Michael Nörenberg
For the next few weeks, I’m going back to the beginning of my genealogy quest: my Germans-from-Russia family. My family spoke Deutsch, but they lived in areas controlled by the Prussian and Russian Empires.
Michael Nörenberg (c. 1840-1895) was the father of Konstantin Nörenberg. Records may be in German, Polish or Russian and his name spelled Michael, Michał or Майкл, respectively. When was Michael born? When did he die?
Birth
Michael’s 1895 death record1Evangelische Kirche Wlodzimierz (Wolyn). Kirchenbuch, 1871-1899. “Taufen 1881-1897 — Tote 1881-1898 (Elizabetpol)”; Death of Michael Nörenberg, 1895 entry #9. LDS film 2380038, item 2. provides clues to his birth.
1895 Death Record of Michael Nörenberg
This records lists:
- birthplace of the deceased: Katorzynow, Parish of Brezin
- age at death: 54 years, 9 months
How much can we really glean? The handwriting is difficult to read, but a calculated birthdate is possible. If Michael was 54 years, 9 months old on June 21, 1895, his birthdate would be about September 1840.
As for his birth location, many small towns in what we now know as Poland no longer exist; many town names are spelled similarly. Who supplied this information? Were they literate? Did they know what the town name sounded like, but not how to spell it?
Brzeziny
Brezin could possibly be the city of Brzeziny in Łódź [pronounced Wootch] Voivodeship, Poland. The Society for Germanic Genealogy in Eastern Europe gives a history of the Parish:2Uta Haertling. “Brzeziny Parish History.” https://www.sggee.org/research/parishes/parish_histories/LodzDiocese/BrzezinyParish/BrzezinyParishHistory.html. accessed April 25, 2024.
The Evangelical-Augsburgian parish of Brzeziny was founded in 1829. Only a few church records remain; they are in the federal archive at Łódź.
- 1830, 1832, 1844: birth and death records. No marriage records, but some misc records and fragments of the years 1850-1874.
- A register of the members of the Evangelical parish of Brzeziny covering the years 1828-1851.
During the German occupation (1939-45) Brzeziny was also called Loewenstadt.
Two historic towns that belonged to the Evangelical Parish of Brzeziny were:
- Katarzynów, gmina Dlugie, Kreis Brzeziny
- Katarzynów Nowy, gmina Dlugie, Kreis Brzeziny
Dr. Eduard Kneifel (1896-1993) was a German Lutheran Church Historian; he published a history of the Brzeziny parish. Of Katarzynów, he wrote:
Da die Gegend von Katarzynów grosse Wälder bedeckten, so mussten sich die deutsch-evangelischen Kolonisten, die sich zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts hier ansässig machen wollten, der harten Rodungsarbeit unterziehen. Nach dem Aufstand 1863/64 zogen zahlreiche Siedler nach Wolhynien fort.
Since the Katarzynów area was covered by large forests, the German Protestant colonists who wanted to settle here at the beginning of the 19th century had to undergo hard clearing work. After the [January] Uprising in 1863-1864, numerous settlers moved to Volhynia.
Unfortunately, the 1839-1843 birth records for the Brzeziny Parish have not survived. There is no way to search the books to confirm Michael’s exact birthdate. Melding the information from Michael’s death record and the history of the Brzeziny parish, we can assert that:
Michael Nörenberg was born in Katarzynów, Brzeziny, Łódź
As for Michael’s birthdate, it is possible that he was born in September 1840, but all other available documents should be checked.3Watch for future blog posts about Michael Nörenberg and his children. Many of his children’s birth/death records provide additional clues about Michael.
What’s Next?
Michael Nörenberg’s marriage record.
Other children of Michael Nörenberg.
SOURCES
- 1Evangelische Kirche Wlodzimierz (Wolyn). Kirchenbuch, 1871-1899. “Taufen 1881-1897 — Tote 1881-1898 (Elizabetpol)”; Death of Michael Nörenberg, 1895 entry #9. LDS film 2380038, item 2.
- 2Uta Haertling. “Brzeziny Parish History.” https://www.sggee.org/research/parishes/parish_histories/LodzDiocese/BrzezinyParish/BrzezinyParishHistory.html. accessed April 25, 2024.
- 3Watch for future blog posts about Michael Nörenberg and his children. Many of his children’s birth/death records provide additional clues about Michael.