The Familienbuch of Wasserliesch

For several years, I've been transcribing the Ortsfamilienbuch Wasserliesch into a PDF with linked entries. This includes all families documented in the parish registers from 1752 to 1899, plus supplementary information from the civil records.

The original Ortsfamilienbuch was prepared by Peter Kohns and completed around 1985. I've sought to maintain his information faithfully. He performed a valuable service to all researchers, and his work is much more conscientious than others who have prepared similar documents for other German towns.

My first work has focused on transcribing the full entries for my direct ancestors and the extended families that were formed by the siblings of my ancestors. The publication linked here is that state of the transcription.

I'm currently expanding the introductory material and also expanding the transcription to include the husband, wife, and children of each marriage listed in the original document. Unfortunately, I have not included much more than their names. I don't have a guess on when the expanded transcription will be available.

Please leave a comment if you would like to see a specific family in the next edition. (I moderate all comments, so am guaranteed to see what you need.)

Updated 2013.06.28. I just uploaded the 2nd edition of the Ortsfamilienbuch, which includes lots of new introductory material and a clearer format for the entries.

Provide a record for the next generation

You are the one with memories, with your memories. You are unique, your perspective is fresh. Write what you know, what you feel.

Here are a few questions that can prompt your personal history.

 

• Where did you grow up? What is the first thing you picture about that place? Who do you think of as closely connected to the place?
• What was your home like? How many rooms? Describe your picture of yourself there.
• Who were your neighbors? Describe what you did with your neighbors.
• How long did your family live in the area(s)? What do you remember about moving from one place to the next?
• How many siblings did you have? What were their names and when were they born? What do you remember about them when you were children?
• How are your siblings different now from their childhood?
• Who were other family members in the area? Describe where they lived.
• Did you live on a farm? What kind of crops were grown? What do you remember about working with the crops? 
• What kind of livestock or other animals did you keep? 
• Did you have any pets?
• Where did you go to school? Who were some of your classmates?

Your next assignment: use the questions to record the memories of your partner, your parents, your friends.

Maternal great grandparents

Anton Deneke (1836-1897)
Born on 23 April 1836 in Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and baptized as Franz Anton on 24 April by the priest of St. Michael-Kirche,with a single godparent Ludwig Zune [handwriting not clear for the family name]. His parents are Anton Deneke, a day laborer, and Maria Anna Franke of Brakel. Anton had a brother (Franz Joseph) and a sister (Sophia), who both died in 1843. He also had an older step-sister (Ferdinandine) and step-brother (Thomas) from his father's first marriage that ended with the death of his wife Anna Theodora Wiethase in 1832.

• Anton immigrated in 1872 to Ohio.
• He was enumerated in the city directories of Cincinnati Ohio at 355 Cutter in 1876 and 1877.
• He married Maria Anna Stephan on 15 February 1876 at St. Bonaventure church in Cincinnati. The church still is in use, at 1798 Queen City Avenue.
• Two children born in Cincinnati were baptized at St. Joseph church that was at the corner of Linn and Laurel Streets. The street designations are now Linn Street and Ezzard Charles Drive. The church was partially razed and rebuilt a small distance away to make way for freeway construction and urban renewal. The original stained glass windows are installed in the new church.
• The family moved in 1879 to a farm about two miles east of Beloit, Kansas.
• Seven children were born on the farm.
• An eleventh child was raised as their son, but was likely the son of the eldest daughter.
• Anton died on 5 March 1897 from asthma. He was almost 61 years old.

Maria Anna Stephan (1849-1924)
Born on 1 February 1849 and baptized the next day by the parish priest, as recorded in the Kirchenbuch Königheim. The handwriting is hard to decipher, but the names of her parents appear to be Franz Jakob Stephan and Maria Anna [Baur?], and her father was a forest ranger of the 16th region in [Glatten?] [Welmlingen or Welzheim?]. The witnesses of the baptism were Georg Joseph [Lanaur?] and Franz Xavier [Grinn?]. The identities of any brothers or sisters are not known.

• Maria emigrated in 1873 from Königheim.
• Perhaps identified as "434/8 Stephan Marie Königheim/Tauberb. Amerika 1873" in a summarized list of emigration cards from Baden-Württemberg. Possibly a relative is identified as "434/14 Stefan, Franz Anton Königheim/Tauberb. Amerika 1879."
• She married Anton Deneke on 15 February 1876 at St. Bonaventure church in Cincinnati. The church still is in use, at 1798 Queen City Avenue.
• Two children born in Cincinnati were baptized at St. Joseph church that was at the corner of Linn and Laurel Streets. The street designations are now Linn Street and Ezzard Charles Drive.
• The family moved in 1879 to a farm about two miles east of Beloit, Kansas.
• Seven children were born on the farm.
• She was active in celebrating the weddings of her children, and was featured as the hostess in local news reports of the 1912 wedding of Anthony Deneke and Minnie Stark and the 1917 wedding of Teresa Deneke and Francis Marksman.
• An eleventh child was raised as their son, but was likely the son of the eldest daughter.
• Maria died on 28 November 1924 from unknown cause. She was 75 years old.

Richard Butler (1836-1915)
Richard A. Butler was baptized on 7 December 1836 in Thomastown, county Kilkenny, Ireland. The baptismal record indicates his parents are "John Butler & Mary Kenedy" and his godparents are "Duiis Gorg & Betty Kenedy Newhouse," but it provides no additional information. Existing family information from other researchers shows that Richard had two older brothers (Martin and Thomas) and two sisters (Ann and Catherine).

• His parents immigrated to Syracuse, Onondaga county, New York by 7 February 1837. 
• The family moved to a farm near Waunakee, Dane county, Wisconsin after 7 December 1852. John and his sons built a limestone block home that is in use today.
• His father deeded a farm to Richard in 1857.
• Richard married Mary Ellen Cummings on 2 February 1863, likely at St. Mary of the Lake church that is about 8 miles southeast of Waunakee.
• Richard and Mary Ellen had four children between 1864 and 1869, of whom Mary Ann, Margaret, and John survived to 1870.
• The family was enumerated in the U.S. Census on 24 August 1870, and the household included Mary (age 26), Mary (4), Margaret (3), John (1), Flinn James (40) a farm laborer, and Commons Mary (59) a domestic servant. [It is possible that Mary Commons' family name was misspelled, and that she is related to Mary Ellen Cummings-Butler.]
• Six more children were born from 1870 to 1879, of whom Catherine B., Ellen Cecelia, Anastasia L.,Margaret, and Agnes survived to 1880. The child John died in 1875.
• The family moved to a farm near Glasco, Cloud county, Kansas after Richard sold his farm in 1878. Richard's brothers Martin and Thomas had moved to the Glasco area before 1878.
• Four more children were born from 1880 to 1885, of whom Sadie, James Thomas, and Elizabeth Gertrude survived.
• Richard continued to farm and raise cattle through 1913.
• He died at his home on 10 September 1915 of pneumonia with a possible hemorrhage into the abdominal cavity. He was 79 years old.

Mary E Cummings (1846-1921)
Mary Ellen Cummings was born in Ireland. Various sources give her birthplace as "Plaberstown" and "Cass" or "Kass." Only a community with a similar name—Pleberstown—exists in county Kilkenny, Ireland today. The community is near Thomastown. Towns with names similar to Cass or Kass are unlikely because of their locations distant from Thomastown. Her birthdate is in dispute, given as 30 October 1841, 31 October 1843, 1 October 1844, 31 October 1844, and 31 October 1846. Statements of age in the U.S. Censuses are not sufficiently reliable to select a likely date. Her parents are Dennis Cummings and Margaret Walsh. She had at least one sister, Margaret.

• She immigrated with her parents to Massachusetts in 1852.
• The family resided in Madison, Dane county, Wisconsin in 1854.
• The family was enumerated in the U.S. Census on 21 June 1860 in Westport township, Dane county, Wisconsin.
• Mary Ellen married Richard Butler on 2 February 1863, likely at St. Mary of the Lake church that is about 8 miles southeast of Waunakee.
• Richard and Mary Ellen had four children between 1864 and 1869, of whom Mary Ann, Margaret, and John survived to 1870.
  
• The family was enumerated in the U.S. Census on 24 August 1870, and the household included Mary (age 26), Mary (4), Margaret (3), John (1), Flinn James (40) a farm laborer, and Commons Mary (59) a domestic servant.
• Six more children were born from 1870 to 1879, of whom Catherine B., Ellen Cecelia, Anastasia L.,Margaret, and Agnes survived to 1880. The child John died in 1875.
• The family moved to a farm near Glasco, Cloud county, Kansas after Richard sold his farm in 1878. Richard's brothers Martin and Thomas had moved to the Glasco area before 1878.
  
• Four more children were born from 1880 to 1885, of whom Sadie, James Thomas, and Elizabeth Gertrude survived.
• Mary Ellen died on 17 December 1921 at her home near Glasco. She was 75 years old.

Summary of my 2nd great grandparents

My 2GGP are...

Kohn—Dahm
Johann Matthias Kohn V (1804-1877) †
married 1825 in Wasserliesch, Kreis Trier-Land, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany €
Katharina Dahm (1803-1868)

• Johann Matthias was the first child born to Peter Kohn and Eva Lorig, and he was baptized 8 January 1804 in Wasserliesch, the same day as his birth. 
• Katharina Dahm was the fifth child born to Johann Matthias Dahm and Maria Elisabeth Fischer, and she was baptized 7 November 1803 in Wasserliesch, the same day as her birth. 
• During their lives, the town name was written variously as Waßerliesch, Waßerliersch, and Waßerlirs.
• Johann Matthias and Katharina married on 12 January 1825 in Wasserliesch, witnessed by his brother Nicholas Kohn from the Albach mill and her maternal uncle Nicholas Fischer from Igel.
• Johann Matthias' mother and both of Katharina's parents were deceased by the time Johann Matthias and Katharina married.
• The couple had 10 children: 
• Peter (born 1825)
• Nicholas (born 1827)
• Matthias (born before 1829)
• Barbara (born 1831)
• Johann (born 1834)
• Maria (born 1836 and died 1839)
• Johann Matthias (John M., born 1839)
• Katharina (born 1841)
• Michael (born 1844)
• Matthias (born and died 1847)

• The baptismal records of their children note that Johann Matthias was a farmer. 
• Notable events for the family:

•  12 January 1825 in Wasserliesch: Johann Matthias Kohn V marries Katharina Dahm
• 9 December 1825: son Peter was born and baptized.
• 20 November 1827: son Nicholas was born and baptized the next day.
• 16 August 1829: son Matthias was baptized and born on this date or before.
• 21 April 1831: daughter Barbara was born and baptized.
• 1 June 1834: son Johann was born and baptized the next day.
• 10 July 1836: daughter Maria III was born and baptized the next day.
• 10 Jan 1839: son Johann Matthias VIII (John M.) was born and baptized.
• 5 July 1839: daughter Maria died and was buried on 9 July.
• 14 Sep 1841: daughter Katharina was born and baptized.
• 19 Jul 1844: son Michael was born and baptized two days later.
• 30 Apr 1847: the son Matthias was born, baptized, and died.
• 25 April 1849 in Wasserliesch:  the sons Matthias and John and daughter Barbara were confirmed.
• 4 August 1849:  Johann Matthias' father Peter died in Wasserliesch.
• before 1855: the son Matthias emigrated to America.
• 17 September 1855: the son Johann Matthias and the daughter Katharina were confirmed.
• 2 October 1860: the son Michael was confirmed.
• 3 February 1861: the son Nicholas married Maria Müller of Konz.
• 10 February 1863: the daughter Barbara married Johann Schuh of Wasserliesch.
• 31 July 1864: the son Peter was the godfather to his nephew Peter, the son of Nicholas Kohn and Maria Müller
• around 30 June 1865: the son Johann Matthias emigrated to America.
• 18 September 1865 in LaCrosse Wisconsin (USA): the son Matthias married Josephine Baker. 
• 19 Apr 1866: the son John applied for emigration to America. It is uncertain if he did indeed travel to America, since he married Anna Hild in Wasserliesch on 20 February 1873, and they had several children baptized there.
• 10 May 1868: Katharina died and was buried on 12 May in Wasserliesch.
• around 17 June 1871: the son Michael emigrated to America.
• 20 February 1873 in Wasserliesch: the son Johann married Anna Hild of Porz. 
• 21 April 1874 in LaCrosse Wisconsin (USA): the son Michael married Theresia Loarscher [spelling uncertain].
• 5 September 1874 in Waconda Kansas (USA): the son Johann Matthias married Susanna Reinert of Igel.
• 10 April 1877: Johann Matthias V died and was buried on 12 April in Wasserliesch.

Reinert—Blasius
Johann Reinert (1822-1871)
married 1847 in Igel, Kreis Trier-Land, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Catharina Blasius III (1824-1891) †

• Johann was the sixth child born to Paul Reiner and Anna Maria Weis, and he was born 12 June 1822 in Wasserbillig, Luxembourg.
• Catharina was the third child born to Peter Blasius II and Susanna Giwer, and she was born 20 March 1824 and baptized the same day in Igel.
• Johann and Catharina married on 5 March 1847 in Igel. No sacramental register entry in Igel or any neighboring village documents the wedding, but the civil marriage registers (Standesamtsregister of Landkreis Trier) give the date and hour of 11 o'clock in the morning. 
• According to the marriage register, Johann was a linen weaver, which often meant a year-round business of flax growing, harvesting, and treating, after which a weaver would spin the flax into thread, and then manufacture rope and cloth.
• Catharina's father was deceased at the time of their marriage.
• The couple had five children:
• Susanna (born 1848)
• Nicholas Matthias (born 1851)
• Peter (born 1853)
• Maria (born 1860)
• Gertrude (born 1864)
• Notable events for the family:
• 8 January 1848: the daughter Susanna was born and baptized.
• 8 January 1851: the son Nicholas Matthias was born and baptized.
• 17 May 1853: the son Peter was born and baptized.
• 27 January 1860: the daughter Maria was born and baptized.
• 19 March 1864: Johann was the godfather of Elisabeth Blasius, his wife's niece.
• 9 December 1864: the daughter Gertrude was born and baptized the next day.
• 9 February 1867: Johann applied for emigration.
• 22 October 1867: Johann signed a letter of intent to naturalize in the United States.
• 7 June 1870: the family was enumerated in the U.S. Federal Census of Houston County (Caledonia) Minnesota (USA).
• 10 March 1871: Johann died of cancer of the neck near Caledonia Minnesota (USA).
• 1872: Catharina moved with her five children to Tipton Kansas (USA). The family was part of a group of 12 relocating families.
• 1872 in Bloom township, Osborne county Kansas (USA): Catharina purchased 160 acres of farmland.
• 5 September 1874 in Waconda Kansas (USA): the daughter Susanna married Johann Matthias Kohn from Wasserliesch.
• 8 September 1879 in Mitchell County Kansas: the son Nicholas Matthias married Maria Simeon.
• 8 September 1879 in Mitchell County Kansas: the son Peter married Catherine Schwinden from Caledonia Minnesota.
• 26 January 1887 in Mitchell County Kansas: the daughter Gertrude married Stephen Schandler from Luxembourg. 
• 24 April 1887 in Mitchell County Kansas: the daughter Maria married Michael Gillen from Kruchten, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.
• 4 August 1887 in LaCrosse Wisconsin: the daughter Susanna died of heatstroke.
• Late 1887: the widowed husband of Susanna, John M. Kohn, moved from LaCrosse Wisconsin with his five surviving children to live with his mother-in-law Catharina.
• 8 February 1891: Catharina died near Tipton Kansas.

Ohnsat—Scholz
Franz Ohnsat (calc 1803-est 1870) ¶
married 1831 in Grabin, Niemodlin, Opole, Poland
Catherina Scholz (calc 1806-est 1870) ¶

• Franz was one of at least three children born to Joseph Ohnsat and an unnamed mother, and he was born 15 January 1803 in Grüben, Kreis Falkenberg, Schlesien, Ostpreußen (as named at that time) or Grabin, Niemodlin, Opole, Poland (modern name).
• Catharina was one of at least three children born to Johann Scholtz and an unnamed mother, and she was born 15 August 1806 in Grüben, Kreis Falkenberg, Schlesien, Ostpreußen (as named at that time) or Grabin, Niemodlin, Opole, Poland (modern name).
• Franz and Catharina married on 15 November 1831 in  Grabin.
• According to the marriage register, Franz was a land owner.
• As of today, no further research has identified the parents' birth and death dates.
• The couple had seven children:
• Franz Joseph (born 1833)
• Johann Robert (born 1835)
• Franz Anton (born 1837)
• Maria Caroline (born 1840)
• Joseph August (born 1842)
• Carl Anton (born 1844)
• Johann Heinrich (born 1847)
• Notable events for the family:
• 13 March 1833: the son Franz Joseph was born and baptized the next day.
• 18 September 1835: the son Johann Robert was born and then baptized on 20 September.
• 10 December 1837: the son Franz Anton was born and then baptized on 12 December.
• 8 July 1840: the daughter Maria Caroline was born and then baptized on 14 July.
• 3 July 1842: the son Joseph August was born and baptized the next day.
• 13 October 1844: the son Carl Anton was born and then baptized on 17 October.
• 2 April 1847: the son Johann Heinrich was born and then baptized on 4 April.
• I estimate that the parents died around 1870, based on typical lifespans of that time.

Salinger—Vogel
Georgius Salinger (est 1800-est 1870) ¶
married 03 Dec 1829 in Durlach, Baden, Germany
Katherina Vogel (est 1815-est 1870) ¶

• Georgius (also Georg) was born around 1800, presumably in the Baden region of what is now Germany. His father was Leopold Sallinger; his mother's name is not known.
• Catharina was born around 1815, presumably in the Baden region of what is now Germany. Her mother was Katharina Vogel; her father's name is not known.
• The parents were cited in the 26 Nov 1872 marriage of Robert Ohnsat to Anna M. L. Salinger, as recorded by Father Fredericus of St. Michael parish in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• As of today, no further research has identified birth and death dates for Georg Salinger and Katherina Vogel.
• The couple had four known children:
• Carl Julius (born 1833)
• Anton Hermann (born 1836)
• Maria Anna Josepha  (born 1838)
• Anna Maria Louisa (born 1839)
• Notable events for the family:
• 26 March 1833: the son Carl Julius was born and two days later baptized in the catholic parish of Breisach, Kreis Freiburg, Baden (today named Breisach am Rhein).
• 16 Apr 1833 : the son Carl Julius died.
• 20 June 1836: the son Anton Herrmann was born and one day later baptized in the catholic parish of Breisach, Kreis Freiburg, Baden (today named Breisach am Rhein).
• 21 March 1838: the daughter Maria Anna Josepha was baptized in the catholic parish of Breisach, Kreis Freiburg, Baden (today named Breisach am Rhein).
• 30 May 1839: the daughter Maria Anna Leopoldina was baptized in the catholic parish of Breisach, Kreis Freiburg, Baden (today named Breisach am Rhein).
• I estimate that the parents died around 1870, based on typical lifespans of that time.

Deneke—Wiethase 
Deneke—Franke
Franz Anton Deneke (calc 1793-abt 1875) ¶married 1823 in Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Anna Theodora Wiethase (calc 1791-1832)
married 1833 in Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Anna Maria Franke (calc 1798-est 1860) ¶

• Franz Anton was born around 1793, in Brakel, of what is now Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
• Anna Theodora was born around 1789, presumably in Brakel, of what is now Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Her father's name was Ludwig.
• Franz Anton married Anna Theodora Wiethase on 11 Feb 1823 in the catholic St. Michael parish of Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
• The couple had four known children:
• Anna Maria Elisabetha (born 1823)
• Ferdinandine (born 1825)
• Thomas  (born 1827)
• Friedrich Lorenz (born 1830)
• Anna Theodora Wiethase died 28 December 1832.
• Anna Maria was born around 1798, presumably in Brakel, of what is now Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
• Franz Anton married Anna Maria Franke on 19 February 1833 in the catholic St. Michael parish of Brakel, Kreis Höxter, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
• The couple had three known children:
• Anton (born 1836)
• Franz Joseph (born 1838)
• Sophia (born 1842)
• Notable events for the family:
• 28 Nov 1823: the daughter Anna Maria Elisabeth was born and two days later baptized.
• 5 June 1824: the daughter Anna Maria Elisabeth died.
• 11 Mar 1825: the son Ferdinandine was born and one day later baptized.
• 28 Jul 1827: the son Thomas was born and one day later baptized.
• 14 Mar 1830: the son Friedrich Lorenz was born and baptized.
• 2 Aug 1830: the son Friedrich Lorenz died.
• 28 December 1832: the mother Anna Theodora Wiethase died.
• 23 Apr 1836: the son Anton was born and baptized.
• 21 Dec 1838: the son Franz Joseph was born and three days later baptized.
• 30 Jan 1842: the daughter Sophia was born and three days later baptized.
• 18 Jan 1843: the daughter Sophia died.
• 15 Mar 1843: the son Franz Joseph died.
• 1872: the son Anton emigrates to America.

Stephan—Baur [spelling uncertain]
Franz Jakob Stephan (1812-1898) ¶
married bef 1849 in Königheim, Main-Tauber-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Maria Anna [Baur? Rauch?] (est 1825-est 1885) ¶

Butler—Kennedy
John Butler (1801-abt 1875) ¶
married 1824 in Thomastown, county Kilkenny, Ireland
Mary Kennedy (1797-1893)

Cummings—Walsh
Dennis Cummings (1806-1888)
married abt 1840 in Ireland
Margaret Walsh (1800-1896)

† The appended Roman numerals specify individuals who share the same name with other members of the family. The numerals were applied by me and are not used by other researchers of the family history.

€ Modern designations are used for locations. Local names are used, except for the country.

¶ The abbreviations used in the list have these meanings.
abt—The date or year was estimated by using a known event. For example, a person's death occurred before the surviving family moved.
aft—The date or year establishes the first possible time for the event. For example, a person's baptism happens after a birth.
bef—The date or year establishes the last possible time for the event. For example, a person's birth  happens before a baptism.
calc—The date or year was calculated from a known date and age. For example, a stated age in a wedding document provides a calculation of that person's birth.
est—The date or year was estimated by using average longevity and average age for marriage. For example, average longevity ranges from 60 years in the 19th Century to 75 years in the 20th Century. The average age for marriage in 19th C. Germany is 22 for women and 26 for men.