German Writing

[rdwags79]

Does anyone here read German?  This is on the back of a picture.  Not sure who is in the picture and am hoping if we know what was written on the back it might help.
Thanks in advance- Deb

[Peonie]

Hi Deb

Helene Okle
geb. Helene Löfler 1846
zu Mittelzell
Insel Reichenau, Amt Konstanz
Baden

Mittelzell on the Isle of Reichenau in Lake Constance

It's very beautiful around the lake.

Regards, Peonie

[PrueM]

Wow Peonie, well done    There's very little in that script that looks anything like what you've managed to get out of it!  I suppose like reading any other script it's just learning the letter-forms but I'm still impressed 

Deb, I was going to say that the clothing in the photo looks like late 1860s/early 70s (based on English forms of clothing, anyway), so possibly that fits with the apparent age of the lady pictured.  I'm not sure that it's the original photo, though - the type of photograph and the mount look like something from the early 1900s.

Cheers
Prue

[apwright]

Small point, but the first name is Helena, with an "a".
I'd also read the maiden surname as Böhler, not Löfler.
What do you think, Peonie?

Adrian

[Peonie]

You are right Adrian, I should have been a bit more careful. *can't get the grinning smilie .There are still plenty of Böhlers on the Island.

Prue -  as you can see, not so wow 

Regards Peonie

[PrueM]

I still think it's impressive 

Adrian or Peonie, can you explain why her name would end in an "a", when that letter looks the same as the "e"s (and the "n"s for that matter  ) ?

[Peonie]

lousy writing? When you look at the "e" in Okle you can see a proper formed "e". The last letter in Helene(a) could just as well be a second n. It's always difficult with names.

 

[rdwags79]

Thanks everyone.  My maiden name if Boehler, so the Bohler fits the best.  My great grandfather stowed away on a ship from Baden Germany in 1872.  His obit says he was the youngest of 7 children, but nowhere do we have who his mother, father, brothers or sisters were. The story goes that he was a soldier in the Franco-Prussia War and was having an affair with his superior officer's girlfriend.  The officer found out and was coming for him so he left his home in the middle of the night and stowed away for America.  Makes it really hard to track him back to his family and for some reason if anyone ever knew the names of his family members it was never passed down.

This gives me some direction!  Thanks!

[rdwags79]

I am new to genealogy research and am getting pretty good at searching the US records.  I know nothing about searching records in Germany.  Can anyone suggest a place/website to start?  Is Ancestry still the best, only need to upgrade my membership or are there other good sources?  Are there records of the members of the Franco-Prussian War?

Thanks again to all.
Deb