I'd appreciate help translating this marriage record

SLanigan

Re Searching

Interesting challenge. It might help if you could indicate the source, which might help work out the place names e.g. Obr????indenburg. From that it will be easier to get the shape of the indivdual letters in the script.

SLanigan

Hello - I believe this is a photo of the original record from the Archiv der Evangelischen Kirche im Rhineland, Archivstelle Koblentz. I viewed this record in 1996 (but didn't take a photo) and part of the record was translated by the folks at the Archive. Here is what they told me the record is:

1. Johann Jakob Ekfeld hinterlassen (fathers dead) ehelediger sohn (not previosly married) ---1 Nikolaus Ekfeld aus Oberreidenbach und dessen noch lebenden (still living) Margaretha jeborene [Theodor?]
2. Maria Christina Leonhardt eheledige tochter von Philipp Leonhardt Schmdt (blacksmith) in Oberreidenbach und dessen Ehebrou Maria Christina jibohrene Franzmann. 

I should have been more specific that it's the mother's maiden name that I can't figure out (lesson learned). Other suggestions for Margaretha's maiden name were Thenecker, Thecker, Thronder, and Thronder (with an umlaut "o"). However, I am unable to find any of these last names in the Church books available for Oberreidenbach or Sien (my ancestors lived these towns for at least four generations from 1705 to about 1840 when they moved to Ohio) which makes me question these names. I've also looked for Margaretha's death record (haven't found it). I've also looked for Jacob Eckfelds (J. Jacob and Margaretha's son) baptism record (haven't found it) to see if relatives of the mother are listed as sponsors.

thank you! Steve

Re Searching

Why did they put an h in geboren? It should be geboren(e) (born) not gebohren (bored as in drilled)

I'd pencilled in many of the words but I couldn't work out the place name. Given that I was actually in Obereidenbach in 1990 I should have seen it, but I was fixated on the ending being burg. The h appears consistently with a long tail like a g so I mistakenly latched on to that I suppose.

On the maiden name: Letter by letter using comparison with known letters elsewhere:

The first letter doesn't match the F in Franzmann. A better match is the P in Phillip which is similar to the Js in Johann etc. Jh or Fh together is nigh on impossible so it must be Ph or Th.

h seems certain: it matches multiple instances.

moving to the end

er

The ending consistently matches the ending of "ehelediger" "tochter" and other words in plenty of places, so that's almost certain.

Critically, the letter or letter pair prior to the ending is unique in the document, although there are similarities to the k in ekfeld, but it's definitely not like an h or a b. I tentatively think rather than being a k or a d it might be be a ß , which would make the ending "sser" as in Schlesser. If you can find any more documents like this is the same hand, then this letter shape might be present in words that can be decyphered.

Sorry I haven't been much help but I'll pick it up from time to time and see if I get some inspiration.

Steve Walker16

May I suggest that you also post your question in the FamilySearch Community Germany Research Group @https://community.familysearch.org/en/group/88-germany-research for help in translating the document.

SLanigan

Thank you "LDS Search Test" and Steve Walker16. I just posted my question in the Germany Research Group, as Steve suggested.