http://www.seidata.com/~lhoffman/gen.html This is a very good collection of genealogical links that covers many areas. Each link has a short description. _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

For "All" interested, I just got an answer about Kirchenbuecher from this address (6 week Waiting Period): "Evangelisches Zentralarchiv in Berlin" Jebensstraße 3 D-10623 Berlin E-Mail: [email protected] Telefon +49+30-31001130 Kirchenbücher aus Thüringen und Sachsen: Superintendentur Leipzig-Ost Nikolaikirchhof 3 04109 Leipzig Landeskirchenamt der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche in Thüringen Dr.-Moritz-Mitzenheim-Straße 2a 99817 Eisenach If you write to any of the above, make sure you send it "Airmail", the address is in the correct order and don't forget to add GERMANY below the Zip Code and City! Form Letters: Two German/English Form Letters of Introduction: http://www3.adnc.com/~lynnd/vuword.html#g For Reference on German Regions I always refer back to these Pages: Adalbert Goertz's Regional German FAQ'S Deutschland (Germany) FAQ http://www3.adnc.com/~lynnd/gfaqd.html German Genealogy Study Group 2. Maps, History, German Regions and Heraldry http://www3.adnc.com/~lynnd/vumap2.html German Study Group/GERMAN WORDS http://www3.adnc.com/~lynnd/vuword.html#g

[email protected] wrote: > > I have two lines of family who immigrated to America in the 1870s and 1880s. > ... > 1) Ernst WITT -- Says he was born in Gross Buetzin, Prussia. > I looked and found such a town name in Mecklenburg-Schwerin area. Thought to > now order parish records, etc from FHC. > > However - then I found in his wife's record: > > 2) Maria KRUEGER -- born in Azelshof, Prussia > Couldn't find such a place. Then switched to a different mapping program - > (http://maps.excite.com) - and suddenly there it was on my screen - in the > "middle" of what is now Germany. However, didn't know what "province" that > was - just what cities and towns it was near! > > Now: > Found "another" Gross Buetzin - that looks to be about 5 miles or so from > this Azelshof. These two lines (WITT and KRUEGER) intermarried - not sure > which side of the ocean - but it would make sense that the towns/villages > would be close to each other. Family lore is that they knew each other > "before" coming to America. Don't know how accurate that is... > > So: looked at more maps yesterday and today. Both towns appear to be small > and in the western part of "Thuringia". Interesting that this list just > started discussing Thuringia too. (See Dieter's comments below about the > duchies, etc that "made up" Thuringia). > > Questions: > 1) Do I have it right - and should be looking in this geographical area for > Gross Buetzin and Azelshof? Surely, what else ? > 2) If so, and given Dieter's comments (see below), how do I determine what > part of Thuringia this is for the 1815 - 1880 timeframe? I can't tell > anything other than both villages are at the western part - close to Hessian > border. At this time both villages were in Prussia, Provinz Sachsen. Today this southern part of Provinz Sachsen belongs to Thuringia. Dieter

For research and for a location mailing list you should go to http://users.rootsweb.com/~deuhes/Hessen/index.htm and scroll down to the flag logo for Thüringen. That is where Greiz is. It is right on the border with Sachsen. Select the mailing list for Thüringen and post your inquiry there, or perhaps on the Sachsen list. You can find any mailing list at http://www.rootsweb.com/~maillist, location or surname. ;~) Don ----- Original Message ----- From: Ronald Weiss <[email protected]> WEISS, Charles (Carl) Heman; 1860 -1924 WEISS, Eric Christian, born about 1840 Saxony (?Greitz)1874 > Norfolk Co., Virginia, USA

Hello everyone, I am in need of some help... I have two lines of family who immigrated to America in the 1870s and 1880s. >From New York, USA church records, I know the town names. However, I "think" I'm now pointed towards Thuringia - but want to verify that my thinking is valid. 1) Ernst WITT -- Says he was born in Gross Buetzin, Prussia. I looked and found such a town name in Mecklenburg-Schwerin area. Thought to now order parish records, etc from FHC. However - then I found in his wife's record: 2) Maria KRUEGER -- born in Azelshof, Prussia Couldn't find such a place. Then switched to a different mapping program - (http://maps.excite.com) - and suddenly there it was on my screen - in the "middle" of what is now Germany. However, didn't know what "province" that was - just what cities and towns it was near! Now: Found "another" Gross Buetzin - that looks to be about 5 miles or so from this Azelshof. These two lines (WITT and KRUEGER) intermarried - not sure which side of the ocean - but it would make sense that the towns/villages would be close to each other. Family lore is that they knew each other "before" coming to America. Don't know how accurate that is... So: looked at more maps yesterday and today. Both towns appear to be small and in the western part of "Thuringia". Interesting that this list just started discussing Thuringia too. (See Dieter's comments below about the duchies, etc that "made up" Thuringia). Questions: 1) Do I have it right - and should be looking in this geographical area for Gross Buetzin and Azelshof? Is the right answer likely "Thuringia"??? 2) If so, and given Dieter's comments (see below), how do I determine what part of Thuringia this is for the 1815 - 1880 timeframe? I can't tell anything other than both villages are at the western part - close to Hessian border. 3) New area for me. Just as I read up on Mecklenburg-Schwerin for my SCHMIDT, OEHMICH, MARTENS, FINZ lines - where should I read up on Thuringia - that looks to be sitting right in the middle of Germany? 4) From the descriptions of all the mailing lists, it seemed like "this" is the right one. Hope that's true! Any guidelines or observations much appreciated! I am in the confederation timeframe? Looking for births for my two great-grandparents: Ernst WITT (8 Oct 1854) / Gross Buetzin and Mary (Maria) KRUEGER (31 May 1859) / Azelshof (and the family says her father Christian Frederick Carl KRUEGER was born on 23 Apr 1824) debbie In a message dated 9/26/99 6:38:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: << The state of Thuringia has been refounded 1920, the time before it was divided in 8 fully independed duchies and principalities: Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach Sachsen-Koburg-Gotha Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Sachsen-Meiningen Sachsen-Altenburg Reuss juengere Linie Reuss aeltere Linie >>

WEISS, Charles (Carl) Heman; 1860 -1924 WEISS, Eric Christian, born about 1840 Saxony (?Greitz)1874 > Norfolk Co., Virginia, USA I am searching for my German family. Those in Virginia who may have known are gone. Charles Herman WEISS came to USA enroute to ?Baltimore, alone, in about 1874, supposed to attend school in USA, Married in Deep Creek, Norfolk Co., VA Thought to have cousins in NY. I surely appreciate any help or direction. Thank You. Ronald Weiss [email protected]

Probably biblical. Remember the fisherman, Simon Peter? Also, Mr. Hearst's castle in San Simeon (Saint Simon), California, Mexican or Spanish. Pat >Dieter Taube wrote: >patricia cleveland wrote: >> >> Hi everyone, >> >> I have a family member with the first name of Simon. I have never seen >> this name used with a German surname. Could he be Jewish-German since >> Simon is a common name in Hebrew? >> >Dont't believe. Simon also was an common German name, not specially >jewish. Remember Georg Simon Ohm from physics at school. > >Dieter > >______________________________

I have about 75 Simon's, all German, none Jewish John

The cross hammars on the uniform may signify that your grandfather was involved in mining or metallurgical. The use of the hammers or battle axes is symbolic of the almost military organization of the German mining guilds or "corporations". The uniform symbolizes the closely knit (faternal-like organizations) of the old German mining guilds. The crossed hammers today is the official insignia of AIME (American Institute of Mining Engineers). The duties and responsibilities of the various mining and smelting officers and workers are described in a book published Nurnberg in 1556, Agricola's De Re Metallica ...it includes the technical drawing that illustrate the various specialized techniques of the many branches of mining.. It was translated in 1912 by Herbert C. Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover and sells for $17.95 in 1950 by Dover Publications, Inc. NY. Miners dressed to the position they held and were often paraded on special occasions....colbalt miners wore blue knee pads, sulfur miners-yellow. Some of the mining musicians have plumes on their hats. My grandfather attended the Dresden Institute of Technology and received his degree in Metallurgy and Mining Engineering from the Freiberg School of Mines in 1912. When he saw war coming in 1914 he left Germany and brought with him several axes, canes, swords and water colors that are now on display at the National Mining Museum in Leadville, Colorado. If you can scanned the photo I could try to identify the uniform. I have a small book that I worked at translating a few years ago about the uniforms. Susan [email protected] wrote: > > I have a photograph of my great grandfather Johann Gustav Hentschel, who > lived near Bautzen (prior to his emmigration to America in the 1880's), > in a uniform. He wears a hat, with a plume. On the hat and the lapels > are crossed hammers insignia. Does anyone recognize this uniform? > --Mary Ann >

[email protected] wrote: > > I have a photograph of my great grandfather Johann Gustav Hentschel, who > lived near Bautzen (prior to his emmigration to America in the 1880's), > in a uniform. He wears a hat, with a plume. On the hat and the lapels > are crossed hammers insignia. Does anyone recognize this uniform? > --Mary Ann > Looks like a miner's costume from Erzgebirge mountains. Dieter

At 7:26 AM -0500 9/26/99, Dieter Taube wrote: >Judy Casper wrote: >> >> I found ancestors on the 1920 census and the parents were listed as coming >> from "German Poland" and the native language was "Polish". Any ideas as to >> what this would mean? They would be from the mid to late 1800's. Thanks Judy > >"German Poland" is an strange notation I never heard. Many people in the >eastern parts >of Germany spoke Polish (East Prussia, Upper Silesia, Posen). But may be >that the expression "German Poland" in the 1920 years refers to those >German provinces, that came to Poland after WW1. > >Dieter Don't be confused about the 1920 reference, we don't know when the ancestors last lived in "German Poland". During the time of peak emigration (late 1800's) "German Poland" would refer to the parts of the former Kingdom of Poland that had been partitioned off and taken by Germany. This generally means the former Prussian provinces of: Pommern (Pomerania), Ostpreu$en (East Prussia), Westpreu$en (West Prussia), Posen and Schlesien (Silesia). There was also: "Russian Poland" and "Austrian Poland". James Birkholz [email protected] Rootsweb supporter

>Regina, > I believe that the SAXE-WEIMAR-EISENACH that you mention is really >SACHSEN-WEIMAR-EISENACH which was the old name of present day >THURINGEN. I do not believe that it refers to a town between WEIMAR >and EISENACH. I have ancestors from this area and in all of the >records that I have searched, it is always in reference to the entire >region. > >Frank Kuhn Actually, Frank, Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach was only one of eight Ernestine Sachsen duchies established in 1680 in Thüringen, not all of the region of Thüringen. It is a complex issue related to the death of a duke in 1675 and the division of the territory among his eight sons in 1680. I'll elaborate further if need be. All the best, Doug Nicol, Santa Rosa CA

Frank Kuhn schrieb: > > Regina, > I believe that the SAXE-WEIMAR-EISENACH that you mention is really > SACHSEN-WEIMAR-EISENACH which was the old name of present day > THURINGEN. I do not believe that it refers to a town between WEIMAR > and EISENACH. Surely not. The state of Thuringia has been refounded 1920, the time before it was divided in 8 fully independed duchies and principalities: Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach Sachsen-Koburg-Gotha Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Sachsen-Meiningen Sachsen-Altenburg Reuss juengere Linie Reuss aeltere Linie Some central an northern parts belonged to Prussia (Provinz Sachsen). I notice, that many american ancestor seekers are confused of the lot of "Saxonies" in German history. Let me give a short explanation. There are: 1. The former Kingdom of Saxony (today: Freistaat Sachsen). The biggest towns are Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. 2. The former province of Saxony (Provinz Sachsen). It was a part of Prussia around the cities of Magdeburg and Halle. Since 1945 it is united with the former duchy of Anhalt to the federal state of Sachsen-Anhalt. 3. Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen). Today a German federal state it has less political or historical roots (it was founded 1946, former states were Hanover, Brunswick, Oldenburg, Schaumburg-Lippe and parts of Anhalt and Hessen) but more linguistic togetherness: All people speak nearly the same Nether German dialect. These Saxons in the ancient days decided to conquer England, America and so on ... 4. Some of the Thuringian principalities also weared the name of Saxony, but they did not belong to one the upper listet Saxon territories. The origin of these names were of dynastic reasons. Dieter

Judy Casper wrote: > > I found ancestors on the 1920 census and the parents were listed as coming > from "German Poland" and the native language was "Polish". Any ideas as to > what this would mean? They would be from the mid to late 1800's. Thanks Judy "German Poland" is an strange notation I never heard. Many people in the eastern parts of Germany spoke Polish (East Prussia, Upper Silesia, Posen). But may be that the expression "German Poland" in the 1920 years refers to those German provinces, that came to Poland after WW1. Dieter

patricia cleveland wrote: > > Hi everyone, > > I have a family member with the first name of Simon. I have never seen > this name used with a German surname. Could he be Jewish-German since > Simon is a common name in Hebrew? > Dont't believe. Simon also was an common German name, not specially jewish. Remember Georg Simon Ohm from physics at school. Dieter

I have a photograph of my great grandfather Johann Gustav Hentschel, who lived near Bautzen (prior to his emmigration to America in the 1880's), in a uniform. He wears a hat, with a plume. On the hat and the lapels are crossed hammers insignia. Does anyone recognize this uniform? --Mary Ann

I am interested in any information available on the surname "Hunneshagen" .Ancestral line came from Meiningen to America in 1847: Michael Hunneshagen,son of Johan Hunneshagen, was married to Maria Goephart and father of Adolph, who was about one-year old when emigrating . Also, are there any known sources of information on Heidelberg University student records prior to 1847?

To: Mary Ann, Your posting is interesting to me as my great aunt married a Theodor Hentschel on 23.iv.1872 in Muskau on the Nei�e River. Muskau was located in Niederschlesien (Lower Silesia) in the Kingdom of Prussia near the border of the Kingdom of Saxony. The Hentschel brothers had a local department store there that was, I believe, later move to Hirschberg also in Niederschlesien. I have some pictures. These could be relatives of your Hentschels. In regard to Graschwitz, I have located it on the map about 5 or 6 km south and just slightly west of Bautzen. Bautzen was in the Kingdom of Saxony and is about 50 km south west of Muskau, which is now on the Polish border and is now included in the Free State of Saxony. Regards, Herbert Mahler --- [email protected] wrote: > Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 22:48:00 -0700 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [GERMANKING] HENTSCHEL > > Seeking information about ancestors and descendants > of Johann Gustav Hentshel, "b. 20 Feb 1848 in > Gnaschwitz (alternatively recorded in family > records as Graschwitz and Gnauschwitz) near Bautzen, > Saxony". Another family member says he might have > been born in Goerlitz. Part of the confusion > could be due to handwriting. > > Johann Gustav's father was Johann Carl Gottlieb > Hentschel. His wife was Johanna Augusta > Schuster-Boehme Hentschel, daughter of Fredericke > Charlotte > Schuster and adopted by her husband Mr. Boehme. > > --Mary Ann __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

Regina, I believe that the SAXE-WEIMAR-EISENACH that you mention is really SACHSEN-WEIMAR-EISENACH which was the old name of present day THURINGEN. I do not believe that it refers to a town between WEIMAR and EISENACH. I have ancestors from this area and in all of the records that I have searched, it is always in reference to the entire region. Frank Kuhn

You can find any town or region on earth at http://users.rootsweb.com/~deuhes/Hessen/towns.htm Sites #1 and #2 use soundex, so if you get pretty close to the spelling, it will pop up, with some awesome maps. Ancient maps are available via http://users.rootsweb.com/~deuhes/Hessen/hesse.htm ;~) Don ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> "b. 20 Feb 1848 in Gnaschwitz (alternatively recorded in family records as Graschwitz and Gnauschwitz) near Bautzen, Saxony" Another family member says he might have been born in Goerlitz