Identifying Place Names in German documents: Difference between revisions

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;In some cases certain places, especially those that are misspelled can only be found by checking detailed maps of different time periods. This was done to find Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A map of the province of Schlesien, scale 1:300,000 was checked [FHL 943.85 E7s] but Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe were not found on this map. However, the map listed the parish of Gontkowitz and a number of other localities that were mentioned in the birth records of Gontkowitz for the years 1838-1849. Just a few miles north of Gontkowitz the places of Nieder and Ober Wiesenthal were found. It seemed that these place names were the spellings for Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe. However, no proof could be found that this assumption was correct.<br>The map of the German Empire of 1871 [FHL film 068,814) was also checked. This map has a scale of 1:100,000 and is more detailed that the individual map of Schlesien. The area of Gontkowitz parish is shown on page 375. Checking this map brought the same results. The localities mentioned in the birth records of Gontkowitz, including Nieder and Ober Wiesenthal were found, but Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe were not on it. In addition several others maps and atlases of different time periods were checked but it was impossible to find Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe.<br>The time period involved with the problem of finding Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe was the year 1839. A search was made to find an earlier gazetteer. The search was successful and the gazetteer Die Gemeinde und Gutsbezirke des Preussischen Staates and ihre Bevölkerung was found on microfilm 491,037; 491,038; 491,039; and 491,041. This gazetteer had been prepared according to the census that was taken on 1 December 1871 and it was published in 1874.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The province of Schlesien (Silesia) was found on film 491,039 and the place name index on page 497 indicated that Nieder Woidnikowe is listed in section V under number 138 and under number 230. Ober Woidnikowe was listed to be found in Section V under number 139 and number 231. Section V of the gazetteer covers the district of Militsch. The reason for having two entries of each locality in the gazetteer is that they are listed under both rural communities [Landgemeinden] and Farm Districts [Gutsbezirke].<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The gazetteer indicated that Nieder Woidnikowe had a population of 370 on 1 December 1871. The population of Ober Woidnikowe was 223. A comparison with Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs- Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs of the population of Nieder and Ober Wiesenthal was made to find out the difference. Meyers was printed in 1913 and listed a population of 366 for Nieder Wiesenthal and 220 for Ober Wiesenthal. For both places together there was a difference of only 7 people. This observation stressed the fact that Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe and Nieder and Ober Wiesenthal could be the same places as was assumed earlier.<br>Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe are now located in the province of Wroc³aw, powiat [district] <br>of Milicz, Poland. According to the parish inventory of Wroc³aw Schematyzm Archidiecezji Wroc³awskiej [FHL 943.853 K22w] the Polish name of Ober Woidnikowe is Wodników Górny, which belongs to the parish of G¹dkowice. Reference was made to the German spellings, Nieder and Ober Woidnikowe.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This example is a good illustration of how important it is to check several different gazetteers to find certain places in Germany and neighboring countries. An excellent overview of German gazetteers and how to use them can be found in ''[http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/RG/frameset_rg.asp?Dest=G1&Aid=&Gid=&Lid=&Sid=&Did=&Juris1=&Event=&Year=&Gloss=&Sub=&Tab=&Entry=&Guide=Ger_BMD_RefDoc_HandbookGermanResearch.ASP A Genealogical Handbook of German Research]''by Larry O. Jensen.