Wilhelmine Florentine Charlotte Wehrmann

Birth & Baptism

Almena, Lippe; 1849.

Photocopy courtesy of Jane (Fiegenbaum) Padget

This is a letter attesting to Wilhelmine Florentine Charlotte Wehrmann's birth, baptism and parentage. A transcription of the German and a translation into English follow.

Wilhelmine Florentine Charlotta Wehrmann

eheliche Tochter [von?] Colon Adolph Wehrmann nr 13 zu

Almana und dessen Ehefrau Wilhelmine Kater

deselbst, ist zu Almana geboren d. 7^t (siebten)

October 1834 achtzehnhundert vier und dreißig und d.

19^t desselben Monate und Jahre getauft.

[------] aus dem Kirchenbuch[-] zu Almana.

Almana d. 7^t April 1849

[seal]

Rainart,
Pastor [-----]

Wilhelmine Florentine Charlotta Wehrmann

legitimate daughter [of?] Colon Adolph ¹ Wehrmann of number 13

Almana and his wife Wilhelmine Kater

of the same place, was born in Almana on the 7^th (seventh) of

October 1834 eighteen-hundred thirty-four and

baptized on the 19^th of the same month and year.

[------]² from the Church-book ³ at Almana

Almana, the 7^th of April 1849

[seal]⁴

Rainart,
Pastor [-----]⁵

Transcription of the pastor's letter and translation into English by J. Mark Fiegenbaum.

The letter by Pastor Rainart is quite specific on a number of facts.

It records Florentine's full name (as an adult, she appears to have been commonly known by her second given name). It is not as complete with the name of her father, but does give the maiden name of her mother.

The letter attests to the date and place of the birth and its legitimacy. In fact, Rev. Rainart took the time to spell out the day and the year of the birth even though his numbers are very legible. Perhaps this affidavit was intended to serve in some official capacity and he wished there to be no doubt. Hence the seal.

Adolph's social standing, on the basis of his landholdings, is mentioned, as is the farmstead (number 13) with which he was connected. A Colon was a class of middle-sized farmer who lived on and worked land owned by a nobleman. In nearby Ladbergen (Kreis Tecklenburg, Prussia - where Florentine's future husband was born) in the early 19th century, a Colon might be responsible for between 60 to 100 acres, composed of up to a dozen plots scattered throughout a township.

The letter records that Florentine was baptized in the evangelical church in Almana, about two weeks after her birth.

The reason for such a detailed letter is a matter of speculation. Florentine's mother, Wilhelmine Kater had passed away in 1839. By at least 1845, Adolph had remarried (to another Wilhelmine) and had another daughter (also named Wilhelmine) with his new wife. In 1851, the family emigrated to the USA.

Mary Ann Mock has discovered the Wehrmanns listed as passengers of the ship Rebecca, sailing from Bremen, Germany and arriving at New Orleans, Louisiana on 4 November 1851.⁶ The ship's manifest lists the Wehrmanns as passengers in "sterage."

#	Name	Age	Sex	Occupation	Place of Origin	Destination
13	Wehrmann Adlf.	63	male	farmer	Lippe	Misouri [sic]
14	Wehrmann Wilhelmine	44	female		Lippe	Misouri [sic]
15	Wehrmann Adlf.	26	male		Lippe	Misouri [sic]
16	Wehrmann Friedericke	19	female		Lippe	Misouri [sic]
17	Wehrmann Charlotte	16	female		Lippe	Misouri [sic]
18	Wehrmann Wilhelmine	6	female		Lippe	Misouri [sic]

Perhaps in 1849 Adolph was anticipating his departure for Missouri and being a thorough man who attended to details he made sure that his family had certain documents that might make the trip go smoothly.

It is a characteristic that he may have passed on the his daughter, Florentine. She (or her husband?) recorded the names and birth dates of all her children.

Notes

(Click on note number to return to the text, above.)

1. While the letter 'p' in the manuscript is not clear to my inexperienced eye, the last letter is an 'h'. For this reason I have spelled the name as 'Adolph.'

2. I could not decipher some of the letters in this word. I have no translation.

3. I could not make out one or two letters that appear to be at the end of this word. Perhaps they are the necessary grammatical ending required by the case of the noun Kirchenbuch.

4. This appears to be the seal of the Pfarramt, or parish office, in Almana. In the photocopy there is little detail. I believe more would be discernible in the original.

5. I can not decipher or translate this small word. It may be an abbreviation.

6. See the entire passenger list for the Rebecca at the current (May 2007) Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild web site: <http://immigrantships.net/v4/1800v4/rebecca18511104.html>. Originally accessed on 14 October 2001 at: <http://istg.rootsweb.com/v4/1800v4/rebecca18511104.html>.

Brief Genealogy

Wilhelmine Florentine Charlotte Wehrmann's family
Her father's 1^st marriage

Her father's 2^nd marriage

Hermann Heinrich Fiegenbaum's family

Fiegenbaum - Wehrmann family

More Resources

For more detailed genealogical information, search our Database.