#52ancestors 2015 No. 4 – sharing my birthday

This week’s theme of Amy Crow’s 52 ancestors challenge is called “closest to your birthday”.

Closest to my birthday are the ancestors I share my birthday with. One of them is Hermann Karl Heinrich KOOP, the brother-in-law of my 2nd great grand uncle August Heinrich Johann WARNKE.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

We are moving back to one of my main parishes: Diedrichshagen in Mecklenburg, Germany. During Hermann’s lifetime the area changed from the grandduchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin to the German Reich to the Third Reich to the German Democratic Republic. Well, it was the 20th century, the time when Europe changed.

Hermann was born on July 23, 1888 as the youngest of five children into the marriage of Hans Joachim Friedrich KOOP, a mason in Upahl, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany and his wife Wilhelmina Louise Henriette née KRUSE. He received his christening on August 12, 1888 in the church of the parish in Diedrichshagen, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany.

baptism Hermann Karl Heinrich Koop

You can see that he is second name is written Carl instead of Karl, but most of the remaining records I found for him, his name was spelled Karl, therefore I used that spelling in my records, too.

The following is his confirmation record from April 5, 1903 – also in the church of Diedrichshagen:

confirmation Hermann Karl Heinrich Koop

Eight years later, on June 9, 1911 he married the laborer’s daughter Caroline Anna Wilhelmine SCHLÜNZ from Alt Jassewitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany. And you can see on the following wedding certificate that a registrar was so nice to make a side note regarding Hermann’s death.

wedding certificate Koop & Schlünz

The couple had four children, I know of so far.

• Everhart * August 3, 1912
• Anni * April 9, 1914
• Ella * September 11, 1915
• Anneliese * April 28, 1923

Have a look at the gap between Ella and Anneliese of almost 8 years. I wouldn’t be surprised, if there would be more children, I just didn’t find yet so far.

the 1919 census record for Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany shows the family living in Hamberge. And Caroline’s father is living with them:

1919 census

Hermann died at the age of 79 years on December 27, 1967 (taken from the side note on his wedding certificate above).