I have finally had the chance to parse through all of the records I gathered during my trip to RootsTech and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I was fortunate to find records relating to the Rolfes family who came from Spreda, Germany, a small agricultural community about a half-hour walk from Langförden, which is where the nearest Catholic church was/is located.
My husband's 5th great-grandparents were Johann Henrich Rolfes and Maria Elisabeth Stüve. Johann Henrich and Maria Elisabeth were married in Langförden on 9 Jul 1805, which you can see on the second entry in the image below. (Here the surname is spelled Roelfes.)
My husband's 5th great-grandparents were Johann Henrich Rolfes and Maria Elisabeth Stüve. Johann Henrich and Maria Elisabeth were married in Langförden on 9 Jul 1805, which you can see on the second entry in the image below. (Here the surname is spelled Roelfes.)
Marriage Record of Johann Henrich Ro(e)lfes and Maria Elisabetha Stuve
I started looking through baptism records, and I found that the couple's first child, Maria Elisabetha, was born just a few days before, on 5 Jul 1805. The baby was christened on the same day they married: 9 Jul 1805.
Baptism Record of Maria Elisabetha Ro(e)lfes
In my research, of course, I have encountered situations in which a marriage was no doubt due to an impending birth. However, I've never encountered something like this. Did baby come earlier than expected? Was the couple not able to get a dispensation to speed up their nuptials? I don't know, but actually, this process of marrying couples and baptizing their children all at once has become more common in the modern day, with more and more couples having children before marriage, and with the prevalence of more and more blended families. Perhaps we can just say that Johann Henrich and Maria Elisabeth were ahead of their time!
Image source: FHL film 911504, Langförden
©2017 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
Image source: FHL film 911504, Langförden
©2017 Emily Kowalski Schroeder
