Help locating German relatives from Moravia Silesia
Hello, my great grandfather and his parents came to the United States in 1889. No one in my side of the family has had a clue where they were actually from. I have come across their United States census records, death records and ship records from their immigration but they list themselves as Bohemians or say they are from Austria or Hungary. I finally had a breakthrough and found a death notice from a great uncle ( my g grandfather’s younger brother) who indicated he was born in Petersdorf, Austria Hungary. I then found that is currently Vrazne, Czechia.
original ancestors were Josef Schroller born 1859 ( my gg grandfather)
married to Anna Pohl born 1857;Poland. Her father was Anton Pohl from Poland. my gg grandmother)
their son Richard Schroller born I also assume in Petersdorf, died is Floresville, Wilson TX
Both ethnic German,I assume, although they spoke many languages. No other known relatives, I am struggling and really want to find these ancestors to better understand what happened. There is a lot of family folklore I would like to know.
There is absolutely zero information about them on Ancestry or anywhere? Any suggestions on where to start?
Thank you. It’s such a privilege to be part of this community.
Barb
Comments
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I would start by attaching the sources shown in the Research Help (11) to each of the descendants. Be sure and look at each of the documents carefully and validate all of the information that you know. Particularly, you are looking for a region in Poland Austria or Germany where the family lived prior to 1850.
Was Emma Pohl born in Poland or Austria. Eliminate the discrepancies or document them to look in all places.
To locate records in Europe, start with the Research Wiki. Look for the smallest location you are sure of, and then look up the records that are available. Follow the instructions to find the collection for the city. Remember, many of the records are not indexed. Only about 20% of all records will appear in a search.
When you think you have found something, but it is in German, come back here and we will help you translate it.
Don't give up and document everything in your research log.
Scott
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I'll add to Scott's comment that a place identified as "Poland" in one record may very well be exactly the same as the one identified as "Austria" in another record. (This is true even if the two placenames look nothing alike: the Polish name may have been completely different from the German one.)
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Thank you both. I really appreciate the guidance and help you provided.
I will follow your instructions and return if I find something or if I get stuck.
Blessings,
Barb
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The Censuses are also a great help. In the 1900 Census it says that he and his parents were born in Bohemia. It also says his wife's name is Emma, and that she and her parents were born in Bohemia. It has Frank's name listed as Franz. The 1900 Census also gives month and year of births, if accurate. Good luck to you, Barb. PaulaAnn
Frank's death certificate also lists his mother's name as Emma, if we have the correct family.
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Thank you, PaulaAnn. Most records I have seen indicate Anna Pohl was born in Poland. Per my grandmother, her father Richard was 100% ethnically German. I am questioning whether they may have come from Ceske Petrovice, and Anna lived nearby in Poland. So far, I have not hits in searches from that area.
The only other hit I got is a dna hit from a Schroller (changed his name to Sroller and lice’s in Czechia). He indicated he traced his Schroller roots back to a Michael Schroller, but that was as much information as I could locate.
Thank you all for the coaching and the help. I have been watching and re-watching YouTube videos from Jan Dus, a reverend from Czechia who helps Americans with genealogy from this region, but it hasn’t been easy. You all have provided me some hope that maybe I can actually chip away and find these “lost” family members.
Blessings,
Barb 😁
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Here is a passenger list for a Josef Schroller from Hohen Erlitz coming to Shiner, Texas to see his uncle, Joseph Schroller.
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Christopher,
Thank you so much. I did learn about this nephew and found he lived in Texas for several years, married, and then, moved to California. I don’t know that he was from Hohen Erlitz, though. Thank you for this information. I can definitely use that to further my search.
I did find this, below, which helped me know they had come from Petersdorf.
Franz "Frank" Schroller was born in Petersdorff, Bohemia, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary. After World War I ended in 1918, Bohemia became part of the country of Czechoslovakia. In 1993, Bohemia became part of the Czech Republic. Today, Petersdorff is known as Petrovice.
Frank Schroller was the son of Joseph Schroller and Emma Pohle.
Frank married Anna Haferkamp on Nov 28, 1911 in Fisher County, Texas. They were the parents of one son and eight daughters.
They may have updated the above since I saw it because I don’t believe it originally said that Petersdorf is now Petrovice, which I am assuming is Ceske Petrovice. I have been focusing my efforts on researching there, but I am still learning. I actually went to my local library when the genealogy society was there for help, but neither of the people there that day had knowledge of this area, and they couldn’t advise me. One lady was very kind and searched in her paid Ancestry account, which had nothing available about my family.
I am going to keep plugging on this weekend and searching the information on familysearch and see what I can find. If I continue getting stuck, I will see if I can go into a local family search library.
I am absolutely blown away by your kindness and that of everyone in this group. You are all so amazing and have really been so kind to me.
Thank you again, and blessings to each of you.
Sincerely,
Barb
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Here's a link to a family in the 1880 census in Bohmisch Petersdorf. Joseph Scholler born april 7, 1859.https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9JQ-Z6W7?i=310&cat=2678006 And the catalog of censuses available: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2678006?availability=Family%20History%20Library
Joseph's baptism?: https://aron.vychodoceskearchivy.cz/apu/6a165923-1386-43be-961f-f11057d5ee3d/dao/6a165923-1386-43be-961f-f11057d5ee3d/file/c812a7ee-2a50-421e-9139-2bb3a0097fe6
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Joseph and Emma's son Joseph's baptism:https://aron.vychodoceskearchivy.cz/apu/7e80add9-89ec-4014-ab66-eb594b7a3247/dao/7e80add9-89ec-4014-ab66-eb594b7a3247/file/345ca7a7-e0dc-4012-9e05-8ec0d02d23bc
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Christopher, THANK YOU!!!! Are you able to translate any of it? I hate to ask, but I see Alma Schroller in the first link. I can’t read this at all.
Honestly, bless you! You have no idea, but this means the world to me!
Sincerely,
Barb
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I feel like an absolute idiot, but I can’t make out any of the writing, except Anna Schroller😁. or can you share a resource to help me understand the writing? I will search for one independently, as well. Again, thank you.
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Unfortunately, I can't read the handwriting either. Hopefully someone will step in and help. If not, you could re-post those links to this group or the Germany group. Here is a link to reading the handwriting:https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Austria_Languages
Here is a link to AIDS in Czechia research:https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Czechia_Genealogy
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Thank you so much. I truly hope you know what a Christmas blessing you have been by finding this information for me. I feel like it’s an answer to prayer.
Thank you again!
-Barb
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You're welcome.
I'm pretty sure that Joseph Jr's birth record gives Emma Pohl's parents's names(father looks like Anton) and perhaps her birthplace(looks like something Orlitz). Someone more familiar with this handwriting and the German language should be able to make it out.
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Here's a start on the baptism from 1859:
Born 7 April, baptized 8.
House number 121.
Child: Josef, Catholic, male, legitimate. Baptized by me, Franz ?? priest/parson. Midwife Eleonora ?? of Böhm. Petersdorf number 52.
Father: Josef Schroller, Catholic farmer in Böhmisch Petersdorf, legitimate son after Josef Schroller farmer in Böhm. Petersdorf N. 121 and his wife Veronika born Luz of Böhmisch Petersdorf N. 116. Civil district Königgrätzer Kreis in Böhmen [Bohemia].
Mother: Anna, Catholic, legitimate daughter of Josef Severin, ?? in Klösterle(?) N.3 and his wife Maria born ?? of ?? N. 10. Civil district S??burg Königgrätzer Kreis in Böhmen.
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Thank you both!
Yes, Emma Pohl’s fathere was Anton. I have never seen her mother’s name in any place in all my research, so if the mother’s name is listed and someone can read it, I would be delighted. It’s taken so long to find some of these names when they are relatively close relations.
One final question about your initial search, Christopher. Would you be able to walk me through where you found the Bohmisch records for Petersdorf? When I was searching, in the Catholic records under Zamrsk, then Petrovice, it seemed the names were all Czech. With the language difference, my thought was that they likely attended different Catholic churches, although perhaps that’s an incorrect assumption.
Just so I am clear on what you shared, Julia… am I to understand that in the baptismal record from 1859 for my gg-grandfather, Josef, it shares his father’s name as Josef also, and his grandfather was also named Josef? I also know that Josef’s nephew that came to the US was named Josef, as well. I just want to make sure that I understand correctly.
My grandmother, Lillian, raised me, and this is her father’s side of the family. She lost her father when she was in her mid 20’s, and didn’t have much knowledge of his family history. She has been on my mind a lot this Christmas, so knowing this little bit more about her dad Richard’s family means the world to me. I’m sure you understand, since you’re on this forum.
That you would all share your time helping me, I am just so grateful!
Barb
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Barb, I used the GenTeam gazetteer:https://www.genteam.at/de/db2?view=db&id=2
You have to register, it's free.
Click on "Gazetteer" then start typing Petersdorf in the Surname box(they recently updated their website and it's somewhat glitchy). As you're typing some suggested places will appear, one of which is Bohmisch Petersdorf(or Bohemian Petersdorf, depending on the language selected. Click on Bohmisch Petersdorf, then on Details. It will show you the name of the relevant parish and also a link to the relevant archive. Click on the archive link, and then search for Ceske Petrovice on the archive website. About a million databases will pop up, and you have to scroll through them to find the right event(birth, marriage or death) and the right time period. FamilySearch has some info on how to use the Czech Archives.
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