Help with German/Prussian ancestry

Discussion in 'Europe' started by Adam McGregor, Feb 7, 2019.

  1. Adam McGregor

    Adam McGregor Active Member

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    Hello,

    A two-year brick wall has finally crumbled, and I now have new members of my family tree. This is what I know:

    Henry Miller (d. 1898, Newark) married Elizabeth White (d. 1890, Newark) in Spittlegate (part of Grantham), in Lincolnshire in 1848.
    Henry was born around 1828, in Prussia. Elizabeth was born around 1821 - birthplace just given as Germany.
    Both were musicians according to census records, although Henry also worked as a labourer and as an ostler.
    Henry's father was John, a bricklayer. Elizabeth's was Francis, a carpenter.
    Their names would've been Anglicised, and the German versions would be Muller or Weiss.
    There is a Matthias Miller (born around 1830), also a musician, living in Newark around the same time. His father was Frederick. Possible cousin?

    If anyone can provide any help, I'd be greatly appreciative. It was so exciting to have found these people, and would be even more exciting to trace at least one of them back to Germany (Elizabeth looking the most likely as her father had a specific occupation, and Franz is a bit more rare than Johan).

    Thanks,

    Adam
     
  2. Blackmogs

    Blackmogs Moderator. General Dogs(cats)body. Staff Member

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    Crikey! Good luck, will have a ferret around but confess I know nothing of German/Prussian records.
     
  3. Blackmogs

    Blackmogs Moderator. General Dogs(cats)body. Staff Member

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    Had a quick sneak at Anc. They have a very handy looking Heinrich Muller born 30th December 1827, parents Freidrich Muller and Christina Letting. There is also a Lutherian baptism. Are there any clues in their childrens names?
    Heinrich is a direct translation to Henry.
     
  4. Adam McGregor

    Adam McGregor Active Member

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    Thanks! Children were Ann (my ancestor), Caroline, Henry, Adam and Jane.
     
  5. Adam McGregor

    Adam McGregor Active Member

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    But it wouldn’t be Friedrich as he gives his father as John, which would correspond to Johan.
     
  6. Blackmogs

    Blackmogs Moderator. General Dogs(cats)body. Staff Member

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    I am having a really really bad day retaining salient information Adam. I will look for a Johanne. Doh..........
     
  7. Blackmogs

    Blackmogs Moderator. General Dogs(cats)body. Staff Member

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    Try
    Heinrich Vincens Muller
    Religion: Evangelische
    baptised 15 May 1826
    Father Johann Franz Muller
    Mother Karoline Freiderike Ackerman
    at Finsterwalde, Luckau, Brandenburg Germany

    I am particularly loving the mothers name :)
     
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  8. Adam McGregor

    Adam McGregor Active Member

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    Thanks! I’ll take a look. I think if anyone can find a father’s occupation (bricklayer) it’ll tip the balance.
     
  9. Figgs

    Figgs Well-Known Member

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    Don't know if this will help much (I don't have pay sites btw), but my ancestors named Swackhamer, originally Schlechheimer, came out to the US in the mid 1700's from Germany and there are a lot of German families that settled in the northeastern states......mine are New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but Newark is in New Jersey, for instance. Maybe poke around there on Family Search. I was just having a look at both spellings of my names yesterday on Google and there are quite a few sites with them on. Mine came up to Canada during the War of 1812.

    However, that being said.........Mueller and Weiss are pretty common (like Smith). Mueller should be Muller with an "umlaut" over the U, but you will get a few different variations. I knew that one year of high school German would come in handy one day! :D
     
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  10. Blackmogs

    Blackmogs Moderator. General Dogs(cats)body. Staff Member

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    I think I found the father earlier but cant find him now. I need a map at the same time cos my knowledge of germany is limited.
     
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  11. Archie's Mum

    Archie's Mum Always digging up clues

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    I’ve poked around myself looking for a Lange born in Prussia around 1874 but no luck.
     
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  12. Adam McGregor

    Adam McGregor Active Member

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    Thanks for all of your replies! Has their been anymore luck? Especially you Blackmogs. The surname was definitely Müller, as bizarrely the couple christened a single child at the Catholic church in Newark rather than the C of E one in 1854, and he gives his name as Henry Müller. Elizabeth is recorded as Wright rather than White, which was probably an accent problem.
     
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  13. Adam McGregor

    Adam McGregor Active Member

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    We need a German linguist ideally! Johan = John and Müller = Miller, the crucial reference will be to the father’s occupation if anyone can read Old German.
     
  14. arthurk

    arthurk Well-Known Member

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    I'll happily have a go, but no guarantees. Some German records are in what to us looks a very strange script, which I struggle with sometimes.

    But I'm not sure I quite follow: do you already have something that needs deciphering (in which case can you upload it here or provide a link?), or are you just getting a team together in case you come across something later?
     
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  15. Adam McGregor

    Adam McGregor Active Member

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    Thanks! No, I don’t have anything yet other than that what is stated in the introduction. I obviously can see a lot of christenings on the FamilySearch records but I haven’t viewed any microfilms nor do I know any German, so I can’t inderstand occupations etc. The information provided by the marriage record (i.e. Johan Müller a bricklayer and Franz Weiss a carpenter) is what is most crucial to any potential records of the Millers in Germany prior to their immigration.
     
  16. Blackmogs

    Blackmogs Moderator. General Dogs(cats)body. Staff Member

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    oops have been a bit caught up in Souters of Sussex. I will try for another ferret tomorrow.
     
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  17. Adam McGregor

    Adam McGregor Active Member

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    No problem at all! I appreciate any help.
     
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  18. Ma-dotcom

    Ma-dotcom A Bonza Little Digger!

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    I think several of us have one ;)
     
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  19. mugwortismy cat

    mugwortismy cat Tenacious to the End!

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    What, Ackermans? :eek: surely not! :D
     
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  20. Ma-dotcom

    Ma-dotcom A Bonza Little Digger!

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    Type Ackerman in the search bar, untick the forum & thread boxes, grab a coffee & read on.
    Mine was only a mention of a 'married into' in one -I think- Colin's threads waylongatime. Not even sure who he married now. :rolleyes:
     
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