805, confirmations 1803 > image 90 of 219. 1798 Baptismal Record (lower left and top right). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WM-9WRS?cc=2037955&wc=STH6-FMQ%3A1500938201%2C1500969294 : accessed 15 January 2018). ↩
10. Luxembourg Civil Records, Berg > Décès 1796-1830 > image 4+5 of 167. 1798 Death Record part 1 (bottom left page and all of right page) and 1798 Death Record part 2 (top left page). (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-62YQ-KYG?cc=1709358&wc=9RYQ-C6X%3A129623401%2C129623402 : accessed 14 January 2018). ↩