And now the ‘in-laws’… Stroempl

I have decided I will start addressing some of the allied (or in-laws) our Pimsner’s married and oh there are many! As I mentioned in other posts, some of these allied surnames appear many times and that is one of the reasons I want to start looking at some of these surnames.

I think the first surname I am going to look at is near and dear to my Pimsner/Dittmer connection. Anna Marie Pimsner, daughter of Andreas and Anna (Schmidt), married Johann Dittmer in Cleveland Ohio at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church. [Did you know I have transcribed various marriage documents for Cuyahoga County OH and placed this resource on-line?? Here you will find many of our kin listed with links to my on-line family tree website!!) The witnesses to this marriage were definite ‘kin’. Best Man honors went to Franz Stroempl and Maid of honor was Katherine Broestl.

Franz (later Americanized to Frank) Stroempl married Johann Dittmer’s sister, Henriette! THAT bit of news was exciting for me as you can guess 🙂 I have a wedding photo showing not only the bridal couple but also their two witnesses!!

Franz and his wife, along with their 3 children (yes, there WERE 3) came to America and settled in Pittsburgh PA. [I have found repeated references to Franz/Frank Stroempl as a ‘witness’ for others seeking to become American citizens.] Frank is listed as a ‘confectioner’ and eventually he and his son, Johann/John, owned and operated more than one bar in Pittsburgh. Both Frank and Henrietted died in Pittsburgh and are buried at St. Michaels Cemetery.

Daughter, Augusta, eventually joined the Sisters of St. Francis nursing order. She eventually took the name of Sister Mary Henrietta in 1910. She is buried in Millvale, Allegheny County, PA.

Son, Johann/John, relocated to Cleveland Ohio along with his wife, Theresia (Stark) and 6 of their 10 children (the other 4 were born in Cleveland). I am going to try and find a connection to some of the Cleveland Stroempl’s – I feel it is there but I need to ‘prove’ the connection… **

Son, Joseph, seems to have disappeared! He was born May 1889 in Hamburg Germany and was there on the ship manifest but I am unable to find any later reference to him.

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From what I can find, there is another indirect Stroemple connection to the Pimsner tree… This one ties in a variety of oft seen surnames of Brostl, Gloszner, Koteles and Schwartz. (Anna Schwartz married Martin Pimsner. Anna’s sister, Margaretha married a Lorenz Stroempl  – son of Joseph Stroempl and Helena Brostl. **  Is THIS the Cleveland connection for Johann/John Stroempl??)

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I few years ago, I was contacted by a lovely lady from Germany who is a Stroemple descendent! And it is because of Mika Strompl that I was able to ‘find’ more information on Franz and his brother, Joseph – both who were born in/near our favorite Slovakia city of Metzenseifen. Their parents are listed as Jacob Stroempl and Rose/Rosa Galofski. [At this point I have found multiple spellings for Stroempl as well as Galofski – I am going to stick with these two…]

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So this is the first entry for allied families. If you have a connection to the Dittmer’s or Stroempl’s, please let me know! Ta ta for now!

Yet MORE DNA…

I have been following another blog for about a year which has been all about searching for ‘kin’ and relying totally on using DNA results (as well as awesome detective work!). I confess, I have quite a bit to learn about just how autosomal DNA results ‘work’ but I have recently submitted another DNA sample to 23andMe. Goodness gracious! I am totally blown away at just how different Ancestry.com DNA and 23andMe DNA results turned out to be.

Both have identified ‘kin’ there is no doubt. But I confess, Ancestry’s DNA results are cute, prettified, and somewhat lacking. On the other hand, 23andMe is almost overwhelming with DATA!

With that said, I need to tell you I am ‘finding’ so many more Medzev connection on 23andMe and the only reason I can think of is that, simply, those who submitted DNA chose 23andMe instead of Ancestry.com. If YOU have submitted a DNA sample to 23andME, please, please let me know!

And no, I haven’t yet found another PIMSNER researcher in this group but my my my – so many of the same and familiar surnames I have mentioned in other posts!!  Just like home 🙂

DNA – In the family!

Over the Easter holiday, my husband and I spent time with an aunt (by marriage) and her children and grand children in Florida. The children and grand children are ‘cousins’. It was fun, for me, to share our family tree and discover similarities and traits. It was even MORE fun to discover another generation actually showing an interest in ‘their’ ancestry!! (We always worry, what’s going to happen to my research once I’m gone?)

I shared the DNA results with my aunt and a girl cousin – both were pretty excited and stated THEY were going to submit samples ☺️ I found out my aunt HAS so we are just waiting for Ancestry.com to process the sample. I haven’t heard whether my cousin, Dianne, also submitted DNA.

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During this same trip, we visited Pimsner kin in the greater Cleveland area. This is such a treat for me as the two ladies we visited are so sweet!! One lady is going to be 98 in a couple of weeks (she is a 2nd cousin, once removed) and the other lady will be 82 in a couple of months (she is a 3rd cousin). I shared the same DNA results with both ladies and Arlene, the older of the two, wanted to submit HER DNA! While in our campground that evening, I placed an order  to have a DNA kit delivered to Arlene.) By the time we arrived home a few weeks later, Arlene called and told me she had her kit, the activation number and, the kit would be mailed the next day😊 I think this dear lady is as excited about these DNA differences as I am!! I have gotten confirmation from Ancestry that they are ‘processing’ Arlene’s sample.

What will both of these results show? My guess is that Arlene will have MORE Eastern Europe than me. My aunt will have more Western Europe than any other ‘mix’… (I have also researched her family tree and Germany is the only country I could find for a second generation American!!)

If YOU are thinking about using Ancestry.com and submitting a DNA sample, please let me know. If we ‘share’ a connection to the PIMSNER surname our DNA will, most probably, show great similarities!!! And as soon as I get results back for the two samples submitted recently, I will let you know!

DNA – Part II

Not only has my DNA results come in (somewhat of a surprise I can tell you) but I asked a sister of mine to also submit her DNA.

1st – Ancestry.com DNA says I am 28% from WEST Europe and 23% from EAST Europe. (The East Europe includes, of course, Slovakia…)

2nd – My sister’s DNA says she is 25% EAST Europe and only 4% from WEST Europe.

3rd – Here largest number is 31% from Scandinavia while my Scandinavia number is 24%.

4th – She has a region I do not have (1% Caucasus) and I have a region she does not have (Finland/Northwest Russia 2%).

5th – For the most part, we do ‘share’ the same regions but have different numbers.

I find this DNA stuff pretty exciting I can tell you! If you have submitted DNA to Ancestry, please let me know your results!

One of the ‘benefits’ of working with Ancestry.com is that they will off and on let you know if ‘they’ find matches!  Right now, I know of a 3rd cousin related, we think, to my paternal great grandfather. I have more information than she does on her paternal great grandfather but they share a surname. And, as new DNA samples are submitted, Ancestry.com tries to find matches!

At $99.00 (or $79.00 when on sale) this seems a more cost effective way to submit DNA then others I have checked into over the years…

Family genes, traits and DNA

I’ve gone and done it – my next ‘step’ in this family research has been to update my website and submit my DNA to Ancestry’s DNA project.  I’m kind of excited about the results for multiple reasons but mainly to get a better ‘feel’ about where I came from!

I know my ancestors are all Germanic and the Pimsner’s did originate from somewhere in Germany. But the big question is, of course, where?

You know family traits can carry from one generation to the next and even beyond!  Will this DNA sample tell me where the big smiles come from or the blue eyes or even the tendency towards big hips?  Probably not but – I’m hoping it will identify the regions in Europe my ancestors might have lived that I don’t know about!

I understand someone has already taken those first DNA steps and established a guide with regard to the oldest match from Metzenseifen.  Will I also be a match? How exciting if I am!

Recently I pursued additional avenues of information with regard to what may be a triple ‘connection’ with the Pimsner surname – Stroempl, Brostl and Gedeon. Yes, we have seen these surnames before and multiple times.  I would SO like to find the actual connections to these names with my Pimsner family regardless the number of times they show up!

 

Results from certificates after all…

Yeah, the much awaited death certificates finally arrived 🙂 Can you guess, I AM a happy HAPPY person!!  As expected, I now know the name of the parents for Franz (or Frank as he later wanted to be known) Stroempl! And, it seems these were the ‘right’ names to definitely CONNECT with the Stroempl family still found in Hamburg Germany. But, though a puzzle piece is now in place, there are a couple new openings that need to be answered…  Questions like: WHO were the siblings of Franz? Nina and a new connection to this family say only one of the siblings stayed in Germany while the rest came to America.  So, WHO were they and where did they live?  Also, Henriette supposedly gave birth to 3 children yet I can only account for 2…  Was the 3rd child born in America or Germany?  It is obvious the child must have died young so when and where did this boy or girl die?

 
I mentioned a ‘new’ cousin – it turns out Dan is my 3rd cousin!  How exciting to know there are more Dittmer descendents out there!!! Hi, Dan!

 

Another question and puzzle piece – Dan’s grandfather left Pittsburgh PA and ended up in Cleveland.  Here is another ‘connection’ to figure out – a cousin of John Stroempl was born a Gedeon! Franz and Henriette lived with the niece and her husband for a few years in Pittsburgh.  WHO was the ‘kin’ that John hooked up with in Cleveland?  A Stroempl? A Gedeon? or even a Pimsner?
That’s it for now…

Catching up… certificates and their value

It’s been awhile since I last posted…  For those of you who have requested some type of ‘certificate’ you can understand my anxiety — I am waiting for 3 death certificates from Pennsylvania!  I have been awaiting their arrival for about 10 weeks now and daily look for that much anticipated blue envelope!  (I had to include a self addressed, stamped envelope so I made it blue.)  The arrival of the 3 death certificates will help me better place a ‘connection’ to the Stroempl line I currently have running in and out of the Pimsners!  Franz Stroempl married my great grandfather’s sister (a Dittmer from Hamburg Germany) so I have a kind of ‘double’ connection!! Johann Dittmer married Anna Marie Pimsner 🙂

It seems this Stroempl family also emigrated from Metzeinsefen.  Some stayed in Germany and others, like Franz, traveled further and came to America.  The problem is, I can’t identify who the parents are for Franz (who changed his name to Frank…) and am pretty sure this missing puzzle piece will be included on his death certificate!!!  Franz and his wife, Henriette, lived in Pittsburgh PA and that is where they died and are buried.  Their daughter, Sister Mary Henriette, is also buried in a Pittsburgh suburb cemetery and son John, left Pittsburgh with his wife and children and moved to Cleveland where he is buried…

I still have one additional ‘child’ to find of this union.  Franz and Henriette had 3 children according to two census reports – only problem is, I don’t know whether this 3rd child was born in Germany and stayed there or, was he/she born in the US…  (Another puzzle piece to find!)

Because I know Henriette died after Franz, she may be listed as the ‘informant’ on his death certificate.  They were married quite a number of years so she probably was able to supply ‘correct’ information (i.e. parents names, place and date of birth, etc…)  The problem with MOST death certificates, unfortunately, is that they are usually completed by someone who doesn’t really KNOW the information!  They ‘think’ they remember and yet, when in the midst of a very sad time, they are expected to actually recollect…

Birth certificates are beyond a doubt your best source of information solely because they are usually completed by the mother!  Yeah for mothers, huh??

Now marriage certificates are not the same as marriage licenses just in case you thought they were…  The license is where the bride and groom complete, to the best of their knowledge, information about themselves and their parents.  (I can not imagine NOT knowing where my parents were born much less their birth dates but that often happens where children just don’t pay attention and/or take this kind of data for granted…)  So the marriage certificate is what we usually receive when requested and it just states that Mr X and Miss Y were married on this date by Mr/Rev Z.

My bet is on birth certificates as the TOP choice when trying to find someone!!!

Ta ta for now…

Welcoming a cousin who’s not a cousin …

I have been having an email correspondence with a cousin who is not a cousin – really.  Joe and I are ‘related’ only because one of MY people married one of HIS people…  Okay, so that makes us related by marriage, right?

No – solely because the people married are not necessarily related by birth…  just by an act of marriage. Let me explain.

My great grandmother had a great uncle (Martin) who had a niece – Margaret – on his wife’s side. So other than being ‘related’ to Martin, Margaret is NOT a Pimsner descendant.

But, in a very convoluted way, I think Margaret IS related and I will have to see just how!  After all, her maiden name is STROEMPL.  Yep, there’s one of those surnames we see many times ‘connected’ to Pimsners!  Add to that mix are the surnames Schwartz, Gloszner and BROESTL!

This is one of the reasons I continue to not only add but encourage others to add a couple generations of in-laws to their database records.  It really is NOT uncommon for siblings or cousins to marry.  By limiting your research to JUST your direct line limits the ability to ‘find’ the other connections out there!  And as we know, our Pimsner’s are connected to many of the same surnames multiple times!!

Where did they go?

Modern Metzenseifen

An acquaintance and his wife (Heinz Schleussner of the Metzenseifen website) are ‘visiting’ Metzenseifen right now.  How exciting is that??  I am posting one of the photos Heinz took…) The sad thing, from my perspective, is that after speaking with the Metzenseifen mayor, there are NO residents of this beautiful village with the surname PIMSNER!  Darn!  Where did they all go??

As with much of my previous research, I have discovered many of our Pimsner ancestors married into or married someone from a multitude of Metzy families.  Other than coming to America, where did they go to?  If they married into a family then the female Pimsner became some other surname!  (As an example, on the Metzenseifen web page, Heinz pointed out a Terezia Schurger whose maiden name was Pimsner.  Schurger and all its spellings are one of the many ‘common’ Metzy surnames our Pimsners are connected to!)

It is sad to think our Pimsners have disappeared from Metzenseifen!

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I had a fun conversation with Arlene Pimsner last week-end. (She is the granddaughter of Simon Pimsner; brother to my great grandmother, Anna Marie (Pimsner) Dittmer… I mentioned I would be sending Arlene copies of the 1920 and 1930 Census. The 1930 Census shows a ‘lodger’ named Stephen Pimsner! (I also happen to have the death certificate for this Stephen…) It turns out, Stephen is NOT related. I know, his surname IS Pimsner and I said, before, all Pimsner’s are related!!! Well, no one knew Stephen’s surname. At the time he was a hobo, transient, itinerant worker, etc and stayed with this Pimsner family for a few years… When he died, the Cuyohoga County Coroner required a surname in order to handle all the necessary paperwork. Since no one KNEW the surname the family ‘bequeathed’ their name – thus Stephen Unknown became Stephen Pimsner 🙂

Records – Civil or church?

When do you know what records to look for when researching your family tree?  Many times, it is helpful to know what church your family might have been affiliated with.  Why you ask?  The majority of church records (whether in America or Europe) tend to be a literal list of your family’s history!  But each minister/pastor handled entering data into the church book(s) differently than the next.  It is not uncommon to see references of a parents marriages and/or occupation and ages when seeking baptism/christening information.

Civil records tend to be a 50/50 proposition as far as either gaining a lot or a little data.  This depends on the document you are seeking as well as the time frame involved.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been obtaining quite a few marriage records from the City of Cleveland.  Depending on the time involved, the marriage license contains either just the bride and grooms full names, the date of their marriage and the date the marriage was registered.  Other years the marriage license contains ages of the couple, their birth places, their parents names – including the maiden name of the mothers!!  Occupations are sometimes listed as well as, again, when the marriage took place and when it was registered.

This is one of those times when ‘less is NOT more’!  If you have the opportunity to look at church records then by all means, do so!!  But you can ‘amend’ your church record data with civil record information when it comes to marriages because ALL ‘modern’ marriages must be recorded in modern cities/towns/counties/states!!

Take some time and look at the FamilySearch.org website (Library catalog) to see what ‘vital’ records might be listed for the location you are researching.  You might be pleasantly surprised to see films are available for you to view at your local Family History Center!!  (An example: I was able to view my great grandfather’s baptism records from the Cook County Diocese!  Having known their birth dates it was relatively simple to find them in the copies of the actual church records!  I got to see the godparents names as well which was really cool!)

Unfortunately for those of us doing Pimsner research of Cleveland, the Cleveland Diocese does NOT have its church books available on microfilm.  If a church has been closed, you will be able to contact the Diocese Archives and ask for a search – it will help greatly if you already know the parish your ancestors attended.  If the church is still part of an active parish, like St. Stephen’s, then you will probably have great difficulties obtaining data.  The parish secretaries are many times over worked and have next to no ‘free’ time to do research for something a frivolous as genealogy…  Darn!~