Prose and Passion: family history people

A who is who with entries containing biographies of ancestors or close relatives, sorted geographically by the major branches of the family tree. Within each area, family names are sorted alphabetically, but people with the same name chronologically (older first). Work in progress.

A. Schlesien (Silesia) 1/16 of our family tree

Johann Friedrich Richard Groß (1852-1913) - the railway clerk.

Heinrich Groß (1882-1958) - the cellist featured in the first chapter of my musical memoir.

B. Baden 1/32

Maria Pfersching (1881-1961) - also featured in chapter 1 of my musical memoir.

C. Palatinate 1/32

Maria Johanna Bondam / Bonnedame (1737-1798) - Huguenot from Merlheim, which was a Huguenot settlement in the Palatinate.

Philipp Bouquet (born ca. 1655 died before 1713) - Huguenot from the pays de l'Alloeu, a small patch of land just west of Lille (today in north of France) to the Palatinate.

Eva Hust (1762-1837) - emigrated to the Black Sea and became founding mother of the Klundt Clan.

Johannes Klundt (1759-1833) - emigrated to the Black Sea and became founding father of the Klundt Clan.

Johann Christoph Simon (1707-1756) - migrating miner (from Fischbach/Nahe to Markirch / Sainte Marie aux Mines).

D. Lower Rhine / Ruhr / Lahn 1/32

see also the Krefeld Clan and the Düsselmann tag.

Karl Düsselmann (1841-1927) - foreman in the Krefeld silk industry, wearer of multiple military medals although details of his heroic deeds haven't been reported.

August Düsselmann (1845-1899) - decorator, volunteer firefighter and founding director of Krefeld's professional fire brigade.

Walter Düsselmann (1882-1943) - seafarer involved in several dangerous journeys, including the arms run of the Aud and the burning of the Volturno.

Julius Düsselmann (1883-1950) - enterprising businessman of variable fortunes.

Esther Düsselmann - travelling saleswoman.

Leonhard Jacob / Linard Jacque (mayor of Fachbach 1697-1701) - expert steel worker from Wallonia who came to Fachbach / Lahn when steel industry started there.

Johann de la Strada (born ca. 1680) - gardener at Schloss Oranienstein, Diez from 1712 – 1724.

E. Hunsrück 3/32

i.e. the Kauer and Imig clans.

Christoph Gottlieb Kauer (1845-1909) - the station master of Adamsweiler, Alsace.

Friedrich Kauer (1849-1921) - founding headteacher of a specialist school for the deaf-mute in Wriezen, Oder.

Johanna Kauer - custodian of family history.

Helene Kauer (1885-1972) - didn't get the opportunity to study but made sure her daughters did.

Christoph Gottlieb Kauer (bottom left) and his siblings from the family album of his eldest daughter Johanna

Johann Conrad Mohr (married 1611 died 1635 of the plague) - the Landschreiber of the duke of Simmern.

Contz Schmidt (15th century) - the earliest firmly established date in all of our family history: in 1468 he obtained a heritable leasehold for a watermill on the river Nahe in Kirn, which he used to sharpen tools. Not sure what the English expression is but in German he is referred to as a Schleifmüller.

Peter Siegel (1485-1560) - first Lutheran vicar of Kirn (Wikipedia.de).

Johannes Weiß (1704-1772) - the vicar of Eckweiler (see generation 9 in the Weiss chronicles).

Johann Gottlieb Weiß (1736-1800) - the mayor of Pferdsfeld (see generation 8 in the Weiss chronicles).

Christian Gottlieb Weiß (1782-1867) - teacher in several places, the last of which was Simmern unter Dhaun; earliest born ancester of whom we have a photo (see generation 7 in the Weiss chronicles).

Maria Katharina Weiß, born in 1786, married Georg Philipp Rieth (1784-1843) and emigrated to Brazil in 1829, where the couple has lots of descendants.

Sophie Weiß (1815-1862) - last in our Weiss lineage and founding mother of the Kauer clan.

Karl Henrich Weyland (1744/45-1796)- our most recent Jewish ancestor; see also my entry about his very lovely home town of Idstein.