Fast - Teichroeb Ancestry

1280. Matthies Schapansky ⁶⁰⁹ was born about 1640 in Elbing, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and died in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The Lutheran Church record providing the marriage data for his son indicates he was a malzer, or a maker of malt for brewing and distilling. His son was listed as a knecht, a servant, or more likely, a farmhand.

1282. Claas Janzen ⁶⁰⁹ was born about 1640 in Wengeln, Elbing Region, Polish-LIthuanian Commonwealth and died in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Claas was a Mennonite from Wengeln in the Klein Werder, according to Glenn Penner. His daughter married Matthies Schapansky in a Lithuanian ceremony. Penner says his name was recorded as Jantzen.

According to Horst Penner, Gysbert (1640-1693) was baptized in Amsterdam, indicating that the family traveled between Amsterdam and Danzig. This was common among the wealthier Mennonites who could afford to send their children back to Amsterdam for education and baptism. Apparently he lived in Schottland, a small town in the suburbs of Danzig, in 1690. Conrad Stoesz and James Fehr say he was a gold lace maker in Danzig. This is confirmed by Joachim von Roy. His brother Jacob had the same occupation and his elder brother Philip was an estate agent. Gijsbert's death date is taken from the Danzig Church Book. The information here all corresponds to the genealogy published in the Nederlandsche Leeuw.

Gysbert (1640-1693) married Katarina Von Roy (1639-1718) in 1669. His sister Ageta married Peter Von Roy, a brother of Katarina Von Roy, Gijsbert's wife. His brother Philip, mentioned above, married Magdalena Von Roy, a sister of Katarina.

According to Calmeyer, Gysbert lived in the Marienburg Werder. In this area we find towns including Heubuden, Czattkau, Ruckenau and Klein Mausdorf, all locations where De Veer ancestors lived before moving to Ukraine.

It is difficult to link Gysbert to descendants because hard information is limited. However, Nederlandsche Leeuw says that, loosely translated, "From this marriage emerged a flourishing branch in Russia and Canada whose members bear the name Fehr". Calmeyer originated this notion in his earliest work and it carried through to the articles he published in Nederlandsche Leeuw. This corresponds well with other data I have seen indicating the lineage of De Veers in Ukraine. The main line of De Veers who settled in Ukraine were descendants of Benjamin De Veer (1733-1722), who was among the earliest settlers in Chortitza. However, there were two sons of a Cornelius De Veer (1749-1823), Johann (1776) and Kornelius (1785), who also went to Ukraine and settled in Molotschna. There is no information to indicate their relationship to Benjamin.

There was an hold hypothesis used to explain the De Veer lineage from Gysbert (1640-1693) to Chortitza settler Benjamin De Veer (1733-1822). It held that Gysbert (1640-1693) had a son, Cornelius (1663), who had a son, Benjamin (1696), who was the father of Benjamin (1733-1822), the Chortitza settler. If Cornelius (1663) was actually born in 1663 then he was born before his father married Katarina Von Roy in 1669, and she may not be his mother. To my knowledge there are no records to show that a specific Cornelius (1663) existed. Further, there are no records indicating that Gysbert (1640-1693) had a marriage prior to his marriage to Katarina von Roy (1639-1718).

Most of the data used to establish the de Veer genealogy is sourced from Michael Calmeyer's work, contained in his self published Genealogy of the de Veers and later published in Nederlandsche Leeuw. This work was completed around the end of WWI and therefore with the benefit of access to Danzig Church records that were subsequently destroyed in WWII.

I believe that Michael Calmeyer's work is likely to be accurate. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that the marriage of Gijsbert De Veer (1640-1693) to Katarina von Roy (1639-1718) was his first and only marriage. Calmeyer mentions a Giesbert (1671-1711). Although he does not say that this individual was a product of the marriage, Herman Thiessen has interpreted the data in this way. I have reviewed the data available in the Danzig Church Book along with the information in the Grandma Database and found no one among the brothers or uncles of Gijsbert (1640-1693) who could have been the father of Giesbert (1671-1711). While this is not conclusive evidence it does support the view that the two are father and son.

Calmeyer says Giesbert (1671-1711) married a Sara De Momper in 1697. This corresponds to a marriage entry in the Danzig Church Book and matches notes made by Thiessen. Thiessen seems to postulate that Benjamin (1690-1743) is a son of Giesbert (1671-1711). Benjamin's estimated year of birth is a problem because it predates the marriage of his parents in 1697. On the other hand, Benjamin (1690-1743) could be a son of Gijsbert (1640-1693). There is no documented birth date but often the men in the family were married in the latter half of their 20's. This date would make his mother, Katarina (1639-1718), rather old when he was born.

Marriage relationships between the De Veers and the De Mompers occurred frequently. The cousin of Gysbert De Veer (1640-1693), Debora De Veer (?-1677), married Herman De Momper (1621-1669). Debora and Herman had a daughter, Sara De Momper (1664-1735), who married Giesbert De Veer (1671-1711). Sara and Giesbert were second cousins. Sara (1664-1735) had a cousin Anton De Momper (1630-1722) who had a daughter, Barbara (1667-1726). Barbara was married to Benjamin De Veer (1690-1743) in 1716. Barbara and Benjamin were second cousins.

While there is no evidence, it is possible that Benjamin (1690-1743) is the father of Benjamin (1733-1822). We know the first Benjamin (1690-1743) had a daughter born in 1734 and therefore a son, Benjamin (1733-1822), born around the same period makes sense.

This does not resolve the question of how Cornelius (1749-1823) fits into the family. There is a possibility he is a great grandson of Giesbert (1671-1711), through son Giesbert (1700-1736) and grandson Cornelius (1721-?). This is conjecture and more data is needed to demonstrate these relationships.

The Grandma Database gives the baptism date for Gijsbert's daughter Maria as 24 June 1691 but she is not listed in this year. However, the date is consistent with a marriage in 1694.

Michael Calmeyer mentions Giesbert (1671) in his self-published Genealogy of the De Veers without providing any context or familial relationship. However, Herman Thiessen has asserted that Giesbert (1671-1711) was a son of Gysbert (1640-1693). The death record of Giesbert (1671-1711) in the Danzig Church Book indicates he was a Deacon. This Giesbert married Sara de Momper. Sara is the first cousin once removed of Barbke De Momper, who was the first wife of Benjamin de Veer (1690-1743). Giesbert and Sara had a son named Gysbert. Calmeyer says this son Gysbert was a gold lace maker in Hoppenbruch, near Danzig, and that he had a son, Cornelius, who was "mentioned" in 1740. Calmeyer does not give the context of this mention.

i. Maria DeVeer ⁶⁴⁶ was born about 1670 in Danzig and died on 12 Aug 1712 in Danzig. Maria married Willem Van Dijck.⁶⁴⁷ Maria next married Wynhold Becker ⁶⁴⁸

ii. Giesbert DeVeer ⁶⁴⁹ was born about 1671 in Danzig, was baptized on 17 Jun 1696 in Danzig, and died on 30 Aug 1711 in Danzig. Giesbert married Sara DeMomper ⁶⁵⁰

The ancestry shown here is in accordance with research published by Joachim von Roy. This work tells us that Katarina's father was Wilhelm von Roy and his father was probably Anthonius. There are other views of the ancestry but they are based on much older research and potentially also rely on the Danzig State Archives which, according to Joachim von Roy, contain errors.

The Herman Thiessen Collection documents (Film 25, Folder 12, Pages 204-206) say that her parents were Richard von Roy and Elizabeth Niklassen. Thiessen tells us that the Le Roy name originates in Normandy. More recent information published by Joachim von Roy refutes Thiessen's conjecture.

I have captured information here relating to Thiessen's hypothesis. The Thiessen records refer to Richard as a buyer ("kaufherr") in Amsterdam and Danzig. There is a Charle Le Roi in the Amsterdam Archives who was born in Antwerp, Belgium. Charles was the owner of a grain trading business in Amsterdam according to Thiessen, who refers to him as ("grunder einer kornhandelsgesellschaft").

The Lowen material on ancestry.ca indicates that Katarina's father was Wilhelm Gall von Rudofegg. How much truth there is to this assertion is unknown but the name Wilhelm is interesting because Joachim von Roy's research tells us that her father was Wilhelm von Roye. I have used Joachim von Roy's research for Katarina's ancestry.

Horst Penner says here were von Roys in Danzig as early as 1669. This corresponds to the Danzig Church Book record listing a von Roy wife's death in 1669. Penner says the family originally came from the Netherlands. Names such as this with 'von' generally originate in the South and Spanish Netherlands. Penner does not agree with the idea that Richard was related to the Le Roy family.

The Grandma Database says that Katarina's father was named Jan. This would seem to be based on the Nederlandsche Leeuw records which indicate either a Jan or Richard von Roy. In correspondence with Joachim von Roy he told me that this information is based on errors made in 1910 in the Danzig State Archives.

Katarina died in 1718 at the age of 79 according to the Danzig Church Book. Therefore she was born in 1639. This agrees with Joachim von Roy's publication.

Three of Wilhelm's children, Magdalena, Katarina and Peter, married children of Gysbert De Veer (1600-1646).

Her second husband was Jacob Steboy. There is no record of Jacob Steboy being baptised in Danzig.

Johann appears in the baptism records of the Orlofferfelde Frisian Church in connection with sons Johann and Jacob.

ii. Johann Lammert ⁶¹⁴ was born about 1719 in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and was baptized on 25 Jul 1739 in Orlofferfelde, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

1664. Peter Epp ⁶²⁰ was born in 1681 and died in 1733 in Petershagen, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Date and relationship data is derived from the Danzig Family Books. This information corresponds to the data in the Grandma Database, which apparently is sourced from the Epp genealogy work completed by Anna Epp Ens. The latter information indicates another son Wilhelm Epp #55633 (1715-1781). Wilhelm is not found in the Danzig Church Book or Danzig Family Book. The genealogy of Heinrich Epp, "The House of Heinrich" indicates there was a daughter Aganetha born in 1745. Dilbert Plett's book, "Pioneers and Pilgrims" has the same information. This is a few years after the accepted date of death of both parents. The Grandma Database indicates Aganetha was possibly a daughter of Klaas Epp. I have excluded Aganetha for now.

Ancestors of Jacob Epp (1689) and Peter Epp (1681) have done DNA tests and it appears that the coalescence point is 10-11 generations back at 95% certainty. The deviation for only the five DNA samples available in 2021 for Peter's descendents is larger than the deviation when Jacob's descendent is added. For comparison, I am ten generations removed from both Peter and Jacob; their father would be eleven generations removed from me. This would make them brothers. They could also be cousins.

In Chortitza his son Cornelius is listed with the family of Abraham Jantzen and his wife Anganetha Epp as an "Elternl. Pflegebef.". Peter Rempel lists him with the family of his niece's husband Claas Reimer as a relative. In this source his age is given as 48. If this is the same person his age is actually 78. Cornelius lived in Petershagen, Prussia and later moved to Neuenhuben. He was elected minister in Nassenhuben in 1766 and was the leading minister of the Danzig congregation in 1798 according to the author of Pioneers and Pilgrims. He emigrated to Molotschna on 23 August 1804 with Klaas Reimer (born 14 October 1770; #3944) who was married to his niece. Some sources state that he was previously married to Sara Andres (born 2 February 1727, #12843) and had children by her prior to marrying Christina Fast, but the Danzig Church Records indicate that he was childless. One record says he died 19 October 1805.

One record says his son Heinrich died on 13 August 1780 and another says 13 June 1780. Ulrich Dueck says it was the seventh month, July, and this is the date I have used. He was the minister of the Flemish Fuerstenwerder Gemeinde between 1762 and 1780.

i. Wilhelm Epp ⁶⁵⁴ was born in 1715 and died in 1781 in Neu Munsterberg, Marienburg Region, Prussia. Wilhelm married Maria Klassen ⁶⁵⁵

ii. Heinrich Epp ⁶⁵⁶ was born on 8 Jun 1721 in Petershagen, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and died on 13 Jul 1780 in Neu Munsterberg, Marienburg Region, Prussia. Heinrich married Maria Wiens ⁶⁵⁷

iv. Cornelius Epp ⁶⁵⁸ was born on 6 Aug 1728 in Petershagen, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, was baptized in Tiegenhagen, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and died on 12 Oct 1805 in Molotschna Colony, Ukraine. Cornelius married Sarah Andres.⁶⁵⁹ Cornelius next married Christina Fast

1665. Anna Klassen ⁶²⁰ was born in 1683 and died in 1730 in Petershagen, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

ii. Hendrich Wiens ⁶⁶⁰ was born about 1738 in Danzig and was baptized on 11 Jun 1758 in Danzig.

1850. Jacob Epp ⁶³³ was born on 29 Oct 1688 in Danzig and died on 9 Jun 1765 in Danzig.

The relationship between Jacob and his daughter Agnetha is established by her baptism record found in the Danzig Church Book.

I hypothesize that Jacob married Escke Reimer and they had at least two children, Agnetha and Cornelius. Much of this hypothesis is supported circumstantially by data in the Grandma Database and entries in the Danzig Church Book. The Danzig Marriage Book lists their marriage. I think that there are two entries in the Grandma Database for Jacob and they refer to the same individual (the other GM# is 1009757). The Grandma Database gives a specific date of birth for Jacob of 29 October 1688 but I can't confirm the accuracy of this. However he must have been born before 1691 based on the date of his marriage.

Ancestors of Jacob Epp (1688) and Peter Epp (1681) have done DNA tests and it appears that the coalescence point is 10-11 generations back at 95% certainty. The deviation for only the five DNA samples available in 2021 for Peter's descendents is larger than the deviation when Jacob's descendent is added. For comparison, I am ten generations removed from both Peter and Jacob; their father would be eleven generations removed from me. This would make them brothers. They could also be cousins.

ii. Cornelius Epp ⁶⁶¹ was born on 11 Jul 1721 in Danzig, was baptized on 21 Jun 1744 in Danzig, and died on 28 Nov 1766 in Danzig.

1851. Elscke Reimer ⁶³⁴ was born in 1688 in Danzig, was baptized on 6 Jul 1710 in Danzig, and died on 15 Apr 1773 in Danzig.

The Danzig Church Book tells us she was 85 when she died in 1773, leading to a year of birth around 1688.

1852. Wiebe Woelke ⁶³⁵ was born about 1654 in Danzig, was baptized on 22 Jun 1681 in Danzig, and died on 3 Nov 1720 in Danzig.

His name is given in the Danzig Church Book in connection with the marriage of his daughter, Elscke. Elscke was baptized on the same day as Cornelius and my hypothesis is they are siblings. The names of a number of his other children can also be found there. The Grandma Database lists only the children who are explicitly linked to him by name in the Danzig Church Book baptism records or marriage records. As a result Cornelius doesn't appear as his son in the Grandma Database.

His dates of baptism and death are also in the Danzig Church Book. He must have married his first, unidentified wife, around 1688, before the estimated birth of the first daughter, Saeke. His first wife died on 23 November 1704 but her name is not listed in the records.

He remarried and his second wife, Maria, died in 1709. That year 409 congregants of the Danzig Mennonite Church died, a huge number in relation to other years before and after. A plague spread throughout Europe and the Baltic between 1702 and 1713, reaching Danzig in 1709 and wiping out about half the population.

He once again remarried and his third wife, Anna, died in 1715.

The Great Northern War Plague Outbreak 1702 - 1713

Plague outbreaks occurred with surprising frequency throughout history. This particular outbreak probably originated in central Asia and made its way to Europe through Constantinople. It was first recorded in 1702 in a Swedish military field hospital situated in Southern Poland. It reached the Baltic coast and Danzig by spring, 1709. Danzig was a major commercial hub and in order to keep the town open and maintain trade volumes the town councillors actively downplayed the seriousness of the problem, allowing the epidemic to spread without constraint. The death toll in the town and surrounding area was extensive, the plague killing half the population or some 32,000 people before itself dying out in December of that year..

i. Saerke Woelke ⁶⁶² was born about 1688 in Danzig and was baptized on 22 Jun 1708 in Danzig.

ii. Abraham Woelke ⁶⁶² was born about 1689 in Danzig and was baptized on 23 Jun 1709 in Danzig.

iii. Jacob Woelke ⁶⁶² was born about 1692 in Danzig and was baptized on 8 Jul 1712 in Danzig.

iv. Elscke Woelke ⁶⁶³ was born about 1698 in Danzig and was baptized on 9 Jul 1718 in Danzig. Elscke married Herman Schroeder ⁶⁶³

1904. Johann Sawatzky ⁶³⁷ was born in 1680 in Walldorf, Elbing Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and died on 27 Nov 1752 in Gross Mausdorf, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

There is a Hans Sowatzki listed in the 1727 Brandregister in the Elbing area. A Hans Sawatski also appears in Neustadterwald and Neuwaldtdorf (Waldorf); both have 1 Hufe of land. It is possible that the two entries refer to the same individual and that this is Johann; Horst Penner also mentions these two entries but draws no conclusion. Later, in the 1776 census, Johann Sawatsky is listed in Ellerwald. He is possibly a Flemish Mennonite. H. Schapansky says that Johann and Johanna were the grandparents of Johann Sawatsky (born 1742). The elder Johann was the minister of the Rosenort Gemeinde in 1743 in Prussia and was likely the ancestor of most Mennonite Sawatskys.

According to the Danzig Flemish Mennonite Familienbuch, Vol. A, p. 6, Johann lived in the Grosswerder region of West Prussia. H. Schapansky confirms that he may have been the minister of the Rosenort Gemeinde in 1743. The Grandma Database says it is possible that he was the Johann Sawatzky mentioned in the Gross Mausdorf Lutheran Burial Register as having been buried 27 November 1752, since the Gross Mausdorf Parish covered much of the area where Mennonites members of the Rosenort Mennonite Church lived. The Doreen Ediger submission contains a sheet that states that he was the only Sawatzky from the group known as the Quietists, who joined the Mennonite Church.

Johann's son Daniel immigrated to Chortitza early in the earliest years of the settlement. He apparently had died before 1793. Glenn Penner does not find hard evidence that he was in the first group of 228 homesteaders.

Johann may have had a son named Thomas. The Grandma Database suggests he was born in 1733. Therefore he may be a grandson of Johann and Johanna rather than a son. Possibly his father is Daniel (Johann's son) but there is scant evidence, rather some speculation based on geographic proximity and timing.

A person who could be the father of Johann attended the Elbing Gymnasium (upper school) around 1670. Unfortunately a lot of linkages are made between people with the same surname in the genealogical record and these are hypothetical.

Johannes Zawacky, the probable grandfather of the Elbing Gymnasium student, was born about 1605 in Danzig. He died after 1670. In 1620 Johannes Zawacky, preumably the same person, who was a Polish noble and companion of Count Von Lessen, attended the Elbinger Gymnasium. An Internet source adds to this that he matriculated in the second class (eighth year) in the German Secondary School in Elbing. 20 years later he had become the Castellan, or warden, of Danzig and the Starost (essentially the sheriff) of Schwetz. The former position stems from the old feudal system of land ownership while the latter position is an appointed position as the king's representative. The Starost system was designed to rein in the decentralized control of the Castellans and other nobles. In this role he apparently came into close contact with the Mennonites who lived in the area surrounding Schwetz. He renewed a contract for 50 years with the Mennonites who leased 24 farms in Duetsch Westphalen. Three years earlier Zawacky had leased 16 farms to the Mennonites for 50 years. The village of Przechowen was also leased for 50 years to the village of Brattwin and the Mennonites there. Starost Zawacky's relationship with the Mennonites was apparently possible because of his earlier attendance at the German Secondary school in Elbing and thus his acquaintance with the people in the area. In 1670 the Elbing council protested that he had harmed the town, presumably due to his relations with the Mennonites (Penner doesn't say). Over time the situation worsened. This is according to Penner and is inconclusive. Penner says that there was a Zawacky at the Elbing Gymnasium around this time. Possibly this was the son of Johannes. The two Swedish wars (1655-1660 and 1700-1721) eventually ruined numerous Polish nobles who had financed the wars, and Penner tells us that the nobles so impacted had to find a new way of life. The implication is that this is what happened to Zawacky. We are led to believe that this is the ancestor of the Sawatsky Mennonites. The general Elbing proximity and land ownership supports such a conclusion. However, it was also common practice at the time to name people after the nobles who owned the land they worked.

The Starost system was established under Wladyslaw the Short (1320 -1333). At the outset the system was a corps of royal officials, including a central secretariat and regional starosts, which counterbalanced the older system of less controllable Castellans and palatines. Essentially the Starosts were royal sheriffs who represented the king.

The Castellans, who were the dignitaries of the realm, had always in the past been the mainstay of royal authority in the regions and the palatines, who were virtually governors of their regions, became very powerful. This arrangement, with the decentralized regions holding power, was not an effective means of exerting strong royal control. The palatines in particular had become a major political force. Both palatines and Castellans held seats on the grand council which advised the throne.

The emergence of the starosts, with a royal mandate to keep law and order, was a countervailing force. Eventually they became the core of local governments. By the 1500's the starosts had become large estate owners, administering the estates on behalf of the king and taking a 20% cut of the estate rents as income. The balance went to the crown. In principle all starosties were the property of the crown and were to revert to the crown on the death of the incumbent. In practice the position became a sinecure, often awarded to the son on the death of the incumbent, and over time these evolved to hereditary positions held by the richer families in the kingdom.

i. Thomas Sawatzky ⁶⁶⁶ was born in Walldorf, Elbing Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

ii. Daniel Sawatzky ⁶⁶⁷ was born in Pordenau, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

iii. Peter Sawatzky ⁶⁶⁶ was born in Klein Mausdorf, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

1905. Johanna Wiens ⁶³⁸ was born on 2 Jan 1682 in Markushof, Elbing Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and died on 2 Sep 1777 in Schidlitz, Danzig Region, Prussia.

Her birth date and location is taken from the Grandma Database. The name Wiens originates in the Koln and Wismar areas. According to Horst Penner, there was a migration from Koln, through Wismar to Danzig and eventually to Gross Werder (also know as Danziger Werder). Penner mentions a Hermann Wiens in the Danzig area in 1642 who possibly is an ancestor. The death date comes from the Danzig Church Book where it lists "the old Sawatzky wife". It probably is Johanna but there is no conclusive proof.

There are German church records that list a Johanna Weins who was christened on 14 April 1682 in the Saint George Evangelical Church (rebuilt in the 1700s after a fire destroyed it, and renamed Trinity Church) in Speyer, Pfalz, Bavaria. This is a Lutheran church. The ancestry of this woman can be traced back three generations using these records. Some genealogists have assumed this person is the Johanna who married Hans Sowatzki but there is no proof of which I am aware. If the German records point to the same Johanna then the birth location in the Grandma Database is incorrect. Further research is needed to establish a concrete linkage.

The German records tell us that Johanna's parents were Johann Adam Wein and Anna Elizabetha Rentzler from Neckerhausen, Wurttemberg. She had two siblings, Anna Barbara (1680) and Heinricus (1678). Her mother's parents were Michel Rintzler (1611-1686) and Anna Maria Sterr (1619), also from Neckerhausen. Michel's father was Jerg Rintzler from Neckerhausen and Anna Maria's parents were Michell Sterr and Anna.

1906. Jacob Janzen ⁶⁴² was born about 1668 in Danzig, was baptized on 28 Jun 1693 in Danzig, and died after 1727 in Orlofferfelde, Marienburg Region, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The Grandma Database lists two Jacob Janzens #828513 and #1171182. The estimated year of birth from the Grandma Database for one of them is 1668; there is no date for the other. My sense is they are the same individual. The Danzig Church Book says he was baptized in 1693 although there are possibly multiple different individuals this could refer to. However, the proximity to a marriage date in 1694 indicates a probable relationship. The marriage was to a daughter of Hans Berents. There are two possible daughters. I believe Jacob married Triencke, as explained in the notes about her.

The Grandma Database says Jacob had a daughter Christina who married Hans Sowatzki; the Danzig Family Book says the daughter was Catharina.

There is a Jacob Janzen in the 1727 Brand Register in Orlofferfelde, listed as a landowner. Subsequently there a Jacob Janzen listed in the 1776 census in the same place, also as a landowner, living alone. Possibly this is a son. The Elbing St. Annen Death Records (1713 - 1799) list a Jacob Janzen who died in 1762; there may be some connection.

Piecing this together I hypothesize that Jacob was born and baptized in Danzig or at least registered there and either moved to Marienburg or had lived there all along. Whether he was a member of the Orlofferfelde Frisian Gemeinde is unknown. The Danzig Church Book is for the Flemish congregation.

Orlofferfelde was originally part of the Danzig Frisian Gemeinde and eventually became a separate Frisian Gemeinde. The Frisians were somewhat less conservative than the Flemish.

1907. Daughter Berends,⁶⁴³ daughter of Hans Berends ⁶⁶⁸ and NN, was born about 1663 in Danzig and was baptized on 4 Jul 1683 in Danzig.

In the Danzig Church Book there are three possible women who could be the wife of Jacob Janzen, Ancke, Triencke and Sancke. The first two were baptized in 1683 after which there were weddings on 10 September 1684, 25 December 1688 and 27 August 1694, none of which specified which woman was getting married. Sancke was baptized in 1688. The husbands were, in respect of the dates, Isaac Houenier (Hovenier, Howenehr), Matis Kraemscke and Jacob Jantzen. Sancke married Kraemscke; we know this because she died in 1709 and the Danzig Church Book entry mentions her husband. Either Ancke or Triencke married Janzen. Houenier's unnamed wife died in 1696 in Danzig. He died years later in Danzig in 1726. This suggests they lived in the Danzig area for an extended period. In contrast to this there is information suggesting Janzen lived in the town of Orlofferfelde in the Marienburg district. His daughter Catharina married Hans Sowatzki whose family lived in Gross Werder (the district of Marienburg). The only clue we have as to the name of Janzen's wife is the name of their daughter, Catharina. If she was named after her mother then Triencke is Janzen's wife. By tradition a third daughter is named after her mother. A first daughter is named after her maternal grandmother and a second daughter after her paternal grandmother.

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Fast - Teichroeb Ancestry

11th Generation