While Cathy Meder-Dempsey (Opening Doors in Brick Walls) gave me a tutorial in obtaining death records from Alsace, we incidentally found a marriage record from my ancestors. Cathy’s generosity in teaching me, as well as her translations of records, was so above and beyond. Cathy, thank you so much!
This marriage record is for my 2nd great-grandparents, Anne Riehr and Antoine Schirmer on 10 January 1842 in Steinbrunn-le-Bas, Haut Rhin, France.
What follows is Cathy’s translation of this record.
Here is the translation of the French marriage record. You will notice at the very end that the witnesses and likely the couple and their parents may have spoken German.
In the year 1842, the 10 January at 9 o’clock in
the morning, before us Antoine Schweichler, mayor and civil officer
of the commune of Steinbrunn le Bas, canton of Landser, arrondissement
of Altkirch, department of Haut Rhin
appeared Schirmer Antoine, famer, age 28 years,
born and resident in this commune, of age legitimate son of Laurent
Schirmer, farmer, age 70 years and Anne Marie
Legibel, without a profession, age 71 years, married couple residing
in this commune, present and consulting in the projected marriage – of one part
and the damsel Riehr Anne, without a profession, age 24 years, born and
resident of Luemschwiller, legitimate of age daughter of Jean Thiebaud
Riehr, farmer, age 55 years et of Françoise Sutter,
without a profession, age 58 years, married couple and residents of the said
Luemschwiller, here present and consenting to the marriage – of the other part
who required of us to procede in the celebration of marriage
projected between them and of which the publication was made before the
door of our town hall and before the door of the town hall
of the commune of Luemschwiller, the first time on 26 December
1841 and the second time on 2 January 1842
at noon and there being no opposition to the said marriage
having been signified we granted their requisition after having
read 1. the extracts of the birth records, 2. the
two publications, 3. a certificate delivered by the mayor of Luemschwiller
on the date of 9 January of the current month constituting that
no opposition to the projected marriage was made, 4. chapter 6 of the
civil code concerning marriage, we asked the future husband
and the future wife if they wanted to take each other for husband and wife
each of them responded separately and affirmatively, and we declared
by law that Antoine Schirmer and Anne Riehr are united in marriage.
of all that we have draw up this record in the presence of Joseph Kauffmann,
farmer, age 46 years, Jean Kauffmann, farmer, age
38 years, the two brothers-in-law of the bride, Morand Richard
farmer, age 32 years, and Leger Zarsinger(?), farmer, age
38 years, the two residents of Luemschwiller, all
four witnesses, who after we read and
gave an interpretation in German, all signed with us and
the parties of the contractants.
signatures….
***
OK, German. We know that Alsace was pulled between Germany and France, but I’d love to know what the day-to-day lives of these people was like. How did they negotiate the language situation? Did they stubbornly cling to German even when they lived in France? I do believe that my grandfather who immigrated from Alsace was a German speaker. Did he know French? Do you know any novels that might show me a glimpse of what it was like to live in Alsace in the 1800s or the 1700s?
