Willy Marxen, Norderstedt

[sailorlady]

I'm trying to trace the German side of my family tree but have hit a brick wall.  My grandfather was called Willy (or Wilhelm) Marxen.  He was born in 1920 in Norderstedt and we think his mother's name was Greta.  He married June Ruby Bradshaw in 1948 and they lived in Leamington Spa, England.

Can anyone help me with my grandfather's parents' names, siblings etc?  I have all the information I need about his wife, children etc.

Thanks

[jorose]

Just a quick note: it looks to me like Willy and June have both passed away (Rootschat policy is to not publish details of living people: in cases like this it helps to just note "both deceased").

A copy of their marriage certificate would hopefully provide you with Willy's father's name, and I'm sure one of the German specialists will be along to this thread in short order to provide you with information on where to write to obtain a copy of his birth certificate.

[sailorlady]

Sorry yes, did mean to note that both of them were deceased. I look forward to hearing where to obtain a copy of my grandad's birth certificate from.

[Carsten.Zeiske]

Hello saylorlady, unfortunately I have only now become aware of your request for information about Willy Marxen.
I am his grandnephew. My name is Carsten. I live in Goosefeld, Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany.

Almost all of the information you mentioned fits exactly, with the exception of his place of birth.
My great-uncle Willy Marxen does not come from Norderstedt, but from Hollmühle, a small village near Schleswig.
Great-grandmother Margaretha (Greta for short) Marxen, born January 2, 1891 also lived there until her death (I remember 1972 or 1973).

I also knew “Aunty June” personally.
As long as great-grandma Greta was alive, June and Willy came to visit several times,
which they always combined with a camping holiday at Hahnenklee in the Harz Mountains.
When Great Uncle Willy died, I wrote "Aunty June" a letter of condolence, which she answered gratefully.
Address at that time: 4. Bankfield Drive, Leamington Spa, UK.
After that, contact unfortunately broke off.
And, as a schoolboy at the time, I made no further attempts to contact her.
I regret that today. Because I have fond memories of “Aunty June.”

I still own a photo of the house in Hollmühle that was sold after great-grandma Greta's death,
another 2 portrait passport photos of great-grandma Greta from 1960 and 1970.

I also have great-uncle Willy's so-called "work book" from the 1930s from great-grandma Greta's estate.
Such workbooks were mandatory in Germany during those days.
It states, among other things, the date and place of his birth: November 9, 1920, Hollmühle.

And it goes even further:
There is a copy of a certificate from 1908 about contributions to the pension fund
of Peter Erich Marxen. He was Willy's father, born February 9, 1871 (date of death unknown).

Great-uncle Willy's stepsister, Herta, (my paternal grandmother) lived from 1913 to 1988.
No other siblings are known.

Should you receive these lines after such a long time and if you are still interested, you can reach me via this portal.
Documents and photos would not be a problem via the Internet.

Looking forward.
Best regards, Carsten