Ratzlaffs of Przechowko V

Finally, the eldest grandson of the original Ratzlaff, Berent 32092, was born in 1660 and died in 1717:

		Hans 131766, married in Neumark, unknown dates	Hans 132130, unknown dates, no spouse or children listed	lived in Neumark
		Berent 33034, died Terespolno, Prussia	Hans 47721, may have converted to Lutheranism died without Mennonite affiliation	not likely
			Jacob 193793 1748-c1765
Berent 32092	Berent 33029		Johann 193794  b1756, no children listed	not likely
			Jacob 112574  b1765, no chldren listed	not likely
		Johann 33033, b 02/01/1726 Neumark, d 11/07/1805 Driesen
			Andreas 193799 1775-1842, died in Prussia, no children listed	not likely
			Bernhard 193801 1782-1822, died in Poland	Benjamin 103905, 1824-1901, immigrated 1874
			Tobias 896561 1788-1863, died in the Mototschna, no children listed	not likely
			Peter 193804 1793-1800, died in Driesen
			Abraham 214896 1795-1848, died in Molotschna
			Heinrich  198648 b1798, no children listed	could this be the father of Jacob b1842?
				Johann 57435, 1821-1899, b Volhynia, immigrated 1874
				Benjamin 67624, 1824-1900, b in Volhynia, grew up in Molotschna, emigrated 1878
			Heinrich Hans 47861 1784-1848. died in the Molotschna (may have lived in Fuerstenau, Molotschna) married 1820 Volhynia
				Abraham 67626, 1828-1893, born in Volhynia, emigrated 1874
				Tobias 67627, 1831-1874, b Volhynia, married in Heinrichsdorf, emigrated 1874
				Andreas 67628, b 1833, married to Maria Janzen, born in Antonovka, Volhynia, emigrated to Molotschna 1837	did this Andreas and his wife travel aboard the Polaria with OUR Jacob in 1893?

Several of Berent’s descendants are possible candidates to be my Heinrich’s or Jacob’s ancestor.  And we can see from the Przechowko Churchbook data that two of Berent 32092’s grandson’s lived in the Neumark villages; Hans 131766 and Johann 33033.  Hans 132130 was probably born in the Neumark, but he has no children listed.  Hans 47721 isn’t likely as he converted to Lutheranism and we know Heinrich and Jacob were Mennonites.  The sons of Johann 33033 - Johann 193794, Jacob 112574 and Andreas 193799 - are all possibilities but none have any children listed in the GRANDMA database.  Tobias died in the Molotschna Colony so he’s not likely.

Heinrich 198648 deserves some serious consideration though.  This Heinrich has the correct name, he’s born in the correct time frame (b 1798), and he was probably born in the right location (his father died in the Neumark village of Driesen).  Heinrich 198648 really seems to check all the right boxes.

Furthermore, GRANDMA lists that Heinrich 198648 had a brother named Heinrich Hans 47861.  Heinrich Hans ultimately died in the Molotschna Colony, but he had 5 sons who were all born in Volhynia.  Furthermore, the youngest son, Andreas 67628, is probably the man who travelled with my great great grandfather Jacob Ratzlaff aboard the SS Polaria in 1893.  Why was Jacob travelling with this man?  Could they have been cousins?

It’s troubling that the sons of Johann 33033 are born in such a wide time frame.  Johann 33033 would have been 72 years old when Heinrich 198648 was born.  But I guess that’s not impossible.  GRANDMA and a genealogy called “Retzlaff Roots from the Scroll” by Evangeline Neuschwander both list this data and the representative historians apparently feel comfortable with the data.  It’s also troubling that Johann 33033 would have two sons with such similar names (Heinrich and Heinrich Hans).  Nevertheless, I feel Heinrich 198648 is a very good candidate to be my Ratzlaff ancestor.