Hello everyone,
I am sorry for not being able to type in German, but my knowledge of the language is only very basic. My name is Frank Emile Robert Knetemann. Years ago when I had just been born my mother researched into our family tree. On my father's side she reached a dead end in Wardenburg. She came as far as a Johann Diedrich Knetemann who was born on 9-1-1833 in Wardenburg. At around 1850 he and one of his brothers emigrated to the Netherlands, his brother settled in Frisia and my ancestor settled in the city of Leiden. All I know of him is that he was working in the construction business. I was wondering if anyone could help me find out who his parents were, what his religion was and why he and his brother both emigrated to the Netherlands.
For people researching their own genealogy I will provide a family line:
Johann Diedrich Knetemann (9-1-1833 Wardenburg)
Married to:
Mensje Demmenie (5-9-1828 Leiden)
They had 8 children, the youngest was my great grandfather:
Frans Knetemann sr. (5-1-1873 Den Haag) (He died on 22-1-1972)
Married to:
Petronella Maria Verkeer (8-10-1874 Breda)
They had two children. And Frans Knetemann had a trading company in wines and other kinds of alcohol and was very rich, he reached the age of 99) His only son (and surviving child) was my grandfather:
Frans Knetemann jr. (19-2-1905 Den Haag) (He died in 1959 due to lung cancer)
Married to:
Dorothea Maria Kamphorst (23-03-1922) (She died in 1984, I barely remember her now)
Frans Knetemann was an artist, he worked for Walt Disney in the 1920'ies. He could draw and paint very well. He had 7 children, his eldest son was my father:
Frank Robert Knetemann sr. (26-02-1942) (He died in march 2003 due to a stroke)
Married to:
Maria Johanna Gemma Wolff (8-8-1940)
My father had 3 daughters from a previous marriage and 1 son from his marriage to Maria Wolff:
Frank Emile Robert Knetemann jr. (22-09-1980)
I am currently not married and have no children.
This is why I am asking about the religion of my ancestor, I am Roman Catholic as were my father and grandfather. But I know that Northern Germany is predominantly Lutheran.
I hope somebody can help me trace my roots further back, and perhaps somebody may find my information usefull.
Thank you,
Emile Knetemann