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Research in Other Countries => Europe => Topic started by: R. Joshua Myers on Friday 27 May 11 04:33 BST (UK)

Title: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Friday 27 May 11 04:33 BST (UK)
My great great grandfather, Jonas Hilbert, was born in Germany in Nov. 1846. He emigrated to America sometime before 1871. I would like to know more about his German origins (place of birth, parents, marriage, any information would be appreciated), but I cannot read or write German, and know nothing about how genealogical research is conducted in your country. I can't even say "Help!" in German. Thanks for learning my language, Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: EDO on Friday 27 May 11 05:55 BST (UK)
Hope this helps!

EDO

http://german.about.com/library/verbs/blverb_helfen.htm
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Billyblue on Friday 27 May 11 06:46 BST (UK)
For future reference - Hilfe!

 ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D

Dawn M
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: majm on Friday 27 May 11 07:51 BST (UK)
Hilfe!

Quick question for Josh  ....   ;)   ;)   ;)   Did he go to North or South America?
Have you tried the Ellis Island lists for US of A
http://www.ellisisland.org/Eiinfo/Press_PASSENGER.asp
or The Ships List, includes Canada
http://www.theshipslist.com/Research/canadarecords.htm
or Cyndislist
http://www.cyndislist.com/ships.htm

Cheers,  JM
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Finley 1 on Friday 27 May 11 08:27 BST (UK)
Helfen?!?

We were taught dialect German many many years ago...
So when I saw this post, this is the word that came straight to my mind.

I havent checked any links to see if it is correct...  :D  will do now

xin ;)
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Finley 1 on Friday 27 May 11 08:28 BST (UK)
Crikey  memories not gone then...

I loved German at school and I think that maybe had I had a decent education, I could have been good at languages... but now English is difficult..   ;D ;D ;D

xin
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Friday 27 May 11 12:14 BST (UK)
Helfen! Hilfe! Helfen!  Jonas Hilbert went to Philadelphia, PA in the United States, where I'm writing you from now. He married another German immigrant called Alice, or he brought her over with him. They made a lot of babies: eight of them, and he worked in the rag trade. These babies made more babies, and those babies made more babies and those babies made more babies, of which I am one. We haven't forgotten how to make babies, but not a one of us can speak German. Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Finley 1 on Friday 27 May 11 12:33 BST (UK)
Well I think it would be good if you did ... a kind of heritage thing...  :D  nice

xin
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Friday 27 May 11 12:58 BST (UK)
xinia, According to my family tree so far, I'm 6 parts English, one part German, and one part French. I'm three-quarters English. I'm fluent in English! If I could learn enough French and German to ride a bus and order food at a restaurant in France or Germany, do you think that would satisfy the heritage thing?  Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Peonie on Friday 27 May 11 13:45 BST (UK)
Hi Josh,

perhaps you could try the Philadelphia Archives and search for Jonas, news papers, rag trade journals etc. Relatives might have an idea which German State  he is from. Without knowing his birth place it's just about impossible to do any research.

Good luck, Peonie
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Finley 1 on Friday 27 May 11 14:22 BST (UK)
I think if you just learn enough to say thank you to your ancestors, for making you who you are, that would be more than enough.   ;) :D

xin
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: NettieS on Friday 27 May 11 14:45 BST (UK)
Hi,

There is a Jonas H Hilbert on the Hamburg Passenger list 1850-1934 on the Ancestry site and have you tried the Pennsylvania German Society, they might be able to help you.

Then there is this site.
http://www.searchgenealogy.net/Germany.html

Regards
Lyne
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Friday 27 May 11 20:13 BST (UK)
Peonie, My relatives didn't even know his name! I'm not going to find what part of Germany he came from here. I'm hoping the boat records will tell me where he's from. Xin, I'm writing a book about my ancestors, but I'm not publishing it. I'm going to give it to my son after I pass on. Lyne, I'll check into that Hamburg ship, and the Pennsylvania German Society will be invaluable at some point if I'm to understand a German immigrant. Thanks for getting me wise. I have to know the part of Germany this guy came from. I'll find it somehow. Thanks for all the help. You might say, "Oh, we didn't find anything!", but you've moved me a step closer nonetheless. Contact me if you come up with any new ideas. Later,  Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Finley 1 on Friday 27 May 11 20:44 BST (UK)
There are lots of TREES on Ancestry with the name Jonas Hilbert.........

?  at least 14 

are you a member...

xin
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: janan on Friday 27 May 11 20:54 BST (UK)
On Ancestry  there is a Jonas Hilbert  a private during the American Civil War in Pennsylvania discharged 1864 - there are more details I can't access.

Jan ;)
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Friday 27 May 11 21:04 BST (UK)
xin, No I'm not on Ancestry. I'm a guitar teacher. The Great Recession hit and wiped out half my schedule and I still haven't recovered, and now my working wife needs an operation, so she'll be on half-pay disability income, so I have to do this on the cheap. On the free if you don't count the $10. I pay a month for dial-up. But I'm almost done, and I haven't spent a dime on it. janam, My grandmother told me one of my ancestors was a private in the Union Army, but she said he was shot in the head. I haven't found any verification for this story.  Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: janan on Friday 27 May 11 21:15 BST (UK)
There might be something in your grandmother's story as Jonas was discharged in 1864 before the end of the war then I assume it was because he was wounded. Ancestry often do a two week free trial.

Jan ;)
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Friday 27 May 11 21:25 BST (UK)
accidental repetion of earlier post. Sorry!
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: janan on Friday 27 May 11 21:56 BST (UK)
Perhaps he was shot in the head and survived?

see

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA429953

Jan ;)
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Friday 27 May 11 22:16 BST (UK)
Janan, I can't get your link to work. I think it's my computer refusing certain sites. Could you get shot in the head and survive? Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Peonie on Friday 27 May 11 23:45 BST (UK)
US City Directories - Philadelphia

1881  Hilbert Jonas, rags, Residence  Cathedral n N 52nd
1887  Hilbert Jonas, rags,  5135 Stiles
1889  Hilbert Jonas, rags,  5135 Stiles

Peonie
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Peonie on Saturday 28 May 11 00:23 BST (UK)
1890 Veterans Schedules

enlisted 1861                    (so he came to USA before that date)
discharged 1864

next to his name on the image  is written Hillberd. This is the spelling for his Civil War Pension Record.

Peonie

Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: NettieS on Saturday 28 May 11 00:58 BST (UK)

Hi Josh,

Just had a look at the family search site there are two records on it one for your Jonas Hilbert which is the 1880 census for the united states and then there is the 1860 census with a J Hilbert aged 18 born in 1842 in Hanover, there could be a chance its your Jonas Hilbert.

https://www.familysearch.org/search/records#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3AJonas~%20%2Bsurname%3AHilbert~%20%2Bany_place%3AGermany~%20%2Bany_year%3A1842-1842

Regards
Lyne
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Saturday 28 May 11 03:27 BST (UK)
First, I want to apologize to rootschat. I started multiple threads on other boards. I thought you made a thread for every question, and some people were acting funny, but I didn't get it until a supervisor explained it to me. Each thread is about a person, not a question. I assume you come back to the same thread if you have a second question and ask it. If I do something wrong, tell me plainly. Janan, My Jonas Hilbert is not your civil war soldier. He arrived in the U.S. with his wife around 1864, when the Civil War was almost over. Peonie's got the man as a rag trader, and she's got his Philadelphia address, too. And Nettie has him, too. The first one on the list at FamilySearch is my Jonas Hilbert. I saw that before, because FamilySearch is free. I've been there. Maybe I'm wasting your time, because I cannot find an American record of where in Germany this Jonas comes from. All my sources say Germany, but I'll keep looking.  Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Peonie on Saturday 28 May 11 04:23 BST (UK)
Hi Josh,

your date of 1864 could be wrong because the address for the Civil War Soldier is 5135 Stiles  - if this is an address of course.

Peonie
Title: Re: How Do You Say "Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Saturday 28 May 11 04:56 BST (UK)
Peonie, You've won me over! Thank goodness for your persistence! I've never heard of Stiles Street in Philadelphia, but it could even be mispelled like Shawmont was. I assume 5135 Stiles is the rag shop, because I only saw it with mentions of the rag shop, until you pointed out the pension being sent there. He arrived at the port of Philadelphia in 1864 when he returned discharged, possibly wounded. That allows him to arrive from Germany earlier. 5135 Stiles is the link between the soldier and the rag trader, my grandmother's story, and the 1860 Ohio man, as well, who was born in Hanover, Germany. Is that regional enough to locate him in Germany? Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: janan on Saturday 28 May 11 10:39 BST (UK)
Janan, I can't get your link to work. I think it's my computer refusing certain sites. Could you get shot in the head and survive? Josh

Hi Josh

The answer to your question appears to be yes, although survival rates were apparently lower than for civilian head injuiries at that time mainly because of infection. The link was to a pdf document of a masters thesis entitled "Appropriate treatment of head injuries by surgeons during the civil war", it is very long and detailed but the abtsract suggests that 35% of those with severe head injuries survived long enough to arrive at a major hospital - it doesn't say how many of those recovered. Those with less severe injuries would have had a higher chance of survival.

As for board etiquette it is fine keeping to the same thread as you are doing it keeps everything together and saves duplication of effort.  However if you wanted to ask for a specific look-up, say for a US census, you may want to start another thread on the appropriate board. You can always post a link to another of your  threads when you start a new one so people are aware of what info has already been found. Hope that makes sense :D

Jan ;)
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Saturday 28 May 11 11:36 BST (UK)
Jan, We can't close this thread until I find out if it is possible to learn anything about Jonas Hilbert's life in Hanover, Germany. I was told it was impossible to look up anything in Germany unless I knew the region he was from. Well, now we know! Can you look up Jonas Hilbert born may 1842 in Hanover, Germany? And if you can, will you, because I am unable to read German. Helfen! Helfen! Helfen!  Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: NettieS on Saturday 28 May 11 22:19 BST (UK)


Hi Josh,

I had a thought normally when it says Hanover on the census it means that the person came from the province of Hanover and means that they may have been born in a village in the province of Hanover or should I say Hannover lol.
Anyway I have a couple of address's for you that may be of some help.

The first one is an archive of the "Church of Lower Saxony"

Landeskirchliches Archiv der Ev.- luth. Landeskirche Hannovers
Goethestr. 27
30169 Hannover
Germany

Phone: 0049 511 / 1241 - 983
Fax.: 0049 511 / 1241 – 770
E-Mail: archiv@evlka.de
Internet: www.evlka.de/archiv

And the second one is for the "Office of Church Records of Hannover"

Kirchenbuchamt Hannover
Hildesheimer Str. 165/167
30173 Hannover
Germany

Phone: 0049 511/9878-555
Fax: 0049 511/9878-660
E-Mail: Kirchenbuch.Staki.Hannover@evlka.de
Internet: www.kirchenbuchamt.de

The third one is the Standesamt

Standesamt Hannover
Heiligerstraße 1
30159 Hannover

email:32.31@hannover-stadt.de

Regards
Lyne


Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Sunday 29 May 11 00:44 BST (UK)
Thank you, Lyne. Danka schoene. Josh
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Peonie on Sunday 29 May 11 09:40 BST (UK)
Hi Josh,

At the time of Jonas' birth Hannover was a Kingdom, so it is the whole county to search.
Had a look at "HADIS" Archive for Hessen/Hannover. No Jonas in the Auswandererlisten,
nor did I have any luck with other searches.
You could still try the Archive in Philadelphia - "History of Pennsylvania Volunteers 1861-1865". They might have more details of the volunteers.
Will keep an eye open for Jonas.

Regards Peonie

For the 1870 Census Jonas should be in Philadelphia but I can't find him.
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: R. Joshua Myers on Sunday 29 May 11 13:38 BST (UK)
Peonie, I think I've exhausted all the usual genealogical resources on Jonas Hilbert. I'm currently using the holiday to update my tree. When I go back to the search, I'm checking the veterans and Civil War sites for his military career. If you stumble on any German record on him, contact me. I've pretty much given up on finding German records on him. If I were born in Hannover, and I wanted to go the States in the 1850's, what port(s) would I use? We found one Jonas Hilbert, a German, who left Europe from Antwerp, but he's a bit old for the soldiering- at the upper limit. We have his information, but we're looking for a better canidate. You can close this thread if you want. Just pm me if you find my guy when you're searching for someone else. Thanks,  Josh 
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: Billyblue on Monday 30 May 11 01:08 BST (UK)
  If I were born in Hannover, and I wanted to go the States in the 1850's, what port(s) would I use?  Thanks, Josh

Didn't most people leave Germany via Hamburg or Bremen, for overseas, before airplanes?

Dawn M
Title: Re: How Do You Say Help!" In German?
Post by: janan on Monday 30 May 11 11:09 BST (UK)
Josh
Another candidate for Jonas to consider

1860
Springfield Pennsylvania
John Hilbert 60 Farmer
Hulda Hilbert 47
John Hilbert 20 laborer
Clarence Hilbert 18 laborer
Casper Hilbert 17 laborer
George Hilbert 12
all born Baden

As this family appear to have emigrated together they may be on shipping lists  under the older John rather than individually??  :-\

Jan ;)