Scanning my files

We recently bought a printer-copier-scanner that has a sheet feeder, and that is my opportunity to digitize the huge amount of paper records I have. Especially the photocopied Kirchenbücher (German term for Parish Registers) for the German towns that my ancestors called home.

The Igeler-säule, a monument
to a textile trading family of the
Roman era in Igel, Germany. The
monument stands next to the
hotel owned and operated by
my cousin Oskar Blasius.

I've begun with the full set of early Kirchenbücher from Igel in Rheinland-Pfalz that were microfilmed into the Bistums-Archiv Trier and the Latter Day Saints Family History Library (FHL) as film 0585855. This film includes several large divisions that are called "Items" in the FHL catalog. The Items contain the Kirchenbücher in these groupings:

• Item 1. Hüffelsheim. (registers of Hüffelsheim, not photocopied)
• Item 2. Gemeinde Hümmel, Dekanat Adenau, Regierung Bezirk Koblenz. (registers of Hümmel, not photocopied)
• Item 3. Gemeinde Hümmel, Dekanat Adenau, Regierung Bezirk Koblenz. (not photocopied)
• Item 4. Gemeinde Hümmel, Dekanat Adenau, Regierung Bezirk Koblenz. (not photocopied)
• Item 5. Gemeinde Hümmel, Dekanat Adenau, Regierung Bezirk Koblenz. (not photocopied)
• Item 6. Gemeinde Hümmel, Dekanat Adenau, Regierung Bezirk Koblenz. (not photocopied)
• Item 7. Gemeinde Igel, Dekanat Konz, Regierung Bezirk Trier. KB1.
• Taufen (baptisms) 1706-1713, 1720-1732, 1738-1778. 
• Einzelne (various)1794, 1800, 1804, 1806. 
• Heiraten (matrimonies) 1706-1713, 1748-1778 (sehr Lückenhaft). 
• Sterbefälle (deaths) 1706-1722, 1749-1778. 
• Einzelne 1790-1796.
• 9951 [Contents page] Taufen 1706-1713 (p. 4); 1720-1732 (p. 11); 1738-1778 (p. 35); 
• Einzelne 1794, 1800, 1804, 1806 (p. 122). 
• Heiraten 1706-1713 (p. 125); 1748-1778 (sehr Lückenhaft) (p. 127). 
• Sterbefälle 1706-1722 (p. 141); 1749-1778 (p. 142); 
• Einzelne 1790-1796 (p. 161). 
• Spirituale testamentum pro vita et morte. Verschiedene Nachträge 1732-1754 (p. 166).

The old St. Dionysius church of Igel, built in 1759. Note the
Igeler-Säule in the foreground right. The church became a
chapel with the building of a new church along 

• Item 8. Gemeinde Igel, Dekanat Konz, Regierung Bezirk Trier. KB2.
• Taufen 1752-1759, 1784-1794, 1797. 
• Sterbefälle 1790/92.
• 3913 [Contents page] Taufen 1752-1759 (p. 1); 1784-1794 (p. 19); 1797 (p. 88). 
• Sterbefälle 1790/92 (p. 89).
• Item 9. Gemeinde Igel, Dekanat Konz, Regierung Bezirk Trier. KB3.
• Heiraten 1753-1761, 1784-1795.
• 3914 [Contents page] Heiraten 1753-1761 (p. 1); 1784-1795 (p. 5). 1752: no matrimonies performed. 
• Item 10. Gemeinde Igel, Dekanat Konz, Regierung Bezirk Trier. KB4.
• T. H. St. (baptisms, matrimonies, deaths) 1779-1783 (1779, 1781, 1782, 1783) Doppel.
• Taufen 1794, 1797-1800. 

Stairway to the chapel

• Heiraten 1797-1798. 
• Sterbefälle 1797, 1792/3.
• 3915 [Contents page] T.H.St. 1779-1783 (p. 1); 1779, 1781, 1782, 1783 Doppel (p. 57). 
• Taufen 1784 (p. 119); 1797-1800 (p. 119). 
• Heiraten 1797-1798 (p. 133). 
• Sterbefälle 1797, 1792/3 (p. 137).
• Item 11.Gemeinde Igel, Dekanat Konz, Regierung Bezirk Trier. KB5 through KB 13.
• T.H.St. 1784-1793.
• 3916 [Contents page] T.H.St. 1784. 
• 3917 T.H.St. 1785-1786. 
• 3918 T.H.St. 1787. 
• 3919 T.H.St. 1788. 
• 3920 T.H.St. 1789. 
• 3921 T.H.St. 1790. 
• 3922 T.H.St. 1791. 
• 3923 T.H.St. 1792. 
• 3924 T.H.St. 1793. 

View of Igel from the old Reinig neighborhood
of Wasserliesch, across the Mosel River. My
great-grandmother Susanna Reinert was born
in Igel, and my great-grandfather John M. Kohn
was born in Wasserliesch.

It has taken about two days to scan each group of 35 pages into one PDF file after another. The resulting 17 files range from about 60 to 275 MB, generally depending on the number of pages. Using Adobe Acrobat, I slim down the file size to the range of 7 to 20 MB and rotate pages as needed, if the photocopies changed orientation at some point. Then I merge each packet of 35 pages back into a single file that represents the full Item.

But the work isn't quite done with these steps. I still must go through each file, add PDF bookmarks to ease navigation, and add comments where I have had post-it notes that contain translations, summaries, orother information.

Update 2013.06.23: All the Igel documents are completely scanned.

For future work, I have digitizing for these locations:

• USA KS Mitchell county 19th-C censuses
• USA KS Mitchell county research trip in 2001
• USA KS Mitchell county maps, church registers, cemetery canvasses, deeds, news articles
• USA KS Osborne county maps, deeds, censuses
• USA MN Houston county maps, deeds, censuses related to families Arnoldy, Gillen, Reinert, Schandler, and Schwinden
• USA OH family documents for Brandon, Cosiano, Coscignano, Deneke, Derry, Flauto, Gast, Hoon, Iacano, LoPiccolo, Maxwell, Morton, Nanik, Pounds, and Ventura
• USA PA Allegheny county documents for families Elliott, Ohnsat, Rahenkamp, and Rothamel
• USA WI Dane county documents for families Butler, Kennedy, and Ryan
• USA WI La Crosse county documents for familes Bauer, Becker, Beranek, King, Kohn, Petrick, and Troyanek

• 

  Igel from above, about 2001
  

  
  

  DEU (Germany) B-W (Baden-Wurttemberg) Breisach documents for families Salinger and Vogel
• DEU B-W Main-Tauber-Kreis Königheim documents for Stephan family, primarily Kirchenbücher 
• DEU N-W (Nordthein-Westfalen) Kr. Höxter Brakel documents for Deneke, Franke, and Wiethase families, primarily Kirchenbücher 
• DEU R-P (Rheinland-Pfalz) general documents, some from Landesarchiv that includes Entlaßungserkundigunge (Permits to emigrate)
• DEU R-P Amerikaauswangerungen aus dem Landkreise Trier Rheinland 1855-1900 by Josef Mergen (Update 2013.06.23: scanning complete)
• DEU R-P Krieg am Westwall by Khristoffel
• DEU R-P Kr. Saarburg Saarburg-Filzen Kirchenbücher 
• DEU R-P Kr. Saarburg Wasserliesch Kirchenbücher 1752-1797
• DEU R-P Kr. Saarburg Wasserliesch Kirchenbücher 1752-1907
• DEU R-P Kr. Saarburg Wasserliesch Familienbuch monograph by Peter Kohns
• DEU R-P Kr. Trier-Land marriage extracts from Kirchenbücher  near Igel, 1840-1870 (Update 2013.06.23: scanning complete)
• DEU R-P Kr. Trier-Land Igel Kirchenbücher 1818-1908 (Update 2013.06.23: scanning complete)
• DEU R-P Kr. Trier-Land "Familienbuch" monograph by Franziska Kandel (Update 2013.06.23: scanning complete)
• DEU R-P Kr. Trier-Land Langsur Kirchenbücher 1758-1900 (Update 2013.06.23: scanning complete)
• DEU SCSN (Schlesien, a part of former Ostpreußen) Kr. Falkenburg Grüben extracted records from Kirchenbücher
• LUX (Luxembourg) Canton Fôret/Grevenmacher Wasserbillig Registres Paroissiaux

If you, my reader, have a special interest in the digitized or photocopied records, please leave a comment on this posting.

© Thomas G. Kohn, 2013.

A Kohn family: lost, found, lost, found, and repeat

The Familienbuch 1 Pfarrei St. Aper Wasserliesch 1752-1899 (the first family book for the St. Aper parish in Wasserliesch, Germany) has a similar notation beside the baptism entries for Matthias Kohn (b. 1829.08.16), Johann Matthias Kohn (b. 1839.01.10), and Michael Kohn (b. 1844.07.19) that reads "nach Nord-Amerika ausgewandert." Before reading this, I had known only of my great-grandfather Johann Matthias as the emigré from Germany. Afterwards, I knew I had two other emigrés to account for.

With a bit more research, I found that in addition to my great-grandfather's emigration in 1865 were Matthias Kohn's emigration around 1855 and Michael Kohn's in 1871. Because of information from Irene Streit-Keller, I found evidence of Matthias Kohn's life in La Crosse, Wisconsin quickly. He owned a saloon, which he operated as a restaurant and hotel. He married Josephine Becker, the "oldest settler of La Crosse," (as reported in the La Crosse obituary for her) and had 11 children and adopted 2 children who had been orphaned by a family friend. I found a descendant of Matthias, Cindy Bistodeau, who supplied ever increasing detail about the family and introduced me to the last Kohn family member still living in La Crosse, her grandmother Charlotte Kohn-Troyanek.

But Michael Kohn was apparently lost.

With more detailed research, I found Michael Kohn in La Crosse. He had been a Schreiner in Germany, and he continued his trade as a carpenter in La Crosse. I believe he worked at first for a furnniture maker, but he had a business listing as a cabinet maker in the city directory of 1876-1877. The only other evidence of his life in La Crosse was a marriage in 1874 to Theresa Loerscher, who was born about 1854. And their names were not in the 1880 census of La Crosse.

Again, lost.

Then I happened to find a Michael "Cohen" in the 1880 census. In Beloit, Kansas. So much matched correctly: age 36, occupation carpenter, born in Prussia, parents born in Prussia, wife "Tressa." Her age was given as 27, and they had 3 boys: Theodore age 5, Matt age 3, and Mike age 2. I felt enough matched to have confidence that I had found the Michael Kohn family again.

I asked the Mitchell County Historical Society to request a search of the church records for any baptisms for children of Michael and Theresa Kohn through the next ten years. Nothing. I asked also for a search of city directories and tax records for the next few years. Nothing.

Again, the family seemed to be lost.

Then I searched the 1900 census nationwide for Michael Kohn and his family. There seemed to be matches in Leavenworth, Kansas. I wrote a query on the Leavenworth county message board hosted by Ancestry.com. Within a day, a fellow researcher provided summaries for the state and federal censuses of 1885, 1895, 1900, and 1905. Found again!

But the family seems to have little presence there after 1905. Are they lost again?

Update, 27 June 2013.

Further online research suggests these facts:

• Wife Theresa Loerscher-Kohn died in Leavenworth on 22 Nov 1891 (age 37).
• Daughter Gertrude Kohn married Arthur Wales on 26 Dec 1900 (ages 20 and 35). They had at least one child, Millie T, born in 1903.
• Son John R. Kohn died in Leavenworth on 24 Jul 1905 (age 21).
• Son Mike Kohn died in Leavenworth on 4 Sep 1905 (age 27).
• Husband Michael Kohn died in Leavenworth in 1905 (age 61).
• Son Theodore Kohn died 29 Sep 1924 and was buried at the Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery.
• Children Matt, Peter, Leo, and Annie are not accounted for. 

Update, 8 May 2014.

Further online research in the census databases available from the Family History Library suggests these facts:

• 
  Gertrude Kohn-Wales and her husband Arthur and child Millie are enumerated in the 1910 census. Their address is in Ward 4 (ward locations are not known, not identified in 1878 and 1903 plat maps of the county and city). I note the transcription error "Anthin" for "Arthur.
  
• It's unclear whether the Kansas censuses of 1915, 1925, and 1935 exist or whether the enumeration included city residents.
• 
  Gertrude remarried to a BROWN, who is not enumerated with her and daughter Millie Wales in the 1920 census. Their address is in Ward 1. A changed family name implies that Arthur Wales was divorced from Gertrude or deceased. The name "Brown" could be a transcription error, since no husband is enumerated. I presently feel trying to uncover further linkages is not worth the return.

• Neither Gertrude nor Millie appears in the 1930 or 1940 censuses.

I have planned a research stop in Leavenworth for May 29-30. At the city library, I will review and photograph entries in the City Directories and their databases of births, marriages, tax returns, school records, and deaths. I plan to visit the Mt. Calvary cemetery to see if more burials are there than the seven reported in the county database of burials. I will take a bike or auto tour of the city's historical locations and the six locations of family homes. Finally, I'll visit St. Joseph Catholic Church and request scans of their sacramental registers for known family dates.

Chronology of the Leavenworth Kohn Family

© Thomas G. Kohn, 2013, 2014.

Four ships came sailing

Ancestor chart, Robert Schuh

Recently some cousins from Germany visited Chuck and me in Palm Springs. Robert Schuh and his wife Annemarie from Wasserliesch and Barbara Schuh, the younger of their two daughters included Palm Springs as part of their tour of California, Nevada, and Arizona. They flew to San Francisco, rented an SUV, drove to Las Vegas, Brice Canyon, and the Grand Canyon, and then to Palm Springs before a few days in Los Angeles and their return to San Francisco. Yes, they were packing in as much American Southwest as possible for a three-week trip.

Robert and I are 3rd cousins. My great-grandfather John M. Kohn is a brother to Robert's great-grandmother Barbara Kohn-Schuh. Our first ancestor in common is our 2nd great-grandfather Johann Matthias Kohn V (1804-1877 in Wasserliesch). On the ancestor charts (at right), he is marked with a solid arrow.

The family arrived as the result of following their GPS directions to our home. Robert pulled their SUV into our driveway while Chuck and I were working in the front yard. I was burying irrigation tubes and Chuck was cleaning pine needles and stray weed-grasses out of the cactus.

Ancestor chart, Tom Kohn

We proudly showed them our garden and what we most recently finished, the path and patio underneath a towering pine tree. Annemarie and Barbara both tried Chuck's favorite relaxing spot, a hammock shaded by the pine tree.

We gave them directions to their hotel and made plans to meet them there for dinner nearby at The Cowboy Way, a favorite informal restau that serves the best western bar-b-que. Thanks to Barbara, who is a superbly conscientious interpreter, we had a spirited conversation at dinner. Robert and Annemarie told us about Wasserliesch, other members of our family who live there, the homes and locations that I've noted in my research through the Kirchenbücher and websites. Chuck talked about his writing, American politics and culture, and his family and early years in Cleveland. And from time to time, Robert and I spoke directly about family history and swapped American and German family stories.

The next morning, while Chuck was playing volleyball and Kazu was at the gym, the Schuhs picked me up to show them what I love about Palm Springs. We drove east along Highway 111, and I pointed out a few of my favorite areas for off-road biking, we drove to the top of the cove neighborhood at the south end of Cathedral City, and then we went to Indian Canyons directly south of Palm Springs. We hiked all of Andreas Canyon, which is about a mile of gentle hiking up the canyon along the stream. The return hike leads up to the top of the canyon's south wall, from where you see a great panorama of the entire canyon and many native cactus and ground covers. We drove on to the trading post, descended into Palm Canyon, and walked a little among the immense Washingtonian palms.

We topped the afternoon with a drive up to the tramway station. We decided against taking the cable car up, since we were dressed only for the valley floor. The temperature at the top station was around 35 degrees (F), much too cool for exploring the trails and lake up there.

Ancestor chart, Oskar Blasius

Robert and I left Annemarie and Barbara at the hotel for some late afternoon poolside relaxing, and he and I talked about our family history research. I printed the ancestor charts duplicated in this post, and we talked about the three Kohn brothers who emigrated from Wasserliesch, in 1855, 1865, and 1872. I told him of my guess that John M. Kohn and Susannah Reinert had met while they lived on opposite banks of the Mosel River, and Robert described how closely tied the two towns have been, despite the absence of a bridge between them. Robert told me of meeting Oskar Blasius and his interest in understanding the distant connection between them. I made another ancestor chart and printed it for Robert's next meeting with Oskar, whose 2nd great grandfather is my 3rd great grandfather. (So we are 3rd cousins, once removed.) Our first ancestor in common is Peter Blasius II (1789-1846 in Igel). Peter Blasius II is indicated with a dashed arrow in the ancestor charts.

Robert asked questions that set another research task: What ships brought the Kohn brothers and the Reinert family to America? Did these ancestors emigrate through Hamburg, Bremen, Ostende, or some other port? Did they all arrive in New York? There were other family emigrants also. These are the facts I know about each:

Entlassungsurkunde
Gertrude Blasius-Schmitz

• Matthias Kohn (1829-1888), the eldest of the Kohn brothers who emigrated, was confirmed in Wasserliesch on 25 April 1849 and bought land in La Crosse county, Wisconsin on 15 May 1856. (Section 23, Town 15, Range 5, SW 1/4 NE 1/4 S 23 T 15N R 5W, documented in the county deed books, volume 89. I believe he emigrated in 1855, before Prussia required applications for emigration. He married Josephine Becker in 1865, and they had 11 children and adopted 2 children. He operated a hotel-saloon in La Crosse from about 1866 through his death in 1888. Several of his descendants live in Minnesota.
• Several Blasius siblings emigrated from Igel before 1867 and resided in the Chicago area. These included the widowed Anna Catharina Blasius-Schmitz (1826-after 1869) and her daughter Gertrude, who emigrated April 1863; Nicolaus Blasius (1835-1912, emigrated 1863); and Johann Blasius (1833-1878, emigrated before 1864). All married in America, and several of their descendants still live in the Chicago area.
•  Johann Matthias Kohn (1839-1919) emigrated after applying to the local authorities on 30 June 1865. He stated he was 26 years old, and that the reason for emigrating was "that he has a brother already residing in America and imagines that he will have better prospects." He stated an intention to embark at Le Havre, France. In America he called himself John M. Kohn, lived near Tipton, Kansas, and married Susannah Reinert there in 1874. In 1880, he moved his family to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he was a milk farmer and deliveryman. Susannah Reinert-Kohn died of heat stroke in 1887, and John M. moved his family back to Kansas and lived there with his mother-in-law for a time. He bought a farm nearby, raised cattle, and drove some cattle to market in Kansas City each year. He died on his farm southwest of Tipton, Kansas.
• Johann Reinert (1822-1871) emigrated after applying to the local authorities on 9 February 1867. In Amerika-Auswanderungen aus den Regierungsbezirken Bitburg und Trier im 19. Jahrhundert, Josef Mergen records the application, "851. Der Leinweber Johann Reinert, geb.12.6.1822 mit seiner Frau Katharine Blasius, ge.20.3.1824 und den Kindern Susanna 8.1.1848, Nikolaus 7.1.1851, Peter 7.5.1853, Maria 27.1.1860, Gertrud 10.12.1864. nach A. 'dass er daselbst Anverwandte habe, welche bereits fuer sein ferneres Fortkommen gesorgt haetten.' 9.2.1867" [...that he has relatives there who have already provided for his expected arrival]. Johann died of cancer of the neck on his farm near Caledonia, Minnesota in 1871, and his widow  Katherine  and the family moved with a dozen other families by wagon train to Kansas in 1872. Katherine died in 1891 on her farm near Tipton, Kansas.
• Michael Kohn (1844-after 1900) emigrated after applying to the local authorities on 17 June 1871.  In his application, he makes the sworn statements "... born in _Prussia_ on or about _1844_ ...[and] landed in the Port of _New_York_ on or about _July_1871_"  This date is corroborated in the Wasserliesch Kirchenbuch. He was naturalized 1 November 1872 in the Circuit Court of Wisconsin and married Theresa Loerscher in Wisconsin in 1874. He worked as a carpenter or furniture maker  in La Crosse for several years, but he lived in Beloit, Kansas about a year and was in the 1880 federal census there. He moved his family to Leavenworth, Kansas. Until recently, his whereabouts was unknown, and I have just uncovered the residence in Leavenworth. He had several children, whom I am researching now.

After a few hours of genealogy, we met again for dinner at  The Blue Coyote, a quiet southwestern restau on North Palm Canyon Drive. Chuck brought his recent book, Dark Dreams 2.0, to show Barbara and her parents, and we had a lively discussion of film that edged often into the arts, politics, and culture. Soon we said good-by, and wished the Schuhs well for their coming few days in Los Angeles and the return to San Francisco.

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.