August Remus and Wilhelmina Hardwardt (right) with Christoph Hoppe, his wife Anna Marie Deutschlander (left) and the Hoppe's grandson Ewald.

A collective translation of the marriage records of August Wilhelm Remus and his wife Wilhelmina Harwardt is as follows:

Text in German:

Remuss, August, Stellmacher aus dem Dorfe Baschlik, Kreis Rowno, Sohn des Schmiedes Daniel Remuss und seiner Ehefrau Eva, Eltern beide gestorben, Lutherischer Konfession und geboren in Preußen, Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder, Kreis Konitz im Städteland Tuchel mit Haarwardt, Wilhelmine Tochter des Landmanns Jacob Haarwardt und seiner Ehefrau Wilhelmine. Eltern: Vater gestorben, Mutter lebt, Lutherischer Konfession und geboren in Preußen, Regierungsbezirk Bromberg, Kreis Mogilno im Dorfe Tschepanowo. Aus der Kolonie Pustoine /Anielewke

Translation:

Remuss, August, cartwright from Baschlik, Rowno, (this is a village in Volhynia, Russia - now Ukraine) son of the smith Daniel Remuss and his spouse Eva, both dead at the time of the marriage, of Lutheran denomination and born in Tuchel, Konitz, Marienwerder, Prussia, (this is south of modern Gdansk, Poland) with Haarwardt, Wilhelmine daughter of the farmer Jacob Haarwardt and his spouse Wihelmine. Parents: the father is dead, the mother lives, Lutheran denomination and born in Tschepanowo, Mogilno, Bromberg, Prussia (this is a village southeast of Posen, Poland) now living in the colony of Pustoine/Anielewke (this is where they settled - it is also in Volhynia, Russia - now Ukraine).

The record also gives August's age as 27 and Wilhelmine's age as 20. (September 22, 1867 St Petersburg # 1884090/2 466 50; details are in St Petersburg Special Marriage Records 0905256 for 1867).

The christening records at Tuchel show August Wilhelm Remus to be born to Daniel Remus (second son of Daniel Remus; August was born in Gross Klonia - this village is near Waldau and between Tuchel and Zempelburg in West Prussia (modern northern Poland) and his wife Christine nee Berg, widow of Michael Bettin of Neu Tuchel. The christening date for August Wilhelm Remus is 29 March 1840 (Tuchel 1840 christening record # 48) at Neu Tuchel. August's birth date is said to be 5 March 1840 in Remus family records. August's mother Christine named in the christening record doesn't correspond to the mother's name Eva in August's marriage record above.

The parents of August Wilhelm Remus were married on 21 July 1839 (Tuchel 1839 Marriage record # 23). Daniel was 27 years 1 month and 2 days old at the time of the marriage so he was born on 19 June 1812 (actual birth record shows a slightly different date). The marriage record also states that Daniel tended a flock of sheep. In those days, Daniel would have been the village shepherd and would tend all the animals of the villagers.

Christine Berg was 31 at the time of their marriage to Daniel Remus so she was born around 1808. She had at least two children by her first husband Michael Bettin; Carl Wilhelm Bettin was born September 13, 1835 in Neu Tuchel and Johan Ferdinand Bettin was born April 08, 1832. So August had older stepbrothers. There were Remus, Bettin and Berg families in the Zempelburg area. Thus, it is likely that they knew each other prior to Michael Bettin's death.

Alyce Lang reports the following story from the Remus Family of Langenburg: "Langenburg records state that August Remus had two older brothers, one of whom went to New York, then no further contact. The other served in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, was disabled and pensioned. He remained in Germany and August received letters from him up until 1914." These must be August's two older stepbrothers, Johan Ferdinand and Carl Wilhelm Bettin.

Daniel Remus and Christine Berg had other children after August including Rosa Emilie christened on 16 October 1842 (Tuchel 1842 christening record # 164), Henriette Otillie christened on 21 November 1847 (Tuchel 1847 christening record # 181), and Auguste Pauline christened on 20 May 1850 (Tuchel 1850 christening record # 106). Thus, it is likely that August was male descendent of Daniel.

Alyce Lang reports another Remus story from the Remus Family of Langenburg: "After grandfather August Remus trained as a wheelwright he worked at his trade. After his marriage at age 27, they lived in the village of Berestovitz in the Province of Volhynia, where he raised his family, worked at his trade, farmed and did freighting with his horses on the Shousseau (a highway built by Napoleon when he tried to conquer Russia)." This story probably mixes his time in West Prussia and Poland with Volhynia since Napoleon's troops moved though West Prussia and northern Poland in their attack on Russia. Thus, it is likely that August apprenticed with a wheelwright located on a highway built by Napoleon in northern Poland. I could find no written records or Ukrainians that knew anything about Napoleon building roads in the Volhynia.

The wedding record states that Wilhelmine Harwardt was the daughter of Jacob Harwardt and his wife Wilhelmine. Wilhelmine was born as Michelina Harbart in the village of Tschepanowo, Mogilno, Bromberg, Poland on November 01, 1847. The change of name to Wilhelmina is not unreasonable since Michelina was an extremely popular woman's name in that village in those years. Also, her mother was named Wilhelmina. The difference in spelling between Harbart and Harwardt is not of great concern since the church books often vary in how family names are spelled.

Her parents are listed as Jacob Harbart and Wilhelmine Kolek (Kolke?); both are listed as Catholics and the birth record appears in the church book of a Catholic Church. These facts are shown both in the village church book and in the parish church book. There have been persistent family rumors that she intended to be a nun and certainly that is consistent with the birth record.

I searched though Tschepanowo village and parish church books for all the early 1800's and could find no further records of her or her family. However, there are many Harbarts going back one hundred years in the nearby village of Rogowo. At this moment I am getting those Catholic Church books and trying to make the connection between her family and the people in Rogowo.

August 10, 2000