I love a good mystery. One of my favorite writers is Harlan Coben. The challenge of figuring out who did it and how the story will end is exciting. There is nothing like surprises. That's why I love genealogy. It’s just lots of mysteries and surprises.
I had no idea this hobby would consume my waking hours like it does. When I make a discovery, a wave of excitement flows over me. Yesterday, a surprise jumped out, bringing me joy.
I'm searching for Joseph Meyer, born in Mërzen in Lower Saxony in 1854. He's not even my ancestor, and that's another story. He immigrated in 1869 from Germany to settle in Cincinnati, Ohio. The last documentation I have of his residency in Cincinnati was a document he signed in 1893 releasing his inheritance rights to the Meyer farm in Mërzen. Over the last several years, I've spent much time looking for him in Cincinnati. However, Joseph Meyer is a common name. There were thirty listed in the city directory that year.
Yesterday, I joined the Hamilton County Genealogical Society. The documents available to members will help me with this mystery, or I sure hope so. While waiting for my email to confirm and open the floodgate of information that might solve this mystery, I found some databases on the website accessible to non-members. I chose the Catholic Church marriages, thinking he might be listed. Unfortunately, they were no help, and again, there were a multitude of Joseph Meyers.
While in these files, I searched for information about my great-grandfather, Theodore Heines’ marriage. Several years ago, I secured that documentation through the Catholic diocese but wanted to double-check it. This marriage database on the HCGS website allows a search by either the bride or the groom. I searched for the bride, specifically Theodore's wife, Margaretha Kaiser. I found what I expected – their marriage. However, to my surprise, the following marriage on the list was Maria Kaiser, who married Tobias Sasse. Tobias was my great-grandfather's friend and was also in my tree. I had listed his wife as Maria Sasse since I didn't know her maiden name. Now I knew it was Kaiser.
Then it hit me. Could this Maria Kaiser be Margaretha's sister, one of the siblings I've been unable to find? I found Maria Sasse in my tree and verified that her birth date was 27 Nov 1816 in Mërzen. I pulled up Maria Kaiser, Margaretha's sister, who had the same birthdate. They were the same person! What a surprise!
I had known that Tobias Sasse and my great-grandparents were close. They lived next door to each other in Cincinnati, and then both families ended up settling in Evansville, Indiana. Theodore and Margaretha named one of their children Tobias. Tobias grew up in the same area in Germany as Theodore, but I've yet to find his birth certificate; I suspect Theodore and Tobias knew each other before Tobias married Margaretha’s sister.
Why was she in my tree? Maria Kaiser Sasse was in my tree because their daughter was my other great-grandfather (my Mom’s grandfather), Peter Haag’s first wife. What a surprise! Their marriage was short-lived, with her dying in childbirth. Several years ago, when I uncovered that fact, I wondered if, since it was evident my great-grandparents Heines and Haag knew each other, maybe Mom and Dad knew each other all their lives. I don’t know that, but that opens another mystery.
Maria Sasse's maiden name was not the mystery I was trying to solve yesterday, but it was a wonderful surprise. If your ancestors settled in Cincinnati, it would be worth checking out the Hamilton County Genealogical Society (https://hcgsohio.org/).
I'm sure glad I did. You might be pleasantly surprised.
I love the satisfying 'snick' of a puzzle piece as it joins the many other pieces of the puzzle. That's awesome!
A tightly knitted clan. How wonderful.