Maria Barbara Engel and Georg Franz Orth

"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

Maria Barbara Engel and Georg Franz Orth were married in Freinsheim 11 Dec 1821. Georg Franz was almost certainly the son of Catharina Elisabetha (Faber?) and Philipp Jacob Orth born 28 Feb or Mar 1795 and christened in Freinsheim 31 Mar 1795. Maria Barbara was almost certainly the daughter of Christina Margaretha Schik and Georg Jacob Engel born 17 Dec 1794 and christened in Freinsheim 19 Dec 1794.

With one exception, the christenings of Maria Barbara and Georg Franz's children are the only records I found of children christened under the name Orth in Freinsheim after the records gap ended in 1816. The one exception is their grandson, Georg Franz Orth born 1870.

Maria Barbara Engel died and was buried in Freinsheim 15 Jan 1858. I don't have any further information on the senior Georg Franz.

I also don't have any further information on Philipp Jacob, the younger Georg Franz, Christian, Johann Philipp or Conrad. All of the sons of Maria Barbara Engel and Georg Franz Orth... died? Left town? I simply don't know. I couldn't find burial records for them, nor could I find marriage records for them in other towns.

Georg Jacob born 1824 married twice. His first marriage took place in Freinsheim on 01 Jul 1858. The bride was Catharina Elisabetha Binder, daughter of Catharina Elisabetha Chor and Johann Adam Binder. I couldn't find any records for children of this marriage, nor could I find a burial record for Catharina Elisabetha Binder. However, she was certainly deceased by February 1869.

Georg Jacob's second marriage took place in Herxheim am Berg on 16 Feb 1869. He was 45. His bride was 18. Catharina Elisabetha Herrscher, daughter of Christina Bohnenstiel and Franz Herrscher, had been born 10 Oct 1850 and christened in Herxheim am Berg 20 Oct 1850. Catharina Elisabetha and Georg Jacob's son Georg Franz was born 04 Feb 1870 and christened in Freinsheim 09 Mar 1870.

Luise or Louise born 1825 married Christoph Pausch in Freinsheim 22 Apr 1852. He was born 23 Dec 1824 and christened in Freinsheim 24 Dec 1824, the son of Margaretha Weyer and Heinrich Pausch. His brother Johann Henrich married Charlotta Huck, the daughter of Magdalena Orth and Christian Huck. Louise and Christoph had seven children christened in Freinsheim 1853-1864, although their youngest died as an infant and their oldest died when he was eight years old.

Christina Elisabetha born 1830 married Jacob Hilberth in Freinsheim 05 Jul 1855. He was the son of Anna Margaretha Webel and Philipp Leonhard Hilberth. Christina Elisabetha and Jacob's son Georg Jacob was born 13 Sep 1856 and christened in Großkarlbach 01 Oct 1856.

Anna Christina born 1835 married Reichard Selzer in Freinsheim 04 Apr 1861. Reichard was the son of Sophia Walz and Jakob Selzer born in or about 1837. Anna Christina and Reichard had five children christened in Freinsheim 1865-1875. Reichard died in Kaiserslautern 02 Sep 1903.

Two of the Orth brides married in Freinsheim in the 19th century weren't from Freinsheim at all - their grooms were. The brides, aunt and niece, were from Kirchheim an der Eck (now Kirchheim an der Weinstraße), 5 km NNW of Freinsheim. One of the possible (but not confirmed) sisters of Georg Franz Orth, Rosina Catharina Orth, raised her family in Kirchheim an der Eck after marrying Jacob Mühlmichel in Freinsheim 30 Oct 1838.

Luisa and Georg Adam "Ort" had ten children christened in Kirchheim an der Eck 1775-1795. Luisa may be the Anna Louisa Bleichert mentioned as the spouse of Georg Adam Orth, resident in Kirchheim an der Eck, in a legal notice published 18 July 1828 and included in volume 11 of the Intelligenzblatt des Rheinkreises. She's certainly the "Luisa Ort," wife of Georg Adam Ort, who died 21 Jan 1831 in Kirchheim an der Eck at the age of 84, i.e., she was born in or about 1747. I also found a death record for a Georg Adam Ort who died 12 May 1830 in Kirchheim an der Eck at the age of 77, i.e., he was born in or about 1753. I'm fairly sure that this is Luisa's husband. I can't find a birth record for him or connect him to the Orths of Freinsheim in any way.

One of Luisa and Georg Adam's sons, Johann Valentin christened 06 Jun 1784, married Anna Catharina Schäfer in Kirchheim an der Eck 16 Mar 1808. They had seven children christened in Kirchheim an der Eck 1809-1819. One of these was their daughter Anna Christina, christened 17 Oct 1819. On 22 Nov 1849, Anna Christina married Johannes Haas in Freinsheim. Johannes was the son of Elisabetha Höhn and Jakob I Haas born 20 Arp 1826 and christened in Freinsheim 21 Apr 1826. Anna Christina and Johannes had two children, a son Jacob christened in Freinsheim 28 Jul 1850 and a stillborn child born in Freinsheim 08 Apr 1853 and buried the next day.

Another of Anna Catharina and Johann Valentin's children was Johann Christian, christened 16 Nov 1810. On 08 Dec 1835 he married Maria Elisabetha Busch, the daughter of Michael Busch, in Kirchheim an der Eck. They had eight children christened in Kirchheim an der Eck 1837-1851, although their youngest child died six days after being christened. They seem to have been fond of the name Elisabetha, because they named their oldest child christened 13 Mar 1836 Elisabetha and their second child christened 03 Sep 1837 Anna Elisabetha. I know that this wasn't because the oldest child died as an infant, because I have marriage records for both women and the timespans during which their children were born overlap. I know I'm not looking at one woman marrying twice.

Elisabetha Orth, age 29, married Friedrich Fingerle in Freinsheim 27 Feb 1866. This age would be consistent with Elisabetha christened 13 Mar 1836. Friedrich was the son of Barbara Rassel or Raffel and Philipp Fingerle baptized as a Catholic in Freinsheim 13 Feb 1842. Elisabetha and Friedrich had five children, all christened as Protestants in Freinsheim 1866-1873.

Another Elisabetha Orth, also age 29, married Joseph Weber in Bobenheim 04 Apr 1867. This age would be consistent with Anna Elisabetha christened 03 Sep 1837. Joseph was the son of Elisabetha Deibel or Deubel and Georg Weber born 06 Jul 1839 and christened in Tiefenthal 14 Jul 1839. Anna Elisabetha and Joseph had nine children born in Bobenheim and christened in Weisenheim am Berg 1867-1882. Five died young.

What's interesting is that two children born to Anna Elisabetha before her marriage and christened in Kirchheim an der Eck under the name Orth married under the name Weber: Joseph Orth christened 17 Jul 1859 married as Joseph Weber in Weisenheim am Berg 14 Jun 1884, his bride being Barbara Serr, daughter of Juliana Henrich and Johann Georg Serr. Jacob Orth christened 13 May 1864 married as Jacob Weber in Kirchheim an der Eck 14 Mar 1891, his bride being Katharina Schäfer, daughter of Christine Meininger and Philipp Schäfer.

This got me to wondering about the three other children who were christened in Kirchheim an der Eck under the name of Orth, with their mother's name given as Elisabetha Orth and no father's name: Elisabetha christened 11 Jan 1863, Friedrich christened 11 Mar 1864 and Katharina christened 02 Jul 1865. Note that it would not be possible for Friedrich and Jacob, previously mentioned, to have the same mother. I was unable to find further information on Elisabetha, Friedrich and Katharina.

I found records in Freinsheim for two more Orths. Elisabetha Orth bore a stillborn child who was buried in Freinsheim 17 May 1849. I don't have a birth record, and the burial record gives no father's name.

Finally, there was a Katharina Elisabetha "Ort" who married Michael Harm. The problem here was that Michael was a favourite name in the Harm family of Freinsheim. I have no idea which one might have been Katharina Elisabetha's husband. All I know is that the couple had two children, Sebastian born 29 Dec 1873 and christened in Freinsheim 18 Jan 1874 and Elisabetha christened in Freinsheim 29 Mar 1875. I don't have any further information about this family.

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In memory of Janet A Werner, 1931-2015