“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” ~ Alexander Graham Bell
The last set of fourth great-grandparents who lived in what is now Germany were Mathias KERSCHT and Anna EWEN. Mathias’ surname was spelled differently in several family books (Familienbücher=FB). As KIRSTEN in the FB Meckel1; KIRST, KIERSCH, and KIERSTEN in the FB Messerich2; and as KERSCH and KIRSCH in the FB Mettendorf3. For Anna’s maiden name EWEN, no variations were found.
Mathias KERSCHT, the son of Peter KERSCHT and Eva SCHMIDS, was born on 28 March 1759 in Meckel, Eifel, Rheinland, Germany, and baptized the same day. His godparents were Matthias BERENS and Anna Maria SCHUL, both of Meckel. His godfather was likely a brother or relative of his mother Eva. Matthias BERENS went by his wife’s maiden name and was known as Matthias SCHMITZ before his marriage. Mathias KERSCHT had only one known sister Luzia who was two years older. It is not known if she married and had descendants.
Mathias married Anna EWEN, daughter of Gerhard EWEN and Barbara THIELEN, on 26 November 1785 in Messerich. Anna was born on 6 June 1766 in Messerich. She was the fourth of ten children.
Mathias worked as a sheepherder (Schäfer) in Messerich until about 1795 and then moved to Mettendorf where he continued to work in the same occupation.
Mathias and Anna had the following children.
1. Margaretha was born on 9 September 1786 in Messerich. She was baptized the same day. Her godparents were Peter KIRST of Meckel and Margaretha BAUER of Messerich. Was the godfather also the child’s grandfather? The FB Meckel in which Mathias’ father was found as Peter KIRSTEN does not include a date of death.
2. Anna was born on 4 October 1788 in Messerich and was baptized the same day. Her godfather was Theodore EWEN, single, from Messerich, likely her maternal uncle who was 27 years old at the time. Her godmother was likely her paternal grandmother Eva. The entry in the FB Messerich shows Evan KIERSTEN of Meckel. The godmother’s first name may be a typo in the book and the child was not given the name Eva or Evan but Anna. She married Heinrich LUDEWIG on 23 January 1809 in Mettendorf. They were the parents of eleven children. Anna died on 8 January 1843 in Mettendorf.
3. An unnamed child was born on 19 December 1790 in Messerich and died the same day.
4. Catharina was born on 14 December 1791 in Messerich and was baptized the same day. Her godparents were Jakob WEILER, a sheepherder (Schäfer) and Katharina LOCH of Spangdahlem. Catharina married Joannes Friedericus LOCHEMES on 19 September 1811 in Mettendorf. Joannes Friedericus was born about 1784 in Dahlem. From the time of their second child’s birth, her husband was given as Theodore LOCHEMES on all births thereafter. They were the parents of seven children. Catharina died on 9 December 1851 in Mettendorf. Her husband died on 16 January 1864 in Mettendorf.
5. Matthias was born on 19 April 1794 in Messerich and was baptized the same day. His godparents were Mathias SCHMITZ, a pig herder (Sauhirt) of KIRCHWEILER and Luzia BICHELER of Messerich. Matthias married Angela ACHEN on 21 January 1818 in Mettendorf. Angela was born on 11 December 1793 in Mettendorf. She died on 21 December 1870 in Mettendorf and Matthias died on 16 November 1876 in Mettendorf. They were the parents of seven children, two of whom died young. Their three youngest children went to America in the 1850s and settled in Wright County, Minnesota. Two were sons and their descendants spelled the surname KIRSCHT.
6. Anna Maria, my third great-grandmother, was born between 1795-1798 in Mettendorf. She is not included in the FB Messerich listing for her parents which suggests she must have been born after her brother Mathias. His birth in Messerich and her birth in Mettendorf places the relocation of the family from Messerich to Mettendorf during this time period. Anna Maria married Johann WAGNER, son of Matthias WAGNER and Maria Katharina HARTERT, on 22 February 1830 in Mettendorf. Johann, my third great-grandfather, was born on 19 June 1804 in Fließem and was baptized the same day. Johann worked as a shepherd. He died on 15 June 1858 in Mettendorf and was buried two days later. Anna Maria died on 21 July 1876 in Mettendorf.
7. Christoph was born on 19 June 1799 in Mettendorf. He married Elisabetha MERTES on 23 February 1824 in Sülm, also in the Eifel. Elisabetha was born in 1804 in Röhl. Christoph died on 30 September 1871 in Mettendorf. They were the parents of seven children, two of whom died young.
8. Anna Catharina was born about 1806 in Mettendorf. She died on 22 May 1824 in Mettendorf at the age of about 18 years and was buried the following day.
9. Heinrich was born on 8 August 1809 in Mettendorf and was baptized the same day. His godparents were Heinrich LUDEWIG, a sheepherder (Schäfer) of Mettendorf, and Margaretha ROCK, a servant (Magd) of Hisel. The godfather was his brother-in-law, newlywed husband of his second oldest sister Anna. He died 10 days later on 18 August 1809 in Mettendorf and was buried the following day.
10. Johann was born on 18 February 1811 in Mettendorf and was baptized the same day. His godparents were Johann WEYERS and Margaretha THEISEN, both of Mettendorf. Johann married Elisabeth ROTH on 7 January 1841 in Nusbaum. The family lived in Sinspelt, part of the Mettendorf parish. They were the parents of two known children, one of whom died young. No entry for his death was given in the FB Mettendorf which may mean he died after 1899.
The mother of these children, Anna EWEN died on 15 November 1828 in Mettendorf and was buried on the same day. Her widower Mathias KERSCHT died on 9 February 1841 in Mettendorf. He was buried on 11 February 1841 in Mettendorf.
As mentioned at the beginning, this is the last of my fourth great-grandparents who lived in the Eifel area of Germany. Next up will be the eight sets of fourth great-grandparents who lived in Rodange, Wiltz, Vianden, Echternach, Mamer, Capellen, and Strassen in Luxembourg. With only five weeks to the end of the year, it looks like I may not be able to get them done on schedule.
Last month Luxracines hosted the 12th National Day of Genealogy and Local History. Several versions of our members’ family trees were featured in an exhibit. This colored 9-generation fan chart of my family tree was printed out on DIN A0 paper (33.1 in × 46.8 in) for presentation. At the time of printing, I didn’t know who the parents of my 4th great-grandmother Maria Katharina SCHACMOTTE were. I used BRICK WALL as a placeholder for their names.
When I wrote about her son, my third great-grandfather Johann WAGNER, two years ago I knew when he married in 1830 that his mother’s maiden name was SCHAEMOTTE per the index of his marriage record. The FB Mettendorf listed his mother as Maria Katharina SCHACMOTTE with the surname variations: SCHAKEMUTTE and JAQUEMOT. All other information on Johann’s parents and siblings were at the time unknown. I wasn’t expecting to open the door in this brick wall anytime soon.
Preparatory Research
In preparation for this post, I used several family books of German towns (Familienbuch=FB) as seen below in the sources. I checked the FB Fließem for Johann WAGNER born about 1804 in Fließem to Matthias WAGNER and Maria Katharina SCHACMOTTE. Although the FB Mettendorf gives information on his life after marriage, only an estimated year of birth in Fließem was included. His parents’ names seen in the Mettendorf compilation were also found (with similar but not exact spelling) in the indexed German Marriages 1558-1929 on FamilySearch.
1830 Marriage Record. Indexed information on FamilySearch. No image of record available.
In the FB Fließem, I found a WAGNER family with a son named Johann born on 16 June 1804 in Fließem. The father’s name was Matthias and the mother’s name was Maria Katharina. However, the mother’s maiden name was HARTERT.
Could this be the right family? Johann’s mother was born during the time period when surnames would change depending on, for example, where they lived, i.e. house name. Could this be the case with Maria Katharina HARTERT?
An example of the pedigree of Johann Wagner with names found in several family books
I went back one generation to the entry for the parents of Maria Katharina HARTERT. The father was a HARTERT and the mother was a HEINZ. As I studied the information for the family group, I found they had only three daughters. One died at the age of four years. The other was three years older than Maria Katharina. This older sister Anna Maria married Adam SCHACKMOD in 1787. Is it possible Maria Katharina and her parents lived with the SCHACKMOD couple following the marriage and were then known by this variation of SCHACMOTTE?
Can I assume Matthias WAGNER and Maria Katharina HARTERT were the parents of my Johann WAGNER? If they aren’t, then I will be following the wrong paternal and maternal grandparents.
Family books are organized in alphabetical order by the husband’s surname. To make searching easier, the compilers of these books also include an index at the back for the maiden names found in the book. When I checked the FB Mettendorf‘s maiden names index I noticed two family numbers were given for Maria Katharina SCHACMOTTE:
M3013 for my Johann WAGNER’s family group
M3020 for a Peter WAGNER son of Math. Wagner and Maria Kath. Schakemut of Fließem.
The family group entry M3020 showed Peter was living and working as a Dienstknecht or servant in Mettendorf at the time he married a lady from Ferschweiler in 1837. Dim. (Dimissoriales) was written before the date of marriage indicating the nuptials were recorded in Mettendorf as he had permission to marry in Ferschweiler. No further information was given for the couple.
My next step was to check the FB Ferschweiler for an entry for the bride and her parents and/or an entry for this couple.
In the FB Ferschweiler, Peter WAGNER born 5 August 1806 in Fließem was listed as a servant (Knecht) and son of Matth. Wagner, Schäfer 30.12.1814 u. Maria-Kath. Hartert + 31.07.1823. There is a cross-reference to the entry in the FB Mettendorf. The compiler of the Ferschweiler family book had made the connection between Maria Katharina SCHAKEMUT and Maria Katharina HARTERT. He had probably gone through the same process of comparing the names, dates, and places to come to this conclusion.
As family books deal with only one location, a family may not be complete in one town book. Children born to a couple in a different town due to the occupational move of the father would not be included. As children married spouses from other towns the continuation of the line would end in the book. Compilers of family books today have a much better opportunity to cross-reference a family who lived in several locations during their lifetime as many more family books are available.
Johann Nicolaus WAGNER married Anna Maria KLEIWER on 23 April 1759 in Sefferweich. They were the parents of three children:
Matthias WAGNER was born on 21 January 1761 in Sefferweich
Gerhard WAGNER (1764- ) born 18 January 1764 in Sefferweich
Anna Maria WAGNER (1767- ) born 2 June 1767 in Sefferweich
The parents and siblings of Maria Katharina HARTERT
Johann HARTERT(1739-1803) married Elisabeth HEINZ ( -1794) on 12 May 1767 in Fließem. They were the parents of the following children all born in Fließem:
Anna Maria HARTERT (1767- ) born 3 July 1767
Maria Katharina HARTERT born 19 August 1770
Johanna HARTERT (1774-1778) born 28 May 1774. She died 12 July 1778.
The oldest daughter of Johann and Elisabeth, Anna Maria HARTERT married Adam SCHACKMOD on 20 December 1787 in Fleißem. This is the marriage which led to the possibility of this family group being my fourth great-grandmother Maria Katharina’s family.
Matthias and Maria Katharina Marry
Matthias WAGNER married Maria Katharina HARTERT on 4 January 1791 in Fließem. Matthias was twenty-nine years old and Maria Katharina was twenty.
By the end of the year, their first child Nikolaus was born two days before Christmas on 23 December 1791 in Fließem. He died less than two months later on 9 February 1792.
Maria Katharina’s mother Elisabeth HEINZ died 23 September 1794 in Fließem. She lived to see her two daughters marry and give her grandsons born within two months of each other in 1791. Sadly she lost one before her death and the other would die a year after her.
Matthias and Maria Katharina’s next two children were born about 1797 and 1799 and shared their parents’ names. Their son Matthias died on 8 April 1800 at the age of 3 years. Their daughter Maria Katharina died on 16 July 1803 at the age of 4 years.
The second child’s death was not the only one during that week. The maternal grandfather Johann HARTERT died on 13 July 1803.
The Napoleonic Wars had begun the previous May. Times must have been hard for Matthias and Maria Katharina who had lost three children and both of her parents. Matthias who was a sheepherder (Schäfer) in Fleißem shared the same occupation as his father who was from Gondorf. Were his parents still living? Had they moved away from Sefferweich?
Matthias and Maria Katharina had several more children. My third great-grandfather Johann was their fourth child but would grow up as the oldest of four boys. Johann was born on 16 June 1804, Peter on 8 August 1806, Calixtus Nikolaus on 16 April 1808, and Johann Friedrich on 26 May 1810.
Matthias WAGNER died on 30 December 1814 at the age of 53. Maria Katharina was left to raise her four sons between 4 and 10 years old.
Her youngest, Johann Friedrich died on 28 March 1818 at the age of nearly 8 years.
Maria Katharina HARTERT died on 31 July 1823. At the time of her death, her three living sons were not yet of age. Johann had turned 19 the previous month, Peter would turn 17 the following month, and Calixtus Nikolaus was 15.
Even though the youngest of the boys had an interesting and unusual name, I have not found further trace of him.
My third great-grandfather Johann was 25 years old when he married my third great-grandmother Anna Maria KERSCHT (est.1793-1876) on 22 February 1830 in Mettendorf. Anna Maria appears to have been older than Johann.
As I now know Johann’s brother Peter was living and working in Mettendorf in 1837, I wonder if Peter may have lived with his brother and been a witness to their marriage. The list of records to be obtained at the Archives in Bitburg is getting longer and longer.
Peter WAGNER married Elisabetha FASSBINDER (1801-1853) on 10 June 1837 in Ferschweiler. Peter was 30 years old at the time and his bride was 35. Their religious marriage took place two days later in Ferschweiler.
Peter’s wife Elisabetha died at the age of 51 years on 10 January 1853 in Ferschweiler. She had given him three daughters, two of whom were still living. The youngest of these two would die the following year. The FB Ferschweiler which covers up to the year 1899 does not include a date of death for Peter. Did he live into his nineties, passing away after 1899, or did he move to another town?
His brother Johann died at the age of 58 years, the same age as his father had been at the time of his death, on 15 June 1858 in Mettendorf.
There are still many questions which need to be answered concerning this family. However, I believe I am on the right track concerning this couple being Matthias WAGNER and Maria Katharina HARTERT aka SCHACMOTTE. Now all I need to have a new version of the fan chart printed out. But I think I’ll wait until I need it for a presentation. In the meantime, I hope to add a few more missing names to this 9-generation chart.
Sources:
[1] Werner Naumann, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Mettendorf Dekanat Neuerburg, Band 1 A-M Band 2 N-Z (1992).
[2] Werner Naumann, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Kreuzerhöhung und St. Stephan – Fliessem – Mit allem Einzelgehöften und Mühlen 1662-1899, PDF (Trier 1998, version Aug 2011).
[3] Werner Naumann, compiler, Familienbuch Pfarrei Seffern 1663-1899 mit dem Gemeinden Heilenbach, Schleid, Seffern und Sefferweich sowie Balesfeld, Burbach, Feuerscheid Lasel, Nimhuscheid, Wawern (bis 1803) (Trier 1995/1996).
[4] Richard Schaffner, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Sancta Lucia Ferschweiler mit: Diesburgerhof (ab 1803) und L(a)eisenhof (ab1830) 1680-1899, PDF (Kordel, 1999).
I was on duty a week ago Saturday at my genealogy society’s library in Walferdange, Luxembourg. This new library is open to the public on Saturday afternoons from 2 to 5. Three members of the board of Luxracines were present and six visitors dropped in to research and to become familiar with our collections.
As it was not yet too busy, I was able to get some research done while on duty.
I opened up my genealogy software (AQ14), went to my maternal grandfather’s pedigree and checked for the closest unknown sets of ancestors. One by one I pulled the family books of the towns they were from and looked up the families.
I used Evernote’s Scannable app on my iPhone to scan the images of the pages of the German family books concerning the families I was interested in.
I attached the names of 5 sets of NEW ancestors to my family tree, as placeholders. I did not input any further information.
To the Research Manager of AQ14, I added a To Do/Research Item for each placeholder person:
“Check the images from the [name of town] family book taken at Luxracines library on 29 Oct 2016“
I included a red tag for good measure.
At home, I sent the images to Evernote. Each image became a note which I titled with the town name, page number, family number(s), surname. The notes were filed in a temporary notebook.
The next step was to begin inputting the information, citing sources, and adding the cropped images to my database. I began with the Familienbuch der Pfarrei Messerich, Dekanat Bitburg, 1720-1900 compiled by Werner Naumann. It covers the towns of Messerich, Birtlingen, Niederstedem, and Oberstedem.
Last year I wrote 52 Ancestors: #45 The WAGNER-KERSCHT Family. My third great-grandmother Anna Maria KERSCHT, wife of Johann WAGNER, was the daughter of Mathias KERSCHT (1759-1841), a sheep herder, Schäfer, and Anna EVEN (1766-1828) who were married 26 November 1785 in Messerich in the Eifel. Anna Maria’s parents, my 4th great-grandparents, would be the next logical couple to write about. The Mettendorf FB entry M1158 for them indicated that they had not always lived in Mettendorf. Their first six children had only estimated years of birth indicating the information was not to be found in Mettendorf. Their seventh child, born in 1809, was documented as being born in Mettendorf.
My fourth great-grandmother’s name was seen as Anna EVEN in the Mettendorf FB (Family Book). Since Anna and Mathias married in Messerich this was the logical place to look further for this family line.
The first thing I noticed when I looked up EVEN, the name found in the Mettendorf FB, was that the name was spelled EWEN in the Messerich FB. I had suspected this may be the case as I had found Anna’s parents listed as Gerardus EWEN and Barbara THILIEN on Thomas A. Pick’s Homepage for Eifel Birth and Marriage Data. The data was transcribed from an unknown source and the town of Messerich is seen as Mefserich (clearly a transcription error). This made me question the correctness of Pick’s use of the names EWEN and THILIEN.
In the Messerich FB, Mr. Naumann included the book number, page number, and record number of the church records he viewed. He also mentions other spellings of names or name changes. Although records will have to be obtained as proof, I will, for now, go with the spelling found by Mr. Naumann.
The parents of Anna EWEN (1766-1828) were Gerhard EWEN and Barbara THIL, also seen as THIELEN. Anna had nine siblings born between 1761 and 1780. Not only did I find her parents but also her paternal grandparents, maternal grandfather, and both sets of paternal great-grandparents. The new names in the family tree are seen below in generations 8 and 9 in white.
When I finish all of the towns scanned, I will go into AQ14 and re-set the standard ancestral colors so that these new ancestors on my mother’s paternal line will also be pink.
An interesting name change was seen for Anna EWEN’s parents. Her father Remigius was born EUPERS. At the time of his marriage to Margaretha EWEN in 1733 he lost his surname as they lived in the EWEN home and their children were all baptized EWEN. He was known as Remigius EUPERS vulgo EWEN. Vulgo means “alias” or “also known as” and shows his association to the EWEN family and property.
The Mathias KERSCHT and Anna EWEN family group were included in the Messerich FB. However, there are still discrepancies. My Anna Maria KERSCHT is in the Mettendorf FB with birth being circa 1793. She had five siblings born between 1786 and 1794 in Messerich but she was not in the Messerich FB.
When I wrote 52 Ancestors: #45 The WAGNER-KERSCHT Family I discussed my doubts about Anna Maria being born abt. 1793 which would mean she was nearly 50 when her last child, my 2nd great-grandmother Magdalena WAGNER, was born. I didn’t have the WAGNER-KERSCHT family’s entry from the Mettendorf FB when I wrote the post a year ago. At the time the theme of the post was “nur nicht verzweifeln” or don’t despair due to all the missing information. I still don’t have the entry and have added it to the Research Manager as a To Do/Research Item for my next visit to the library.
Messerich, Germany
The first documented mention of the town Messerich, Miezriche, was in the year 1066. In 1852 remains of Roman settlements were found thus proving that the place existed nearly one thousand years before it was first mentioned. In 1473 Messerich had 15 Feuerstellen, or houses which were lived in; in 1525 there were 12; in 1541 there were 14; and in 1624 there were only 5. The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), one of the deadliest conflicts in European history, and the Black Death, which repeatedly struck the Nimstal area in 1620-1633, were the cause for the decline in population. Today there are over 400 residents and 100 houses in Messerich.
Map courtesy of maps.google.lu
On the map above Messerich is a bit south of Bitburg. The closest towns to Messerich are Masholder, Birtlingen, Oberstedem, and Bitburg. Echternach, Luxembourg, the town where I live, lies 17.5 km or 10 miles to the south.
By Spanish_Inquisition (LuxembourgPartitionsMap_english.jpg) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia CommonsUntil the end of the 18th century, Messerich belonged to the Bitburg Provost District of the Duchy of Luxembourg. The borders of Luxembourg, before 1659, are seen above as black lines including areas of present-day France, Belgium, and Germany. The area where Messerich lies belonged to the Duchy of Luxembourg until the dark green area went to Prussia in 1815.
Although Messerich today lies in Germany, during the time my ancestors lived there it was part of the Duchy of Luxembourg. Now I am curious to find out which of my other “German” ancestors were actually Luxembourgers.
The entries from the Messerich FB have all been inputted and cited in my family tree. Schankweiler, Mettendorf, Neuerburg/Eifel, Mürlenbach, and Fliessem family books remain to be done. Hopefully I will have finished them by November 26th when it is once again my turn to be on library duty.
Week 45 (November 5-11) – Free. (Pick your own theme!)
I picked “nur nicht verzweifeln” or don’t despair: I had a rough time getting this written with correct source citations. I came to realize there are still avenues open to me for researching the German families. This is the last German family group in this generation. The next four sets of 3rd great-grandparents will take me back to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Whew!
The WAGNER-KERSCHT family lived in Mettendorf, Germany, and included father Johann “Joannes” WAGNER, mother Anna Maria KERSCHT, and four children, two of whom were known to have continued the line.
Johann “Joannes” WAGNER, my third great-grandfather, was born about 1804[1] in Fließem, north of Bitburg in the Eifel (Germany). He was the son of Mathias WAGNER and Anna Katharina SCHACMOTTE. The names of his parents were found on the indexed 1830 marriage record (no images).[16] The 1858 burial record found in the FamilySearch database included his age at death which was used to compute his estimated year of birth. Thomas A. Pick, compiler, Homepage for Eifel Birth and Marriage Data lists Johann’s mother’s name as Maria Catharina SCHUMACHER. Johann’s parents and siblings are at this time a brick wall.
Anna Maria KERSCHT
My third great-grandmother Anna Maria KERSCHT was the daughter of Mathias KERSCHT (1759-1841), a sheep herder, Schäfer, and Anna EVEN (1766-1828) who were married 26 November 1785 in Messerich in the Eifel.[2] Anna Maria was the second child of eight children born to Mathias and Anna according to information given in the OFB Mettendorf (Ortsfamilienbuch – Family Book Mettendorf). I suspect she was more likely their fifth child. Note: When I took the photo, below, it was the first time I was actually seeing a family book and did not know how to go from one family group to the next. I should have gone to families M1493, M3013, and M1535 to get more information on the daughters in the family. I did not miss getting a photo of the sons under M1160, M1161, S1162 as these were on the same and next page.
Werner Naumann, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Mettendorf Dekanat Neuerburg, Band 1 A-M Band 2 N-Z (compiled in 1992), p. 291, Family # M1158. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. Kerscht-Even.From information found in the sources cited below this is how I see the order of the births of the children of Mathias and Anna:
Child 1: Anne KERSCHT (1788-1843) was born on 4 October 1788 in Messerich.[2], [3]
Child 2: Catharina KERSCHT (1791-1851) born 14 December 1791 in Messerich.[2], [3]
Child 3: Matthias KERSCHT (1794-1876) was born on 19 April 1794 in Messerich.[2], [3], [4]
Child 4: Christophorus KERSCHT (1799- ) born 19 June 1799 in Mettendorf.[2], [5]
Child 5: Anna Maria KERSCHT born in Mettendorf. My line.
Child 6: Anna Catharina KERSCHT (1806-1824) born abt. 1806 in Mettendorf.[2], [6]
Child 7: Heinrich “Henricus” KERSCHT (1809-1809) was born on 8 August 1809. He lived only 10 days dying on 18 August 1809 in Mettendorf and was buried the next day.[2], [7]
Child 8: Joannes KERSCHT (1811- ) born 18 February 1811 in Mettendorf.[2], [8]
You will notice the first three children born between 1788 and 1794 were born in Messerich per Pick’s Data.[3] Anna Maria was born in Mettendorf.[2] The family must have moved from Messerich to Mettendorf after the birth of their son Mathias in 1794. Anna Maria’s year of birth is estimated at about 1793 in the OFB Mettendorf under the information for her parents.[2] I did not get the M3013 entry for Anna Maria and her husband from the book and will have to rectify this as soon as it is possible to access the OFB. As you will see later her last child was born in 1842. She would have been nearly 50 years old if she was born abt. 1793 and 11 years older than her husband. I find this quite hard to believe.
When Mathias and Anna were expecting their seventh child their oldest daughter Anne married Henricus LUDWIG on 23 January 1809 in Mettendorf.[9]
In the year their eighth child was born their second daughter Catharina married Joannes Friedericus LOCHEMES on 19 September 1811 in Mettendorf.[10] Two months later she had a daughter, who lived only two weeks.[11] Catharina also married Theodore LOCHEMES. This would have been in 1818 or earlier. What happened to her first husband and was he a brother of her second husband? These are questions I cannot answer at this time.
Six years after Catharina’s first marriage her brother Mathias, the oldest son of Mathias and Anna, married Angela ACHEN on 21 January 1818 in Mettendorf.[12]
Another six years later the second oldest son Christophorus married Elisabetha MERTES on 23 February 1824 in Sülm near Bitburg.[13]
Three months later their 18 years old daughter Anna Catharina died on 22 May 1824 in Mettendorf and was buried the next day.[14]
Four years later the mother of this family, Anna EVEN died and was buried on 15 November 1828 in Mettendorf.[15]
Johann and Anna Maria Marry
Johann “Joannes” WAGNER married Anna Maria KERSCHT on 22 February 1830 in Mettendorf.[16] The bride’s father Mathias was very likely present at the marriage. As nothing is known of the groom’s parents, whether they were living or deceased, I cannot say they were present or not. At the time of the marriage the bride may have already been expecting her first child.
Let us consider what her age may have been at the time of marriage. If she was born about 1793 she would have been about 37 while her husband Johann was only about 26. Could there have been a 10 years difference in their ages?
On 20 August 1830 Anna Maria gave birth to her first child, a daughter Margaret. She was baptized the same day.[17] On 12 February 1832 Margaret was about 18 months and became the sister of a brother Friedericus who was baptized the same day.[18] The next child of Johann and Anna Maria was born a little more than 3 years later on 6 July 1835. This daughter, Catharina, was baptized the next day.[19]
Six years later Anna Maria’s youngest brother Joannes KERSCHT (also spelled the surname KIRSCHT) married Elisabetha ROTH on 7 January 1841 in Nusbaum in the Eifel.
A little over a month after the marriage of her youngest brother, Anna Maria’s father Mathias KERSCHT died in Mettendorf on 11 February 1841.[20]
Johann and Anna Maria’s fourth and last child Magdalena was born on 21 March 1842 and baptized the next day.[21] If Anna Maria was born about 1793 she would have been about 49 years old when my great-great-grandmother Magdalena WAGNER was born. Could this be correct? I think a trip to the Standesamt Körperich, where the civil records for Mettendorf are held, may give me the answer to this question.
Anna Maria’s two oldest sisters died. Anne on 8 January 1843[22] and Catharina on 9 December 1851.[23] Catharina’s burial record shows her age as 65 which calculates to her birth being abt. 1786. This is five years older than she actually was and shows the burial records index is not always reliable. Does this mean Anna Maria’s age at death on her burial record (below) may also have been incorrect?
Johann and Anna Maria’s only son Friedericus WAGNER married Catherine SCHMITZ on 9 March 1857 in Mettendorf.[24] The young couple named their first child born on 17 May 1858 in Mettendorf, Joannes,[11] after Friedericus’ father. Johann “Joannes” WAGNER, the grandfather, died less than a month later on 15 June 1858 and was buried on 17 June 1858 in Mettendorf.¨[25]
Johann and Anna Maria’s youngest daughter, my 2nd great-grandmother, Magdalena WAGNER married my 2nd great-grandfather Mathias PÖPPELREITER (1843-1891) on 18 November 1868 in Mettendorf.[26]
The oldest daughter Margaret WAGNER died on 19 July 1871 in Mettendorf.[27] She never married and did not have any known children.
Johann and Anna Maria’s only son Friedericus was widowed between 1871-1873 and remarried on 11 January 1873 to Marie THELEN.[27] She gave him three children in three years.
Friedericus’ second wife was pregnant with their third child when his mother Anna Maria KERSCHT died on 21 July 1876 in Mettendorf.[27] Anna Maria left two children, Magdalena, my 2nd great-grandmother who died nearly eight years later on 20 March 1884[26] and Friedericus who died after 1899.[27] It is not know if her daughter Catharina born in 1835 lived to marry.
Sources: [1] Germany Deaths and Burials, 1582-1958 / Deutschland Tote und Beerdigungen, 1582-1958, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-P8Q : accessed 5 November 2015), Joannes Wagner, birth 1804, burial 17 Jun 1858, spouse’s name Anna Maria Kirscht; citing v.3 p.264, reference v.3 p.264;. [2] Werner Naumann, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Mettendorf Dekanat Neuerburg, Band 1 A-M Band 2 N-Z (compiled in 1992), p. 291, Family # M1158. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. Kerscht-Even. [3] Thomas A. Pick, compiler; Homepage for Eifel Birth and Marriage Data; (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pick/ : accessed 5 November 2015) citing Messerich. [4]Family Book Mettendorf, p. 291-292, Family # M1160. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. Kerst-Achen [5] Ibid., p. 292, Family # M1161. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. Kerscht-Mertes. [6] Germany Deaths and Burials, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-KHW : accessed 5 November 2015), Anna Catharina, age 18, burial 23 May 1824, parents Mathias Kerst and Anna Even; citing v.2 p.210, reference v.2 p.210. [7] Ibid., (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-JLY : accessed 5 November 2015), Henricus, age 0, burial 19 Aug 1809, parents Mathias Kerscht and Anna Even; citing v.1 p.56, reference v.1 p.56. [8] Familienbuch Mettendorf, p. 292, Family # M1162. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. Kerscht-Roth. [9] Germany Marriages, 1558-1929 / Deutschland, Heiraten, 1558-1929, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4LQ-SZ6 : accessed 8 November 2015), Henricus Ludewig and Anna Kerscht, 23 Jan 1809, parents of groom Nicolaus Ludewig and Elisabetha Thyves, parents of bride Mathias Kerscht and Anna Even; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [10] Germany Marriages, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4LQ-SYW : accessed 6 November 2015), Joannes Fridericus Lochemes and Catharina Kerscht, 19 Sep 1811, parents of groom Leonardus Lochemes and Maria Elisabetha Mueller, parents of bride Mathias Kerscht and Anna Even; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [11] Thomas A. Pick, compiler; Homepage for Eifel Birth and Marriage Data; (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pick/ : accessed 5 November 2015) citing Mettendorf. [12] Germany Marriages, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4LQ-3LV : accessed 8 November 2015), Mathias Kerst and Angela Achen, 21 Jan 1818, parents of groom Mathias Kerst and Anna Even, parents of bride Michaelis Achen and Anna Maria Kaufmann; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [13] Germany Marriages, FHL microfilm 556878. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4JW-JQW : accessed 8 November 2015), Christophorus Kirst and Elisabetha Mertes, 23 Feb 1824, parents of groom Mathiae Kirst and Annae Even, parents of bride Nicolai Mertes and Elisabethae Kruetten; citing Suelm, Rheinland, Preussen, Germany. [14] Germany Deaths and Burials, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-KHW : accessed 5 November 2015), Anna Catharina, age 18, burial 23 May 1824, parents Mathias Kerst and Anna Even; citing v.2 p.210, reference v.2 p.210. [15] Ibid., (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-KT1 : accessed 5 November 2015), Anna Even, age 60, burial 15 Nov 1828, spouse Mathias Kirsch; citing v.2 p.234, reference v.2 p.234. [16] Germany Marriages, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4LQ-7MQ : accessed 5 November 2015), Joannes Wagner and Anna Maria Kirsch, married 22 Feb 1830, parents of groom Mathias Wagner and Maria Catharina Schaemotte, parents of bride Mathias Kirsch and Anna Even; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [17] Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 / Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC1K-YJH : accessed 5 November 2015), Margaretha Wagner, 20 Aug 1830, parents Joannis Wagner and Maria Kirscht; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [18] Ibid., FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC1K-BZQ : accessed 5 June 2015), Fridericus Wagner, 12 Feb 1832; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [19] Ibid., FHL microfilm 469,172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJ74-3X7 : accessed 5 June 2015), Catharina Wagner, 07 Jul 1835; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [20] Germany Deaths and Burials, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-L6K : accessed 5 November 2015), Mathias Kerscht, age 88, burial 11 Feb 1841, spouse Anna Even; citing v.3 p.185, reference v.3 p.185. [21] Germany Births and Baptisms, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC12-SQ1 : accessed 5 June 2015), Magdalena Wagner, 22 Mar 1842; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [22] Germany Deaths and Burials, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-LL5 : accessed 5 November 2015), Anna Kerscht, age 54, burial 08 Jan 1843, spouse Henricus Ludwigh; citing v.3 p.197, reference v.3 p.197. [23] Ibid., FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-G5T : accessed 6 November 2015), Catharina Kirscht, age 65, 09 Dec 1851, spouse Theodorus Lochemes; citing v.3 p.244, reference v.3 p.244. [24] Germany Marriages, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4LQ-CVD : accessed 5 November 2015), Fridericus Wagner and Catharina Schmitt, 09 Mar 1857; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [25] Germany Deaths and Burials, FHL microfilm 469172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J4Z3-P8Q : accessed 5 November 2015), Joannes Wagner, birth 1804, burial 17 Jun 1858, spouse’s name Anna Maria Kirscht; citing v.3 p.264, reference v.3 p.264;. [26]Familienbuch Mettendorf, p. 39, Family # M1962. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. Pöppelreiter-Wagner. [27] Alwin Banz, compiler, Stammbaum: Familie Banz, obsolete password-protected site : accessed 5 November 2015).
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.
Week 23 (June 4-10) – Wedding:June is time for weddings. Write about a June bride in your family or highlight a favorite wedding photo. Maybe there’s a serial marry-er in the family — that could be a fun post!
A June Wedding in 1901
My great-grandparents Catherine PÖPPELREITER and Johann WILDINGER were married in Ernzen, Germany, on 4 June 1901.[1] Instead of a wedding photograph, my mother has this tag which was attached to a bag of wedding favors, most likely dragées, and given to family and friends in memory of the wedding. Catherine and Johann were featured in my 52 Ancestors: #9 Close to Home and Close to My Heart.
The Wildinger-Pöppelreiter Family (ca. 1909). From left to right: mother Catherine Pöppelreiter, daughter Marie, son Jean-Pierre, and father Johann Wildinger. The little boy in front of Marie and Jean-Pierre is their son Nicolas, my maternal grandfather.
Catherine was the daughter of Mathias PÖPPELREITER and his first wife Magdalena WAGNER. Her marriage is the only one I know of for the children of Mathias PÖPPELREITER and his two wives.
The PÖPPELREITER-WAGNER Family 1868-1884
Mathias PÖPPELREITER was born on 22 June 1843[2] and baptized on 23 June 1843[3] in Mettendorf, Rhineland, Germany. His parents were Theodore PÖPPELREITER and Maria Katharina GROELINGER.[2]
Werner Naumann, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Mettendorf Dekanat Neuerburg, Band 1 A-M Band 2 N-Z (compiled in 1992), Band 2, p. 39, family no. M 1962. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013].Mathias married first Magdalena WAGNER on 18 November 1868 in Mettendorf.[4] In the Mettendorf Family Book (above) the compiler included the church register (KB) number, page number, and record number for easy access to the marriage record which would be located in the archives of the diocese in Trier.
Magdalena was born 21 Mar 1842[5] in Mettendorf to Johann WAGNER (some records show the surname spelled WAGNER) and Anna Maria KERSCHT. She was baptized on 22 March 1942 in Mettendorf.[6]
Mathias and Magdalena had eight known children in a dozen years.
All of the above children were born in Mettendorf. The place of death of the children who died young (§ = symbol I use for the end of a line in my database) was also Mettendorf. It is not known if sons Johann and Mathias married and had children. Catherine, child #3, is the only child of this union known to have married and have children.
Magdalena died 20 March 1884[4] in Mettendorf leaving Johann 11, Catherine 9, Mathias 8, Margaretha 5 and Maria nearly 2 without a mother.
The PÖPPELREITER-JUTZ Family 1885-aft. 1892
Mathias PÖPPELREITER had been widowed exactly 10 months when he married Katharina JUTZ on 20 January 1885[9] in Mettendorf. Katharina was born 26 January 1847 in Sinspelt, a neighboring village of Mettendorf. Although Katharina was close to 40 years old when Mathias married her, she gave him three children.
Werner Naumann, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Mettendorf Dekanat Neuerburg, Band 1 A-M Band 2 N-Z (compiled in 1992), Band 2 p. 39 family no. M 1964. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013].As with Mathias’ first family, all of these children were born in Mettendorf. Little Georg died in Mettendorf at the age of 16 months.[9]
Mathias and Katharina’s daughter Regina wrote to her half-sister Catherine’s family in Luxembourg during World War II given them genealogy information on the PÖPPELREITER family. The letter survived the war and was saved by Catherine’s daughter Marie and later passed on to my mother, her godchild. This letter was transcribed and translated in my 52 Ancestors: #9 Close to Home and Close to My Heart.
Where will I find the original records?
Werner Naumann who compiled the Mettendorf Family Book used the church registers (Kirchenbuch = KB) 1 through 13. KB 12 has marriages from 1860 to after 1900 and KB 13 has births and deaths from 1860 to after 1900. A 1999 version of Naumann’s compilation gives the location of the church registers in the front matter of the book. KB 1 through 11 are kept in the Diocese Archives in Trier and KB 12 and 13 were in the archives of the parish in Mettendorf. For the protection of privacy, records are not made available to the public for a certain amount of years from the date of the record. Baptismal records: 120 years; marriage records: 100 years; and death records: 40 years. Complete volumes of the death registers may only be viewed in their entirety 100 years after the last entry made. Information about deaths may be requested on an individual basis per the 40 years rule.
Dates of death for Mathias PÖPPELREITER and his 2nd wife Katharina JUTZ were not listed in the 1992 compilation. They most likely died after 1892 as Mr. Naumann would have only had access to death records up to 1892 when he compiled his book. For the same reason, records of marriages of Mathias’ children were not available to the public. It is only due to the tag saved from their wedding favors and the family book for Ernzen[1] that I have the date of marriage for Mathias and Magdalena’s daughter Catherine.
To find the missing documentation I will have to visit the Mettendorf parish archives and/or the diocese archives in Trier. When I take the trip to the Rhineland Archives in Koblenz later this month with my genealogy society Luxracines, I might be able to view the civil records for this family if someone in my group ordered the BMD records for Mettendorf. I ordered only Ernzen and Ferschweiler and would gladly share time with someone interested in these villages. Wouldn’t it be fun to work with another researcher on the same village? One can always hope and, as they say, two heads are always better than one.
Sources: [1] Richard Schaffner of Kordel, compiler, Familienbuch 2 der Pfarrei St. Marcus Ernzen bei Irrel, Daten bis 1798 aus den Kirchenbüchern der Pfarrei Echternach (damals fur Ernzen zuständig); mit: Ernzen-Hof, Fölkenbach und teilweise auch Prümzurlay (Häuser der rechten Flußseite) 1680-1899 (compiled in 2000), p. 245-246, family #867. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. [2] Werner Naumann, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Mettendorf Dekanat Neuerburg, Band 1 A-M Band 2 N-Z (compiled in 1992), Band 2, p. 38, family no. M 1959. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. [3] “Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898”, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 469,172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC12-SXT : accessed 2 June 2015), Mathias Poeppelreiter, 23 Jun 1843; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [4]Mettendorf Family Book, Band 2, p. 39, family no. M 1962. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. [5]Mettendorf Family Book, Band 2, p. unknown, family no. M 3013. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013]. [6] Germany Births and Baptisms, FHL microfilm 469,172. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC12-SQ1 : accessed 5 June 2015), Magdalena Wagner, 22 Mar 1842; citing Mettendorf, Rheinland, Preußen, Germany. [7] 1950 Death Record No., photocopy of original page in the death register at the records office at the city hall in Echternach obtained 10 July 1996. [8]Luxembourger Wort, digitized by Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg; online http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=833934&search_terms=catherine%20wildinger#panel:pp|issue:833934|article:DTL387|query:catherine wildinger [9]Mettendorf Family Book, Band 2 p. 39 family no. M 1964. [Pages of book photographed in Archiv Peter Daus (Wittlich) on 4 May 2013].
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.
Opening Doors in Brick Walls 
