January 17, 2018

Finding Information About the Tietjes in Germany

Kerstin continued her story about how she conducted her research on the Tietje family and some places where she found information:

"The Local Heritage Books of the Parishes in this Area-
The local family heritage books I found from the area of Verdenermoor, where nearly all my ancestors from my mother's line came from, do not only register essential family (father, mother, children), but also are created to show a connection for the family to their genealogy.  This means there is a link from father and mother to their respective parents, and a link from the children to their marriages and so on. (See links below.)  If you click on a link to the name of a person, there are often new links to other local family heritage books of neighboring villages which contain the same or resembling names so you can compare dates of birth and other personal facts.

The name "Tietje" is often written in different ways, sometimes Tiedge, Tietgen, Tietken and even other variations.  In former times, people didn't use standardized spellings; sometimes they wrote how they pronounced it or how they thought it should be written.

1. Before 1900, Verdenermoor belonged to the Parish Kirchlinteln.  This is a place immediately to the east of Verden and was previously called "Lintelohe."  The church is named St. Peter's.  Towards the end of 1758, the old church books were destroyed in a fire at the parish house, but from 1759 on, they are complete.  There are duplicates of the lost church books in the State Archive at Stade for the years 1715-1726, 1746, 1751, 1752. 
There is an online databank, Local Heritage Books of Kirchlinteln, where you can find birth, death and marriage dates about persons living in that parish.  Sometimes there is more information about the employment of a person, the place of residence or other personal, historical or religious facts.  Other neighboring parishes from Kirchlinteln are Wittlohe, Kirchwahlingen, Rethem, St. Andreas in Verden, Visselhoevede, Kirchboitzen, and Walsrode.

2. You can also get information in the Local Heritage Books of Wittlohe.  The church is named St. Jacobi.  These books contain all dates from the church books from 1715 - 1875 and dates of the civil registrar's office.  There are also duplicates in the State Archive in Stade.  The church books of Wittlohe burned because of a fire in the village in 1742.  From 1743, they are kept complete.  Since the Reformation in 1567, ministers lived in the parish Wittlohe.  In 1859, the village Neddenaverbergen, which is a small village next to Verdenermoor, was integreted to the parish Wittlohe.

3. I made a find in the Local Heritage Books of Verden because Neddenaverbergen, in the next neighborhood to Verdenermoor, belonged to this parish up to the middle of the 19th century.  The church of Verden was named St. Andreas.  These books are not yet completed and are in the beginning of their examination.

4. I made a find in the Church Books of Kirchwalsede.  Here you can find a list of the names of my family Tietje who had immigrated.  This is because the descendents of the family Schwiebert made a list of a great number of names and dates for several generations about the family.  My immigrated ggg-grandmother was born a Schwiebert.  A large number of Schwiebert ancestors immigrated to Ohio.

5. Of great interest is a book about the old farms and their former inhabitants written by Otto Voigt in 1993.  The title is Bauernreihen in den Dorfern der Kirchspiele des alten Amtes Verden."  Translation: Rows of Farms in the Villages of the Parishes from the Old Area of Verden.

6. The index of all names of persons from Neddenaverbergen, a collection from genealogists of the area.

Stay tuned for more on the family Tietje from Kerstin!

(This post originally appeared on my other blog in 2011.)

Learning About Her Ancestor, Herman Hinrich Tietje

Kerstin continues the story of her research:

"In the beginning, I absolutely didn't know who of the family had immigrated because no one of today's living family members in Germany could tell about it.  There was just one very small piece of information as my mother remembered that her grandmother, Emma Hoops (born Tietje, daughter of Heinrich Tietje of Bendingbostel), told that her grandparents immigrated a very long time ago.  My mother, who grew up with her grandparents, Emma and Hinrich Hoops in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg, received very big Care packages from a cousin in Ohio after the Second World War when she was a child.  They sent wonderful things like pens, cloth, silk stockings, chocolate, coats and other things. 
I am happy to tell that there is a big photo book which was made by my great uncle, Arthur Hoops, for his mother's 80th birthday.  I found very old photos of her family, her parents in Bendingbostel, her youth and her children.  There are also photos from a visit of the immigrated brother, Herman Tietje and his wife in 1929.

But there was no direct information about the other immigrated part of the family because it happened in a time too long ago.  I only knew that there must have been a great number of persons, maybe brothers and sisters or other relatives of my great-great grandfather, Heinrich, who immigrated.

Why did the family immigrate?
In the beginning of the 19th century, there was overpopulation in Germany.  After the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, restrictions for immigration were abolished, and so there was suddenly an interest because people were free to leave. 

The development of steam navigation shortened the journey from more than a month down to 13- 19 days.  In 1870, a passage to America in steerage cost 120 mark/ 1000 Euro today ($1362.00 U.S.), but with time the passage became available at more favorable prices.  There were many advertising campaigns, often organized by shipping companies who traveled in the country to recruit passengers. 
Also sometimes men wanted to avoid the draft, or they had family who had already immigrated and they wanted to follow them.  People wanted free or cheap land, free living, national security, economical independence, and a more advance level of industrialization

In view of our family Tietje, I think that they followed their son Herman and other relatives who had already gone to Ohio.  They trusted in the experiences their relatives had in the New World and hoped for a better life.  They had so many children and the living conditions, especially in the area of Verdenermoor must have been very bad, so their children could hope for a better future in the new country of Ohio.

I heard from living persons in Verdenermor that Henry's family left a very poor estate behind.  Many years later, after the farm was pulled down, there were still standing some old, knobbed plum trees next to the street, reminding us of the Tietjes, and an old oven which had a roof covered with straw.  This oven later had to be pulled down, too, because it was endangered of fire.  The successor, Kruse, built a new, solid baking house (backhaus)."

To be continued...

(This post originally appeared in 2011 on my now deleted blog, A Face to the Sun.)

Herman Hinrich Tietje, Immigrant

To continue the story of the Tietje immigrants, from Kerstin:

Herman Hinrich Johann Tietje,
"Henry"
Born: March 7, 1835 in Neddenaverbergen (earlier name for Verdenermoor), son of Margarethe Tidge. (Source: Register of Births, Kirchwalsede, Nr. 335141

Employment: Farmer in Neddenaverbergen
In 1858, he is listed in a very old list of inhabitants and residents as a 'soldier.'
Residence: He lived together with his mother and his aunt Marie in Verdenermoor.  The place of the farm included a house and a barn.
Farm (Hof) Nr. 84 in Neddenaverbergen.  The same place was called later, since 1860, Verdenermoor, Nr. 15

Marriage: He married in the church of Wittlohe, St. Jacobi, May 20, 1859, near Verden. (Sources: Document Nr. 1859/04.  The marriage document is available in the archive of Verden.  Church Books of Wittlohe Marriages 1853-1875)

Immigration: To the U.S. in 1888.  (Some sources say 1884.)
Sale Before Immigration:  "In 1874, Hermann Hinrich Tietje has taken off all loads from his farm.  In 1881 he sold the farm and immigrated with his family in 1884 to America.  A man named Christian Kruse, who lived in Verdenermoor Nr. 1 (Krusenshof) bought this farm and paid 750 Marks for it because the farms lay close to each other. "
(Source:Wittlohe records)
Henry's farm was pulled down in 1890 and from that time, the place all belonged to Verdenermoor Nr. 1.

Henry had no brothers or sisters.
His Father: Johann Hinrich Kohler, born about 1805, came from Leeste near Kirchweyhe.  He was registered to be a soldier.  Henry's name is often put together with the name Kohler in brackets.  But Henry kept the name Tietje from his mother.  I could find no more information about Henry's father.

His Mother: Margaretha Tietjen, born December 16, 1802 in Verdenermoor. (Source: Wittlohe records, "Born in house Nr. 84, close to Verdenermoor.")
In the church book of Kirchlinteln, baptisms in 1802, Lutheran:
"Johann Tietje, new farmer in Verdenermoor, and his wife Margretha, nee Bockelman, had born a daughter on 16th, called Margretha."  Witnesses for the baptism were Anna Engel Bockelmann, Sophia Bockelmann from Linteloh, and Catharina Margretha Tietje, Verdenermoor.
Margarethe had seven brothers and sisters:
  1. Johann Hinrich Dietrich Tiedge, born 1790, Verdenermoor
  2. Anne Marie Catherine Engel Tiedge, born 1791
  3. Johann Christian Georg Tiedge, born 1794
  4. Jurgen Hinrich Tiedge, born 1795, farmer
  5. Johann (Dietrich) Tietje, born 1796.  He was a joiner and a farmer.  He took over Hof Nr. 64 in 1852.  In the records is this note: 'The man was found dead in his workshop without injury.  He was buried on September 20, 1865 in Neddenavebergen.'
  6. Catharina Sophia Tietje, born 1800 Verdenermoor, died 1860 in Wittlohe
  7. Trine Lieschen Marie Sophie Tiedge, born 1805 in Verdenermoo
The Wittlohe records state that "Margarethe und Johann Hinrich Kohler lived together and there is a marriage-contract.  Margarethe's father is Johann Tietje, born about 1760, a new farmer, also called Tiedje."

Kerstin writes that Henry grew up with his mother, Margrethe and his aunt Marie Tietje (See #2 sibling above-Anne Marie Catherine Engel)
An article in Verdener Anzeigenblatt, September 29, 1942, written by Heinrich Ludemann, tells this story of Aunt Marie Tietje:
"The Countrywoman and the Captain
This is the story of Marie Tietje, who was the owner of the farm, Nr. 84. This farm was next to the today's farm, Bokeloh (Krusenhof), Verdenermoor Nr. 1 and seemed to be something of the kind of a poorhouse for a time. 
It happened in the time of the last king of Hannover, George V. A countrywoman from Verdenermoor had built a new barn without the agreement of the other farmers.  So they protested against it, and the captain of the civil office, Mr. Oehlrich, came on horseback from Verden to Neddenaverbergen and they all walked together to the barn.  They had decided that the barn must be pulled down.
At that moment, Marie Tietje appeared and gave a sealed message to the captain, saying, "Dor stick man de Nas' mal rin!" (This is Plattdutsch meaning, "There you have it and put it in your nose!")
It was a message from Hannover in which King George had given his personal permission that Marie could keep the barn. 
 Loathingly, the captain said to her, "Woman, how did the devil guide you to the king?"
Marie answered, "It wasn't the devil; it was God."
The other farmers and the captain had to go home unsuccessfully.  Later the captain learned that the countrywoman had asked the King for an audience, and that she arrived in Hannover wearing wooden shoes."
King George V of Hannover

Marie inherited the farm about 1869.  She was married twice.  She lived together with her sister, Margarethe and her nephew, Hermann Hinrich Johann Tietje.
In the Index of All Names of People from Neddenaverbergen/ Verdenermoor, Kerstin found a notice that an ancestor of the buyer of Henry's farm in 1887, who was also called Christian Kruse, had bought the farm next to Henry's farm, Verdenermoor Nr. 1, many years before in 1816 because of bankruptcy.  The former owner was a man named Johann Tiegen.  So maybe it could have been Henry's grandfather who first owned what is now Krusenhof.  His wife died in 1811 and they left 8 children, some very young.  It is a possibility to be explored.
Today the old farm house is still preserved and is a very beautiful holiday farm with some new houses for guests.  It is next to the house where Marie and Margarethe lived and where Henry and later his children were born.

Henry's mother, Margarethe Tietje, died on November 12, 1876 in Neddenaverbergen, Nr. 84 and was buried there on the 16th.  In the Wittlohe records, we can read, "...she died because of weakness of old age on 12 November 1876.  By request of the son and acceptance of the minister Ohnesorg of Wittlohe, the body was buried at Neddenaverbergen."

(This post originally appeared on my other blog in 2011. I am deleting the blog, A Face to the Sun.)

Mary Schwiebert Tietje and her family

Kerstin writes ...
Hermann Hinrich Johann Tietje, aka Henry, married Catharina Maria, aka Mary,Schwiebert (Zwiebert).  According to Kerstin's research, Mary was born on October 20, 1840 in Kirchwalsede, next to Rotenburg. 
Her father was Hinrich Schwiebert, born February 5, 1819 in Kirchwalsede and her mother was Cathariana Adelheit Haase, born 1817 in Verdenermoor.

Mary had three sisters:
  1. Catherina Sophia Schwiebert (1814 - 1910 Ohio)  This aunt lived in Napoleon after immigrating to the U.S. in 1866 and marrying the same year, Johann Heinrich Vajen (1840-1919). 
  2. Anna Margaretha Schwiebert (1843 - 1848)
  3. Catharina Margaretha Schwiebert (1846 - 1848)
May of the Schwiebert family line may be found in the local heritage books of Kirchwalsede, mentioned in an earlier post.  The family tree can be traced up until Hans Schwiebert (1622-1713), Westerwalsede, and his wife, Beke Hase (1639 - 1723).

Henry and Mary Tietje probably had eight children, as they reported in the census.  The records are a little confusing on this.  Their children, with their called name underlined, were:
  1. Johann Hermann Diedrich Tietje, born Dec. 27, 1859 in Verdenermoor.  He lived in Visselhoevede and was the stationmaster. 
  2. Christian Heinrich Diedrich Tietje, born June 22, 1862 in Verdenermoor, died September 22, 1937 in Bendingbostel.  He was the stationmaster in Bendingbostel.
  3. Hermann Heinrich, born December 4, 1864 in Verdenermoor, died November 3, 1936 in Richfield Twp., Henry County, Ohio.
  4. Catharina Sophie Maria Tietje, born October 29, 1867 in Verdenermoor, died September 3, 1939.
  5. Friedrich Heinrich Tietje, born June 26, 1870 in Verdenermoor, died October 29, 1922 in Richfield Twp, Henry County, Ohio.
  6. Hinrich August Tietje, born July 22, 1873 in Verdenermoor, died August 3, 1955.
  7. Wilhelm Tietje, born December 26, 1877 in Verdenermoor, died May 29, 1923.
  8. Marie Tietje, born May 12, 1880 in Verdenermoor, died February 4, 1964 in Richfield Twp., Henry County, Ohio.
In the Civil Registrar's office of Wittlohe, there are two more children, which are registered to be children of Henry and Mary.
9. William Tietje, born June 27, 1876 in Neddenaverbergen and 10. Catharina Marie Tietje, born May 27, 1879 in Neddenaverbergen.

Kerstin noted, "In my opinion, these children do not exist and it is a mistake of the Civil Registrar's office...or they might be children of other parents or the dates interchanged.  In the census, when asked how many children she had borne, Mary answered 8, and when asked how many were living, the answer again was 8."

(This post originally appeared in 2011.)

Confirmation of George Friedrich Spoering

This lovely, old Confirmation certificate was given to me for safekeeping, and I treasure it, not only for its family history connection, but also for its beauty.  George Friedrich Spoering was the youngest brother of my grandmother, Ida.  Born in 1899, he was confirmed in St. John Lutheran Church by Rev. Boomgarden in 1913.  
In the photo of the Spoering family below,he is the young boy in the front row, standing with his arm on his mother's shoulder.
In those days, large, colorful certificates were presented for baptisms, confirmations and weddings held in the church.  This particular certificate says that it was made in Germany and since German services were always held in the Lutheran churches in Henry County back then, the entire certificate is in German.
"In Memory of the Day of Confirmation"
Now Denkspruch...the best translation I could find was maxim or saying or perhaps, verse.
*UPDATE: Thanks to my friend, Kerstin (our Tietje researcher) for her help in the translations on the certificate:
denken = to think
denk = I would say, that is the form of imperativ singular: Think about!(denk, denke, also bedenke)
Spruch = proverb/ saying

A "Denkspruch" is a short sentence, which wants to express/ verbalize a true rule or experience of life.
It wants to make the reader think about or think over something.
 
I did not investigate the verses given...maybe some kind German speaker will help on that. 
**UPDATE:
Verse 1:The prophet Jesaja  predicted the crucifixion of Jesus about 700 years before it really happened by the words:
“Christus is wounded because of our misdeeds and he is broken up because of our sins. He bears the punishment, (or: The punishment lies on his shoulder), so that we have peace and we are healed because of his wounds.”


Verse 2: (Song, Author: Benjamin Schmolck (1672 - 1737))
This is the first verse of an old churchsong from Benjamin Schmolck (1672-1737. He was a German theologian; hymn writer and author of devotional literature.
Soul, go to Golgatha,
sit down under Jesus’ cross
and think over, what impulse bids you there, to do penance.
Do you want to be insensible?
Oh, so you are more than stone.


Verse 3, bottom left: „Be faithful up to death, so I will give you the crown of life.”
In former times, this was a very popular Confirmation verse. It is written in the last book of the Bible in a letter from Johannes to his own parish, who suffered because of acute persecution. The existence of the parish was threatened and the members were afraid about their own life. So Johannes said the words, to encourage his people to be faithful up to death, to keep up in believing in God,even if they will lose their life. Then they will get the „crown“, actual you find instead of „crown“ the word „Kranz = wreath“.
Maybe you can compare it with a winner, who gets a Victor’s crown. And the price is eternal life. 


George was born on the 14th of August 1899 and was confirmed on the 16th of March 1913 in the Evangelical Lutheran, St. John's Lutheran Church in Deshler, Ohio, by Rev. Boomgarden, Pastor.

The bottom of the certificate holds the impressed seal of the church, St. Johannes.
 Notice the rich coloring of the paper and the images presented, all having symbolism, I'm sure.  At the top are the angelic children around the communion cup, and at the altar is the pastor with the confirmands kneeling and receiving their blessing with adult witnesses of the church watching.  The Last Supper is portrayed at the bottom and in the right, bottom corner is the Dove ascending from the baptismal font.  Even the flowers likely carry symbolism - the grapevine ("I am the vine..."), the wheat (bread of life, separate wheat from chaff...), the poppies (death) and are those forget-me-nots? 

Tell me what else you see in these photos.

The Spoering Immigration, 1882

Guest Author - The Spoering Immigration

Henry and Mary Sporing Arrive to the U.S. in 1882

written in January 2012 by Jason Snow, a great-great grandson of Henry and Mary Sporing
Henry and Mary Sporing, along with their daughters Mary (age 4) and Sophia (age 3), arrived in New York aboard the Main on 6 March 1882. Their place of origin was recorded as Prussia, and their destination was Defiance, Ohio. Henry's and Mary's ages, 36 and 26, are consistent with other records we have for these ancestors. What isn't consistent is the year of their immigration.

Henry declared his intent to become a citizen in 1884 and applied in 1886. In those records, he indicated his arrival in the U.S. as 8 March 1881, not 6 March 1882. Assuming the naturalization process at that time required 5 years of citizenship, the discrepancy would have enabled Henry to accelerate the process.

Their entry to the United States would have been processed at Castle Garden, the predecessor to Ellis Island before it opened in 1892. Castle Garden is now Castle Clinton National Monument, which is where the ferry to Ellis Island departs from lower Manhattan.

The Main was operated by the North German Lloyd shipping line. It was built by Caird & Co., Greenock, Scotland, measuring 365' x 40' and weighing 2,893 tons. The single-screw and compound engines were capable of 14 knots. There is no photo available, but the ship had two masts and one funnel. The Main first sailed in 1868, and its final voyage under the North German Lloyd company was in 1890. The same company ran a new ship also under the name of Main.

Source for the clipping is: New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, Year: 1882; Arrival: New York, United States; Microfilm serial: M237; Microfilm roll: M237_447; Line: 44; List number: 253. Image and transcription obtained via Ancestry.com. Imaged cropped to show only Sporing family.


**Jason's great-grandmother was Lydia Spoering Loudon and his grandmother, Ruth Loudon.  Lydia's photo may be seen at this previous post.  Lydia may also be seen with baby Ruth on her lap in this reunion photo from about 1928.

Thank you, Jason!