The optional theme for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks this week is “There’s a Way.”  I agree.  There often is a way to find that elusive genealogical record, but sometimes it’s the hard way!

Augusta Gustave Catharina de la Marche is one of my ancestors who married a descendant of Martin Luther. She is mentioned in Die Nachkommenschaft D. Martin Luthers in vier Jahrhunderten. Nebst Anhang über Nachkommen seiner Seitenverwandten und vieler anderer Luther, by Otto Sartorius, published in Göttingen in 1926. This book outlines my ancestors in a direct line back to Martin Luther the Reformer, my 11th great-grandfather.

Tafel for Johann Ernst Teubner (Sartorius, Otto; Die Nachkommenschaft D. Martin Luthers in vier Jahrhunderten. Nebst Anhang über Nachkommen seiner Seitenverwandten und vieler anderer Luther; Göttingen, 1926; p. 166

Augusta Gustave Catharina de la Marche (“de la Marchin” is the feminine form of the surname) is my 7th great-grandmother. The only information given about her is the vital statistics – dates of birth, marriage and death. Her parents were not mentioned.

Reference to Augusta Katharina de la Marche, (Sartorius, op. cit.; p. 18)

At a young age, I was intrigued by Catharina de la Marche’s French-sounding name. She was born in Strasbourg on 26 April 1658. Strasbourg is in currently in the Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; yet, Catharina married Johann Ernst Teubner, pastor of the Lutheran Church in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt, on 19 June 1683 at the age of 25. The two cities lie 473 kilometers apart; and, while the bride probably didn’t walk to her new home, this would have been a long journey in 1683.

Walking Route from Strasbourg to Zeitz (Google Maps, retrieved 12 May, 2015)

Because I was so fascinated, I spent many hours searching for more information on my de la Marche ancestor. There are historic references to the Counts of la Marche  beginning in the 10th century, but I never found any connection of my family to this nobility. Of course, la Marche is also a place name, so it is likely to have been the origin of the surname. I tried a few message board posts back in the 1990’s, but I never found any clue to the identity of Augusta Catharina de la Marche.

Last year I learned that Les Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin has an excellent collection of scanned church books available online. (If you decide to use this site and do not read French, like me, please be sure to check the box at the bottom of the page so you can proceed. You are accepting the terms and conditions.) When I investigated this website, I was pleased that the records of Strasbourg were included. There are 15 Roman Catholic churches and 13 Lutheran churches represented in the collection. None of these are electronically indexed, although a most of the church books have handwritten indexes within their pages. It is literally like pulling a book from the shelf in a library and paging through it.

So began my morning routine of hunting for Augusta Gustave Catharina de la Marche over a cup of coffee. This was before an updated cable modem that was bottle-necking my download speed. At least I felt fairly confident that I could start with the Lutheran records. After all, my ancestress married a Lutheran minister. I didn’t search every day. Even when the records were indexed, I really wasn’t sure under what letter the name would be filed – “D,” “L,” or “M.” To be thorough, I tried them all. The names were mostly familiar to me from my German research. I was surprised that the names didn’t sound more French.

I had reached my 12th Protestant parish on a Sunday morning in late January of this year. St. Thomas parish had an index, but it left me bewildered. I seemed to be using the wrong index. Sometimes, it is simply easier to look at the records chronologically. I pinpointed the correct volume for baptisms in 1658. Then I paged to the year and month. Was I imagining things? There is was. Or, at least, I thought so. I was going to need some help reading this.  (Image unavailable due to copyright restrictions.  See Strasbourg, St. Thomas Parish, Baptisms, volume 250, page 160, #771)

I asked for assistance from the Alsace Genealogy Facebook group. It didn’t take long. I was in touch with expert help. Alex Bueno-Edwards responded with a translation for me:

Dom. [Sunday] Jubilate the 2nd of May baptized at home by permission of the Ammeister [lit= Dn. Consuli or Lord Consul – the Ammeister was equivalent of the mayor of Strassburg] – Parents H[err] Franz la Marche[der] Dantzmeister [the dance instructor] and Margaretha. Daughter Augusta Gustave Catharian

Godparents 1) Hr. Johann Augustus, the Prince of Holstein; 2) Hr. Georg Dietrich Zorn von Plobsheim, the Stettmeister [the noble figurehead leader of the city]; 3) Jgfr. Ursula Catharina von Lutzelburg, daughter of Hr. Antonius von Lutzelburg, the Oberamtmann of Oberkirch [in modern Baden]; 4) Jgfr. Anna Antonia von Lutzelburg, daughter of the same; 5) Jgfr. Bernigna? von Dettlingen, daughter of Hr. Meylach von Dettlingen

Alex Bueno-Edwards continued:

I can tell you a few things about this record (having more than 800 pages of typewritten notes from the Strassburg parish registers). First, she had only noble godparents and an exceptional number of them. The usual was 2 of the gender of the child and 1 other. Second, the name is definitely French and the language of the record is entirely German other than a few Latin words. The record is from the parish register of St. Thomas (I can tell from the handwriting) and that was a parish with a lot of wealthy people.

Mr. Bueno-Edwards was a great help to me.  He went on to point me to several other children of Franz de la Marche and his wife Margareta (last name unknown). Their births and a death happened between the years of 1652 and 1661. All had noble godparents.

This was surprising information. Who was this dance master who wielded so much influence? Again, Mr. Bueno-Edwards was able to shed some light on Franz, but I will save that story for another time, as my 8th great-grandfather still needs further research.

How did Augusta Gustave Catharina de la Marchin meet Johann Ernst Tuebner, the great, great grandson of Martin Luther? It is possible that he was a theology student at the University in Strasbourg. It is my understanding that they taught a conservative Lutheran doctrine there. Catharina’s father supposedly died in 1676, but this may be an error. Margareta de la Marche, Catharina’s mother died in Strasbourg in 1665 and her father remarried. At this point, it is not known where Margaretha was from or her surname, and, so, there are many unanswered questions. I continue to page through Strasbourg church records looking for clues “the hard way.”  I guess I have to admit, though, it could have been worse.  At least I didn’t have to fly to Strasbourg and search the records in person.  On the other hand, maybe a trip to Strasbourg wouldn’t be so bad!