I lived in a family that came from Greene county Iowa to MInnesota. Nearly the 'Little House on the Praire' region in Mn- a ways from Mankato. Hermann Meyer and Anna Seil married and lived in a line of farming Germans with some kind of connection. Especialy the Heinrich- Mosel next to us. My family talked so little about ancestors and the relatives in Greene county, Iowa. They did mention a connection with the neighbors especially Mosels. I began searching for the links between the Gerdes/Kelsey, Sander, Monson, Lewis,Shaw, Smith, Siebert,Sill, Kaiser,Wolles, and Mosels.
I had to look into my own family. I found out that my grandmother Seil was illigitimate and that her grandfather August Wilhelm Friedrich SEIL and his second wife VOGEL/ UMLAUF [ Bohemia] lived on the farm that I had lived all my young years.They all lived together. In fact Anna Seil had a legal paper drawn up that after she died her grandfther and his wife would be taken care of as long as they lived. It was an insurance paper that named names of a four year old beneficiary that really got me rolling. Her father was listed as August. A year that did not go with her grandfathers years. Her grandfather had raised her.
My parents never said a word about 'Before'. Once father said 'Seil grew grapes'. He was known for his knowledge of grapes. 'Grandfathers godfather [HEINS] was a beekeeper'. The heins may have had to resort to this as did many in the area they were from. Now i would remember bits and peices that help. I suspect that if it was mentioned questions would be asked that they did not want to answer. Perhaps it was that the great grandmother KORN[ SCHMIDT, BROOKMAN FROM GRO� Thondorf] had killed herself. Maybe the divorce of August Wilhelm Friedrich Seil and her mother Korn. all adds up.[ I am looking for the step sisters possibly named MULE also]. I am looking for the impossible: The father of Anna Wilhelmina Seil. The child supposedly conceived in germany. born jan. 1893 in america.
Heinrich Christoph MEYER - Radenbeck. I know nothing about this nor did my requests for information come back.
Records from Dahlenburg church from Eichdorf and Neetzendorf produced this information.
son Johann Juergen Meyerb. aug. 15. 1772 from Radenbeck. He married Maria Elisabeth BEHRENS [MOTHER- SCHULTZE] of Neetzendorf.Her father was a 'Hauswirth'. They also lived in Eichdorf. They were shepherds and their children usually married other shepherds children. Johann had three sons that lived past infancy. Two I know nothing about and naturally I search for those family Meyers. Johann Juergen b.05.12.1806.
Hinrich Juergen b.03.10.1817. sometimes the church records there said Neetzendorf =Boitze
It was in my search that I wrote letters to some in this german area. I received some replies.I have found three families in this region and Nahrendorf/ Oldendorf with Meyer, but have no names to find any poof of any relationship. One has a mother who resides in the area my Mosel came from. Boitzenburg across the Elbe river north of Bleckede. One gave me more information from the local church which helped me move further. He was not related.[angel in disguise] So some of my information is not a sure thing. I did request information from Dahlenburg church records and some from Nahrendorf. But I need more done there.
Johann Juergen son Juergen Friedrich Meyer b. 29.11.1814 Neetzendorf is in my branch. He married Catharina Margaretha LUHMANN from same area. [ If you go to dahlenburg picture on-line you can see the Luhmann farm off left - Just out of town. SO I have found this family that had moved to Quickborn. HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING. ONLY MOSTLY WHAT I TOLD HIM. many fires in 1945 and in Dahlenburg many earlier.] He was shepherd till 1845. Then he aquiered a new occupation as game warden at R�then.??? The family said he worked for Kaiser Wilhelm 1.
He also owned land in Oldendorf. He had a few more children there. His wife is said to have died in 1855. [Why wouldn't the church be able to report that to me.]
This is important to me, cause it could mean that he remarried.Unless children were had out of church district or not recorded? It is importan because in the family Meyer book it states that Juergen Friedrich Meyer had two other sons. One stayed in germany and the other went to Oregon. Nothing is known or recorded about them other than what is in OUR Meyer book. A book writen about 1970 and sold to relatives. Informtion circulated in a 'round robin'. My family did not purchase one.
The two sons I know about were Juergen Heinrich Wilhelm Meyer b.07.10.1843 at Eichdorf [my branch ] and Juergen Heinrich Friedrich Meyer b. 912.1851 Nahrendorf[ also went as Friederich.] I have no proof other than census that Friedrich Meyer of Bleckede came to us. around 1868 [ more about that another time] He married in Maqouata[ clinton county in 1892 to Marie Dorothea SCHENCK OR SCHENK of Bleckede. Her Mother RICKENS.
Juergen Heinrich Wilhelm Meyer had been a prisoner of war at Metz and came out of the military about 1870. He was working as a laborer at HORN at the time of his marriage in 20.07.1873. He married Maria Dorothea Heins. Imker AND A renters daughter in Oldendorf/ Nahrendorf.[ more about them in a bit in next letter.]HER FATHER WAS JOHANNN HEIRICH HEINS. Her mother was a Anna Maria HENKE or Hencke. From Munster= Fassberg. �rtze. [No church record tht I have mentions Hencke or Henke again. Nor does the other radenbeck meyers get mentioned. It seems new area = new sponsers.] Maria Dorothea Heins was born 03.06.1851 in Kreutzen =Trauen bei Munster, Oertze. church records at iowa mentioned her as being from Kretzen Rezbeg, Luneburg[ I could never find this area. I think the luneburg through me off.
Then I got the Records for the Bergen,Celle luthern church . Found that the family extended all the way up to Munster area. I think there are two. One with umlaut and one with out. I may have mistakenly put the umlaut in at first in recording info. Her Heins or Heinz as is in Meyer book were suppose to have come over and she was suppose to have had a brother Heinrich. There were copies of the two Heinz pictures in the books of all Heins and Wilhelm Meyer. The women had no other identily than that of Heinz. I was told they came all together ...again. But then this person told me my family was from Austria.!!
Juergen Heinrich Friedrich Meyer was living in Churdan, Iowa area by 1883. His brother Wilhelm came 04.08.1884 on FRISIA. They had a document which my grandfather had that had the seal of Nahrendorf cross on it. [ he had been last male to survive of that generation.]They settled in Lohrville, Iowa and after four years moved to Churdan and Farnhamville.
I have a newspaper article that says that Fred Schroeder visted Friederich Meyer after July 1883 and stayed the winter and ever after. He had stopped in, I think, Jolliet Illn. first.The place where August Wilhelm Friedrich Seil [final Naturalized there] first went and Henry Dohrman and wife Dorothea Seil went first.[Big Vogel family of Greene county]
Fred Schroeder was a recorded by the Church to have worked at Roethen. I think he was a carpenter. At 'Schutzenfests' his wife Mary [Saucke/ Naefke] was recorded by this news article to have said she worked putting meals on the table for the royalty that often attended. This is the G�hrde area.
I was told THEY CAME to usa WITH A COLONY OF EIGHT. SEIL, LUHMANN, DORHMANN, MOSEL, KANNING,SAUCKE,SCHROEDER,ZEITZ, LUSMANN. They all settled in the area and established a church together in Greene county Iowa. I have an interest in all these families for those reasons. Most of them, if they weren't already related, became so by marriage in this community.
Kanning married Schroeder and a Nahnsen lines . Meyers married Nahnsens lines and Carstensen lines. Zeitz married Schroeder lines. Mosel married Lussman and Naefke. Lussman married [Maybe in germany Meyer]Nahnsen, Schroeder, Mosel lines. In germany Luhmann married Meyer , Another Meyer and Seil. Maybe same Seil or another line of Seil. Saucke is probably in there again too, but I stop here. BARTELS and PETERSEN, GROTE of Niendorf, kries Bleckede were in there.
Mosel had a relationshep with Saucke and possible Naefke and Lusmann in germany. And I have found the name in the phone book there.
{ I research all this as much as possible. Luckily they all went to the same church at St. Peters].
I am told these Seils / Schroeder/ Dohrmann [I haven't found the origin of Dohrmann except Hamburg] of Iowa are all related and extend into illn. but are not related to my Seil. They have the Coon line. These Seils of iowa came from the same area by Bleckede. These have gone to Nebraska.and Oklahoma. One was lost in new york and married a RIDD??? in Oklahoma. I couldn't read the written name rittenburg or something. She was sister to Heinrich Seil [wife could be Ahrens]. so I investigate these Seils also for the proof they are related to my family or lived near by.
Wilhelm was a 'Christian Scientist'. I am not sure if it was before in germany also ? or just in iowa.?? I have noticed some other greene county members to be so too. SOME WERE KICKED OUT OF THE CHURCH FOR THIS REASON. THE PERSON DID NOT SAY MY MEYER WAS KICKED OUT. I was also been told this by a descendent of a great aunt who took care of him in his last years. She also said she has the diary of Wilhelm . But she is not sharing as of yet.
i AM PROUD TO SAY that i received Our Meyer family book this last year. The last copy. I was able to fire off a few questions before and after receiving the book.
The book also contained the names of Wilhelm Meyer and Freds sisters.
My church records have supplied the dates and full names.
Kathrine Marie Elisabeth b. 24.10.1839 Eichdorf = Nahrendorf- Dahlenburg
Kathrine Margaret[or Margaretha] Elisabeth b. 02.02.1842
Kathrine Dorothea Elisabeth b. 12.8.1845 Eichdorf=Dahlenburg
move to Oldendorf names changed.
Another Dorothy Elisabeth MEYER b. nov.15, 1849- Oldendorf=Nahrendorf and
another Marie Kathrine b. 27.10. 1847. Oldendorf=Nahrendorf
A Mary married a Fehring.
A Margaret married a Stile.
[ One of these two may have died in chicago fire]
A Doris or dorothy marrid a Koenig.
one came over and some stayed in germany?
one married a Schmobel a ship business.I search for more on this also. spellings may be off. and I wonder about THEIR Translation of handwriting. I HAVE FOUND NOTHING HERE OR THERE MORE ABOUT THEM.
I am learning if you keep it short you often can get better results in answers to family questions. And to send a return postcard for the questions answers with address and stamp.
When i was about 25 I lived in Martin county Mn. Maybe other Meyers experience this. I am often told I am related to so and so. In mY case I would say " can't be, mine are in iowa". Not having a genological clue. then saying Farmington instead of Farnhamville. I had forgotten that my grandfathers brother lived there around 1950 and that the two of them attended the Immanuel church there. So later in my profession as a waitress, I met a man who told me all about those two bothers uncle. The Juergen Heinrich Friedrich[ Friederich] Meyer of Churdan iowa area. In remembering back some twenty years. I remember many names he told me about a connection... those of the neighboring german families. Which ones, cloudy. But I remembered him having told me about /Twisselhop or Twiselhop. I didn't rember the mentioning of Heins.
The name Twissel hop and the other variation appeared in the Bergen church records of the Heins. This volunteer was a volunteer made in heaven also. Cause he does great work. He sent me cd's with all the Heins in that church district. It was like it was on Excel. I am working on proofing the works The Carstensen descendent [brother wife of my grandfather]plans to put on rootsweb along with all she has found on the Meyer-Luhmann family. dating back to 1700. My information came from her and i will always be grateful she was on the internet.
I am sorry for the length. but have to do it this way.
I have been called to work unexpectedly, so this is my final proofing and will be sent.
Heins next letter. tommorow and more on twiselhop in Bergen area