John Witte

[Gate54]

Looking for information about John (maybe Johann or Johannes) Witte who was born in Prussia about 1852. He was married in Sunderland  UK in 1877. He died in Sunderland in 1930. He was a mariner. Have a lot of information about his family in Sunderland but have tried in vain to find out exactly where he was born and who his parents were.

[Neale1961]

1891 census give place of birth as Stralsund? Prussia
1901 census says born in Germany, British subject (So were  parents British?)
1871 census gives Hanover, Prussia, Germany

What information does his marriage certificate give about his father?

[Neale1961]

From the 1891 census - Have you investigated how cousin Alice BRODERICK aka Alice MAULE born 1868 Sunderland is related to your John?
In 1881 she is with her grandfather John MAULE, 82,  born Scotland, retired merchant seaman

[Comberton]

Marriage
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NXGY-C71


1921 census he is born Germany

[fiddlerslass]

Stralsund entry Meyers Gazette

https://www.meyersgaz.org/place/20891029

Try Archion for church books, or family search, but you will have to look through lots of unindexed pages on the latter see :

https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1475887

[amondg]

From Neale1961 question.

She is related on Ann's side as a cousin.

John Maule married Alice Pearson 20 August 1835 Sunderland (FindMyPast has 25th the image is 20th)

ADDED
Alicia Ann Maull was bap. 30 July 1868 Sunderland father Edward Broderick

Edward Broderick married Hannah Maule reg. September quarter 1868 Sunderland.

[AlanBoyd]

In the 1921 census (I can't give full details) John Witte gives his birthplace as Pomerania, Germany. In the 1891 census I read his birthplace as Stralsund, Prussia. Stralsund is indeed in Pomerania and was part of Prussia 1815-1918, becoming part of Germany at the end of WWI.

Added: Apologies Neal1961 I see that you already spotted Stralsund.

[trish1120]

Re John Maule age 82 as mentioned.

John MAULE married Alice PEARSON 20 Aug 1835, Holy Trinity, Sunderland
John was single, Alice a Widow**
Ist Husband was William Pearson

Doesnt help with your problem of John though.

[AlanBoyd]

22 November 1915, Newcastle Journal

A German Sent to Prison.
At the Sunderland County Police Court, on Saturday, John Witte (64), a German, was charged with being in a prohibited area without a permit. It was stated that the accused lived at 10, Wear Street, Southwick. He had been in possession of a permit, but this had been cancelled, and he had been ordered to leave the district within ten days. He told the police that he would not go, remarking, "You can do what the devil you like; I am not going away, as I have nowhere to go." On behalf of accused it was stated that he had a good character from his employers, and had one or two sons serving in the British Army. Mr J. C. Morton, who represented accused, asked that the case might be adjourned to enable him to make arrangements to leave the district. – The Bench decided that he had already had sufficient opportunity to leave the district, and committed him to prison for six months.

Southwick was presumably a prohibited area because it was at the heart of the Wear shipbuilding industry.

In 1911 gives his nationality as German (ie not a naturalised British subject) so he would have been potentially subject to internment.