Sue,
Someone can certainly correct me here but I don't believe that in 1873 having
a "sponsor" was necessary. I think that requirement came later.
Your first three listed surnames didn't grab my attention but the last one,
BENZIN, certainly did. I remember seeing that surname plenty of times in the
Feldberg church books. If you tell me your BENZIN's full name, I'll research
my records for you. I might have something here.
What church in Detroit did your ancestors attend? My Mecklenberg-Strelitz
ancestors initially attended services at Church of Peace. This church closed
down around 1900 due to "activities" of the pastor. Something to do with
political views.
I've never been able to find the records, if they even exist. I have no idea
where they went to church after it closed. Perhaps you can provide me with a
lead here.
Regards,
Russ
Hi Russ,
It took a very long time and a lot more experience to gather enough leads to search out the pastors name that married the family members in Wayne County, Detroit, Michigan. After finding the entries I searched on the internet for the pastors name...no luck. I then searched out for the Lutheran equivalient of the archdiocese of catholic churches. I ran accross the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The archivist was very helpful. He provided church background,pastor background and up to date information on obtaining records for my time period. I was interested in two pastors in two different parts of town. After reading through his information I ordered a microfilm directly from ELCA. It came within a few days. Everything I had been searching for is on this microfilm.
I don't know if it will help you or not, but the archivist is Joel Thoreson....email: Joel_Thoreson@elca.org
I wish your family was on my roll. I could make copies for you.
The BENZIN surname never came to my attention until just recently. I found a marriage record for one of my DARBE relatives. It lists the fathers full name, Johann DARBE and the mothers maiden name, Frederika BENZIN. After seeing that I quickly looked over my copy of the manifest for the SS Holsatia, 1873 and found Frederika's brother and family, directly above the DARBE entries. Those would be Carl BENZIN and his wife and 3 children.
I know DARBE is pretty rare (unless you travel to Ireland and spell it with a Y)
The church my relatives settled at was St. Paul's German Church in Detroit on Jos. Campau Street.
Sue