Birth record translation help. Illegitimate ancestor seeking father
I am seeking to determine the father of my ancestor Thomas Heinrich Rauch (born 1829 in Altlussheim, Baden) and hope that there are clues in this record but I am unable to read the script. I know his mother to be Christina Wilhelmina Rauch whom married Johannes Ulrich in 1831 (at age 22). My ancestor would have been born when she was 20. I have heard that at that time and place it wasn't uncommon for couples to have children out of wedlock before they were able to be married in the church. I don't know if this adds up though? The family immigrated to Ohio in the 1850's there were other brothers and sisters with the surname Ulrich. If Christina married Johannes Ulrich a few short years after the birth of Thomas Heinrich and he was the biological father why would my ancestor not have assumed his surname?
Comentarios
-
Hello @JustinRouch,
Translation:
Left margin: Born on the 1st of October [1829]. Baptized on the 4th of the same month.
In the year 1829 on the 1st of October in the morning at 9:00 am a son was born to Anna Christina Rauch, unmarried daughter of the local citizen and farmer Johann Heinrich Rauch and his deceased wife Anna Barbara, née Märdel?, from here, who was baptized on the 4th of the same month in the afternoon at 3:30 pm and was named Thomas Heinrich.
Baptismal sponsors were: (1) Thomas Heinrich Rauch, local citizen and farmer, as brother [of the child's mother]. (2) His wife Catharina, née Engelhorn. Witness at the baptism was: the aforementioned Johann Heinrich Rauch, grandfather of the child.
Lautenschlager [signature of the pastor].
Right margin: Thomas Heinrich Rauch. Emigrated in May 1853 to Tiffin.
My comments: The child's father is not identified in this record.
The mother in this record is different than the mother you thought it would be.
One reason that an illegitimate child might not take his mother's subsequent husband's surname is that the child is not his.
1 -
@Robert Seal_1 Thanks so much for the thorough translation and comments.
Unfortunately this seems to be a pretty big road block in researching Thomas Heinrich (my 3rd great-grandfathers) paternal line.
0 -
You're welcome, @JustinRouch. Yes, I have a similar situation with an Austrian ancestor and while I know who the mother is, I have no clues at all who the father might be and the ancestral line stops at this point.
Do you think this is your 3rd great-grandfather despite the difference in the mothers' names?
0 -
@Robert Seal_1 - Yes I do think that this is my ancestor despite the names differences.
I have an Ortssippenbuch entry for Christina Wilhelmina Rauch & Johannes Ulrich listing Thomas Heinrich as first born with the same birthdate (that predates their marriage) & Christina is shown with same parents and brother per your translation of the original record. That source doesn't make any mention of him being illegitimate aside from the birthdate predating the marriage he is listed with the other 'Ulrich' children. I have seen an obituary of one of the brothers that calls Thomas Heinrich (Henry Rouch) his half-brother. With this and him using a different last name it makes for quite the mystery that may be un-solvable. Maybe through DNA but that would be a 4th great grandparent.
0 -
Hello Justin,
The fact that one of Thomas Heinrich "Henry" Rouch's brother refers to him as a half-brother would support the theory that his father is not Johannes Ulrich and the two half-brothers are related through their mother, which is why Henry took his mother's surname.
0 -
Hello again Justin,
I found Thomas Heinrich "Henry" Rouch's Nov 1907 Indiana death certificate on Ancestry. The death certificate states that his father was "Henry John Rouch" and his mother was "Christina Rouch".
In German, the name "Henry John Rouch" would be: Heinrich Johann Rouch.
I don't know if you have access to Ancestry but if you do, here is the link to this record:https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60716&h=1814463&tid=&pid=&queryId=4602a7a748807d646a482f5fc1e0c21f&usePUB=true&_phsrc=paO1263&_phstart=successSource&_gl=1*osq81u*_ga*MTQyMzUwNjk3Ny4xNjcyNTI2NDk5*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY3NTAzMTk2MC41Ni4xLjE2NzUwMzI2MjEuMzkuMC4w*_ga_B2YGR3SSMB*Y2NmNzVlNTgtOGM3Mi00Y2ZjLWEyYmEtMDAyMmFiZmEwN2Y3LjEyMS4xLjE2NzUwMzI2MjIuMzkuMC4w
If not, you can go to your local Family History Center and you should be able to access Ancestry there.
I found the death record in an Ancestry database entitled "Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017.
Best regards, Robert Seal_1
P.S. Ancestry indexed his birth date incorrectly as 15 October 1829, but if you look at the actual death certificate you can see the date is 1 October 1829.
0 -
@Robert Seal_1 - Thanks for the help & insight. Agreed If father was Johann Ulrich (as previously speculated) he wouldn't have been referred to as a half brother and be using his mothers maiden surname.
As far as the death cert goes, yes I have a copy of it and I have seen Henry John Rouch noted as 'name of father' but Henry (Heinrich) and John (Johann) are pretty common family names, seemingly even very common in the region they are from. Rouch/Rauch is mothers surname, although not impossible seems unlikely he was fathered by someone with the same surname as his mother. Not even sure whom the informant is on the death cert but it is not wife or child. I would speculate there could be some shame involved in being an illegitimate child. I again speculate that this is not well known in the family.
0 -
@JustinRouch: I agree there was shame connected to illegitimacy and the father on the death certificate was probably added top avoid this situation.
0