Research Highlights

[CLIENT] HeitzBecker1711 BT1602105 13 April 2018

Research Highlights

GOALS

Locate the death records for Jean/Johann Heitz and his wife, Francoise/Francisca Becker, both after 1826 in Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, France. Acquire the birth records for Jean/Johann Heitz and his siblings. Locate their parents’ marriage. Obtain the birth records for Francoise/Francisca Becker and her siblings. Locate their parents’ marriage. If time allows, identify the birth records for the siblings of Madeline Esch in Steinbourg. Locate their parents’ marriage.

PROGRESS

Discovered the 1848 death registration for Francoise Brocker [sic], wife of Jean Heitz. Her age suggested a 1779 birth date in Steinbourg. Her parents were listed as Jean Brocker and Marie Anne Schmitt, both deceased. Obtained the 1852 death registration for Jean Heitz. His age suggested a birth year of 1776 in Steinbourg. His wife was listed as Francoise Brucker; his parents were Antoine Heitz and Barbe Keiser, both deceased. Located the 1778 baptism of Jean Stephan Heitz, along with those of eight siblings between 1776 and 1787. Learned that his mother, Barbe Keiser, died in 1788. Her husband remarried later that year to Anne Marie Ehemann. Discovered three children born to this couple between 1789 and 1792. In order to complete this family group, it will be necessary to search the Steinbourg civil registration birth records from 1793 forward. Searched the Steinbourg Catholic records for a baptism of Francoise Becker/Brucker during the years 1777-1781 and 1785-1789 (two years on either side of her reported birth dates/ages). No record was found. Located baptisms of two siblings in the late 1780s, prompting a search of the Catholic records for her parents’ marriage. Unearthed the 1774 marriage of Francoise’s parents, Jean Brugger [sic] and Anne Marie Schmitt.

Finally found Francoise Brucker’s baptism in 1783, along with five siblings born between 1775 and 1789. Searching the birth and baptism records from 1790-1802 revealed that this was the complete family group. Located three additional children born to Antoine Heitz and Anne Marie Ehrmann. The youngest child was born in 1801. Identified the deaths of Antoine Heitz and Anne Marie Ehrmann in 1826 and 1833, respectively. Her death record included the names of her parents, Michel Ehrmann and Catherine Zimmenau[?]. Discovered the marriage of Jean Georges Esch and Catherine Vierling in 1776 in Steinbourg.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Search the Steinbourg birth and baptism records for the children of Jean Georges Esch and Catherine Vierling, circa 1776 and later. a. Locate the baptism records for Jean Georges Esch and his siblings. Identify their parents’ marriage. b. Locate the baptism records for Catherine Vierling and her siblings. Identify their parents’ marriage. 2. Identify the baptism of Francois Christ, circa 12 February 1776 in Longeville-les-St. Avold, Moselle, France. a. Locate the baptisms of Francois Christ’s siblings. Identify their parents’ marriage. 3. Search for the marriage of Anne Marie Ehrmann to Michel Gries between 1775 and 1788 in Steinbourg. a. Identify the death record for Michel Gries before 1788. b. Locate any children born to this couple between 1775 and 1788. c. Obtain the baptism record for Anne Marie Ehrmann, circa 1757 in Steinbourg. d. Identify the baptisms of her siblings and the marriage of her parents, Michel Ehrmann and Catherine Zimmenau[?]. e. Locate the death records for Michel Ehrmann and Catherine Zimmenau[?] before 1833 in Steinbourg. 4. Search for the baptism of Barbe Keiser, the first wife of Antoine Heitz, before 1758. She was probably born in Hultehouse, Moselle, France, her father’s reported death place. a. Identify the death records of her parents, Jacob Kaiser and Marie Catherine Stempffer, in Hultehouse. b. Locate baptisms of any other children born to this couple. 5. Identify the Catholic marriage record for Jacob Kaiser and Marie Catherine Stempffer. 6. Obtain the baptism record for Antoine Heitz, circa 1750 in Steinbourg. a. Identify the baptisms of his siblings and the marriage of his parents, Antoine Heitz and Catherine Ritter. 7. Locate the death records for Antoine Heitz [Sr.] and Catherine Ritter before 1826 in Steinbourg. Antoine Heitz [Sr.] may have died on 16 Vendimare year VI (1797/8), or before 1793. The later deaths for this name have already been reviewed. 2

Research Report

The purpose of this research session was to continue extending the client’s Heitz ancestry (and related lines) in Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, France. The client’s goals included first locating the death records for Jean Heitz and his wife Francoise Becker. The second goal was to locate records of the births or baptisms of this same couple. This would be followed by finding each of their siblings’ baptisms and their parents’ marriages. We were to spend any remaining time locating baptism records for the siblings of Madeline Esch, as well as finding her parents’ marriage.

Deaths of Jean Heitz and Francoise Becker

In order to locate the death records for Jean Heitz and his wife, Francoise, the 10-year civil registration indexes were searched. Since the couple’s youngest child was born in 1826, the search began there. It was common for a woman to be listed in these records under her maiden name, but she could also appear under her married surname. Thus, both the Heitz and Becker/Brucker surnames were checked.

The indexes for the years 1823-1832 and 1833-1842, revealed no matches for the ancestral Jean and Francoise. However, the third index from 1843-1852, while not including any possible records for Jean Heitz, showed two possible matches for Francoise, one under each surname. The 1852 death record for a Francoise Heitz was for the daughter of Antoine Heitz, which proved that she was not the ancestor. However, the 1848 death of Francoise Brocker [sic] indicated that she was the wife of Jean Heitz:1

1 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de décès 1848 - 4 E 478/9, death of Francoise Brocker, 4 May 1848, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 1. 3

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Civil Registration, Deaths, 1848, Entry no. 19 Decedent: Francoise Brocker, 70 years old, no profession, resident of Steinbourg, legitimate Died: 4 May 1848 in Steinbourg at 3 o’clock at night Born: Steinbourg Spouse: Jean Heitz Parents: Jean Brocker, died in Steinbourg, and Marie Anne Schmitt, died in Steinbourg Witnesses: Jean Heitz, 69 years old, husband of deceased; and Antoine Heitz, 42 years old, weaver, son of deceased

1848 death of Francoise Brocker, wife of Jean Heitz. DOCUMENT 1.

Francoise’s age in this record suggested that she was born around 1778. This was nine years earlier than the 1787 birth year that her marriage record suggested. This record also included the names of both of her parents, Jean Brocker and Marie Anne Schmitt, stating that both were already deceased.

Now that Francoise’s death record had been identified, the index search continued forward. The index for the years 1853-1862 was searched for Jean Heitz. His death was successfully

located in the year 1854.2 It was a surprise to find that his parents were not Wendelin Heitz and [Miss] Fischer, as his marriage record had suggested. Instead, his parents were listed as the deceased couple, Antoine Heitz and Barbe Keiser.

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Civil Registration, Deaths, 1854, Entry no. 16 Decedent: Jean Heitz, 76 years old, farmer, resident of Steinbourg, legitimate Died: 15 August 1854 in Steinbourg at 8 o’clock in the morning Born: Steinbourg Spouse: Francoise Brucker Parents: Antoine Heitz, died in Steinbourg, and Barbe Keiser, died in Steinbourg Witnesses: Jean Heitz, 43 years old, tailor, resident of Saverne, son of the deceased; and Ignace Heitz, 30 years old, farmer, resident of Steinbourg, son of deceased

1854 death of Jean Heitz. DOCUMENT 2.

Baptism of Jean Heitz

When the search began for the baptism of Jean Heitz, it was important to keep in mind both possible sets of parents. His birthdate had been reported as 20 December 1779, but no baptism record was found on or around that date. Ultimately, his baptism was identified

2 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de décès 1854 - 4 E 478/10, death of Jean Heitz, 15 August 1854, entry no. 16, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 2.

one year earlier—Jean Stephan Heitz was born on 26 December 1778 and was baptized one day later.3 His parents were confirmed to be Antoine Heitz and Barbe Kayser.

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Catholic Church, Baptism Register, 1778 Baptized: 27 December 1778 in Steinbourg Born: 26 December 1778 in Steinbourg Child: Jean Stephan, male Parents: Antoine Heitz, local citizen, shoemaker, and Barbe Kayser, married couple Godparents: Joseph Minni, local citizen; and Marie Anne Weber, wife of Pierre Gruner, local citizen.

1778 baptism of Jean Stephan Heitz. DOCUMENT 3.

Once this record was identified, the baptisms were searched from 1768 through 1792. These records were not indexed at all, so this was a page-by-page search of the entire baptism register from Steinbourg. The search ended in 1792 because this was the last year of available church records. From that point forward, it would be necessary to search the civil registration records. Due to time constraints, only the church records were searched in

3 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Joannes Stephanus Heitz, 27 December 1778, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 3. 6

this session. It will be necessary to continue searching for additional children in the civil records during the next research session. The following table shows each of the children born to Antoine Heitz and Barbe Keiser. The parish registers were written in Latin, so the names have been translated to their French equivalents.

Child Born Baptized Parents Antoine4 2 November 1776 2 November 1776 Antoine Heitz, local resident, shoemaker, and Barbe Kayser, married couple Jean Stephan 26 December 1778 27 December 1778 Antoine Heitz, local citizen, shoemaker, and Barbe Kayser, married couple (ancestor) Joseph Antoine5 16 March 1780 16 March 1780 Antoine Heitz, citizen and shoemaker here, and Barbe Keiser, married couple Barbe6 -- 11 September 1781 Antoine Heitz, citizen and shoemaker here, and Barbe Keyser, married Joseph Antoine7 7 January 1783 7 January 1783 Antoine Heitz, citizen and shoemaker in Steinbourg, and Barbe Keyser Lorentz8 5 August 1784 5 August 1784 Antoine Heitz, local citizen and shoemaker, and Barbe Keiser, married couple Madeline9 6 January 1786 6 January 1786 Antoine Heitz, citizen and shoemaker here, and Barbe Kayser, married couple

4 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Antonius Heitz, 2 November 1776, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 4. 5 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Josephus Antonius Heitz, 16 March 1780, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 5. 6 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Barbara Heitz, 11 September 1781, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 6. 7 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Joseph Antoinius Heitz, 7 January 1783, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 7. 8 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Laurentius Heitz, 5 August 1784, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 8. 9 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Magdalena Heitz, 6 January 1786, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 9.

Marie Anne10 6 January 1787 7 January 1787 Antoine Heitz, citizen and shoemaker here, and Barbe Keyser, married couple

Since the name Joseph Antoine was given to two sons, it was likely that the older one died young and that the name was then reused. This was a common practice at that time in Germany and France. No effort was made to confirm the older son’s death at this time, but it could be included in the next research session, if desired.

There was one additional entry found that was presumably for a child born to this couple. However, it was only six months after the ancestor, Jean Stephan, was born and it was scribbled out by the priest.11

The parish registers for the years 1788-1792 did not completely separate the baptisms, marriages, and burials, like the earlier records. Thus, as the baptisms were searched, the marriages and burials during those years were also searched. In the process, we discovered that Barbe Keiser, wife of Antoine Heitz, died on 14 March 1788.12 Her husband, who was caring for eight children between the ages of 16 months and 11 years, remarried that same year.13

10 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Maria Anna Heitz, 7 January 1787, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 10. 11 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Anna Maria Heitz, 2 July 1779, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. 12 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes mariages sépultures 1788-1790 - 3 E 478/5, death of Barbara Keyser, 14 March 1788, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 11. 13 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes mariages sépultures 1788-1790 - 3 E 478/5, marriage of Antoinus Heiz and Annae Maria Ehrenmann, 6 May 1788, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 12.

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Catholic Church, Parish Register, 1788 Married: 6 May 1788 in Steinbourg Groom: Antoine Heiz, widower of the deceased Barbe Keyser, shoemaker, local citizen Bride: Anne Marie Ehrenmann, widow of Michel Gries, local farmer

Antoine and his second wife, Anne Marie had six additional children, as outlined below:

Child Born / Baptized Died Parents Pierre b. 4 January 1789 21 November 179015 Antoine Heitz, local resident, shoemaker, and Anne Marie Ehrenmann, married bap. 4 January 178914 couple Catherine b. 14 January 1790 -- Antoine Heiz, citizen and shoemaker, and Anne Marie Ehrenmann, married couple bap. 14 January 179016 Pierre bap. 9 January 179217 -- Antoine Heitz, citizen and shoemaker, and Anne Marie Ehrmann, married couple Francisca b. 26 May 179618 -- Antoni Heitz Jr., shoemaker from Steinbourg, and Anna Maria Ehrmann, married couple Joseph b. 4 June 179919 -- Antoni Heutz, shoemaker from Steinbourg, and Anna Maria Ehrmann, married couple

14 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes mariages sépultures 1788-1790 - 3 E 478/5, baptism of Petrus Heiz, 4 January 1789, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 13. 15 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes mariages sépultures 1788-1790 - 3 E 478/5, death of Petrus Heitz, 14 November 1790, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 14. 16 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes mariages sépultures 1788-1790 - 3 E 478/5, baptism of Catherina Heitz, 14 January 1790, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 15. 17 Steinbourg - Registre de baptêmes mariages sépultures naissances 1791-1793 - 3 E 478/9, baptism of Petrus Heitz, 9 January 1792, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 16. 18 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de naissances 1793-An IV - 8 E 478/34, birth of Francisca Heitz, 7 Prairial year IV [26 May 1796], http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 17. 19 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de naissances An VII - 8 E 478/34, birth of Joseph Heitz, 16 Prairial year VII [4 June 1799], http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 18.

Phillipp b. 11 April 180120 Antoni Heuz and Anna Maria Ehrmann, married couple, local residents

The first child born to this couple was a son, Pierre, who died shortly before his second birthday. The couple’s next son was given this name as well. As discussed above, the available church records ended in 1792. The civil records, which began in 1793, revealed the names and birth dates of the three youngest children. The name of the daughter, Francisca, would have been Francoise in French. Thus, Francoise was the version of this name that was entered into the client’s database.

Once this birth/baptism search was complete, the marriage record for Antoine Heitz and his first wife, Barbe Keiser, was sought out. They married on 23 July 1776.21

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Catholic Church, Marriage Register, 1776 Married: 23 July 1776 in Steinbourg Proclamations: read in Steinbourg and in Lutzelbourg Groom: Antoine Heitz, honorable bachelor, shoemaker Groom’s Parents: Antoine Heitz, local citizen, and the deceased Catherine Ritter, married couple Bride: Barbe Kayser, young maiden Bride’s Parents: Jacob Kayser, deceased, citizen of Hildenhausen, and the surviving widow, Marie Catherine Stempffer, married couple

This record included the names of the couple’s parents and indicated that Barbe Kayser was originally from a town called “Hildenhausen,” which was identified as Hültenhausen, now known as Hultehouse, in Moselle, France.22 This town was 19 kilometers southeast of Steinbourg.

20 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de naissances An IX - 4 E 478/1, birth of Phillipp Heitz, 22 Germinal year IX [11 April 1801], http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 19. 21 Steinbourg - Registre de mariages 1762-1787 - 3 E 478/6, marriage of Antonius Heitz and Barbara Keyser, 23 July 1776, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 20. 22 Online Maps and Gazetteer of the German Empire, Hültenhausen, Saarburg, Loth., Elsass-Lothringen, http://meyersgaz.org, accessed March 2018. 10

Steinbourg to Hultehouse, Alsace-Lorraine, France. Courtesy of http://maps.google.com.

Deaths of Antoine Heitz and Anna Maria Ehemann

According to the death registration of his son, Jean Stephan, Antoine was deceased before 1854. Thus, the 10-year indexes were searched for the death of Antoine Heitz between 1793 and 1862. Possible matches were found in 1797, 1819, 1826, and 1832. The earliest of these was before the Antoine’s youngest child was conceived, so it was too early to be a match. The death in 1819 was for the ancestor’s first-born son, Antoine.23 The record in 1826 was for the death of the ancestor.24

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Civil Registration, Death Register, 1826 Died: 20 March 1826 in Steinbourg Name: Antoine Heitz, 76 years old, born in Steinbourg, farmer Spouse: Anne Marie Ehrmann Parents: Antoine Heitz, laborer, deceased, and Catherine Ritter, deceased Witnesses: Jean Heitz, 48 years old, farmer, son of deceased, and Joseph Heitz, 27 years old, son of deceased

23 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de décès 1819 - 4 E 478/8, death of Antoine Heitz, 15 June 1819, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 21. 24 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de décès 1826 - 4 E 478/9, death of Antoine Heitz, 20 March 1826, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 22. 11

1826 death of Antoine Heitz. DOCUMENT 22.

These same years, 1793-1862, were searched for the death of Antoine’s second wife, Anne Marie Ehrmann or Heitz. There were 14 possible matches under the names Marie Anne and Anne Marie with either of these surnames. The entries in 1804, 1806, and 1810 were each eliminated as possible matches. The entry from 1813 was for Marie Anne Heitz, daughter of Antoine Heitz and Catherine Ritter, meaning that she was a sister of the Antoine Heitz whose death is shown above.25 Each of the possible entries was examined in turn. Anne Marie Ehrmann’s death was found on 21 August 1833 and has been extracted below.26 A daughter of Antoine Heitz [Jr.] and Barbe Kaiser was also found on 1 January 1855.27 The details from each of these related records were added to the pedigree database.

25 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de décès 1813 - 4 E 478/8, death of Marie Anne Heitz, 24 October 1813, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 23. 26 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de décès 1833 - 4 E 478/9, death of Anne Marie Ehrmann, 21 August 1833, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 24. 27 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Registre de décès 1855 - 4 E 478/10, death of Marie Anne Heitz, 1 January 1855, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 25. 12

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Civil Registration, Death Register, 1833 Died: 21 August 1833 in Steinbourg Name: Anne Marie Ehrmann, 76 years old, born in Steinbourg Spouse: Michel Gries, first, and Antoine Heitz, second Parents: Michel Ehrmann, deceased, and Catherine Zimmenau[?], deceased, both born in Steinbourg Witnesses: Joseph Heitz, 35 years old, son of deceased, and Philippe Heitz, 33 years old, son of deceased

1833 death of Anne Marie Ehrmann, wife of Antoine Heitz. DOCUMENT 25.

Baptism of Francoise Brucker

The next goals addressed in this research session related to the Brucker ancestry. Initial efforts to locate the baptisms of Francoise Brucker and her siblings were unsuccessful. The surnames Becker and Brucker were not found at all during the years that Francoise was supposed to have been born. The records were searched during the years 1777-1781 and 1785-1789, but her infant baptism was not found.

While searching some later records for the Heitz ancestry, two Brucker children were found. This confirmed that the family was from this parish but did not explain why the ancestor’s baptism was apparently missing. Thus, it became necessary to search for the marriage of her parents, Jean Brucker and Anne Marie Schmitt. This event was ultimately

discovered in the year 1774.28 The groom’s surname was recorded as Brugger instead of Brucker. This explained some of the difficulty in locating this family.

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Catholic Church, Marriage Register, 1774 Married: 20 June 1774 in Steinbourg Proclamations: read in Steinbourg and in Neukirch Groom: Jean Brugger, honorable bachelor, merchant Groom’s Parents: Christian Brugger, deceased resident of Neukirch, diocese of Constantinis, and his surviving widow, Ursula Rombäch, married couple Bride: Anne Marie Schmitt, young maiden Bride’s Parents: Theobald Schmitt, deceased, local citizen, and the surviving widow, Anne Roth, married couple

1774 marriage of Joannes Brugger and Anna Maria Schmitt. DOCUMENT 26.

28 Steinbourg - Registre de mariages 1762-1787 - 3 E 478/6, marriage of Joannes Brugger and Anna Maria Schmitt, 20 June 1774, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 26.

This record indicated that the Schmitt family was local, but the Brugger/Brucker family was from Neukirch. This town was identified as Neukirch, Alsace-Lorraine, now called Neuve-Église, Bas-Rhin, France, which is about 68 kilometers south of Steinbourg.29

Steinbourg to Neuve-Église, Bas-Rhin, France. Courtesy of http://maps.google.com.

Now that this alternate version of the surname was known, and with the parents’ marriage record in hand, the baptism search began again. This time the search was successful. The children were identified as follows.

29 Online Maps and Gazetteer of the German Empire, Neukirch, Schlettstadt, UEls., Elsass-Lothringen, http://meyersgaz.org, accessed March 2018. 15

Child Born Baptized Parents Marie Anne30 7 March 1775 7 March 1775 Jean Brugger, local citizen, merchant, and Anne Marie Schmitt, married couple Jean31 28 January 1778 28 January 1778 Jean Brugger, local citizen, merchant, and Marie Anne Schmitt, married couple Francoise32 10 April 1783 10 April 1783 Jean Brucker, local citizen, and Marie Anne Schmitt, married couple (ancestor) Jean George33 11 September 1785 11 September 1785 Jean Brucker, local citizen, and Anne Marie Schmitt, married couple Theresa34 26 April 1788 26 April 1788 Jean Brucker, local citizen, and Anne Marie Schmid, married couple Odilia35 18 October 1789 19 October 1789 Jean Brucker, local citizen, and Catherine Anne Marie Schmid, married couple

The ancestor, Francoise Brucker, was the third of six children born into this family. Interestingly, she was born almost exactly between the two dates that had been suggested by her marriage and death records.

30 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Maria Anna Brugger, 7 March 1775, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 27. 31 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Joannes Brugger, 28 January 1778, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 28. 32 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Francisca Brucker, 10 April 1783, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 29. 33 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Joannes Georgius Brugger, 11 September 1785, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 30. 34 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Theresia Brucker, 26 April 1788, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 31. 35 Steinbourg - Paroisse catholique (Avant 1793) - Registre de baptêmes 1761-1787 - 3 E 478/4, baptism of Odilia Brucker, 19 October 1789, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed January 2018. DOCUMENT 32. 16

1783 baptism of Francoise Brucker. DOCUMENT 21.

The civil registration was searched during the years 1793-1802, but no additional children were found. Thus, the family group was complete.

The 10-year indexes from 1793 through 1854 were searched for the death of the ancestor, Jean Brucker. Two possible matches were found, one in 1811 and the other in 1827. The one from 1827 was not the ancestor, as this man’s two listed wives did not include Anne Marie Schmitt. The earlier death, on 11 January 1811, could not be found in the actual records. To account for the possibility that the event was actually recorded on a different date, the deaths from 1810-1812 were searched page by page, as well as the 1811 baptism registers and marriage registers. His death could not be found. However, since this was a perfect match for the ancestor, and no other matches were available, it was concluded that this was the death of the ancestor. The index page was copied and included with the documents as evidence of this man’s death.36

36 Steinbourg - Etat civil - Tables décennales An XI-1812 - 4 E 478/11, death of Jean Brucker, 10 January 1811, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 33. 17

Searching again in the indexes between 1793 and 1854, there were four possible matches found for the death of Marie Anne Schmitt, wife of Jean Brucker. These were recorded in 1811, 1827, 1831, and 1852. Since she was reportedly deceased before 1848, the record from 1852 was not reviewed. The ones from 1831 and 1827 were both reviewed, only to find that the spouses listed were not a match for the ancestor. The entry from 1811 was a good fit for the ancestor’s age, but her spouse and parents were not listed on the record. It was ultimately determined that this was the ancestor, based on the first witness, who was identified as her son in law, Jean Stephan Heitz (born 1778).37

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Civil Registration, Death Register, 1833 Died: 18 December 1811 in Steinbourg Name: Marie Anne Schmitd, 63 years old, born in Steinbourg, resident of Steinbourg Parents: -- Witnesses: Jean Heitz, 33 years old, farmer, and Antoin Schmitd, 45 years old, weaver

1811 death of Marie Anne Schmitd. DOCUMENT 34.

37 Steinbourg – Etat civil – Registre de décès 1811 – 4 E 478/8, death of Marie Anne Schmitd, 18 December 1811, http ://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 34. 18

Marriage of Jean Georges Esch and Catherine Vierling

The final moments of this research session were spent identifying the marriage record for the parents of Madeline Esch. They had previously been identified as Jean Georges Esch and Catherine Vierling. A record of this event was found in the Steinbourg Catholic marriage registers on 6 February 1776, only two years before the birth of their daughter, the ancestor, Madeline.38

Steinbourg, Bas-Rhin, Catholic Church, Marriage Register, 1776 Married: 6 February 1776 in Steinbourg Proclamations: read three times in the parishes of Steinbourg and Montsweiller Groom: George Esch, honorable bachelor, weaver Groom’s Parents: Joseph Esch, deceased resident of Montsweiller, and his wife, Catharina Eichaecker Bride: Catharina Vierling, young maiden Bride’s Parents: Antoni Vierling, deceased, local citizen, and the surviving widow, Marie Anne Veit, married couple

This record indicated that the Esch family was from “Montsweiller” and that this was where Jean George’s family would be found. There were four witnesses from both Steinbourg and Montsweiller, but none of them appeared to be close relatives. This record also demonstrated that the fathers of both parties were already deceased, but that their mothers were still living.

Using a gazetteer, the town called Montsweiller here was determined to be Monsweiler, now called Monswiller, Bas-Rhin, France.39 It lies a mere four kilometers west of Steinbourg.

38 Steinbourg - Registre de mariages 1762-1787 - 3 E 478/6, marriage of George Esch and Catherine Vierling, 6 February 1776, http ://archives.bas-rhin.fr, accessed March 2018. DOCUMENT 35. 39 19

Steinbourg to Monswiller, Bas-Rhin, France. Courtesy of http://maps.google.com.

Conclusion

This research session was very successful. The ancestral lines of Jean Heitz and Francoise Brucker were both extended by two generations. Their siblings were identified and these family groups are now complete. Additionally, the marriages of both sets of parents were identified. These records provided the names of all eight of the grandparents, as well as residences, and whether they were still living. This will be very useful information to aid in further extending each of these ancestral lines.

The ancestry of Madeline Esch was extended by a generation. At this time, the names and residences of all four of her grandparents have been identified. It will still be necessary to locate birth/baptism records for each of Madeline’s siblings. This has been included in the recommendations for the next research session.

Thank you for the opportunity to assist you in learning more about your ancestors from Alsace-Lorraine. This has been an exciting project and we look forward to continuing the search again soon.