Post Family Mysteries

Location: Neidenburg, Prussia -- Nidzica, Poland
Surnames/tags: Post Reksa

I am looking for the parents of John Post, who was born in 1856 and emigrated from Neidenburg, Prussia (today it’s Nidzica, Poland). Naturalized US citizen in 1897. His wife’s name was Anna Meredith. He’s my great-great-grandfather.

There’s a family story that John Post was one of three brothers who lost their parents somehow and went to live with another family, taking on the name of Post. No one knows what their original name was. My grandmother says “Oh, I think Herman Post knew what it was” but of course Herman Post is no longer with us and hasn’t been since 1972. According to Grandma, the name sounded something like “Rexie.” That is totally not anyone’s actual name and doesn’t sound German OR Polish.

I asked on the Polish Genealogy Facebook group and someone suggested the name Reksa and said there were Reksas living in the area where John Post came from. So I need to follow that up at some point. The Neidenberg (evangelical) church book is scanned and up at archion.de, but it is badly damaged and unreadable in many places. I haven't looked for Reksa in it yet; big to-do list...