[ungelöst] Lesehilfe Sterbeurkunde 1880

[jschmitt]

Quelle bzw. Art des Textes: Kirche (burial register)
Jahr, aus dem der Text stammt: 1880
Ort/Gegend der Text-Herkunft: Oak Creek, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA

I apologize for writing in English, but my German is not the best.

I have this record in German, which I can mostly understand. I just cannot understand the place my ancestor was born in, and I cannot find that place anywhere. This is what I think the record says:

"20 Nov. Simeon Walther- Ehegatte den Margarethe Walter, geb. Strasser- geb. d. 10 April 1810 zu Neubeuren?? bf. Wiesenfeld??, gest. d. 17 Nov. Alter 70 Jah., 7 Mo. 7 Tage."

Seine Gattin war Margaretha Strasser Walter geb. im Wiesenbach, Wurttemberg. Aber, heiratete sie in USA, so dass ich glaube nicht, dass Simon war von der gleichen Stelle wie Margaretha.

Am I reading the birthplace wrong? I can't find a place that exists by that name. Is there something I am missing? What does "bf" mean?

Vielen Dank,
Jade Schmitt

[maxfritz]

Hello Jade -

Is it possible that Simeon Walther was born in Neubeuern (near Rosenheim) and lived "next to (bei) the meadow field" (Wiesenfeld)? I looked for a street or area of Neubeuern named Wiesenfeld, but didn't find anything. The town has certainly grown since Simeon was born in 1810 and a meadow may have been covered by structures. Just a thought. Hope it helps.

Best greetings!

Max

[Grapelli]

Hello Jade, this is what I can read:

20. Nov.

Simeon Walther - Ehegatte der
Margarethe Walter, geb. Strasser - geb.
d. 10. April 1810 zu Neubeuren b... (meaning "bei"?) Wiesen-
feld, gest. d. 17. Nov. Alter: 70 Jahre 7 Monate 7 Tage

[Grapelli]

Hello Jade, by the way: I found your blog, stating:

"So what's the problem? Well... from every single person I've ever asked, German native or not, there doesn't seem to be a place called Neubeuren that exists near a place called Wiesenfeld. Scattered throughout Germany are a variety of towns called either Neubeuren, Wiesenfeld, or some variation of either name, but never are they near one another."

This is correct. Even more interesting: There seems to be one and only one Neubeuern in Germany (including former Eastern Territories). And there's no place near it called Wiesenfeld. Probably a mistake in your death record.

"Further complicating this: I don't know what German state to even state looking in. Each census listed a different birth location for Simon. The 1860 census stated he was from Hanover, the 1870 census stated he was from Prussia, and the 1880 census stated he was from Bayern (Bavaria). I tried looking at old maps to see if any point any of these places really overlapped and I could find nothing (although I am certainly not an expert on mid-19th century Germany localities."

I think your search is relatively simple here: The name Strasser clearly points to Southern Germany or Austria (see attachment). He was not born in Wiesenfeld, St. Veit an der Gölsen, Austria - I have checked that on matricula. So you are left with two Wiesenfeld (here and here) and one Neubeuern, all in Bavaria. Simply ask at these three parishes and your search could be over soon.

[jschmitt]

Hello Jade -

Is it possible that Simeon Walther was born in Neubeuern (near Rosenheim) and lived "next to (bei) the meadow field" (Wiesenfeld)? I looked for a street or area of Neubeuern named Wiesenfeld, but didn't find anything. The town has certainly grown since Simeon was born in 1810 and a meadow may have been covered by structures. Just a thought. Hope it helps.

Best greetings!

Max

Max, thank you very much for your ideas. I had not seen the Neubeuren near Rosenheim before, that seems like a good place to investigate next!

Thank you!
Jade

Hello Jade, by the way: I found your blog, stating:

"So what's the problem? Well... from every single person I've ever asked, German native or not, there doesn't seem to be a place called Neubeuren that exists near a place called Wiesenfeld. Scattered throughout Germany are a variety of towns called either Neubeuren, Wiesenfeld, or some variation of either name, but never are they near one another."

This is correct. Even more interesting: There seems to be one and only one Neubeuern in Germany (including former Eastern Territories). And there's no place near it called Wiesenfeld. Probably a mistake in your death record.

"Further complicating this: I don't know what German state to even state looking in. Each census listed a different birth location for Simon. The 1860 census stated he was from Hanover, the 1870 census stated he was from Prussia, and the 1880 census stated he was from Bayern (Bavaria). I tried looking at old maps to see if any point any of these places really overlapped and I could find nothing (although I am certainly not an expert on mid-19th century Germany localities."

I think your search is relatively simple here: The name Strasser clearly points to Southern Germany or Austria (see attachment). He was not born in Wiesenfeld, St. Veit an der Gölsen, Austria - I have checked that on matricula. So you are left with two Wiesenfeld (here and here) and one Neubeuern, all in Bavaria. Simply ask at these three parishes and your search could be over soon.

Thank you very much for your response (for some reason, my email did not notify me of any responses to my post until now! Strange!). I appreciate your suggestions! I will try contacting these parishes, particularly if there is a strong Lutheran//evangelische presence in these communities- the Walter family belonged to that faith.

It is very curious. I received several records from the same source as this record, and the other place names were quite accurate. For instance, Simeon's wife, Magaretha Strasser: her family did come from the areas of Wiesenbach (Schwaebisch Hall, Stuttgart, Wuerttemberg) and Schnelldorf (Bavaria, on a road which connected Schnelldorf and Wiesenbach). So it is strange that this place, "Neubeuren bei Wiesenfeld" doesn't seem to exist. I am not sure if Simon was from that same area as the Strassers, though, because they married in America where Germans from many different areas had formed a community. I will search the places you suggested and see what I find.

Thank you again for your insight,

Jade