Need help identifying a town name spoken by a german immigrant
My great-grandmother's brother immigrated from Oberfranken, Bavaria, Germany to Illinois in 1856. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1861and served 4 years. On three separate occasions his home town in Germany was recorded, but a town of that name does not exist. I believe his pronunciation of the town may have influenced how the clerks heard the word. I have attached a copy of the three separate entries of "Bowis". I would appreciate any suggestions as to what town he might have been saying.
Pam
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Hello @PamelaCaruso1,
I found a place called Baureis which might be a possibility, however it is located in Oberbayern, Bavaria, rather than Oberfranken, Bavaria.
Here is the link for Baureis from Meyers Gazetteer: https://www.meyersgaz.org/place/10120068
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Another option is to look at the church records in the town where he settled in Illinois. If it was a German parish, chances are very good that his home town in Oberfranken might be listed somewhere in the American record.
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Thank you both fro your responses. I just love the Meyers Gazetteer. George's brother's tombstone had "Born in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Oberfranken" (in German) inscribed, so I think that is where I need to look. "Bowis" may be a farm or hamlet of another town. I have been unsuccessful finding church records in Illinois. The above mentioned brother stayed in Fort Plain, New York, so I will look harder for church records there.
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You're welcome, Pamela.
FYI: Keep in mind that sometimes the information on a gravestone can be incorrect. Here is a link to an article that you may find of interest: https://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2016/05/a-grave-mistake-even-if-its-written-in-stone-it-could-be-wrong.html
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You might also want to check to see if there are any German language newspapers that the old german residents of Fort Plain, New York read. The first generation German immigrants often relied on German language newspapers and that's where their obituaries were posted. These obituaries sometimes named the town they came from.
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Looking at the 1860 census for your George Beck (L1S3-9V1, I think); he gives his place of birth as Germany/Lichtenstein.
Image 102 bottom of page
There is a Lichtenstein in Unterfranken, Bayern but it is right on the border of Oberfranken, Bayern. I didn't see any towns similar to Bowis nearby to Lichtenstein. But, he clearly gave this name to the census taker so it might be a valuable clue.
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