Can't find this location?
This is a passport application showing the applicant is from Schmelan or Schmelau, Austria. I have searched all afternoon and cannot find this place. Anyone ever heard of it? As always, thanks!
Antworten
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The closest to "Schmelau" I found was a place called "Schmolau" in Bohemia, that today is called Smolov and is located in the Czech Republic. Don't know if this is the place you are looking for. Here's a link for Schmolau/Smolov:
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Bingo! Found him in Schmolau, Bohemia. Josef Siegl. Tough entry to read. Looks like 18 Feb 1865. Thanks Robert Seal!
http://www.portafontium.eu/iipimage/30060218/bela-nad-radbuzou-19_0670-n?x=28&y=177&w=920&h=339
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Hello John,
Despite the fact that Josef's passport application says the he was born on or around 28 February 1865, I agree with you that the birth/bap record says 18 February 1865.
Do I recall that this family was involved in the glass and mirror industry?
Yes, it's a very difficult record to read. Here are the bits and pieces I can read:
Born: 18 Feb 1865
Baptized: 18 Feb 1865
Child: Josef Siegl
Child is Catholic, male, legitimate.
Child's father: Josef Siegel, his occupation is "Polier" (glass/mirror polisher); Josef is the legitimate son of Josef Siegl, who is a "Poliermeister," from Schmolau.
Child's mother: Franziska Huttner, who is the legitimate daughter of Georg Huttner, whose occupation is "Poliermeister," from Neuhof(?).
First name of the baptismal sponsor is: Josef (I am unable to decipher the last name) and he too appears to be a "Poliermeister".
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See the birth/baptismal record third from the bottom of the page, dated 14 January 1840, for a child named Francisca Xaviera Huttner. Here' s the link:
http://www.portafontium.eu/iipimage/30060213/bela-nad-radbuzou-14_0550-n?x=242&y=480&w=379&h=195
This may be the birth record of the mother of your Josef Siegl. Her father in this record is Georg Huttner, a "Poliermeister" from Neuwerk(?). It's the same parish where your Josef Siegl was born in 1865.
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Thx Robert, great memory! Josef is the husband of my GGrandfather's sister. Looks like they both came from a long line of Bohemian glassmakers, and somehow met in New York and later married. The families may have known each other in Bohemia, their villages were about 20 miles apart, but my speculation is they met in NY and bonded with similar backgrounds and language. Unfortunately, I don't know of any stories.
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