German records - come to a dead end - Hemstedt family

[LornaJane]

Dear fellow researchers,

I am having no luck in finding my 3rd great-grandfather from German records. Can you help?

According to UK census records, he was born in 1831 in Lubeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. However, I cannot find anything that relates to his birth in Germany and seem to have exhausted all avenues.
His name is HENRY HEMSTEDT.  What I know:
- He married Mary Ann Pottinger (born 1841 in Norwich) and they had six children: Henry, Edward, Malinda, William, Alice and Eleanor. I cannot find their marriage record.
- All children were born in the UK, though in several places it seems: Colchester, Statford, and Kent.
- Henry's occupation is listed as a Master Boot Maker.
- I believe that he died in 1895 in Greenwich. 

Can anyone recommend any German record bases that I could try? Or reasons why I might not be able to find his birth or marriage certificate?

Thank you in advance for any advise,

With warm regards,
Lorna

[PaulineJ]

Erm, julira hemstedt's 1859 birth in colchester has a mmn of blomfield./ bloomfield
(First child of marriage, Died young)

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DQP-ZYM candidate spouse julia bloomfield

In 1861, the wife julia is  with her birth family.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7HW-82P

Change of mmn for offspring  for after 1869 / malinda . Its Downning/ Downing

Where did pottinger come from?

[medpat]

Malinda Leila b 1869 MMN Downing West Ham

Alice Louisa 1871 MMN Downing Portsea Island

Eleanor Laura Adelaide  MMN Downing 1879 Greenwich 2 years after Eleanor Lucy b 1877 in Poplar also Downing who died 1878

[PaulineJ]

I suspect hes not married mary ann.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27D-DJCZ 1881 for  wife julia (nee Bloomfield) her death is in 1898.

[medpat]

William 1873 Downing

[medpat]

Julia died Colchester 1898 aged 59 ties in with the Colchester births MMN Blomfield.

[JustinL]

Hi Lorna,

You have encountered the two major difficulties in the research of German ancestors:

1) Civil registration was, for the most part, only introduced in the territories forming the German Empire in the mid-1870s. Prior to that, births, marriages and deaths were recorded in parish registers;

2) Very few German records are available online; either civil or parish records.

The censuses for Lübeck are, however, part of the collection of records available with a worldwide (or German) ancestry subscription.

To locate a baptismal record, you will need to know Henry's religion, i.e. Protestant, Catholic or other, you will then need to determine which churches existed at the time in Lübeck and where the parish registers are held (if they have survived).

It is, of course, also entirely possible that Henry was not actually born in the city of Lübeck, but in a small village nearby.

I think the Lübeck censuses are your best bet.

Justin

[JustinL]

Lorna,

You're in luck!!! There are several records for Henry online.

Heinrich Detlev Martin Hemstedt was baptised on 31 October 1830
Parents: Paul Gottfried Hemstedt and Catharina Dorothea Ludowika born Petersen

Pauline's discovery of the daughter Elizabeth who had been born in Lübeck in 1867/8 is the fact that nails it.

Sophia Anna Elisabeth Hemstedt was born in Lübeck on 16 Dec 1867 to
Heinrich Detlev Martin Hemstedt and .... Julie Blomfield

Can you access the German records on ancestry? Heinrich, his parents and siblings appear in many records including censuses, citizenship registers, baptisms, marriages and burials AND there is even a family coat of arms!!!

The coat of arms is described as distillation equipment on gold (Destillierapparat auf Gold) and below that a hat with a white and red feather (Zwickelhut mit weiß und roter Feder).

The text at the bottom indicates that the coat of arms was created Diedrich Johann Hemstedt, a spirits distiller (Branntweinbrenner) who was recorded in the 1815 census of Lübeck and appears to have been the father of Paul Gottfried H., i.e. Heinrich's grandfather.

Justin

[PaulineJ]

Well, That's a cracker of a result.

Lorna, if you don't have worldwide ancestry at home, then it should be available with the Library Edition (accessed through many public libraries).

Regards, Pauline