[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Meding / Gretsinger - Volhynia to Canada

[Günther Böhm]

Jerry Frank schrieb:

>I am writing to get some assistance and help in the search of descendants of Mary Meding,
>born Gretsinger in Bausk of Kurland province, nowadays Latvia, in the family of Johann Gretsinger.
>
>Mary Meding's brother, Julius Johann Gretsinger, was born 26 December, 1881 in Bausk of Kurland
>province (Russia). He was shot dead by Bolsheviks on Javkino station for his refusal not to join the
>Red Army in 1919.
>
>Mary Meding, living in the village Noimanovka, Zhitomir region (Ukraine) together with her husband
>left for Canada in 1921, where she bought the land and farmed. From her only letter, received by my
>grandmother Efrosinia Kazimirovna Gretsinger, it is known that the youngest Mary's daughter died on
>the steamship during their crossing the Atlanic Ocean. Mary Meding and her family were pleased with
>the immigration. The contact of my mother's aunt Tamara Julievna Gretsinger with Mary Meding's was
>lost because of the repressions' threat for communication with abroad.
>
>The grandson of Julius Johann Gretsinger, Igor Gretsinger is also in search.
>
Hello Oleg & Jerry,
sorry for providing no further data on GRETSINGER or MEDING, but I can 
tell you where the name GRETSINGER derives from. It is the village 
Grötzingen / Gretzingen near Karlsruhe-Durlach, Baden, first mentioning 
in 991.
In 1974, Grötzingen became a part of Karlsruhe ( 
www1.karlsruhe.de/Historie/Chronik/groetzingen.htm ).

Though MEDING sounds Bavarian, it could more likely derive from the 
Meding or Medingen monastery (now Altenmedingen), Uelzen district, Lower 
Saxony.
Since 15th century, there also was a noble family v.MEDING (coat of arms 
in Lüneburg St. Michaelis church 
www.luene-info.de/fuerstmu/objekte/2004/februar/totenschild_2.jpg ) 
which owned the land surrounding the monastery but this doesn't suggest 
a connection. More likely, the original bearers of the name were serfs 
of the monastery (in 1270, the first provost was killed by the local 
Wends and all the descendants of the murderers were forced to become 
serfs of the monastery 'for eternal times').

Günther