This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: shamale Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.illinois.counties.randolph/741/mb.ashx Message Board Post: I am trying to locate a death record for my great-great grandfather, John Gottlieb Lessing. Alternate spellings may be Johann Gottlieb Lessing. Alternate spellings of the last name may be Lesing (appears as this in 1860 census but is probably in error), Laessing, or Laessig. He was married to Ernestine Wilhelmein Haertle Lessing (or Hertel or Hartel--the a is probably an "umlaut" a, or a with two dots over it and the most accurate spelling is probably Hartel with the a an umlaut a). He lived in Red Bud, IL around 1854? to his death in 1862 and was employed as a wagon teamster. I can bracket the date of death as somewhere between June 1862 and September 1862 and most likely it was sometime in July of 1862. He died in a wagon accident I am told. The spelling of his name appears on Missouri death certificates for some of his children, so I am fairly certain that is should be Lessing, but have seen alternate spellings in other documents. Would appreciate any assistance i! n locating any information or document regarding his death or burial. Most likely his family was a member of either St. John's Lutheran Church or Trinity Lutheran Church of Redbud. I believe that Trinity is the most likely since there is some uncorroborated evidence one of his children was confirmed at Trinity. Please contact me at shamale@hotmail.com with any information or the email for this board. Thank you Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.
Randolph County, IL death records start at 1877. RCGS has a very small list of a few deaths before that date. I looked at an index to TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH, HORSE PRAIRIE, ILLINOIS and a HARTEL is listed. I do not have the actual records, only the index. This listing is: HARTEL b. - 83a There is no listing for LESSING. Since this is just South of Red Bud, perhaps your Hartel came from Horse Prairie. Velda Wittenbrink Moore vel_chick@verizon.net http://www.larrett.com/velda/ http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilrcgs/