Yesterday, just after dinner, I received an email from the LDS Family History Library's photoduplication services. On May 29, I sent an email request for an electronic copy of Gottfried Wimmers and Maria Eva Müller's marriage record. (Gottfried and Maria Eva are two of my husband's 3x great-grandparents on his Mom's (Tumbusch) side of the family.) I had found the record in their online index, so I provided them with the film number and reference number. I had heard of other researchers waiting for months for their requests to be fulfilled, so I was surprised to get the record less than a month after I requested it. (I believe most of these requests are handled by volunteers, and the service is provided free-of-charge, so I understand the longer turn around times.) Click on each image to view a larger copy.
Wimmers-Müller Marriage Record, Page1
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Wimmers-Müller Marriage Record, Page 2
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Of course, like most original genealogical documents, these papers contain MUCH more information than simply what is listed on the searchable index page. The name of the town where the marriage occurred IS listed on the index, but the document itself states more specifically what governmental department the town is located within. So, if the name of the village is common throughout Germany, you are better able to pinpoint exactly where THIS town is located. Also, the spelling of the bride's surname and her hometown on the original is slightly different than the spellings on the index. Her surname is listed as 'Müller' on the original and 'Mueller' on the index, which I understand is a common way to substitute the u with umlaut, but it still could be an important clue when searching for other records. I now also have names, ages, and places of residence of witnesses to the wedding, which can be huge clues to figuring out other family members and close friends.
Gottfried and Maria Eva were married on January 31, 1833 in Garzweiler, Germany. The village of Garzweiler no longer exists; instead a huge lignite open-pit surface mine is in the location where the village once stood. The couple immigrated to the U.S. with their children in about 1852 and settled in Mercer County in western Ohio.
For more information about FamilySearch's photoduplication services, including a link to their new online request form, go to: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Photoduplication_Services
Gottfried and Maria Eva were married on January 31, 1833 in Garzweiler, Germany. The village of Garzweiler no longer exists; instead a huge lignite open-pit surface mine is in the location where the village once stood. The couple immigrated to the U.S. with their children in about 1852 and settled in Mercer County in western Ohio.
For more information about FamilySearch's photoduplication services, including a link to their new online request form, go to: https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Photoduplication_Services
