Amanuensis Monday: Peter STROESSER and Barbara THINES’ marriage certificate

Helzerklaus, the hermitage chapel
Johnny Chicago at lb.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Not far outside the village of Hachiville stands a little hermitage chapel dedicated to St. Thomas. The ancient whitewashed building, known to the locals as Helzer Klaus, is tucked snugly among the trees, and a mineral spring ripples narby. Since the Middle Ages it has stood in its grove and witnessed pilgrimages, processions, and a few less pious rituals. For through the years curious young people surely have attempted to divine the identity of their future mates by following the dictates of tradition: thrice circling the hermitage unseen, twice beating their heads against a birch, then jumping barefoot into the stream. Following this interesting formula, popular belief claims the young person could hear the name of their spouse in the bubbling of the brook.

If during her young maidenhood Barbara THINES ever slipped away to that lonely grove and performed the magic rites, and if they were successful, the name she would have heard the creek whisper was “Peter.”

She and Peter STROESSER, a blacksmith living in Heispelt, were married on 4 Aug 1871, when Peter was 37 and Barbara was 27.

This image has been trimmed from the original at FamilySearch.

Transcription (the italicized parts were handwritten on the record):

Im Jahre tausend achthundert ein und siebenzig, den neunten des Monats August

um Drei Uhr Nach mittags, sind vor Uns Wilhelm Jacques

Bürgermeister Beamten des Civilstandes der Gemeinde Wahl

im Kanton Redingen im Großherzogthum Luxemburg, erschienen Stroesser

Peter Huffschmied, alt dreißig sieben Jahre, geboren zu

Ettelbruck, den vierten Juni achtzehn hundert

vier und dreißig wohnhaft zu Heispelt im Dieser

Gemeinde. groß jähriger Sohn des zu gesagten Heispelt am

zehnten April, achtzehn hundart sechzig, verschiedenen Peter Stroesser und

der hier gegenwärtig und in diese Heirath einwilligenden Anna Maria

Mertz Haushalterin wohnhaft zu Heispelt einer=Vorstehendes erhellt

aus beiliegendem Aus zug aus dem Civilregister der Gemeinde Ettelbruck

und aus dem Civil=Register dieser Gemeinde

und Barbara Thines, ohne Stand, alt zwanzig sieben Jahre

geboren zu Heltzingen den

fünften Mai achtzehn hundert vier und vierzig wohnhaft

– groß jährige Zochter

der hier gegenwartigen und in diese Heirath einwilligenden

Michel Thines und Anna Maria Schmidt, Ehe= und Ackersleute

wohnhaft zu Heltzingen andrerseits. Vorstehendes Geburts=Daten

erhellt aus beiliegendem Aus zug aus dem Civil=Register Per Geburts=

Urkunden der Gemeinde Heltzingen

Welche uns ersucht haben, zu der unter ihnen übereingekommenen Vollziehung ihrer Heirath zu schreiten und dere Verkündigungen vor

den Gemein den Häusern von Wahl und Heltzingen ein den

Sonntagen neunten und sechzehnten des verflossenen Monats

Juli um die Mittagsstunde

Statt gehabt haben.

Da und kein Widerspruch gegen gedachte Heirath verkündet worden ist, so lassen wir ihrem Begehren Recht widerfahren; und nachdem wir alle

obenerwähnten Akten und das 6. Kapitel des Civil=Gesetzbuches, von der Heirath betitelt, vorgelesen, haben wir den Bräutigam und die Braut

gefragt, ob sie sich zum Mann und zur Frau nehmen wollen; de beide, jedes besonders und bejahend, geantwortet haben, so erklären wir im Namen

des Gesetzes, daß Peter Stroesser und Barbara Thines

durch die Heirath vereinigt sind

Von allem diesem haben wir diese Urkunde errichtet, und zwar in Gegenwart des Jacques

Nicolas Ackerer alt zwanzig sieben Jahre,

wohnhaft zu Wahl, nicht verwandt,

Des Jacques Franz, Ackerer alt sechzig ein Jahre,

wohnhaft zu Arsdorff, nicht verwandt

Des Jacques Falentin Ackerer alt sechzig Jahre,

wohnhaft zu Wahl, nicht verwandt,

Und des Becker Leonard, Schuster alt dreißig zwei Jahre,

wohnhaft zu Wahl, nicht verwandt

Welche, nachdem sie ihnen vorgelesen worden ist, dieselbe mit uns unterschrieben haben. Mit—

Aus nich ein der Mutter der Braut und der, des Bräutigams

die sich ein Schreiben (erklärt) lese, unerfahren erklärt haben.

Line by line Translation:

In the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy one, the ninth of the Month of August

at Three O’Clock After noon, before Us Wilhelm Jacques

Burgermeister Officials of the Civil State of the Commune of Wahl

in the Canton of Redange in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, appeared Stroesser

Peter Blacksmith, age thirty seven Years, born in

Ettelbruck, on the fourth of June eighteen hundred

thirty four residing in Heispelt in This

Commune of age Son of the aforesaid Heispelt on the

tenth of April, eighteen hundred sixty, distinct Peter Stroesser and

the currently present and in this Marriage consenting Anna Maria

Mertz Housekeeper residing in Heispelt single-Above evident

from enclosed extract from the Civil Registry of the Commune of Ettelbruck

and of the Civil-Register of this Commune

and Barbara Thines, without Occupation, age twenty seven Years

born in Hachiville on the

fifth of May eighteen hundred forty four residing

– of age Daughter

the currently present and in this Marriage consenting

Michel Thines and Anna Maria Schmidt, Married- and Farmer couple

residing in Hachiville on the other hand. The foregoing Birth-Dates

evident from the enclosed extract of the Civil-Register By Birth-

Deeds of the Commune of Hachiville

Which have requested us, to proceed to the Completion of their Marriage and particular Announcements as agreed among them before

the Common Houses of Wahl and Hachiville on the

Sundays the ninth and sixteenth of the past Month

July at Noon

Have been held.

Since no contradiction to the intended marriage has been announced, we can honor their desire; and after we all

the above document and the 6^th chapter of the Civil Code, of the Marriage titled, read, we have the Groom and the Bride

questioned, whether it be that they want to take one another for Man and Wife; because both, each particularly and affirming, have responded, as we explained in the Name

of the Law, that Peter Stroesser and Barbara Thines

are united in Marriage.

From all this we have made this Certificate, and in the Presence of Jacques

Nicolas Farmer age twenty seven Years,

residing in Wahl, not related,

Of Jacques Franz, Farmer age sixty one Years,

residing in Arsdorf, not related

Of Jacques Falentin Farmer age sixty Years,

residing in Wahl, not related,

And of Becker Leonard, Cobbler age thirty two Years,

residing in Wahl, not related

Who, after having it read to them, have undersigned. With—

Not from the Mother of the Bride and which, the Groom

which a letter (declared) reading, have declared inexperienced.

(Those last couple of handwritten lines have proved confusing to me; the clumsy translation above is the best I have been able to manage. If you have a better understanding of what is being said, please enlighten me!)

This marriage produced eight children, whose vital records—or at least the ones produced in Luxembourg—have already been presented:

1. Michel “Mike” STROESSER (1873-1937)

m. Regina STOMP (1898)

2. Baltasar STROESSER (1875-1939)

m. Anna KAYSER (1907)

3. Anna STROESSER (1876-1946)

m. Peter HEYMANS (1898)

4. Johann “Harry” STROESSER (1878-1964)

m. Mary Josephine CRAIG (1915)

5. Johann-Nicolas “Nick” STROESSER (1880-?)

m. Rosa FRANKS (1915)

6. Johann STROESSER (1881-1882)

7. Catharina STROESSER (1883-1884)

8. Clara STROESSER (1885-1921)

m. Nicholas FANCK (1905)

Sources:

“Hachiville, Paroisse Et Ancienne Commune.” Luxroots. Web. Accessed 29 Oct 2012. (In French.)

“Luxemburg: Volksglauben International.” Wandermagazin. W&A Marketing & Verlag GmbH, Mar.-Apr. 2008. Web. Accessed 29 Oct 2012. (In German.)

Wahl, Redange, Luxembourg marriage certificate (1871), Stroesser-Thines; digital image #1145 of 1475, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, “Naissances 1867-1890 Mariages 1796-1797, 1800-1804, 1805-1823, 1796-1803, 1805-1890 Décès 1797-1803, 1805-1828,” FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 14 Apr 2011).