Birth and Baptism of Florentina Mathilde Braun (1814-1891)
Today’s Surname Saturday post is about one of those good news/bad news genealogy days. Good: I found the birth and baptism of Florentine Mathilde Braun, my great-great grandmother and she has a twin sister.
Bad: the village pastor had handwriting that strongly resembles a chicken on acid who ran through an inkwell before it made a break for freedom running across the pages of the parish register.
First I used the great Germany, Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 (Deutschland, Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898) database at FamilySearch. Then I ordered their microfilm for those parish registers.
Here’s what I learned about Frederica Ida & Florentina Mathilde BRAUN:
[Entry No.] 280. 29 December [1814]
Twin 1 Friederica Ida
Born on the 7th of the same [month][Entry No.] 281. Ditto[Entry No.] 281
Ditto [29 December]
Twin 2
Florentina Mathilde
Born on the 7th of the same [month]
Father: Carl Heinrich BRAUN, kaufmann [merchant]
Mother: Joh[anna] Juliana née TRENKLER
Witnesses:
Balthasar Gottlob Braun, merchant [my 4-g grandfather]
William Braun, merchant
Daniel Trenkler, Fleischhauer [butcher] [my 4-g grandfather]
Fraulein Wilhelmina Braun [4-g aunt]
Frau Louisa Henrietta Braun
Frau Berta Christina Trenkler
The Trenklers lived in Rawitsch for many generations and are relatively easy to find, the Brauns less so, and the Kirschsteins are practically non-existent. I’m starting to think Florentine’s husband, Friedrich Kirschstein, was born somewhere other than Rawitsch.
If it were easy, it wouldn’t be fun, right? And I’m very happy the baptism of Florentine Mathilde Braun yielded so much information.
Thanks, Carol. I had to laugh to keep from crying. I needed at least one other baptism from that reel of microfilm and the handwriting’s so bad I doubt I’ll find it.
You wrote: “…handwriting that strongly resembles a chicken on acid who ran through an inkwell before it made a break for freedom running across the pages of the parish register.”
That has to be the best description of crummy handwriting I have ever read, took me 5 minutes to pick myself off the floor from the hysterical laughter fit!