Help reading German godparents

Question

Hi all,

I'm trying to prove the connection between Juliane (WISMACH) ZIEHLKE (abt. 1806 - aft. 1862) and the person I believe to be her sister Johanna *Caroline* Friederica (WIßMACH) MATTIBEL (1804 - 1892).

Having failed to find any sort of birth record for Juliane, I'm now trying the indirect approach of finding all the circumstantial evidence.

Juliane had an illegitimate daughter, Auguste Emilie (WISMACH) HARDEL (1834 - ) who married Carl August Eduard HARDEL in 1857.

They had children, some of whose baptism images appear in the following links:

• Albert Emil HARDEL (1 Jan 1858 - )
• Paul Wilhelm HARDEL (7 July 1859 - )
• Emma Anna Pauline HARDELL (2 October 1860 - )
• Carl Hugo HARDELL (13 May 1862 - )

The Nachnamen of the godparents I can almost read are: MATIBEL, KÖNIG, ZILKE, ZIELKE, WALTER, and perhaps EGGERT?, VIENTNER?, SCHIPPEL?, and VORWERK?

I cannot, in most cases, read the corresponding Vornamen.

In order to strengthen the link between Caroline and Juliane, I would like to know, at least, the Vornamen of the MATIBEL, ZILKE, and ZIELKE godparents.

Danke!

Comments

for starters trying with the godparents at Albert Emil:

• Jungfrau Caroline Matibel
• Frau? Rosalia Eggert
• ??? Albert Kentner?

At Paul Wilhelm Hardel I have huge problems, but the first word is probably also something towards occupation/status of the person rather than a name.

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Thanks Flo,

much appreciated. I notice that at the baptism of Carl Heinrich Mattibel there is an entry above his that lists a Johann Christian Friedrich EGGERT, Premier Lieutenant 18th Infantry??, whose wife is Jeannette Friederike Luise EGGERT geb. KAYSER. Gottfried MATTIBEL (husband of Johanna Caroline Friederica) also appears to be in the 18th Infantry.

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And Jungfrau Caroline Matibel would suggest it's not Johanna Caroline Friederica but Johanne Caroline Mattibel (her daughter).

Answer 1

It's hard, there are many holes ... 

Albert Emil Hardel son of Carl August Eduard Hardel
Godparents
1. Jungfrau (unmarried woman) Caroline Matibel
2. Frau (married woman) Rosalie Eggert
3. Trompeter (trumpeter) Albert Kentner zu 5. Art. Reg. (5th artillery regiment)

Paul Wilhelm Hardel son of Eduard Hardel
Godparents
1. Schumacher (shoemaker) Schrepel (no given name)
2. Jungfr. (unmarried woman) Caroline Matibel
3. " ("same as above", so unmarried woman) Dorothea Walter

Emma Anna Pauline daughter of Carl Eduard Hardel
Godparents
1. Trompeter (trumpeter) Vorwerk } (see below) (no given name)
2. " ("same as above", so trumpeter) König } (both) Niederfl... Artill. ... (military unit) (no given name)
3. J... or H... Matibel ... (no given name)
4. Dreh... Zilke (no given name)
5. Schuhmachermeister (shoemaker master) Schippel (no given name, maybe the same as at Paul)
6. Jungfr. (unmarried woman) Dorothea Walter

Carl Hugo Hardel son of Eduard Hardel
Godparents
1. J... or H... Matibel ... (no given name)
2. Dreh... Zilke (no given name)
3. Trompeter (trumpeter) König (no given name)
4. ... Schippett or Schippelt (no given name)
 

Comments

Thanks Siegfried! That's very helpful.

Could the Zilke/Zielke occupations be Drechslergeselle?

The image is from an 1862 Posen address book, showing Juliane is a widow at that time.

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The military artillery unit is the 5. niederschlesisches Artillerie-Regiment (5th Lower Silesian Artillery Regiment)

To Emma Anna Pauline:

3. Hautboist (military musician) Matibel Wm (Wachtmeister = First Sergeant) Westpr[eußisches] Grenad[ier] Regiment (West Prussian Grenadier Regiment)

To Carl Hugo:

1. Hautboist Matibel

2. Drechsler (turner) Zielke

4. ... Schippelt (I cannot read the rank or given name)

The first letter of the Grenadier Regiment seems not to be a "W", but that is the only letter that make sense and this Regiment was deployed in Posen at that time.

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Thank you Dieter and Siegfried!

You are both wonderful - and I don't know how you manage to read these!

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You can train yourself. As I did. At Wikipedia you can find a picture of the letters of the Deutsche Kurrent (German current). It's not enough but a base. Unfortunately the writers alter between German current and Latin script ... Also it is written in German and Latin words and with abbreviations and old words ...

Try to read what someone deciphered and translated and try to compare it with your own result. And compare what is written in the other entries in the entire source. And then dare a guess ... 

Sometime it's hard, but you get an Erfolgserlebnis. 

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Danke Siegfried,

Some of the difficulty is that I don't have the German vocabulary, so don't always know what to expect.

I will keep trying, though.

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Christian Schippelt, Schuhmachermeister, is living at Markt, 88, in 1862.

I'd suggest that the Schrepel and Schippel also refer to Christian.