Weiß surename

I started researching my family history a little bit after my Oma (grandmother) passed away.

I haven’t had much luck at all and I know it’s a long shot considering I’m pretty sure most records from her time got destroyed back then but it’s worth a shot.

My Omas name was Berta Weiss (Alternate spelling: Weiß) she was born on November 22, 1932 in Lambsheim, Germany to Friedrich weiß and Elisabeth Weiß (Born Gimbel).

Berta’s grandfather’s name was Wilhelm, but I’m not sure if it was her grandfather on her mother’s side or her dad’s.

Berta’s father, Friedrich was in the Wehrmacht, He got shot in the face and left for dead by a SS officer for disobeying orders, but survived.

Her mother, Elisabeth was a house wife.

They were protestant.

Their hometown was Frankenthal, the street they lived on ended at the entry gates, and across the street from a plant that Friedrich worked at.

Berta had her first child named Wolfgang Weiß, with Unknown person in Germany. Unknown was abusive to her, and she left him. Later on She met my grandfather, Francis Clifford Chenette (Born July 28, 1929 in New Hampshire) who was in the US Army and stationed in Germany, She waited tables in a restaurant and he couldn’t read German so She translated the menu for him. They married in Germany first but the US didn’t recognize their marriage from Germany so they remarried in the US. They got married on a military base.

Berta and Francis had 2 children together named Michael Steven Chenette born on September 14th, 1961 in Montgomery AL, and Frank Charles Chenette born on February 6, 1967 in Saint Louis, Minnesota.

Friedrich and Elisabeth only visited the states one time to visit berta and her family in Florida around 1976 or 1977.

Friedrich died around 1977 or 1978 from a stroke.

After Friedrich died, Elizabeth went to live with bertas family for a couple of years, but missed Germany so she moved back and died around 1983.

Francis chenette died in 2015, and Berta died in 2018.

Some address books of Frankenthal are online:
https://wiki.genealogy.net/Kategorie:Adressbuch_für_Frankenthal_(Pfalz)

1 Like

Hello, Sarah,

In ancestry I found this about Bertha.

Roland

Sarah,

Why would you think all data in Germany were destroyed?

First would be to find out where civil records are stored - still in Public Record Office or already in some archives.

Two sources should be available: Standesamt for records of birth, marriage, death
Ordnungsamt for records of residence and moves. Berta lived in Lambsheim, married and moved away. This emigration must have been reported to Ordnungsamt, they should have a record about Berta (if only a sheet with her data and as well as from her family).

You should write to or ask somebody to do research in Lambsheim (note the „b“ instead of „p“) public record office:

Verbandsgemeindeverwaltung Lambsheim-Heßheim
Mühltorstraße 25
67245 Lambsheim
Tel.: 06233 / 3791-0
Fax: 06233 / 3791-150
Mail: info@lambsheim-hessheim.de

You could write a letter but usually they are low of staff and nearly have no chance nor time to do researches like that. There it’s better to have a researcher go and see.

Roland

1 Like

Thank you so much. I dont know very much about researching geneology in Germany so its been a struggle. I have family that are still alive in germany but have no idea how to get ahold of them.

The reason i thought most records were destroyed is because thats what i was told by numerous people from a german geneology blog site.

these are the only documents i have.


Hey Sarah,

you should send a mail to the community of lambsheim and as well to the city of Frankenthal asking for scans of registration cards.

For their start of search they need a date of birth or death. Some of them take a fee for this administrations act some not.

It depends on the finacial resources of the community. If space of time is too long the documents will be forwarded to archives.

In this case you have to communicate with it and it will cost some money depending of time they spent in their work.

There might some blackened parts for data protection but those cards will give you an insight. Usually there are noticed the persons parents

including their birthplace, -date,marriage and so on. Also, where they moved to.

For a view in the past, you should take a chargeable subscribtion of the web portal Achion (www.archion.de):

Browse—) Pfalz: Zentralarchiv der evang. Kirche----) Frankenthal—) places to consider: Lambsheim, Frankenthal and so on.

Browse—)Pfalz Bistumsarchiv Speyer----) places to consider: see above

For a month 19,90€ with 50 scans (pdf files) including for example.

With www.meyersgaz.com you can look after Lambsheim but places around might also be important.

I made some Weiss scans because my subscription was running out. If you want them tell me please.

For communication with authorities it is comfortable to use deepL for translating.

Gx Reinhard

Reinhard_Riediger.vcf (128 Bytes)

1 Like

Yes, I would love those scans you have. I appreciate all the advice and information you’ve given and definitely going to look into all the sources you listed right now.

Hi Sarah,
I also have a subscription to Archion and can help. Reinhard’s suggestions are good ones. Wishing you much success!

Blessings,
Gary (Myer)

1 Like

Hi Sarah,
I just looked at the Lambsheim website, and if Reinhard meant by „mail“ that you should email them, the website is set up with a special server with a form to follow, also requiring a verifying email response. However, it is all in German. I can inquire for you,since I am bilingual in German and English, including all of the information you have provided in your queries up to this point, if you wish. Just let me know.
Blessings,
Gary

Thank you so much. I wrote them, just waiting on a response. I also found documents in my omas old suit case, and was able to have someone translate it for me. :slight_smile:


Hi Sarah,
translation to the second picture
Familienname = Surname------ Weiß
Geburtsname= name of Birth-- Freund
Vorname=Givename------------- Susanne
Geburtsdatum=Date of Birth— 8 of june 1880
Geburtsort=Place of Birth------ Bad Dürkheim, district of Neustadt/ Weinstraße
Größe=Height-------------------- 154 cm = 5′ 0.6
Augenfarbe=colour of Eyes— graublau= blue-grey

Regards
Klaus (Kroglott)

Thank you so much. I know the first picture is my oma, she died in 2018 and I think the second picture is my omas grandmother.

Hi Sarah

for Susanne Weiß born Freund, the baptismal record can be found in
the evangelical church book:

Bad Dürkheim 20
Taufen 1870 - 1883

scan 198, record number 74 (Viewer - Archion).
The link is for information only. It won’t do you any good, because to get access
to Archion you have to register and pay for the service.

I will send this record to you with direct mail.

Regards

Heinz
heinz.scherer(at)fengmi.de

Hi Sarah,
I went through the confirmations of the Union Church of Bad Dürkheim for the years 1892-1896 (children typically confirmed around 14 years of age) and did not find Susanne Freund. Also did not find her in the baptisms 1879-1882. Perhaps she was Catholic? There was a family of Freunscht I saw in Bad Dürkheim around this time, but no Susanne. The „Union“ Church was originally two churches, Lutheran and Reformed, but united by the Kaiser in the early 1800’s to form the „Union“ or „Unierte Kirche“.
Blessings,
Gary

Hi Sarah,
Sorry, Heinz is correct. i looked in the wrong baptismal volume. The one I looked in was for the larger community around Bad Dürkheim and not for the church parish of Bad Dürkheim specifically. It is still the „Union“ Church. Baptisms, 1870-1883, image 198, record #74.
My translation:
Susanna Freund was born 8 June 1880 in Bad Dürkheim, daughter of Georg Nicolaus Freund, quarryman (Steinbrecher), and his wife Maria, nee George(n), and was baptized (received the sacrament of Holy Baptism) in the 2nd manse (pastor’s home) in Bad Dürkheim; baptismal sponsors: Susanna Weis, unmarried, [this word appears to be „Basse“ which be a variant of „Base“, which means „cousin“] from Leistadt, and Elisabetha Tisch, protestant, midwife, of this place (Bad Dürkheim). There was also a record made of this birth in the Civil Records Office of Bad Dürkheim on 8 June 1880, which the pastor noted in his record.

Hope this is of some help. Now that you have this verification, one could trace your family (at least the Freund lines) in Bad Dürkheim probably back several generations, unless they moved to that town from elsewhere. I have seen families move from town to town after two or three generations in my research in German records, or stay in one town for hundreds of years. It just depends.
Blessings,
Gary

Thank you so so much. You have no idea how helpful that information is.


Does this match the record you found possibly?

Sarah,

you have to help closing the gap between Susanna Freund and your Grandmother Bertha.

Now we know that Susanna Freund was married with Anton Weiß.
Was Friedrich Weiß a son of them? I think so but … it’s a guess only - it has to be proofed.

Searching for Anton Weiß/Susanna Freund gave a first result in Ancestry:
It seem that Anton Weiß/Susanna Freund had 6 children in 1914 and one of these might be Friedrich.

Regards

Heinz
heinz.scherer(at)fengmi.de

im not 100% sure. I think susanne and anton might be friedrichs parents. Im gonna keep digging through the suitcase of pictures and documents i have so far from my oma.