Ratzlaffs of Przechowko VI

I’ll probably never know for sure exactly who my Ratzlaff ancestors were beyond Heinrich Ratzlaff.  I feel confident, though, that Heinrich’s forefathers were members of the Przechowko congregation.  And going through all the Ratzlaffs in the congregation, it looks like the following are the best candidates to be either Heinrich himself or Heinrich’s father:

1)      Jacob 47895

2)      Heinrich 47690

3)      Heinrich 47889

4)      Heinrich 47904

5)      Peter 47768

6)      Heinrich 198648

The numbers associated with the names are the identification numbers from the GRANDMA database, and from GRANDMA we learn the following about these Ratzlaffs:

1)      Jacob 47895, was born in 1812 in Klein Konopat, Prussia, son of Peter and Catarina (Arnten) Ratzlaff.  We don’t know if Jacob 47895 had any siblings, if he became married, or when he died.  Klein Konopat (Little Konopat) was the eastern an area of Konopat (also called Deutsch Konopat).  According to GAMEO http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/konopat_kuyavian_pomeranian_voivodeship_poland/?searchterm=konopat the entire village migrated to the Molotschna Colony in the first quarter of the 19^th century.  GRANDMA lists no futher information for this Ratzlaff family after Jacob’s birth in 1812 which leads me to believe that the family became distanced from Przechowko shortly after that date.  Either they stayed in Prussia or became associated with a different Mennonite congregation.  Although my ancestor Heinrich’s name may have been Jacob, given the current information I don’t really feel that Jacob 47895 is the right man.

2)      Heinrich 47690 was born in 1810 to Adam and Ancke (Wedel) Ratzlaff in the village of Przechowko and he had an older brother named Peter.  Similarly to Jacob 47895, the Przechowko Churchbook apparently loses track of this family after Heinrich’s birth and we know nothing further about this family including whether or not Heinrich had any children.

3)      Heinrich 47889 was born in 1803 to Peter and Ancke (Schmidt) Ratzlaff in the village of Jeziorken.  Jeziorken was another village associated with the Przechowko congregation that was situated 12 miles to the northwest.  Heinrich 47889 had 3 siblings, but apparently no further information is known about any of them.  Also, it’s unknown whether this Heinrich married or not, or what his date of death was.  GAMEO indicates that the villagers from Jeziorken, being somewhat removed from Przechowko, began moving to the Neumark villages in the late 18^th century and later some went to Deutsch Wymysle.  This makes Heinrich 47889 a very good candidate to be my ancestor, Heinrich Ratzlaff.  His name, date and location apparently are all viable.

4)      Heinrich 47904 was born in 1797 to Tobias and Ancke (Ratzlaff) Ratzlaff in the village of Deutsch Konopat.  We don’t know any other specifics about this Heinrich, but apparently the family moved to Deutsche Wymysle at some point as some of his younger siblings were born in that village.  Deutsche Wymysle was located farther up the Vistula River, somewhat northwest of Warsaw; much closer in proximity to Volhynia than was Przechowko.  Mennonites from Wymysle are known to have moved to Volhynia and the Molotschna Colony from time to time in the 19^th century.  The data for this family in GRANDMA is a bit sketchy so I don’t know if this Heinrich had any children or not, but the possibility remains that this man could by my Heinrich Ratzlaff ancestor.

5)      Peter 47768 was born in 1727 and was the son of Peter and Sarcke (Schmidt) Ratzlaff.  Peter married Liscke Unrau in Brenkenhoffswalde and died in 1789.  Peter had numerous siblings but we don’t know anything further about Liscke or when she died.  We don’t know anything about their children; we can’t be sure they even had any children.  But Peter lived to be 62 years old and was married so it’s probable some children were born to the couple.  My ancestor Heinrich was probably born in the neighborhood of 1800 in the Neumark villages.  If Peter 47768 was his father, the location of residence is right, but the time period may be just a little off as Peter 47768 died in 1789.  Peter 47768 is a good candidate to be my Heinrich’s father, but the pieces don’t quite fit perfectly.

6)      Heinrich 198648.  This Heinrich is still the Ratzlaff who I feel is most likely my Heinrich Ratzlaff ancestor.  This Heinrich was an uncle to the Andreas Ratzlaff who travelled to Montreal with my great grandfather Jacob Ratzlaff aboard the SS Polaria in 1893.  Andreas as well as some of his siblings had ties to Volhynia although they lived in the Molotschna Colony by the late 1800s.  GRANDMA tells us nothing about this Heinrich except that he was born in 1798 to Johann and Sarcke (Voth) Ratzlaff.

The first two, Jacob 47895 and Heinrich 47690, both have correct names and dates, but I don’t know if either man had any children.  Also, neither of them necessarily lived in the correct locations.  They remain possibilities because of what I don’t know about them moreso than because of what I do know.

The second two, Heinrich 47889 and Heinrich 47904, also have the correct names and dates.  I also don’t know anything about whether they had children or not.  However, both of these Ratzlaffs were from more outlying areas (Jeziorken and Wymysle, respectively) and I feel it’s more likely that villagers from these outlying areas ended up in Volhynia.

The last two, Peter 47768 and Heinrich 198648, both lived in the proper location during the correct time period and these are the only two that are possibilities because of what I do know rather than what I don’t know.  I do know that Peter 47768 lived in Neumark during the correct time period and that he was married.  If he was married, he probably had children and one of these might have been my Heinrich.  I also do know that Heinrich 198648’s family lived in Neumark and that he was uncle to Ratzlaffs who I know lived in Volhynia.  GRANDMA doesn’t list a wife or children for this Heinrich; nevertheless since their was some sort of connection between his nephew and my Heinrich I feel that Heinrich 198648 and my Heinrich may be one and the same.