William August Meyer married Dorothea Catherine "Dora" Roeber in Dixon, Nebraska on the 25th of February, 1892.
The Meyer and Roeber families are from the state of Neidersachsen (Lower Saxony), near Uelzen. Uelzen is between Hannover and Hamburg and a bit to the East.
Stadensen, Nettlekamp, Wieren, Bodenteich and Luder are all towns just south and southeast of Uelzen (see map below). To get a sense of scale, the distance between Uelzen and Wieren is just 13 miles.
Events in Stadensen:
Events in Nettlekamp:
Events in Luder:
Events in Wieren:
Events in "Bode" (probably Bodenteich):
Events in Uelzen:
The Meyer and Roeber families are from the state of Neidersachsen (Lower Saxony), near Uelzen. Uelzen is between Hannover and Hamburg and a bit to the East.
Stadensen, Nettlekamp, Wieren, Bodenteich and Luder are all towns just south and southeast of Uelzen (see map below). To get a sense of scale, the distance between Uelzen and Wieren is just 13 miles.
Events in Stadensen:
- William August Meyer was born there in 1869
- His father, Friedrich Wilhelm "William" Meyer was born there in 1845
- His father, Jurgen Wilhelm Meyer was born there in 1817
Events in Nettlekamp:
- Friedrich "William" Meyer married Hanna Dorothea Zanzig in 1869
- Jurgen Wilhelm Meyer married Catharina Dorothea Gustan in 1839
Events in Luder:
- Hanna Dorothea Zanzig was born there is 1842
- Her father, Johann Heinrich Christoph Zanzig was born there in 1806
- Her mother, Dorothea Maria Kruse was born there in 1811
- Hanna's mother and father were married there in 1831.
Events in Wieren:
- Catharina Dorothea Gustan (Jurgen Wilhelm Meyer's wife) was born there in 1815
Events in "Bode" (probably Bodenteich):
- Henry Roeber Sr. was born there in 1837
- Dorothea Maria Kruse Zanzig died there in 1883.
- Johann Heinrich Christoph Zanzig's parents were married there in 1794.
Events in Uelzen:
- Catherine "Dorethea" Jacobs was born there in 1841
We started our search in Nettelkamp. As you can see on the sign to the left, that the village of Nettelkamp was founded about the year 1000. It did not appear that these villages had been damaged during WWI or WWII. When we were in Hannover the day before, we saw recreations of Hannover before, during and after WWI and how much it had been damaged from the bombing.
We found this lovely Lutheran Church called Christus-Gemeinde Nettelkamp (translated Christ Church Nettelkamp).
We found this lovely Lutheran Church called Christus-Gemeinde Nettelkamp (translated Christ Church Nettelkamp).
As we were leaving town, we saw another Church and wanted to confirm that it was the Catholic Church. Well, it turns out to be another Lutheran Church! This is a VERY small town, with 2 Lutheran Churches? This other church is called St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran church. It appears to be MUCH older.
We left this town not knowing what Church is the church that our two Meyer marriages took place.
This follow-up is more like what is going on today with the Lutheran Church - and many other churches!
The history of Christ Church (the first Church we visited in Nettelkamp) can be found here:
http://www.selk-nettelkamp.de/index.php?navID=201
(You will need to use the Google Translate feature again!)
To summarize, this first church belongs to SELK (a community of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK)). SELK-associated churches emerged in the last 19th and 20th Centuries throughout Germany as the Lutheran and the Reformed Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church were forced to merge.
The Pastor at St. Martin's Church - the older Nettelkamp Church was Adolph Heicke. He clung to the Lutheran Confessions and was suspended due to "Disobedience to the Church law" in 1878. Many Church members in Nettelkamp asked their former Pastor to continue to provide spiritual guidance. So, with Pastor Heicke, the NEW free Evangelical Lutheran Christ-Church was formed in 1878, and the Christ Church was built the following year.
So, if you notice that our Ancestor Friedrich "William" Meyer and Hanna Dorothea Zanzig were married in 1869 - so that would be at St. Martin's. And then they emigrated in 1881. They left to the "new country" during this time of upheaval in the Church and in their own community. We don't know if they were for or against the changes to the church doctrine or if the changes to the Lutheran Church was a potential cause of their leaving.
The history of Christ Church (the first Church we visited in Nettelkamp) can be found here:
http://www.selk-nettelkamp.de/index.php?navID=201
(You will need to use the Google Translate feature again!)
To summarize, this first church belongs to SELK (a community of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK)). SELK-associated churches emerged in the last 19th and 20th Centuries throughout Germany as the Lutheran and the Reformed Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church were forced to merge.
The Pastor at St. Martin's Church - the older Nettelkamp Church was Adolph Heicke. He clung to the Lutheran Confessions and was suspended due to "Disobedience to the Church law" in 1878. Many Church members in Nettelkamp asked their former Pastor to continue to provide spiritual guidance. So, with Pastor Heicke, the NEW free Evangelical Lutheran Christ-Church was formed in 1878, and the Christ Church was built the following year.
So, if you notice that our Ancestor Friedrich "William" Meyer and Hanna Dorothea Zanzig were married in 1869 - so that would be at St. Martin's. And then they emigrated in 1881. They left to the "new country" during this time of upheaval in the Church and in their own community. We don't know if they were for or against the changes to the church doctrine or if the changes to the Lutheran Church was a potential cause of their leaving.
More follow-up to do! Just found this web-site: http://www.hist.de/yuelzen.htm
Parish Registers of the "Ev-luth. Landeskirche Hannover"
Church district Uelzen
Parish Registers of the "Ev-luth. Landeskirche Hannover"
Church district Uelzen