School records are useful for understanding the history of the school or its teachers. Numerous pages go into great detail about the subjects being taught, the school master’s qualifications, and other information pertaining directly to the school’s operation. Occasionally, there are a few pages giving information about the inhabitants of a village or the children attending school.

• Schule und die Schullehrer zu Natztow Vol. I
• Schule und die Schullehrer zu Natztow Vol. II

Natztow’s records list mostly information that is unhelpful to genealogy. Overall, the scope of this document might interest someone who is looking into the history of the village. However, several pages within these two volumes list the people being taxed for school improvements. The title of that section is “Nachweisung der Teilweisen Leistungsunfähigkeit zur Verbesserung der Schulstelle in der Gemeinde Natztow,” or “Proof of the Partial Incapability to Improve the School Site in the Community of Natztow.” The last column on the right of the pages shown below comments on the social standing of the person. A few are listed as living in abject poverty while the vast majority are denoted as “very poor.”

Karl Voeltz was the school’s teacher, later succeeded by Lehrer Zinke from Neu Sanskow. Lehrer Timm was from Klempin. Other teachers named were Lehnhard, Frost, and Hellwig. The school was patronized by the Lieutenant von Kleist in Kamissow with the preacher Plaensdorf in Rarfin and superintendent Lehmann in Belgard also certifying the documents.

Editor’s note: my personal interest in Natztow is the family of Carl Wilhelm Neitzel (1814-1886) who married Anne Christine Henriette Dewuske (Trevorski, Drewuske, Dreworske, and Dewosski) (1812-1880) who originally began their family in the area of Lülfitz, later moving an becoming a Tagelöhner in Natztow potentially between 1846 and 1853. The Wilhelm Neitzel shown in this document is believed to be from the same family, though absolute confirmation has not been proven.

This collection has not been transcribed yet.

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