Even in the 1880’s, you needed a copy of your birth certificate

In a previous post, I discussed the challenges one can encounter when translating a document. Translation becomes more difficult when the document is more than 100 years old.

Here is the full image of Maria Catherina Krumpelmann’s certified copy of her birth record. She was born in Priggenhagen, Germany, on September 6, 1857. Maria came to the United States in September of 1885, just a few weeks after this document was written. She traveled with her brother Anton.

Fortunately for us, Walt had a co-worker who was German, and he offered to help us translate this document. He had a lot of help from his mother, his aunt, and his grandmother back in Germany. The language had changed enough that it took some time for them to puzzle out parts of the document, and they weren’t able to translate everything.

First, they worked to get it into modern German.

 Auszug aus dem Geburts-und Taufbuche
 Der Parochie (Pfarrei) Bersenbrück
 Jahrgang 1857 pag. (Seite?) 31
             ----------------------------------------
Laufende Nummer:          29
 Ort der Geburt:          Priggenhagen
 Geschlecht des Kindes:   Mädchen
 Voller Name des Kindes:  Krümpelmann Maria Catharina
  
 Tag und Stunde der Geburt im Jahre 18 hundert sieben und fünfzig
         Den sechsten September abends gegen zehn Uhr
  
 Name, Stand und Wohnort der Eltern: Der Zimmermann Heinrich
      Krümpelmann und desen Ehefrau geborene 
     Maria Elisabeth Kröger in Priggenhaggen
  
 Tag der Taufe:      der neunte September 1857
  
 Name, Stand und Wohnort der Taufpaten:  1 Ehefrau Gerhard Heinrich
       Krümpelmann geb Maria Catharina Bokels
       Aus Priggenhagen 2. Ehefrau des          ?
       lings Kröger geb Maria Külefeld aus
       Rüsfeld 3.Wiiwer Colon Hein
       rich Bokels zu Priggenhagen
  
 Name des Kirchenbuchführers nebst Datum: Wingerberg 1(2?)9 September
 1857 
  
 Aus gezogen                                    Zur Beglaubigung des Auszugs
 Den 24ten August                               Minkenberg Vikar
 1885                                           als Kirchenbuch
                                                führer 

They then translated it into English for us. This gave us more information about Maria’s parents. Her grandmother was one of her godparents – Maria Catherina Bokels Krumpelmann.

Birth and Baptism Certificate
From the parish Bersenbruck
Yearbook 1857, page 31
 
 Serial number:       29
 Birthplace:   Priggenhagen
 Sex of child:          girl
 Full name of child:           Krümpelmann Maria Catharina
  
 Day and hour of birth in the year 18 hundred fifty seven
 September 6th in the evening around ten o‘clock
 
 Name, status, and residence of the parents: The Heinrich Zimmermann Krümpelmann and his wife born Maria Elisabeth Kröger in Priggenhaggen
  
 Day of baptism:     September 9th 1857
  
 Name and place of residence of the godparents: 
 1: Wife of Gerhard Heinrich Krümpelmann born Maria Catharina Bokels Out of Priggenhagen,  
 2: Wife of ?ings Kröger born Maria Külefeld out of Rüsfeld 
 3: Widowed Colon Heinrich Bokels out of Priggenhagen
  
 Name of church leader book with date: Wingerberg, September 19th 1857
       
 Date of public notary                             public notary
 August 24th, 1885                                 Mikenberg Vikar,   
                                                   maintainer of churchbook 
                     

Maria married Gerhard Wellman in January of 1886, and they had 6 children, including Walt’s grandmother Elizabeth Wellman Link.