Descendants of Hans Jacob Ernst Gangnus

Introduction

Not long ago, I didn't know the surname of my mother's grandmother. From records in the U.S., it seemed her name was Youganus. Unfortunately, there is no such name. I have since found out, thanks to the research of my cousin Catherine Watts in England, that her name was actually the German, Gangnus. Then, I found out that there was a wonderful genealogy done on the family in German. I am greatly indebted to the work of Gustav Gangnus, Vom Elsass Hinaus in Die Welt, Stammtafel und Geschichte, Gangnus , Darmstadt 2003. So I have gone from nothing to a great amount of information in a short period of time. So like a Greek Goddess, this family seems to have been born fully grown. It looks like the Gangnus and Rathfelders married at least twice, so there may be some duplicates below.

As far as I know, my Gangnus ancestors lived primarily in Germany and Latvia.

Germany

Although the Gangnus family lived in Germany for over 150 years that is documented, it appears that they moved around a bit.

Generation One

Hagenau

1. HANS JACOB ERNST¹ GANGNUS was born in 1610 at Hagenau, Alsace. He married Anna (--?--).
He was Cavalry Captain. Hagenau then part of German Holy Roman Empire. Remained so until 1648. Hagenau one of the main towns. Survived Thirty Year War and according to family continued to live in Sinsheim after 1660. (Nr. Heidelberg).
Children of Hans Jacob Ernst¹ Gangnus and Anna (--?--) were:

2. i. WOLFGANG ERNST² was born in 1641 at Sinsheim. He married Margarethe (--?--).

Hagenau (current spelling Haguenau) is a city north of Strasbourg located in current day France.

According to Wikipedia, "Haguenau dates from the beginning of the 12th century, and owes its origin to the erection of a hunting lodge by the dukes of Swabia. The emperor Frederick I Barbarossa surrounded it with walls and gave it town rights in 1154. On the site of the hunting lodge he founded an imperial palace, in which were preserved the

Hagenau and Sinsheim

"Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire", i.e. the jewelled imperial crown, sceptre, imperial globe, and sword of Charlemagne. Subsequently it became the seat of the Landvogt of Hagenau, the imperial advocatus in Lower Alsace. Richard of Cornwall king of the Romans, made it an imperial city in 1257. In the 14th century, it housed the executive council of the Decapole, a defensive and offensive association of ten Alsatian towns against the surrounding political instability. In 1648 it came into the possession of France..."

So it appears that the Gangnus family left the city before it came under French rule. Perhaps Hans moved to Sinsheim as a result of being in the 30 Years War.

According to the Thirty Years War web page,

"The Thirty Years War is one of the great conflicts of early modern European history.
The Thirty Years War consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars which raged through the years 1618-1648 throughout central Europe.

During the Thirty Years War the opponents were, on the one hand, the House of Austria: the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors Ferdinand II and Ferdinand III together with their Spanish cousin Philip IV.

During the long course of the Thirty Years War the Habsburgs were opposed by various international opponents of House of Austria: the Danish, Dutch and, above all, France and Sweden.

In addition to its international dimensions the Thirty Years War was a German civil war. The principalities which made up Germany took up arms for or against the Habsburgs or, most commonly, both at different times during the war’s 30 years.

The Thirty Years War was also, at least in part, a religious war among Catholics, Lutherans and Calvinists. Ferdinand II and, to a lesser degree, his primary ally Maximillian I represented the re-Catholicizing zeal of the Jesuit Counter-reformation, while Frederick V of the Palatinate represented the equally militant forces of Calvinism.

The series of conflicts, military and political, which make up the Thirty Years War are highly complex."

Generation Two

2. WOLFGANG ERNST² GANGNUS (Hans¹) was born in 1641 at Sinsheim. He married Margarethe (--?--). He died in 1707.
Children of Wolfgang Ernst² Gangnus and Margarethe (--?--) were as follows:

i. JANS JACOB³ was born on 5 Apr 1669 at Bischofsheim.
He probably died young.
3. ii. JOHANN PHILIPP was born on 8 Sep 1671. He married Anna Dorothea Schnepf, daughter of Hans Georg Schnepf and Martha (--?--), in 1696 at Sinsheim.

Generation Three

3. JOHANN PHILIPP³ GANGNUS (Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 8 Sep 1671. He married Anna Dorothea Schnepf, daughter of Hans Georg Schnepf and Martha (--?--), in 1696 at Sinsheim. He died on 29 Aug 1750 at age 78.
He was a citizen and shepherd of Neckarbischofsheim, Nr. Heidelberg/Heilbronn. He was also known as Hans. Excerpt from Death Register:-
“Early in the morning of 29^th August 1750, between six and seven o’clock, Johann Philipp GANGNUS died after having been bed-ridden for more than a year. Roman Catholic. Buried 30^th August. Age 79 years less 10 days.”.
Children of Johann Philipp³ Gangnus and Anna Dorothea Schnepf were as follows:

i. JOHANN LEONHARD⁴ was born on 26 Nov 1696 at Bischofsheim, Germany.
ii. JOHANN BALTHASAR was born on 4 Apr 1699 at Bischofsheim, Germany.
iii. ANNA MARIA MAGDALENA was born on 20 Jan 1701 at Bischofsheim, Germany.
iv. HANS MICHAEL was born on 6 May 1703 at Bischofsheim, Germany. He died on 18 May 1703.
4. v. JOHANN GEORG was born on 16 Jun 1704 at Bischofsheim, Germany. He married Anna Margaretha Clausing, daughter of Caspar Philipp Clausing and Maria Magdalena Tausch, on 4 Oct 1735 at Eichtersheim.
vi. JOHANN PHILIPP was born on 2 Jun 1707 at Bischofsheim, Germany.
vii. MARIA MARGARETHA was born on 5 Sep 1709 at Bischofsheim, Germany.
viii. MARIA CATHARINA was born on 5 Sep 1709 at Bischofsheim, Germany.
ix. MARIA MARGARETHA was born on 27 Apr 1713.
x. JOHANN WENDEL was born on 27 Feb 1716 at Bischofsheim, Germany.
xi. GEORG was born on 1 Oct 1719 at Bischofsheim, Germany.

Generation Four

4. JOHANN GEORG⁴ GANGNUS (Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 16 Jun 1704 at Bischofsheim, Germany. He married Anna Margaretha Clausing, daughter of Caspar Philipp Clausing and Maria Magdalena Tausch, on 4 Oct 1735 at Eichtersheim. He died between 1765 and 1766 on the way from Jutland to Lubeck?
He was a shephard in Eichtersheim (today part of Angelbachtal in Kraichgau). He immigrated in 1760 to Denmark.
Children of Johann Georg⁴ Gangnus and Anna Margaretha Clausing were as follows:

i. JOHANN FRIEDRICH⁵ was born at Fredeiksdal, Denmark.
ii. MARIA ELISABETHA was born on 27 Jul 1737 at Eichtersheim. She died in 1737.
iii. MARGRETHA CHARLOTTA PHILIPPINA JOHANNA SUSANNA was born on 5 Aug 1738 at Eichtersheim.
iv. JOHANNA PHILIPPINA was born on 30 Aug 1740 at Eichtersheim.
v. AUGUST JOHANN JULIAN was born on 31 Oct 1741 at Eichtersheim.
vi. JUL. AUGUSTA MARGARETHA was born on 13 Mar 1743 at Eichtersheim.
vii. CASPAR PHILIPP was born on 12 Apr 1744 at Eichtersheim.
viii. SOPHIA MARIA SYBILLA was born on 24 Apr 1745 at Eichtersheim.
ix. JULIUS AUGUSTUS was born on 19 May 1746 at Eichtersheim.
5. x. PHILIPP JULIUS GUSTAVUS was born on 16 Jun 1747 at Eichtersheim, Kraichgau. He married Anna Eva Müller, daughter of Johann Adam Müller and Anna Catherina Rammich, on 23 Jan 1766 at Lübeck, St. Petri.
xi. JULIA ANNA/MAGDALENA was born on 31 Aug 1748 at Eichtersheim.
xii. AUGUSTA CHARLOTTE was born on 20 Oct 1749 at Eichtersheim.
6. xiii. PHILIPP JACOB was born on 25 May 1751 at Eichtersheim, Germany. He married Anna Barbara Stumpf (--?--). He married Anna Eva Niclas, daughter of Johann Jacob Niclas and Anna Maria Riedel, on 20 Jan 1775 at Linden.
xiv. FREDERICH JACOB was born on 12 Sep 1752 at Eichtersheim.
xv. PHILLIPINA JULIANA was born on 12 Feb 1755 at Eichtersheim.
xvi. CATHARINA FREDERIKE was born on 15 Apr 1758 at Eichtersheim.

Generation Five

5. PHILIPP JULIUS GUSTAVUS⁵ GANGNUS (Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 16 Jun 1747 at Eichtersheim, Kraichgau. He married Anna Eva Müller, daughter of Johann Adam Müller and Anna Catherina Rammich, on 23 Jan 1766 at Lübeck, St. Petri. He died on 2 Jan 1818 at Hirschenhof, Livland, at age 70.
Children of Philipp Julius Gustavus⁵ Gangnus and Anna Eva Müller were as follows:

i. ANNA MARIA CATHARINA⁶ was born on 14 Dec 1766 at Hirschenhof.
ii. JOHANN PHILIPP LUDWIG was born on 22 Dec 1767 at Hirschenhof. He died in 1831.
iii. JACOBINA MARGARETHA was born on 16 Mar 1771 at Hirschenhof. She died on 20 Mar 1846 at age 75.
iv. PHILIPP JACOB was born on 16 Apr 1773 at Hirschenhof. He died in 1841.
v. JOHANN PETER was born on 24 Jul 1775 at Hirschenhof. He died in 1853.
vi. JOHANN was born on 19 Dec 1777 at Hirschenhof. He died on 30 Mar 1819 at Hirschenhof at age 41.
7. vii. ANNA CHARLOTTE MARIA was born on 1 Apr 1780 at Hirschenhof. She married Johann Gottfried Schwechheimer in 1794.
viii. ANNA EVA was born on 31 Aug 1781 at Hirschenhof. She died in 1824.
ix. SOPHIA ANNA ELISABETH was born on 14 Sep 1783 at Hirschenhof. She died in 1835.
x. MARIA MAGDALENA was born on 26 May 1786 at Hirschenhof.
xi. JOHANN JACOB was born on 22 Oct 1787 at Hirschenhof. He died in Feb 1855 at Riga at age 67.
xii. EVA CHRISTINA was born on 3 Jun 1790 at Hirschenhof.
xiii. ANNA JULIANE? was born circa 1791.

6. PHILIPP JACOB⁵ GANGNUS (Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 25 May 1751 at Eichtersheim, Germany. He married Anna Barbara Stumpf (--?--). He married Anna Eva Niclas, daughter of Johann Jacob Niclas and Anna Maria Riedel, on 20 Jan 1775 at Linden. He died on 8 May 1820 at Hirschenhof, Latvia, at age 68.
Children of Philipp Jacob⁵ Gangnus and Anna Barbara Stumpf (--?--) all born at Hirschenhof were as follows:

i. MARIA CHARLOTTE⁶ was born on 15 Aug 1790. She died on 1 Sep 1790.
ii. MARIA ELISABETH was born on 15 Aug 1791. She died on 24 Sep 1791.
iii. JOHANN GEORG MICHAEL was born on 29 Nov 1793.
iv. ANNA ELISABETH was born on 8 May 1797. She died on 6 May 1798.
v. MARIA BARBARA was born on 15 Apr 1799.
vi. CATHERINA FRIEDERICA was born on 2 Jun 1802.

Children of Philipp Jacob⁵ Gangnus and Anna Eva Niclas were as follows:

i. MAGDALENA JULIANE⁶ was born on 16 Apr 1776 at Hirschenhof. She died on 24 May 1776.
8. ii. JOHANN JACOB was born on 11 Mar 1777 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Marie/Margarethe Jacobine/Juliane Boehler, daughter of Johann Jacob Boehler and Maria Elisabeth Mueller. He married Anna Elisabeth Julianna Biedermann, daughter of Johann Adam Biedermann and Maria Margarethe Fuhrmann.
iii. CATHARINA BARBARA was born on 29 Jan 1779 at Hirschenhof. She died on 1 May 1780 at age 1.
iv. JOHANN GEORG was born on 19 Feb 1781 at Hirschenhof.
v. PHILIPP GUSTAV was born on 2 Aug 1783 at Hirschenhof.
vi. ANNA MARIA CATHARINA was born on 7 Feb 1786 at Hirschenhof. She died in 1830.

Generation Six

7. ANNA CHARLOTTE MARIA⁶ GANGNUS (Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 1 Apr 1780 at Hirschenhof. She married Johann Gottfried Schwechheimer in 1794. She died in 1847.
Children of Anna Charlotte Maria⁶ Gangnus and Johann Gottfried Schwechheimer were as follows:

i. PHILIPP JAKOB⁷ was born on 30 Jul 1795. He died on 8 Nov 1817 at age 22.
ii. GEORG PETER was born on 8 Jun 1798. He died on 6 Feb 1810 at age 11.
iii. JOHANN GEORG PHILIPP was born on 14 May 1800. He married Anna Barbara Frantz. He died in 1840.
iv. JOHANN GEORG MICHAEL was born on 14 Feb 1802. He married Anna Charlotte Gangnus. He married Anna Marie Neumeister.
v. ANNA CHARLOTTE was born on 9 May 1805.
vi. ANNA ELISABETH was born on 20 Jul 1806.
vii. JACOBINE was born in 1807.
viii. JOHANN GOTTLIEB was born on 18 Mar 1808. He died in 1808.
ix. JOHANN GERHARD/ERHAD was born on 19 Jul 1809. He married Anna Charlotte März.
x. JOHANN GOTTFRIED was born on 12 Dec 1811. He died on 27 Nov 1813 at age 1.
xi. GOTTLIEB was born on 21 Apr 1815. He died on 4 Oct 1818? at age 3?
xii. JOHANN GOTTFRIED was born on 5 Jan 1817. He married Anna Charlotte Hermann.
xiii. SOPHIA ELIZABETH was born on 3 Apr 1818.
xiv. PHILIP GUSTAV was born on 23 Sep 1820.
9. xv. ROSINE was born on 23 Jan 1823 at Latvia. She married Johannes Rathfelder.
xvi. MAGDALENA was born in 1825.

8. JOHANN JACOB⁶ GANGNUS (Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 11 Mar 1777 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Marie/Margarethe Jacobine/Juliane Boehler, daughter of Johann Jacob Boehler and Maria Elisabeth Mueller. He married Anna Elisabeth Julianna Biedermann, daughter of Johann Adam Biedermann and Maria Margarethe Fuhrmann.
He was a farmer (Wirt).
Children of Johann Jacob⁶ Gangnus and Marie/Margarethe Jacobine/Juliane Boehler were as follows:

i. PHILIPP⁷ was born on 10 Jun 1804 at Hirschenhof. He died on 21 Mar 1805.
ii. JOHANN was born on 2 Mar 1806 at Hirschenhof. He died on 4 Aug 1811 at age 5.
iii. PHILIPP GOTTLIEB was born on 16 Jun 1808 at Hirschenhof. He died on 27 Oct 1812 at age 4.
iv. GEORG MARCUS was born on 25 Apr 1811 at Hirschenhof. He died on 18 Aug 1811.
v. GEORG LUDWIG was born on 26 Jul 1812 at Hirschenhof.
vi. GEORG MICHAEL was born on 17 Jul 1813 at Hirschenhof.
vii. PHILIPP JACOB was born on 7 Feb 1816 at Hirschenhof.
viii. CATHARINA BARBARA was born on 27 Sep 1818 at Hirschenhof. She died on 14 Feb 1820 at age 1.
ix. JOHANN GOTTFRIED was born on 6 Mar 1822 at Hirschenhof.
x. ANNA JULIANE was born in 1823.
xi. HEINRICH JOHANN was born in 1827 at Hirschenhof.

Children of Johann Jacob⁶ Gangnus and Anna Elisabeth Julianna Biedermann were as follows:

10. i. JOHANN PHILIPP⁷ was born on 22 May 1829 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Jacobine Lütke, daughter of Friedrich Lütke and Eva Margaretha Fuhrmann. He married Ebba Mapich.
ii. GEORG MICHAEL was born on 25 Sep 1831 at Hirschenhof.
iii. JOHANN PETER was born on 2 Jul 1834 at Hirschenhof.
iv. JOHANN FRIEDRICH was born on 24 Jan 1837 at Hirschenhof. He died on 26 Dec 1837.
v. PHILIPPINE was born in 1839 at Hirschenhof. She married Friedrich Simon Lütke in 1857. She died on 2 Jan 1887.
vi. GEORG ROBERT was born in 1843 at Hirschenhof. He died on 5 Jan 1844.
vii. JOHANN HEINRICH was born in Dec 1843 at Hirschenhof. He died on 14 Jan 1844.
viii. CATHARINA MARGARETHE was born on 29 Aug 1845 at Hirschenhof. She married Johannes Lütke on 29 Aug 1845.

Generation Seven

9. ROSINE⁷ SCHWECHHEIMER (Anna⁶ Gangnus, Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 23 Jan 1823 at Latvia. She married Johannes Rathfelder.
Children of Rosine⁷ Schwechheimer and Johannes Rathfelder all born at Hirschenhof, Latvia, were as follows:

11. i. JOHANN HEINRICH⁸ was born on 26 Mar 1846 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Maria Elisabeth Laura Gangnus, daughter of Johann Philipp Gangnus and Jacobine Lütke.
12. ii. ANNA CHARLOTTE was born on 26 Nov 1848 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
13. iii. GEORG GUSTAV was born on 31 Jan 1851 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Charlotte Kroeger.
14. iv. JOHANN GOTTLIEB was born on 9 Aug 1853 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Catharina Schmidt.

10. JOHANN PHILIPP⁷ GANGNUS (Johann⁶, Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 22 May 1829 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Jacobine Lütke, daughter of Friedrich Lütke and Eva Margaretha Fuhrmann. He married Ebba Mapich.
He in Riga with passport. Everybody born in Hirschenhof in these times had to ask for permission to work and to settle in Riga in 1909.
Children of Johann Philipp⁷ Gangnus and Jacobine Lütke were as follows:

15. i. MARIA ELISABETH LAURA⁸ was born on 12 Sep 1856 at Latvia. She married Johann Heinrich Rathfelder, son of Johannes Rathfelder and Rosine Schwechheimer.
ii. CATHARINA FRIEDERIKE AUGUSTE was born on 21 Jan 1859. She married Georg Michael Hassenfuss on 18 May 1882 at Hirschenhof.
16. iii. JOHANN JACOB was born on 5 Aug 1862. He married Eva Maria Stahl on 13 Sep 1890 at Linden.

Erbe 30

iv. EMMA FRIDERIKE was born on 20 Sep 1864.
v. SOPHIE ADOLPHINE was born on 17 Apr 1867.
vi. GEORG FRIEDRICH was born on 26 Apr 1869.

There were no children of Johann Philipp⁷ Gangnus and Ebba Mapich.

Generation Eight

11. JOHANN HEINRICH⁸ RATHFELDER (Rosine⁷ Schwechheimer, Anna⁶ Gangnus, Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 26 Mar 1846 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Maria Elisabeth Laura Gangnus, daughter of Johann Philipp Gangnus and Jacobine Lütke. He died before 24 Mar 1921.
He was a joiner or cabinet maker (tischler). He was also known as Henry.
Children of Johann Heinrich⁸ Rathfelder and Maria Elisabeth Laura Gangnus were as follows:

i. JOHANN PHILIPP NICOLAI⁹ was born on 22 Jul 1874 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
ii. ANTONIE was born on 23 Oct 1878 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
iii. JACOB REINHOLD was born on 20 Nov 1880 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
iv. HARRY EDUARD was born at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He died young?
v. ALEXANDER SIEGFRIED was born on 11 Jun 1894 at Riga, Latvia. He married Emma Nicholson Lentz, daughter of Jacob George Lentz and Ann Eliza Nicholson, on 24 Mar 1921. He died on 18 Jan 1948 at 1140 Roosevelt Drive, Upper Darby, PA, at age 53. He was buried on 21 Jan 1948 at Arlington, Drexel Hill, PA.
He was a Hairdresser at Strawbridge & Clothier's Store. He Social Security # 183-01-0977 Worked at Strawbridge & Clothier's Store Lived at 1140 Roosevelt Drive for 8 years at time of death. Died of heart attack @ 8:30 a.m. from shoveling snow at age 53. His wife was 47. He was also known as ALESANDER. He emigrated on 15 Dec 1915 from Archangel, Russia. He immigrated on 15 Jan 1916 on the S.S. Czaritza, New York, NY. He was a chaffeur on 13 Jan 1920 at New York. He appeared on the census of 13 Jan 1920 as a roomer with Charles Grosh at 609 West 135th Street, Manhatten, New York, NY. As of 13 Jan 1920, he was also known as ALEXADRA RATHFELLOW. He was a Student in 1921. He lived in 1921 at 153 E. 8620, New York, NY. He lived in 1924 at 1114 East Earl Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylsvania. He was naturalized on 9 Mar 1925.
vi. LEONHARD FLORENTIN was born on 17 Oct 1896 at Latvia. He was baptized on 8 Dec 1896 at St Peter’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Riga, Latvia. He married Lydia Vasiljeva, daughter of Mikhail Vasiljeva. He and Lydia Vasiljeva were divorced on 25 Oct 1928 at Riga, Latvia. He married Clara Zvirbulis on 11 Jul 1931. He and Clara Zvirbulis were divorced on 29 May 1935.
He was also known as LEO. He lived in 1920 at Artilerijas Str. 66, Riga, Latvia. He was a hospital attendant in 1922 on the S/S Latvia. He lived in 1923 at Gimnastikas Str. 22, Riga, Latvia. He lived in 1927 at Vasaras Str. 11, Riga, Latvia.

12. ANNA CHARLOTTE⁸ RATHFELDER (Rosine⁷ Schwechheimer, Anna⁶ Gangnus, Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 26 Nov 1848 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
Children of Anna Charlotte⁸ Rathfelder both born Hirschenhof, Latvia include:

i. JOHANN GOTTLIEB⁹ was born either 9 Feb 1873 or 9 Sep 1873.
ii. CARL ROBERT was born on 1 Oct 1878.

13. GEORG GUSTAV⁸ RATHFELDER (Rosine⁷ Schwechheimer, Anna⁶ Gangnus, Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 31 Jan 1851 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Charlotte Kroeger.
Children of Georg Gustav⁸ Rathfelder and Charlotte Kroeger were as follows:

i. JOHANN JAKOB CARL⁹ was born on 25 Jul 1879 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
He was possibly the son of Georg Gustav and a previous wife.
ii. NIKOLAI ROBERT was born on 20 Jun 1890.
He was also known as SCHRIFT (CYRILLIC OR RUSSION).

14. JOHANN GOTTLIEB⁸ RATHFELDER (Rosine⁷ Schwechheimer, Anna⁶ Gangnus, Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 9 Aug 1853 at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He married Catharina Schmidt.
Children of Johann Gottlieb⁸ Rathfelder and Catharina Schmidt are:

i. OTTILIE BARBARA⁹.

Maria Gangnus Rathfelder

15. MARIA ELISABETH LAURA⁸ GANGNUS (Johann⁷, Johann⁶, Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 12 Sep 1856 at Latvia. She married Johann Heinrich Rathfelder, son of Johannes Rathfelder and Rosine Schwechheimer. She died on 18 Apr 1940 at Hohensalza at age 83.
She lived in 1921 at Porto Riga, Latvia. She lived in 1939 at Große Lagerstraße (Nometnu 37-2), Riga, Latvia.
Children of Maria Elisabeth Laura⁸ Gangnus and Johann Heinrich Rathfelder were as follows:

i. JOHANN PHILIPP NICOLAI⁹ was born on 22 Jul 1874 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
ii. ANTONIE was born on 23 Oct 1878 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
iii. JACOB REINHOLD was born on 20 Nov 1880 at Hirschenhof, Latvia.
iv. HARRY EDUARD was born at Hirschenhof, Latvia. He died young?
v. ALEXANDER SIEGFRIED was born on 11 Jun 1894 at Riga, Latvia. He married Emma Nicholson Lentz, daughter of Jacob George Lentz and Ann Eliza Nicholson, on 24 Mar 1921. He died on 18 Jan 1948 at 1140 Roosevelt Drive, Upper Darby, PA, at age 53. He was buried on 21 Jan 1948 at Arlington, Drexel Hill, PA.

Lager Strasse 1920

vi. LEONHARD FLORENTIN was born on 17 Oct 1896 at Latvia. He was baptized on 8 Dec 1896 at St Peter’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Riga, Latvia. He married Lydia Vasiljeva, daughter of Mikhail Vasiljeva. He and Lydia Vasiljeva were divorced on 25 Oct 1928 at Riga, Latvia. He married Clara Zvirbulis on 11 Jul 1931. He and Clara Zvirbulis were divorced on 29 May 1935.
He was also known as LEO. He lived in 1920 at Artilerijas Str. 66, Riga, Latvia. He was a hospital attendant in 1922 on the S/S Latvia. He lived in 1923 at Gimnastikas Str. 22, Riga, Latvia. He lived in 1927 at Vasaras Str. 11, Riga, Latvia.

A Sketch of Maria Elisabeth Laura Gagnus Rathfelder and Her Times

Much more is known of Maria Elisabeth Laura Gangnus Rathfelder than of her husband. Maria was born in Hirschenhof, from a long line of the Gangnus family living there. She was born into the household of a joiner. She was the eldest child of six children. Her father had the property directly south of where her future husband lived. (See the map above.) This property was farm #30 and called Gravener. She married quite young and had her first son when she was 17. Her husband, a tischler or joiner had the same occupation as her father. Her first son was Johann Philip Nicolai, named possibly for her father. Her husband and husband's father also were Johann's but had no Philip in their names. Her first 9 children were born in Hirschenhof.

Charkov 1917

Somewhere between the birth of Ludwig Artur Wilmar in 1890 and my grandfather, Alexander Siegfried Oscar in 1894, the family moved to Riga. By the time Alexander was born, his older brother was nearly 20. It is unclear why the family moved to Riga at this time. Perhaps the family farm went to the oldest son, Johann Philipp Nicolai. She was Lutheran as were all the colonists from Hirchenhof. While in Riga, she likely attended St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Her youngest son was baptized there in 1896 and Alexander was confirmed there in 1911 at age 16. St. Peter's Church towered over the skyline of Riga and was said to be the tallest wooden structure in Europe in its day. Maria's father was in Riga with a pass in 1906. I don't know if that meant he was visiting there or living there at the time.

In 1917, Maria was in Charkov. This is modern day Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine. According to Inge Tashke-Pfeiff, a Hirschenhof descendant, "During WWI our Hirschenhof ancestors had to leave the country or - when they would prefer to stay - they had to go to the Military. Most of the Hirschenhoefer disliked to struggle against Germany, so they had to go to Siberia. My grandparents had to go via Charkow to Kungur near Perm (Siberia). They went back 3 years later after the Russian Revolution in October 1917 (Russian Calendar)." This is confirmed by Gustav Gangnus, "During World War I the German colonists had to leave the western border and to go into the interior of the empire: to the Ural region, to St. Petersburg, to Kiev and - presumably to Kharkov." The post card to the right is from Charkov and was dated 1917. This was from a photo album of Alexander and was entitled, "Family Stahl". Maria's son Leo is to the right of the picture. I do not know who the other people are in the picture. Catherine Watts guesses, "The Stahl family is probably one of Maria’s daughters (on the left – striking resemblance to Maria) and her husband and four children." The postcard as translated by Inge and friend, "Dear ..... (pet-name)! Congratulations for the Angels day (birthday) and wish you good luck, a lot of good and that you may stay healthy. Your mother,

Charkow 3/I 17 or 3/VI 17 (January or June?)"

16. JOHANN JACOB⁸ GANGNUS (Johann⁷, Johann⁶, Philipp⁵, Johann⁴, Johann³, Wolfgang², Hans¹) was born on 5 Aug 1862. He married Eva Maria Stahl on 13 Sep 1890 at Linden. He died in 1940 at Mitau.
Children of Johann Jacob⁸ Gangnus and Eva Maria Stahl were as follows:

i. ALEXANDER MARTIN REINHOLD⁹ was born on 27 Sep 1891.
ii. ALIDE MARIA OTTILIE was born on 12 Dec 1894. She died in 1942 at Kursk.
iii. FRIEDRICH MARTIN was born on 10 Dec 1896 at Riga. He died on 12 Sep 1941 at Posen at age 44.
He also went by the name of FRITZ.
iv. ELLA ADELE LEONTINE was born on 6 Sep 1898.

Back to the Index
Back to the Hartley Home Page

Please send e-mail to:joel@jmhartley.com
Created with the help of The Master Genealogist for Windows on 1 Oct 2005 at 9:08 am.