SEPTEMBER 1996 NEWSLETTER
Thanks to all who made the reunion a success and for those who are contributing to the work. We are making progress. I feel that even though it was expensive to send Trudy to Germany, we never would have found the clues found by going to the Family History Library a thousand times--- because the material is not microfilmed.
Research Report from Trudy Schenk on the Brill Research done in Germany Dear Jerry: It is hard to put together this report on the Brill research. I spent a week in Eschwege working at the Rentamt-Evang. district archive where I searched the fiche of 90 parishes in and around Eschwege. On the enclosed copy of a map, I have marked the town and villages in orange and yellow where the fiche were available for the right time period and in blue those villages whose records had not been filmed early enough. Now the findings: In Eschwege are many Brills. The names Christoph, Martin, George and Herman are used in every family. The name Brill is also spelled Briel and Breul. Out of the 90 parishes I searched, only 8 had Brills, etc. One of them in Sontra had come from Eschwege, others were in Kammerbach, Waldkappel, Ober Niederhone, Dudenrode and Abterode. The Brills in Grebendorf lived actually in Eschwege.
In Kammerbach, I found no Brills that could lead to anything, but I extracted the names. In Abterode is the only Hermann Brill with a family by two wives. His second marriage is in 1742. He had a son, Conrad Heinrich born in 1730, confirmed in 1744. I found no marriage for him and no death. Yet I had to realize this could not be the emigrant Hermann and Heinrich Brill because Hermann would be too old and Conrad Heinrich wouldn't be a Johann Heinrich, or could he?
Now in Eschwege, I found the birth of a Martin Brill in 1712, son of Christoph Brill. There are many Christophs in Eschwege, Altstadt parish, but this is the only one with a son Martin in the right time frame. There is no Martin Brill getting married to an Anna Maria and having children named Hermann and Heinrich. If this martin born in 1712 is the emigrant ancestor, he went to a neighboring town to get married. It could be one of those villages where no records were filmed. It looks so right to a point. There is a marriage of a Martin Brill in 1743, no father is recorded. I don't know if he is the one born in 1712. There is an archivist at an archive in Eschwege who was on vacation when I was there. I would like to contact him as well as the Sippel Archive. Many articles on Hessen People are published in the Sippel books, they may know something on early Hessen-Nassau emigrants.
I know the area is right, I found many similar names in the parishes in and around Eschwege. One in particular is Horn. The Horns are in Springfield Lutheran Church along with the Brills. Other names I found are on the same ship with the Brills, 22 Oct 1754 such as Koch, Heil, Bubach (Poobagh), Schuchardt, Hering, Bachmann and Zangmeister. I feel it could be the Zagmeister who sponsors a child of Hermann. Abterode has been filmed and extracted, there is no need to resubmit the names. I have the Eschwege Brills extracted from 1700-1755 and the Kammerbach Brills from 1650 to 1720. It has been a terrific job trying to put 2+2 together. I have copies from some of the entries at Eschwege, one is Martin's christening in 1712 and the marriage of a Martin in 1743. Never before has Germany been as expensive as now. Filling up the gas tank is up to $60. Due to the high expenses, I have to ask for $500 per day (in Germany). In Eschwege I was charged 4 Marks per hour for using the microfiche reader. I stayed at an old hotel near the Rentamt so I could walk there every morning after 7:00 a.m. They let me come in before the official opening. The fiche reader is in a small room which is also the office for one of the workers. He sits right across and smokes 1 cigarette after another and drinks strong black coffee all day long.
I wish I could have totally finished the Brill research because it is so expensive to travel. I have high hopes that the letters I will write will help solve the mysteries. I also hope you feel that the time I spent in Germany was worthwhile. Trudy
Letter in follow-up from Trudy: Dear Jerry, Once again I have gone over all the Brill names I have extracted. I can not put my mind at ease on this project. Yesterday on Fast Sunday, I prayed especially hard to be able to sort all the names properly and make logical conclusions on this project. Could it be that Hermann and Heinrich are not even related to Martin? Since there are several people on the ship Halifax who seem to come from the same area they all could be friends. is it possible that martin Brill's age was wrong at death and he was not really 81 years old, but possibly 71 years old. Is it possible that Martin married after his arrival on the ship? I'll tell you why I am thinking this way. Before I went to Germany I had checked the Abterrode, Vockenrode and Wellingerode parish. There are separate books, but it is one parish. The only microfilmed parish in Eschwege district which the library has. When I searched these records before my understanding of this problem was not as keen as it is now after searching the district Eschwege church records.
In Abterode is the chr. of a Martin Brill in 1721. This man does not die there and is confirmed in 1735. No marriage either. This Martin Brill is the son of Johannes. Martin has a son, John in Pennsylvania. On the same ship above martin is one Johannes Koch. I find him chr. in Wellingerode in 1732, no death, no marriage for him. This parish has indexes for all 3 villages chr. marriages and deaths. The same goes for Johannes Bachmann, chr. 1716, conf. 1731, no marriage recorded in Wellingerode.
The Hermann Brill who has a family in Abterode with 2 wives does not die in Abterode. He has a son Johann George in 1721 married in 1745 and Conrad Heinrich in 1730, confirmed in 1744. Hermann's 3rd wife is Anna Catharina, in Pennsylvania--- Catharina Barbara, this could be the same. The only thing which does not match up is Hermanns age at death.
The Horns are in Springfield in the communion records they are also in Eschwege district everywhere. In the Springfield Lutheran church records are also Hering, this is a name in Eschwege and district so is the name Schuchart.
My deepest feelings are that I have the correct families, but lets wait for an answer from Dr. Kollmann archive Eschwege. I feel I had to go to Eschwege to rule out other Brills for nothing came together also all the Brills I extracted would not have had a chance otherwise. By the way, I have more Brills not on group sheets y et, do you want them all? I did not copy the sheets, I worked this whole day on the Brill once more and now I feel much better about this report. I'll go to the post office now to send this packet off. Forgive the handwritten 2nd report. Trudy.
LETTER FROM FERDINAND GISINGER TO STEPHEN GUISINGER: Very honored Mr. Stephen Gusinger, It took a long time for me to respond. I can read English, but I allow myself to write in German. I had to do some research, but I think the result is satisfactory. As you can see from the records, Mathaus (Mathias) Gisinger had six sons. Johann Georg was the youngest and the only one about whom there are records. As you wrote, Josef Karl went to America. Nothing is known about the other four sons. Presumably they died without descendants. You can see your roots in the enclosed family tree.
More about the "Gisinger". The names Rudi, Cunrat and Hainz Gisinger were mentioned for the first time on 8 April 1363 in connection with the fortress Neuburg. It is not known exactly when the first Gisinger came into this country. People settled here from the North and south as early when we were a Roman province. It is certain that the Gisingers came from territories in the North. Today this is the area of Southwest Germany. Now I hope that you are delighted with the results of my research. Best Regards, Ferdinand Gisinger.
Notes from Ferdinand about Gisingers mentioned in civil records:
Gisinger- Giesinger. Found in Newburg, Gotzis, Koblach, Mader, Hohenems, Altach, Frastanz, Feldkirch, Rankweil and Weiler.
1150-1166 Neuburg is built by Hugo von Tubingen. In 1249 the hamlet, Altahe (Altach) already existed. Bauern on the Rhine was a reloading station from road to ship traffic and vice-versa. By 1300 there was a customs station at Neuburg. The castle Neu-Montfort reroutes the traffic through the Arbogast Valley resulting in fewer revenues for Neuburg.
On 8 April 1363 Rudi, Cunrat, and Hainz Gisinger are taxable families at the Veste, in Neuburg at the time of the land sale to Duke Rudolf IV of Austria. In 1375 Montfort and Goetzis were annexed by Austria. By 1381 aristocrats in Frastanz named "von Singer" are located at the Frastafeders palace. In 1402 the Feldkircher line eventually becomes Neuburger descendants. In 1412 Cunrat received municipal citizenship forever from Feldkirchen with count Hugo von Bregenz.
In 1436 Peter Gisinger and his son, Hans endow a fair in Frastanz. In 1448 Hartman Gisinger is invested with a fief with the monastery in Goetzis by abbot Friedrich von St. Gallen. In 1459 Albert Gisinger is mentioned at Frastanz. On 21 Mar 1475 Conrat and Anna sold land to count Marquart from Ems. In 1478 Mader was annexed by Austria. There were Gisingers there in Mader in 1521. On the 18th of December 1528 Klaus Gisinger is bailsman for purchase of patronage rights. He is mentioned again as Claus Gisinger from Goetzis in 1535 when he sells pastures to Lienhard Joss. In 1535 borders and marking are established between the counties of Ems and Feldkirch from Ems past Altach to the Rhine.
The castle Sonderberg was build in 1570, and in 1596 the branch church in Mader was constructed. on the 28th of August 1604, the Church in Mader is consecrated for St. Bartholomaus. By the 14th of November 1614 the mapping of the borders in Ems and Feldkirch was finished. From 1616-1679 Goetzis and surrounding municipalities had a dispute. On the 10th of November 1654 Mader becomes an independent parish. By 1694 Goetzis becomes a municipality with augmented right to be a market center. In 1717 Hans Gisinger lives next to a piece of land that was leased.
On June 11, 1762 the largest flood in 800 years come to the Rhine Valley. In 1763 the road from Goetzis to Hohenems is built. From 1768 to 1771, the roads from Bregenz, Dornbirn to Hohenems and from Goetzis to Feldkirch are built. In 1777, Kaspar Gisinger is bailiff at the court houses in Rankweil and Sulz.