Steve's Genealogy Blog

On 03 Oct 1835, Maria Juliana Luisa Lather, daughter of Henrich Lather and Sophia Katharina Brí¤uer, was born in Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt (now Germany). She was baptized in the parish church in Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt (now Germany) on 18 Oct 1835.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Maria Juliana Lather – 1835

SOURCE: Kirtorf Evangelische Kirche (Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt), “Geburts=Protokoll der Pfarrei Kirtorf fí¼r das Jahr 1835. [Birth Records of the Kirtorf Parish for the Year 1835.],” page 25, Maria Juliana Luisa Lather, 18 October 1835; filmed as Kirchenbuchduplikat 1808-1875; FHL INTL microfilm 0,855,108.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Maria Juliana Luisa Lather. This PDF document includes an image of the original document, a transcription in German Gothic, a transcription in modern German, and a translation in English. Translated from the German, the record reads:

25
Maria Juliana Luisa Lather, daughter of Henrich Lather

On the morning of October third in the year of the Lord, eighteen-hundred thirty-five between three and four o’clock, after a credible report, the second child and [one word?] first daughter of Henrich Lather, citizen and baker here, of his wife Sophia Katharina née Brí¤uer and, on the eighteenth of the same month the child was baptized and given the name “Maria Juliana Luisa”. The sponsor was:

Maria Juliana Luisa Zartung, daughter of the deceased [one word?] Zartung in [one word?]in whose place the grandmother of the child, Anna Elisabetha, widow of the former Elias Lather, has stood in,

and who has signed the present document next to the father and me, the minister who performed the baptism. [signed] Elisabetha Lather
[signed] Henrich Lather
[signed] Wolfgang Ernst Glí¼ckner

There were a few words in this document that I couldn’t transcribe or translate, but I was able to understand the most important information contained therein.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

On 24 Jul 1831, Johann Georg Lather, son of Henrich Lather and Sophia Katharina Brí¤uer, was born in Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt (now Germany). He was baptized in the parish church in Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt (now Germany) on 07 Aug 1831.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Johann Georg Lather – 1831

SOURCE: Kirtorf Evangelische Kirche (Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt), “Geburts=Protokoll der Pfarrei Kirtorf fí¼r das Jahr 1831. [Birth Records of the Kirtorf Parish for the Year 1831.],” page 29, Johann Georg Lather, 07 August 1831; filmed as Kirchenbuchduplikat 1808-1875; FHL INTL microfilm 0,855,108.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Johann Georg Lather. This PDF document includes an image of the original document, a transcription in German Gothic, a transcription in modern German, and a translation in English. Translated from the German, the record reads:

29

Johann Georg Lather, son of Henrich Lather

Early on Sunday, the twenty-fourth of July in the year of the Lord eighteen-hundred thirty-one, between three and four o’clock, after a credible report, the first child, a son, was born to Henrich Lather, citizen and baker here in Kirtorf, of his wife, Sophia Katharina née Brí¤uer, and on the seventh of August the child was baptized, where he was given the name Johann Georg.

             The Godfather was:

Johann Georg Lather, the surviving, legitimate, unmarried son of the deceased Elias Lather who was a former citizen and baker here, the child of the father’s brother of this place, in whose absence the midwife, Christina, wife of the local citizen and shoemaker Christian Rullmann, stood in and signed the present document next to the father and me, the minister who performed the baptism.

[signed] Christina Rullmann
[signed] Henrich Lather; Johann Conrad Spamer

This is the second record I found from Hessen-Darmstadt and the first record written in German Gothic script that I transcribed and translated on my own.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

On 13 May 1870, Georg Lather, son of Johann Georg Lather and Louise Gade, was born in Albany, Albany County, New York, USA. He was baptized in the St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Albany, Albany County, New York, USA on 26 Jul 1870.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Georg Lather – 1870

SOURCE: St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (Albany, Albany County, New York, USA), Parish Records of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, book 2, page 40, entry 82, George Lather, 26 July 1870; St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Office, Albany, Albany County, New York.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Georg Lather. This PDF document includes an image of the original document, a transcription in German Gothic, a transcription in modern German, and a translation in English. Translated from the German, the record provides the following information:

Record number: 82
Date of Birth: 13 May 1870
Date of Baptism: 26 Jul 1870
Name of Child: Georg Lather, Son of Georg Lather from Kirtorf, Hessen-Darmstadt, and his wife, Louise Gade from Kirtorf, Hessen-Darmstadt.
Godfather: Georg Lather

This record was written in German using a combination of Latin letters and German Gothic letters. In general, the record is written using German Gothic letters. except for dates, personal names, and place names which are written in Latin letters. Still, the name of the state, Hessen-Darmstadt is abbreviated as Hess. D. and written with a combination of German Gothic and Latin letters.

This record was copied by Christopher Lather at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Albany, Albany County, New York, USA. This was the document that provided Chris with the information necessary to find the family in their homeland – Kirtorf, Hessen-Darmstadt (now Germany).

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

Georg Lather, his wife Louise Gade Lather, son Johannes Lather, and another passenger named Louise Gade travelled together from Bremen to New York on the Steamer New York. They arrived in New York on 24 June 1867.

Passenger List for Georg Lather and Family
(composite image)

SOURCE: “New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 05 April 2009), entry for Georg Lather and Family, arrived New York, New York, 24 June 1867 aboard the Str. New York, List 14, lines 28-31; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M237B, roll 282.

Click on the link for a PDF copy of the passenger list for Georg Lather and family. That list provides the following information about the family:

• Georg Lather, age 35, sex male, occupation Mech[?];
• Louise Lather, age 40, sex female;
• Johannes Lather, age 6, sex male;
• Louise Gade, age 14, sex female.

All had departed Germany for the United States.

The identity of the 14-year-old girl named Louise Gade is unknown. Since her surname is the same as Louise Lather’s maiden name, one can suppose that she may be a niece or some other relation to Louise Lather.

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko

On 17 Aug 1860, Johannes Lather, son of Johann Georg Lather and Louise Gade, was born in Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt (now Germany). He was baptized in the parish church in Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt (now Germany) on 26 Aug 1860.

The Birth and Baptismal Record of Johannes Lather – 1860

SOURCE: Kirtorf Evangelische Kirche (Kirtorf, Alsfeld Kreis, Hessen-Darmstadt), “Geburts=Protokoll der Pfarrei Kirtorf fí¼r das Jahr 1860. [Birth Records of the Kirtorf Parish for the Year 1860.],” page 31, record number 28, Johannes Lather, 26 August 1860; filmed as Kirchenbuchduplikat 1808-1875; FHL INTL microfilm 0,855,109.

Click on the image above to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Birth and Baptismal Record of Johannes Lather. This PDF document includes an image of the original document, a transcription in German Gothic, a transcription in modern German, and a translation in English. Translated from the German, the record reads:

31.
28. Johannes Lather, son of Johann Georg Lather

28.
In the Year of the Lord, eighteen-hundred and sixty, on the morning of the seventeenth of August at about nine o’clock, based on a credible report, the second child and second son was born to Johann Georg Lather the third, citizen and day laborer here in Kirtorf, of his wife Louise née Gade and, on the twenty-sixth of this same month, the child was baptized and given the name Johannes.

The Godfather was Johannes Lather, the surviving, legitimate, unmarried son of the deceased Heinrich Adamus Lather, a citizen and cow herder here, the father’s brother, who has signed the present record next to the father and me, the deacon and minister who performed the baptism.

[signed] Johannes Lather
[signed] Johann Georg Lather III
[signed] Ludwig Ebald
Deacon and Minister

Johannes Lather was the second great-grandfather of my cousin Chris. Chris had previously found the birth record of one of Johannes’ children in a Lutheran Church in Albany, New York, and that record listed Kirtorf, Hessen-Darmstadt as the place where Johannes had lived prior to immigrating to the United States.

The present record is the first that we have found for the Lather family prior to their emigration.

This record was written in German Gothic handwriting and was nearly impossible for me to read. Fortunately, another patron of my local Family History Center is fluent in German and experienced in reading Gothic handwriting. Many thanks to Heike for transcribing and translating this document for me when I found it on microfilm today at the Family History Center!

Copyright © 2009 by Stephen J. Danko