vital records

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.

Hederina Harms de Weerdt Death Certificate

Hederina Harms de Weerdt is my 4th great-grandmother, the wife of Wolter Noteboom, and the mother of Walter Noteboom.  She died on 28 November 1884 in Winschoten, Groningen, Netherlands.

Hederina Harms de Weert - Death Certificate

Hederina Harms de Weert – Death Certificate, Groninger Archieven

 

In the year one thousand eight hundred eighty-four, the twenty-eighth day of the month of November, before our Chief of the civil registration of the municipality of Winschoten, Groningen province, appeared Hendrik Kornelis Wildeman, aged forty-two years a professional bargemaster, residing in Winschoten, no blood or marriage of the deceased, and Genk Heikens, aged thirty years a professional carpenter residing in Winschoten, no blood or marriage of the deceased, who have declared, that on the twenty-eighth day of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty four, between noon and five o’clock, within this municipality is deceased Henderina Harms de Weerdt, seventy-seven years of no occupation, born in Emden, Germany, having recently lived in Winschoten, widow of Wolter Noteboom.

 

 

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Death Registration for Wolter Noteboom

I’ve now located the death registration for my 4th great-grandfather Wolter Noteboom in Winschoten, Netherlands on WieWasWie.nl.

Wolter Noteboom Death Register

Wolter Noteboom Death Registration
from the Groningen Archives, via WieWasWie.nl

I had some trouble with the handwriting on this one… so there are some blanks where I’m not sure what it’s suppose to say. But here’s my best effort.

In het jaar duizend achthonderd twee en vijftig, den negentienden der maand November, zijn voor ons ondergeteekende Burgemeester, ambtenaar van den Burgerlijken Stand der gemeente Winschoten, Arrondissement Winschoten, Provincie Groningen, verschenen Jan Ettjes Huttinga, oud zestig jaren, van beroep illegible1[?] Omroeper, wonende te Winschoten, geen bloed of aanverwant van den overledene, en Hyachintus Hendriks Breurkens, oud eenenzestig jaren, van beroep Schoenmaker, wonende te Winschoten, geen bloed of aanverwant van den overledene, welke ons hebben verklaard, dat op den negentienden der maand November, des jaars duizend achthonderd tweenvijftig, des morgens te zeven uur, binnen deze gemeente, en wel te Winschoten [?],illegible2 is overleden Wolter Noteboom oud zevenenveertig jaren, van beroep Stoffenverwer, laatst gewoond hebbende te Winschoten, geboren te Emden in Oostoriesland ??? Hanover,getrouwd ??? van Henderina Harms de Weerdt, zoon van ??? Lamoraal Noteboom, en van ??? Anna Cool, in ???, en woonachtig ??? overleden te Emden; ???.
illegible3Van welk aangifte en verklaring deze akte dadelijk is opgemaakt en ingeschreven op de beide dubbelen van het overlijdens-register dezer gemeente; en is deze akte, nadat dezelve aan de aangevers was voorgelezen, door hen, nevens ons Ambtenaar van den Burgerlijken Stand, geteekend
JE Huttinga
HH Breurkens
Illegible signature

In the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, the nineteenth of the month of November, for us undersigned Mayor, an official of the Civil State of the municipality Winschoten, District Winschoten, Province of Groningen, published Jan Ettjes Huttinga, aged sixty years, occupation [?] Announcer, residing in Winschoten, no blood or marriage of the deceased, and Hyachintus Hendriks Breurkens, aged sixty-one years, occupation Shoemaker, residing in Winschoten, no blood or marriage of the deceased, which have stated that, on the nineteenth of the month of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, the morning at the seventh hour, within this church, and it Winschoten [?] is deceased Wolter Noteboom old forty-seven years of professional Fabric Maker, having recently lived in Winschoten, born in Emden in eastern Orientale Country [?] Hanover, married [?] of Henderina Harms de Weerdt, son of [?] Lamoraal Noteboom and [?] Anna Cool, in [?], and living [?] deceased Emden; [?].

Which declaration and statement this deed is readily made and inscribed on both doubles the mortality registry of this town; and this deed after them was read to the principals, through them, besides our Officer of the Civil Status, signed

JE Huttinga

HH Breurkens

illegible signature

The Mystery of the Mothers Continues…
Mary Katherine Schillinger Death Certificate

Mary Katherine Schillinger Death Certificate

 

I received Mary Katherine Schillinger’s death certificate from the New York Municipal Archives this past week, and it has provided more information that may help clarify the Mystery of the Mothers that I posted before.

First, I want to confirm that this is the same person I have as Katarina/Catherine/Katherine Schillinger.  Now, as a German immigrant, it is quite likely that she anglicized her name, and that Katherine is a reasonable match to Catarina.  So the difference in the middle names is not surprising or even that unusual. It is also not unusual with a common first name such as Mary in a Catholic family to use the middle name as the commonly used name during her life.  In large Catholic families, several daughters might have the first name Mary, with their middle name serving as their commonly used name.  [The various spellings can probably be explained by census enumerators spelling it they way they wanted to spell it instead of the way she actually spelled it.]

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that this certificate records information about the decedent‘s spouse, other than notating that she was in fact married, so this doesn’t help me confirm that she is the Catherine Schillinger that I know to be the wife of Xaver.

The next thing I note is the date of death, which the certificate has recorded as 10 August 1907.  I previously have known her death to have occurred on 9 August 1907, so the death dates are within a day of each other.

The most telling piece of information is the place of death, which is recorded as 234 Jerome Street.  As of the 1900 Federal Census, my 3rd great grandmother Catherine Schillinger was living at 234 Jerome Street.  Bingo!  She apparently died at home seven years later.

The death certificate is a match!  Now I want to compare it to Louis F. Schillinger’s death certificate a few decades later, when his mother is listed as Mary Boch.  I want to see if I can find any more information that will confirm Catherine Schillinger (née Autretter) is the same woman as Mary Boch. The fact that the death certificate lists her actual first name as Mary and her middle name as Katherine, I think we can draw a preliminary conclusion that the Mary Boch and Catherine Schillinger may be the same woman.

However, we want to see if we can explain the Boch surname listed on the son’s death certificate, since we know her maiden name to be Autretter.  In looking more closely at Mary Katherine Schillinger’s death certificate, we can look at the information recorded about her parents to see if Boch makes sense.

Her father is listed as Xavier Auteritter (which is a close enough spelling variant of our known surname Autretter).  Her mother is Magdelina Kaiser (which is a completely new name to me!).  There’s no indication that Boch is a surname associated with our Katherine Schillinger.

So why would her name be listed as Mary Boch on her son Louis’s death certificate?  Her grandson, who was the informant on her son’s death, could have mis-recollected her maiden name.  He would have only been nine years old when she passed away in 1907.  She was known to be married before marrying Xaver Schillinger, to a man name John Moelig, who was the father of her first child Amelia.  John died during the Civil War, and she married Xaver a short time later.  Boch is not likely to be explained by a previous marriage.

The most likely explanation, therefore, is that by the time of her son’s death in 1943, her grandson mistakenly listed her surname as Boch.

 

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Louis F. Schillinger Death Certificate – A New Family Mystery

I got Louis F. Schillinger’s death certificate today from the NYC Municipal Archives, and now I have a bit of a mystery on my hands.

image

Louis F. Schillinger Death Certificate

The problem arises when I examine the section about the deceased’s parents. It says:

Name of Father of Decedent: Francis X.
Birthplace of Father: Germany
Name of Mother of Decedent: Mary Boch
Birthplace of Mother: Germany

image

Louis F. Schillinger Death Certificate - Detail

What??? His mother is listed as Mary Boch? I don’t know who Mary Boch is. My records all show his mother as Catherine Autretter. In census records, the mother in the household was always listed as Catherine. I’ve never seen anything where is mother is listed as a Mary Boch. (On the plus side, I finally have a document that lists his father’s first name as Francis. Everywhere else, his father went by his middle name Xaver.)

Who is Mary Boch? That is a really good question. The first thing I want to do is verify other information on the certificate to confirm that I have the correct Louis F. Schillinger.

  • Occupation: listed as retired architect. That’s a match.
  • Address: listed as 169 Van Siclen Avenue, Brooklyn. That is also a match to his last known address.
  • Wife: Louise. Match.
  • Birthdate: 29 November 1863, Highland Falls, NY. Match.
  • Death date: 3 November 1943. Match.

Five other facts match facts I know about my Louis F. Schillinger. I’m confident this is the right person. Back to the mysterious Mary Boch.

The next thing I want to look at is who the informant was on the death certificate. In this case, it is Louis Schillinger, his son. The son was born in 1896, nine years before the death of Catherine Autretter, so as he would have known his grandmother early in his life. The family all lived within blocks of each other while he was growing up, so he likely saw his grandparents on a regular basis. It’s reasonable to assume that he would have reliable knowledge about his grandparents’ identities.

This leaves me with a bit of a conundrum – who is Mary Boch and why is she listed as the mother on Louis F. Schillinger’s death certificate? Now I have a new family mystery to solve.