Birth Registry

Xaver Schillinger’s German Birth Record

I was Google searching the other night for information about the hometown of my 3rd Great-Grandfather Franz Xaver Schillinger.  I had a notation that he was born in Urloffen, Germany, a small village in the Grand Duchy of Baden, near the French border.  There is not much on the internet about the village of Urloffen.  It’s a small village with only about 4500 people who live there today, and since 1975 has been incorporated as part of a larger town of Appenweier.

While hunting for information about Urloffen, I came across a family history website for the Oatney family.  On that website, they have a page with links to German archives for the Baden region, including Landesarchiv.  And while I don’t speak or read a lick of German, I was able to navigate the site, by utilizing the in browser translation option in Chrome.  Once Chrome translated the page elements to English, I located record set L10, Nr. 3728, “Urloffen, Appenweier OG; Catholic Church: births 1827-1847”.

I had information that Xaver was born in August 1836, so I started to browse through the records trying to locate his.  There are 344 document images in the record set.  Since 1836 is approximately halfway through the time period for the records, I jumped to about midway through the image files.  Image 160 turned out to be the index page for the year 1836, and part way down the lists, I found an entry I thought might be for Xaver Schillinger.  Old German script is really hard to read, so I was unsure if it actually said Schillinger, but I was willing to find out!

German Birth Register Index

German Birth Register Index for Xaver Schillinger, http://bit.ly/1puWkY2

I scrolled back a few images, until I found page 173, and located item 55 on the page.  Based on what little I could see in the image, my hoped increased that I had found the right record.

I had previously joined a group on Facebook called “Genealogy Translations“, but had not used it up to this point.  I decided this record was the perfect choice for my first translation request.  The group is run by two admins: Nick Gombash and Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz, and they offer a free and fabulous service for those of us doing research in the archives of ancestral homelands.  There are a few simple rules for posting in the group, but primarily it’s about asking for help without taking advantage of the kind people who voluntarily translate these documents.  I posted the image with my translation request yesterday at 9:26am.  Within 10 minutes, Johann Kargl had transcribed the image, and based on the German transcription, I was able to confirm that indeed this was the birth record for my 3rd Great-Grandfather Xaver Schillinger.  Johann then translated the record for me!  Here it is:

German Birth Record for Xaver Schillinger, Image 153

German Birth Record for Xaver Schillinger, Image 153

In German, it says:

Im Jahre eintausendachthundert und sechsunddreißig, den zehnten August, Nachmittag um vier Uhr, wurde gebohren, und den eilften August, Nachmittag um ein Uhr getauft: Franz Xaver – des Franz Xaver Schillinger, hiesigen Bürgers und Strumpfstrickermeisters, und der Franziska, geb. Stöckel – ehelicher Sohn. Pathen sind: Franz Joseph Stöckel, hiesigen Bürger und Schustermeister, und Petronilla Schillinger, Ehefrau des Felix Schmid, hiesigen Bürgers und Zimmermeisters. Zeugen sind: der obige Franz Joseph Stöckel, alt 51 Jahre, und Franz Xavers Lenz, hiesiger Bürger und Webermeister, alt 54 Jahre; welche dem Act zugegen waren. Hug? Pfarrer

In English:

In 1836, on 10 August, at 4 pm, was born and baptized on 11 August at 1 pm: Franz Xaver – legitimate son of Franz Xaver Schillinger, citizen and master hosiery knitter from here, and of Franziska, nee Stöckel. Godparents: Franz Joseph Stöckel, citizen and master shoemaker here, and Petronilla Schillinger, wife of Felix Schmid, citizen here and master carpenter. Witnesses: the above mentioned Franz Joseph Stöckel, 51 years old, and Franz Xaver Lenz, citizen and master weaver here, 54 years old, who were present at this act. Hug? Parish Priest

This confirms that Xaver Schillinger was born in Urloffen, and now I know that his birth date was 10 August 1836.  It confirms his mother’s name, and provides the names of witnesses, who were likely close family members and friends.  It also points to a legacy for an occupation in clothing.  Xaver was a tailor as an adult, and it appears he likely learned the trade from his father, who is listed as a hosiery knitter.

Walter Noteboom’s Netherlands Birth Registration

I came across a website with images of vital records in the Netherlands.  Excitingly, it contained the records for several members of the Noteboom family, including my 3rd great grandfather, Walter.  Below is a rough translation I was able to do using Google Translate.  Some of the handwritten words, particularly the names may not be exactly right.  This is an exciting find because it confirms his parents’ names, and his father’s occupation.  I had seen an unsourced notation that his father was a fabric dyer (confirmed!), who died in 1850 of indigo poisoning (unconfirmed).

Birth Registration for Wolter [Walter] Noteboom, born November 12, 1844 in Winschoten, Netherlands

Wolter Noteboom Birth Registration

Wolter Noteboom Birth Registration

In the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-four, the thirteenth of the month of November for our undersigned Councillor official of the Civil State of the municipality Wins
choten, District Winschoten, Groningen Province, appeared Wolter Noteboom, thirty-nine years old, of professional Dyer and [Squeezer] and Calenderer, residing Winschoten, which stated that on the twelfth of the month of November in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-four, in the evening at six o’clock, within the municipality of Winschoten, a child is born of the male sex, to which the first name Wolter shall be given; of which child’s Mother is, Henderina Weerdt, and Father Wolter Noteboom said spouses.

And this declaration and statement done in the presence of William Guits Strootman, aged sixty years, occupation Hatter, residing in Winschoten, and Frederik Jan Hockzema, aged fifty-one years, a professional Book Seller, residing in Winschoten, as to do so elected witnesses selected by the party.

Of which this deed and immediately enrolled in the [twice] in the birth registry of this town, and this deed after them was read to witnesses appearing and signed by them beside us.

 

Original Dutch:

In het jaar duizend achthonderd vier en veertig, den dertienden der maand November voor ons Ondergeteekende Wethouder ambtenaar van den Burgerlijken Stand der gemeente Winschoten, Arrondissement Winschoten, Provincie Groningen, is verschenen Wolter Noteboom oud negenendertig jaren, van beroep Stoffenverver en Perser en Kalender, wonende te Winschoten, dewelke heeft verklaard, dat op den twaalfden der maand November des jaars duizend achthonderd vier en veertig, de avonds te zes uur, te Winschoten, binnen deze gemeente, een kind is geboren van het Mannelijk geslacht, aan hetwelk de voorna um Wolter gegeven zal worden; van welk kind Moeder is, Henderina Weerdt, en Vader Wolter Noteboom voornoemd echtelieden.

En is deze aangifte en verklaring geschied in tegenwoordigheid van Willem Guits Strrotman, oud eenenzestig jaren, van beroep Hoedenmaker, wonende te Winschoten, en van Frederik Jan Hockzema, oud eenenvijftig jaren, van beroep Boekverkooper, wonende te Winschoten, als daartoe door den belanghebbende gekozene getuigen.

Waarvan deze akte dadelijk is opgemaakt en ingeschreven op de beide dubbelen van het geboorte-register dezer gemeente, en is deze akte, nadat dezelve aan comparant en getuigen was voorgelezen door hun nevens ons ondertekend.