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NEHGS Searchable German Duplicate Records
Today, I received an email from one of our readers (Beth Golden). Beth’s note provided the following information: German Church Book Duplicates (Online at American Ancestors- New England Historic Genealogical Society) Germany, Baden, Church Book Duplicates, 1810-1869 Germany, Prussia, Brandenburg and Posen, Church Book Duplicates, 1794-1874 These collections of church records for the territories of Baden, Brandenburg and Posen, Germany, were obtained from church book duplicates that were annually provided to the German state for use by civil authorities. If a particular region had only one religious institution, the clergy often recorded the births, marriages, and deaths of all local individuals regardless of religious affiliation. Microfilm numbers noted in the…
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Shoah Research- Getting Started
This material has been significantly update and moved to our new tutorials. Are you embarking on Shoah (Holocaust) research? Would you like a little coaching in this area of research? Although I can hardly claim to be a Shoah research expert, I am more than willing to share what I have learned. By way of providing some background, for the past nine months, or so, I have been helping folks attempt to unearth the stories behind their Jewish roots in Poland and Germany, trying to discover ‘lost’ family records, and more. It has been quite the adventure. Needless to say, the Shoah is an area of emotion, sadness, mystery, frustration,…
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Prussian-German Genealogy Workshop
Do you have interest in attending a ‘distance’ Prussian-German Genealogy Working Group? By way of giving you some background, I currently hold a monthly Prussian-German Genealogy Workshop at my local Parker (Colorado) Family History Center (FHC). There are no charges for the current ‘in-person’ workshop(s). Recently, I received approval from my local FHC to host a remote session using their good offices. What I am attempting to assess is whether or not there are ‘potential attendees out there’ who are interested in adding a ‘distance’ workshop. If there are, then I need to determine: whether I should blending ‘distance’ attendance with our current sessions, or simply create a new ‘remote’…
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Special characters
Do you struggle with your US keyboard in a vain attempt to type something in those “exotic tongues” such as: German French Norwegian Swedish Polish Do you find your ability to enter ß, ö, ä, ü, ø, etc. hampered? Well, I have stumbled on a few options that might help you out. Granted these work better with *nix based operating systems (Linux, Unix, Mac OS) than Windows but within these options you should be able to find, at least, one helpful approach/ tool. If you are seeking a “Desktop-wide’ solution, you can easily map a “compose” key to accomplish this function across your laptop/desktop (not all keyboards actually have one). …
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Quakers, Mennonites, and the Church of the Brethren
Today whilst, reviewing my ‘multi-days’ old news feeds, I came across an interesting article with new ‘to me’ information and links. The article mentioned and provided a link to the Friends Collection and Earlham College Archives. The Friends Collection at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana includes the college’s books and periodicals on Quakerism, manuscripts related to Friends, and Earlham College historical materials. As good fortune would have it, the first page I selected on their website provided the following list of additional links. These links go beyond Quaker information to include information regarding Mennonites and Church of the Brethren. I have added all these links to the ManyRoads Links Library . …
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Why are so many records missing?
Why is it so hard to find genealogy information in the areas of Prussia, Poland, and Germany? Where did all the information go? Was the information moved to some safe place? I hear this type of question and discussion often. The answers to those questions are actually quite simple and brief; although achieving an appreciation and understanding of their response is often somewhat more elusive. Question: Where did all the information go? Answer: Much was destroyed or lost, never to be recovered. Question: Was the information moved to some safe place? Answer: The truth is there were few, if any safe places. Early ‘on the eve of destruction‘, many ‘crucial’ records/documents…
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Olsztyn/ Allenstein State Archives
The Archiwum Państwowe w Olsztynie (State Archive in Olsztyn) are providing free access to genealogical records from many of the towns and villages of that area (formerly East Prussia). These records are largely in German (as well as Polish) and are freely available as scanned images on the archive’s website. If your Polish is a little shaky, you may wish to access this page using Chrome (using Google Translate) or similar. The following link will take you to the archives: Archiwum Państwowe w Olsztynie Additionally, many of these same records (approximately 362,650) are available in a digitally searchable format courtesy of Bernhard Ostrzinski. You may access his excellent work on the…
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Genealogy: serendipity and good fortune
Did you ever wonder where all those interesting family stories and anecdotes came from? Were you just a little bit curious about how some lucky folks have such interesting stories to tell about their ancestors? I believe that serendipity certainly plays a part in the evolution of the stories… but so does good fortune and perseverance. Today, one of my RSS Feeds unearthed an article that provides a great example of why we should never throw our old stuff out… well maybe that is not quite right lesson. But we all know that really interesting things can be uncovered in odd, hidden places. As the late Paul Harvey would have said, here’s…
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Thiensdorf Nachfahrenliste- 2015
ManyRoads Related Materials ManyRoads Articles Cornelius Schepansky Family(ies) Hermann Schepansky Anna Heinrichs Family Hermann Schepansky Marie Claussen Family Source Documents Cornelius Schepansky Families Hermann Schepanski Anna Heinrichs Family Hermann Schepanski Marie Claussen Family credit for the following material belongs largely to: Alfons Szczepanski (the keeper of all things Szczepanski!) … I just added the English ‘bits’, the formatting, the photo, and our Schepansky links (above). Vorbemerkungen/ Introduction: Szczepanski Mennonitenfamilie Geschichte. Nach der mündlichen Familienüberlieferung war der Stammvater ein katholischer Knecht namens Szczepanski (Szepansky), der bei einem mennonitischen Bauern von der Mennonitengemeinde Plauschwarren, Kreis Gumbinnen (Ostpreußen, auch “Preußisch-Litauen” genannt) arbeitete. Dieser Knecht ließ sich mennonitisch taufen und heiratete eine Mennonitin. Als…
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70 years on…
As everyone most certainly knows, this year is 2015. 7 May 2015 marks the official surrender date of German forces, some 70 years ago.For those who focus on 1945 as the end of WW2 in Europe, it was. Sadly, 1945 was not just an ending; it was also the beginning of the total destruction and removal of a ~600 year old way of life, a culture, and the homeland for millions of Eastern Germans. In the years following 1945, some 12 to 14 million people were forcibly removed from their homes and expelled from the recently surrendered German Eastern provinces. To place these events into a reasonably balanced historical context,…
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Understanding and perspective
Obtaining good genealogical insight requires an open mind. As in the old saying: “Minds are like parachutes – they only function when open.” Thomas Dewar Getting good genealogical data and information requires a lot of work. But perhaps the most challenging work involves developing a relevant, contextually accurate, frame of reference to help find and interpret any data you might find. Based on what I see floating around the Internet, I worry that too many people ‘out there’ are attempting to gather data/ information about their family past without developing an adequate understanding of time, place, or circumstance. The questions/comments, I see, seem to indicate a preference to having…
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Researching “Lost” Eastern German Provinces
Many people get confused when conducting searches for their Eastern German forebears; this is especially true if those forebears purport to have been from Prussia (Preussen), Pomerania (Pommern), Silesia (Schlesien). Note: I have written a detailed article on helping you determine whether or not your family was Prussian and if so, what type. It might not surprise you that I encounter a lot of people having trouble doing, or trying to do, ‘their’ Prussian research. Given I have fairly extensive research experience in those regions of Europe, I thought I’d put together a quick tutorial, or key, for identifying and finding clues to those Eastern German ancestors ‘of ours’ who…
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Old German Terms, Occupations, etc.
Terms, occupations, and more change over time. If you are in the business of tracking down your German (Germanic) ancestors the following links may be of help to you. These links include old terms for professions, diseases, occupations, and more. Many of these terms and abbreviations are not in common use today… so hopefully these lists will help ‘clear’ some confusion. A note of caution, many (most) of these linked pages are in German; put on your German language ‘hat’ or use Google Translate! If you have any links you would like added, please use our contact page to let me know. These links also appear on our links page…
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Luise Rabideau geboren Senger
It is with sadness, pride, and love I provide the following obituary announcement. English: Luise Rabideau died after a long and valiant fight against Alzheimer’s Disease. She was born on 12 January 1923 in Zeyersvorderkampen, Kreis Grosses Werder, Freie Stadt Danzig to Richard Senger and Frieda Recht. Her death was on 4 January 2015 at 2335 (officially registered as 5 January 2015 at 0006). Luise grew up on the Senger family farm with her brother Erich, attending primary school in the village of Zeyer and secondary schools and Business College in Elbing, Westpreussen, Germany. Following her schooling, she served in the Deutsche Luftwaffe, completing her war duties in Munich…
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What is an Ethnic Group?
Lately, I have encountered a number of interesting discussions and comments regarding ethnicity. People want to approach it from the aspect of Y-DNA testing; term meaning & definition; and more. I thought that perhaps a brief discussion/ analysis of the subject might be helpful- for me if for no one else. Note: Actually this document is largely extracted and built from many other sources (because I am no authority on this topic). Hopefully my analysis and discussion will provide some useful food for thought and give some comfort in the imprecision associated with the use and application of Ethnicity as a concept, genealogically speaking. First let’s review a typical dictionary…
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ICRC World War 1 Prisoner of War Database
The International Committee of the Red Cross recently published a Free, online database of WW1 prisoners of war. The ICRC WW1 PoW Database contains some 5 million records and offers exceptional insights into the conditions and circumstances of the time, period and situation. Based on my testing of the ‘tool’, I think a few words of caution are in order: Be certain to read the instructions on How-to use the tool. (It might work in ‘unexpected’ ways; it did for me.) There is a nice tutorial (and it is easy to use). Often the print is faint; look closely at the records. Much of the text is in script; as…
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German Genealogical Societies
The following post provides a reasonably complete listing of German (meaning in Germany) Genealogical Societies and Groups. As I get and add new sites, this list will be ‘automagically’ updated. Note: Given the post- WW2 forcible expulsion of millions of Eastern Germans from former Eastern German lands and provinces, you may wish to examine Polish Genealogical Groups & Websites for pre- 1947 German forebears (N.B.: ManyRoads does not offer information on other Eastern Slavic or Baltic Societies) Familienkunde- Family Research (Links) Should you know of additional organizations we ought to included in our compendium, please contact me with the particulars and I will add them.
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Polish Genealogical Societies
The following post provides a reasonably completelisting of Polish (meaning in Poland) Genealogical Societies and Groups. As I get and add new sites, this list will be ‘automagically’ updated. Note: Due to the forcible expulisons of Poles in both 1939 and post-1945, you may wish to examine areas in today’s Belarus & Ukraine for information. Unfortunately, ManyRoads does not have much information on those regions. Should you know of additional organizations we ought to included in our compendium, please contact me with the particulars and I will add them.
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Surname (Family Name) Discovery and Mapping
revised & updated: 4 Dec. 2014 Are you hoping to identify and/ or discover where a family name or surname of yours may have originated? In the various facebook groups where I participate, I have recently noticed a “tsunami” of inquiries regarding this particular genealogical dilemma/ problem. In order to provide a bit more robust guidance than that supported via a facebook discussion thread, I thought a blog post on ManyRoads might be helpful. Here are “summaries’ of the types of questions I have most recently noticed: Is [fill-in a name] spelled this way? What are variations for [fill-in a name]? Is [fill-in a name] a [fill-in the country group] name? I believe [fill-in a…
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Might your family be descended from Prussian Mennonites?
Do you believe you might be descended of “Prussian” Mennonites? Are you unsure? Is it worth a look? To get a good idea of who the Low German Mennonites were (and whether you might be descended of this group) please review the Family/ Surname list provided on MennoniteDNA. If you find one of your family names on that list then please “read on.” For those who research family in West & East Prussia (today the area is in Northeastern Poland) an important, but ‘not very well known’, set of genealogical source documents should be included in your search – West & East Prussian Mennonite church record books . I…
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Using HADIS to search in Hesse
If you are looking for family/ ancestors who may have lived in Hesse, HADIS (Hessisches Archiv-Dokumentations- und Informations-System) offers an outstanding and useful toolset. Since most people I come into contact with are looking for genealogy related information and emigration, I will provide a brief explanation on conducting an emigration search. First, goto: HADIS. Next, enter [Your Desired FamilyName] into the “Schnellsuche” box (menu bar on the left, near the bottom of the page). Try the family name of Henss as an example. Wait for the search to return. When you see your search results, select the “Auswanderer-Nachweise” listed in the middle of the page to view Emigrants’ information. …
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Finding Wilhelm Henss
To say that finding Wilhelm Henss (William Henss) was difficult is an understatement. It seems like his German home and family had been lost to the US Henss family from the very beginning. The why behind that fact remains a mystery. We will probably never know if William choose to keep his origins “quiet” or if at all happened just as a “matter of course”. To read the history of William and Katharine Henss as we have it documented, please read William & Katharine (Kämmer or Kemmer) Henss- a brief history. (Please be aware their “story” is being revised regularly now, as new data is evaluated and digested.) But as…
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Polish Genealogy Sources
Recently, I decided it was time to begin researching my Aunt Annette’s family. For the record, my Aunt Annette was my grandfather’s second wife. Although she is of no genetic relationship to me, 30 years after her death I remain emotionally linked to her. Anyway, her family line was from Poland. She married my grandfather in the 1940s and I met her first in the early 1960s. So although I knew she was a nice woman who could hardly cook, none of that went very far in aiding my genealogy efforts on her behalf(which continue today). To begin my research, I had an awareness that her family was from Poland;…
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On the wind
10 May 2014 was day of commemoration and celebration.The sun, wind, skies, and Rocky Mountains were all in attendance, as were the four daughters and two sons-in-law. Deer, birds, and the fresh, green sprouts of spring promised renewal and life. God was there and spoke for Himself. No intermediary was needed. He made his presence known to each in his own way. His words and message were heard by all present and His message was understood. No filter, discussion, or interpretation was required. There was joy and remembrance. Memories were recounted, the family was fortified. Marion Alice (Johnson) Henss was a good mother, daughter, and wife; she will be missed.…
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Exercising your brain
For those of you who follow any/ some/ all of my adventures and misadventures I have something a bit different to share. My newest mental exercise… Like most everyone, I need to learn new languages. Also, like everyone I can make a thousand excuses about not learning a new language. I should note, although a language is new to me chances are pretty good the language has actually been around a while. I could say I have heard all the excuse and certainly there are probably too many reasons for me to list, nonetheless I’ll offer a few of my favorite language comments: I don’t have the time to learn…
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When paths cross
This article is cross posted from the PEP, Inc. website. There are times in life when paths cross. As many of you may know, among my greatest interests are both process improvement (my ‘day job’) and my family (not just those living but also including my past, meaning my ‘genealogy’). Well, yesterday was one of those days where my day job and my family genealogy passions crossed. A couple of years ago through my genealogy work, I had the good fortune of meeting a young man (by my standards pretty much everyone is young). His name is Pawel. As it happens, Pawel and his mother attended some of the same…
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Pommern Genealogy Research of Egon Giese
A few weeks ago, Egon Giese contacted me to ask if I was willing to post his largely Pomeranian genealogy research (Pommern Ahnenforschung) on ManyRoads. Naturally I could not refuse his exceedingly generous offer. This posting is the official announcement of his research materials availability on ManyRoads. For those who would like access to Egon’s original emails and data submissions, you will find them in the ‘bottom’ section of this posting. Kreis Schlochau 1 Kreis Schlochau 2 Kreis Schlochau und Umgebung Kreis Neustettin Hinter Pommern Geburten und Taufen Wurchow Gross und Klein Kuedde, Kreis Neustettin Kreisen Bublitz, Neustettin, Rummelsburg Schlochau und Schlesien Westpreußen In the event that you are not…
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German Genealogy Groups – Deutsche Genealogische Vereine
What follows is a fairly exhaustive (okay, maybe just long…) listing of German Genealogy Associations & Groups. I have the organizations listed in alphabetical sequence (When possible their German names are used because they are, oddly enough, most are German.). To query for groups by area name (or other key word) use control-f (your browser’s find function) to find those groups/ associations containing the place name (or other key word) you are searching for. Additional German Genealogy and History links may be found on our main Links page. Should you have additional German Genealogy Group links you would like to see here, please send them to me via our contact…
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Hesse (Prussia) Genealogy Research
As many of you may already know, the region of the world sometimes referred to as Prussia was both large and diverse, incorporating lands far beyond East & West Prussia. My wife’s family comes from one such area, the lands between Kassel and Darmstadt in what is today: Hessen, Germany. If you, like me, are looking for genealogical search aids and portals for the region of today’s German Province (State) of Hesse, here are numerous. But be aware, you will need to use your German skills to make the sites I have provided work optimally for you. If you do not read or speak German, you may wish to download…
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Merry Christmas
This year I thought we’d wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas in the languages spoken by the Rabideaus and Hensses over the years. I am certain I will have missed one or two Languages or Dialects, but nonetheless, here goes: Merry Christmas (English) Frohe Weihnachten (German, Swiss German) God Jul (Swedish, Norwegian) Joyeux Noël (French, Quebecois) Vrolijk Kerstfeest (Dutch) Linksmų KalÄ—dų (Lithuanian) WesoÅ‚ych ÅšwiÄ…t (Polish)
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Surname Searches
Hunting for places where surnames are prevalent can provide and set of useful start locations from which to start a genealogical search. But before you start here are a couple of points worth considering… Remember most, if not all, surname search tools use current data. So you need to know whether a location has been through major population shifts since your family was ‘there’ (where ever that might be)? If like me, your family came from an area that was ethnically cleansed, a surname search may not be very useful. Consider whether your family surname may be mis-spelled using local standards versus original location standards. Does the name end in…
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Ethnic German Genealogy
If you are interested in getting and sharing information, tips & pointers regarding the search for German Ancestors, Ethnic German Research may be the “perfect” LinkedIn Group for you. As many of you already know, I have a “small” but “abiding” interest in conducting German Research. My primary areas of interest include (but are not limited to) West Prussia (today part of Poland), Prussian and Swiss/Alsatian Mennonites (Amish), and the Ostgebiete des Deutschen Reiches oder auch ehemalige deutsche Ostgebiete (former Eastern German Regions). I, also, have been and remain highly interested in researching the area(s) formerly known as Darmstadt-Hesse (in today’s Western Germany). If like me, you have discovered these regions…
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Examining Photos for Clues
For a long time, I have been looking for a specific set of genealogy clues. (If you read this site, you might even be able to guess where this particular search belongs.) It is ‘safe’ to say that these images could be central to solving some of my mysteries. Because of this mystery and search, I thought I’d ask a knowledgeable population, what they saw in these images. Would others see things that I’d missed. The answer is, Yes, they did see many things I did not. What follows is a summary of what I learned from my discussions with several dozen genealogists. Enjoy! Here’s what I gathered from the…
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How I came over from [Zeyer] Germany
An “old neighbor” from Zeyer, Karl Jochem (deceased), whose descendants now live in the US, wrote the following school assignment, after his arrival in the US in the early 1900s. Because most of my stories are from the period immediately after the Second World War, I thought our readership might enjoy this tale of adventure and exploration from “a better more hopeful time”. Thank you for sharing Dan! HOW I CAME OVER FROM GERMANY (by Karl Jochem for school assignment) I was born in Germany. The village was Zeyer, which is some eight miles north of the city Elbing, West Prussia. My father was fishing. He afterwards bought a farm…
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A return visit to Zeyer
The captain said, “Buckle your seat belts.” The ride was about to get bumpy. It was the 22nd of July 2013 and I was on a small commuter flight returning from my parent’s house, going to my connecting flight in Dulles. The clouds outside were billowing hugely. The flight staff was told to take their seats; everyone was told to buckle in and prepare for a bumpy ride. I looked out my window into an ocean of total white as we dove into a massive cloud bank. I stared out my window, my mind felt strangely focused and saw, not clouds, but rather… “Dark. Cold. Snow. A few lights glinting…
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The Elbing Streetcars return
Der historische Straßenbahnwagen stehen wieder auf dem Alten Markt in Elbing/Elblag. (The historical streetcars are once again in the Elbing/Elblag Old Market.) Click on the following photo to view a live webcam feed of the Old Elbing/Elblag Market.
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Grete geb. Roschkowski & Hannelore geb. Petroschka- Remembrances of Elbing
Hannelore Petroschka and Grete geb. Roschkowski were among the tens of thousands of Germans forcibly removed from their home by the German Expulsion – “Ethnic Cleansing” of Elbing/Elblag following World War 2. In March of 2013, I was contacted by Hannelore’s grand-daughter who wrote: My Grandmother Hannelore was born in Elbing [West Prussia] in 1923 to Julius Petroschka and Grete Roschkowski (whose family owned a furniture factory in Elbing). After my grandmother died a lot of her belongings were lost but we have recently discovered a box of photographs which included a lot of post cards from Elbing and the surrounding areas. It seems my great grandmother purchased them before…
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Luftgaukommando VII
During the latter stages of World War II, Luise Senger served as an executive administrative assistant in Luftgaukommando VII. We are uncertain what rank or level position she actually held. The photos in this gallery depict the building as it looked during the Third Reich and as it appears currently. This giant building was the regional headquarters of the Deutsche Luftwaffe Luftgaukommando VII (German Air Force, Headquarters Air Command VII). Even today, there are many original ornaments in the shape of swastikas or helmets visible. The building, Prinzregentenstrasse 24-28, was built in 1938 by order of Hermann Göring for the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) headquartered in Munich Bavaria (München, Bayern).…
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A Leona Deyo surprise
About two weeks ago, I was surprised with a very pleasant email and picture from one of my ‘cousins’. Barb had been researching the Deyo family and made a very exciting discovery, she wrote: Look what I found while searching online at SUNY Plattsburgh. Leona Deyo, Altona, NY. They give her age as about 2 yrs. old. This is a part of their special collections. I was told that “If this image is used in any publication or posted online, we ask that this credit line is used: Courtesy SUNY Plattsburgh Special Collections. This way other people know where the original image is held.” Needless to say, I was thrilled,…
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Deyo Family Branch is official….
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Bericht ueber den Untergang der Synagogengemeinde Elbing/ Report on the Destruction of the Elbing Synagogue
World War 2 and its aftermath was a tragic period for the inhabitants of Elbing Westpreussen (Elblag, Poland, today). It is essential to preserve and honor the history and travails of those people and their times. To quote: “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” Martin Luther King, Jr. “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” Albert Einstein It is in this spirit that I am pleased to announce, courtesy of the Leo Baeck Institute, ManyRoads is able to present a transcribed version of the Bericht ueber den Untergang der…
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Elbing Damals- new photos
For those of you who might be interested in viewing my latest batch of Elbing “Damals” Photos. (Fals Sie interesse darueber haben, hier sind meine lezte Elbing Damals Fotos) The following images were added today (Die folgende Fotos sind jetzt auf ManyRoads): Alte Giebelhaeuser Alte Haeuser Spieringstrasse circa1935 Alter Markt circa 1935 Blick auf St. Nikolai-Kirche 1940 Blick auf St Nikolai durch die Fleischerstrasse 17.1.13 Blick ueber den Elbing-Fluss Brueckstrasse Fischmarkt Markttreiben mit Geschaefte Friedrichstrasse 1916 Lagerhaeuser am Elbingfluss Marktstrasse mit Friseurgeschaeft und Giesskanne Moltkestrasse mit ober Real Schule 1918 Moltkestrasse Realgymnasium 1927 Patrizierhaeuser Spieringstrasse circa 1935 Rathaus mit Erweiterungsbau 1931 Real-Gymnasium um 1900 Sankt Georgen-Bruederhaus circa 1910 Sankt Marienkirche…
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Anabaptist-Mennonite DNA project participation
As many of you may have already guessed, our families and ancestries are crowded with Mennonite and Amish peoples- Anabaptists. For years, we knew of the Rich (Henss Family Branch) connections to the Swiss- Elsass/Alsace, Montbeliard/ Bern communities. More recently, we have come to understand quite a bit of the Senger (Rabideau Family Branch) connections to the West Prussian / East Prussian Mennonite communities. Because of the smallish nature of these original communities, we (Becky, my wife, and I) have elected to purchase DNA tests from 23andMe and submit our DNA test results for inclusion in the Mennonite DNA Project. This past weekend our 23andme DNA test kits arrived! Now…
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“Our” Mennonite Churches in Europe
As you may have noticed, a “goodly portion” (to quote my father-in-law) portion of both sides of the Henss & Rabideau families have roots in Amish/ Mennonite/ Anabaptist traditions. Out of curiosity, actually out of a desire to find church building photos, I did a little web research on our families’ past church homes. As you might have guessed, nothing identifiable remains of our Prussian/ Poland Mennonite congregations, the Second World War took care of that. However, I have stumbled across a number of our families’ Alsatian congregations on the Internet. It is wonderful to see that many of our predecessors’ beliefs and traditions live on and that our family’s…
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Finding Former Eastern German Place Names
One of the great challenges in researching areas like the former German Eastern Provinces is that they are all gone- governments, people, Churches, libraries, Universities, and yes, in many cases, houses and villages as well. In an effort to help me, and perhaps others, identify place names, I am creating this document with its eclectic cross reference materials. Hopefully these documents, websites, etc. will prove useful to those of us who have difficulty in finding ‘our family’s’ former German places and locations. Former Prussian Places & Locations (Westpreußen u. mehr/ West Prussia & more) Documents Ravenstein’s Atlas des Deutschen Reichs 9000-Village-Names-in-Prussia 1.5 MB Errata for document: Zeyersvorderkampen = Kępiny Małe…
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Hermann Schepansky Family
At this point, we believe that our research has produced a rather complete image of the Families and Children of Hermann Schepansky. If you know of additional source materials or information, we would love hearing from you. HERMANN1 SCHEPANSKY was born about 1754 in Kerbshorst, Westpreussen, Germany1. Herman Schepansky was baptized in 1802 in Marcushof, Westpreussen, Germany2. He died on 18 Dec 1824 in Schwansdorf, Westpreussen, Germany1. He married (1) CATARINA ANNA HEINRICHS (daughter of Jacob Heinrichs and Miss Koeller) on 06 Nov 1800 in Kerbshorst, Westpreussen, Germany1, 2. She was born on 05 Aug 1781 in Kerbswald, Westpreussen, Germany1, 2. Catarina Anna Heinrichs was baptized in 1797 in Marcushof,…
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Do genealogy? Really?
Perhaps, it was Friday or maybe the day before… Becky (my wife) and I were discussing why I do genealogy work. More precisely, the question we were discussing focused on what advantages or benefits I (the genealogy fanatic) actually attain from my endeavors. Because, wealth most certainly was not among them. But in all seriousness, this posting is really nothing more than a catalog of my thoughts on this question/ topic. It is simply a topic I thought our readership might find interesting. And, I thought it might be worthwhile for me to archive my ponderings here, as well. Perhaps my reasons might provide others with some food for thought;…
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The 200,000th visit
We are extremely pleased to report that last night (3 June 2012) ManyRoads received its 200,000th visitor. We know that does not put us in anything like “a high traffic mode”. But, we are pleased to have gathered and perhaps even sustained a loyal readership. Thank you very much for visiting our site; we look forward to your continued and on-going presence. Obviously, we are extremely pleased that 200,00 visitors have stopped by. We will continue to do our best to provide information and knowledge as we accumulate it. As always do not hesitate to contact us with your comments or requests for information and/or pointers. Your interaction is always…
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Basketball in Easthampton- one family’s account
In 2010 I published a posting on pro-basketball in Easthampton, Mass. Yesterday Jeffrey Baker, a ManyRoads reader, was kind enough to send these images and family story along. Enjoy! James R Knox was my maternal grandfather. Raised in the Easthampton area, went on to work at the Veterans Hospital in Northampton MA in the Personnel Office, eventually becoming Quartermaster. Unfortunately there is no listing of any of the other ruffians pictured…nor of the coaches. The details were noted by George W Knox, brother of James R. “Beaver” Knox. Interesting on how he has the Celtics in Boston in the 1920’s. The other scan is EHS years ’13 – ’14. No…
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Die Wedhorn Vertreibung (Expulsion)
Note: This account is the product of numerous discussions, interviews and writings between Frieda geboren Wedhorn, her son Norbert Grohmann, and Mark Rabideau. Every effort has been made to remain true to the intent, content and events of this life altering time. During the days preceding Frieda geboren Wedhorn’s capture and deportation by the Soviets, heavy fighting began in and around the Wedhorn family home in Orlofferfelde, Westpreußen. During this time, around March 1945, Soviet Red Army soldiers came to the Wedhorn farmhouse, took possession and refuge within it and while there they attacked and raped Frieda (geboren Wedhorn). Shortly after the rape, the Soviet soldiers were forced to leave…
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Using Cyprien Tanguay’s texts…
Over the past few weeks, I have received numerous requests for guidance on how to use Tanguay’s texts for genealogy research (and where to get them). I have to admit that it does seem a bit odd to me that these genealogy texts are not well understood. But after having received the requests, I did some searching on the web only to note that there are no real guides readily available for novices, so here’s my feeble attempt at creating one. By way of a bit of background, the texts discussed here are called: Dictionnaire généalogique des Familles Canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu’à nos jours (Genealogical Dictionary…
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