Need help

Hi,
in Germany, especially in southern areas, there are lots of different dialect forms for "Pate/Patin" (godfather, godmother), so "Geth" might well be one of them.
By the way, your greatgrandmother was probably baptized "Hildegard".

I totally agree with J. Steffen. That's something I did not keep in my mind! Have a look at the table within this German Wikipedia article:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pate

Diann, do you know where exactly from August Merz emigrated to the US?

Hello Diann,

Sorry to barge in on this discussion:

Quote from Table4two

Oh....wow. This is incredible work and translates just fine for me. Willy would be my great, great grandfather William. Geth.....and Gilta, I'm clueless on. As August Merz only had two daughters and one is lost to history (I can't find a thing that she died and if she married, well her married last name to trace her is also lost to history). He had a daughter Elizabeth. Is Geth a common nickname for Elizabeth? The other was Caecillia.

Uwe...you are truly amazing. I'm speechless. I will have to really double my efforts to find Caecillia.

Again, how can I express my gratitude. It's impossible!

Thank you,
Diann

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but I'm thinking "Geth" might be a misspelling for "gate" (mixing up German and English).
"Sie schauth manchmal nach der Geth" would mean something like "Every now and then she looks at the gate" to see if her aunt may be coming - which would make more sense to me.

Just my two cents... Hope this helps!

Kind regards,
Henk

Hello again Diann,

Quote from Table4two

Okay my amazing friends! I have two tiny newspaper clippings that need translated! Here's the first!

Let me give you a hand with these as well.

The first clipping reads as follows:

"Mangold - Feierabend

Während eines vom hochwürdigen
V. [V. = Vater] Anselm, D.S.B., zelebrirten
Hochamtes in der St. Marien Kir-
che, Allegheny, wurde am Mittwoch
herr Joseph Franz Mangold von
No. 52 Raymond Straβe mit Frl. [Frl. = Fräulein]
Maria Feierabend von No. 2 Angle
Straβe, ehelich verbunden. Zeugen
waren herr Adam Rillmeyer und
Frl. Frances Mangold."

Translation (not word-by-word, as this is not possible gramatically):

"During a High Mass, that was celebrated
last Wednesday by the Reverend Father Anselm, D.S.B.,
in St. Mary's Church, Allegheny,
mr. Joseph Franz Mangold of
No. 52 Raymond Street was joined
in matrimony with miss
Maria Feierabend of No. 2 Angle
Street. Witnesses
were mr. Adam Killmeyer and
miss Frances Mangold."

I have not been able to find out what "D.S.B." stands for. Maybe someone else can help you with that.

Kind regards,
Henk

P.S. I found out that St. Mary's Church still exists today, although it is no longer in use as such.

Hello,
there is an abbreviation D.S.B.G.S. = Deren Seelen bei Gott sind = Whose souls are with God.
Kind regards
Detlef

PS: https://books.google.de/books?…page&q=d.s.b.g.s.&f=false

Hello Diann,

Quote from Table4two

Here's the other which is an obituary that I had to cut in 2 to be able to post. Again, thank you!
Diann

This one's a bit tricky, as the second part is a poem (still working on an adequate translation).For now, here's a transcription and translation for the first part:

"Merz - Am Dienstag, den 27. Oktober 1903,
Um 10:50 Uhr Vormittags, Genofeva Merz,
Wittwe des verstorbenen August Merz, im Al-
ter von 66 Jahren, 8 Monaten und 9 Tagen.
Die Beerdigung findet am Donnerstag, den 29.
Oktober 1903, um 8:30 Uhr Morgens, vom
Trauerhause am oberen Ende der Voretto Stra-
βe, Spring Hill, Allegheny, aus statt, worauf
um 9 Uhr in der römisch-kath. St. Bonifazius
Kirche am Royal Straβe, Allegheny, eine Re-
quiemmesse zelebrirt wird, und sind Freunde und
Bekannte, sowie die Mitglieder der St. Boni-
fazius Frauen-Konferenz, zur Betheiligung
höflichst eingeladen."


"Merz - On Tuesday, 27th of October 1903,
at 10:50 AM, Genofeva Merz,
widow of August Merz (dec.),
aged 66 years, 8 months and 9 days.
Funeral services to be held on Thursday,
29th of October 1903 at 8:30 AM, from
the house of the deceased at Upper(?) Voretto Street,
Spring Hill, Allegheny, to be followed by a requiem
mass at 9 AM in the R.-C. St. Boniface
Church on Royal St., Allegheny; friends and
acquaintances, as well as the members of the St. Boni-
face Women's Conference, are cordially
invited to join."


Not too sure about (Upper) Voretto Street. I've not been able to locate a street with that name in the direct proximity of St. Boniface Church, Allegheny.
I think it's possible, however, that the area where the deceased (and her family) lived has been demolished to make room for the I-279 (or other redevelopments).




Kind regards,
Henk

Hi,
in Pittsburgh there´s a Loretto Rd. - and a Loretta St. - , just 9 miles from St. Boniface Church.

Quote from J. Steffen

Hi,
in Pittsburgh there´s a Loretto Rd. - and a Loretta St. - , just 9 miles from St. Boniface Church.

Thanks, but I don't feel this is the right Road or Street, though.
The newspaper clipping clearly states the street to be in Spring Hill, Allegheny - not Pittsburgh, which was a separate city at the time across the Allegheny river. (Allegheny City was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907)
Besides, I'm not sure if you can do 9 miles in under 30 minutes by horse and carriage (this is 1903, so it's unlikely any cars were used), including time for loading and unloading.

I think you ARE right about the spelling, though. It should be Loretto Street, not Voretto.

Henk

Quote from Table4two

Here's the other which is an obituary that I had to cut in 2 to be able to post. Again, thank you!
Diann

Once again: hello,

I've been working on the second part of this obituary for quite some time, and finally came up with a translation.
I've tried to stay as close to the original as possible, but I've had to allow myself a few liberties.

Transcription:

"So schlummere liebe Mutter, Du,
Nun in des Grabes stiller Ruh,
Wir weinen um Dich tief betrübt,
Weil herzlich wir uns stets geliebt.
Ja, Du hast jetzt überstanden
Manche schwere harte Stunden,
Manchen Tag und manche Nacht
hast Du in Schmerzen zugebracht.
Hast standhaft und mit Geduld ertragen
Die vielen Schmerzen, die vielen Plagen.
Der Tod, er kam, Dein Auge bricht,
Dir winkt nunmehr das Himmelslicht."

Translation:

"So slumber now, dear Mother brave,
and rest be found in this your grave.
With saddened hearts we mourn and weep
because your love for us was deep.
Yes, your life was heav'ly slain
with lots of hardship and great pain.
Many a-night and many a-day
there in suffering you lay.
In patient endurance you took the blows
that life had dealt you, and the painful woes,
until death came - your final night.
What beckons now is Heaven's Light."

Henk

Quote from FaultyDog

Hello Diann,

This one's a bit tricky, as the second part is a poem (still working on an adequate translation).For now, here's a transcription and translation for the first part:

"Merz - Am Dienstag, den 27. Oktober 1903,
Um 10:50 Uhr Vormittags, Genofeva Merz,
Wittwe des verstorbenen August Merz, im Al-
ter von 66 Jahren, 8 Monaten und 9 Tagen.
Die Beerdigung findet am Donnerstag, den 29.
Oktober 1903, um 8:30 Uhr Morgens, vom
Trauerhause am oberen Ende der Voretto Stra-
βe, Spring Hill, Allegheny, aus statt, worauf
um 9 Uhr in der römisch-kath. St. Bonifazius
Kirche am Royal Straβe, Allegheny, eine Re-
quiemmesse zelebrirt wird, und sind Freunde und
Bekannte, sowie die Mitglieder der St. Boni-
fazius Frauen-Konferenz, zur Betheiligung
höflichst eingeladen."


"Merz - On Tuesday, 27th of October 1903,
at 10:50 AM, Genofeva Merz,
widow of August Merz (dec.),
aged 66 years, 8 months and 9 days.
Funeral services to be held on Thursday,
29th of October 1903 at 8:30 AM, from
the house of the deceased at Upper(?) Voretto Street,
Spring Hill, Allegheny, to be followed by a requiem
mass at 9 AM in the R.-C. St. Boniface
Church on Royal St., Allegheny; friends and
acquaintances, as well as the members of the St. Boni-
face Women's Conference, are cordially
invited to join."


Not too sure about (Upper) Voretto Street. I've not been able to locate a street with that name in the direct proximity of St. Boniface Church, Allegheny.
I think it's possible, however, that the area where the deceased (and her family) lived has been demolished to make room for the I-279 (or other redevelopments).




Kind regards,
Henk

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I've done some research on the site of Historic Pittsburgh, and found a 1902 "Pittsburgh and Allegheny Directory".
In it, it says that the deceased lived on Long Lane near Buente in Allegheny (see below).
Buente Street still exists. I believe Long Lane has been renamed Lappe Lane, but it looks like the 1903 buildings have long gone.

Although Long Lane doesn't even remotely sound like Loretto Street, I think this solves the mystery.

Henk