Too Many Distractions

I have many family history projects going on and many connections to new information recently. Here's a quick rundown:

1. I'm continuing to research and document the ancestors of Ludwig Doll in Moesbach, Baden, Germany. I've got most of the branches documented back to around the 1720s-1740s. I would expect I have another 70 or so years of ancestors yet to find. I continue to do a little research each day. I hope to have this complete in the next month or so.

2. Finally (hopefully) found Elizabeth Duzinger's connection in New York and Wemding, Bavaria, Germany. I expect the first of the microfilm rolls about New York city vital statistics to arrive in the next week or so. With any luck, these will confirm the connection so I can dive into whatever there is to find in Wemding. In the meantime, I have someone in Eichstatt that will do the research for me for a fee. Hopefully I'll be able to find a way to do the research myself.

3. I got an email from a second-cousin on my Kelly line who still lives in Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois. Her mother has an old family bible that has a photo and a funeral card from the Kelly family line. First is a photo of my great-great-grandfather, Hugh Kelly when he was likely in his late 30s. It was taken in Clarksville,  Missouri by Otis Norman Baldwin. She also sent me a scan of Catherine Murphy Kelly's funeral card. It shows her birth date, which was uncertain to me before this, and her birth location. She was born June 1, 1823 near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. This gives me another location to do original research.



 



Hugh Kelly

 

4. I will be going to southeast Iowa next weekend to meet with the second cousin whose mother has the family bible and these documents. I will get a photo of my great-great-great-grandfather's headstone in St. Paul, Iowa and enjoy a couple of relaxing days away with my wife.

5. A distant cousin on my Bixenman line already passed through on her cross-country trip and might be able to stop and visit on her way back.

6. I got an email from a distant Panther cousin. His mother passed away recently and they found some family history information that led them to my Panther research. I see that we had some very basic information about this branch but nothing more. Apparently we lost contact with them many years ago. I'll hopefully be able to document the branch of the Panther family descended from Maurice and Donna (Punke) Panther.

To me, all of this is good news. I'm happy to be able to pick and choose what to work on when it comes to family history rather than having all kinds of brick walls.

In other matters, not good news. For those of you who are religious, and even if you aren't, I ask you to please pray for my brother. He had a terrible accident and needs your prayers for a full recovery.

Thank you!

--Matt

More Information on the Dunzinger Family

I found out more details of the Dunzinger family in and around Wemding, Bavaria, Germany. This does not yet confirm that we've found Elizabeth Dunzinger's ancestors but it does confirm that the Andrew Dunzinger family found in the 1855 New York census does connect to the Dunzinger family in Wemding. What we need to track down now is the marriage and death records for Andrew and Fanny Dunzinger found in the 1855 New York census. If we can confim that they died in the late 1850s, that will, to me at least, prove beyond a reasonable doubt that we've found our Elizabeth Dunzinger's family. I'm sure there is more information than what I'm showing here but I've asked them to hold off the research due to the cost (more than I expected) and the fact that we haven't confirmed that this is the correct Dunzinger family. I'm pretty confident but I'd rather not have more research expense without knowing this for sure. I'm hoping to find a way to do the research myself but as far as I know, these documents have not been digitized or microfilmed.

Here are the details of what we now know:
Andrew Dunzinger, found in the 1855 New York census in Ward 20, 2nd Enumeration District, age 32, with a daughter, Elizabeth, 1 year old. Here's the entire family entry:

Andrew Dunzenger - M - 32 - born in Germany
Fanny Dunzenger - F - wife - 27 - born in Germany
Margret Dunzenger - F - child - 4 - born in New York
Elizabeth Dunzenger - F - child - 1 - born in New York
Victoria Sualemar - F - 68 - mother - born in Germany
Adam Pacoke - M - 16 - brother - born in Germany

At 32 years old, we can estimate his birth year to be 1822-1824 and the census specifies he was born in Germany and immigrated 9 years prior, in about 1846. It lists his occupation as a "paper stainer".
A paper stainer is typically someone who paints or dyes paper, typically to be used for wallpaper.

In the records of Wemding, currently stored in Eichstatt, we have the marriage of Andreas Dunzinger (a widower and tinctor [a dyer], son of the deceased Georg Andreas Dunzinger, a merchant, and his wife Cäcilia Riß) and Maria Francisca Leinfelder, born October 18, 1797,
Witness: Jacob Leinfelder, miller at Haagenmühl and his wife Maria Francisca Zamet.

They had 9 children including Andreas, born February 12, 1822. Their other childrens' names were Rupert, Joseph (died at 9 months old), Joseph, Catharina de Sienna, Cacilia (died at 5 years old), Francisca, Cacilia, Emmeram (died at 1 year, 8 months old).

The elder Andreas Dunzinger's first marriage was to Maria Josepha Lettenbauer, born 06.05.1792, daughter of Michael Lettenbauer mayor and innkeeper and his deceased wife Marianna Koch. They had three children, Maria Anna Juliana, Maria Anna and Joseph. His first wife died at the age of 38. His second wife, the mother of Andreas, also died at 38 years of age and he married a third time, to Marianna Strauss, daughter of the decesased Johann Strauss a citizen in Anhauserhof and his deceased wife Marianna Ottinger.

One baptismal entry says the father is owner of “Wildbad” in Wemding. Wildbad is a part of Wemding; today a hotel.

Georg Andreas Dunzinger (this would be Elizabeth's great-grandfather) married twice. First to Maria Barbara, daughter of the deceased Joseph Kreislmayer senator/councilman and his deceased wife Catharina. Next to Maria Cäcilia, daughter of the deceased Johann Riß innkeeper from Blindheim and his deceased wife Maria Anna. Maria Cäcilia would be Elizabeth's great-grandmother.

George Andreas Dunzinger was the son of Franz Xaver Dunzinger, cerearius Wörthae (= cerearius = chandler; Wörthae = Donauwörth?) and senator/councilman, and his wife Maria Anna.

We also have information about Joseph Dunzinger's marriage and descendants. This is the brother of the Andreas Dunzinger that moved to New York and likely the ancestor of most of the Dunzingers still living in the area. As for the mother and brother listed, we have to assume they are the mother and brother of Fanny Dunzinger. We have not yet figured out who she is and if she is also from Wemding. Their marriage record in New York will likely provide more information as there is no marriage record for the younger Andreas Dunzinger in Wemding. Also, the researcher could not find a connection between the Dunzinger family and the Ziegelmueller and Wagner families in Wemding so I'm working under the assumption they are releated to Fanny and that she is also from Wemding.

--Matt
Lessons learned: Never give up looking for that elusive ancestors. Never lose contact information for those who've helped you in the past. Find out the cost of what research is going to cost before authorizing the research.