[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Using 'Kartei Quassowski'

[Paul Rakow]

 "Joe Pessarra" <joepessarra at cox.net> wrote: 
> 
> One of my questions would be if these short excerpts point toward the
> location of more information.  Or, is this really the complete information
> in the excerpt.  Here is a "for instance".
> ======================================================================
> Pesarra vgl. Pessara
> 
> N., Fendrich i.d.Reinischen Komp.Musquet.Natangishen Kreises Pr.Defension
> Werk 1655(St. Av. Kbg. E.. M. 83  c 3.Fach)
> ======================================================================
> 
   Joe, 

      This is a good example of what you find when you look in the 
 Quassowski books. Guessing at the abbreviations, (so don't assume
 I'm completely correct!) this means something like: 

=======

 Pesarra, see Pessara

   There was an ensign called Pesarra, first name unknown, who was in
 the Reinisch musketeer company in the Natangen area, on fortifications,
 in 1655. 

     The information comes from the Staats Archiv in Koenigsberg. 
 (E.. M. 83  c 3.Fach - is information about which  section of the
 archive's holdings had this record - my guess would be that E.M. 83
 could stand for Etatsministerium, Abteilung 83).  

=======
 
    So it does refer you towards a source, though I'm not sure if 
 you are given the complete call number. 

     But before you hop on a plane to Koenigsberg, there are
 complications. As the intro to the book says, many of the sources
 used are now either hard to get to, or no longer exist. 
 
     The northern part of Ostpreussen, including Koenigsberg, is now
 in Russia; Koenigsberg itself is now called Kaliningrad. It was militarily
 important, and very hard for foreigners to visit.

     Some of the Koenigsberg archive material is now in the Geheimes
 Staatsarchiv [Secret State Archive] in Berlin, perhaps some is still
 in Kaliningrad, and no doubt some was destroyed or looted during WWII.
 If EM does mean Etatsministerium, the chances are very good that the
 original document has landed up in Berlin, as the Geheimes Staatsarchiv
 has inherited about 120,000 documents from the Etatsministerium in 
 Koenigsberg. 

                Paul Rakow
                rakow at ifh.de 
 
> 
 "Joe Pessarra" <joepessarra at cox.net> wrote: 
> 
> Just a comment on the Kartei Quassowski.  I have had portions of it sent to
> me by Internet friends some time ago.  The excerpts did give me some
> information about the location of many of my ancestors and relations in East
> Prussia.  I had a difficult time in reading the excerpts because of the
> German abbreviations that were used.  I have since received a copy of the
> abbreviations, and need to return to all of the excerpts and translate them.
> 
> One of my questions would be if these short excerpts point toward the
> location of more information.  Or, is this really the complete information
> in the excerpt.  Here is a "for instance".
> ======================================================================
> Pesarra vgl. Pessara
> 
> N., Fendrich i.d.Reinischen Komp.Musquet.Natangishen Kreises Pr.Defension
> Werk 1655(St. Av. Kbg. E.. M. 83  c 3.Fach)
> ======================================================================
> 
> Lots of work to do for the coming winter months!
> 
> Joe Pessarra in Texas
> Searching for Pessarra, Pesarra, Pessara, Pesara, Peshara.
> 
>