Sara (Simonsdatter) Rechnitzer (1793 - 1829)

Descendants

Died 14 Jun 1829 at age 36 in Stockholm, Sweden

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Biography

• Ferdinand born of Jewish parents in Hamburg
• 1828 confirmation record of Ferdinand Hartvig Rechnitzer in Jordrup, Denmark, gives Simon as father and Sara Simonsdatter as mother
• 1833 confirmation of Axel Samuel Rechnitzer, Sweden, gives Simon as father and Sara Levin as mother
• Sara Levin, wife of Simon Rechnitzer, is buried at Aronsberg (Jewish Cemetery), Stockholm, Sweden

• Records exist for her two last names, Simonsdatter and Levin. Evidently her father was Simon Levin, probably of Denmark. Ferdinand Hartvig, was adopted by his mother's sister or brother/sister-in-law sometime after his father's death, according to Rechnitzer researcher, Paul Rechnitzer, and confirmed in the Lutheran church at Jordrup, Ribe, Denmark at age 16. Jordrup is about 20-25 km. from Fredericia, Denmark, where several Levins lived. However, there are only two Simon Levins who lived there (they are buried in the Jewish Cemetery). Records exist for 2 or 3 other Simon Levins in Denmark around this time, but it's unclear if they have any connection to Sara's family.

• Rabbi Simon Levin (b. 1730 Graz, Austria) appears in the 1801 Census with two daughters, born in 1777 and 1778. Given the closeness of the birth years, it is likely Simon had other children when he arrived in Fredericia in (possibly) 1794. There is no way of proving it, but it is plausible that one of the children was Simon, a possible father for Sara. Since no record exists for Sara's birth or for the hypothetical Simon (the younger), they were likely born in Austria or another non-Scandinavian country where Jewish records before 1800 are fairly scarce.

Future research may or may not elucidate the mystery of Sara's parentage.

Sources

Danish Biographical Dictionary for Peder Pedersen Rechnitzer: http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Dansk_Biografisk_Leksikon/Handel_og_industri/K%25C3%25B8bmand/P._Rechnitzer&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpeder%2Bpedersen%2Brechnitzer%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26site%3Dwebhp

https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/cemetery/jowbr.php?rec=J_SWEDEN_0000110

Sweden Household Examination Books, Jakob och Johannes AIb10, 1820, p. 174, l. 1