Johann Friedrich Elling, Sr. - in Germany

It's been almost twenty years ago now that I hired an excellent researcher in Germany to help me find the Elling family origins. Dr. Sylvia Moehle worked at the archives in Fallingbostel and was so helpful in not only finding the records, but in translating them, too. Obviously, when you look at the actual images that I've posted, it's no secret that it is hard going to make anything out of what often seems illegible, especially in the earliest records.

First, Dr. Moehle took a great deal of time finding the Lutheran parish for the Ellings and it was Dueshorn parish. From those records, we found that our immigrant grandfather, Johann Friedrich Elling (the immigrant) was the only son of Johann Friedrich Elling, Sr. and his wife Anne Ilse (nee Meier/ Meyer.) Five children were born to this couple in Tietlingen:

Johann Friedrich (Jr.) born 1817

Margarethe Dorothee Marie Catharina Engel born 1821

Anna Ilse born 1824

Engel Dorothee born 1828

Dorothee Catharina Engel born 1833

(I have the baptismal records for those children, but will not post because of the quality.)

Johann Friedrich Elling Birth Record

Johann Friedrich Elling Sr.'s baptismal record from the Dushorn parish church book, p. 68. #12, is the image above -

The date of baptism is first - #12 in the year 1792, 4 (April), 6 (day)

Born 4 April 1792 at Tietlingen, godparent - Cord Harms and ???

Parents - Hans Joachim Elling, haeusling (tenant) at Tietlingen and his wife Anne Engel Fedderke from E..?

Beside the entry in parentheses is a cross and the date 11 April 1864. That is a notation by the pastor or clerk marking J.F. Sr's death.

Johann Friedrich Elling Death Record

The second image is the death record of J. F. Elling Sr. - #21. This is from the Dushorn parish book 1853 - 1873.

The date at the top of the page is 1864, the place of death is Tietlingen.

Name, Profession, Age of Deceased - Elling, Johann Freidrich, Altenthelier (pensioner) and widower at Tietlingen, 71 years and 7 days.

Parents - Hauswirth Hans Joachim Elling and his wife Anne Engel Fedderke

Date of Death - 11 April, 8:00 in the evening

Cause of Death - Weakness (of old age)

Day of Burial - 14 April

So after his son and family emigrated to America in 1859, the father lived almost five more years. How hard it must have been to say good-bye to his oldest son.

Any information for J. F. Elling Sr.'s wife, Anna Ilse Meyer Elling could not be found in the Dushorn records. The marriage records for that period were hardly legible, according to the researcher. Since her baptism record was also not in that parish, it is thought that they may have married in her parish, whatever that was.

A valuable outcome of these records was that we have two sources giving yet another generation back of the Elling Family - Hans Joachim and Anne Engel (Fedderke) Elling. More on them next time.