[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] information from grandmaonline

[rhonda simpson]

After reading my original post I see I goofed big time and even I couldn't
figure out what I was getting at!

  Brick wall #1.  Wilhelmina Litz c1855 and ?
My earliest paper record is for my grandfather Robert Litz is his birth in
Lomza in 1879 to 25 year old Wilhelmina Litz a unmarried worker. Baptism
accompanied by low rank service man Fedor Ludwig.  Godparents are the church
official Mikael Bartnik and a Sofie Ludwig.  Looked for Wilhelmina in Lomza
microfilms years ago for years 1850 to 1860.  Couldn't find her (although my 
Cyrillic is really bad)
1940 registration for Robert said mother and father born in Lomza. 
Although
Robert born in Lomza he ended up in Zhitomir sometime before 1903 when he
married Hulda Kroening then immigrated in 1904.  I have also noticed that a 
lot
of Black Sea Russians started out in Prussia then left. There are a plethora 
of LItz's in
the Bessarabian files but no way to connect that I can see.

This new info from Grandma data base indicating Robert was step son of Peter
Ratze and wife Louise threw me for a loop.  Step son would indicate a blood
tie to one of the couple.  No mention where this was or who posted it. So
far unable to find any Peter Ratze in available online resources. (no longer
in area of a FHC).  Otto Schienke found a Ratze in Lodz, and I found an 
Emilie Ratze
on http://geneteka.genealodzy.pl Don't know where to go from here, or should 
I just put this to
rest.

Brick wall #2
Christian Kroening c1850 Louise Zabel c1850  Louise Hofler area Warshau (?)
Hulda Kroening's parents (Robert's wife) born after 1885 in Zhitomir. not in
St Pete's records.  Brother Christian b 1875 Blumenthal, Zhitomir parents
Louise Zabel and Christian Kroening.
Another  brother August born in 1881 Wiasawitz to Christian Kroening and
Louise Zabel. Eldest Brother Ferdinand born in Warshau about 1873 as stated
on Land Patent Whitemouth MB..  No Birth record.  His Manitoba death cert
gives parents as Christian Kroening and Louise Hofler.  So we have a
migration from Poland to Zhitomir between Ferdinand's and Christians birth.
Hulda, Christian and Ferdinand all immigrated to Canada. No record of a 1940
record found for Hulda, Christians gives parent birthplace as Poland, 
Ferdinand
died in the 30's so no 1940 registration for him.

A totally unsubstantiated gut feeling (and the surnames of some of my DNA 
matches..Fenske, Zittlau, Zielke and Jaeger)
is pushing me towards Ilow ( where records online are showing these families 
connected) and
thinking that a Christian Kroening and Anna Dorothea Fenske are somehow tied
to my Christian, either as parents or aunt and uncle....just a feeling.  Is
this worth pursuing?

As for my Mennonite surname connection, that's gonna take some figuring. 
It's also
an X and autosomal match, so that rules out Falk and Martens that far back. 
However due
to the endogamous nature of the culture, they could still be the ancestors
but on different lines of inheritance for all three of us matches. So for
now the Mennonite thing is back burner,  The Litz Ratze and Kroening Zabel
families need a jump start again, just not sure where to start.

Rhonda

Jerry Wrote:

My first comment is that not all people in the Grandma database are
Mennonite.  My ancestral Girschewski family is in there because one of them
married a Mennonite in Manitoba.  She and her family were Lutheran.  It is
quite possible that your connection is through someone that converted in
either direction either directly or through his/her marriage.

We cannot make any suggestions unless you provide us with more detail about
the brick wall.  Who is involved?  What is the earliest record you can find
for birth, marriage, and death?  Where is it located?  Etc.  And of course
we would need to know if your dna flows through the Falk or Martens line.  I
assume Falk but I am not a dna expert so don't know how the connections
work.

Also keep in mind that some brick walls just cannot be broken down.  I have
had wonderful success with my direct maternal line but have brick walls on
my paternal and many side lines that appear, at least for now, to be
insurmountable.  You are not alone.


Jerry

----- Original Message -----
From: "rhonda simpson" <garynrho at live.ca>
To: ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org
Sent: Wednesday, February 5, 2014 9:00:30 AM
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] information from grandmaonline

I’m new to Mennonite research as I didn’t realize I had Mennonite roots.
This new info is from my DNA testing.  The common ancestor with 2 of them
is a David Falk b. abt 1759 & Sara Martens b. abt 1761.  I haven’t found
them on my tree as I have been stuck in 1850 for years on this side of the
family.  This Falk line is well documented on many sites but cannot tie into
it due to my 1850’s brick wall.

One of my matches found my grandfather Robert Litz on grandmaonline and
there was a note on his page that he was the Step son of a Peter Ratze and
Louise.  I have his birth record from Lomza in 1879, his mother is
Wilhelmina Litz (unmarried).  Step son seems to indicate a blood
relationship to at least one of them. There doesn’t seem to be anything else
on this relationship, and I cannot find anything on a Peter Ratze anywhere.
I know my grandfather ended up in Zhitomir sometime before 1903.

My question is:  Any ideas  where I should go from here?  I’m totally
bamboozled  on what to do next.  There doesn’t appear to be a source for
this information that she can find on the site or I would be knocking on a
door with alacrity!   All suggestions greatly appreciated.

Rhonda
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