March 1999

3/2

I Found another connection to the Helds in Aurich on World Family Tree Volume 1. I'm not sure for what reason, but I brought up tree #298 on volume 1, probably because the Messerschmidt name caught my eye. The Messerschmidts listed were all more modern than the ones in my data, with one exception. This tree's earliest Messerschmid was a Johann Georg and was born about 1800 in Aurich Wuerttemberg. The latest Messerschmid I had in my database was Johann Georg Messerschmid, born 03 Aug 1803 in Aurich Vaihingen/Enz Würtemberg. I consider that a pretty good match.

WFT V1 #298 was submitted by George C. Messerschmidt of Juneau, Alaska. From the birth and death information in the file his Ggrandfather came directly from Aurich to Juneau.

We have two Messerschmid connections into the Held family. One connection is through the marriage of Regina Catharina Messerschmid and Johann Conrad Collmer, who was Johann David's maternal grandparents. The other is Anna Cathorina Messerschmid who married jung Michael Held and was Joachim's mother, making her JD's Ggrandmother on the paternal side. Here is another case where we become cousins to ourselves. The connection between Regina Catharina and Anna Catharina is the Hans Dietrich Messerschmid - Anna Maria Hecker family who was Anna Catharina's parents and Regina Catharina's grandparents.

It's been tough to get in contact with George. At one place his email address is listed as ME109@gnn.com. (BTW, the ME109 was a famous WWII German fighter.) Message returned, no such address. Another place listed him as BROKER_1@msn.com. Message returned, no such address. I finally looked on his FTM webpage and it shows as gcm109@ptialaska.net, which has not bounced, yet. Then again there has not been return a message either.

3/7

Received an email from George Messerschmidt today. We will be swapping info.

3/8

George Messerschmidt called twice today. He is very interested in sharing data. If my data are correct, he is my 6th cousin, once removed. He would be the same or 7th cousin for most of the JD&C Held decendants.

3/19

I sent a package of family registers of the Messerschmid family of Aurich to George Messerschmidt.

3/25

George's package was returned today marked "NO MAIL RECPTACLE." He uses a PO box instead of a street address. Will try again.

3/26

In 1732 the pastor in Aurich recorded a prose description of all of the current Aurich families. Others were added at later dates. It was on one of these family histories that I was able to trace old Michael Held to Sersheim then to Biesingen in southern Baden. I went to the LDS FHC today to see if there were any for the Messerschmids and Heckers, as well as any associated families from Aurich. Attached is the one for Dietrich Messerschmid. (If you have trouble reading the script letters, look at one version of the Old German script alphabet to see one version of the letters.)

The description in the upper left tells that old (a. for alt) Dietrich Messerschmid was born year 1609 on the 18th of January to Hans Messerschmid and Margaretha (Lang, found on marriage record), He was married in 1695 on the 9th of July with Anna Maria, the daughter of Lorentz Hecker, the miller. The children are: Agnes Maria, Anna Maria, Catharina, Dietrich (26 Feb1708), Lorentz (6 May 1711), Elisabetha, and Johannes (4 Feb 1716).

Down in the lower right corner it describes the Johannes Messerschmid family. Johannes Messerschmid was born to "alt" (old) Dietrich Messerschmid and Anna Maria (Hecker) on the 4th of February 1716. He married on the 18th of November 1738 with (Anna) Catharina, the daughter of "alt" Michael Held.

Anna Catharina Held was the only child of the second wife of old Michael Held, Maria Cathorina Kaag. This is the second child of old Michael to marry a Messerschmid. Our ancestor "jung" (young) Michael Held, the half-brother of Anna Catharina Held, married Anna Catharina Messerschmid the sister of Johannes Messerschmid.

I believe this makes 5 interlinks between the Helds and the Messerschmids, some a little less direct.

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