Maria Magdalena (Krings) Brausen

I've been making some good discoveries lately in my research. One ancestor I hadn't been able to find was Maria Magdalena "Helen" (Krings) Brausen. The first information I have for her comes from a copy of "Brausen Family Tree-Meyer Branch," a set of family group sheets on the descendants of Peter and Magdalena. This record was something my mom had from an unknown relative dated 1976 & 1983. It lists her as Lena Kringhs, born in 1844 and died in 1926. On her death certificate she is listed as Helen Brausen, died 10 Mar 1926 in Pierz Township. It lists her age as 78 years 1 month & 16 days. That would calculate her birth date as 13 Jan 1848. Right above that it says she was born "Jan 15-1848." The death certificate states that she was born in Butzheim, Germany, father: Not Known birthplace: Germany & mother: Mary Kriencks birthplace: not known. Joe Wieling, her son-in-law, was the informant.

Her obituary confounds me as it says, "She was born in Butzheim, Germany, Jan. 15, 1848, 78 years ago. She came to America 59 years ago and 2 years later made her home in Milwaukee, Wis. Having lived in Milwaukee for 14 years she came to Morrison county where she has lived since." I've never been able to find any record of her in Milwaukee. I think that they meant Madison, Wis. as that is the area they lived in before moving to Morrison County, Minnesota along with many, many other families. The part that I've never been able to figure out from her obituary is this: "one brother and a step-brother, Frank Ruker of Wisconsin also survive." I've never been able to connect her to another Krings and have never found a Frank Ruker. If only they would have named her brother! Several years ago, a Brausen relative was in the State Archives at Madison and found Peter & Magdalena's marriage record and I just received a copy. It's stamped that it's illegal to make it available to the public in electronic form so I can't post it but it reads as follows:

1. Date of Registration: May 20, 1873
2. The color: white
3. Full name of husband: Peter Brouson (it's been transcribed as Branson or Bronson reading the u as an n)
4. Full name of wife previous to marriage: Maria M. Krings
5. Occupation of said husband: farmer
6. Residence of said husband: T. Springfield Dane Co. Wis.
7. Birthplace of said husband: Nettesheim Germany
8. The place, town or township, and county where the marriage was contracted: T. Springfield Dane Co. Wis.
9. Time when the marriage was contracted: April 30th 1873
10. By what ceremony contracted: Catholic
11. Name of person pronouncing marriage: Jos. A. Dreis
12. Residence of last person named: T. Sprinfield Dane Co. Wis.
13. Names of subscribing witnesses:
14. Date of certificate of marriage: April 30 1878
15. Name of the father of said husband: Henry Braunson
16. Name of the mother of said husband: Catharina Nober
17. Name of the father of said wife: John Caris
18. Name of the mother of said wife: Elis Krings

The relative that looked this up wondered if perhaps the witnesses were listed in the wife's parents spot by mistake. After looking at the actual record, how it's a form with blank lines for the answers & that the witness lines aren't right above or below the wife's parents lines, I think these were in fact her parents. I've come to this conclusion recently when searching Maria Magdalena Krings on Family Search.

I had looked through the batches years ago researching the Brausens & could never find Magdalena. I figured maybe the people giving information on her assumed she was born in Butzheim, the same towns her husband's family was from. Recently I tried looking up Krings again from Nettesheim-Butzheim on Family Search. That's when I found a Maria Magdalena Krings born 17 Jan 1850 in Nettesheim-Butzheim to Elisabeth Krings, with no father listed meaning she was illegitimate. ["Germany, Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898", Batch Number: C95905-4]. Upon further searching, I also found a Jacob Krings born to an Elisabeth Krings on 30 Jan 1845. The brother listed in her obituary? I believe this probably her. I requested image copies of those two birth records from Family Search and am anxiously awaiting to see if they can tell me anything else. The dates are a little bit off but I think the only immigrants I've found that were exactly right were my Bohemian ancestors. And that itself is a post for another day. :)