For finding online genealogy databases, records and resources. The focus is on vital records (birth, marriage and death records), obituaries, census records, naturalization records, military records and ship passenger lists. Although the blog is based in the USA, online European, Canadian, and other records sources are sometimes included. You may also occasionally see a fun post or genealogy news.
Thursday, March 01, 2018
Christina Beine, the Girl They Left Behind
When my Beine German immigrant family went to America in 1880, they left their oldest daughter Christina behind. She was eleven years old. Here is her story...
What an incredible story about an incredible child left behind. I was sad reading it until I read that you connected with Peter - a descendent. Thanks for sharing Cindi
How wonderful that you were able to locate the daughter and then connect with her descendant. Much effort and a bit of luck did the trick. Thank you for posting. Reading this encourages me to continue to track some of my ancestors in Germany.
This is a marvelous story! The girl who was left behind could have been just another brick wall but now you know the rest of the story. Nad you visited Germany! The is the kind of story that many of us dream about telling.
What a lovely story about your ancestors, and particularly the girl they left behind. Do you have any idea why she didn't come with them to America? Was she indentured to help them attain passage?
I live in Denver as well, and work on genealogy almost every day. I often think about the ancestors and their siblings and families. The records are basic facts, but they are interesting. I wonder about what happened to the father of the illegitimate child. Ten percent of children born in the 1800s in the now Czech Republic, were born without a father on record.
I reread the story and now see she was betrothed, at the age of 11. That means her parents arranged her marriage, now kind of a foreign concept to us, but not uncommon in Europe back then.
What a remarkable piece of family history you were able to record about your family. AND this is why many of is search for years and years to bring those names on that piece of paper to life again. They will forever be apart of who we are, and will always be. Thanks for sharing your story.
My grandparents came to Canada with their 1 year old son (my father) in 1908. They left behind a daughter who was under three months old when they left. My grandfather had a cousin in Canada who said come and get a homestead for free. Prove it and after three years you can sell it and never have to work again. Unfortunately, they never realized this dream. They never made it back for the daughter. As an adult she wrote many pleading letters to send her money to join them. There was no money to be had. Eventually, my aunt made it to Canada on her own. She was 40 years old. As we travelled together to my grandmother's (her mother's) funeral, my aunt expressed her bitterness. She said what mother does that! I told her the story of how they were going to go back to Austria in 3 years. It helped her deal with it a bit better. My grandmother also left behind her daughter born out of wedlock and fathered by a man who was not my grandfather. She had one son and this son was close to the baby girl my grandparents left behind. My grandmother also spoke of the pain of losing three twins as babies - one was my father's twin. Life was hard but my grandmother was stoic. She told no one else these stories but when I went to the Old Country to visit, I found out they were true.
What a wonderful tribute to your family. Such a different time. I wonder about the answers to your questions, too. How hard it must have been to leave her daughter behind. Christine Jakob's children growing up without their mother. Cousins fighting cousins in the war. And the beautiful church, how wonderful you were able to visit.
What a great story to pass down through the generations of descendants of these courageous people. I hope to be able to tell a story of my ancestors some day, not with just names and dates, but stories of their lives. Thank you for sharing your story!
16 comments:
Thank you for a lovely story! What a blessing that Peter found you
What an incredible story about an incredible child left behind. I was sad reading it until I read that you connected with Peter - a descendent.
Thanks for sharing
Cindi
So inspiring. I love your family story. Part of mine is also German.I did visit Germany where they came from though. A very long story also.
This was such an interesting story! Thanks for sharing.
Very thought-provoking and evocative story. I was moved by it.
How wonderful that you were able to locate the daughter and then connect with her descendant. Much effort and a bit of luck did the trick. Thank you for posting. Reading this encourages me to continue to track some of my ancestors in Germany.
This is a marvelous story! The girl who was left behind could have been just another brick wall but now you know the rest of the story. Nad you visited Germany! The is the kind of story that many of us dream about telling.
Thank you. My husbands' ancestors were born in Emden. Wonderful to see the photos. Memories
jostled for me and hope of connecting further.
What a lovely story about your ancestors, and particularly the girl they left behind. Do you have any idea why she didn't come with them to America? Was she indentured to help them attain passage?
I live in Denver as well, and work on genealogy almost every day. I often think about the ancestors and their siblings and families. The records are basic facts, but they are interesting. I wonder about what happened to the father of the illegitimate child. Ten percent of children born in the 1800s in the now Czech Republic, were born without a father on record.
I reread the story and now see she was betrothed, at the age of 11. That means her parents arranged her marriage, now kind of a foreign concept to us, but not uncommon in Europe back then.
What a remarkable piece of family history you were able to record about your family. AND this is why many of is search for years and years to bring those names on that piece of paper to life again. They will forever be apart of who we are, and will always be. Thanks for sharing your story.
Very heart warming. Thank you so much for sharing.
My grandparents came to Canada with their 1 year old son (my father) in 1908. They left behind a daughter who was under three months old when they left. My grandfather had a cousin in Canada who said come and get a homestead for free. Prove it and after three years you can sell it and never have to work again. Unfortunately, they never realized this dream. They never made it back for the daughter. As an adult she wrote many pleading letters to send her money to join them. There was no money to be had. Eventually, my aunt made it to Canada on her own. She was 40 years old. As we travelled together to my grandmother's (her mother's) funeral, my aunt expressed her bitterness. She said what mother does that! I told her the story of how they were going to go back to Austria in 3 years. It helped her deal with it a bit better. My grandmother also left behind her daughter born out of wedlock and fathered by a man who was not my grandfather. She had one son and this son was close to the baby girl my grandparents left behind. My grandmother also spoke of the pain of losing three twins as babies - one was my father's twin. Life was hard but my grandmother was stoic. She told no one else these stories but when I went to the Old Country to visit, I found out they were true.
Thanks for sharing your story.
What a wonderful tribute to your family. Such a different time. I wonder about the answers to your questions, too. How hard it must have been to leave her daughter behind. Christine Jakob's children growing up without their mother. Cousins fighting cousins in the war. And the beautiful church, how wonderful you were able to visit.
What a great story to pass down through the generations of descendants of
these courageous people. I hope to be able to tell a story of my ancestors some day, not with just names and dates, but stories of their lives. Thank you for sharing your story!
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