“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 lecture was organized by my local genealogy association luxracines.lu. Prof. Dr. Peter GILLES explained in his lecture the procedure and results of several years of research. The project was supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) from 2009-2012 at the University of Luxembourg. The 2600 most frequent family names were published in Luxemburger Familiennamenbuch by Cristian Kollmann, Peter Gilles and Claire Muller in 2016. I have a copy of the book and mentioned it in my post How a Surname Had Me Spiraling Down a Rabbit Hole.
The PREISEN surname is unusual and, with the evolution of surnames on my mind, I wanted to add an unexpected end to this family’s story.
When Thomas, the father of this family, was baptized in 1753 his surname was spelled PREISER. When he married in 1779, the record showed the spelling PREUSEN. When his children were born between 1779 and 1799, PREISEN and PREUSEN were seen on the baptismal records. When Thomas died in 1801, PREUSEN was the spelling used by all of his children. By 1880, the descendants had gone back to using the PREISEN spelling.
The three sons of Thomas and Anna Maria who married, each had 8 to 9 children but only one son each. Peter and Joseph’s sons both lived to the age of 80 but never married.
Anton’s son had a son who had a son who had a son…
Anton was the only son of Thomas and Anna Maria who continued the male line, the line which kept the surname alive. Anton had a son:
Philippe (1822-1883) who had a son
Michel (1852-1945) who had a son
Michel Philippe (1889-1975) who had a son
Jean Pierre Christophe (1915-1944), known as Jempy to the family and friends.
There were no other male descendants other than Anton’s son, grandson, great-grandson, and great-great-grandson. Jempy was the last male PREISEN in the line.
Diekirch – Jempy Preisen † . The city of Diekirch has endured four years the Nazi tyranny and oppression with a strong heart and unflinching will. No wonder the day of our deliverance, September 11th, was a day of joy, enthusiasm, and rejoicing. Unfortunately, the victorious goddess demanded a sacrificial prize in the person of the 28-year-old Jempy PREISEN from Diekirch. This member of the Luxemburgish Freedom Organization was shot by a cowardly national traitor during the cleansing of our city. Jempy was always a noble friend to us all, animated by an ardent patriotism; it was rightly said of him: How tall stand today the women and men who did so much for our homeland — who like those from other large countries, put their lives on the line. The general interest of the town and the surrounding region of Diekirch may be a quiet consolation for the respectable PREISEN-THILLEN family, who have now sacrificed their only son and heir for the homeland. Jempy Preisen has entered into the long series of heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the liberty of Luxembourg; his memory will always be honored.
The underlined part is the translation of the quote used at the beginning of this post.
In 1880 the Luxembourg census had 9 persons enumerated with the surname PREISEN, a name no longer found in the telephone book in 2009. The last living male person to carry the surname PREISEN, Jempy’s father, died in 1975, nearly 200 hundred years after Thomas and Anna Maria started their family.
The Story is Not All Sadness
For those of you who have read the first part of this story, Thomas and Anna Maria’s story is not all sadness. Marie’s children lived short lives and Elizabeth had two stillborn daughters, but the other five children each had between seven and a dozen children. There were some who did not live to adulthood and others who chose to not marry, but the rest married and continued their lines although not with the PREISEN name.
One of these was my children’s 4th great-grandmother Margaretha PREISEN.
Her line went full circle when her granddaughter Elise FABER married François MEDER (half 3rd cousins) and had eleven children. In yesterday’s post I mentioned this unusual discovery which may have been a bit hard to follow. Amy Cohen of Brotman: A Family Journey suggested doing a chart (above, click to enlarge) to help “decipher your sentence about the sixth great-grandparents…” Does this make it easier?
26 Martius 1733 baptizatus est Michael filius legitimus Joannis Kosters et Catharina conjugum ex 7born Suscipientes fuerunt Michael Bourjans et Maria Franscisca Kosters ambo ex 7fontibus.
On 26 March 1733 was baptized Michael legitimate son of Joannis Kosters and Catharina, married, of Siebenborn. Godparents were Michael Bourjans and Maria Franscisca Kosters both of Siebenborn.[1]
Septfontaines is the name coined by the French for the town of Siebenborn, meaning “seven springs.” In early Latin records, the name of the town was often abbreviated to 7born. Today the town is known as Simmer in Luxembourgish and Simmern in German.
Genealogy Sketch
Name: Michael KOSTERS aka Michel SCHENTEN Parents:Joannis SCHENTEN and Catharina KOSTERS Spouses: Anna Maria WEBER, Susanna GENTINGER, and Cathérine OVERECKEN(*) Parents of Spouse(*): Unknown Whereabouts: Septfontaines, Kehlen, and Gilsdorf, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: husband’s 4th great-grandparents
The baby Michael KOSTERS, son of Joannes SCHENTEN and Catharina KOSTERS, would later be known as Michel SCHENTEN. At the time of his birth, his family went by his mother’s surname – KOSTERS – instead of his father’s surname – SCHENTEN. Six children, born between 1729 and 1745, were found for the couple. Their first child had the name Schenten x Kosters written on his baptismal record while the rests had only Kosters.
At the age of 17 Michel lost his mother. Catharina KOSTERS died on 29 November 1750.[2] A little more than two years later Michel’s widowed father Joannes SCHENTEN died on 6 February 1753.[3] What happened to the family of six orphaned children between the ages of 8 and 24 years? This still needs to be researched.
While searching through marriage index cards for SCHENTEN and KOSTERS marriages, I discovered the sad story of Michel’s first (unknown) marriage.
Michel’s First Marriage
1754 Marriage Index Card [4]This index card for the marriage of Michael SCHENTEN and Anna Maria WEBERS shows he married on the 1st of January in 1754[4], less than a year before my children’s 5th great-grandfather’s first known marriage. Could he be the same man?
Betrothed on 27 December 1753 Michael Schenten, legitimate son of Joannis Schenten and Maria Kosters, married, p:m: of Siebenboren and the virtuous Anna Maria Webers, legitimate daughter of Nicolai Webers and Maria, married, of Dondeling.[5]
The abbreviation p: m: is for piae memoriae. This expression signals that the person or persons were already deceased at the time the record was recorded.
1754 Marriage Entry in church book for the parish of Kehlen.[6]
1st January 1754 the marriage was contracted by the honest Michael SCHENTEN of Siebenborn and Anna Maria WEBER of Dondeling. Witnesses present were Dominico WEBER and Joanne Petro BERG both of Dondeling.[6]
Following the betrothal and marriage, Anna Maria became a godmother for her niece Anna Maria, daughter of Dominico WEBER and Catharina BIVER, on 10 May 1754 in Schoenberg.[7] Anna Maria died on 10 July 1754 in Dondelange.[8] Nine days later, her niece and godchild, Anna Maria WEBER also died. The baby’s entry follows Anna Maria’s death entry in the church register. Did the young bride and her niece die from the same cause?
1754 Death entries for Anna Maria Weber and a 2 months old Anna Maria Weber both of Dondeling (Dondelange) [8]
The place of birth of the groom and the parents both being deceased match for Michel. The father’s name was the same but not the mother’s. Before rejecting it, I searched for children born to the couple. If they had children at the same time Michel and his first known wife were having children, then this would mean they were two different persons. I found no births. I checked deaths for the year 1754 and found the deaths of the godmother and her godchild. Dominico, the child’s father, and Anna Maria were siblings, both children of Nicolas and Maria Weber(s).
A Second Marriage for Michel
Four months later, on 10 November 1754, Michel married Susanne GENTINGER in Diekirch.[9], [10] Susanne was born on 23 January 1731 in Gilsdorf.[11]
They had the following children.
Joannes Jacobus was born and baptized on 14 August 1755 in Gilsdorf. His godparents were Anna GENTINGER of Gilsdorf and Joes Jacobus GENTINGER of Diekirch.[12]
Petrus was born and baptized on 28 October 1757 in Gilsdorf. His godparents were Petrus GLAIS and Maria THILL, both of Gilsdorf.[13]
Joannes Stephanus was born and baptized on 13 July 1763 in Gilsdorf. His godparents were Joes Stephanus CHENTEN from Simer and Elisabetha MYERS of Gilsdorf.[14]
Jones was born and baptized on 22 November 1766 in Gilsdorf. His godparents were Jones JUMKEM and Anna DIEDERS, both of Gilsdorf. Note: Mother is seen with maiden name THIEL.[15]
Joannes was born and baptized on 31 March 1770 in Gilsdorf. His godparents were Joannes DEYL and Susanna GLEIS, both of Gilsdorf.[16]
Susanne was born and baptized on 14 December 1773 in Gilsdorf. Her godparents were Reinerich WELTER and Susanna FOURNER, both of Gilsdorf.[17]
Note: I have not researched these children other than finding their baptismal records. The daughter Susanne and at least one of the sons named Jean (or a variation) married and had children.
Michel was once again widowed on 15 March 1775 when his second wife Susanne GENTINGER died in Gilsdorf.[18]
A Third Marriage for Michel
Michel did not wait long to remarry. No marriage record has been found. However, church records show Michel SCHENTEN and Cathérine OBERECKEN were a legitimate married couple having children from 1777 to 1787. I estimate their marriage at abt. 1776 (between 15 March 1775 and 4 April 1777).
Michel and Cathérine had the following children.
Joannes was born and baptized on 4 April 1777 in Gilsdorf. His godparents were Joannes WEBER and Margaretha NEUBERG, both of Gilsdorf.[19] Joannes married first Susanne BRETZ (1767-1801), daughter of Dominique BRETZ and Susanne SPERES, on 9 April 1799 in Ettelbrück.[20] He married second Marguerite KAUFFMANN (1783-1843), daughter of Jean KAUFFMANN and Cathérine KLONS, on 30 November 1801 in Diekirch.[21] He died on 5 March 1844 in Bourscheid-Flébour.[22]
Petrus was born and baptized on 25 February 1780 in Gilsdorf. His godparents were Petrus RUPPERT and Maria DIEDERICHS, both of Gilsdorf.[23]
Joes was born and baptized on 28 May 1782 in Gilsdorf. His godparents were Joannes SCHWIETZ and Anna Margaretha CLOOS, both of Gilsdorf.[24]UPDATE: He died on 8 March 1785 in Gilsdorf.[24a]
Maria Catharina “Margaretha” was born and baptized on 21 October 1784 in Gilsdorf. Her godparents were Antonius SCHROEDER and Maria Catharina SCHLOESSER, both of Gilsdorf.[25] She marriedJean “Johann” FABER (1787-1864), son of Jacques “Jacobus” FABER and Elisabeth WOLTER, on 26 January 1813 in Diekirch.[26] Maria Catharina died on 27 March 1855 in Diekirch.[27]
Thomas UPDATE: was born about November 1787 and baptized on 30 October 1786 in Gilsdorf.[27a] He died on 22 May 1788 in Gilsdorf.[28]
Michel SCHENTEN died on 6 January 1813 in Gilsdorf.[29] His death record confirms his place of birth was Simmer, the Luxembourgish version of Septfontaines.
His widow Cathérine died six years later on 30 March 1819 in Gilsdorf. The death was reported by an acquaintance and a neighbor. They gave her age at time of death as 80.[30] This means Cathérine would have been born about 1738-1739. If this is correct, she was 48 at the time of the last child’s estimated birth.
Were the sons named Joes and Thomas the same person?
This question has been solved. They were two persons as seen in updates listed below.
Update: (12 February 2017) While working on the PREUSER children for my post on 17 February 2017, I found the birth record of the child named Thomas SCHENTEN. He was a year and a half when he died.
No birth record was found for the child named Thomas born about November 1787. The first name on the death record is in the gutter of the register making it difficult to decipher. The Latin text for his age is infans sesqui anni, which means half a year old infant. Could the person writing the Latin text have made an error and meant to write six years old? Or does the Latin text mean one and a half year old infant?
UPDATE (4 February 2017): While searching through the church records for deaths (of another family) I found the death record of a son of Michel SCHENTEN and his wife Catharina OBERECK named Joannes, three and a half years old. Joes born 28 May 1782 would have been almost three on 8 March 1782 when the child died. Joes is an abbreviation for Joannes. The person who wrote the entry likely miscalculated the age of the child.
If he did make an error the child Thomas could be the same as Joes who was born in 1782. Joes would have been six days short of six years when the child named Thomas died in May 1788. If the child who died in 1788 was in fact Joes, then my children’s 4th great-grandmother was the youngest child of Michel and Cathérine. Unfortunately the church records don’t include the ages of the parents at the time a child was born and baptized. As Cathérine died in 1819 at the age of 80 years she would have been 45 years old at the time of Maria Catharina’s birth in 1784.
Who were the parents of Michel’s third wife Cathérine?
No marriage record has been found for Michel and Cathérine. Her maiden name was found on the baptismal records of four children and on her death record. It was spelled several different ways. On her first two children’s baptismal records in 1777 and 1780 her name was spelled OBERHECK. In 1782 it was seen as EVERECK and in 1784 as OVERECKEN. In 1787 when her son “Thomas” died her maiden name was OBERRECKEN. In 1813 when her daughter Maria Catharina married it was OVERECKEN, the same as in 1784. This is because the name on the marriage record was likely copied from the bride’s birth record. Finally it was written as UBERRECKEN on her death record in 1819. The last cannot be considered as reliable as the information was given by an acquaintance and neighbor.
Was Cathérine born in Medernach as stated on her 1819 death record? The church records of Medernach are only available from 1786, too late for her baptismal record ca. 1738 to have been registered. Are the pre-1786 church records for baptized persons from Medernach in another town?
For now Cathérine’s date of birth and the names of her parents remain a mystery. Will one of my readers, familiar with Luxembourg records, hold the key to open the door in this brick wall?
UPDATE: (10 February 2017) I heard from Rob DELTGEN via email. The records of the parish of Medernach are lost! Church records on FamilySearch for Medernach are only for 1786-1807.
Name:Gangolf “Gangolphe” WILMES Parents: Michaelis WILMES and Barbara JACQUEMIN Spouse:Anne Marguerite SCHOOD Parents of spouse: Nicolai SCHEID (SCHOOD) and Anna Maria FETT Whereabouts: Diekirch, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: 4th great-grandfather of husband
All records for this family were found in the church and civil records of the town of Diekirch. Births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths mentioned below occurred in Diekirch unless otherwise stated.
Gangolphus WILMES, the son of Michaelis WILMES (1700-1783) and Barbara JACQUEMIN (1705-1751), was born and baptized on 5 April 1739. His godparents were Gangolphus Walbrüll and Margaretha Juttels. The church record shows the surname spelled WILLEMS.[1] He was the middle child of the nine documented children found for his parents.
1739 Baptismal Record of Gangolphus WILMES [1]His mother, Barbara, died on 25 October 1751.[2] On 5 March 1753, a little over sixteen months later, his father married his second wife, Marie THOBES (1727-1792).[3] They were the parents of four documented children.Further research (page by page viewing of the church records) needs to be performed to confirm the number of siblings and half-siblings Gangolf actually had.Anna Margaretha SCHOOD, daughter of Nicolai SCHEID (SCHOOD) and Anna Maria FETT, was born and baptized on 24 November 1741. Her godparents were Joannis Feth, Synodalis (a church counselor) and Anna Margaretha, frate olim (sibling of old) Feth.[4]1741 Anna Margaretha SCHOODT baptismal record [4]Anna Margaretha’s surname was seen as Schoodt, Schood, Schod, Schoed, and Schoedt in records found for her and her children. Different spellings of surnames was not unusual during this time period. To avoid confusion I have used the spelling found when her parents married: SCHOOD.When I started to look into the WILMES-SCHOOD couple I did not have Anna Margaretha’s parents, siblings, or her date of birth/baptism. I will share how I found the records in another post. For now, I would like to point out that FETT and FETH are very likely the same family name, only a different spelling. I will be able to confirm or refute this claim after I have done further research on Anna Margaretha’s mother’s FETT family.
Gangolphus and Anna Margaretha – The Marriage
My children’s 5th great-grandparents, Gangolphus WILMES and Anna Margaretha SCHOOD, were married on 29 October 1764.[5] No further information was included in the entry for the marriage in the church record. No parents of the bride and groom, no age for the bride and groom, and no witnesses. Other entries made on the same page, in a different handwriting, have a bit more information on the parents of the bride or groom. It looks like two persons were keeping the records. My children’s ancestors’ marriage was recorded by the one who wrote short entries with little more than the names and date.
Gangolphus and Anna Margaretha’s first child was born less than two weeks before their first wedding anniversary. Susanna WILMES was born and baptized on 18 October 1765. Her godparents were Joannes Preusen and Susanna Schodt.[6] The godmother was likely her 21 years old aunt Susanna, her mother’s sister.
1765 Baptismal Record for the child Susanna [6]Gangolphus and Anna Margaretha did not wait long for their second child who was born thirteen months later. Elisabetha was born and baptized on 23 November 1766. Her godparents were Christian Flick and Elisabetha Schoodt.[7] The godmother Elisabetha was likely a sister of the mother of the child, however I cannot say if she was Elisabetha age 27 or Maria Elisabetha age 20. Births of these two ladies have been found but marriages and/or deaths records have not been searched for.1766 Baptismal Record of the child Elisabetha [7]The third child of this couple was of my children’s 4th great-grandmother Apolonia WILMES. She was born and baptized on 27 February 1769. Her godparents were Nicolas Theys and Apolonia Scholtes.[8]1769 Baptismal Record of the child Apolonia [8]Gangolphus and Anna Margaretha finally had a son when their fourth child was born. Nicolaus WILMES was born and baptized on 19 February 1772. His godparents were Nicolaus Unden and Maria Barbara Clemang.[9]1772 Baptismal Record of the child Nicolaus [9]The fifth child was once again a girl. Anna Margaretha Wilmes was born and baptized on 5 July 1774. Her godparents were Michel Wilmes, a brother of the father, and Anna Margaretha Preuser.[10]1774 Baptismal Record of the child Anna Margaretha [10]On 16 February 1777, two and a half years later, the sixth child Margaretha WILMES was born and baptized. Her godparents were Nicolas Wilmes, a brother of the father, and Margaretha Frison.[11]1777 Baptismal Record of the child Margaretha [11]Four years later another daughter joined the family and was given the same name as the last child. Margaretha WILMES was born and baptized on 7 January 1781. Her godparents were Joes (Joannes) Schumacher of Hollenfels and Margaretha Preuser of Diekirch.[12]1781 Baptismal Record of the child Margaretha [12]The baptismal record of this child is the first record showing a signature for the father “Gangolff Wilmes” as he signed above, on the right side near the bottom. It is 1781 and Gangolphus would soon turn 42.
An Aside Concerning Godparents
As seen above, godparents included both the mother’s and the father’s siblings. What of the other godparents? Preusen and Preuser, names seen for three godparents of the children mentioned above, are likely the same surname. Were they also relatives?
Further research is planned as this is a name which is already in my children’s family tree. Thomas PREISEN (PREUSEN) and Anne Marie SCHRANTZ were the parents of their 4th great-grandmother Margaretha PREUSEN. It will be interesting to see if there is a connection.
The Children’s Mother Dies
1781 Death and burial record of Anna Margaretha SCHOOD [13]Gangolphus’ wife Anna Margaretha died on 12 January 1781, five days after giving birth to Margaretha.[13] Her age was given as 34 although she had turned 39 the previous November. Gangolphus was left with seven children to care for. The youngest was only 5 days old when her mother died and the oldest was 15 years old.1781 Marriage Record for Gangolphus Wilmes and his second wife [14]The widower waited six weeks to remarry. He married Maria Catharina Colman, daughter of Andreas Colman and Catharina Wevers, on 24 February 1781.[14] The fact that he was the widower of Anna Margaretha SCHOOD is included in the entry. His brother Damian WILMES was one of the witnesses. Once again we see the signature “Gangolff Wilmes” which would suggest that in day to day life he went by Gangolff while the church authorities concerned his name to be Gangolphus.
Further Deaths in the Family
Sadly, the death of Gangolphus’ wife and mother of his children was not the last during the year. His youngest, baby Margaretha died at the age of seven months on 14 August 1781. The death entry includes the name of her deceased mother.[15]
1781 Death entry for the youngest daughter Margaretha [15]She was followed two weeks later by her sister who was also baptized with the name Margaretha. The death record of the second child has the correct age at death but when she died on 31 August 1781 her name was given as Elisabetha. As with her baby sister, the name of her deceased mother was included in the entry.[16]1781 Death entry for the daughter Elisabetha baptized Margaretha [16]The five remaining WILMES children lost their paternal grandfather Michaelis WILMES on 21 November 1783 at the age of 80 years.[17]1781 Death record of Michael Wilmes, Gangolphus’ father [17]Three years later Gangolphus buried his only son Nicolaus Wilmes who died on 19 April 1786 at the age of fourteen.[18]1786 Death entry for son Nicolaus [18]
Four Remaining Daughters
Of the four remaining daughters, two have not been traced. The oldest Susanna and the youngest Anna Margaretha. It is not known if they married or even died young. They were not found in the index of marriages for Diekirch which could mean they died young, married in another town, or never married.
The first of Gangolphus and Anna Margaretha’s daughters to marry was Apolonia “Apolline” WILMES. She married Johann Nicolas “Jean Nicolas” MEDER (1766-1844) on 13 January 1794.[19]
Apolonia’s older sister Elisabetha married André KOENIG (1769- ) on 20 June 1796.[20]
Apolonia and Elisabetha gave Gangolphus ten grandchildren, three of whom predeceased him.
Gangolphus is Again Widowed
1811 Death record of Marguerithe Tholmang, wife of Gangolffe Wilmes [21]On 31 March 1811 “Gangolffe Wilmes,” a 77 years old day laborer was the informant for the death of his wife, Marguerithe THOLMANG who was 76 at the time of death.[21]This name does not match the name seen for the woman he married in 1781. The marriage record shows her name as Maria Catharina Colman, daughter of Andreas Colman and Catharina Wevers. Was this the same lady he married in 1781 or was he married three times? Hopefully further research will solve this question.Gangolphus WILMES outlived his last wife by fifteen years, long enough to see two of his grandsons marry in 1821[22] and 1822.[23]His daughter Apolonia, my children’s ancestor, died on 26 November 1824.[24]
Gangolf “Gangolphe” WILMES died on 22 January 1825 at the age of 85, outliving his father by five years.[25] His death was reported by his grandson, Jeangout KOENIG. Jeangout is the French version of the name Gangolf. Gangolphus’ name was given as Jeangout WILLMES and his age as 82 years. According to the death record, he was the widower of Marie TOLLMAN – similar to Marie Catherine Collman seen in 1781 but not a match. Could her maiden name on the marriage record have been transcribed incorrectly and did this influence my interpretation of the handwriting?
At the time of his death, the only known living child of the WILMES-SCHOOD couple was Elisabeth WILMES who died ten years later on 10 December 1835 at the age of 70.[26]
Next week, I will continue with another set of my children’s 5th great-grandparents, the parents of Elisabetha CLOS. The parents of her husband, Théodore REIFFER are at this time unknown and I am not expecting to find the key to a door in his brick wall in the near future.
For the most part, we research our family trees from ourselves back one generation at a time, moving on and continuing back to the oldest known ancestor as the line is proven. To write about my children’s 5th great-grandparents, Johann MEDER (ca. 1720-1784) and Susanna LAMBERT (1729-1803) of Ettelbruck, I had to research the changes in their surnames in order to locate their baptismal records. This took me back another 100 years to the 1600s and sent me spiraling down a rabbit hole.
When Did Mederhansen become Meder?
The surname MEDER evolved from MEDERHANSEN in the 1700s. During the 1600s, when the earliest church records were kept, the name was almost exclusively found as MEDERHANSEN. During the 1700s both versions of the name were found.
In the church records for Ettelbruck at FamilySearch.org, I found a register with extracted data from the baptismal records for the years 1640-1710, pages of families tree diagrams of the first families of Ettelbruck, and lists of marriages with numbers cross-referencing to the family trees. A treasure of information but a rabbit hole which had me looking up each baptismal record for children with surnames MEDERHANSEN.
lapsus calami a slip of the pen
Extracted information of baptismal records from the 1600s was printed in 1896 or earlier and included in the register likely put together by the priest who was serving Ettelbruck before 1900. The person who transcribed the names for the printed version had difficulty with the handwriting in some documents and was not consistent with the second part of the name which resulted in MEDERHANSEN also being seen as MEDERHAUSEN.
*Mader, Meder – a person who mows grain or hay.
(see comment below)
I consulted Luxemburger Familiennamenbuch by Cristian Kollmann, Peter Gilles and Claire Muller (2016), a book on family names in Luxembourg. MEDER is a surname derived from an occupation.* The author(s) also believed Mederhausen to be a copyist’s error as the name was not a toponym (place name) or a family name which is still in use. In 1611 the name MEDERT was found in the Feuerstattenverzeichnisse, a census of fireplaces or households in Luxembourg. In genealogical databases (church records) MEDERHANSEN evolved into MEDER around 1670. In the 1880 Luxembourg census there were 67 households in the country with the name MEDER, a whopping 0.35%. In 2009 only 24 (0.15%) listings were found in the Luxembourg telephone book for MEDER.
Following the end of the Thirty-Years’ War in 1648, the population of Ettelbruck, Ettelbréck as it is known in Luxembourgish, was 281 per the table below. When Johannes MEDER and Susanna LAMBERT married in 1752 the population had likely surpassed the 763 seen in 1750.
“Luxembourg registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32461-2361-92?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015), Ettelbruck > Baptêmes 1640-1710, tables généalogiques des premières familles > image 2 of 70; paroisses, Luxembourg (parishes, Luxembourg).
The wrong first name in the printed list for the father of Adam MEDERHANSEN (Johannes’ father) had me wondering if the others may contain errors as well. Adam’s father’s name was listed as Nic., short for Nicolas, in the printed list.
“Luxembourg registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32461-2196-7?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015), Ettelbruck > Baptêmes 1640-1710, tables généalogiques des premières familles > image 59 of 70; paroisses, Luxembourg (parishes, Luxembourg).
The baptismal record showed a son of Jacobus MEDERHANSEN and his wife Susanna was baptized on 24 August 1696 with godparents Adam MEDERHANSEN of Ettelbruck and Eva JACOBS of Warken. The name of the son was omitted but as it was tradition to name the child after the godparent of the same gender the omitted name had to be Adam.
1696 Baptismal Record of the son of Jacobus MEDERHANSEN and his wife Susanna
After making a list of all MEDERHANSEN children born in Ettelbruck between 1645 and 1710 I gathered the baptismal records which included the names of the father, mother, and godparents. Once the list was complete an examination showed there were two families having children at the same time.
Henricus MEDERHANSEN and his wife Elisabeth
Nicolas MEDERHANSEN and his wife Margaretha
Both of the men and their wives had children from about 1645-1646 into the 1660s which leads me to believe they were about the same age and possibly brothers.
A large problem in analyzing the family connections this far back is the lack of death and marriage records for the period 1640 to 1725. Both MEDERHANSEN families had a son named Jacob. Nicolas’ son was born in 1646 and Henri’s son was born in 1655. To further complicate matters I found three women having children with men named Jacob.
Jacob and Maria had children in 1671, 1672, and 1674 (Nicolas)
Jacob and Eva had children in 1688 and 1690 (Nicolas or Henri)
Jacob and Susanna had children in 1696, 1698, and 1703 (my husband’s line)
Are all three Jacobs the same person, two persons, or even three – the last perhaps a grandson and not a son of one of the two first MEDERHANSEN families in Ettelbruck?
“Luxembourg registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32461-2471-13?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015), Ettelbruck > Baptêmes 1640-1710, tables généalogiques des premières familles > image 12 of 70; paroisses, Luxembourg (parishes, Luxembourg).
Also found in the register were these diagrams of MEDER family trees including the MEDERHANSEN version of the name. Heinrich MEDER seen at the top of the diagram above was one of the two MEDERHANSEN men whose families were in Ettelbruck in the 1600s. Nicolas MEDERHANSEN in the diagram below was a son of Heinrich seen above.
“Luxembourg registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32461-2316-29?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015), Ettelbruck > Baptêmes 1640-1710, tables généalogiques des premières familles > image 13 of 70; paroisses, Luxembourg (parishes, Luxembourg).
The person who did these diagrams (mind-mapping on paper) would have greatly profited from today’s technology. Following all of the diagrams he included a list of marriages he used to create them. Many of the earliest marriages are “guesstimates” as a question mark was included before the year. How reliable are the early connection he made in the above diagrams? Further research may any this question.
As the births, marriages, and deaths for Ettelbruck appear to be complete from 1725 until 1815 in the church records, my next step will be to slowly go through all records beginning in 1725. It may be a while before I climb out of this rabbit hole or dig deeper into it.
Either way, I’m hopeful I will get additional help from my genealogy association in Luxembourg. Luxracines will soon be opening a library to the members and public. As treasurer and a member of the board, I’ve been helping set up the library and will be sharing some of the “behind the scenes” moments in next week’s post.
Following the marriage of Johannes MEDER (1723-1784) and Susanna LAMBERT (1729-1803) on 27 December 1752[1] their first child was born eight months later. More children followed about every two years until the family included nine children in 1770. The baptisms of each child took place on the day of birth in Ettelbrück where the couple lived following their marriage in Mersch.
Ch 1: Margaretha on 30 August 1753. Her godparents were Nicolaus Flamman and Margaretha Eichorn, both of Ettelbrück.[2]
1753 Baptismal Record of Margaretha MEDER
Ch 2: Magdalena on 24 July 1755. Her godparents were Wilhelm Benderin and Magdalene Philips, both of Ettelbrück.[3]
Ch 8: Joannes Nicolaus on 26 October 1766. His godparents were Joannes Nicolaus Bequinet and Barbara Wagner of Ettelbrück.[9]
1766 Baptismal Record for Joannes Nicolaus MEDER [9]
Ch 9: Margaretha on 21 September 1770. Her godparents were Joannes Cames and Margaretha Flamand, both of Ettelbrück.[10]
1770 Baptismal Record for Margaretha MEDER [10]One of my readers last week wrote, “So great to have such a wealth of records, not to mention being able to read them!” I admit that being fluent in several languages I forget sometimes that my readers not only may have difficulties reading the handwriting but also knowing the language it is writing in. The text of each baptismal record above was in Latin and reads:
Natus et baptimus est [child’s name] filius/filia legitimus/legitima [father] et [mother] conjugum ex [town], Susceptores fuerunt [godfather] ex [town] et [godmother] ex [town]
Born and baptized [child] legitimate son/daughter of married [parents] of [town], godparents were [godfather] and [godmother] of [town]
The paternal grandfather of the children lived long enough see all of them born. Adami MEDER also known as “Juckes” died at the age of 77 years on 9 March 1774 in Ettelbrück.[11] To date, no record of death has been found for his wife Elisabetha ESCH. An exhaustive search, viewing every page of the church death register from December 1771 when she was last seen as living, has not been done.
The first of Johannes and Susanna’s children Pierre MEDER married Anne Marie FABER (1755-1812) on 11 January 1779 in Ettelbrück.[12] It was to be the only marriage of a child attended by Johannes as he died at the age of 61 years on 13 February 1784 in Ettelbrück.[13]
Johannes’ widow Susanna saw four of their children marry in three years:
Ch 4: Nicolas MEDER married Marguerite BRACHTENBACH (1764-1823) on 27 December 1793 Ettelbrück[14]
Ch 8: Johann Nicolas MEDER married Apolonia WILMES (1769-1824) on 13 January 1794 Diekirch[15]
Ch 7: Elisabeth MEDER married Jacques BROCHMAN (1757-1831) on 23 May 1796 Diekirch[16]
Ch 9: Margaretha MEDER married Martin SCHMIDT (1750- ) on 9 September 1796 Ettelbrück[17] Note: Only the index card with marriage information was found for this couple. The church records appear to be missing pages (or they may be out of order) for May to November 1796. Civil marriages were first registered in the Republican Year 5, a week after this marriage took place.
No marriages or death records have been found for the oldest daughters Margaretha and Magdalena or for the third son Joannes. Did they die young or marry and live in a town other than Ettelbrück? I suspect Margaretha (b. 1753) died before the younger Margaretha was born in 1770. A complete search of the church records is still in progress.
The mother of the family, Susanna LAMBERT, died at the age of 74 years on 8 September 1803 in Ettelbrück. Her death was reported by her second oldest son Nicolas.[18]
Two of Johannes and Susanna’s children moved to Diekirch to raise their families while four of their children remained in Ettelbrück. Their daughter Agnès never married. The MEDER name was carried on by Pierre and Nicolas in Ettelbrück and by Johann Nicolas in Diekirch.
Death records were found for the following children:
Ch 3: Pierre MEDER , the oldest son, died 28 March 1812 Ettelbrück[19]
Ch 4: Nicolas MEDER died 9 March 1823 Ettelbrück[20]
Ch 7: Elisabeth MEDER died 29 November 1844 Diekirch[21]
Ch 8: Johann Nicolas “Jean Nicolas” MEDER died 22 December 1844 Diekirch[22]
Ch 6: Agnès MEDER who never married died 23 December 1844 Ettelbrück[23]
Ch 9: Margaretha MEDER died 14 December 1859 Ettelbrück[24]
The winter of 1844 was not a good year for the family. Three siblings died within a month, two of them a day apart.
Finding all of the above records was child’s play compared to what I went through to find the baptismal records of their parents Johann MEDER and Susanna LAMBERT. While doing the research for this family group I found myself slipping down a rabbit hole. I was pulled back in time to an era where family names were not the surnames we know today. Join me next week to see how I fared while exploring the rabbit hole.
Last year during the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge I blogged about my children’s ancestors starting with their paternal grandparents back to their 4th great-grandparents. Nearly a quarter of their 5th great-grandparents were featured in 2014 as part of the American branch of the family tree but three quarters have not been written about. As the remaining are all European and mostly Luxembourgish families the records are available and the ancestors are waiting for their stories to be told.
In 1723 a baptismal record[1] was recorded in the church records of Ettelbrück in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Joes, the abbreviated form of Joannes (Johannes or Jean), a son of Adam and Elisabetha MEDERHANSEN of Ettelbrück was baptized. His godparents were Joannes Petrus (Jean Pierre) Barthels of Elscheid and Joanna (Jeanne) Mederhansen of Ettelbrück. The record was not dated and other records on the page are not in true chronological order.
His baptismal record had this comment in the margin: n. b. non e ni ordine. This translate to “Take special notice, not in order.” The record therefore was not recorded in chronological order. His next sibling was born on 19 June 1724 which would mean Joannes had to have been born before September 1723. He was the oldest known child and his younger siblings were born with an average of about 3 years between births. When Joannes died on 13 February 1784 he was in his 65th year which places his birth at around 1720.
Baptismal Record of Joannes MEDERHANSEN [1]In the church records Latin forms of the names were used. To avoid confusion I will mention the form used in records but for narration will use the German form of the names.
Johannes MEDER’s (1720-1784) parents were Adam MEDERHANSEN (1696-1774) and Elisabetha ESCH. They likely married about 1719 and continued to have children until 1740. To date no record has been found to confirm the date of marriage of his parents who lived in Ettelbrück nor dates of birth and death of his mother Elisabetha. Why the change in the surname from MEDERHANSEN to MEDER? This will be discussed in a later post.
Marriage Index Card for Johannes MEDER and Susanna LAMBERT [2]Johannes MEDER, whose surname was spelled MEDERT, and Susanna LAMBERT, whose surname was spelled LAMBER, were married on 27 December 1752 in Mersch. Susanna was from Angelsberg. A remark on the above index card[2] in Latin ambo olim famulantes apud MEYERS im EHSINGEN translates to “both were formerly serving for the MEYERS in ESSINGEN.” Since Johannes was from Ettelbrück and Susanna was from Angelsberg they likely met while working for the MEYERS family in Essingen. The spelling of the town name is recorded incorrectly on the index card but written Essingen (the double s appears as fs in cursive) in the marriage record[3] below.
1752 Marriage Record of Joannes MEDERT and Susanna LAMBER [3]As Susanna (1729-1803) was from Angelsberg, a town whose records are found in Mersch, I searched through all the baptisms between 1720 and 1735 for a birth record for Susanna LAMBERT. I found a Susanna born in Angelsberg and baptized on 2 January 1729. The only problem was her parents names were Joannis and Maria REINERS. I made a note of the location of the record for further reference.
While checking for the birth, marriage and death records of the children of Johannes and Susanna, to be discussed in my next post, I ran across one record with a different surname for Susanna. In 1779 Johannes and Susanna had been married 27 years and the first of their children, their oldest son Pierre married a young lady named Marie FABER from Mamer.
Marriage Index Card for Pierre MEDER and Marie FABER [4]The index card[4] for the marriage has the mother of the groom listed as Suzanne REINERS. Using the index card as a guide I located the marriage record[5] in the church records. The mother’s maiden name was REINERS in the text as well as at the bottom of the document where all persons present at the marriage signed or left their mark.
1779 Marriage Record for Pierre MEDER and Maria FABER [5]This marriage record had me going back to the record I found for the REINERS child named Susanna born in 1729 in Angelsberg to Joannis and Maria.[6]
1729 Baptismal Record for Susanna REINERS aka LAMBERT [6]The LAMBERT family was also known as REINERS in earlier records. The LAMBERT name appears to have come into use after the death of Joannis REINERS in 1750. Both names were likely “house” names.
The marriage of Johannes and Susanna lasted 31 years, 1 month, and 17 days ending with the death of Johannes in 1784. Next week we will take a look at the records found for their children.
Week 27 (July 2-8) – Independent:This is the week for Independence Day! Which one fought for (or against) America’s independence? Or which of your ancestors was independent?
The REIFFER-CLOS Family
Théodore REIFFER, my husband’s 3rd great-grandfather, was born about 1771 in Gilsdorf in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.[1] His parents are at this time still unknown. His place of birth was listed on his death record. I suspect he was not born in Gilsdorf and it was an error made by his son-in-law who was the informant for this death. I will have to begin searching the towns around Gilsdorf (parish records were checked for this location and nothing found) and other places where he was known to have lived. This brick wall will have to wait for now as searching the browse only parish records is time consuming.
Théodore married Elisabeth CLOS. The religious marriage ceremony may have taken place around 1799, definitely before 1803, however I am still searching for a marriage record. As with Théodore’s birth/baptism I will have to come back to this at a later time.
Elisabeth CLOS, my husband’s 3rd great-grandmother, was born and baptized on 9 March 1774 in Körperich, Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Her parents were Michel CLOS (b. abt. 1747 d. 1775) and Elisabeth THEVES (b. abt. 1750). At her baptism, Elisabeth’s godparents were Elis. KLEIN from Körperich and Michael WINDANDY.[2] Elisabeth’s father Michel died on 20 December 1775.
While checking the information in the Körperich Family Book[2] on Elisabeth’s family I came upon entries for several REIFFERs which leads me to believe the “Théodore brick wall” may be solved using German records instead of those in Luxembourg. I have one ace up my sleeve. While on the field trip to Koblenz to visit the archives one of the other participants proudly showed his draft of the Family Book for Bastendorf, a town Théodore’s family lived in. He may have the information I need to open the door in this brick wall. Wish me luck!
The Children
1810 Birth Record No. 47 [6]While searching for the birth record of Théodore and Elisabeth’s daughter Susanna, my husband’s 2nd great-grandmother, I found the birth of a son (above) who had not been included on Rob Deltgen’s site, the first place I look for clues in the greater Diekirch area.
These are the known children of Théodore and Elisabeth:
Johann or Jean born 17 May 1805 in Landscheid. His birth has been documented using his marriage record.[4]
Susanna born on 6 April 1808 in Wahlhausen. Her birth has been documented using her marriage record.[5]
Jean born 12 November 1810 in Wahlhausen.[6] No further trace of this child has been found.
François born 19 June 1814[7] in Tandel and died 9 December 1819[8] in Tandel.
On all records found for Théodore he was seen as a sheep herder which may explains his moving around so much.
Whereabouts
Google map
The whereabouts of the family is a bit spotty. Elisabeth, the mother of the family, was born in Körperich. The entries in the Körperich Family Book for her family group do not continue into a new generation which suggests her widowed mother may have moved the family to another town and/or remarried. The place of marriage of Théodore and Elisabeth is unknown and not mentioned in the Körperich FB. They lived in Landscheid in 1803 and 1805. In 1808 and 1810 they were in Wahlhausen. In 1814 and 1819 they were in Tandel. By 1826 and 1828 they were in Fouhren when the first of their children married in 1826 and 1828. In 1829 Théodore and Elisabeth were in Bastendorf and in 1831 Théodore was in Gilsdorf.
Grandchildren
Their son Johann married Catharina EISEN on 30 October 1826.[9] The young couple’s first two daughters were born in Fouhren in 1827[10] and 1829.[11] Johann had the same occupation as his father which may be the reason for possible missing records for children during the time period from 1830-1834. The next child was born in Bastendorf in 1835[12] as were five more children between 1837-1847.[13][14][15][16][17] During this time the father’s occupation was day laborer. Johann may have given up on sheep herding when his father died in 1831.
Their daughter Anne Marie married Jean POTT on 16 December 1828.[18] This couple made their home in Gilsdorf where they had four children between 1830-1838.[19][20][21][22]
In 1829 Théodore and Elisabeth were living in Bastendorf. Théodore, a shepherd, reported the death of his wife Elisabeth in Bastendorf on 27 December 1829.[23] After her death Théodore may have gone to live with his eldest daughter in Gilsdorf or was visiting with her family when he died in 1831. His death on 7 May 1831 was reported by his son-in-law Jean POTT. Per the death record Théodore died in the town he was born in. As already noted, this is the only record found for his place of birth.[24]
Two years later in 1833 Susanna, the last of their living children, married Théodore MEDER on 31 January 1833 in Diekirch.[25] At the time of her marriage Susanna was living in Bastendorf. Susanna and her husband were the parents of a dozen children. From 1846 to 1855 Susanna’s husband, like her father, worked as a shepherd.
Was Théodore an Independent Man?
Did Théodore’s occupation make him independent man? As a sheep herder he did not live permanently in one place. His moving around from place to place did not make it easy to document his family. All records found show Théodore, his wife Elisabeth, and the three children who lived to marry could not write. I don’t believe this would be a hinderance as his occupation did not rely on his being literate.
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 26 (June 25-July 1) – Halfway:This week marks the halfway point in the year — and the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge! What ancestor do you have that you feel like you’ve only researched halfway? What ancestor do you feel like takes up half of your research efforts?
Halfway finished with 2015 and this year’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. What better time to switch gears and begin on a new generation. The 3rd great-grandparents will take me through to the end of the year. Sixteen paternal and maternal sets for my husband and 8 maternal sets for myself. My paternal sets were discussed during the first year of the challenge in 2014.
This generation of ancestors will be take me into a time period which has only been researched halfway. Civil record keeping in Luxembourg began ca. 1796 while the country was under Napoleonic rule (1795- 1812). During the first half of this year I featured many state-gathered records (births, marriages, deaths). The church records (baptisms, marriages, burials) for Luxembourg went online at Family Search at the beginning of this year. At the time I made a resolution to focus on the planned families each week and not check for church records for earlier generations and families until it was time to write about them.
I admit it was hard to keep this resolution, knowing the database was there for the pickings. I went in a few times to check on this or that ancestor and I told myself it was only a practice run. The family I’m doing this week gave me the first opportunity to really dig in and work with the church records. I was only halfway done when I began cleaning up source citations, etc. and adding records for this family.
The MEDER-WILMES Family of Diekirch
Jean Nicolas (Johann Nicolaus) MEDER and Apolonia (Apolline) WILMES were my husband’s 3rd great-grandparents. Due to the nature of the civil and church records in Luxembourg their names were spelled differently over time. It is hard to choose the correct spelling as records were in German, French and Latin. The different spellings, however, did not make it difficult to find the records as I have become familiar with FamilySearch’s browse-only databases.
1766 Baptism of Johann Nicolaus MEDER
Baptismal record of Johann Nicolaus MEDER [1]Johann Nicolaus MEDER was born and baptized on 26 October 1766 in Ettelbrück. His parents were Joannis MEDER and Susanna LAMBER. His godparents were Johann Nicolaus BEQUINET and Barbara WAGENER.[1] In later records the father’s name was seen as Johannes and Jean and the mother’s maiden name was spelled LAMBERT.
1769 Baptism of Apolonia WILMES
Baptismal record of Apolonia WILMES [2]Apolonia WILMES was baptiszed on 27 February 1769 in Diekirch. Her parents were Gangolphe WILMES and Anna Marguerite SCHODT. Her godparents were Nicolas THEYS and Apolonia SCHOLTES, both of Diekirch.[2]
1794 Marriage of Jean Nicolas MEDER and Apolonia WILMES
Marriage record of Jean Nicolas MEDER and Apolonia WILMES [3]Normally I don’t have much trouble reading the old handwriting in these documents however this marriage record for Jean Nicolas MEDER and Apolonia WILMES was an exception.[3] I knew the date of marriage as it was found in the Family Book of Diekirch compiled by Rob Deltgen, Komplettes Familienbuch der Gemeinde 1796-1923. The names of the bride and groom were underlined which helped me find the record. I can make out the names of the bride and groom’s parents and witnesses however a complete transcription would take more time.
Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, Burials of Children
Baptismal record of Elizabeth MOEDERS, sic MEDER [4]Burial record of Elizabeth MEDER [5]Jean Nicolas and Apolinia’s first child was a daughter Elizabeth born and baptized on 16 November 1794 in Diekirch.[4] Her godparents were her grandfather “Gangolphus” WILMES and her aunt Elisabeth MEDER, wife of Jacques BROCHMAN, all of Diekirch. The record has the surname spelled MOEDERS instead of MEDER. Little Elizabeth lived only two months, dying at midnight from the 27th to the 28th of January 1795. She was buried on the 29th.[5]
Baptismal record of Christina MEDER [6]Baptismal record (continued) of Christina MEDER [6]The second daughter of Jean Nicolas and Apolonia was born on 3 December 1795 at 7 in the evening and was baptized the next day. Christina MEDER’s godparents were Pierre GOSSENS and Christine MOCHY, both of Diekirch.[6]
Birth record of Antonius (Anton) MOEDER [7]The first son of Jean Nicolas and Apolonia was born on 30 Pluviose year VI.[7] Antonius MOEDER, as the name was written, was born during the Napoleonic rule when the Republican calendar was in effect. The date was 18 February 1798. No baptismal record was found however his name is on a list of baptisms performed in 1798. The church did not use the Republican calendar and his date of baptism was seen as 17 February 1798.[8] Was this an error on the list of baptisms or on the part of the civil servant using the Republican calendar? In any case he could not have been baptized the day before he was born.
Death record of Christina MEDER [9]Three year old Christina MEDER died on 7 March 1799. Her death record filled an entire page of the register.[9]
Birth record of Mathias MOEDER [10]Baptismal record of Mathias MEDER [11]Mathias MEDER, the second son and fourth child of Jean Nicolas and Apolonia was born and baptized on 30 December 1800. In the civil record his surname was spelled MOEDER[10] while in his baptismal record it was spelled MEDER.[11]
Baptismal record of Elisabeth MEDERT [12]Elisabeth MEDER was born on 10 Pluviose year 10 to Jean Nicolas and Apolonia. Her baptismal record shows she was baptized the same day and gives both dates: 30 January 1804 and 10 Pluviose year 10. Her godparents were Mathias WILMES and Elizabeth WILMES, both of Diekirch.[12]
Baptismal record of Theodore MEDERT[13]The third son of Jean Nicolas and Apolonia was born and baptized on 14 July 1807 in Diekirch.[13] Theodore MEDER’s godparents were Theodore RITSCHDORFF and Eva KNEIP, both of Diekirch.
Birth Record of Anne Marie MEDER [14]Jean Nicolas and Apolonia’s youngest child Anne Marie was born 12 September 1810.[14] No baptismal record was found for Anne Marie MEDER. Baptismal records for 1810 were not available at FamilySearch as of 23 June 2015.
Marriage publication for Antoine MEDER and Maria Catharina WAGENER [15]At the end of 1821 the first of Nicolas and Apolonia’s children made plans to marry. The marriage of Antoine MEDER married Maria Catharina WAGENER was “published” on the 23rd and 30th day of December 1821.[15] The civil marriage took place on 8 January 1822 in Diekirch.[16]
Death record of Mathias MEDER [17]The year 1824 was not a happy year for the MEDER-WILMES family. Son Mathias MEDER died at the age of 23 years on 29 July 1824 in Diekirch.[17]
Death record of Apollonia WILLMES [18]Four months later Apolonia WILMES died at the age of 55 years on 26 November 1824. Her death record however gives her age as 62.[18] At the time of her death she left a husband, two sons, two daughters, and two grandchildren.
Marriage publication for Theodore MEDER and Susanna REIFFER [19]On the 20th and the 27th of December 1832 the marriage of Theodore MEDER and Susanna REIFFER was published – read out loud and posted on the door of the city hall.[19] They married a month later on 31 January 1833 in Diekirch.[20]
Marriage record of Elisabeth MEDER and Mathias BOCK [21]Nicolas and Apolonia’s oldest living daughter Elisabeth married 24 January 1838 to Mathias BOCK.[21] Elisabeth had been an unmarried mother since 22 June 1829 when her son Mathias MEDER was born.[22] Mathias BOCK had the permission of his reserve regimental commander to marry. The publication of the marriage was noted on the marriage record and not on a separate document as seen when Antoine and Theodore married.
1843 Census [23]In December 1843 Jean Nicolas MEDER was seen on the Luxembourg census in the household of his married son Theodore. This census sheet included dates of births of the persons in the household. Jean Nicolas’ birthdate was incorrectly listed as 1 April 1763.[23]
Marriage record of Anne Marie MEDER and Heinrich KNOPS [24]On 28 August 1844 the youngest child of this family married. Anne Marie MEDER married the widowed Heinrich KNOPS who was 21 years older.[24]
Death record of Jean Nicolas MEDER [25]When Jean Nicolas MEDER died on 22 Dec 1844 he had seen all four of his children marry. His son Theodore was the informant on his death record. Nicolas’ age on the death record was 75 although he was actually 78 as calculated from his birth record.[25]
Death record of Elisabeth MEDER [26]Elisabeth MEDER died on 7 December 1861 in Diekirch.[26] She was survived by her husband Mathias BOCK, son Mathias MEDER and possible a daughter Anne Marie BOCK (last seen with her parents in 1858 on census, no marriage record or further trace of her found).
Death record of Anton MEDER [27]On 6 Sep 1866 the oldest child of this family, Anton MEDER, died in Diekirch.[27] He was survived by his wife, two sons, two (?) daughters, and four grandchildren. The daughters were last seen 10 years prior to his death and no further information on them has been found.
Death record of Anne-Marie MEDER [28]The youngest child of this family, Anne Marie MEDER died on 15 April 1890 in Diekirch.[28] She remained childless and had been widowed for 30 years.
Death record of Theodore MEDER [29]Theodore MEDER, the last of living child of Jean Nicolas MEDER and Apolonia WILMES, died on 29 July 1898 in Diekirch at the age of 91 years.[29] Theodore had been widowed for 20 years and left 5 known children. Two daughters have not been traced further and may have also still been living.
As can be seen by the records above and the sources cited below, nearly half of the records used came from the Luxembourg Church Records, 1601-1948 which have only been online since the beginning of the year. I can honestly say this family was only researched halfway before I got everything ready for this blogpost.
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.
Yes, where I live this Sunday is Mother’s Day. Luxembourg is the only country to celebrate Mother’s Day on the 2nd Sunday in June. What better day to honor my direct matrilineal line since it goes back 10 generations in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg?
Genealogy Sketch
Name: Anna Catharina RONAS alias BOUR Parents: Unknown Spouse: Dominique MAMER and Nicolai HERTZ(*) (also seen as HEITZ, HEURTZ) Children: (*)twins: Agnes and Maria Catharina HERTZ Whereabouts: Septfontaines, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: 6th great-grandmother
As you can see in the Genealogy Sketch box my given name is nearly the same as my 6th great-grandmother’s, only reversed. Catherine (and other spellings) is a name I share with at least 27 ancestors. Fearless Females: 27 Female Ancestors Share My First Name!
Happy Mother’s Day to all Mother’s in Luxembourg!
Generation 1:
My 6th great-grandmother Anna Catharina RONAS (Ronnas, Rones) is my oldest known direct matrilineal ancestor. She was born around 1710 to unknown parents. She gave birth to ten children between 1741-1755, all in Septfontaines or Siebenbüren. This village name translates to Seven Fountains or Seven Wells. Since all modern Europeans are classified into seven mitochondrial haplogroups it seems fitting that my mitochondrial line goes back to a place with SEVEN in the name.
My 6th great-grandmother Anna Catharina RONAS’ marriage record shows her with her deceased husband’s house name, BOUR. Her parents are not listed.[1]When Anna Catharina married my 6th great-grandfather Nicolaus HEITZ in 1755 she was the widow of Dominique MAMER alias BOUR alias FRIDGES and mother of 8 children. With her second husband she had twin daughters, my 5th great-grandmother Agnes and her sister.
1755 baptismal records of Maria Catharina and Agnes. Even the person who record the baptisms was confused about which surname or house name was used for the daughters of Nicolai Bour alias Heitz and Anna Catharina Bour alias Ronas.[2]She was living in Koerich in January 1785 when her daughter Agnes HERTZ married in Mamer.
Generation 2:
My 5th great-grandmother Agnes HERTZ’s marriage record show’s her mother’s name: Catharina RONAS
1785 Marriage Record of Agnes Hertz and Joannes Hames [3]
Generation 3:
My 4th great-grandmother Catharina HAMES’ marriage record show’s her mother’s name: Agnes HERTZ
1817 Marriage Reocrd of Michel Trausch and Catharina Hames [4]
Generation 4:
My 3rd great-grandmother Maria TRAUSCH’s marriage record shows her mother’s name: Catharina HAMES
1749 Marriage Record of Johann Majerus and Maria Trausch [5]
Generation 5:
My 2nd great-grandmother Maria MAJERUS’ marriage record shows her mother’s name: Maria TRAUSCH
1870 Marriage Record of Johann Frantz and Maria Majerus [6]
Generation 6:
My great-grandmother Catherine FRANTZ’s marriage record shows her mother’s name: Maria MAJERUS
1900 Marriage Record of Johann Joseph Fournelle and Catharina Frantz ¨[7]My great-grandmother Catherine FRANTZ
Generation 7:
My grandmother Marie Marcelle FOURNELLE’s marriage record shows her mother’s name: Catherine FRANTZ
1935 Marriage of Nicolas WIldinger and Marie Marcelle Fournelle noted in the Wildinger-Fournelle Family Book, Commune d’Echternach Nr. 13/1935 [8]
Generation 8:
My mother’s marriage record to my father Fred Roosevelt DEMPSEY shows her mother’s name: Marie Marcelle FOURNELLE. I have a copy of the record but will not share as she is still living.
Mom with her mother Marie Marcelle FOURNELLE
Generation 9:
My marriage record lists my mother’s name.
Yours truly!
Generation 10:
Through my daughter, the matrilineal line continues.
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?
Please contact me!
Are you related to a person mentioned in this post? Send an email to
openingdoorsinbrickwalls @ pt.lu or message me on my Facebook page Opening Doors in Brick Walls.
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 townhall 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 trance has been found.
Marguerite FABER was born on 27 April 1848[15] in Diekirch. No trance 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.
A Second Marriage for 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]
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 chldren. 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.
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.
The lecture was organized by my local genealogy association luxracines.lu. Prof. Dr. Peter GILLES explained in his lecture the procedure and results of several years of research. The project was supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) from 2009-2012 at the University of Luxembourg. The 2600 most frequent family names were published in Luxemburger Familiennamenbuch by Cristian Kollmann, Peter Gilles and Claire Muller in 2016. I have a copy of the book and mentioned it in my post How a Surname Had Me Spiraling Down a Rabbit Hole.
