I never do wordless Wednesday, but I've been working on a slideshow for my grandmother's funeral service, and saw this, and yeah... (I know it's not wordless, but it's close)
Surname Saturday 2.0: The Hansens, part 2
The Hansen Family; Sealand, Denmark
While my great-grandparents both had the surname Hansen, and were both born to farming families in Denmark, there is where the similarities in their lines end. While Holger was born in Jutland, Oline, my great-grandmother, was born in Sealand, to a couple with a farm that had been in the family for at least two generations. And while Holger's parents were both alive and well when he left for America, Oline had lost her father when she was still quite young—about the age of nine.
Another thing that makes this line different is how very little I have on it. Only three generations—my great grandmother, her father, and his father. Before that, I have yet to manage to go. Despite that, this is one of my more-beloved lines, not the least of which is the fact that I've actually managed to find information on it beyond what my family already had recorded. And I hope to find more.
Rasmus Hansen, my great-great grandfather, was born to a farming couple by the names of Hans Nielsen and Maren Rasmusdatter in the middle of Sealand in 1845. He was the one to take it over after his parents, and it was there he married two women, and raised his family before his death in 1895.
My great-grandmother and her siblings were greatly affected by his death. While they had likely been expected to help out around the farm before that, after, it became their main chore. Her eldest brother was only 13 at the time. She did not take well to farming, and so to provide income for her family, she began to work for people in the nearby towns, eventually securing a post at the Minister of Agriculture's home, and moving with his family to a location near Copenhagen, doing housework, cooking and sewing to earn her keep.
Eventually, she made enough to follow her younger brother to the US, and settled in Chicago doing similar work there. She returned once to visit her family, and while on the boat to Denmark, she met her husband to be, who took the chance to court her while they were stuck in Denmark due to a blockade during World War I. The two married not long after returning to the US, and settled in Cleveland, where they had three children together before she died of pneumonia in 1929 at the age of 42.
This Hansen line is as follows, for those interested:
* Hans Nielsen was born about 1817 in Alsted, Soro, Denmark. He married Maren Rasmusdatter sometime around 1841, and the two had at least six children. He died sometime after 1880, as he was listed in the 1880 census.
* Their children:
+ Ole, born about 1841
+ Neils, born about 1843
+ Rasmus, born 1845
+ Jorgen, born about 1847
+ Jens, born about 1849
+ Ane Lisbeth, born about 1853
+ There may be more, but those are the children I found listed in the various cenuses with them. I have no other record of these children aside from Rasmus.
* Rasmus Hansen married twice. Sometime before 1870, he married Maren Nielsen, who died in 1879. They had no children. He then married Maren Sofie Olsen in 1881, and the couple had 6 children.
* Their children:
+ Herman, born 1882, married Marie Jorgensen in 1908, they had one son and one daughter, and have many descendants still alive today. He was the one who inherited the farm. He died in 1969.
+ Maren Hansine, born 1884, married Hans Larsen in 1906, and they had three sons and two daughters, both daughters having children of their own. She died in 1986.
+ Julie Oline, born 1886 (see below for more)
+ Hans Kristian, born 1890, married Mary Deats. He was the other Hanson sibling to move to the US, and stayed there until his death in Omaha in the late 1980s.
+ Johanne Kirsten, born 1891, died 1916.
+ Ole, born 1892, died 1910.
* Oline Hansen married Holger Hansen in Cleveland, Ohio in 1918. The two had two daughters and a son before her death in 1929.
* All three of their children had children of their own, and two branches now have two generations beyond those grandchildren. All of Oline's descendants live in the US, scattered around the country.
What I don't know:
* As of now, I am certain I have Rasmus's parents. I have found a census that includes both his parents and his first wife, which proves to me that I've got the right family. However, I still need to know more about these people. I believe his parents owned the farm, but I don't know if his father inherited it as well.
* I also don't know enough about his siblings, and whether there were others, or what happened to the ones I have found on the censuses.
* I also want to know who Hans Nielsen's parents were. I assume his father's name was Niels, but I have yet to find a birth record or census record that would clarify who his parents might be.
Other information about this branch of the family:
Brick Wall Posts -
* Brickwall Ancestors
* Brick Wall Update
* Brick Wall Update
* Brick Wall Update 2012
Old Surname Posts –
* Hansen part 2
Where We're From Posts –
* Where We're From – United States
* Where We're From – Denmark
Finding Oline Correspondence Series –
* Finding Oline Correspondance – Part 1
* Finding Oline Correspondance Part 2
* Finding Oline Correspondance .5
* Finding Oline Correspondance 3
* Finding Oline Correspondance 4
* Finding Oline Correspondance 5
Other -
* The Gift of Oline: a story of lost and found
* New Discoveries
* Interview with Uncle Hans
* Womens History Month -- Week 1
* Womens History Month -- Week 2
* Womens History Month -- Week 3
* Womens History Month -- Week 4
* Womens History Month -- Week 5
Surname Saturday 2.0: The Hansens, part 1
The Hansen Family; Jutland, Denmark
I have several branches of my family tree that are patronymic in origin. Hansen is the most prominent, if not most prevalent (Jensen and Christiansen and variants take that honor) of my family.
My grandmother's parents were both born with the surname Hansen because of the old Danish naming traditions. This week, I'm going to cover his family, which has only been Hansen since his father's generation.
The furthest back in this line I've managed to get was a man named Knud Madsen, though I presume his father's name was Mads, I have no other information about him, and little about his son. Knud was my great-grandfather's great-great grandfather, who was born in the Jutland area of Denmark sometime in the mid 1700s. The line continued there as farmers until the early 1900s, when my great-grandfather made enough money to travel to America.
This line is as Danish as my family gets. It's possible they have origins elsewhere, but for at least 5, probably 6 or more generations, all of the family was born in Jutland, and probably never traveled much further than the nearest town until my great-grandfather.
He made a fairly good living as a bricklayer in New York, and might have settled there permanently but for a return trip to Denmark in about 1916 that changed things again. It was on that trip that he met my great-grandmother, who was living in Chicago at the time. When all ships back to the US were cancelled due to a blockade because of World War I shortly after their arrival in Denmark, he took the chance and traveled to her home on the island of Sealand to court her. After returning to America, the two moved to Cleveland, neutral ground and a fresh start for both, with a small Danish community already in place. They married there and had three kids together before her death in 1929.
The Hansen line is as follows, for those interested:
* Knud Madsen, son of Mads ? was born in about 1730. We know
nothing about his wife, or how many children he might have had, but we do know of one son.
* Knud Knudsen was born in Denmark in 1794, and married Ane Marie Hansdatter in 1822. the two had five sons and two daughters.
* His second son, Hans Knudsen, was born in the same place in Denmark in 1824. He married Christine Jensdatter in 1854, and the couple had 4 sons and 4 daughters.
* Their eldest son, Jens Christian Hansen, was also born in the family's long-time community in 1858. He married Else Katrine Larsen in 1885, and the two had 6 sons and 2 daughters. He made much of his living as a bricklayer, and when his second son (my great-grandfather) was old enough, he taught him the skill as well.
* My great grandfather, Holger Skov Hansen, was their second son and third child. He was born in the same small town in 1891, and lived there until about 1910 or so.
+ In 1909, he helped his father build Thyregod station (site is in Danish, though easily translated with Google translate), which still stands today, and made enough money to travel to the US.
+ He married my great-grandmother Oline Hansen in 1918, and the two had two daughters and one son before her death in 1929.
+ Their children had 8 children between them, and those children had 12 children between them. Of us great-grandchildren, there are even 5 great-great grandchildren born, with one more on the way. All of us still reside in the US.
What I don't know:
* Though I know of Knud Knudsen, I know almost nothing about him. I'd love to know his mother's name, as well as any siblings he might have had, and exactly where and when he was born.
* I'd also love to know the same of Knud Madsen, his father, as I have even less about him. I assume his father's first name is Mads, but that is all that I can guess at this time, aside from his likely being born in Denmark.
Other information about this branch of the family:
Old Surname Posts – * Hansen part 1
Where We're From Posts –
* Where We're From – United States
* Where We're From – Denmark
Other -
* Four Generations
* New Discoveries
* Holger Hansen
* Finding Oline Correspondance .5
* World War II Draft Cards
Surname Saturday 2.0: The Bordewicks
Apologies. Forgot to post this yesterday, but I want to get this up this week.
The Bordewick Family
Unlike the Hillingers, the Bordewick clan has been around for many generations. In my direct line, my mother and her siblings were the last, though there are many branches out there still active and thriving.
The first generation that we are certain used the surname was my fifth-great grandfather, Hans Heinrich Bordevich. There have been a number of spellings and alternate versions of the name over the years, but the three most common are Bordevich, Bordewich, and Bordewick. Occasionally, the children in the early generations of this line also had their father's name in addition to or instead of the Bordewick surname on official documents. It does make it difficult to trace the line, but thanks to Hans Henrich's son, who took great records about his family, we were left with a great deal of information on our line.
The Bordewick name is also one of the only ones where we know the origin of the name that is not from a patronymic naming system. Hans Henrich came from a small area called Bardoweick near Luneburg in Lower Saxony in what is now Germany. The city was created sometime in the 8th century, and held great prominence for a cathedral that had been built there in its heyday. The city was decimated during the Hundred-years War by Henry the Lion, and never returned to the glory it once had. The ruins of the church can still be seen there today.
We know nothing about Hans Henrich's family in Germany, or why or even when he chose to leave, and have no true record of him until he appears in Norway in 1796, engaged to the woman he would eventually marry and have three sons with. He became a shipmaster there, and sailed several ships from Norway to countries in Europe, eventually dying in a shipwreck in 1813 along with his men.
After his death, the line passed down to his two surviving sons, Johan Petter and Hans Oliver. Johan finished his schooling and went into business working for one of the ship brokers in the Lofoten Islands, eventually buying himself a brokerage there in Lyngvaer. There he settled with his wife, Leonharde, and there they had eleven children together before she died in childbirth with their final daughter. Five more children followed, along with a second wife, Heinrikke Roness. Johan's children spread out through the islands, a few even further. Three of his youngest sons came to the US, two of whom settled here and raised families, the descendants of whom still live in the US today. Johan's younger brother died in his thirties, his only son dying childless. Most of the Bordewick/Bordewich clan today descends from Johan's line, though we have on occasion run into others who use the surname; we have not yet found direct connections to any of the ones we have met.
My direct line descends from two of Johan's children—his son, Hans Henrick, his second son by Leonharde, and his daughter, Leonharde (named for his first wife), second daughter of his second wife. Hans Henrick married Kaja Angell, and the two had nine children together, the eldest surviving of whom was my great-great grandfather, Heinrick Bergthon. He was born the year after his half-aunt, Leonharde Marine, and when the two were old enough, they married. The two had three sons together, and they are the ones who finally left Norway in my direct line.
Heinrick (Henry) and Leonharde (Harde, pronounced Har-dah) left Norway in the late 1800s because the fishing was growing scarce in the Lofoten Islands during that time, so Henry and his brother Eivind decided to try to set up a business together transporting things from the continent to Norway. The family settled first in Antwerp, but their reception there was quite poor. Most Belgians thought them English, and since Belgium had sided with the Boer War, they looked poorly on my great-great grandparents, and Henry decided they might do better in England. They family moved there, settling in Hull for a time, long enough for my great-grandfather, Bjarne, to pass exams and be accepted to Cambridge before deciding to move again, this time to Vancouver, BC, Canada. Bjarne moved with them, and because he did, it was there he met his wife-to-be, Mary Park.
The family all lived in Vancouver until my grandfather, Bjarne and Mary's son, moved to Washington state with his own family in 1960, where our family has lived ever since.
The Bordewick line is as follows, for those interested:
* Hans Henrich is the first generation we're certain of. We believe he was born in 1769. He married Anna Tiller 1796 in Trondheim, Norway, and the two had three sons before his death in 1815. She was born 1769 and died in 1846.
* Their three sons were Ole Hansen, Johan Petter, and Hans Oliver.
+ Ole Hansen was born 18001, and died about a year and a half later.
+ Johan Petter was born 1802, and died 1879. His line follows below.
+ Hans Oliver was born 1806 and died 1844. He married Edvardine Tiller, an adopted child of one of the Tiller family (his mother's family), and they had one son, Hans Henrick, who was born 1837 and died 1867.
* Johan Petter Married twice, but had children by three different women, all three lines having descendants.
+ Leonhard Marine Linkhausen married Johan in 1827. They had 11 children children together before her death in 1846 due to complications of childbirth with their last child.
+ Jacobine Benjaminsdatter had one daughter by Johan, Petra Johanne Bordewich, born in 1852.
+ Henrikke Roness had one daughter with Johan before their marriage in 1860, after which they had three more children together before his death in 1879.
* Johan Petter and Leonhard's children were:
+ Johan Petter Jr, born 1827, died 1913, who married Magdalena Krogh in 1854. They had 5 children together.
+ Antonette Henrikke, born 1829, died 1908, who married Emil Gronning in 1853. They had 4 children together.
+ Anna Magdelena, born 1832, died 1854, married Hans Lang in 1853. They had no children.
+ Hans Henrik, born 1834, died 1893, married Karen Dorothea (Kaja) Angell in 1859. They had 8 children.
+ Elsie Sofie, born 1837, died 1861, married Johan Irgens.
+ Hans Jorgen, born & died 1837 (four days old)
+ Johan Henrik, born 1839, died 1924, married Elen Nilsen in 1867. They had 4 children.
+ Wilhelm Julius, born 1841, died 1853
+ Jorgen Christian, born 1842, died 1899, married Ellen Koch Wolf in 1879. They had 4 children.
+ Lars Nikolai aka Henry, born 1844, died 1912, married Birgitte Andersen in 1869. They had 5 children together. He served as the US consul to Norway until his death.
+ Leonharde Marine, born & died 1846. She lived less than a month, and was buried in her mother's arms.
* Johan and Henrikke's children were:
+ Ida Amalie, born 1858, died 1930, married Peder Olsen in 1881. They had 6 children.
+ Leonharde Marie, born 1861, died 1944. See third generation info for further info.
+ Anna Magdalena, born 1862, died 1949, married Aksel Kjelsberg in 1890. They had 5 children.
+ Peter Magnus, born 1867, died 1956, married Margaret Priebke in 1891. They had 7 children.
* Third generation – Hans Henrik and Kaja Angell's children:
+ Henrick Bergthon, born 1862, died 1930, married Leonhard Marie Bordewich 1887. They had 3 children.
+ Eivind Sofus, born 1864, died 1948, married Valeria Unger in 1898. They had 2 children.
+ Richard Angell, born 1866, died 1898, married Jensine Mikalsen. They had 1 son.
+ Johanna Petrine, born 1867, died 1944, married Hans Lind. They had 2 chilren.
+ Harald Carlos, born 1870, died 1940, married three times. Married Jenny Olsen. They had 1 daughter. Married Dorothea Tesdal. They had 1 son. Married Anna Tesdal. They had 4 children.
+ Alfred, born 1872, died 1883.
+ Karen Robertine, born 1873, died 1952, married Paul Jensen in 1899. They had 5 children. She also married Otto Krogstad in 1932.
+ Helga Hagerup, born 1876, died 1946, married Sandrup Bang in 1895. They had one daughter.
* Fourth generation – Henrick Bergthon and Leonharde Marie's children:
+ Bjarne Borrdewick, born 1888, died 1950, married Mary Park 1917. They had two children.
+ Harald, born 1890, died 1950.
+ Hans Henrik, born 1892, died 1957, married Winnifred Atwaters in 1919. They had no children.
* Bjarne and Mary had two sons, George and Henry. George was my grandfather. He and his wife had four children, and they have two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He died in 1991. His younger brother, Henry, died in 1942. He never married or had any children.
What I don't know:
* The information I'm most craving is to learn exactly who Hans Henrich's parents were back in Germany. There is some speculation he may have changed his name to Hans Henrich, possibly after someone else in his family.
The descendants of Hans Henrich and Anna Magdalena have been well-traced, but I'm always open to hearing more about them, or finding new branches I was unaware of, so if any of these names seem familiar, feel free to contact me.
Other information about this branch of the family:
Old Surname Posts –
* Bordevick
* Bordewick
Where We're From Posts –
* Where We're From – United States
* Where We're From – Canada
* Where We're From – Germany
* Where We're From – England
* Where We're From – Norway
* Where We're From – Waystations
Other -
* The Bordewick Family
* Four Generations
* Johan Petter Bordewick – Most Prolific Male Ancestor
* Bardoweick
* Women's History Month – Week 1
* Women's History Month – Week 5
* For Vetran's Day: Henry Norman Bordewick
Surname Saturday 2.0: The Hillingers
So I've decided to restart my Surname Saturday Posts. Several of our family stories are well worth telling, especially the stories of the names, or at least where the names came from (or where we think they came from).
Again, I'm going to work backward in time with these, starting with my maiden name, Hillinger. These will be less list-form, and more story-form, and hopefully someone out there will recognize the people mentioned in these stories. Most of them have been recounted by me in the past, but hopefully there will be some new information here to help others connect to these stories.
The Hillinger Family
The Hillinger surname has been passed down through three (now four with my sister's two children) generations of our family line, but that spelling started when my grandfather, Sam Hillinger, came to the US with his family in about 1934.
His line were Ashkanazi Jews, and both of his parents were born in a former Germanic state called Galicia in Eastern Europe, which was the southern tip of Poland and part of western Ukraine. Sam and all of his siblings were born in Frankfurt, Germany. When things became difficult for the Jews in Germany, his father decided to move the family to the US. It's why my family survived when so many did not. We were very lucky.
In Germany, the Hillinger name was spelled with only one L, and pronounced quite differently—Hil-een-ger, as opposed to Hil-lin-jer, the way we pronounce it now. When the family arrived in the US, they changed the spelling slightly to make it easier for Americans to pronounce it, I believe the story goes.
Sam's father, Alex, however, was not born a Hilinger. That was his mother's surname. His father's surname was Seneft. The Seneft family moved from Galicia to England sometime in his childhood, and Alex finished growing up in London.
The outbreak of World War I made his family enemy aliens. Though they had lived in England for at least ten years at the beginning of the war, none of them were citizens, and as such, we know that Alex at the very least was sent to a camp for enemy aliens—a place called Camp Douglas—during the war. After the war, still not a citizen, Alex was expelled from England, and chose to return to Germany, settling in Frankfurt.
This was where his name changed. Once back in Germany, he was informed that, for civil purposes, his name could not legally be Seneft, as his parents had married in a religious ceremony, but not a civil one. In other words, being a Jew meant that his parents' wedding was not recognized by the state. And so Alex Seneft became Alex Hillinger.
The Hillinger line is as follows, for those interested:
* Mindel Hilinger married Leon Seneft sometime in the mid 1800s, likely in Galicia.
* They had at least five children, three boys and two girls: Alex, Jennie, Annie, Jack, and a third son whose name I currently do not know. I believe all the children were born in Galicia.
* Of their five children, only two had children of their own.
* Alex and his wife, Dora, had six children: Ben, Mina, Sam, Helena, Hilda (aka Peppi), and Selma, all born in Frankfurt, Germany.
* Five of the six of Alex and Dora's children had children, and that line flourished in the US, and still thrives there today, mostly in Seattle and Chicago.
* The unnamed son had about five kids. Three or four sons, most or all of whom died in World War II, and a daughter named Kitty.
* Sam's notes tell me that his unnamed uncle stayed in England, and that at least one of his children (his daughter) had children, at least one of whom is now residing in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What I don't know:
* I'm still not sure where the Hilinger line came from. Mindel is the only one of her family I have. She may have been from Austria, where the name seems to be very popular.
* I'm also not sure about when the Senefts moved from Galicia to England, or where they lived in Galicia, though I do currently have two town names, neither of which I can pinpoint on a map. The record for Alex's birth in the Hilinger family book he and Dora made gives his birthplace as Sedziszow, Galicia. A World War II draft card I found for his brother Jack lists his birthplace as Shendeskov, Poland (I assume Galicia as well, as it was no longer a state by the time he would have filled out the draft card). I'm still uncertain of the birthplaces and dates of the other three Seneft children.
* I also still don't know about Kitty's father, the unnamed Seneft brother, or any of her family line except for the cousin who currently lives in Canada, and whom I believe is her son.
I'd love to hear from anyone who knows any information I don't have on here.
Other information about this branch of the family:
Brick Wall Posts -
* Brickwall Ancestors
* Brickwall Update – the Seneft/Hillingers
* Brick Wall Update
* Brick Walls –a different listing
* Brick Wall Update
* Brick Wall Update 2012
Old Surname Posts –
* Hillinger
* Seneft
Where We're From Posts –
* Where We're From – United States
* Where We're From – Germany
* Where We're From – England
* Where We're From – Waystations
* Where We're From – Galicia
* Where We're From – The Unknown
Other -
* The Life of Sam Hillinger as told by Maggie Hillinger
* Searching for: Galician Town Names
* Women's History Month – Week 1
* Women's History Month – Week 3
* On Jewish Names and Naming Traditions
* Hillinger Family History
World War II Draft Cards
Though I know a lot about my great-grandfathers' stories, I thought I knew enough to believe that neither American great-grandfather would have any military record, least of all in the US. Both were too old by the time World War II broke out, and only one was in the US during the first World War, and I know that he'd returned to Denmark and married soon after, so he had not served.
But I was randomly browsing through records on Ancestry the other day and found a record for a "Holger Hansen" with a World War II Draft card. The information looked like it could be him, but it made no sense, so I decided to investigate further. I was lucky enough to find the same listing at Family Search.org, and followed the link through. When I did, I got a shock. Not only was there a record of the record, but they had an actual image of it as well. Sure enough, the card was for my great-grandfather, Holger, who was 50 when he signed the card. Surprised but thrilled, I copied the information into my records for safekeeping.
Then it occurred to me that if Holger had a card, it was possible that Alex or his brother or even my grandfather or any of my great-uncles might also have a card in that collection. I was surprised to find none for my grandfather or anyone near his age, but I did find one for my other great-grandfather under the name Elias—the only time outside of Germany I've seen the name used for him. I suppose it makes sense, given that it was a formal document, but it was still great to see. I also found one for his brother, Jack.
I thought it odd to find this sort of record, especially for Alex. Jack and Holger were likely healthy enough, if in their 50s, but it does surprise me that Alex was made to sign one, given that he must have had his stroke by that point. When I looked into the records further, I discovered the reason. These were a special batch of cards for older men, ages 45-64 from many states throughout the US. It was called the "Fourth Draft" or "Old Man's Draft." More information about how and why these were collected can be found here at Family Search. The collection itself can be found here at Family Search.
All this goes to say that you never know about your ancestors until you look. Just because you're certain they never served doesn't mean there's no record of them during the wars they were alive in. Always check just to be sure. And certainly, if you had a male relation in the US in 1942, it's well worth looking into. It's particularly good for determining where that person was living, their birthdate, and may include a relation or close family friend that might lead to further information. Do make sure to look at the next slide as well, because the backs of the cards had more information--basic characteristics, as well as special, and in some cases this can provide a fascinating insight on your ancestor.
Brick Wall Update 2012
It's been a while since I updated my brick wall search. While I haven't gotten much further on some branches since my last update, I think they will go on the back burner, so that I can focus more on getting information on my great-grandparents and their parents, and leave any more researched lines out for now.
So here's my Brick Walls as they stand:
The Seneft/Senft/Hilingers
I still haven't determined where exactly Sedziszow, Galicia is. I have a few possible locations, all in various parts of Galicia. I seem to come up with new places in Poland every time I look up the town. At the moment, I'm inclined to believe that they lived in the area north of Krakow (the blue tags are all possible locations that come up when I look up the town name.)
I also don't know if Alec's siblings were all born in that same town as he was, or what his second brother's name was. I do have a couple of relations I should try to get into contact with to see if they have that recorded somewhere.
I do not know when the Senefts moved to England, only that they were there before World War I. I have a record for a gravesite for "Minne Seneft" in London, with a transcription reading "Loving daughter Jennie," which may well be Alec's mother Mindel and his sister Jennie, which means they would have been there before 1913, when the grave marker says she died. This fits in with them having left in the late 1800s sometime, so I'm inclined to believe this is her.
I know the fate of three children if I include Alec. I have a record of Jennie's immigration to the US in 1916. The record also includes the name of her brother, Jack, who I know was also already in New York City at the time, and her father's name (Leon) and his address in London. I also think I have found a gravesite for Jack in New York, though I have not confirmed that grave, either.
Alec was sent to Camp Douglas, though whether he was sent there alone, or others of his family went there as well, I'm still not sure. We currently have three photos of Alec while he was at the Camp (though one I'm less certain of than the other two), both of which are addressed to his brother Jack.
We also have a family book about Alec and Dora's family which includes a few details of their parents' lives, including Alec's mother Mindel, though all it really mentions is that she was last living in London. Leon is not mentioned at all because by the time the book was written up, Alec had reverted to his mother's surname as his parents were married only in a religious ceremony, and their offspring were therefore not recognized as legitimate by the German government.
The last formal record I have of Leon is his name on Alec and Dora's wedding invitation, which means that I know he was alive in 1919, and my grandfather stated he was dead by the time he was born in 1922, so I am still looking for some kind of grave marker for Leon in London, as I believe he lived there until his death. I know he was a Rabbi from family stories, so he may have been buried someplace special, but for now, that's all I have.
I wish I could find more record of the Senefts in London, and even more information about Alec's time in Camp Douglas. I'd love to know more about Alec and Dora's life in Frankfurt, but likely most of those records were lost during the war, and I'm grateful for what I do know, at least.
As for Mindel and Leon, I have no record of them before London. I hope at some point, I'll find something, but for now, I think that's unlikely.
The Kresch/Reich family
Most of what I know about Dora's family, I've learned in the last two years, and comes from a couple of photos and the family book.
I know that Dora was born in Czudek, a small town in Galicia (now Poland) near Rezeszow, and her father seemed to be a teacher according the family book. I know that she had at least one sibling, though relations have mentioned she had more. I only have the name for one, though, her sister Minna, who came to Frankfurt with her shortly after World War I.
I believe their father, Benzion, died before the girls moved to Frankfurt, though not sure when exactly. Their mother, Fiege Golda (not entirely sure what she went by), moved to Frankfurt at some point. Not sure if she moved with her daughters, or later to be close to them. I believe she lived in Frankfurt until she died in the late 20s or early 30s. I do know that she was also on Alec and Dora's wedding invitation, but her husband was not. This means she was alive in 1919 definitely, while he was likely not.
Unfortunately, both Kresch and Reich are far more common than Seneft and Hilinger for this area, so in this case I actually suffer from an excess of too many records, and not being able to narrow things down enough, even with a specific location for Dora's birth.
And like Mindel and Leon, I know almost nothing about Benzion and Fiege Golda before their daughter's birth.
I think my main problem with both families is that names were very fluid in this time and area. Both in writing and in how they were referred to. In formal records, you used one name, in every day life, another, so depending on who was writing the record, you would see a very different name. Not to mention the language barrier of the Hebrew/Polish/German mix, along with other dialects spoken in the area. I'm working on getting it all sorted out, but it will definitely take time to do.
The Rasmus Hansen family
This branch is going on the back burner. I've managed to get a better record of Rasmus's parents. I've found him and his parents in three separate census records, and on Maren Sofie's side, I have both her parents as well, if not precise records at the moment. It's enough for now.
This will probably get some attention anyway, though, because I'm slowly piecing together Oline's life for the book I'm writing about her, so more research will need to be done at some point.
The Park/Curran family
This one is also going on the back burner. While I haven't gotten any further on the Park side, I have managed to get the names of both of Elizabeth Curran's grandfathers. And I'm definitely back before my great-great grandparents, even if not in great detail, so I think I can wait on this branch a little longer.
The Jones family
This is the last of the family branches I'm going to focus on now. Most of what I know of this branch comes from my aunt and my grandmother, and family photos. But I know almost nothing about my great grandfather's parents before his birth.
I have birth dates and locations locations for both. Benjamin was born in 1865 in Caio, Wales, and Hannah was born Hannah Griffiths in 1863 in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales. I believe both locations are in south western Wales, though using Google Maps has not helped much, as each time I look, I seem to find slightly different information, and at least one of the two seems to have more than one possible location. For my current assumptions, click here.
I believe they married sometime before 1882, and at some point the couple moved together to Merthyr Tydfil in South Eastern Wales where they had seven children. I believe all of them were born in Merthyr Tydfil, and that Daniel, my great-grandfather, was the eldest.
Both their first and last names are incredibly common, which makes finding them without more specific information almost impossible at the moment. Trying to narrow down the areas of their birth is nearly impossible, even though I have locations for both. It hasn't stopped me from trying, but it is making it very difficult. I just wish I knew at least one sibling or parent for each of them. It would help narrow things down a lot.
I suppose my next step for this branch will be to get a subscription on a British site to get access to British birth, death and census records.
The Gabriel/Howells/Roberts Family
Another branch that can wait, as I have quite a bit of information on this family. Less so on the Roberts side, but that's still a step further back than I need to go right now.
As always, any help with any of these branches would be greatly appreciated.