Gibbs's Rule 39

Having watched 12 seasons of NCIS, I have become familiar with Leroy Jethro Gibbs's Rules. I think Rule 39 is appropriate for this post. It first appeared in episode 21 of season 7, in case you were dying to know. The rule is: "There is no such thing as a coincidence." We all know that there really are coincidences, but it does make a good "rule of thumb" for genealogists to live by.

Two posts ago (was that only yesterday?) I presented the marriage record of Catharina Elisabeth Rödiger, newly found sister of Justus, George and Conrad Tobias Rödiger. She was married to Jakob Lotz in Bochum, Westfalen on 4 Jan 1873, 200 km from her home town of Tann, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Hesse.

On the same day (in the record immediately following that of Catharina Elisabeth Rödiger) was the following record:

In the following, I have included the German text of the headers as well as of the content in case you are curious about the language and terminology. A couple of surnames may not be translated correctly--these registrars had a nasty habit of falling in and out of Gothic and Roman script in mid sentence--and are signified by "(?)" following the name. I haven't gotten use to that yet.  [Note that blue type signifies the column headings and red type the content of the record under consideration.]

Column 1

Vor- und Zunamen und Stand des Bräutigams, auch Wohnort desselben:

der Burgmann, Nikolaus Rödiger zu Altenbochum, evang.

First and last name and occupation of the bridegroom, also the same's residence:

the coal miner, Nikolaus Rödiger, at Altenbochum, Lutheran. [Altebochum is just a km or two east of Bochum]

----

Column 2

Namen, Stand und Wohnort der Eltern:

der verstorbene Justus Rödiger und seine Ehefrau Anna Catharina Gohsmann(?)

Name, ocupation and residence of his parents:

the deceased Justus Rödiger and his wife, Anna Catharina Gohsmann(?)

----

Column 3

Alter des Bräutigams:

30 J. (geb. 20. März 1842) zu Tann

Age of the bridegroom:

30 years old. (born on 20 March 1842) at Tann

----

Column 4

Ob Eltern oder Vormund die Einwilligung geben, und wie solches geschehen:

Mutter mundlich

Whether the parents gave their consent, and if so, in what form:

mother gave oral consent

----

Column 5

Ob er verehelicht gewesen und wie die Ehe getrennt worden:

Ja. [I think this says: Sie tote] am 18. September 1872 verstorben Anna Margretha geb Gronewald(?)

Whether he was previously married, and how the marriage union was separated/broken:

Yes. [If so it would mean: She is dead] on 18 September 1872 Anna Margretha née Gronewald(?) died

----

Column 6

Vor- und Zunamen und Wohnort der Braut:

Anna Margaretha Falls zu Altenbochum, evang.

First and last name of the bride:

Anna Margaretha Falls at Altenbochum, Lutheran.

----

Column 7

Namen, Stand und Wohnort der Eltern der Braut:

der verstorben Nikolaus Falls und Catharina Elisabeth Neuber zu Tann

Name, occupation and residence of the bride's parents:

the deceased Nikolaus Falls and Catharina Elisabeth Neuber at Tann

----

Column 8

Alter der Braut:

28 J. (geb. 7 October 1844)

Age of the bride:

28 years old (born 7 October 1844)

----

Column 9

Ob Eltern oder Vormund die Einwilligung geben, und wie solches geschehen:

Mutter schriftlich

Whether the parents gave their consent, and if so, in what form:

mother gave written consent

----

Column 10

Ob sie verehelicht gewesen und wie die Ehe getrennt worden:

Nein

Whether she was previously married, and how the marriage union was separated/broken:

No

----

Column 11

Tag der Copulation:

der 4. (vierter) Januar [1873]

Day of the marriage:

on the 4th of January [1873]

----

Column 12

Name des Predigers, der die Copulation verrichtet:

Kleppel

Name of the preacher who performed the wedding ceremony:

Kleppel

----

Column 13 (not included in the image of the record above to allow the pertinent text to be a bit larger, but presented below to show that there is indeed a column to record appropriate remarks.)

Bemerkungen:

[Blank]

Remarks:

[Blank]

So, a girl from Tann named Rödiger, who solidly connects to our family, is married in a town 200 km away, and on the same day, in the same town/church and by the same preacher, a man named Nikolaus Rödiger, son of a Justus Rödiger from Tann is also married.

Is it just a coincidence? or should we invoke Rule 39?

This Nikolaus Rödiger is six years older than Catharina Elisabeth, having been born in 1842. His father's name is Justus (August) Rödiger. I only have one Rödiger in my tree by that name. That being the son of Johann Tobias Rödiger, who was born in 1850.

If Catharina Elisabeth and Nikolaus were married on the same day and in the same place, and Rule 39 applies, then I would guess that they were closely related. It is possible that their fathers were brothers and since I have no siblings of Catharina's father in my tree, the possibility of this is VERY real.
And if this is true then Catharina Elisabeth and Nikolaus were first cousins.

I WILL pursue this when I go to Kassel.

Death Record of Catharina Elisabeth (Rödiger) Lotz

This is the record that established that Conrad Tobias Rödiger/Roediger did indeed have an older full sister. I have had to extrapolate the header info from the info contained in the columns, but with the help of a friend at the South East Ohio Historical Society in Athens, Ohio I have learned what caused her death

#110--
Column 1 [deceased's name and immediate family]--Catharina Elisabeth Lotz geb. Rödiger, Tochter die Eheleute Tobias Rödiger und Anna Margaretha Eichenauer zu Tann; Ehefrau des Puddler Jakob Lotz
Catharina Elisabeth Lotz, née Rödiger, daughter of the married couple Tobias Rödiger and Anna Margaretha Eichenauer of Tann; wife of the Puddler*, Jakob Lotz

Column 2 [deceased's occupation and residence]--Ehefrau, Bochum
Wife, residing in Bochum

Column 3 [age and birthdate]--25 [Jahre alt], geb 28 November 1848
25 years old, born 28 Nov 1848

Column 4 [relationship of informant]--der Ehemann
the husband

Column 5 [date and time of death]--18 achtzehnter Juli, Abends 6 Uhr
18 July [1874], 6 in the evening

Column 6 [cause of death]--Schwindsucht
consumption/tuberculosis

Column 7 [date and place of burial]--21 Juli; Bochum
21 July [1874], in Bochum

*See the previous post for an explanation of the occupation of Puddler

By comparing this record, with that of her marriage record (see previous post), it becomes clear that she had only been married for one and a half years when she died. I'm no expert on TB, but my understanding is that usually a person lives a year or more before succumbing to the disease, so it is likely that Catharina Elisabeth had the disease before she was married or contracted it afterwards, but she probably suffered with it for most of her married life.

The question of whether she had any children was answered by the record immediately above her own death record.

#109--
Column 1 [deceased's name and immediate family]--Johann Georg Heinrich Conrad Lotz, Sohn der Eheleute Puddler Jacob Lotz und Catharina Elizabeth Rödiger
Johann Georg Heinrich Conrad Lotz, son of the married couple, the Puddler Jacob Lotz and Catharina Elizabeth Rödiger

Column 2 [deceased's occupation and residence]--Kind, Bochum
Child, residing in Bochum

Column 3 [age and birthdate]--geb. 30. November 1873
0 years old, born 30 Nov 1873

Column 4 [relationship of informant]--die Eltern
the parents

Column 5 [date and time of death]--17 siebenzehnten Juli, Abends 1/2 11 Uhr
17 July [1874], 10:30 in the evening

Column 6 [cause of death]--Brechreiz
diarrea and vomiting [often referred to in 19th century America as cholera infantum, a common cause of infant death]--this explanation is also curtesy of my friend at SEOHS

Column 7 [date and place of burial]--21 Juli; Bochum
21 July [1874], in Bochum

Next post will contain a surprise wrapped in a mystery, coming as it does from the same page as Jakob Lotz and Catharina Elisabeth Rödiger's marriage record in Bochum.

Reunited with Conrad Tobias Roediger's Sister

As you probably know if you have been reading these posts, my great grandfather was Conrad Tobias Roediger, son of Johann Tobias and Anna Margaretha Eichenauer. Our family has been aware that Conrad Tobias had three older brothers and a half-sister from his father's first marriage. And while a 19 year gap between the birth of his half-sister and the death of his father's first wife would suggest that Conrad Tobias may have had other half-siblings of whom we are unaware, we have always assumed that the full-siblings of Conrad Tobias Roediger were all accounted for, until now.

The timeline of the marriage of Johann Tobias Rödiger and Anna Margaretha Eichenauer and the birth of their children help to illustrate:

25 Dec 1847 Marriage of JT Rödiger and AM Eichenauer in Tann, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Hesse

22 Sep 1850 Infant Baptism of Gustav "Justus" Rödiger in Tann

24 May 1854 Birth of George Rödiger/Roediger in Tann

18 Mar 1866 Birth of Conrad Tobias Rödiger/Roediger in Tann

As you can see, there is time between each event above to squeeze in another birth. However, there was no information, either from the family or found in documents, to suggest that there were in fact other children--
until I accidentally stumbled across a death record for a Catharine Elisabeth Lotz in Bochum, Westfalen, a city over 200 km from Tann.

I am still working on the exact translation of that record. However, that discovery led me to her marriage record, which was easier for me to read, so I will start with it:

The record says:
#2--The name and profession of the groom: Der Pudler Jakob Lotz zu Bochum, evang.
Jakob Lotz was a Pudler or Puddler (this was a man who worked in a foundry, stirring the molten pig iron to introduce oxygen into it, thus hastening the burn off of carbon), his residence is Bochum and he was of the Lutheran faith.

Name, occupation and residence of the groom's parents: der farbrikarbeiter Conrad Lotz und seine Ehefrau Catharina geb Krause zu Bochum
Jakob's father was a factory worker, Conrad Lotz, and his mother was Catharina née Krause. They lived in Bochum

Age of the groom: 27 J. (geb. 13. Febr. 1845)
Jakob was 27, born on 13 Feb 1845

Whether Jakob's parents or guardians gave their consent and in what form: Vater mündlich
Jakob's father gave oral consent

Whether the groom was previously married: Nein
Jakob was not previously married

Name and residence of the bride: Catharina Elisabeth Rödiger zu Tann, evang.
Catharina Elisabeth Rödiger, of Tann, and of the Lutheran faith

Name, occupation and residence of the bride's parents: der Landbauer Tobias Rödiger und seine Ehefrau Anna Margaretha Eichenauer zu Tann
Catharina Elisabeth's parents were the farmer, Tobias Rödiger and his wife, Anna Margaretha Eichenauer of Tann

Age of the bride: 24 J. (geb. 28. Novbr. 1848)
Catharina Elisabeth was 24, born 28 Nov 1848

Whether Catharina Elisabeth's parents or guardians gave their consent and in what form: Vater schriftlich
Catharina's father wrote his consent

Whether the bride was previously married: Nein
Catharina was not previously married

Date of Marriage: der 4. (vierter) Januar [1873]
4 Jan 1873

Name of the preacher who performed the ceremony: Kleppel
-----------------
If you would like a copy of this record, just let me know.
-----------------
Below is an updated Timeline which now includes Catharina Elisabeth:

25 Dec 1847 Marriage of JT Rödiger and AM Eichenauer in Tann, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Hesse

28 Nov 1848 Catharina Elisabeth Rödiger

22 Sep 1850 Infant Baptism of Gustav "Justus" Rödiger in Tann

24 May 1854 Birth of George Rödiger/Roediger in Tann

18 Mar 1866 Birth of Conrad Tobias Rödiger/Roediger in Tann
----------------
My next post will provide Catharina Elisabeth's death record, which provides some additional information and a couple of new surprises.

Civil and Church Death Record for Anna Margaretha (Lötz) Rödiger

On the same page of the Tann Church Death Record book as the death record of George Roediger's first wife, Anna Martha Scheuch and their 9th child, Anna Katharina, is the death record for Anna Margaretha (Lötz) Rödiger, wife of the Bürgermeister, Justus Rödiger. They died just 2 months apart.

Today, I am going to provide an Auszug (Abstract) of the facts from Anna Margaretha (Lötz) Rödiger's death record as provide by the church in Tann, and then take a look at the Civil Record of her death which I found on ancestry.com

Tann Tod Kirchenbuch (Tann Death Church Book) p. 192 (1886)

Record #: 837

House Number of the Deceased: House # 8

Name: Roediger, Anna Margaretha

Maiden Name: Lotz

Birthplace: Meckbach

Birth Date: 16 October 1849

Death Date: 8 April 1886

Burial Date: 10 April 1886

Husband: The farmer/peasant and current mayor, Justus Rödiger

Sterberegister und Namensverzeichnisse, Mecklar
(Civil Death Register and Name Directories, from Mecklar)

This says (as best I can make out):

Page 14, Number 14

Mechlar, on the 8th of April 1886

Before the official who signed, today, the peasant/farmer George Rödiger, who lives in Tann, indicated that Anna Margaretha Rödiger was born Lotz, wife of Mayor Justus Rödiger, [she was] 36 years, 6 months, 22 days old; of the Protestant religion, living in House #8; [she was] born in Meckbach.

[She was] the daughter of the deceased musician, Eckhardt Lotz and his wife, Eva Elisabeth, born Apel.

[She died] in her home on the 8th of April, 1886 at 11 o'clock in the morning.

[The next sentence is obscure to me. I can not make out one word, which is making the entire sentence unclear--hope to get some help on this soon. But the German that I can read is "Anzeiger ??? aus eigener Wissenschaft unterrichtet." I think that the gist is that George is stating that he has personal knowledge of the facts.]

Pre-read, approved, and signed, George Rödiger

The Civil Servant, [signature]

The conformity with the main register, Mecklar, on the 8th of April 1886

The Civil Servant, [signature]

SUMMARY

In addition to the information contained in the church record, in this document we learn who Anna Margretha's parents were, including her mother's maiden name, and the fact that her father was a musician by occupation.

What is curious to me is why her husband's brother, George, was the informant. Perhaps, the spouse was not permitted to provide this statement, or perhaps Justus was too overcome with grief to provide it.

It is sad to realize that less than 2 months later George's own wife would die from complications of childbirth.

In case you don't have access to Google Maps or Google Earth to see where Tann is in relationship to Meckbach and Mecklar, check out this map snapshot:

Coming Soon--

Meet the sister of Justus, George and Conrad Rödiger that we never knew they had until a few days ago!

New Information Has Surfaced!!

Before diving into creating new posts I have a little "old business" to take care of.

In my last post (July of 2014) I concluded with a section entitled: "Other things to note."

Within that section I said:

1) Conrad's father was, as far as we know at this point, born in 1797. He married Anna Heyer in 1828 at the age of 30. I almost hate to bring this up, but he could have been married even before his marriage to Anna Heyer and had other children. A more exact translation of the marriage document may confirm or deny such an hypothesis. I'm working on it.

From the records subsequently obtained from the Lutheran Church Archive in Kassel, I can now say with certainty that Johann Conrad Rödiger was born on 7 Sep 1797 in Tann and baptized on the 10th at the Tann Lutheran Church. The exact date of his marriage to Anna Eva Heyer was 7 Apr 1828 also at the Tann Lutheran Church. It is also made clear from his subsequent marriage to Anna Margaretha Eichenauer that he was only married twice, so while my thoughts about a possible earlier marriage was reasonable, it is not true.

I further stated in the last post:

2) Anna Katharina was born 10 months after Johann's marriage to Anna Heyer, certainly making her the first child of that marriage. As she is named in all the family records we have, along with Justus, George and Conrad, it also appears that she was the only surviving child of that marriage.

Appearances can be deceiving. I now know that there was a daughter born to JT and Anna Margaretha Eichenauer which no one in the family seems to have been aware of (see below). So, why not other children from JT and Anna Eva Heyer's 19 year marriage, of which we only know about Anna Katharina. I will explore this more thoroughly when I visit the Archive in April so STAY TUNED.

Catharina Elisabeth Lotz nee Rödiger, daughter of the ??? Tobias Rödiger and Anna Margaretha Eichenauer of Tann, spouse of the ??? Jacob Lotz; born 28 November 1848; died 18 July [1874] at 6 in the evening; buried 21 July [1874]

(I will endeavor to get the difficult words translated, but the ??? marks probably stand for the occupations of these men.)

And lastly I wrote:

3) Anna Katharina married Friedrich Eichenauer (date as yet unknown--but it is on my list. Our records show that Friedrich was born in 1824 in Tann. That would make him just about 3 years older than his wife's step-mother, Anna Margaretha Eichenauer. It is certainly possible that Friedrich and Margaretha were siblings, or at the very least, cousins.

Their marriage took place 5 Oct 1851 in Tann. Friedrich was born 7 Oct 1824 in Niederthalhausen, a neighboring village and baptized there 17 Oct 1824. And it is now certain from Anna Margaretha Eichenauer and Johann Friedrich Eichenauer's baptismal records that they were indeed siblings.