21 July 2013

Rev. Peter Hellweg

and

Martha Danker family

Records from the family bible

What follows are images of selected pages of the Hellweg-Danker family bible, published in 1856, documenting some of the major events in the family's life. Judging by the handwriting and the color of the inks, these records were created by more than one person, but exactly who was responsible is not known. In a few instances it appears that someone has made corrections to the original entry.

Both German and English were used. For each page, I have included what I hope are faithful transcriptions, and in some cases, translations, of the documents. Immediately below each image is a link to a much larger version of the image which will allow you to evaluate the text yourself.

These documents were graciously provided by John H. & Hilde Hellweg.

Marriage Records

marriage records from the family bible
Permission of John H. Hellweg.  All rights reserved.
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A page from the Hellweg-Danker family bible recording the marriage of Peter Hellweg and Martha Danker in 1841 and the marriage of their son, Charles A. Hillweg, to Anna Ella Hastings in 1878.

family record.

Marriages.

Peter Hellweg              
      Martha von 1  Danker
den 12ten November 
 1841.    Marietta   Ohio
 
 
Gebohren den 13ten März      
      Gebohren den im21 November
1817.  Asszel Königreich Han-
      1822    Ammt    Ottersberg
nover     Wiedergeboren   
              Königreich  Hannover
1842     
 
Neujahr   
   
Nacht 
   
Charles A.  Hillweg 2       
      A. E. Hastings 3 
Jan 1 — 1878                 
      Chicago   Ills
Muscatine   Io              
     Thorald Canada
June 26 — 1856            
    May  1st    1858

Notes to the Hillweg-Hastings Marriage

  1. In the digital image from which this transcription was made, it appears that certain words and phrases were written in a hand or with a instrument that is different from the majority of the entries. I have indicated these differences with a font of a lighter tone.

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  2. Charles Augustus or August Hillweg was born on 26 June 1856 at Muscatine, Iowa, the eighth child born to Peter and Martha Hellweg. Throughout his adult life he chose to spell his surname Hillweg. There was a feeling among some in the family, especially as they became more distant from their German language roots, that spelling the family name Hell... might give offence in some circles.

    According to the published register of the German Methodist Episcopal Church at Muscatine, Iowa, Charles was baptized on 20 July 1856 by H. Fiegenbaum. This is almost certainly a reference to Rev. Heinrich Hermann Fiegenbaum. At the time he was a Presiding Elder in the German Methodist Episcopal Church, serving an area that stretched from Galena, Illinois, where he was probably residing, to St. Paul, Minnesota.

    In 1878, the same year as his marriage, Charles A. Hillweg graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College, at Chicago, Illinois, after completing a course of study in homeopathic medicine.

    Also in 1878, Rev. Heinrich Rudolph Fiegenbaum, Heinrich Hermann Fiegenbaum's younger brother, married a second time, to Maria Elisabeth Hellweg, Charle Hillwig's older sister.

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  3. Anna Ella Hastings was born on 1 May 1858 at the village of Thorold, Ontario, Canada. Thorold is located on the Niagra Escarpment in southwestern Ontario, not far from St. Catherine's and Niagra Falls. Its growth over the years has been closely connected with the Welland Canal. The Canal is a portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway connecting Lakes Ontario and Erie, enabling ships to traverse the Escarpment and bypass Niagra Falls. Now a city, Thorold is the seat of the Regional Municipality of Niagara, in the Province of Ontario.

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Translation of the Hellweg - Danker marriage record

Below is a translation of the 1st marriage record - for Peter Hellweg and Martha Danker.

family record.

Marriages.

Peter Hellweg              
      Martha von Danker
the 12th November 
 1841.    Marietta   Ohio
 
 
Born the 13th March        
      Born the in21 November
1817.  Asszel Kingdom of Han-
      1822    Ammt    Ottersberg
nover 1      Born again 2      
              Kingdom of Hannover 3 
1842     
   
New Year's   
   
night 
   

Source: Rev. Peter Hellweg family bible (published in 1856), page of marriage records. Digital copy provided by John H. Hellweg.

Notes to the Translation

  1. Assel was a small village in the Duchy of Bremen, a holding of the Electors of Hanover from 1715.

    During the Napoleonic era (1803–1815), the lands of the Electorate of Hanover (German: Kurfürstentum Hannover, or simply Kurhannover ), known formally as the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (German: Kurfürstentum Braunschweig und Lüneburg ) saw much turmoil. Territory was occupied by troops from Brandenburg-Prussia, from France, and from a British, Swedish and Russian coalition. In 1807, the Duchies of Bremen and Verden (German: Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden ) were absorbed into the Kingdom of Westphalia (French: Royaume de Westphalie; German: Königreich Westphalen ), a new political entity created by the French and ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte's youngest brother, Jérôme. In 1810, the region around Assel was restructured again and became part of the Département des Bouches de L'Elbe (German: Departement der Elbe-Mündung; English: Department of the Mouths of the Elbe), one of the the Hanseatic Departments of the First French Empire.

    The Duchy of Bremen was returned to the Electorate of Hanover in 1813.

    In 1814, the Congress of Vienna elevated the Electorate of Hanover to the Kingdom of Hanover (Königreich Hannover ). This was the state of affairs when Peter was born in 1817.

    In 1823, the Duchy of Bremen was abolished and became part of Landdrostei Stade, an administrative district of the Kingdom of Hanover.

    The Kingdom of Hanover was defeated in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 and became a province in the Kingdom of Prussia.

    In 1972, the communities of Assel and Hüll were united and now exist within the larger municipality of Drochtersen, in Landkreis (District) Stade, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany) - about 45 kilometers northwest of Hamburg.

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  2. "Born again" is no doubt a reference to Peter Hellweg's conversion to the German Methodist Episcopal Church. According to a brief biographical sketch of his life published in 1913, Peter accompanied his wife, who was already a member of the church and the daughter of a Methodist pastor, to a Christmas Eve service. Peter was affected enough to step forward to the altar. It was the beginning of his life-long connection with the church.

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  3. Ottersberg was a town in the Duchy of Bremen, south of Assel, and shared much the same political history as the small village where Peter Hellweg was born. Just like Assel, Ottersberg was also absorbed into the Kingdom of Westphalia (French: Royaume de Westphalie; German: Königreich Westphalen ) and in 1810 became one of the three Hanseatic départements of the First French Empire — Département des Bouches du Weser (German: Departement der Weser-Mündungen; English: Department of the Mouths of the Weser ). At the end of the Napoleonic wars, Ottersberg also found itself part of the new Kingdom of Hanover, and in 1823, fell under the jurisdiction of Landdrostei Stade. In 1866, the Kingdom of Hannover was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia and became part of the Province of Hannover (Provinz Hannover ). Ottersberg is now a municipality in Landkreis (District) Verden, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany); it is located about 28 kilometers east of Bremen.

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Birth Records (in German)

The births of Peter and Martha Hellweg's children were recorded twice in the family bible, once in German and again in English. Images of both pages are presented here. A comparison of the two versions can be helpful in resolving some questions.

birth records in German from the family bible
Permission of John H. Hellweg.  All rights reserved.
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Records in German of the births of Rev. Peter Hellweg and Martha Danker's children.

family record.

Births.

1.   Anna Karoliena den 2t  
October Abens 7 Uhr 1842 Marietta   Ohio
2.   Johann den 4ten  
Deiember Abens 9 Uhr 1844 Kierkask   Caunty   Iowa
3.   Georg Heinrich den 27ten  
November Morgens 1 Uhr 1846 Kierkask   Caunty   Iowa
4.   Aemilie und Lowiese d 25t  
März Morgens 1 Uhr 1849 Ven Buhren   Caunty   Iowa
5.   Maria Eliesabet den 21ten  
October Abens 3 Uhr 1851. Fräncklin   Caunty   Missury
6.   Hanna Gette den 28ten  
Februar Abens 5 Uhr 1854 Pettis   Caunty   Missury
7.   Charles den 26.ten  
Juny Abens 2 Uhr 1856. Muscatine   Iowa
8.   Edward Wilhelm den 18th  
May 1860   Mittag  

Some of the spelling on this page from the family bible is unconventional and appears as if it may be a phonetic rendition in German of spoken English. Below is a translation of these birth records.

I am not familiar with a Kierkask County, Iowa and am not sure what locale was being referred to by this word in the entries for children 2 and 3. Did someone mean Keokuk ? This might be suggested by the still unconventional but different spelling used in the English records of the births (see below).

One might also consider that on 1 January 1847, "Peter Hellweg, of Keokuck County, Iowa," was granted a federal land patent for 80 acres located in Section 15 of Township 75 North, Range 11 West of Keokuk County [consult the Bureau of Land Management web site — Iowa volume 197; page 454; document 13151].

Perhaps further research will reveal where the German Methodist Church had posted Rev. Peter Hellweg during these years and that will help to confirm the birth place of Johann and Georg Heinrich.

A Translation

This is a translation of the German language birth records.

family record.

Births.

1.   Anna Karolina the 2nd  
October 7:00 p.m. 1842 Marietta   Ohio
2.   Johann the 4th  
December 9:00 p.m. 1844 Kierkask   County   Iowa
3.   Georg Heinrich the 27th  
November 1:00 a.m. 1846 Kierkask   County   Iowa
4.   Aemilie and Louise the 25th  
March 1:00 a.m. 1849 Ven Buhren   County   Iowa
5.   Maria Eliesabet the 21st  
October 3:00 p.m. 1851 Franklin   County   Missouri
6.   Hanna Gette the 28th  
February 5:00 p.m. 1854 Pettis   County   Missouri
7.   Charles the 26th  
June 2:00 p.m. 1856 Muscatine   Iowa
8.   Edward Wilhelm the 18th  
May 1860   midday  

Source: Rev. Peter Hellweg family bible (published in 1856), page of birth records written in German. Digital copy provided by John H. Hellweg.

Birth Records (in English)

birth records in German from the family bible
Permission of John H. Hellweg.  All rights reserved.
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A page from the Hellweg-Danker family bible recording in English the births of Peter and Martha (Danker) Hellweg's children and also the children of Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Hillweg.

family record.

Births.

 Anna Caroline Hillweg 
  Born the 2nd of October  1842
 John   the 4th of December 
     Marietta   Ohio 
 1844 Keokaik County Iowa 
   
  George    Henry   the 27th  
 Novenber 1846 Kier Co Iowa 
Amelia and Louise the 
 25 th March 1849 
Mary Elisabeth  21st October 
   Van Buhren  Co Iowa 
 
 1851 Franklin Co   Missouriy 
 Henrietta the 28 February 1854 
 Pettis Co Missouri 
 Charles the 26 th June 1856 
   Muscatine  Iowa 
 Edward  William  the 
 18th of May  1860 
  
  Rock Island Ill 
 Born   to  Mrs.  and  Mr. 
  C.A. Hillweg 
 M. Irene Sat. June 12 — 1880 
   West  Bend    Wis. 9.14 P.M.
 M. U. Charles Wed. Dec. 31 — 1884 
       "          "          "  10.30 P M. 
 Isabelle Aileen Wed. 3/12/90 
   Corning     Iowa  10 30 A. M. 
   
   

Source: Rev. Peter Hellweg family bible (published in 1856), page of birth records written in German. Digital copy provided by John H. Hellweg.

Death Records

death records from the family bible
Permission of John H. Hellweg.  All rights reserved.
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A page from the Hellweg-Danker family bible recording family deaths.

family record.      
Deaths.      

1. Aemile den 28ten Deiemb 1851 
2  Jahr    9 M    3 Tage  St.  Joseph Mo=
Georg Heinrich den31t März. 1865
 
 18 Jahr  4 Mo  4  "    Sherrlls Mount Dub Co
Iowa
Anna Caroline   Died  Aug 27
th  1884.  Grand  Meadow  Minn.
   
 
M. Irene Sat. Jan. 19 —
1889 – 8  yrs. - 7 mos — 7 days  at .
Chicago Ills of Malignant Diptheria

A Translation

This is an English version of the first two death records.

family record.

Deaths.

1. Aemile the 28th of December 1851 
2 years    9 m[onths]   3 days  St.  Joseph Mo=
Georg Heinrich the 31st March. 1865
 
 18 years  4 mo[nths]  4 days  Sherrlls Mount Dub Co
Iowa
Anna Caroline   Died  Aug 27
th  1884.  Grand  Meadow  Minn.
   
 

Source: Rev. Peter Hellweg family bible (published in 1856), page of death records written in German & English. Digital copy provided by John H. Hellweg.

Brief Genealogy

Peter Hellweg's family

Peter was born in Assel, Duchy of Bremen (later a part of the Kingdom of Hannover). I currently have no additional information about his birth family. The family surname has a variety of spellings in the source materials: Helweg, Hellweg, Helwig, Hellwig, Hillweg. I believe Hellweg was the spelling used by Peter. As an adult, his son, Charles A., preferred Hillweg.

Martha Danker's family

Martha was born in Amt Ottersberg, Duchy of Bremen (later a part of the Kingdom of Hannover). She was reported to be the daughter of Rev. George Danker, a pastor in the German Methodist Episcopal Church. I currently have no additional information about Martha's birth family.

Hellweg - Danker family

More Resources