Reuter – Opening Doors in Brick Walls

52 Ancestors: #43 The WEIMANN-WELTER Family of Ernzen

Week 43 (October 22-28) – Oops. An ancestor who made an “oops,” or one that you made while researching one of them. (We’ve all done it, believe me!)

Ernzen, Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Hubert WEIMANN of Ernzen

My third great-grandfather Hubert WEIMANN (1805-1872) was born on 13 July 1805 in Ernzen, Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.[1], [2] His parents were Bernard WEYMANN (1763-1809) and Susanna MALAMBRE (1772-1848), both of Ernzen. Hubert had two sisters, Anna Maria born 28 January 1796[2] and Elisabeth born on 20 August 1807,[2] both in Ernzen. Elisabeth was born seven months after the death of her father Bernard WEYMANN who died on 2 January 1807[2] in Ernzen. His widow Susanna remarried on 13 February 1809[3] to Matthias WELTER (1772-1830). They had four children, only one lived to adulthood and married.[3]

Elisabeth WELTER of Ernzen

Elisabeth WELTER, my third great-grandmother, was born on 31 January 1807[1], [4] in Ernzen. She was the daughter of Anton WELTER (1773-1849) born on Ernzerhof near Ernzen and Anne Catherine HENNES (1779-1845) born in Holsthum. They were married on 23 March 1803[4] in Ernzen. This was just before the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (18 May 1803- 13 Sep 1815) during which time their first four of six children were born (§ denotes end of line):

Child 1: Bernard WELTER (1805-1855) born in 1805. He married Katharina WEBER (1795-1875) on 2 April 1837 in Aach in the Eifel. Bernard died on 1 February 1855 in Ernzen.[4], [5]
Child 2: Elisabeth WELTER (1807-1877), my third great-grandmother
§ Child 3: Katharina WELTER (1810-1812) born 21 July 1810 in Ernzen. She died 5 December 1812 in Ernzen.[4]
§ Child 4: Peter WELTER (1814-1815) born 4 April 1814 in Ernzen. He died 6 February 1815 in Ernzen.[4]
§ Child 5: Peter WELTER (1817-1819) born 10 August 1817 in Ernzen. He died 12 May 1819 in Ernzen.[4]
Child 6: Anna Maria WELTER (1822-1861) born 3 April 1822 in Ernzen. She made her First Communion in 1834. Anna Maria married Peter STEIL 18 February 1846 in Ernzen. She died on 9 January 1861 in Ernzen where she was buried two days later.[4], [6]

A Marriage Takes Place in Sankt Markus Catholic Church

Hubert WEIMANN married Elisabeth WELTER on 11 February 1835[1] in Ernzen. A religious marriage ceremony took place the next day on 12 February 1835[1] in Sankt Markus Catholic Church in Ernzen. Peter LINKELS who was at Sankt Markus from 1806-1835 most likely performed the ceremony.

Sankt Markus Catholic Church in Ernzen

As mentioned earlier Hubert’s mother Susanna MALAMBRE was married(2) to Matthias WELTER. Susanna and Mathias’ children, Hubert’s half-siblings, were his wife Elisabeth’s second cousins. Matthias and Elisabeth were first cousins once removed. Confused? I love looking at the bigger picture!

A New Priest for Sankt Markus

Richard Schaffner’s Familienbuch der Pfarrei St. Marcus Ernzen bei Irrel as well as FamilySearch‘s Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 (index) have helped to add dates and places to this family’s story. Mr. Schaffner viewed the civil and religious records while compiling the information on all families of Ernzen however neither his book nor FamilySearch‘s database have images of the records. To make up for the missing records my photographer-husband and I visited Ernzen earlier this month to illustrate the stories with photos of the town today.

When I wrote this post a key figure in the lives of the family was missing (oops) but I did not know this until I took a very close look at the photos we took that day. On the side and behind the Sankt Markus church is the cemetery. Graves with the surnames WEIMANN, MALAMBRE, and WELTER were seen in the cemetery. Behind the church we found a plot reserved for the the priests who had served Sankt Markus.

On the left the parrish priests of Ernzen are listed with the years they served at Sankt Markus (1803-2001). The priests are included in Mr. Schaffner’s Family Book of Ernzen. They were an important part of families’ lives and I did not think to look for them in the compilation. Oops, a mistake I will have to remedy when I work on families in other towns with family books.

Philipp MEYER was born 9 November 1804 in Heispelt. He became a priest on 28 May 1831 in Trier, was chaplain in Daun before becoming the new pastor in Ernzen from 29 September 1835 until his death on 10 June 1868. He was buried in the church cemetery on 13 June 1868.[7] The grave is marked with this stone.

Here lie the bones of the deceased
Pastor MEYER
from Ernzen. Died on 10 June 1868 aged 64 years. Born in
Heispelt in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1804. He joined the
pastors of the parrish of Ernzen and tended his sheep for nearly 33 years.
He was a good shepherd and a good shepherd gives his life for his flock
which he did for that he will hopefully receive the crown of eternal life.
R I P

Father MEYER was the priest who performed baptisms, marriages, and burials for the WEIMANN-WELTER family from 1835 to 1868.

Hubert and Elisabeth’s Children

Hubert and Elisabeth’s first child came along a little over nine months after their marriage. Bernard was born and baptized on 30 November 1835[1], [8] in Sankt Markus. His godparents were his uncle Bernard RAUSCH, husband of the father’s sister, and his maternal grandmother Katharina HENNES, both of Ernzen.[1] Custom was for a male child to have the godfather’s name. I wonder if they may have chosen Bernard RAUSCH as the godfather in honor of the paternal grandfather. Baby Bernard died less than a month later, on the day after Christmas.

Their second child was born on 2 January 1837[1] and was baptized a day later in Sankt Markus.[9] His godparents were his uncle Bernard WELTER and Katharina CLASEN of Ernzen.[1] The child was given the name Bernard. Given the godfather’s name but did his parents want him to carry the name of his paternal grandfather and/or his deceased older brother?

Hubert and Elisabeth’s third child was a daughter, my 2nd great-grandmother. She was born on 18 June 1839[1], [10], [11] and was baptized the next day in Sankt Markus.[12] Her godparents were Maria WELTER and Anton PROMMENSCHENKEL of Ernzen.[1]

Johann the fourth child was born and baptized on 1 August 1841.[1], [13] The godparents who stood up for him in Sankt Markus were Johann HEINZ and Magdalena WELTER of Ernzen.[1]

Bernard, the oldest of the three living children died on 28 July 1842 and was buried two days later in Ernzen.[1]

Two years later Elisabeth gave birth to her 5th child Katharina on 28 June 1844[1] in Ernzen. Katharina was baptized the next day[14] in Sankt Markus in the presence of her godparents Katharina CLASSEN and Johann RAUSCH of Ernzen.[1]

Elizabeth’s mother Anne Catherine HENNES died on 9 March 1845 in Ernzen and was buried there two days later on 11 March 1845.[4]

Hubert and Elisabeth did not give up hope of having a son name Bernard. On 23 May 1847[1] their third son and sixth child was born in Ernzen. Two days later[15] he was baptized in Sankt Markus and was given the name Bernard. His godparents were Bernard and Katharina CLASSEN of Ernzen.

Five months later their two youngest children died. Katharina died on 31 October 1847 and was buried on 2 November.[1] Three days later baby Bernard died on 5 November and was buried on 7 November.[1]

Maria, 9 years old, and Johann, 7 years old, did not remain the only children as their mother Elisabeth gave birth to a seventh child. After losing three sons named Bernard they must have decided to choose another name for their son born on 29 October 1848[1] and baptized the next day[16] in Sankt Markus. His godparents were Peter STEIL and Elisabeth HENNES of Ernzen and he was given the name Peter.[1]

About a week later the family was back in church for a funeral. Hubert’s mother Susanna MALAMBRE died on 5 December 1848 and was buried two days later on 7 December 1848.[2], [3]

Two months later another funeral was being held in Sankt Markus. Elisabeth’s father Anton WELTER died on 26 January 1849 in Ernzen and was buried there two days later on 28 January 1849.[4]

The Grown Children Begin to Marry

Following the deaths of the grandparents the WEIMANN children, Maria, Johann and Peter continued to grow to adulthood. The oldest, Maria, was the first to marry on Thursday, 25 January 1866[10], [11] to Bernard WILDINGER. Isn’t it strange she would choose a man with the name her parents had given to three sons who died young? Maria and Bernard were married in a religious ceremony over a week later on Saturday, 3 February 1866 in Sankt Markus Catholic Church.[17]

Maria and Bernard gave Hubert and Elisabeth their first grandchild on 23 December 1866.[10], [11] He was baptized in Sankt Markus the day after Christmas. His godparents were his maternal grandfather Hubert WEIMANN of Ernzen and his paternal grandmother Catherine SCHRAMEN of Ferschweiler. Sadly Hubert died at the age of nine months on 20 September 1867.

The oldest son of Hubert and Elizabeth WEIMANN, Johann married Maria REUTER (1839-1907) on 27 November 1867[13] in a civil ceremony in Bollendorf. The marriage was also celebrated in a religious ceremony on 30 November 1867 in Sankt Markus Catholic Church in Ernzen.[18]

On 10 June 1868[7] Father MEYER who had served the WEIMANN family and the parrish of Ernzen died. He was replaced by Father Eduard WITTUS on 15 September 1868.

On 29 October 1872[1] Hubert WEIMANN died at the age of 67 years in Ernzen where he was born, grew up and raised his family. Father Eduard WITTUS who came to pastor at Sankt Markus after the death of Father MEYER may have been the priest who said mass for Hubert’s burial.

A year after Hubert’s death his youngest son Peter married Katharina HANSEN (1848-1914) on Tuesday, 23 September 1873[19] in a civil ceremony in Bollendorf. They were married in a religious ceremony in Sankt Markus on Monday, 29 September 1873.[20]

The mother of this family, Elisabeth WELTER died on Monday, 24 September 1877 in Ernzen and was buried there three days later on Thursday, 27 September 1877.[1]

Hubert and Elisabeth’s children raised their families in Ernzen. They witnessed the beginning of World War I. Peter, the youngest of the three, died on 27 November 1914[19] and was followed less than a year later by his sister Maria on 2 September 1915.[10], [11] Johann, the last living child, died a little over a year after the end of the Great War on 3 December 1919.[13]

Take a Walk Through Ernzen

Sources:
[1] 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. 232, Family #822. Weimann-Welter.
[2] Ibid., p. 243, Family #858. Weymann-Malambre.
[3] Ibid., p. 239, Family #844. Welter-Malambre.
[4] Ibid., p. 234, Family #830. Welter-Hennes.
[5] Ibid., p. 235, Family #832. Welter-Weber.
[6] Ibid., p. 203, Family #719. Steil-Welter.
[7] Ibid., p. 152, Person #510. Meyer (priest).
[8] Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 / Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 462714. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFD4-XNL : accessed 23 October 2015), Bernardus Weimann, 30 Nov 1835; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia.
[9] Ibid., FHL microfilm 462714. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFD4-XN5 : accessed 23 October 2015), Bernardus Weimann, 03 Jan 1837; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia.
[10] Familienbuch Ernzen, p. 245-246, family #867. Wildinger-Weimann.
[11] Richard Schaffner, compiler, Familienbuch der Pfarrei Sancta Lucia Ferschweiler mit: Diesburgerhof (ab 1803) und L(a)eisenhof (ab1830) 1680-1899, PDF (Kordel, 1999), p. 349, family #1624. Wildinger-Weimann.
[12] Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 / Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898, (index), <FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 462,714. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NFD4-54C : accessed 23 February 2015), Maria Weiman, 19 Jun 1839; citing Sankt Lucia Katholisch, Ferschweiler, Rheinland, Prussia.
[13] Familienbuch Ernzen, p. 232-233, Family #823. Weimann-Reiter.
[14] Germany Births and Baptisms, FHL microfilm 462714. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFD4-KMB : accessed 23 October 2015), Catharina Weimann, 29 Jun 1844; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia.
[15] Ibid., (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2CB-NBL : accessed 23 October 2015), Bernardus Weimann, 25 May 1847; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia.
[16] Ibid., (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2CB-2VM : accessed 23 October 2015), Petrus Weimann, 30 Oct 1848; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia.
[17] Germany Marriages, 1558-1929 / Deutschland, Heiraten, 1558-1929, (index), FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 462714. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JH8P-DXT : accessed 23 February 2015), Bernardus Weldinger and Maria Weimann, 03 Feb 1866; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia.
[18] Ibid., (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JH8P-DM5 : accessed 23 October 2015), Joannes Weimann and Maria Reuter, 30 Nov 1867; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia.
[19] Familienbuch Ernzen., p. 233, Family #825. Weimann-Hansen.
[20] Germany Marriages, (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JH8P-DJT : accessed 23 October 2015), Petrus Weimann and Cath. Hansen, 29 Sep 1873; citing Sankt Markus Katholisch, Ernzen, Rheinland, Prussia.

Genealogy Sketch

Name: Hubert WEIMANN
Parents: Bernard WEYMANN and Susanna MALAMBRE
Spouse: Elisabeth WELTER
Parents of the Spouse: Anton WELTER and Anne Catherine HENNES
Whereabouts: Ernzen, Germany
Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: 3rd great-grandfather

1. Hubert WEIMANN
2. Maria WEIMANN
3. Johann “Jean” WILDINGER
4. Nicolas WILDINGER
5. Living WILDINGER
6. Cathy Meder-Dempsey

This is my weekly entry for Amy Johnson Crow’s challenge:
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2015 Edition. It was so successful in 2014 that genealogists wanted to continue or join in on the fun in 2015. Be sure to check out the other great posts by visiting Amy’s blog No Story Too Small where she’ll be posting the weekly recap on Thurdays and allowing all participants to leave a link to their post(s) in the comments.

52 Ancestors: #19 The Heinrich GRISIUS Family of Hoscheid-Dickt

Week 19 (May 7-13) – There’s a Way: What ancestor found a way out of a sticky situation? You might also think of this in terms of transportation or migration.

Instead of an ancestor, I was the one who had to find a way out of a sticky situation. I think everyone has a family similar to the one I researched (again) this week. A family you keep coming back to but push away until later because of the amount of work required or not knowing where to look. There’s a way I usually do my research and there’s a way to take a short cut. I had to use both approaches before I could begin to write about this family.

I spent hours searching the census and civil records of Luxembourg for my husband’s great-great-grandfather Heinrich GRISIUS, his two wives, and thirteen children. This is my usual way of doing Luxembourg research as none of the records are indexed. You won’t find shaky leaves on Ancestry for records in Luxembourg. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other sites that are helpful.

Rob Deltgen, who is well known to anyone researching families in Luxembourg, shares his work online. Rob’s site is the oldest and most visited genealogy site in Luxembourg and the short cut I used. [Access to the site is free but you need to register and login with a password.]

I went through the children and grandchildren of the GRISIUS family checking the dates and places Rob had with the online records at FamilySearch. Since Rob does not cite his sources online this is a good exercise in searching for records in browse only collections and comparing the information.

The reason I included grandchildren in this project was due to the time period. The GRISIUS chidren lived longer than the records are available on FamilySearch – 1922. The National Library of Luxembourg has the newspapers online. Obituaries may contain names of children but not always names of siblings. The grandchildren’s names make the search easier. But not all families published obituaries in the newspapers.

The GRISIUS-MANGERS and the GRISIUS-WECKERING Families

Heinrich “Henri” GRISIUS was born 25 June 1839 in Hoscheid-Dickt, Commune of Hoscheid, Canton of Diekirch, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. His parents were Frederique “Friedrich” GRISIUS (1805-1852) and Catherina SCHAEFFER (1815-1898). They named him Heinrich per his birth record.[1]

Heinrich married his first wife Marie MANGERS on 8 November 1860 in Wilwerwiltz in the canton of Wiltz.[2] Marie gave birth to four children:

Ch 1: Michel GRISIUS (1861-aft. 1900) born 19 September 1861 in Hoscheid-Dickt[3]
Ch 2: Anna Marie GRISIUS (1864-1921) born 3 March 1864 in Hoscheid-Dickt[4]
Ch 3: Cathérine GRISIUS (1866-1927) born 16 Jun 1866 in Hoscheid-Dickt[5]
Ch 4: Elisabeth GRISIUS (1870-1871) born 10 June 1870 in Hoscheid-Dickt[6]

Heinrich’s first wife Marie died on 2 January 1871.[7] Six days later the baby Elisabeth GRISIUS died on 8 January 1871.[8] Both deaths took place in Hoscheid-Dickt.

In December 1871 Heinrich, a widower, was seen on the census with his three young children: Michel 10, Anna Marie 7, and Cathérine 5. He did not have anyone in the household to help with the children.[9]

Heinrich waited a few more years before marrying again. On 29 October 1874 he married Elisabeth WECKERING (1853-1905) in Hoscheid.[10]

Elisabeth was born 9 May 1853 in Hoscheid to Antoin WECKERING and Margaretha BERNARD. Her father was 72 years old and her mother 36 years old.[11] Her parents had been married 10 years and had buried 5 children during that time. Elisabeth was the only child of this couple to reach adulthood.

Elisabeth and Heinrich had nine children in 18 years:

Ch 5: Marguerite GRISIUS (1875-1913) born 28 August 1875 in Hoscheid-Dickt[12]
Ch 6: Nicolas GRISIUS (1877-1939) born 14 August 1877 in Hoscheid[13]
Ch 7: Cathérine GRISIUS (1879-1918) born 7 September 1879 in Hoscheid-Dickt[14]
Ch 8: Cathérine GRISIUS (1881-1938) born 25 December 1881 in Hoscheid-Dickt[15]
Ch 9: Mathieu GRISIUS (1883-aft 1912) born 5 December 1883 in Schlinder-Haut[16]
Ch 10: François GRISIUS (1885-1946) born 22 December 1885 in Hoscheid-Dickt[17]
Ch 11: Martin GRISIUS (1888-aft. 1900) born 15 August 1888 in Hoscheid-Dickt[18]
Ch 12: Léonard GRISIUS (1891-aft. 1923) born 2 March 1891 in Hoscheid-Dickt[19]
Ch 13: Nicolas GRISIUS (1893-aft.1934) born 22 September 1893 in Hoscheid-Dickt[20]

While Elisabeth was pregnant with her 6th child (Heinrich’s 10th) her stepdaughter Anna Marie was also pregnant and had to get married. Anna Marie married Michel BURGEN on 18 May 1885 in Hoscheid[21] and the first grandchild Anne BURGEN (1885-1937) was born on 10 July 1885.[22] Three more children were born to this couple and each time the child’s surname was spelled differently: Angelica Bürgen 1891, Georg “Joseph” Burghen 1899, and Susanna Birchen 1904.

Heinrich’s second daughter Cathérine GRISIUS married Albert MEYER (1863-1928) on 1 March 1889 in Bastendorf.[23] Their first child Marie was born on 31 December 1889 in Weidingen les Wiltz.[24] She was followed by (another) Marie 1893, Anne 1897, Elisabeth 1901, Michel 1904, Nicolas 1906 and Catharina 1908.

Heinrich and Elisabeth’s oldest daughter Marguerite married Dominique DONNER on 25 February 1895[25] in Hoscheid three weeks after giving birth to a son they named Henri after her father.[26]

Heinrich’s oldest child Michel GRISIUS married Elisabeth JAEGER on 31 January 1898 in Wiltz.[27] He was 36 and she was 47. It is not known if the couple remained in Wiltz were they were seen in the 1900 census. No children were found in that community and it is not very likely that his wife had a child at her late age.

To make things a bit more difficult Heinrich named three of his daughters Cathérine. On census listings they were all seen with the same first name.

Because of this naming pattern in the family it is important to read the marriage records closely to see which of the three daughters named Cathérine married which men. Marriage records include the dates and places of birth of the bride and groom making it easier to keep the girls apart.

The first daughter named Cathérine b. 1866 married in 1889 as seen above. The two others married in 1900 and 1902:

Cathérine GRISIUS (b. 1879) married Nicolas KREMER (1875-1951) on 28 November 1900 in Bettendorf.[30] They were my husband’s great-grandparents.
Cathérine GRISIUS (b. 1881) married Edouard DAUBACH (1880-1948) on 26 December 1902 in Hoscheid.[31]

Heinrich “Henri” GRISIUS died on 14 October 1904 in Hoscheid-Dickt[32] and was followed by his wife Elisabeth “Elise” WECKERING four months later on 14 February 1905 in Hoscheid-Dickt.[33]

When Heinrich and Elisabeth died their six sons were not yet married. Marriages were found for all of them except Martin.

Nicolas GRISIUS married Susanne JACOBY on 6 January 1909 in Heiderscheid[34]
Mathieu GRISIUS married Susanne Cathérine SCHNEIDER 20 July 1909 in Boulaide[35]
François GRISIUS married Marie Sophie WIEGAND on 7 February 1911 in Diekirch[36]
Léonard GRISIUS married Madeleine Susanne LEINENWEBER on 11 April 1913 in Wiltz[37]
Nicolas Grisius married Mathilde REUTER on 4 July 1920 in Bissen[38]

Before the last son married the two oldest daughters of Heinrich and Elisabeth died. Marguerite on 8 June 1913 in Luxemburg City[39] and Cathérine GRISIUS (b. 1879) in childbirth on 19 April 1918 in Moestroff.[40]

It is not known when Heinrich’s oldest daughter Anna Marie GRISIUS died. She was last seen alive in November 1921 when her youngest child married.[41]

Cathérine GRISIUS (b. 1866) died 3 October 1927 in Weidingen.[42]

Nicolas GRISIUS, the youngest child of this family, became a father on 28 February 1934.[43] It is not known how long he lived.

Cathérine GRISIUS (b. 1881) died before 31 May 1938, the date her son Marcel died. His obituary lists only his father and siblings.[44]

Nicolas GRISIUS died 26 March 1939 in Weidingen.[45]

François GRISIUS died 16 November 1946 in Bettendorf.[46]

The research on this family was time-consuming but it was a good feeling to be able to work on a family with thirteen children and find that only one died at a very young age. Eleven of the twelve children married and had children giving Heinrich and Elisabeth 55 grandchildren.

Sources:
[1] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Hoscheid > Décès 1805-1850 > image 347 of 459. 1839 Birth Record No. 16. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11669-101564-78?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2B4:857665358 : accessed 02 Apr 2013).
[2] Ibid, Wilwerwiltz > Naissances 1866-1890 Mariages 1797, 1800-1890 Décès 1797-1878 > image 797 of 1495. 1860 Marriage Record No. 6. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12877-160577-7?cc=1709358&wc=9RYD-7M9:130594601,130709301 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[3] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 107 of 1491. 1861 Birth Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-61502-31?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[4] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 134 of 1491. 1864 Birth Record No. 11. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-67185-68?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[5] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 154 of 1491. 1866 Birth Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-57908-62?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[6] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 197 of 1491. 1870 Birth Record No. 18. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-64621-87?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[7] Ibid, Hoscheid > Décès 1851-1890 > image 159 of 296. 1871 Death Record No. 1. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12341-68304-33?cc=1709358&wc=9RYZ-4WP:129844501,129625502 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[8] Ibid, Hoscheid > Décès 1851-1890 > image 160 of 296. 1871 Death Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12341-68366-15?cc=1709358&wc=9RYZ-4WP:129844501,129625502 : accessed 7 May 2015).
[9] Luxembourg, Volkszählungen 1843-1900 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Hoscheid > 1871 > image 41 of 350. Heinrich Grisius household no. 14. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32381-14477-68?cc=2037957&wc=M5G9-T3Y:345858701,345869501 : accessed 7 May 2015). Note: see also images 40 and 42 for front and back matter.
[10] Civil records, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 1238 of 1491. 1874 Marriage Record No. 6. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-59490-61?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2B6:1412473990 : accessed 02 Apr 2013).
[11] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 29 of 1491. 1853 Birth Record No. 14. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-56798-74?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-2B6:1412473990 : accessed 02 Apr 2013).
[12] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 242 of 1491. 1875 Birth Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-63942-75?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[13] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 242 of 1491. 1875 Birth Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-63942-75?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[14] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 242 of 1491. 1875 Birth Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-63942-75?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[15] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 242 of 1491. 1875 Birth Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-63942-75?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[16] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 242 of 1491. 1875 Birth Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-63942-75?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[17] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 337 of 1491. 1885 Birth Record No. 22. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-58779-81?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[18] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 361 of 1491. 1888 Birth Record No. 22. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-66072-80?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[19] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 361 of 1491. 1888 Birth Record No. 22. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-66072-80?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[20] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances, mariages, décès 1891-1894 > image 20 of 77. 1893 Birth Record No. 17. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11555-122015-89?cc=1709358&wc=9RYM-N38:129844501,129717601 : accessed 5 May 2015).
[21] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 1298 of 1491. 1885 Marriage Record No. 2. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-63143-2?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 12 May 2015).
[22] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1851-1890 Mariages 1800-1890 Décès 1798-1826 > image 334 of 1491. 1885 Birth Record No. 10. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11672-66463-79?cc=1709358&wc=9RY4-JWL:129844501,129973001 : accessed 12 May 2015).
[23] Ibid, Bastendorf > Mariages 1872-1890 > image 139 of 148. 1889 Marriage Record No. 4. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12394-253277-35?cc=1709358&wc=9RYZ-DP8:129624201,129707601 : accessed 10 May 2015).
[24] Ibid, Wiltz > Naissances 1851-1890 > image 1463 of 1497. 1889 Birth Record No. 83. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12872-175490-50?cc=1709358&wc=9RY7-BZ9:130592301,129857101 : accessed 10 May 2015).
[25] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1903-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 Pièces de mariages 1903-1912 Décès 1895-1902 > image 151 of 727. 1895 Marriage Record No. 1. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32039-1287-43?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-3T5:129844501,130173601 : accessed 9 May 2015).
[26] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1895-1902 > image 2 of 59. 1895 Birth Record No. 2. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32047-20559-74?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-16V:129844501,129766201 : accessed 12 May 2015).
[27] Ibid, Wiltz > Mariages 1898-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 4 of 657. 1898 Marriage Record No. 1. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32066-24778-38?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-ZNL:130592301,131024201 : accessed 8 May 2015).
[28] Census records, Hoscheid > 1885 > image 277 of 569. Grisius-Weckering household no. 35. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32390-4185-22?cc=2037957&wc=M5GW-JWY:345858701,345873701 : accessed 6 May 2015). Note: see also images 276 and 278 for front and back matter.
[29] Ibid, Hoscheid > 1887 > image 256 of 336. Grisius-Weckering household no. 22. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32393-3866-56?cc=2037957&wc=M5G8-2NB:345858701,345875201 : accessed 6 May 2015). Note: see also images 255 and 257 for front and back matter.
[30] Civil records, Bettendorf > Naissances 1896-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 > image 530 of 777. 1900 Marriage Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32044-7034-74?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28W:n1332603780 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[31] Ibid, Hoscheid > Naissances 1903-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 Pièces de mariages 1903-1912 Décès 1895-1902 > image 193 of 727. 1902 Marriage Record No. 5. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32039-1200-44?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-3T5:129844501,130173601 : accessed 9 May 2015).
[32] Ibid, Hoscheid > Décès 1903-1923 > image 9 of 123. 1904 Death Record No. 11. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32048-4164-20?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-SPN:129844501,129640001 : accessed 27 Sep 2014).
[33] Ibid, Hoscheid > Décès 1903-1923 > image 12 of 123. 1905 Death Record No. 4. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32048-3847-7?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-SPN:129844501,129640001 : accessed 27 Sep 2014).
[34] Ibid, Heiderscheid > Naissances 1903-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1912 > image 384 of 713. 1909 Marriage Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32042-2920-54?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-6TT:129701001,130456301 : accessed 8 May 2015).
[35] Ibid, Boulaide > Mariages 1895-1923 > image 94 of 174. 1909 Marriage Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32045-1627-70?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-L2H:129622701,129649201 : accessed 11 May 2015).
[36] Ibid, Diekirch > Mariages 1895-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 256 of 661. 1911 Marriage Record No. 7. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32038-645-83?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-92Q:129628901,130043302 : accessed 9 May 2015).
[37] Ibid, Wiltz > Mariages 1898-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 286 of 657. 1913 Marriage Record No. 7. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32066-25007-56?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-ZNL:130592301,131024201 : accessed 9 May 2015).
[38] Ibid, Bissen > Naissances, mariages, décès 1895-1923 > image 507 of 789. 1920 Marriage Record No. 4. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32024-7650-21?cc=1709358&wc=9RTY-FMC:129623501,129971001 : accessed 10 May 2015).
[39] Ibid, Luxembourg > Décès 1911-1916 > image 324 of 820. 1913 Death Record No. 220. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32019-18141-64?cc=1709358&wc=9RTY-HZ3:130045801,131216501 : accessed 9 May 2015).
[40] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1896-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 > image 530 of 777. 1900 Marriage Record No. 21. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32044-7034-74?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28W:n1332603780 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[41] Ibid, Wiltz > Mariages 1898-1923 Décès 1895-1902 > image 429 of 657. 1920 Marriage Record No. 35. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32066-24712-78?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-ZNL:130592301,131024201 : accessed 12 May 2015).
[42] deltgen.com
[43] Escher Tageblatt, digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg, http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu (Verlag Editpress S.A., Esch-sur-Alzette), No. 56, Wednesday, March 7, 1934, p.7 column 4. Zivilstand der Gemeinde Wiltz, Susanne Pauline Grisius birth (http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=529645&search_terms=Gerberarbeiter%20#panel:pp|issue:529645|article:DTL101|query:Gerberarbeiter : accessed 12 May 2015).
[44] Ibid, No. 128, Thursday, June 2, 1938, p. 7 column 3. Avis mortuaire for Marcel Daubach. (http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=665119&search_terms=marcel%20daubach#panel:pp|issue:665119|article:DTL416|query:marcel daubach : accessed 10 May 2015).
[45] Ibid, No. 74, Tuesday, 28 March 1939, p. 7 column 4. Avis Mortuaire for Mathias Grisius. (http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=677443&search_terms=nicolas%20grisius#panel:pp|issue:677443|article:DTL403|query:nicolas grisius : accessed 8 May 2015).
[46] Luxemburger Wort, digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg, http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu (Verlage der St-Paulus-Druckerei, Luxembourg), No. 322, Monday, November 18, 1946, p. 5 column 3. Avis Mortuaire for François Grisius. (http://www.eluxemburgensia.lu/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIRECTLINK&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=802390&search_terms=sophie%20wiegand#panel:pp|issue:802390|article:DTL633|query:sophie wiegand : accessed 11 May 2015).

Genealogy Sketch

Name: Heinrich “Henri” GRISIUS
Parents: Frederique “Friedrich” GRISIUS and Catharina SCHAEFFER
Spouse: Marie MANGERS and Elisabeth WECKERING(*)
Parents of spouse(*): Antoin WECKERING and Marguerite BERNARD
Whereabouts: Hoscheid-Dickt, Hoscheid, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: husband’s 2nd great-grandparents

1. Heinrich “Henri” GRISIUS and Elisabeth WECKERING
2. Cathérine GRISIUS
3. Franz KREMER
4. Maisy KREMER
5. husband of Cathy Meder-Dempsey

52 Ancestors: #8 The PEFFER-MERTES Family (1866-1995)

Week 8 (Feb 19-25) – Good Deeds. Does this mean a generous ancestor or one you found through land records? You decide

Maria POLFER-PEFFER, daughter of Francis PEFFER and granddaughter of Nicolas PEFFER and Maria MERTES, is the person in this family who stands out for her good deeds which resulted in her being interned and deported. What good deeds did she perform? She was a part of the resistance movement in Luxembourg during World War II. The Résistance worked in secrecy against the German occupation of the country. They helped political refugees and those being conscripted into the German forces. They printed patriotic leaflets and flyers by hand or machine to encourage the people of Luxembourg and promote patriotic spirit. More about the Luxembourg Resistance and Luxembourg in World War II.

2002obit — Newspaper clipping of the obituary of Maria POLFER-PEFFER from the 18 April 2002 issue of the Luxembourger Wort.

Maria was awarded the Médaille de la Résistance, a medal awarded to civilians for distinguished services to Luxembourg during World War II. She was a member of the Conseil national de la Résistance, a member of the central committee of the LPPD (League for Luxembourgish Political Prisoners and Deportees), an umbrella group of the Resistance groups, and President of the Bettembourg section of the LPPD.

Yesterday, 22 February 2015, was the Nationalen Dag vun der Resistenz, National Day of the Resistance in Luxembourg. In 1997 the Conseil national de la Résistance made the decision to have an annual remembrance day on the Sunday in February closest to the 25th. A day to remember all those involved in the Résistance and who lost their lives while interned and deported. Especially remembered are the 23 members of the Résistance who were shot in the Hinzerter Bësch 71 years ago on 25 February 1944, as well as the victims killed during the general strike in September 1942 on Hinzert, a German concentration camp located in Germany, 30 km from the Luxembourg border.

The PEFFER-MERTES Family (1866-1995)

Early on in my research, I knew that my husband’s great-grandparents Nicolas PEFFER and Maria MERTES had three children. I personally knew two of the daughters, Bom and Tattes, and the only son’s daughter Maria POLFER-PEFFER.

On 29 November 2000, I received a telephone call from the son of a third, at that time unknown daughter. He found me through my GEDCOM file at RootsWeb’s WorldConnect Project. I still have the notes I scribbled while on the phone with him.

I always wondered why this couple did not have children during the first five years they were married. They married in 1894 and, being Catholic, birth control was not an option or even available. Last month when I began taking a new look at this family, checking for them in the census, I nearly missed looking for birth records for more children.

I found Nicolas and Maria in the 1895 census as newlyweds, I thought, enjoying their second year of marriage, and in 1900 with their 5-week-old son Franz. No other children!

1900census — 1900 Luxembourg Census, household of Nicolas PEFFER and his wife Maria MERTES with their son Franz.[2]

Records are very well kept in Luxembourg, however, for this time period, they did not include the cause of death on the civil death record. This has often bothered me as I’ve found many death records for children. I wondered if this family may have also had a child who died young.

So back to the birth and death records I went. What did I find? Nicolas and Maria had 4 children before Franz came along and all four died young. Eight months, two months, two weeks, and less than a month. That is how long Maria’s babies lived.

The next three children were born in 1900, 1902, and 1904 followed by the youngest in 1910. These were the 4 children that I knew about and they all lived to marry and have children. Could there also be more children, siblings of my husband’s Bom, born between 1905-1909?

My husband’s grandmother Suzanne, known to him as Bom, was their youngest child. She was not born in Moestroff where all the other children were born. Her father, a shepherd (Hirt), had moved with his family to Wecker sometime after 1904 and before Suzanne’s birth in 1910. Not finding any other children in Moestroff I looked in Biwer, the commune that Wecker belongs to. And I found another child’s birth and death records. A son born in 1907 died in his fourth month. Maria was 35 years old and still young enough to have more children.

I did not find any more records in the communes of Biwer or Bettendorf. The family may have lived in other towns however the census is only available until 1900 at FamilySearch and in any case only browsable making it impracticable to search all areas. Without a lead to a town, I would have to check through the Luxembourg Civil Registration database which would mean browsing through 767,518 images or at least checking the Tables Décennales (ten-year lists of births, marriages, and deaths) for the time period 1905-1922 of each of the 145 communes. Perhaps one day the records for Luxembourg at FamilySearch will be searchable, until then….

I know that Maria carried nine children to term, gave birth to them, and cared for them. Maria and Nicolas buried five of these children between 1895-1907.

Maria saw three of her grown children marry and held two of her grandchildren before she died in 1929 at the age of 54. Only her youngest daughter Suzanne would marry after her death. Her widower Nicolas died at the age of 75 on the 31st of December 1941.

I don’t have a copy of his death record. I have three sources for his death – that should be proof enough. On the other hand, the three sources have conflicting information.

Photocopy of the 1866 birth record No. 11 located in the birth register of Bettendorf at the town hall. This record includes the annotation in the left margin of his death on 31 December 1941 in Moestroff as well as the location of the death record, No. 1 in the 1942 death register. This birth record was obtained in 1995.[3]
Digital image of the birth record located in the Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg, microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1993 at the Archives in Luxembourg. This record includes an annotation in the left margin indicating that he died in Moestroff, no date, and the death record is No. 11 from 1942.[4]
Digital image of the marriage record of Nicolas PEFFER and Maria MERTES located in the Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg, microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1993 at the Archives in Luxembourg. This record includes an annotation in the left margin made by the Landessippenamt. At the time of Nicolas’ death, the civil records offices in Luxembourg were in the hands of the Germans. The official of the Landessippenamt wrote that Nicolas died on 31 February 1866 and that the death is recorded in the 1941 Sterbebuch (death register) as record No. 1. The annotation on the marriage record was made on 10 August 1941.[5]

1. Annotation on the photocopy of the original birth record in Bettendorf.[3]

2. Annotation on the digital copy of duplicate of original birth record in the archives.[4]

digitalmarriage — 3. Annotation on the digital copy of the duplicate of the original marriage record in the archives.[5]

I believe that the first record is the most reliable. If the protocol was followed the civil registrar would have issued the death record, recorded it in the death register or Sterbebuch in Bettendorf, made a duplicate to be lodged in the Courts of Justice in Diekirch and Luxembourg City, and included the annotation to the original birth record which was housed in Bettendorf. The duplicate sent to the Courts of Justice would have been the source for the annotation made on records 2. and 3. which were later digitized.

Now on my to-do list is a visit to the Bettendorf town hall to acquire copies of the records that are not available online for 1923 and later and specifically for a copy of the death record of Nicolas PEFFER.

Three Generations in a Photographic Series

Maria and Nicolas PEFFER-MERTES’ children were quite close as can be seen by this series of photos taken in the latter part of 1956 of two of their daughters and a daughter-in-law with their daughters/daughter-in-law and the grandchildren.

Left to right: Baby B. with her mother Maria PEFFER and grandmother (Maria’s mother) Mrs. Francis PEFFER; Baby M. with her mother E. and grandmother (E.’s mother-in-law) Marguerite “Tattes” PEFFER; Baby E. (my husband) with his mother Marie Françoise “Maisy” KREMER and grandmother Suzanne “Bom” PEFFER.

Left to right: Maria with her daughter B.; E. with her daughter M.; and my mother-in-law Maisy with my husband E.

Here the grandmothers switched places. Left to right: Marguerite PEFFER with her granddaughter M., Francis PEFFER’s wife with her granddaughter B., and Suzanne PEFFER with her grandson E.

Who Were They, Nicolas PEFFER and Maria MERTES?

Nicolas PEFFER, my husband’s great-grandfather, was the third child of seven known children of Nicolas PEFFER Sr. ( or “der Ältere“) and Marie ZWANK. His father Nicolas b. 1833 had a younger brother also named Nicolas b. 1836 who was known as Nicolas Jr.

Nicolas PEFFER was born 9 February 1866 in Moestroff, Commune of Bettendorf, District of Diekirch, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. His parents were both 32 years old when he was born. His father Nicolas was a day laborer.[6]

Maria MERTES, my husband’s great-grandmother, was the oldest of seven children of Michel MERTES and Margaretha RUCKERT. She had 13 known siblings as her father had six children with his first wife. It was the second marriage for her mother as well but the first marriage lasted only 6 months, due to the death of the groom, and there were no children.

Maria MERTES was born on 14 February 1875 in Strassen, District of Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Her father was 38 and her mother was 28 years old.[7]

The Marriage of Maria and Nicolas

As with all of our ancestors, I wondered how Maria MERTES and Nicolas PEFFER met. They were not born and raised in the same town or even the same community. What brought them together? I can only guess and by studying their marriage record I found a connection and reason why Nicolas would meet a young lady named Maria from Strassen.

Before I get to the actual marriage let’s take a look at the witnesses of the marriage. Two of the witnesses were listed as relatives:

- Nicolas REITER, Maurer, 39 years old, living in Moestroff. cousin of the groom
- Mathias GLODT, Taglöhner, 26 years old, living in Strassen, cousin of the groom

The Reiter connection is easy: Nicolas’ paternal aunt Marguerite PEFFER married Jean REITER and Nicolas REITER was their son. Census listings for Marguerite show that another one of her sons, Jean married Maria GLODT of Strassen. Mathias GLODT was Maria’s brother. This would not make him a cousin to Nicolas PEFFER. Further research led to the marriage of Mathias GLODT to Marie REITER, a daughter of Marguerite PEFFER and cousin of Nicolas PEFFER. So Mathias was a cousin-in-law!

Could this be the answer to how Nicolas PEFFER met Maria MERTES? In 1890 Nicolas PEFFER’s cousins Jean and Maria REITER were marrying the GLODT siblings Maria and Mathias.[8],[9] In May 1890 when Maria married Mathias her brothers Jean and Nicolas were present and named as witnesses. Both of these men were masons (Maurer), the same occupation as Nicolas PEFFER.

At six o’clock in the evening on the 19th of February 1894, Nicolas and Maria were married in Strassen. Nicolas was 28, worked as a mason and lived in Moestroff. Nicolas’ parents were both deceased as were his grandparents. Maria was 19, underage, did not work, and lived in Strassen. She had recently returned to Strassen after living in Livange in the commune of Roeser. Both of her parents were present and agreeable to the marriage. The banns had been read in Bettendorf and in Roeser, both of the communes that the bride and groom lived in prior to their marriage, on the 4th and the 11th of February, both Sundays.[10]

The Children of Maria and Nicolas

Nicolas and Maria lived in Moestroff following their marriage. Maria was pregnant when the couple married. This may be an explanation for her recently having lived in Livange. She may have been working there, was dismissed for being pregnant and unmarried, and returned home to her parents. She gave birth to their son Johann on 12 June 1894, four months after the marriage.[11] Maria was pregnant with her second child when Johann died on 10 February 1895.[12] The first wedding anniversary was not a happy occasion with their mourning the death of their first child.

Daughter Margaretha was born on 11 August 1895[13] and lived a little less than two months, dying on 1 October 1895.[14] In 1895 when they were enumerated on the census they had been married for 22 months. There is no field on the Luxembourg census for the number of children born and the number of children living as seen on the 1900 and 1910 U.S. Federal Census.

On 8 February 1897 their son Jacques, most likely named after both of the parents’ maternal grandfathers, was born.[15] They may have raised their glasses on the 19th to celebrate their third anniversary and their son’s birth but days later little Jacques died on 23 February 1897.[16]

Their fourth child Wilhelm was born on 4 March 1899[17] and died less than a month later on 1 April 1899.[18] So much heartbreak and loss.

Finally, on 26 October 1900[19] a son, François was born – the first child who would survive infancy. The pattern of their lives was changing. On 2 August 1902[20] their second daughter, named the same as their first Margaretha, was born followed by Maria on 15 September 1904.[21] These children were healthy and striving.

During all this time Nicolas’ occupation was seen as Maurer or mason on the birth and death records of his children. After 1904 his occupation changed. In 1907 Nicolas and his wife Maria were living in Wecker in the commune of Wecker. Nicolas’ occupation was seen as Hirt or shepherd. On 9 August 1907, their son Nicolas was born.[22] How sad it must have been for both of the parents, especially Nicolas, to have to report the death of their son Nicolas, named after his father, on 21 November 1907.[23]

Maria and Nicolas’ little family of five was not complete until Suzanne PEFFER was born on 18 February 1910 in Wecker.[24] Nicolas was still a shepherd. How many years of Suzanne’s childhood were spent in Wecker is not known. The family of six was back in Moestroff by the time Suzanne’s oldest siblings began to marry.

Nicolas and Maria’s oldest child François, also known as Francis PEFFER was most likely the first to marry. I have not done research on his marriage, however, believe that the marriage took place in 1928 or earlier as his daughter Maria PEFFER was born about 1928 (she was 74 when she died on 16 April 2002).

Maria PEFFER was the first of the daughters to marry. She married Louis LONGATTE (1904-1996) on 2 May 1928 in Bettendorf. This date of marriage has not been confirmed with a marriage record.

A year later Marguerite PEFFER married Jean REUTER (1903-?) on 10 February 1929 in Bettendorf. This date of marriage has not been confirmed with a marriage record.

Maria MERTES, the mother of this family, died on 6 August 1929 in Moestroff. Her date of death was found on the marriage record of her youngest daughter Suzanne PEFFER who married Franz “Fritz” KREMER (1905-1972) on 7 January 1931 in Bettendorf.[25]

In 1931, when Suzanne married, her 64 years old father Nicolas was once again seen in the occupation of mason (Maurer). During World War II (1 Sep 1939-14 Aug 1945) Nicolas PEFFER died on 31 December 1941 in Moestroff[3], [4], [5] as discussed earlier in this post.

Daughter Maria LONGATTE-PEFFER was the first to pass away after her parents’ deaths. Her son André, also known as Ender, said his mother died of cancer at the age of 40. He also said she died in 1956. There is some discrepancy in his statements as she was born in 1904 and not in 1916. It is my understanding that André was her only child. His father remarried a French woman.[26]

The three remaining PEFFER children lived longer lives.

François “Francis” PEFFER died on 20 July 1974 in Ettelbrück at the age of 74.[19]
Suzanne KREMER-PEFFER died on 13 June 1987 in Moestroff at the age of 77.[24]
Marguerite “Tattes” REUTER-PEFFER died on 27 June 1995 in Esch-sur-Alzette at the age of 92.[20]

Sources:
[1] Luxembourg, Volkszählungen 1843-1900 (images), FamilySearch, (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Bettendorf > 1895 > image 695 of 810. Peffer-Mertes household No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32467-9673-13?cc=2037957&wc=M5GD-FM4:346114101,345878001 : accessed 26 December 2014).
[2] Ibid, Bettendorf > 1900 > image 743 of 793. Peffer-Mertes household No. 32. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32396-9937-99?cc=2037957&wc=M9MJ-1NL : accessed 14 January 2015).
[3] Zivilstandes der Gemeinde Bettendorf im Kanton Diekirch, Großerzogtum Luxemburg, Photocopy of the 1866 Birth Record No. 11 obtained in 1995 from the town hall of Bettendorf
[4] Luxembourg, Registres d’état civil, 1793-1923 (images), FamilySearch (original records at Luxembourg National Archives, Plateau du Saint-Esprit, Luxembourg), Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 783 of 1507. 1866 Birth Record No. 11. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-7084-85?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28S:1346120346 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[5] Ibid, Strassen > Naissances, mariages, décès 1891-1894 > image 65 of 117. 1894 Marriage Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12396-19061-71?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-LNR:27729865 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[6] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1828-1890 Mariages 1800-1816 > image 783 of 1507. 1866 Birth Record No. 11. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-13200-7084-85?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-28S:1346120346 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[7] Ibid, Strassen > Naissances, mariages 1796-1823, 1850-1890 > image 645 of 1464. 1875 Birth Record No. 11. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12588-58599-17?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-LNP:1592332876 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[8] Ibid, Strassen > Naissances, mariages 1796-1823, 1850-1890 > image 1458 of 1464. “.” 1890 Marriage Record No. 11. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12588-61343-70?cc=1709358&wc=9RY7-N38:130458601,130573201 : accessed 20 February 2015).
[9] Ibid, Bettendorf > Mariages 1817-1890 Décès 1800-1859 > image 841 of 1494. 1890 Marriage Record No. 9. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12456-38052-5?cc=1709358&wc=9RY8-SP8:129626601,129729901 : accessed 20 February 2015),.
[10] Ibid, Strassen > Naissances, mariages, décès 1891-1894 > image 65 of 117. 1894 Marriage Record No. 3. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12396-19061-71?cc=1709358&wc=M9M6-LNR:27729865 : accessed 01 Apr 2013).
[11] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances, mariages, décès 1882-1894 > image 59 of 155. 1894 Birth Record No. 25. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11578-20242-1?cc=1709358&wc=9RYW-2NT:129626601,130263301 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[12] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1895-1923 > image 4 of 389. 1895 Death Record No. 10. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32048-22801-16?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-926:129626601,129623802 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[13] Ibid, Bettendorf > Tables décennales 1893-1902 > image 8 of 29. NOTE: The records for 1895 are missing on FamilySearch as of 15 Jan 2015. This entry was found in the Tables décennales 1893-1902.(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11578-20951-69?cc=1709358&wc=9RYW-2JH:129626601,129745501 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[14] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1895-1923 > image 14 of 389. 1895 Death Record No. 52. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32048-22723-75?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-926:129626601,129623802 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[15] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1896-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 > image 25 of 777. 1897 Birth Record No. 10. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32044-6350-71?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-2NG:129626601,130150302 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[16] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1895-1923 > image 36 of 389. 1897 Death Record No. 4. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32048-23240-11?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-926:129626601,129623802 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[17] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1896-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 > image 60 of 777. 1899 Birth Record No. 14. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32044-6751-2?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-2NG:129626601,130150302 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[18] Ibid, Bettendorf > Décès 1895-1923 > image 62 of 389. 1899 Death Record No. 6. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32048-24868-86?cc=1709358&wc=9RT1-926:129626601,129623802 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[19] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1896-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 > image 87 of 777. 1900 Birth Record No. 49; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32044-6345-57?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-2NG:129626601,130150302 : accessed 27 December 2014).
[20] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1896-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 > image 121 of 777. 1902 Birth Record No. 47; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-32044-6408-22?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-2NG:129626601,130150302 : accessed 27 December 2014),.
[21] Ibid, Bettendorf > Naissances 1896-1923 Mariages 1895-1923 > image 157 of 777. 1904 Birth Record No. 39. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32044-6109-75?cc=1709358&wc=9RTB-2NG:129626601,130150302 : accessed 27 December 2014).
[22] Ibid, Biwer > Naissances 1895-1923 > image 146 of 293. 1907 Birth Record No. 23. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-32024-6424-50?cc=1709358&wc=9RTY-FMZ:129627101,129648901 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[23] Ibid, Biwer > Décès 1895-1923 > image 95 of 216. 1907 Death Record No. 22. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-32037-102-84?cc=1709358&wc=9RTY-YWB:129627101,129623802 : accessed 15 January 2015).
[24] Ibid, Biwer > Naissances 1895-1923 > image 176 of 293. 1910 Birth Record No. 9; includes annotation of death. (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-32024-6158-56?cc=1709358&wc=9RTY-FMZ:129627101,129648901 : accessed 27 December 2014).
[25] Zivilstandes der Gemeinde Bettendorf im Kanton Diekirch, Großerzogtum Luxemburg, Heiratsurkunde No. 1 Kremer Franz mit Peffer Susanna. Mothers of the bride and groom were deceased at the time of the marriage and their dates of death are listed on this record.
[26] Telephone conversation between Cathy Meder-Dempsey and Mr. André Longatte on 29 November 2000.

Genealogy Sketch

Name: Nicolas PEFFER
Parents: Nicolas PEFFER and Marie ZWANK
Spouse: Maria MERTES
Parents of spouse: Michel MERTES and Margaretha RUCKERT
Whereabouts: Moestroff and Strassen, Luxembourg
Relationship to Cathy Meder-Dempsey: husband’s great-grandparents

1. Nicolas PEFFER
2. Suzanne PEFFER
3. Marie Françoise “Maisy” KREMER
4. Cathy’s husband

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 Thursdays and allowing all participants to leave a link to their post(s) in the comments.