Re: Bertha Himmel, born in Germany 1885

Have you learned any more about your HIMMEL ancestor?

I have just discovered a possible HIMMELS ancestor in my WILLMS line in the Rhineland's EIFEL region of Germany.
If you read through this line, you'll come to a Catherina HIMMELS.

My brother and his wife who live in Norway and speak German have just been to Blankenheim and found church and civil records (mostly civil records) on our WILLMS grandparents (usually WILLIAMS used in America).

We now have the following civil records, (my brother and wife who live in Norway have translated them) and based on them I've been able to find corresponding LDS records at Familysearch.org (Morman site) . . . . as well as other possible connections in the line . . .

My grandfather, Joseph Henry WILLIAMS was born Heinrich Joseph WILLMS, 1883, Blankenheim, Germany ( His father was Johann Joseph WILLMS, b 1858, Blankenheim,Germany--and married in 1882 in Blankenheim to a "servant girl" Anna Helena Magdalena PAULY, b 1856,(usually called Magdalena) who had lived in Ripsdorf before coming to Blankenheim. Her parents Barbara KLINKHAMMER and Johann PAULY had died in Ripsdorf (about 5 miles from Blankenheim). Johann's mother Gertrud had died in Blankenheim, but his father Heinrich was apparently still alive in Blankenheim according to the marriage record.

Johann Joseph, Magdalena (the name she most often used) and their infant son Heinrich Joseph immigrated in 1883 and settled in Wisconsin in Glen Haven, Grant County.Johann Joseph was a painter---with a specialty of church painting and gilding. I do not yet have ship's records, ports, etc.

They lived in Glen Haven, had 3 or 4 children and gave them the surname WILLIAMS (found 3 birth records) and moved in 1898 to Guttenberg, Clayton, Iowa where Johann Joseph died April, 1909. (Found obit in Guttenberg Pub. Lib. in Guttenberg Press archived papers. He and Magdalena used WILLMS for their surname on all census rolls prior to his death. Magdalena used WILLIAMS after moving to Dubuque, Iowa sometime after 1910.)

Johann Joseph's(born 1858) parents (according to his marriage records from Germany) were Heinrich WILLMS and Gertrud RIQUIR / RIQUIER--married in Blankenheim in 1857.

Based on above records found, I think I've found Heinrich's parents (my great-great-great grandparents) on LDS records online . . .

Heinrich WILLMS, (father of Johann Joseph) was likely born 1820 in Blankenheim. (found an LDS record). Heinrich's parents were very likely Heinrich WILMS and Catherina HIMMELS, married in 1807 in Blankenheim, Germany civil records.

I have so far found no other records for Catherina HIMMELS, but if they married in 1807, they were likely born around 1785---perhaps in Blankenheim, or elsewhere in the Eifel region---or maybe even in neighboring countries when borders were changing.

Note: I've found a few records with HIMMELMAN, HIMMELBERG, etc. all apparently references to geograpical regions in which the HIMMELS family lived---and tacked on to their names.

If any of this family sounds familiar, or you think your Bertha HIMMEL might trace back to the Eifel area of the Rhineland in Germany--maybe to Catherina's family--please post a reply.

Audrey Williams Stanaland
Loudon, TN