Yay!! After just a little more than 2 weeks, the Municipal Archives comes through, and yes, to be fair to whoever put together the index, the names on the marriage certificate do look like John Riekleffs and Neta Tiedermann. Of course, all you have to do is flip it over to the other side and look at their signatures and their names are clearly John Ricklefs and Meta Tiedemann. Frustrating, yes. But there are thousands of certificates indexed there and I don't blame whoever put that index together if they didn't feel like creating twice as much work for themselves. I complain about the often shoddy interpretation of handwriting on these records (that goes for Ancestry.com's census index as well), but I thank from the bottom of my heart those people who put in the time and effort of putting that index together in the first place, making my life and genealogical searches so, so much easier.
Anyway, what a find. On the back, we have every line of information filled out, including both sets of parents (yay! That's huge!) - John Ricklefs, living at 222 First Avenue in NYC, almost 23, an oyster dealer born at Bremerhaven, Germany to Friedrich Ricklefs and Sophie Dozen (?) - Familysearch.org lists her name as Sophie Dozen and so far, that is what it looks like to me...we'll see if I change my mind upon further inspection. He's marrying Meta Tiederman, living at 222 First Ave., almost 25 years old, born in...not only is her place of birth listed as Hanover, Germany, but there's a town, too! This could be invaluable in finding birth records or records on her parents...if only I could make out that illegible handwriting! Will keep trying, though, of course...to John Henry Tiedermann and Meta Buckmann. It's the first marriage for both. Witnesses, Leopold Ropper and Gertrude Andriano. Married by Morris W. Leibert, pastor of the German-Moravian Church.
This kind of stuff gets my heart pumping...so exciting! And it came on Saturday and I didn't know till Sunday night...I'm shocked my father didn't open it the minute it arrived. This record though should further some research and speculation for a bit, whether or not it turns up anything else more conclusive. At the least, though, I've gotten that branch back one generation further...I'm like a kid in a candy store with this thing!
Anyway, what a find. On the back, we have every line of information filled out, including both sets of parents (yay! That's huge!) - John Ricklefs, living at 222 First Avenue in NYC, almost 23, an oyster dealer born at Bremerhaven, Germany to Friedrich Ricklefs and Sophie Dozen (?) - Familysearch.org lists her name as Sophie Dozen and so far, that is what it looks like to me...we'll see if I change my mind upon further inspection. He's marrying Meta Tiederman, living at 222 First Ave., almost 25 years old, born in...not only is her place of birth listed as Hanover, Germany, but there's a town, too! This could be invaluable in finding birth records or records on her parents...if only I could make out that illegible handwriting! Will keep trying, though, of course...to John Henry Tiedermann and Meta Buckmann. It's the first marriage for both. Witnesses, Leopold Ropper and Gertrude Andriano. Married by Morris W. Leibert, pastor of the German-Moravian Church.
This kind of stuff gets my heart pumping...so exciting! And it came on Saturday and I didn't know till Sunday night...I'm shocked my father didn't open it the minute it arrived. This record though should further some research and speculation for a bit, whether or not it turns up anything else more conclusive. At the least, though, I've gotten that branch back one generation further...I'm like a kid in a candy store with this thing!