Looking for information on my great great grandfather.

+3 votes
148 views
Christoph Ahrens Born April 29, 1844 in Wessin, Ritterant Crivitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland Germany. He died in Clintonville, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. He married Friederike Maria Dorothea (Ehlers) who was born same place in Germany on Feb. 24, 1836 and died same place in Wisconsin on Feb. 4, 1919. Had 3 Children that I know of Emma, Wilhelm, and Rudolph. All born in Germany I think. Would like to find birth records, Christoph's marriage record. Would like to find out his parents and Friederike's parents.
in WikiTree Help by Debbie Mehlberg G2G Crew (410 points)
Name is probably Johann Christoph Ahrens

Parents. Might be

Johann Christian Heinrich Ludwig Ahrens

Maria Sophia Johanna Dorothee Daebeler
I have those names also but I can't prove it.

2 Answers

+4 votes

Evangelical church books from Wessin are online at Archion. See https://www.archion.de/en/browse/?no_cache=1

This is a subscription site. See https://www.archion.de/en/the-portal/passes/ for cost details.

by George Fulton G2G6 Pilot (620k points)
+3 votes
Thanks for the information but I do not read german.
by Debbie Mehlberg G2G Crew (410 points)

This book ”If I Can You Can Decipher Germanic Records” is quite helpful, and the cost is very nominal. This, and other resources available through FamilySearch, can help with both the handwriting and the vocabulary.

In some records, you will find names written in Latin letters, while the remainder of the document is written in Kurrent. This is helpful.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but it can be done.

Many German church records are in a columnar form, so a lot of language proficiency is not needed, although the more you know the easier it becomes. A fairly common list of the columns in a baptismal register is 

  • Date of birth/baptism
  • House number
  • Priest
  • Child’s name
    • Check boxes for gender, religion, legitimacy
  • Parent’s names, sometimes also grandparents
  • Godparents
  • Notes/comments
  • Village name (if the register covers several villages; later records are frequently one location only)
Thank you I will look into it.

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