I was using this website of Dutch records and decided to look for the deaths of Anna Margaret (Klingen) Mack and her daughter, Christina Mack, both of whom are said to have died in 1720. TRESOAR Frisian Historical and Literary Centre. http://www.tresoar.nl/bounce.html?ask_sam_doop.jsp?pagina=doop&stylesheet =onderzoek.css&lang=en Database -- Tietjerksteradeel en Achtkarspelen. I was not able to find either even though there are death records for Surhuisterveen people in this database. And there are other cities in the database that appear to be nearby so it isn't a case of them dying close by but not in Surhuisterveen. There are four possibilities that I can think of. 1. Anna Margaret and her daughter died in Surhuisterveen but were both left out of the town records. 2. They are in the original records but got left out of this particular database. 3. The Mack group lived in a different part of Holland before settling in Surhuisterveen. 4. The Mack group hadn't left Germany at the time that both Anna Margaret and Christina died. This last two options are contradicted by Willoughby. "Counting the Cost" -- William G. Willoughby (1979): Page 151, Chronology -- 1720. April (?). AM sells his house to Christopher Sauer. 1720. May (?). The New Baptists leave Schwarzenau for Holland. 1720. June (?). The New Baptists arrive at Surhuisterveen in Friesland. 1720. September. Anna Margaret Mack, AM's wife, and Christina, his daughter, die within a week of each other. Of course, the problem is, if Willoughby didn't get the Mack deaths that occurred in 1720 from town records, where did he get them? This is not good. I'm beginning to think that a lot of his information came from oral tradition and it may be that a lot of it needs to be questioned. What a mess. David Myers P. S. Eureka! From pages 106-107 of Willoughby. "In September 1720 a double tragedy struck Mack and his community. His dearly beloved wife of nineteen years died unexpectedly, (4) a tragedy followed by the death of his six-year-old daughter, Christina, one week later." Page 164. "4. Durnbaugh, European Origins, p. 296. There is a tradition that Anna Margaret died in Germany. The record in Alexander Mack's Bible indicates that she died in September 1720; whereas the Brethren left Schwarzenau before June 24, 1720."

David Myers--I sense your frustration in efforts to locate where Alexander Mack's wife and daughter are buried. May I share this much from what I learned on a Brethren Heritage Trip that included Surhuisterveen and the locations of the Brethren in today's Germany? We visited a location a distance from the town of Surhuisterveen, perhaps east. It was there that a pool of water is still in existence that was used by the Brethren as a baptismal pool. This pond [called Kortewolde in BE p1241] was in a field with only one farm house located in the area, but some distance from the house. We were told this is where an old cemetery used to be located that is possibly the burial grounds for the Mack wife and daughter, as well as other Brethren who died in Friesland. Cemeteries do not exist as we know them here in the U.S., [although there are old cemeteries disappearing in this country also because the land is wanted for other purposes]. Land was too precious to be set aside for large cemeteries especially in the Netherlands where it is reclaimed from the ocean. It cannot be set aside for cemeteries for any long length of time. The stones from old cemeteries are removed and/or covered over and the ground used for farming again. There is a reference in the Brethren Encyclopedia Monograph Series, William R. Eberly, editor, number 3 Brethren Beginnings: the Origins of the Church of the Brethren in Early Eighteenth-Century Europe, Donald F. Durnbaugh, 1992. ISBN 0-936693-23-1, to Alexander Mack's wife and daughter dying on the way to Friesland, p. 58, third paragraph, first column. "(Mack's wife had died in September, 1720, possibly while the Wittgenstein group was underway to Friesland.). The reference for this is found on p. 80 #80. "July 14, 1727, Gemeinde Archiv, Schriesheim, Grundbuch B 301, f. 488. Mack, Jr., records his mother's death, followed within a week by a sister, Verzeichnis." Perhaps one of these may help you in your research. This area of Friesland was known for its peat bogs and the Brethren are said to have worked these peat bogs to make a living. It was not a good paying job and one of the reasons they possibly decided to emigrate to the US. While in Surhuisterveen the Brethren worshiped in a house across from the Waterlander Mennonite congregation. This congregation and building were still active when I was there. I believe it is always important to remember that times have certainly changed from 1979 and 2008 when it comes to researching. I certainly do not use the same methods and equipment to locate my material today that I did in 1979 when Willoughby's book was published. I have been very grateful for the research he was able to do on Alexander Mack and the Brethren in Europe. Thank you for the material which you have put on this website in the the original language related to your research on Surhuisterveen. It is always helpful to have the original language to work from as well. Jane Davis. > To: brethren@rootsweb.com> Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:51:49 -0600> From: myerswd@juno.com> Subject: [BRE] Mack deaths in Surhuisterveen> > I was using this website of Dutch records and decided to look for the> deaths of Anna Margaret (Klingen) Mack and her daughter, Christina Mack,> both of whom are said to have died in 1720.> > > TRESOAR Frisian Historical and Literary Centre.> > http://www.tresoar.nl/bounce.html?ask_sam_doop.jsp?pagina=doop&stylesheet> =onderzoek.css&lang=en> > Database -- Tietjerksteradeel en Achtkarspelen.> > > I was not able to find either even though there are death records for> Surhuisterveen people in this database. And there are other cities in> the database that appear to be nearby so it isn't a case of them dying> close by but not in Surhuisterveen. There are four possibilities that I> can think of.> > 1. Anna Margaret and her daughter died in Surhuisterveen but were both> left out of the town records.> 2. They are in the original records but got left out of this particular> database.> 3. The Mack group lived in a different part of Holland before settling in> Surhuisterveen.> 4. The Mack group hadn't left Germany at the time that both Anna Margaret> and Christina died.> > This last two options are contradicted by Willoughby.> > "Counting the Cost" -- William G. Willoughby (1979):> > Page 151, Chronology --> 1720. April (?). AM sells his house to Christopher Sauer.> 1720. May (?). The New Baptists leave Schwarzenau for Holland.> 1720. June (?). The New Baptists arrive at Surhuisterveen in Friesland.> 1720. September. Anna Margaret Mack, AM's wife, and Christina, his> daughter, die within a week of each other.> > Of course, the problem is, if Willoughby didn't get the Mack deaths that> occurred in 1720 from town records, where did he get them? This is not> good. I'm beginning to think that a lot of his information came from> oral tradition and it may be that a lot of it needs to be questioned. > What a mess.> > David Myers> > P. S. Eureka! From pages 106-107 of Willoughby.> > "In September 1720 a double tragedy struck Mack and his community. His> dearly beloved wife of nineteen years died unexpectedly, (4) a tragedy> followed by the death of his six-year-old daughter, Christina, one week> later."> > Page 164.> "4. Durnbaugh, European Origins, p. 296. There is a tradition that Anna> Margaret died in Germany. The record in Alexander Mack's Bible indicates> that she died in September 1720; whereas the Brethren left Schwarzenau> before June 24, 1720."> > > > > > > ------------------------> Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN> ------------------------> Support Our Sponsoring Agency> The Fellowship Of Brethren Genealogists (FOBG)> For further information contact Ron McAdams mailto:McAdamsr@hotmail.com> ------------------------> > -------------------------------> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BRETHREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _________________________________________________________________ Shed those extra pounds with MSN and The Biggest Loser! http://biggestloser.msn.com/