While visiting the church in Klaptow, I inquired with two of the locals about the cemetery. The older man thought I was a German and the boy tried to tell me he didn’t speak German, or “Niemicki.” I tried to tell him I was an American who was looking for “stare groby,” or the old […]
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This page is currently a work in progress as I study the patterns of movement of shepherds and herdsmen from the Belgard parish. Philipp Wedig Bloedorn and Barbara Catharina Wenzel Schäfer in Ackerhof Karoline Sophia born February 1, 1794 in Ackerhof Christoph Klotz and Christina Steffers (Steffens?) Hirte in Roggow Christoph Friedrich born April […]
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When one thinks of Pomerania, it is difficult not to recognize the historical significance of Stettin. It was once the regional capital of Pomerania. Today, the city houses some of the oldest and most important artifacts from German times. The city is still beautiful and vibrant with plenty of things to do along boardwalk. The […]
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It might be repetitive for me to state, but even if your ancestral village’s birth, marriage, and death records have been lost, there is still hope to advance your family tree. It might come as a surprise that whole families can be found in land registers, among other documents. The only way to know for […]
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I decided to visit Lübchow because of its proximity to Klaptow. There were enough family names I had previously seen from this village, and I knew a few people who were also researching families from this area. The village is only a five-minute drive from Körlin. Coming in from the south, the surroundings are a […]
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It is a little-known fact that emigration records in Pomerania used to be kept by the police departments in county-level divisions. These records give much more insight than most would imagine, including descriptions of appearances, those traveling with, and supporting documentation for the emigrant. Sometimes, one can gain a better understanding of why the person […]
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The archives in Koszalin have a book containing the birth dates, parents, and residences for children who underwent a formal process for guardianship. It’s a rare find for those researching in Belgard, and I’m not sure if books like this exist for other Kreise. It’s unfortunate that only one book in the series survives in […]
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A large part of visiting the archives was to discover what information each type of record contains. The video below shows what can be found in church reparation documents. The book shown in the video is “Bauten und Reparaturen an den Kirchen-, Pfarr- und Schulgebäuden zu Belgard Vol I.” The pages inventory what is needed […]
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“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver.” Proverbs 16:16 A few weeks ago, I traveled to Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota to do some family history research. Unknown to some is that Concordia is home to the Germanic Genealogy Society’s library. Driving up, one can’t miss the […]
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Microfilm Collections Locked A number of researchers have been left in the lurch since the LDS operated FamilySearch removed physical microfilm collections from circulation in 2017. After an almost two-year waiting period, many of these same collections were digitized and provided online at no-cost. However, for researchers with a focus on former eastern German territories […]
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