To the listers who may be able to help:
My husband's ancestors came from the Oldenburg area. His name was
Johann Heinrich Joseph Gortemoller, born 18 May 1800, Kloster Lage,
Rieste ?. Married Elizabeth Tangemann Korte Gortemoller and came to the
United States 1836-37. Cannot find the name of the village they lived
in or when exactly they did emigrate. Do know that Johann Heinrich's
father was Johann Bernard Joseph Gortemoller nee Becker born 1768 but
can go no furthur back than that time period. Can anyone help? I wish
I had studied German for longer than two years since after 50 years I
remember very little. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
in advance.
Sophie Gottemoller
Sophie,
My Niehaus ancestors are also from Archduchy of Oldenburg. Your <Rieste> is
likely<Bieste>, which is a village about two miles west of Neuenkirchen,
Damme, in the southernmost part of Oldenburg. There was a <Lage Kloster> or
Lage Cloister or Monastery, about two miles SW of Neuenkirchen. The
monastery was begun in the 13th century by the Knights of St. John to care
for indigents and the sick, and it was owned and run by the Benedictine
Order as a monastery and school in the latter 18th into the19th century, and
may still be, today. A considerable number of emigrants from southern
Oldenburg came to Cincinnati, western Ohio and southern Indiana, and some to
Illinois and St. Louis. Our hometown is Cincinnati.
I can provide you with LDS (Mormon) tape numbers that you can arrange to
rent from the nearest LDS Family History for the Neunkirchen Catholic
Kirchenbucher (parish record books) These will provide, in original
handwriting of the pastors, baptisms, marriages and deaths for the parishes
there. Since you know the name and birth, death and approx. marriage dates
of your husband's Gortemoller ancestors you may find more generations and
names without much trouble. I suggest a you buy a soft bound Websters New
World German Dictionary. With some patience you can translate many passages
and words yourself. Also, the Catholic Church records were written at least
partially in Latin, another solvable puzzle. The handwriting and old German
script is another challenge, requiring patrince.
Werner Honkomp in that region of Germany is much more expert than I. He
will likely also respond with more helpful information for you.
Regards, Bob Niehaus