It has been awhile since my last post but that doesn't mean I haven't been working on the key question of where Anna Maria Ratermann was born. Having identified St. Lambertus Catholic Church in Merzen, Osnabruck, Niedersachsen, Germany as the place of baptism for her children, further delving into the records (page by page) was necessary.
There are four Catholic Churches identified in Matricula-online for Merzen. St. Lambertus and St. Nikolaus both contain records for Ratermann in the appropriate time period. Utilizing the baptismal records and searching the likely time period of 1811 to 1825, 3, possibly 4 families were identified.
The birth date on her death record from St. Rose Catholic Church in Clinton County, Illinois indicates she was born in April, 1819 in Merzen, Hannover, Germany. To date, I have been unable to find any other records in the US for Anna Maria Ratermann. Reviewing two letters obtained by Sr. Olivia Woltering, ASC from Sr. Terentia Woltering, ASC (Emma Woltering), and Wilma Ratermann nee Woltering, both daughters of Herman Woltering, indicate their grandmother, Anna Maria Ratermann went by the name of Elizabeth. The 2005 printing of the family tree shows 14 Jan 1820 as her birthdate. This corresponds with the frequently attached record for Anna Maria Catharina Woltering in Altenberge, Westfalen, Prussia. Having reviewed the original, I searched the parish marriage records from 1837 to 1841 for a marriage record and failed to find one. I'm not sure what my next step will be but I wanted to share this information.
Next time I will provide the same breakdown in Wolterings in an attempt to identify Theodor.
I look forward to your comments or ideas. Please comment below and click follow to be notified when I post next.
