The Family Kolberg/Colberg - Part Twelve

END OF A KOLBERG GENERATION

On my Schulte surname side I have 2 first cousins.  My mother, on her Kijak surname side, had 3 first cousins.  My grandmother, however, on her Kolberg surname side had 67 first cousins!  That's correct.  There were 68 children from the 7 Kolberg brothers.  After many years of research on my Kolberg line I have been able to collect data on each and every one of these first cousins of my grandmother.

Today I was saddened to learn of the death of my grandmother's last remaining first cousin.  Over the years that I have lived back in my home town of St. Joseph I was able to interact frequently with this cousin and developed a fondness for her.  She was blessed to reach the age of 95, and when thinking of this what can one say about someone who lived to that age and who will be remembered fondly by many.

Mildred Helen Grace Kolberg was born on August 22, 1917 in Stevensville, Michigan to Paul Kolberg and Augusta Zuhl.  She was their 10th and final child.  When Mildred was only 19 months old her mother passed away and she was raised by a combination of her father, her three older brothers and their wives and was very close to her next oldest brother who always was very protective of her.  On November 17, 1962 she was married to Charles Herman Price and they had 49 years together before Charles passed away in February of 2012.  Mildred had a beautiful smile which she was always ready to give another and she had a strong personality and faith.  She will be remembered.

Charles and Mildred Price in 2008:

THE COLBERG/KOLBERG FIRST COUSINS:

Family of Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Jr. & Hermine Augusta Melchert:

    Martha Marie Franziska Colberg, 1882-1882

    Paul Willy Colberg, 1883-1886

    Fritz Wilhelm Colberg, 1885-1886

    Erich Ernst Franz Colberg, 1886-1887

    Ernst Friedrich Paul Colberg, 1888-1888

    Max Friedrich Adam Colberg, 1889-1889

    Clara Marie Emilie Colberg, 1893-1893

Family of Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Jr. & Therese Louise Mathilde Lawitzke:   
    Max Erich Colberg, 1899-after 1913
    Anna Meta Therese Colberg, 1901-after 1915
    Paul Otto Colberg, 1903-after 1917
    Helene Martha Minna Colberg, 1905-after 1919

Family of August Gottlieb Kolberg & Bertha Kramp:
    Paul Louis Robert Kolberg, 1879-1879
    Hedwig Johanne Auguste Kolberg, 1880-1956
    Berta Hermine Franziska Kolberg, 1883-1883
    Frederick Gustav Emil Kolberg, 1886-1887
    Amelia Alvina Henreitta Kolberg, 1887-1963
    Kurt Paul Hugo Kolberg, 1890-1935
    Robert Ernest Paul Kolberg, Sr., 1892-1950
    Hugo Otto Heinrich Kolberg, 1894-1951
    Ella Emma Louise Kolberg, 1895-1973

Family of Heinrich Carl Kolberg & Margaretha Auguste Sauerbier:
    Johann Charl Kolberg, 1883-1883

Family of Heinrich Carl Kolberg & Ottilie Friederike Mathilde Kramp:
    Carl Heinrich Kolberg, 1885-1885
    Hertha Emilie Katherina Kolberg, 1886-1976
    Alexander Otto Paul Kolberg, 1889-1965
    Heinrich Friedrich Ernest Kolberg, 1892-1966
    Retha Lina Minna Kolberg, 1894-1947
    Ortha Amalie Friederike Kolberg, 1895-1966
    Erick Carl August Kolberg, 1896-1897
    William Louis Julius Kolberg, 1898-1947
    Bentha Bertha Alwine Kolberg, 1900-1989
    Arnold Albert Emil Kolberg, 1901-1957
    Gerhart Walter Hugo Kolberg, 1903-1966
    Esther Maria Helena Kolberg, 1905-1988
    Lorenz Gustav Johann Kolberg, 1907-1983
    Ralph Nelson Ferdinand Kolberg, 1914-1915

Family of Johann Eduard Colberg & Berta Wilhelmine Hepke:
    Marguerite Amalie Colberg, 1884-1946
    Richard Hugo Georg Colberg, 1888-1982
    Johanna Helene Marie Colberg, 1890-1977
    Johannes Hermann Otto Colberg, 1893-1964
    Walter Max Colberg, 1894-1954
    Max Alfred Colberg, 1896-1946
    Otto Hermann Erich Kolberg, 1904-1937
    Charlotte Berta Elisabeth Colberg, 1906-1997

Family of Otto Ferdinand Paul Kolberg & Alvina Laura Truhn:
    Grace Henreitta Othella Kolberg, 1893-1986
    Frederick A. Kolberg, 1894-1978
    Victor Henry Kolberg, 1896-1993
    Orville Carl Julius Kolberg, 1904-1973
    Viola Elaine Kolberg, 1911-1966
    Leo Henry Kolberg, 1912-1994

Family of Paul Wilhelm Rudolf Kolberg & Augusta Adeline Henrietta Zuhl:
    Oscar Otto Gustav Kolberg, 1892-1970
    Ralph Heinrich Johann Kolberg, 1893-1894
    Waldimar August Wilhelm Kolberg, 1895-1985
    Clarence Heinrich Berthold Kolberg, 1897-1989
    Lillian Maria Ottillie Kolberg, 1899-1905
    Leo Otto Edward Kolberg, 1902-1903
    Ruby Edna Kolberg, 1904-1988
    Edna Olga Kolberg, 1907-1991
    Harry Paul Ferdinand Kolberg, 1910-1985
    Mildred Helen Grace Kolberg, 1917-2013

Family of Paul Wilhelm Rudolf Kolberg & Amanda Burk:    
    Alvin Albert Kolberg, 1921-1984

Family of Ferdinand Robert Kolberg & Helena Mielke:
    Oscar Friedrich Hermann Kolberg, 1898-1970    
    Waldemar Paul Hugo Kolberg, 1899-1989
    Alfred Paul Ferdinand Kolberg, 1900-1995
    Selma Anna Helene Kolberg, 1901-1988
    Gertrud Martha Marie Kolberg, 1903-1904
    Herta Anna Augusta Kolberg, 1904-1910
    Kurt Hugo Max Kolberg, 1905-1986
    Arthur Ferdinand August Kolberg, 1906-1990

What a glorious reunion they must all be having tonight in heaven!

May they rest in peace!

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Ferdinand and Helena (Mielke) Kolberg Family Photos:

Copyright 2013, Cheryl J. Schulte

The Family Kolberg/Colberg - Part Eleven

FINALLY...FINDING THE FRIEDRICH-WILHELM COLBERG, JR. FAMILY

The amazing story of my Kolberg ancestors continues with Part Eleven.  It is hard for me to fathom that I have been able to have as much success with this line as I have and to have been able to continually find information to allow this series to grow.

One of the roadblocks in this research has always been the varying way that the surname has been spelled.  There has been no rhyme or reason as to why sometimes the name will be spelled with a "C" as in Colberg and other times with a "K" as in Kolberg.  I have found old records, from the late 1700's and early 1800's where children in one family have been listed with both spellings.  While I originally thought the name was always with a "C" and was changed when my great-grandfather and his brothers, Heinrich, Otto, Paul and Ferdinand immigrated to the US, that wasn't accurate.  These variances in spelling have made the search more difficult but certainly not impossible.

As my story has unfolded through the past 10 episodes I have shared how I was able to successfully research my great-grandfather, August's,  life and those of 5 of his 6 brothers, Heinrich, Johann, Otto, Paul and Ferdinand.  However brother Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and his family have eluded me.

In the sequence of children born to my 2nd great-grandparents, Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Sr. and Henriette Amalie Kautz, son Friedrich-Wilhelm Jr. was their second son and the first child to survive childhood.  From family documents here in Michigan it seemed that Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. had inherited the Colberg family farm in Klein Tuchen and he had remained there for his life.  This practice was quite common with the eldest son inheriting the family property and that story seemed logical.  It made sense as well that 5 of the brothers would take their chances by immigrating to the US while brother, Johann, chose to settle in Berlin.  However, family stories while helpful and interesting are not always accurate and the story of the life of Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. did not include a life on the family farm in Klein Tuchen nor a life in Klein Tuchen at all.

To flesh out this story and find further data on Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. was a journey that I could not take all on my own.  Without the unbelievable help of three researchers, two in this country and one in Germany, I would not have been able to finally fill in most of the gaps on this brother of my great-grandfather.

Special thanks must go to a wonderful researcher in Germany, Marion H, who helped me find more than I could ever hope to find on my own as well as researcher and cousin, David M, in Arizona and a long time research friend, Steve M, in Illinois.

As I began this next step in my research I reviewed the information that I did have on Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr.:

1.    Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. was born September 28, 1852 in Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, the second son of Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Sr. and Henriette Amalie Kautz.  At the time of his birth their first born son, Albert Johan Carl Colberg, was still living but he would pass away in 1863 at the age of 12.

2.    Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. was baptized on October 3, 1852 at the Evangelische Kirche, Groß Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern.

3.    Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. remained in Klein Tuchen his entire life with his family which included a wife and 7 children and he inherited the Colberg family farm upon the death of his father in 1900.

4.    A photo, taken in Bütow, Pommern, was shared with me with the caption on the back which read "Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Sr. and wife, with son, Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and wife, standing behind, 1898".

5.    Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. passed away in 1918 in Klein Tuchen.

Some of the above information (1 and 2) proved to be accurate while parts of 3, 4 and 5 were not.  These are common occurrences with written memories; so helpful to have as starting points but not something that can be used as primary sources.

With the interest in genealogy growing and the use of the Internet, a huge ongoing project began with the goal to transcribe the church books from the Pommern counties of Bütow and Stolp and any other Pommern church books that could be discovered.  The researchers, most in Germany, had a mission to transcribe these records but also to aid researchers in learning more about their ancestors.  Over the years this "Stolp Global Index" has grown with a huge database of their transcriptions and the ability for people around the world to discover information on their ancestors has been successful.

With the assistance of members of this Stolp group I have been able to discover the following new and accurate information on Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and his family:

1.    On January 7, 1881 Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Jr. married Hermine Augusta Melchert.  They were married in Reinwasser, Kreis Rummelsburg, Pommern, a neighboring county to Bütow which was the county of birth of Hermine.  Hermine had been born on May 14, 1848 in Friedrikenfelde, Kreis Rummelsburg, Pommern to Gottlieb Melchert and Henrietta Winkel.

2.    Friedrich-Wilhelm and Hermine began to create a family of their own but tragically each of their children died either at birth or shortly thereafter including the two eldest that I had hoped had lived to adulthood.  Birth, baptismal and death information was found in the church books being translated by the Stolp group and shared with me.

Sponsors for all of their children were listed as well and were helpful in proving other familial lines.  It was common in those days, in those particular church books to list descriptive data on sponsors such as "uncle of the child", "brother of the father of the child" and in many cases "grandmother of the child", etc.  I learned as well that a male child would have three sponsors with two being godfathers and one godmother while a female child would have three sponsors as well but two godmothers and one godfather.  It was very interesting.

In the records of the children it was noted that father, Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. was a farmer or landowner or tenant farmer depending on the year.  Here are the 7 children of Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and Hermine Colberg:

Martha Marie Franziska Colberg, born May 28,1882 in Klein Tuchen and died July 19,1882 in Klein Tuchen.

Paul Willy Colberg, born December 25, 1883 in Klein Tuchen and died August 3,1886 in Zemmen (which was a neighboring village to Klein Tuchen).  This also showed that between 1883 and 1886 the family had moved to Zemmen.

Fritz Wilhelm Colberg, born May 27,1885 in Zemmen and died April 21,1886 in Zemmen.

Erich Ernst Franz Colberg, born November 12,1886 in Zemmen and died January 24,1887 in Zemmen.

Ernst Friedrich Paul Colberg, born January 17,1888 in Zemmen and died February 5,1888 in Zemmen.

Max Friedrich Adam Colberg, born November 1,1889 in Zemmen and died November 20,1889 in Zemmen.

Clara Marie Emilie Colberg, born about 1893 in Zemmen and died February 10,1893 in Zemmen.

3.    Hermine Melchert Colberg passed away on January 5, 1898 in Zemmen with the following notation from the church books of Groß Tuchen:

    "Died 5, Jan 1898 in Zemmen, Death Nr. 1 of 1898, Hermine Kolberg, geb. Melchert, 49 Years, 9 Months and 9 Days old, buried on 9 Jan 1898."  (Note the spelling of Kolberg in those church books for this record).

With the death of Hermine in January of 1898, and the fact that none of her 7 children had survived, I felt this indicated the end of the line of this family.  My hope that I would be able to find descendants of Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. still living today was thwarted.  While reviewing this information around in my head I remembered the photo I had of Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and "his wife" and his parents which was dated 1898.  Upon further examination of the photo I found it hard to believe that "the wife" indicated was a 49 year old woman as in this photo Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr.'s wife certainly looked much younger.  A thought came into my mind.  Could Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. have remarried?  He was 46 at the time of Hermine's death and it could have been possible he would have married again even though he had no children to raise that he needed help with.

I posed this question to my Stolp researcher cousin, David M, who quickly sent me back the following information.

From the church books of Groß Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern was found the following records exactly as transcribed:

Marriage Nr. 12 of 1898 on 25 Mar 1898, Friedrich Colberg of Zemmen, born on 28 Sep 1852, First Wife Deceased, To Jungfrau Therese Lewitzke of Zemmen, born on 31 Jan 1867, Never Married, Daughter of Carl.

Baptism Nr. 13 of 1867 in Groß Tuchen on 7 Feb 1867, Therese Louise Mathilde, daughter of Carl Lawitzke and Albertine Gaul, baptized 7 Feb 1867, Godparents: Mathilde Lawitzke, Mathilde Lawitzke (two people with same name), Ernst von Domarus, all from Groß Tuchen.

Children for this couple were found as follows, exactly as transcribed:

1.    Max Erich Colberg, son of Friedrich-Wilhelm and Therese, nee Lawitzke, Colberg, born 4 Mar 1899 in Zemmen and baptized 17 Mar 1899 in Evangelische Kirche of Groß Tuchen.  Sponsors were Amalie Kolberg, geb Kautz, grandmother of child, Carl Lawitzke, grandfather of child, Ferdinand Kolberg, uncle of child. Confirmed 1913 in the Evangelische Kirche of Groß Tuchen.

2.     Anna Meta Therese Colberg, daughter of Friedrich-Wilhelm and Therese, nee Lawitzke, Colberg, born 1 Mar 1901 in Zemmen and baptized 14 Mar 1901 in Evangelische Kirche of Groß Tuchen.  Sponsors were Helene Colberg, geb Mielke, wife of Ferdinand Colberg, brother of child's father, Albertine Spitzak, geb Kühn, Emil Lawitzke.  Confirmed 28 Mar 1915 in the Evangelische Kirche of Groß Tuchen.

3.    Paul Otto Colberg, son of Friedrich-Wilhelm and Therese, nee Lawitzke, Colberg, born 29 Jun 1903 in Zemmen and baptized in Evangelische Kirche of Groß Tuchen (date of baptism not given).  Sponsors were Theodor Stegman, Carl Lawitzke, Anna Lawitzke, geb Venzke.  Confirmed 1 Apr 1917 in the Evangelische Kirche of Bernsdorf, Kreis Bütow.  Confirmation number 31 of 1917.

4.    Helene Martha Minna Colberg, daughter of Friedrich-Wilhelm and Therese, nee Lawitzke, Colberg, born 21 Mar 1905 in Zemmen and baptized 7 Apr 1905 in Evangelische Kirche of Groß Tuchen.  Sponsors were Emil Kühn, Martha Lawitzke, Minna von Spitzak.  Confirmed 13 Apr 1919 in the Evangelische Kirche of Groß Tuchen, 1919, Nr. 61.

With the confirmation dates for these 4 children indicated in the church books, it was hopeful information that these children did live to adulthood, marry and possibly have children of their own.

The following death information for both Friedrich-Wilhelm and his wife Therese were also found as follows:

Death Nr. 63 of 1918, 7 November, Friedrich Colberg, Pächter (tenant farmer) of Zemmen, Age 66 Years, 1 Month, buried 10 Nov 1918.

Death Nr. 25 of 1928 in Zemmen, Therese Kolberg, geb. Lawitzke, 61 Years, 5 Months Old, died on 23 Jun 1928 and buried at 3PM on 30 Jun 1928.

It only took 30+ years of research to finally fill in the blanks on Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. to add to the information on his 6 brothers, August, Heinrich, Johann, Otto, Paul and Ferdinand.  To have the actual excerpts from the church books gave me primary source data and to have made connections with generous researchers willing to search these records for me and share them was phenomenal.  I cannot thank these researchers enough.

But what about the 4 children born to Friedrich-Wilhelm and Therese Colberg?  Did they marry and have families of their own?  

The research is still ongoing!

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Paul and Augusta (Zuhl) Kolberg Family Photos:

Copyright 2012, Cheryl J. Schulte

The Family Kolberg/Colberg - Part Ten

LOSING A COUSIN, FRIEND AND FELLOW RESEARCHER

When I began my genealogy research in the mid-1970's I seemed to focus on my maternal grandmother's Kolberg line.  It wasn't that I chose that line over the other lines but it seemed like I continued to have the most success with tracing my Kolberg family.  This was surprising in that my Kolberg ancestors originated from a small village in what was once Pommern and later became Poland.  The chance of getting records from this small area seemed a bigger challenge than focusing on my West German ancestors.  That proved to be untrue.

As the years progressed I had continuing success in my research on this family.  My information at the outset was that my 2nd great grandparents, Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Sr. and Henriette Amalie Kautz had 12 children (11 sons and 1 daughter).  Four of the sons and the 1 daughter died in infancy or childhood.  The 7 remaining sons lived to adulthood and my goal was to trace these 7 sons down to the present generation.

Five of the sons immigrated to the United States between 1880 and 1910 and all settled in Berrien County, Michigan where I live.  Over the years I was successful in achieving my research goals with these 5 sons and successfully amassed a database of near 2,400 individuals descended from August, Heinrich, Otto, Paul and Ferdinand Kolberg.

My research then turned to finding the descendants of the other two brothers, Johann and Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. who had remained in Germany.  During this research I received the most stupendous gift that any genealogist would love to have in that I discovered a German cousin, descended from brother, Johann Colberg, who lived in Berlin and who not only was happy to hear from me but who also shared my passion for genealogy.

This cousin, Gerhard Kolberg, and I have had 13 wonderful years of collaborative connection.  We not only shared our mutual files and managed to each achieve in the process data on 6 of the 7 Colberg/Kolberg brothers but we also visited each other on more than one occasion, met and mingled with family on both sides of the ocean and developed a real kinship.  I came to consider Gerhard a very special "Uncle" though in reality he is my mother's 3rd cousin.  Over these years our e-mails have burned up cyberspace and I have 4 three ring binders full of the correspondence that Gerhard shared with me.

Together we continued to work on attempting to find information on the remaining elusive brother, Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. but were unsuccessful.  Gerhard's health began to decline and our correspondence became mainly familial topics and general interest.

In the last month I have had the remarkable good fortune to make a huge break-through in the search for information on Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and his family.  I was not able to share this news with Gerhard as his daughter had informed me he was very ill and had been hospitalized through the holidays.

Today I received the sad news that my special cousin, Gerhard Kolberg, had passed away.  The e-mail arrived just 30 minutes following his death and I was saddened to read it.  I had known he was ill but had held out hope that he could recover.  This was not to be.

Even though our relationship only lasted 13 years it was a wonderful connection and one that I will cherish always.  Gerhard was a remarkable man with extraordinary talent and drive, loved by his daughter and her family as well as many other family members and numerous friends.  He was a graphic designer by career, an author, a poet, an exceptional photographer and creator of family history videos, an avid reader who enjoyed the outdoors and made good use of each minute of every day.  He was a devoted husband to his wife, caring for her during her final years, and always maintained a sunny and friendly disposition.

I will certainly miss him and our connection.  Our relationship was such that I felt I had known him my entire life.  This certainly speaks to his character and charm.

I will continue the research on our mutual Kolberg family in memory of Gerhard and to thank him for the part he played in my life.  He was one special person and I am honored to have been a small part of his remarkable life.

Gerhard Kolberg and his great-granddaughter, Milena, Christmas, 2009 in Berlin, Germany:

Copyright 2012, Cheryl J. Schulte

The Family Kolberg/Colberg - Part Nine

WHAT ABOUT FRIEDRICH-WILHELM COLBERG, JR.?

Following the successful discovery of the family of Johann Colberg, after many, many years of research, cousin Gerhard Kolberg and myself had now successfully traced the descendants of 6 of the 7 Kolberg brothers - August, Heinrich, Johann, Otto, Paul and Ferdinand.  We were pleased with our success and pleased with the shared connection between ourselves.  The question remained, however?  What happened to any descendants of the eldest sibling of the 6 Kolberg brothers?  Where had these descendants ended up?  How would we begin to learn anything new about this family?

Gerhard and I compared our records and pooled our information.  What we knew was the following:

1.    Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Jr. had been the second son of Friedrich-Wilhelm, Sr. and Henriette Amalie Colberg.  He was, though, their first son to survive to adulthood.

2.    We had the following photo of Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and his wife who are standing behind his parents with the date on the back of the photo as being 1898:

3.    Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. had been born September 28, 1852 in Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern and he was christened at the Evangelical church in Groß Tuchen on October 3, 1852.

4.    He and his wife supposedly had had at least 6 children, whose names were unknown.

5.    He was to have stayed on the family farm in Klein Tuchen when brother, Johann, relocated to Berlin and his other five brothers immigrated to the US.

6.    He died in 1918.

This was the extend of our shared information and was not much to go on.

Over the course of the next several years Gerhard and I both did some research in the LDS microfilms both here in Michigan and in Berlin.  With this research, we did discover some further data.

Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr's wife was named Hermine Melchert.  Together they had 7 children that we discovered, namely:

1.    Martha Marie Franziska Colberg, born May 28, 1882 in Klein Tuchen.

2.    Paul Willi Colberg, born December 25, 1883 in Klein Tuchen.

Then the family must have relocated to the nearby village of Zemmen in Kreis Bütow because the next 5 children were born there:

3.    Fritz Wilhelm Colberg, born May 27, 1885 and died April 21, 1886 in Zemmen.

4.    Erich Ernst Franz Colberg, born November 12, 1886 and died January 24, 1887 in Zemmen.

5.    Ernst Friedrich Paul Colberg, born January 17, 1888 and died February 5, 1888 in Zemmen.

6.    Max Friedrich Adam Colberg, born November 1, 1889 and died November 20, 1889 in Zemmen.

7.    Clara Marie Emilie Colberg, born about 1893 and died February 10, 1893 in Zemmen.

This information opened up new possibilities for us:

1.    With 5 of their 7 children dying in infancy was it possible that the oldest 2 children died as well before having any children of their own?  We could find no records of that happening.

2.    If the 2 oldest children DID live through adulthood and had children is it possible they died during WWI or even WWII when many German people were killed while fleeing from their homeland?

3.    Was it even possible that there were NO descendants remaining from the family of Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and Hermine Colberg?

It became evident that we had reached a brick wall.  However, I have learned more times than not that one should "never say never".  There is always hope of learning something new.

A few years ago something fell in my lap that I hope proves to be a connection to any descendants still remaining today from the family of Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and Hermine Colberg.  A cousin here in Berrien County contacted me and explained that she was a granddaughter of younger brother, Ferdinand Kolberg.  She and her husband were involved in genealogy as well and wanted to meet with me.  They came to my home for some discussions and to my surprise brought with them the German photo album of her grandfather, Ferdinand.

They explained that when Ferdinand Kolberg and his family came to the US in 1910 that Ferdinand had carried with him this old photo album.  Growing up she had seen this album many times and the family here always referred to it as "Grandpa's German album of his Kolberg family".  There were 21 photos contained in this album.  All were professional cabinet photos and were in mint condition.  They were all taken in Germany, some listed the photographer's name and location, some were taken in Bütow, some in Stolp (a neighboring county), some in Berlin and other areas as well.

They allowed me to borrow the album and I scanned all 21 photos into my computer and then returned the album to them.  There were no identifications on any of these 21 photos.  I e-mailed the 21 photos to Gerhard in Berlin and he immediately responded that 4 of the photos were from the family of his grandfather, Johann Colberg.  There was a photo of Johann in his military uniform, another photo of the wedding of Gerhard's parents and two other photos of daughters of Johann Colberg. The other 17 photos were unknown to Gerhard.

Later Gerhard wrote me that he thought 1 of the unknown photos could have been a photo of Johann Colberg's mother, Henriette Amalie Kautz Colberg, perhaps at an older date than the above 1898 photo.  When I examined the photo I agreed with him as it was obvious the woman in the photo was wearing the exact same hat and she seemed to have the same posture and expression as in the earlier photo.  We decided to go with that assumption that this was a second photo of Henriette Amalie Kautz Colberg:

Gerhard even shared the photos with another cousin in Berlin but both he and Gerhard did not recognize any of the other 16 photos.  This led us to wonder that if some of the photos in the album were from the family of Johann Colberg was it possible that some of the rest were from the family of Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Jr.  Was it possible that the first two children born to Friedrich-Wilhelm, Jr. and Hermine did marry, have children, grandchildren and did they share their photos with "Uncle" Ferdinand for his German album?  We didn't know but there was no other explanation we could think of for the identity of these photos given the album was always known as "Grandpa's German album of his Kolberg family".

The remaining 16 unknown photos follow.  It is my hope that by posting these photos here that perhaps someone will come across my blog and recognize a photo or two and we can move closer to learning more about brother, Friedrich-Wilhelm Colberg, Jr.:

Of these 16 unknown photos, several contain multiple photos of the same person, making it obvious that whoever they were they did share their photos with Ferdinand Kolberg.

And, the search continues!

Copyright 2010, Cheryl J. Schulte