OCTOBER 1996 NEWSLETTER
Thanks to all who attended the August 24th reunion in Salt Lake. You missed a treat if you did not hear Trudy Schenk relate the particulars of her trip to Germany in behalf of our family association. Here is a summary of some of her statements:
Germany is extremely expensive for research. It costs $60 to fill up a car with gasoline over there. She was able to avoid telling people that she was Mormon as there is opposition in the work to what the Mormons are doing.
She reports the little village of Goggenbach is indeed a little village of 4 houses and no stores. The Maurer family had only lived there for 1 generation and then the Church records burned. Through the land records she was able to prove our ancestors stemmed from Jungholzhausen near Goggenbach. This is in Wuerttemberg. The Church records of Jungholzhausen are in existence and this leads us back to our earliest ancestor identified so far, Hans Maurer who was born about 1577 A.D. in Jungholzhausen. We may not be at the end of the line yet.
Trudy related the difficulty in finding the marriage of Martin Brill, but is quiet confident that he comes from the Marburg area of Germany. If she can find his marriage to Anna Maria _________, then she will know that she has found our Martin. She thinks such a record would then lead to the birth records of Martin's family. This would be a great blessing for all related to the Brill line. Remember, Anna Margaret Maurer was a daughter of Michael Maurer and she married Christopher Brill, son of Martin and Anna Maria.
Continuation of Ferdinand GISINGER material from Austria...Instances when GISINGERS are mentioned in Civil Records:
Once again high water levels occur from the Rhine to Mader in 1785 and 1789.
In 1790 the school in Altach, (greater Goetzis) is a summer school and one of three teachers is Joseph Giesinger. In 1793, Greater Goetzis (Goetzis, Altach, and Bauern) was partitioned to the citizens the land was not individually owned before. Part of the land became communal property for use by cattle.
In 1798 Anton Gisinger is a teacher in Meschach. On July 20, 1798 (just preceding Napoleon's terror) soldiers in Goetzis are drafted for rifle squads. Matthaus Gisinger is selected as ensign.
In 1800, Matthaus Gisinger with two patrol groups encounter French cavalry. On the 3rd of November 1800, Altach and Bauern became independent parishes with a priest.
In Feb. 1801, peace is made. On Jan 1, 1803, Altach becomes an independent municipality. In 1805, the start of the war of the third coalition.
On 9 May 1809 Matthaus Gisinger ordered an attack. There was an attack by the Wuerttembergers and Bavarians. Matthaus, Schuster and Wirt are captured and held in a fortress. One of them, it is not clear which one was 54 years old, married and had 4 children.
In 1812 forest partition in Greater Goetzis takes place.
In 1817 and 1821 High Waters in Mader from the Rhine once again. The Church is built in Altach in 1823.
In 1824, 1826, and 1829-1835 with interruptions, Joseph Giesinger 1784-1864 is director of the school in Altach.
In 1824 there are conflicts between the parishes of Gotzis and Altach. On 28 Sep 1825 Altach becomes an independent parish. The Gisinger name in Altach changes to Giesinger.
On 2 Mar 1830, Johann Michael Gisinger is certified as a hosiery craftsman.
In 1845 construction of the Koblacher channels took place.
Josef Giesinger (1811-1873) was the director in Altach for 1861-1864. In 1864, Johann Georg Gisinger of Koblach is a teacher in Meschach. In 1865 delivery of gravel from Schmied to Joseph Gisinger took place.
On January 14, 1870, Georg Gisinger of Koblach becomes schoolmaster in Goetzis. The rail line Lindau-Bregenz-Bludenz opens on 1 Jul 1873. From 1878-1894, the Goetzis Post office is in the Gisinger Store.
On 7 Dec 1886, the burning of the restaurant Krone of Franz Joseph (1838-1918) took place in Altach.
In spite of big dams the Rhine floods again on 11 Sep 1888.
May 1889 saw the Musical society founded in Altach. According to the record of 1907, Johann Georg Giesinger, Josef Anton Giesinger, Johann Nikolaus Giesinger, Franz Josef Giesinger and Johann Giesinger are charter members. In October, others joined, Jakob Giesinger, Willibald Giesinger, Albert Giesinger, Johann Georg Giesinger, and Johann Giesinger.