Divorce in Stettin, Prussia in 1840s (Gamp-Goltz-Krüger)

[Lee Ross]

Hello,

I found a record of marriage of Johanne Catharine Maria Krüger to her second husband Johann Daniel Gamp in Nov 1843 in the Schlosskirche records in Stettin. If I'm reading this correctly it looks like she obtained a divorce from her first husband Johann Friedrich Goltz in 1843.

Would there be any records of this divorce available?

The image has a watermark/copyright on it so I've transcribed the relevant parts to the best of ability:

"Johanne Catharine Maria Goltz geborn. Krüger rechtskräftig geschieden von dem Arbeitsmann Johann Friedrich Goltz"

"geschieden board Erkenntniß vom. 5 Juli 1842 Attest der Rechts traft vom. 21 März 1843 zwar unbedingt"

Thanks
Lee

[garstonite]

it is a lot to scroll - but if you have time see if you can find her = 32 pages at 10 per page ...good luck

https://en.geneanet.org/fonds/individus/?country__0__=DEU&country__1__=&country__2__=&country__3__=&country__4__=&exact_day=&exact_month=&exact_year=&from=1800&go=1&ignore_each_patronyme=&ignore_each_prenom=&nom=kruger&page=3&place__0__=&place__1__=&place__2__=&place__3__=&place__4__=&prenom=johanne+&prenom_operateur=or&region__0__=&region__1__=&region__2__=&region__3__=&region__4__=&sexe=&size=10&subregion__0__=&subregion__1__=&subregion__2__=&subregion__3__=&subregion__4__=&to=1825&type_periode=between&zonegeo__0__=Germany&zonegeo__1__=&zonegeo__2__=&zonegeo__3__=&zonegeo__4__=

[Lee Ross]

Hi garstonite,

Thanks for the search help, didn't turn up what I was looking for though unfortunately.

I think this might be pretty specific information I'm looking for, I'm wondering if anyone knows where to look for early Prussian divorce records for Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland). They may not even exist but I'm curious because it seems quite an early date (1842/3) to get divorced, I'm sure it couldn't have been too common at this time.

Would it have been a difficult process? I'm assuming they could seek a divorce based on specific grounds, such as adultery, cruelty, desertion, or incurable mental illness. Would they have had to file a petition for divorce with the local court or authorities - who would that be in Stettin?

[fiddlerslass]

Some interesting general information here

https://brill.com/display/book/9789004507319/BP000009.xml

[fiddlerslass]

From Wikipedia
In early modern Europe, Prussia took a pioneering role with Frederick the Great's 1757 edict allowing marriages to be resolved on the ground of serious and continuous hostility between spouses, without pointing to any one guilty party. This early example of no-fault divorce was expanded on and formalized with the 1794 General State Laws for the Prussian States, which allowed childless couples to file for divorce without giving a ground.[3]

Perhaps there will be a record in the Prussian court archives wherever they are held.

[Lee Ross]

Thanks for the link, that article 'Napoleonic Divorce Law in Poland (1808-1852)' is very interesting!

I'm trying hard to find where these Prussian records are keep but I can't seem to even find what the records would be filed under or what archives to search. I'll keep hunting though, I don't speak/read German or Polish which makes it a little harder to search archives properly.

[fiddlerslass]

I can't find anything scanned online, but am not an expert on this area.

 Searching  "Ehescheidungen" for divorce on   

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/strona_glowna/

and selecting  the Archiwum Państwowe w Szczecinie brings up a list of their holdings. Might it be in here, seems to be the only records covering 1842/3:

Ehescheidungs-Erkenntnisse die aus den im Jahre 1851 verkauften Acten des ehemaligen Marienstifts-Gerichts zurückbehalten worden. Which means
Divorce findings from the records of the former Marienstift court before it was sold in 1851

https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/jednostka/-/jednostka/7927557

You could try emailing the archive to see if they have a record (best done in Polish use Google translate or similar)I don't know if they carry out paid research; you may have to find a local researcher to look at any holdings for you.At least you already have the relevant dates.

https://www.szczecin.ap.gov.pl/pl/kontakt

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Poland_Letter_Writing_Guide

[Lee Ross]

Thanks so much for that, looks like a good lead, definitely worth a try - appreciate the help!

[Lee Ross]

Just to follow up, I was able to get a scanned copy of the 'Ehescheidungs-Erkenntnisse die aus den im Jahre 1851 verkauften Acten des ehemaligen Marienstifts-Gerichts zurückbehalten worden' from the Archiwum Państwowe w Szczecinie but alas their divorce is not listed as far as I can read.
I might need to find a local researcher in the area and go from there.
Thanks again for you help