“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
Anton WELTER, son of Johann Bernard WELTER and Maria BRIMERS, was born on 15 December 1773 on Ernzerhof outside of Ernzen. He was baptized the same day in Ernzen.[1]
1773 Baptismal Record of “Antonius Welter”[1]Anton was the only son, a middle child, but also the youngest as his two younger sisters died at an early age. His mother Maria died in 1781[2] leaving an 8-year-old Anton and his two older sisters. Her widower Bernard, as he was known, married again six months after her death.[3] He and his second wife Maria BARTZ had a daughter nearly nine months after the marriage.[4] The baby only survived two months.[5] Bernard and Maria did not have any other children. Anton’s step-mother died in 1791.[6] By this time Bernard’s children were nearly all grown. His oldest daughter Elisabeth had been married two years at the time and Catharina would marry in 1800. His only son Anton was nearly 18 years old. Bernard never married again.
Anna Katharina HENNES (1779-1845)
Anna Katharina HENNES, daughter of Johann HENNES and Magdalena MÜLLER, was born on 14 May 1779 in Holsthum.[7]
View of the village of Holsthum
Like Anton WELTER, Anna Katharina was a middle child and had two older sisters. Her father Johann died in 1786 when his wife was pregnant with their youngest child.[8] Matthias, their only son, was born two months later. Two months after giving birth to her deceased husband’s child, Magdalena MÜLLER married Johann TRAMPERT.[9] Magdalena was 44 and Johann was 27. With this marriage, her husband took on the responsibility of five step-children between 9 years and 2 months. Magdalena and her second husband did not have children of their own.
Anna Katharina and Anton marry in 1803
Anna Katharina HENNES married Anton WELTER on 23 March 1803 in Ernzen.[10] They had three children during their first seven years of marriage. Their first, Bernard was born in 1805 and named after his paternal grandfather. A record of baptism has not been searched for but it is likely his grandfather was his godfather as was the practice of the times. Their next two children were girls: Elisabeth was born on 31 January 1807[11] and Katharina WELTER on 21 July 1810.
Before they had more children there were several deaths in the family. Anna Katharina’s step-father Johann TRAMPERT died on 19 August 1812 at the age of 55 years.[9] Anton and Anna Katharina youngest daughter Katharina died on 5 December 1812 at the age of nearly two and a half years.[10] Anton’s father Johann Bernard WELTER died on 27 March 1813 at the age of 76 years.[3] Almost a week later the family would be attending another funeral. Anna Katharina’s mother Magdalena MÜLLER died on 2 April 1813 at the age of 70 years.[12] Three deaths in four months make me wonder if they were caused by disease or a hard winter.
A year later Anna Katharina and Anton named their son born on 4 April 1814 Peter. He lived only ten months dying on 6 February 1815. A little more than two years later another son was born and named Peter. He was born on 10 August 1817 and died on 12 May 1819 at the age of twenty months.[10]
Anton and Anna Katharina’s youngest child, Anna Maria was born on 3 April 1822.[10] Anna Katharina was 43 and Anton was going on 49.
Their oldest son Bernard married Katharina WEBER on 2 April 1837 in Aach (Eifel).[14] Katharina was born on 2 January 1795 in Aach to Peter WEBER und Susanna KREIN.
The mother of this family, Anna Katharina HENNES died on 9 March 1845 in Ernzen and was buried two days later.[10] Her widower Anton was left with three children, two of whom were married.
The youngest daughter Anna Maria married Peter STEIL on 18 February 1846 in Ernzen.[15] Peter was born on 3 January 1810 in Berdorf (Luxembourg).[16]
The father of this family, Anton WELTER died on 26 January 1849 in Ernzen and was buried two days later.
After their parents’ deaths
The oldest of the WELTER children, Bernard died on 1 February 1855 in Ernzen at the age of 55. His widow Katharina WEBER died two decades later on 30 April 1875 in Ernzen and was buried two days later. They may have remained childless.[14]
Anna Maria, the youngest of the WELTER children, died on 9 January 1861 and was buried two days later. She was 38 years old and left a husband and four children.
Elisabeth’s husband Hubert WEIMANN died at the age of 67 on 29 October 1872 in Ernzen and was buried two days later. He left her with three children.
Peter STEIL, Anna Maria’s widower, died on 21 December 1872 in Ernzen and was buried two days later. He was survived by two daughters and a son. The son emigrated to North America during the year and likely only learning of the death of his father after the new year.
A Peter STEIL, age 18, was found on a passenger list with an arrival in New York on 20 May 1872 via Liverpool, England. A match for Peter STEIL born 12 January 1854 in Ernzen was not found in America. He cannot be the same person as the Peter Steil 1852-1913 who lived in Stearns County, Minnesota, as he came over in 1867. Suggestions on other spelling for the STEIL name would be appreciated.
Elisabeth WELTER, the last living child of Anton and Anna Katharina, died on 24 September 1877 in Ernzen and was buried three days later. Elisabeth, my third great-grandmother, was 70 years old. She left three children who would live to see the outbreak of World War I. Only one of these would live to see the end of it.
How are the DNA matches looking for this branch?
One of the first Shared Ancestor Hints on Ancestry DNA for my brother’s test was for a match who descends from Johann HENNES, the father of Anna Katharina HENNES.
AncestryDNA
The person who matches was quick to reply to my short message sent in June 2016 and we have not corresponded since then. It’s been over a year since she has signed in. I really need to get in touch with her as I realized while writing this post that we have another set of common ancestors who do not show up as a hint. She does not have the parents of Mathias HENNES’ wife Elisabetha MALAMBRÉ. My 4th great-grandmother Susanna MALAMBRÉ was Elisabetha’s sister. This match is a 6th cousin through Johann HENNES and Magdalena MÜLLER and through Gérard MALAMBRÉ and Barbara BIESDORF.
1856 Passenger list for the Peter Hennes family. Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Mathias HENNES, the brother of Anna Katharina HENNES, had two sons who went to America. The youngest son Michael went in 1837 at the age of 21. He appears to have not been married and therefore without known descendants. The older son Peter went in 1856 with his wife and their seven children. They had lived in Silberberg/Nusbaum since their marriage in 1836, the year before Michael left.[17] They met up with him in Lemont, Cook County, Illinois, and he was in their household at the time of the 1860 census.
At the time I found this match I did not know so many people with connections in my tree left the Eifel area for America. This gives me another reason which may convince people to upload their raw data to GEDmatch. I haven’t been able to map any of the maternal chromosomes as matches are few and hard to figure out. It would be nice to get this tiny 14 centimorgans segment labeled but with there being two sets of MRCAs I’d need more matches to triangulate.
The winding road to NusbaumA view of Nusbaum from afarWillkommen in Nusbaum – Welcome to Nusbaum
Sources: [1] Luxembourg, registres paroissiaux, 1601-1948 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Echternach > Baptêmes 1761-1797 > image 66 of 131. 1773 Baptismal Record, right page, 3rd entry. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32399-12771-29?cc=2037955 : accessed 9 November 2016). [2] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1779-1783 > image 102 of 177. 1781 Death Record, right page, bottom. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32400-11740-46?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015) and part 2 of 1781 Death Record, left page top. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32400-11629-47?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015). [3] Richard Schaffner, 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. 237-238, Family #839. Welter-Brimers and Welter-Bartz. [4] Luxembourg Church Records, Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1779-1783 > image 122 of 177. 1782 Baptismal Record, left page. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32400-11658-39?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015). [5] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1779-1783 > image 140 of 177. 1782 Death Record, right page, 2nd from bottom. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32400-11497-19?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015). [6] Ibid., Echternach > Baptêmes, mariages, décès 1788-1797 > image 118 of 331. 1791 Death Record, left page. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32401-8336-15?cc=2037955 : 9 January 2015). [7]FB Ernzen, p. 234, Family #830. Welter-Hennes. [8] Werner Neumann, Familienbuch der ehemaligen Pfarrei Schankweiler mit dem Pfarrort Schankweiler und den Filialen Holsthum und Peffingen, pg. 79, Family #485. Hennes-Mühler. [9]FB Schankweiler, pg. 238, Family #1377. Trampert-Müller. [10]FB Ernzen, p. 234, Family #830. Welter-Hennes. [11] Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 / Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 462714. Elisabetha Welter, christened 31 Jan 1807 in Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia; father Antonii Welter; mother Chatarinae Hennes.(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NTJ5-T7S : accessed 15 October 2017). [12]FB Ernzen, pg. 219, Family #775. Trampert-Müller. [13] Germany Marriages, 1558-1929 / Deutschland, Heiraten, 1558-1929, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 462,714. Hubertum Wayman and Elisabetham Welter, married 12 Feb 1835; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JH8P-DBZ : accessed 15 October 2017). [14]FB Ernzen, p. 235, Family #832. Welter-Weber. [15]FB Ernzen, pg. 203, Family #719. Steil-Welter. [16] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1662-1941 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Berdorf > Naissances 1799-1858 > image 84 of 534. 1810 Birth Record No. 1. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6S5H-ND?cc=1709358&wc=9RY3-HZ9%3A129626101%2C129760301 : accessed 22 October 2017). [17] Richard Schaffner, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei St. Petrus Nusbaum in der Südeifel mit Nusbaum, Nusbaumerhöhe, Freilingen, Freilingerhöhe, Enzen, Silberberg, Stockigt, und Rohrbach 1722-1899, PDF (Kordel bei Trier, 2001), pg. 113-114, Family #464. Hennes-Hostert.
Pierre WECKERING was born on 12 June 1752 in Brandenbourg, Luxembourg.[1] He married Margaretha LASCHEID before 1780. Margaretha was born about 1753 in Niederschlinder. Pierre and Margaretha had the following children.
Antoine “Anton” WECKERING was born on 1 July 1781 in Unterschlinder.[2], [3] He married Marguerite MÜLLER (1773-1841), daughter of Nicolas MÜLLER and Marie Cathérine COLLING, on 8 February 1799 in Vianden.[2] Marguerite died on 7 April 1841 in Lipperscheid.[4] She gave him seven children, two are known to have died young. Antoine also married Margaretha BERNARD, daughter of Pierre BERNARD and Antoinette GROEBER, on 30 May 1843 in Bourscheid.[3] She gave birth to six children, only one lived to adulthood (my children’s 3rd great-grandmother). Antoine WECKERING became the father of his 13th child at age 72! He died on 25 March 1857 in Hoscheid.[5] His second wife Margaretha died on 15 April 1878 in Ettelbruck.[6]
Michel WECKERING was born on 7 December 1781 in Schlindermanderscheid. He was baptized on 8 December 1781 in Brandenbourg. His godparents were Michel MERSCH and Maria SERRES. No trace of him has been found after his baptism.[7]
Corneil WECKERING was born abt. 1786 in Niederschlindermanderscheid. He was never married and died on 16 January 1857 in Hoscheid.[8]
Margaretha LASCHEID, the mother of these three children, died in 1792 in Hoscheid.[2]
Pierre remarried after his first wife’s death to Margaretha KOENIG before 1797. Margaretha was born about 1767 in Michelau. Her parents are unknown. Pierre and his second wife, Margaretha had the following children
Marguerite WECKERING was born on 13 January 1796 in Hoscheid.[9] She never married but was the mother of a daughter born in 1819.[10] Marguerite died on 1 June 1864 in Hoscheid.[11]
Theodore WECKERING was born on 27 April 1800 in Hoscheid.[12] He married Catharina HELLES (1802-1864) on 16 January 1826 in Wiltz.[13] They had at least 3 children born between 1827 and 1840 in Wiltz. Catharina died on 23 Mar 1864[14] and Theodore died on 13 June 1881[15], both in Wiltz.
Theodore WECKERING was born on 2 January 1804 in Hoscheid.[16] He married Margaretha DUPONT (1802-1890) on 5 June 1828 in Ermsdorf.[17] They were the parents of at least 2 children born between 1834 and 1837 in Eppeldorf. Theodore died on 20 June 1867[18] and Margaretha died on 27 May 1890[19], both in Eppeldorf
Nicolas WECKERING was born on 12 July 1808 in Hoscheid.[20] Nicolas married Anne Marie THURM (1812-1884) on 23 April 1834 in Hoscheid.[21] They were the parents of at least 9 children born between 1834 and 1854 in Hoscheid. Anne Marie died on 28 May 1884[22] and Nicolas died on 19 Mar 1892[23], both in Hoscheid.
Anne Marie WECKERING was born on 1 January 1811 in Hoscheid.[24] She married Mathias MANGERS (1806-1874) on 20 October 1836 in Wilwerwiltz.[25]They were the parents of at least 8 children born between 1837 and 1853 in Enscherange. Mathias died on 18 February 1874[26] and Anne Marie died on 7 March 1877[27], both in Enscherange.
Mathias WECKERING was born on 23 August 1814 in Hoscheid.[28]He married Marie WEIS (1819-1858)on 13 March 1844 in Wilwerwiltz.[29] They were the parents of at least five children born between 1844 and 1852 in Enscherange. Marie died on 18 May 1858 in Enscherange.[30] Mathias died on 1 December 1891 in Luxembourg City.[31]
Pierre WECKERING died on 17 March 1820 in Hoscheid.[32] His youngest child was only 5 years old when he died. His second wife Margaretha KOENIG died on 3 March 1849 in Hoscheid.[33]
The Longer Story Using Substitute Pieces of the Puzzle
Pierre WECKERING, a 5th great-grandfather of my children, very likely left a lot more records than I was able to find. His parents chose to live in Brandenbourg where his paternal grandparents had also lived. Normally research is simpler when families stayed in one location. However, the Brandenbourg parish records are in a muddle for many of the years Pierre lived there. To be more precise, from the time he was 12 years old until he turned 50. The period of his life when he married, had children, lost his first wife, married again, and had more children.
Cover Sheet of a Brandenbourg parish records collection [34]Cover Sheet of a Brandenbourg parish records collection [35]
I attended a lecture on Latin in the Luxembourg church records last Thursday. As I have been doing a lot of research in the church records this year, the information the lecturer shared was an eye-opener.
At the lecture I learned two copies were kept of the records by the priests of the parish. Where both copies were available, they were microfilmed by FamilySearch. This is helpful as the handwriting in one copy may be more legible than in the other due to fading or even those pesky mice who ate a whole through the surname of your ancestor.
Over the years, as the borders changed, some of the books were split up between the parishes in Luxembourg and those across the borders in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. During the French Empire parts of Luxembourg belonged to France and church records for the years 1808-1810 may be found in the diocese of Metz, France.
There are also gaps in the record keeping. Some parishes were large and included several towns. The priests did not always carry their registers with them and made the entries later messing up the chronological order.
Other church records are lost forever. Destroyed by natural elements (insects, rats, dampness), hidden by the clergy, or, in some cases, torn out of the ledgers by people who stole the records or by others who had well-meaning reasons for making a record disappear.
No matter what the reason for the missing records, we are still able to write the stories of our ancestors with the remaining records.
The (Documented) Early Years
Pierre WECKERING (1752-1820) was born and baptized on 12 June 1752 in Brandenbourg. His parents were Michel WECKERING and his wife Anna Maria. His godfather was the Reverend Father Petro (Peter) WEISGERBER, a pastor in Aalschett (sic, Alscheid). His godmother was Maria Elisabeth DALEIDEN of Vianden.[1]
Some priests wrote short entries while others wrote up documents which filled one, two, and even three pages. Still, the compact and precise entries, when translated correctly, include more information than one sees at first glance.
In the above record, the abbreviation R:D: (reverendi domini) in front of the name of the godfather gives more precise information. Without this, a beginner would automatically translate the word pastore following the godfather’s name to shepherd as his occupation. In this case, Petro WEISGEBER was a Catholic priest in Alscheid. This detail was the key to opening the door in young Peter’s maternal line – to be written about in a future post.
We don’t do research in chronological order. We work backward, forward, and sideways to find the relevant information for each individual. In Pierre’s case, I knew the names of his parents as other researchers had made the connection. To confirm them, I searched for his baptismal record (above) and found it did not include his mother’s maiden name. The next step was to locate the baptismal records of his five known siblings, names and dates being provided by researchers who have their GEDCOM files online. [The names and dates found in other people’s files are used as clues and to assist in finding the records to prove the connection.]
After locating all of the baptismal records in Vianden, I took a closer look at each. Pierre’s three youngest siblings’ baptismal records included their mother’s maiden name: DALEYDEN. This was important as no marriage record was found for Michel WECKERING and Anna Maria DALEYDEN. The date of marriage is presently being estimated at before 1751, the birth year of the oldest known child.
It was interesting to hear the lecturer mention things I had already noticed. For example, the importance of the godfather and godmother in the baptismal record. A male child always received the name of the godfather and a female child that of the godmother. This rule is very useful when the priest omitted the name of the child on the baptismal record.
A closer look at the baptismal records of all six children of Michel and Anna Maria showed DALEYDEN/DALEIDEN individuals were acting as godparents for some of the children.
The (Undocumented) Middle Years
Pierre WECKERING was married twice. No marriage records were found. However, the records of his children have been helpful in proving his first wife was Margaretha LASCHEID (d. 1792) and his second wife was Margaretha KOENIG (1767-1849).
First Marriage and the Children
To prove the first marriage I searched for records documenting children born about 1780 to 1792. Important information was gleaned from the 1843 marriage record of my children’s 4th great-grandparents Antoine WECKERING and (his second wife) Margaretha BERNARD.
From the 1843 marriage record I learned:
1) Antoine was born 1 July 1781 in Unterschlinder.
2) Antoine’s mother was Margaretha LASCHEID who died in the year 1792.
3) Antoine’s father was Pierre WECKERING who died 17 March 1820.
To date, no death or burial entry has been found for the 1792 death of Margaretha LASCHEID. Only one baptismal record was found for a child born to Pierre and Margaretha. It, however, caused a conflict with the date of birth found for Antoine on both of his marriage records.
Michel WECKERING’s baptismal record [7]At eight in the evening of 7 December 1781 Michel was born to Pierre WECKERING and Margaretha LASCHET (variation of the spelling of the maiden name) and was baptized the following day. His godparents were Michel MERSCH of Schlindermanderscheid and Maria SERRES of Hoscheid. One would imagine with the length of this baptismal record there would be many more details which could be used. The priest who entered the information was very specific about the places the parents were from including the town name, parish, Duchy of Luxembourg in the Archdiocese of Trier.[7]
The clergymen who wrote in the parish registers were not all accomplished Latinists and there is a marked difference between classical Latin and medieval Latin found in the church records of the 17th to 19th century.
Michel’s brother Antoine was born on 1 July 1781 per both of his marriage records. This was only five months before Michel was born. Antoine was underage when he married in 1799. Is it possible he was even younger? Was his birth date seen in the 1843 marriage record copied from the 1799 marriage record?
Corneil WECKERING, the third child of Pierre and his first wife, showed up in the Luxembourg census for the years 1843, 1846, 1847, 1849, 1851, 1852, and 1855 with his half-sister Margaretha. The age range seen for Corneil on the census suggested he was born before Margaretha LASCHEID died. Although I searched and searched through the Brandenbourg church records, I did not find a baptismal record for Corneil. His death in 1857 was reported by his half-sister Margaretha’s son-in-law and included the names of his parents: Peter WECKERING and Margaretha LASCHEND, a variation on the spelling of LASCHEID or LASCHET.
Second Marriage and the Children
Pierre’s marriage to Margaretha KOENIG is well documented even without a record of marriage. The marriage records of four sons and a daughter all include the names of both parents, Pierre WECKERING and his wife Margaretha KOENIG. They also document the dates of birth for these five children.
Birth or baptismal records were not found for all of the children. Their oldest daughter Margaretha and first son Theodore were born during the time period the Brandenbourg church records are deficient. Their son Nicolas and daughter Anne Marie were born during the years for which the church records ended up in Metz and the civil records are also lacking. Only their second son Theodore and youngest son Mathias had civil birth records.
The date of birth of the oldest daughter Margaretha, who never married, cannot be documented with a reliable record. The census records found for her show she was born 13 January 1796 (1843), 3 November 1802 (1846), or 6 January 1800 (1849). The first appears to be the most likely as her siblings were born with 3-4 years between each. In 1851 she was seen as 52 years old when her illegitimate daughter married. At the time of death in 1864 her age was 58 which would place her birth at abt. 1806. Although I don’t trust the age to be correct on the record, the informant, her son-in-law, knew her parents were Peter WECKERING and Margaretha KOENIG.
I am comfortable with the research done to prove the mothers of the children of Pierre WECKERING. I still need to investigate the parentage of his first wife Margaretha LASCHEID who was the 5th great-grandmother of my children. Preliminary searches for the surname LASCHEID did not turn up any other persons with the name. However, I have a tiny hope of perhaps finding her parents as a baptismal record turned up for Maria Catharina LASCHET, daughter of Nicolas LASCHET and Catharina MEYERS, born 22 February 1753 in Schlinder(manderscheid) with godparents Joannes MERSCH of Schlinder and Maria Catharina BINSFELD of Hoscheid. I may be analyzing godparents as Michel MERSCH was the godfather of Michel WECKERING, the only child of Pierre WECKERING and Margaretha LASCHEID for whom a record was found. Coincidence?
Week 48 (November 26-December 2) – Thankful. November 26 is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Interpret the “thankful” theme however you’d like.
The FRANTZ-FRISCH Family of Mamer
I found a neat family register book dated 1718-1940 and notebooks with lists of all baptisms, marriages, and deaths for 1790-1804 in Mamer which I can use as a guide. Church records are available for baptisms, marriages, and death for 1779-1793 but not from 1794-1804 – the time period I need for my Jean and Elise.
I discovered these the day before Thanksgiving while plowing FamilySearch in search of baptismal records of the mother and father of my FRANTZ-FRISCH family. I have the civil records for most of my Mamer family groups however things get complicated for the era before civil records were recorded. For FRANTZ-FRISCH both the mother and father of this family came from parents who had two marriages and children from all four marriages. Sound complicated? The register puts it all in perspective.
How to Start?
My third great-grandparents were Johannes “Jean” FRANTZ (1794-1880) and Elisabeta “Elise” FRISCH (1800-1880). Jean’s mother Susanne was previously married and widowed before marrying Jean’s father Paulus. Elise’s father Jacob died before her birth and her mother remarried.
17 Feb 1783 ~ Susanne KIEFER md. Peter KOLBACH
The Kolbach-Kiefer family group on bottom of page (part 1) [1]The Kolbach-Kiefer family group on top of page (part 2) [1]My fourth great-grandmother Susanne KIEFER was first married to Peter KOLBACH.[2] They were the parents of five children.[3], [4],[5],[6], [7] Peter died 30 May 1793.[8]
3 March 1789 ~ Jacob FRISCH md. Regina HUBERTY
The Frisch-Huberty family with the names of Regina Huberty’s children from her second marriage [9]My fourth great-grandfather Jacobus “Jacob” FRISCH (1764-1800) married my fourth great-grandmother Regina HUBERTY (1764-1840) on 3 March 1789 in Mamer.[10] Jacob was from Huncherange and Regina was from Capellen. Jacob died on 11 March 1800 in Capellen.[11] His wife Regina was eight months pregnant with my third great-grandmother, the fifth of five children:
Susanna born 6 Jun 1792 in Capellen.[12] She married Petrus KOLBACH (1789-1837) on 14 January 1818 in Mamer.[13] Susanna died 20 October 1885 in Capellen.[14] Note: Her husband Peter KOLBACH was the half-brother of her sister Elise’s husband Jean FRANTZ.
Margaretha born 24 Apr 1794 in Capellen.[15] She never married and died 2 Aug 1828 at the age of 34 years.[16]
Franciscus “Franz” born 30 Aug 1796 in Capellen.[17] He married Magdalena MORRETTE (also seen as MORRET) (1796- ) on 22 January 1823 in Mamer.[18]
Elisabeta “Elise” born 5 April 1800 in Capellen and baptized on 6 April 1800 in Mamer.[20] On her marriage record[21] her date of birth was given as 13 prairial year VIII which calculates to 2 June 1800. Which should I trust? The date of birth on the marriage record had to have come from the church or civil records in Mamer or the dates of birth and baptism found in the list in the notebook of events which took place in 1779-1804?
7 January 1794 ~ Paulus FRANTZ md. Susanne KIEFER
The Frantz-Kiefer family followed by the Frantz-Künsch family [22]My fourth great-grandfather Paulus FRANTZ (1763-1847) married my fourth great-grandmother Susanne KIEFER (1754-1808) on 7 January 1794 in Mamer.[23] Susanne was 40 years old and widowed the previous year. She was the mother of five KOLBACH children between the ages of 3 and 10. Paulus was 30 years old, 10 years her junior.
Susanne gave Paulus twin sons, Nicolas and Jean, who continued the FRANTZ line in Mamer. The twins were born on 21 November 1794 in Mamer.[24] The next and last child, a son named Henri, born to her three days after her third wedding anniversary survived only five months.[25], [26]
Susanne KIEFER died on 9 October 1808 in Mamer when her FRANTZ twins were 13 years old.[27] At the time of her death her maiden name was spelled KEIFFER. The maiden name was seen as KÜFFER, KIEFER, and KEIFFER over the years.
21 December 1801 ~ Regina HUBERTY md. Peter KALMES
The Kalmes-Huberty family with information on Regina Huberty’s children from her first marriage. [28]The year after Jacob FRISCH died his widow Regina HUBERTY married Peter KALMES on 21 December 1801 in Mamer.[29] Regina and Peter had three sons, two died soon after birth, leaving only son Peter KALMES (1805-1863). Note: I found the birth and death records for the three sons. The dates of birth on the image above for the first two sons do not match the conversion of the French Republican dates found on the records. This should be considered when searching for records with dates seen in this register. The marriage record of son Peter KALMES has the date of birth of his brother of the same name who was born and died before Peter was born.
Jean FRANTZ marries Elise FRISCH
Nicolas FRANTZ was the first of the FRANTZ twins to marry at the age of 23 years. He married Anna “Jeanne” “Johanna” KÜNSCH (1795-1875) on 3 February 1818 in Mamer.[30] Their children are listed above in the FRANTZ image. His twin brother Jean waited until he was 32 years old to marry. Johannes “Jean” FRANTZ married Elisabeta “Elise” FRISCH on 18 January 1827 in Holzem.[21]
The Frantz-Frisch family [31]Jean and Elise FRANTZ-FRISCH were my third great-grandparents. They had five children in Mamer in a ten year period. Jean was a farmer (cultivateur) and a weaver (tisserand).
They named their first child Regina born on 9 June 1827[32] after Elise’s mother and their second child Susanna born on 8 September 1829[33] after Jean’s mother. Susanna’s godparents were Michel Kolbach, her father’s half-brother) and A. Frisch (I suspect the initial may be incorrect and this could have been Elise’s sister Susanna). Their third child François lived less than three months, born on 25 August 1832[34] and died 15 November 1832.[35] His godparents were François Frisch, Elise’s brother, and Susanne Keunsch (This may have been Jean’s brother Nicolas’ wife).
Elise’s step-father Peter KALMES died 12 Nov 1833 in Capellen.[36] This was a little over a month before the birth of her fourth child Peter born on 24 December 1833.[37] Was he named after her step-father? His godparents were Peter Kalmes, Elise’s half-brother, and Margaretha Reif.
Elise and Jean’s fifth and youngest child was my second great-grandfather Jean born on 3 December 1837.[38] His godparents were his cousins, Johann Redlinger and Catharina Kolbach.
Little Jean was only two years old when his maternal grandmother Regina HUBERTY died 19 January 1840 in Capellen.[39] I wonder what stories his paternal grandfather Paulus FRANTZ told him before he died on 27 July 1847 in Mamer[40] when little Jean was 9 1/2 years old.
Jean and Elise’s children marry
The oldest of Jean and Elise’s children, Regina FRANTZ married Peter MÜLLER (1830-1863) on 13 December 1855 in Mamer.[41]
The Frantz-Majerus family [44]Their son Pierre married a young lady from Hagen in the commune of Steinfort and his family groups are not included in the Mamer register. Pierre FRANTZ married Maria BIREN (1835-1873) on 20 February 1860 in Steinfort.[45] She died in 1873[46] after giving him eight children and he married her sister Marianna BIREN (1835-1900) on 22 April 1874 in Steinfort.[47] He raised the family he had with his first wife in Hagen. His second wife did not give him any children. His wives must have been twins, Maria born on 28 August 1835 and Marianna on 29 August 1835. The records of Hagen and Steinfort for the time period were kept in Autelbas in the Province of Luxembourg in Belgium. Although the Autelbas records for 1835 are online at FamilySearch they do not include the births in Hagen which would help me prove the BIREN sisters were twins.
The end of a generation
Jean’s twin brother Nicolas FRANTZ died on 8 Aug 1879 at the age of 84 years in Mamer.[48] Five months later Johannes “Jean” FRANTZ died on 24 Jan 1880 in Mamer.[49] He was 85 years old. His wife Elisabeta “Elise” FRISCH followed him ten months later on 15 November 1880 in Mamer.[50] She was 80 years old. They left three known living children: Pierre, Regina and Jean.
Pierre FRANTZ died 22 December 1907[51] in Hagen in the commune of Steinfort, Regina FRANTZ died 9 January 1909[52] in Mamer, and Jean “Johann” FRANTZ died 23 February 1929[53] in Mamer.
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 38 (September 17-23) – Favorite Place:What has been your favorite place to research? Which ancestor came from there?
Can you guess my favorite place to research? Without a doubt, in 2015, it’s been the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as this year’s research and writing has been dedicated to families from this county! If I had to narrow it down to a specific canton it would be a toss up between Diekirch, where most of my husband’s families came from, and Echternach. Narrowing it down even further I’d say the commune of Bettendorf and the village of Méischtref(Moestroff) would win out.
When I met my husband in 1975 he had only one living grandparent, his grandmother Suzanne PEFFER. She lived most of her life in Méischtrefwhere we often visited her on Sundays until her death in 1987. Her father Nicolas PEFFER (1866-1941) was born and raised there as was his father Nicolas PEFFER Sr. (1833-1887). The senior did not come from his having a son of the same name. It came from his being the elder of two boys named Nicolas in the family of Antoine “Anton” PEFFER and Maria GRASSER.
Antoin PEFFER was born on 20 May 1803[1] in Obermertzig which at that time was in the commune of Feulen, canton of Diekirch. His parents were Adam PEFFER (1777-1848) and Marguerite PIERRET (1777-1843). They had married the previous year on 28 June 1802[2] in Feulen. He had six known siblings: Nicolas (1805-1896), Eve (1808-1808), Christian (1809-1883), Christine (1811-1866), Susanne (1814-1826), and Angélique (1817-1891).
Antoin lived with his parents and siblings in Obermertzig until about 1811-1814 when the family moved to Gilsdorf in the commune of Bettendorf.
Maria GRASSER (1802-1882) was born about 1802-1803 in Moestroff to Michel GRASSER (1772-1821) and Elisabetha HOSCHEID (1772-1831).[3] Her parents were married on 2 January 1796[4] in Bettendorf. She had eight known siblings: Nicolas (1796-1801), Margaretha (1797-1848), Jean (1799-1803), Anna Catharina (1801-1821), Phillippe (1804-1805), Cathérine (1805-aft 1855), Nicolas (1807-1852), and Nicolas (1809-1867). It is interesting to note both of Maria’s brothers who were named Nicolas lived to marry and have children. Did her growning up with two brothers named Nicolas influence her and her husband to name two of their sons Nicolas?
Marriage of Antoine and Maria
Antoin PEFFER married Maria GRASSER on 17 February 1830[5] in Bettendorf. When they married the date of birth of Maria’s deceased sister Anna Catharina[6] was given on the marriage record instead of her own. I have not been able to locate a birth record for Maria. Not only did the civil servant get the wrong date of birth for Maria, he forgot to include her age AND he gave her deceased father Michel GRASSER’s date of death as 7 June 1809 instead of 26 February 1821.[7] The death record for Michel GRASSER who died on 7 June 1809[8] was for a child who died at the age of 3 years. Was the civil officer who checked for the supporting documentation for this marriage having a bad day or did rushing cause the errors?
Since the marriage record had the incorrect date of birth and no age for Maria I wanted to find a document which would have the missing information. She is not listed in the Tables Décennales for the years 1803-1812 leaving a small window in 1802. There is one other record with a date of birth for Maria – the 1846 census[9] has 2 May 1802. This record is not very reliable. First it is too close to the date of birth of her sister Anna Catharina who was born on 15 December 1801. Second the dates of birth of all other persons in the household were compared with the dates found in their birth records. Not one of them is correct! Her husband was born in May but has July listed. Maria has May listed – could she have been born in July?
1846 Luxembourg Census [9]Where else could I find her date of birth? Church records! Yes. Wouldn’t you know it? It’s Sunday and FamilySearch is DOWN!! Three hours without access to the Luxembourg records – I had to take some more drastic measures! I made a list of every record with an age for Maria:I compared the dates of birth of her siblings and Maria most likely fits in as child #5 in the list of children for Michel GRASSER and Elisabetha HOSCHEID:
Screenshot of Family View in AncestralQuest 14
When the FamilySearch site was working again I checked the church records and the civil records for Bettendorf and found there are records missing for the 1802-1803 period Maria was born in. Unless there are other, yet to be discovered, records for Maria GRASSER which state her birth date this may remain an unknown. For now I am using abt. 1802-1803 as her year of birth.
Antoin and Maria Move to Méischtref (Moestroff)
While his two brothers and two sisters who also married chose to remain in Gilsdorf, Antoin moved to Moestroff, Maria’s hometown, sometime after the birth of their first child and before the birth of their second child, between 1830 and 1833. Bettendorf lies between Gilsdorf and Moestroff and both villages are part of the commune of Bettendorf.
The children of Antoin and Maria were: (§ = end of line)
Ch 1: Marguerithe (1830-1892) born 6 October 1830[10] in Gilsdorf
Ch 2: Nicolas, the elder, (1833-1887) born 10 August 1833[11] in Moestroff
Ch 3: Nicolas, the younger, (1836-1911) born 28 July 1836[12] in Moestroff
Ch 4: Marie (1836-1843) born 28 July 1836[13] and died 20 April 1843[14] in Moestroff §
Ch 5: Catherine (1839-1839) born 24 July 1839[15] and died 19 September 1839[16] in Moestroff §
Ch 6: Catherine (1840-1840) born[17] and died 4 December 1840[18] in Moestroff §
Ch 7: Michel (1842-1910) born 23 June 1842[19] in Moestroff
Antoin PEFFER and his wife Maria GRASSER and their living children Marguerithe, Nicolas the elder, Nicolas the younger, and Michel were not found in the 1843 census. It was enumerated on 23 December 1843 in Moestroff. Antoin’s mother died on 22 December 1843[20] in Gilsdorf. His father’s household was enumerated on the day his wife, Antoin’s mother, died. Adam was listed as married. This was then crossed out and changed to widowed.[21] It is strange Antoin and his family were missed. I wonder if they had gone to Gilsdorf for the funeral and the person visiting the families for the census information forgot to go back when they got home.
Antoin, Maria and their four children were found in Moestroff when the census was taken on 15 December 1846[22], 31 December 1847[23], 5 December 1849[24], and 31 December 1851.[25]
Before the next census the oldest child and only daughter Marguerithe married Jean REITER (1827-1878) on 29 September 1852[26] in Bettendorf. The couple lived with the bride’s parents at the time of the census taken on 3 December 1852.[27] The first grandchild was Nicolas REITER (1855- ) born on 2 July 1855[28] in Moestroff. Following his birth Marguerite and her husband continued the tradition of naming two son Nicolas when their 2nd son was born in 1857. The REITER-PEFFER family continued to live with Antoin and Maria when the census was taken on 3 December 1855[29] and 3 December 1858.[30] The two son named Nicolas and son Michel were also still living at home.
1858 Luxembourg Census [30]Antoin PEFFER died three weeks after the 1858 census on 26 December 1858[31] in Moestroff. He may have been weak and ill when the census was taken as his daughter Marguerithe signed the census.
Less than a year later the first of the sons married. The elder of the two sons named Nicolas married Marie ZWANK (1832-1892) on 30 November 1859[32] in Bettendorf.
Maria GRASSER had in her household her two unmarried sons, Nicolas the younger and Michel, as well as her daughter Marguerite and her family when the census was taken on 3 December 1861[33] in Moestroff.
Nicolas PEFFER, the younger, married(1) Margaretha SCHMIT (1836-1865) on 21 January 1862[34] in Wallendorf, Germany.
After the younger Nicolas married, his mother Maria GRASSER was seen for the last time on the census of 3 December 1864[35] in Moestroff as the head of household which included her youngest son Michel and her daughter’s REITER-PEFFER family.
Nicolas PEFFER, the younger, was widowed on 29 June 1865[36] and married(2), only three months later, Margaretha MORETTE (1840-1911) on 9 October 1865[37] in Bettendorf.
From 1867 on Maria, the widowed mother of this family, was seen as a member of her son-in-law and daughter’s REITER-PEFFER household on 3 December 1867[38], 1 December 1871[39], 1 December 1875[40], and 1 December 1880.[41]
Michel PEFFER was still living at home at the time of the 1867 census and several weeks later on 23 December 1867[42] he married(1) Anna MÜLLER (1840-1876) in Bettendorf. Following Anna’s death on 17 November 1876[43] Michel married(2) Elizabeth FRISCH (1849- ) two months later on 24 January 1877[44] in Bettendorf. His mother Maria was present at both marriages.
Maria GRASSER died on 4 January 1882[45] in Moestroff. Her 48 years old son Nicolas was the informant and gave her age as 81 years. The age of the son matches that of Nicolas the elder. To be sure I compared the signature on the death record with the signatures on the marriage records of Nicolas the elder and Nicolas the younger. Signature comparison proves Nicolas the elder was the informant.
Maria left four living children. They all died in Moestroff in the following order: Nicolas, the elder, on 4 March 1887[46]; Marguerithe REITER-PEFFER on 5 September 1892[47]; Michel on 27 September 1910[48]; and Nicolas, the younger, on 30 November 1911[49]. They gave her at least 30 grandchildren, 1/3 of whom died young. This ratio may go up as further research is done on the grandchildren of Antoin PEFFER and Maria GRASSER.
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.
Over a period of 54 years Antoine “Anton” WECKERING (1781-1857) fathered 13 known children, his first child when he was 18. He was 72 years old when his last child was born, my husband’s 2nd great-grandmother Elisabeth “Elise” WECKERING (1853-1905).
Antoine WECKERING was born 1 July 1781 in Unterschlinder, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to Pierre WECKERING (1752-1820) and Marguerite LASCHEID (1753-1792). This date of birth was found in his 1799 marriage record.[1] The place of birth was mentioned in his 1843 marriage record[2], census records from 1846 through 1855, and his 1857 death record[3]. At the time of his first marriage, his surname was spelled without a g at the end – WECKERIN.
Index Card of Marriage [4]The index card with the marriage information for “Antoine WECKERIN” and Marguerite MÜLLER includes most of the information found in the marriage record. Marguerite was the daughter of Nicolas MÜLLER and Marie Cathérine COLLING. The (+) indicates they were deceased at the time of the marriage.
The date 20 pluviose 7 calculates to 8 February 1799. Missing on the card but found in the “copie conforme” of the marriage record[1] is the fact that the groom was only 17 years old. As he didn’t have the necessary age to marry, his father Pierre gave his consent before the witnesses present.
This is an important item since Antoine’s birth date was again recorded as 1 July 1781 when he married the second time in 1843. A record of birth or baptism has not been located. [Later research turned up a birth record for a brother born on 7 December 1781 making it impossible for Antoine to have been born five months earlier.] The baptismal records for Brandenbourg, where I believe the record may be found, have considerable shortcomings and are not in chronological order for the period Antoine was born.
1799 Marriage Record of Antoine WECKERING and Marguerite MÜLLER[1]
The bride Marguerite MÜLLER (1773-1841) was twenty-six years old; both of her parents were deceased. The difference in age of the bride and groom and the fact that the groom was underage led me to this assumption: the marriage may have been taking place due to the bride being with child.
Finding Proof for this Assumption
Antoine and Marguerite were living in Merscheid, a village in the commune of Landscheid, when their daughters Margaretha (1803)[5] and Anne Marie (1805)[6] were born. I searched the birth records from 1799 to 1803 for their first child to prove my assumption. No birth was found in the Bastendorf where the Landscheid records for the time period were housed.
I checked the deaths records for possible stillborn children. I found a daughter Anne Marie who died on 14 February 1803[7] at the age of 3 years in Merscheid, also seen as her place of birth. Her age at death suggested she was born February 1800 or earlier. The birth records of the commune of Landscheid are missing for year 8 of the French republican calendar – 23 September 1799 to 22 September 1800. Anne Marie was not found in year 7 or 9 and since she died on 25 Pluviose year 11 or 14 February 1803 at age 3 years, her birth must have been in year 8, between 23 September 1799 and 14 February 1800.
She may or may not have been the reason for the marriage of her parents. If I had not made the assumption and searched for documentation to prove/disprove my theory their first known daughter Anne Marie (~1800-1803) may have remained hidden in the records.
The Children of Antoine and Marguerite (wife #1)
Ch 1: Anne Marie WECKERING born abt 1800 and died 14 February 1803, both events in Merscheid.[7]
Ch 2: Margaretha WECKERING (1803-?) born, a little over a week after the death of Anne Marie, on 23 February 1803 in Merscheid.[5] No further documentation was found for this child. It’s possible she died young as another daughter was given the same name in 1818.
Ch 3: Anne Marie WECKERING (1805-1880) born 29 November 1805 in Merscheid.[6] Anne Marie married Jean HAAN (1808-1870) on 18 January 1832 in Bourscheid.[8] She died 31 August 1880 in Lipperscheid.[9]
Ch 4: Catherine WECKERING (1808-1810) born abt 1808 and died 28 October 1810 in Lipperscheid.[10]
Ch 5: Théodore WECKERING (1811-1893) born 10 October 1811 in Lipperscheid.[11] Théodore married Gertrude FAUTSCH (1812-1847) on 8 February 1840 in Bourscheid.[12] He married 2nd Anna Maria STEINMETZ who survived him when he died on 11 December 1893 in Michelau.[13]
Ch 6: Marie Catherine WECKERING (1814-1884) born 16 April 1814 in Lipperscheid.[14] Marie Catherine married Nicolas MALGET on 9 February 1836 in Boevange les Clervaux.[15] She was present at the marriage of her daughter on 1 December 1884[16] and died after this date.
Ch 7: Margueritte WECKERING (1818-1871) born 1 April 1818 in Lipperscheid.[17] Marguerithe married Louis THILGES on 29 October 1847 in Basbellain.[18] She died 10 July 1871 in Trotten (Troine) in the Boevange-Clervaux commune.[19]
Antoine’s children from his first marriage were all born before the death of his father Pierre WECKERING on 17 March 1820 in Hoscheid.[20] Pierre was the only grandparent the children ever knew as their mother’s parents and their father’s mother were deceased at the time their parents married.
Marguerite MÜLLER, Antoine’s first wife, died 7 April 1841 in Lipperscheid.[21]
1843 Marriage of Antoine WECKERING and Margaretha BERNARD[2]
Two years after the death of his first wife, 61 years old Antoine found a new life partner. On 30 May 1843 he married Margaretha BERNARD (1815-1878) in Bourscheid.[2]
Margaretha, 27 years old, was born 2 November 1815 in Hoscheid and was about the same age as her groom’s youngest children. She was the daughter of the deceased Pierre BERNARD (1790-1820) and Antoinette GROEBER (1790-1843). Her mother Antoinette died less than three months before the marriage.[22] Antoinette had been widowed twice and left four daughters: Margaretha, her sister Marie Cathérine and their twin half-sisters Elisabetha and Anna Maria KAUFMANN.
The Children of Anton and Margaretha (wife #2)
Margaretha gave Anton six children, sadly only the youngest lived.
Ch 1: Marie Catherine WECKERING (1844-1845) born 25 April 1844 in Lipperscheid.[23] When she died on 25 March 1845 in Hoscheid her name was recorded as Anna Maria on her death record.[24]
Ch 2: Corneil WECKERING (1845-1848) born 2 June 1845 in Hoscheid.[25] He was seen with his parents on the 3 December 1846* and 31 December 1847* census. Corneil died on 23 May 1848 in Hoscheid.[26]
Ch 3: Anna Maria WECKERING (1847-1850) born 13 July 1847 in Hoscheid.[27] She was seen with her parents on the 31 December 1847* and 3 December 1849* census. Anna Maria died 15 June 1850 in Hoscheid.[28]
Ch 4: Marie WECKERING (1849-1851) born 20 July 1849 in Hoscheid.[29] She was seen with her parents on the 3 December 1849* census. She died 7 February 1851 in Hoscheid.[30]
Ch 5: Margaretha WECKERING (1851-1852) born 3 June 1851 in Hoscheid.[31] She was seen with her parents on the 31 December 1851* census. Margaretha died 9 June 1852 in Hoscheid.[32]
Ch 6: Elisabeth “Elise” WECKERING (1853-1905) born 9 May 1853 in Hoscheid.[33] She was with her parents on the 3 December 1855* census.
Antoine was seen with his second wife Margaretha BERNARD and children mentioned above (*) on the Hoscheid census on 4 December 1846[34], 31 December 1847[35], 3 December 1849[36], 31 December 1851[37], 9 December 1852[38], and 3 December 1855.[39]
Life After Antoine’s Death
Antoine WECKERING died 25 March 1857 in Hoscheid.[40] He left his widow Margaretha, four married children from his first marriage and his youngest daughter Elise who was not yet four years old.
His widow Margaretha and their daughter Elise were seen in the Hoscheid census on 3 December 1858[41], 3 December 1861[42], 3 December 1864[43], 3 December 1867[44], 1 December 1871.[45]
Margaretha BERNARD died on 15 April 1878 in the Central Hospiz in Ettelbruck.[48] She had been a widow for 20 years, without an occupation, and she raised her only living child Elise on her own. Did her deceased husband Antoine WECKERING leave her financially independent?
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.
