We are trying to locate the city where our fifth great-grandfather, Gottfield
Neutre (anglonized to John Lewis Godfrey Nethers), was raised. We believe it
was near the Rhine River, but we have very little to go on. His wife,
Susanna Maragaret (maiden name begins with an "S") carried a psalm book with her to
the United States that was printed by Hallauzi, Pfalz-Zweibrincken in 1759.
It is the Pfalz-Zweibrinkisch Reformed Song Book, and has her initials "S.M.S."
on its cover. They had at least one male child born in Germany before they
came to the United States. We believe they first settled in Bedford County,
Pennsylvania. By 1783, they were in Culpeper County, Virginia.
We would appreciate any help you can give us or any suggestions on how we
might determine where they lived in Germany or how they came to the United
States. Thank you.
Ann Laird
Tampa, FL
Dear Mrs Laird,
this is really very little to go on.
Having done genealogical research for more than 40 years here in the Rhineland-Pfalz region, I have never encountered this name here. I checked telephone directory CDs for the whole of Germany. Result: this name does not exist at all in Germany.
The word "NEUTRE" is French and means "neutral". And in fact, it is a French family name that existed in the North of France, as you can easily check in the LDS databases.
Moreover this first name of "Gottfield" is no German first name. We have Gottfried, but no Gottfield. On the other hand, there is the old French first name of Godefroy which might better correspond to Godfrey.
My first impression is that your ancestor was of French origin. Of course, there was also some migration from France to Germany - especially the huguenots in the 16th century - or in single cases French soldiers or merchants etc. stayed in the neighboring country, but most of the time there was war between France and Germany and therefore less migration or marriages.
Are you sure his wife and child were born in Germany? How do you know? Only by the Pfalz-Zweibrueckisch song book ? Have you got any name or birth date or place documented ? That would make a search possible.
I'm afraid that on the basis of these scarce indications you won't get any further.
You must present some concrete facts and data of the earliest known ancestors.
Have you already had a look at Hinke/Strasburger's "Germans to America" (this for the case that the Frenchman NEUTRE should have lived in Germany before emigration)? Wouldn't it be thinkable that this Susanna Margaret S. emigrated with her (German) parents and met and married the Frenchman NEUTRE in Amercia only - or in Northern France on her way to the new world?
Best wishes for your search
Friedrich Hüttenberger
http://www.huettenberger.homepage.t-online.de
<LAIRDHOME@aol.com> schrieb:
Hallo Jeder,
Ich suche, nach wo in Deutschland der Familienname Foesig auftritt, um meine
Forschung zu verengen. Mein 6. Great grandfather, Philipp Jacob Foesig kam
Amerika September 30, 1754 auf dem Schiff Neptun an. Der offenkundige
Passagier sagt "Passagiere von Zweibrucken und von Darmstadt." Er war der
Schoolmaster im Reading Pennsylvania für 54 Jahre. Es gibt keine weitere
Anzeige über, der er in den Kircheaufzeichnungen oder sein Nachruf oder
Wille geboren war.
Danke
(Ich bin für die schlechte Übersetzung traurig, aber, da ich nicht Deutsches
spreche, muß ich einen on-line-Übersetzer benutzen.)
Hello Everyone,
I am looking for where in Germany the surname Foesig occurs in order to
narrow my research. My 6th Greatgrandfather, Philipp Jacob Foesig arrived
America 30 September, 1754 on the ship Neptune. The passenger manifest says
"passengers from Zweibrucken and Darmstadt." He was the schoolmaster in
Reading Pennsylvania for 54 years. There is no further indication of where
he was born in the Church records or his obituary or will.
Thank you
Jerry Thompson
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
(I am sorry for the poor translation, but since I do not speak German, I
must use an on-line translator.)