NEMMERS (also
spelled NIEUMERS, NEUMERS, NEUNER, NIUNERS)
Dear Nemmers cousins,
Welcome to the Nemmers page. Please scroll down this
page for information about our family history and for links to other Nemmers web
sites. Stephen Nemmers has been sharing information with me, and together with
Jim Adams, we are compiling information about our ancestral lines.
Information on NEMMERS in Luxembourg records reveals that the name was once spelled NIEUMERS, NEUMERS, NEUNER, and NIUNERS in earlier generations before it came to be spelled
NEMMERS. The earliest ancestor located to date is Jean (John)
NIEUMERS. The family was living in Brouch (French spelling; German spelling is Buschdorf), Luxembourg, circa 1700.
From there the family spread to Tuntange (Tuntingen), Dondelange (Dondelingen),
Nospelt, and Kehlen (Kellen). My ancestors, Jean-Nicholas Nemmers and his wife Catherine Weber
Nemmers, came to the United States in the mid-1800s and settled in St. Donatus, Iowa.The following
information includes fuller translations of the French and German civil records and
the Latin parish records of Tuntange/Tuntingen, Luxembourg.
Spelling was quite fluid in the days when the records below were kept. Not
everyone could read or write; if they could, they often wrote phonetically, which
helps to explain variations in spellings of names. During this time, church records were
kept in Latin, while civil records were kept in French or German--depending on who was in political control at the time. Spellings also vary because church records spelled names in Latin (Petrus) while civil records used French (Pierre) or German (Peter). In keeping with grammatical rules of Latin that governed word order in sentences, parish records
sometimes transposed first and middle names of individuals being baptized or married.
Moreover, an infant being baptized was almost always given the same first name (or sometimes, the middle name) as his or her godparent of the same sex. This naming practice accounts for situations in which two or more children in the same family had the same first name; that could have been the case because the two children had the same baptismal sponsor or godparent (e.g., an aunt or uncle or grandparent)--or because one adult baptismal sponsor/godparent had received his/her name from an earlier baptismal sponsor/godparent of the same name. When studying these kinds of records, it's helpful to remember that spelling variations are to be expected and do not necessarily indicate different, unrelated families; more often, these spelling variants indicate related families who spelled their names slightly differently.
I have typed below the transcript of the information from Luxembourg records. Note that in Luxembourg, some records
were kept in Latin, some in French, some in German. Most towns have two names: French
(Dondelange, Tuntange) and German (Dondelingen, Tuntingen). [Note: The information was provided to me by Jean-Claude Muller
of Redange, Luxembourg, the co-editors of the re-edition of Nicholas Gonner's book,
Luxembourgers in the New World, one of the best sources on Luxembourg immigration.]
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FROM TUNTANGE PARISH RECORDS:
On February 4, 1782, after three proclamations had been duly made, after no impediment had been brought forth, were united in holy matrimony Petrus (Peter) Nemmers, widower from Tuntingen (Tuntange) married Anna-Maria Nesen, legitimate daughter of Nicholaus Noesen and Margaritha Mullhentgten from Bruch before the witnesses Rev. Goedert, vicar in
Tuntingen, and Carolus Reding from Hobscheid. To testify that this is so, they have undersigned this document with me; all could write with their own handwriting, except the spouse, who declared not to be able to write. In faith of
which: signed J. N. Lieffering, pastor in Tuntingen.
[Note: the above is a translation of the Latin record in the parish church of Tuntange. This was Peter's second marriage, made after his first wife, Marguerite Kipsen
(or Kipgen)--the mother of his first three children--had died. Peter lived only a year after this second marriage to Anna-Maria Nesen. Their son Jean-Nicholas was born on 5 March 1783, a month after his father Peter's death.]
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FROM TUNTANGE PARISH RECORDS:
On February 1, 1783, around 4 p.m., died in communion with the Holy Roman Church,
after having received the holy sacraments in due rites, Petrus (Peter) Nemmers from Tuntingen, aged 46 years. He was buried the following day in the parish cemetery. May he rest in peace. Amen. In Faith of which: signed J. N. Lieffering, pastor in Tuntingen.
[Note: the above is a translation of the Latin record of the parish in Tuntange.]
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FROM KEHLEN CIVIL MARRIAGE RECORDS:
In the year 1811 on the 27th of November, at 10:00 in the morning appeared before us the mayor of Kehlen in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Jean-Nicolas Nemmers, a day laborerer
(journalier), aged 28 years, born in Tuntange, department of Forests (French Republican
designation for Luxemburg), living at Dondelingen (Dondelange), an adult and the
legitimate son of Pierre Nemmers, a day laborer when he was still alive, and Anne-Marie Neisen, a day laborer living at Tintange, present and consenting
to the marriage, and on the other hand, Miss Catherine Weber, aged 20 years, born in
Dondelange and living there, minor-of-age and legitimate daughter of Nicolas Weber, weaver (tisserand) and of Catherine Weber, living at Dondelange, present and consenting to the marriage. Both partners are then declared to be now a married couple . . . among the witnesses we note none that is related. [Signatures follow]
[Note: The above is a translation of the French civil record of marriage in the commune of Kehlen in the Center of Luxembourg, canton of Luxembourg.]
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FROM KEHLEN CIVIL MARRIAGE RECORDS:
In the year 1841 on the 17th of February, at 4 p.m. appeared before us Jean-Baptiste Poeckes, mayor of Kehlen in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Nicolas Nemmers, carpenter (Schreiner) aged 25 years, born in Dondelingen, commune of Kehlen on February 12, 1816, living at Dondelingen, adult son of Johann-Nicolas Nemmers, carpenter, and of Catharina Weber, both present and consenting to the marriage and, on the other hand, Maria Freiman,
without profession, aged 21 years, born in Olm, commune of Kehlen on July 19, 1819,
living at Olm, adult daughter of Peter Freyman, deceased in Olm on April 17, 1830, and of
the still-living Barbara Kurbach, day laborer (Taglohnerin) living at Olm, present and
consenting to the marriage. Both partners are then declared to be now a married couple
. . . among the witnesses we note none that is related. [Signatures follow]
[Note: The above is a translation of the German civil record of marriage in the commune
of Kehlen in the Center of Luxembourg, canton of Luxembourg.]
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SUMMARY:
Peter Nemmers, died Feb. 1, 1783, in Tuntange;
he was married on Feb. 2, 1782, in Tuntange to
Anna-Maria Nesen from Brouch (Buschdorf)
Jean-Nicholas Nemmers, born on March 5, 1783, in Tuntange;
he was married on Nov. 27, 1811 in Kehlen to
Catherine Weber, born on Feb. 2, 1790, in Dondelange.
She died on March 23, 1876 in St. Donatus, Iowa
Nicolas Nemmers, born on Feb. 2, 1816, in Dondelange;
he was married on Feb. 17, 1841 in Kehlen to
Maria Freymann, born on July 19, 1819 in Olm.
She died on January 3, 1867 in St. Donatus, Iowa
Nicholas Nemmers, born on Sept. 12, 1845, in Dondelange.
He died on March 24, 1882, in East Orange, Iowa; he was
married on Feb. 24, 1873 (?) in St. Donatus, Iowa, to
Anna Kaiser, born on Dec. 25, 1852, in Olm.
She died on Jan. 28, 1920, in Le Mars, Iowa.
Jean-Nicholas (Johann Nicholaus) Nemmers b. 5-MAR-1783 d. 7-MAR-1857 m. 27-NOV-1811
Catherine (Catherina) Weber b. 2-FEB-1790 d. 23-MAR-1876 (or 1870?)
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Jean-Nicholas Nemmers' parents were:
Petrus (Peter) Nemmers b. 6-NOV-1737 Tuntange d. 1-FEB-1783 Tuntange
Marguerite Kipsen (Kipgen sp?) b. ? d. 23-DEC-1781 Tuntange
After Marguerite Kipsen's death, Peter remarried:
Anna Maria Nesen m. 6-FEB-1882
NOTE: Peter Nemmers died on 1-FEB-1783.
Children of Peter Nemmers and Marguerite Kipsen:
1. Nicolus Nemmers b. 21-AUG-1770 Tuntange d. 17-JUL-1840 Dondelange
m. Catherine Wewer
Catherine Wewer b. 30-DEC-1759 d. 3-FEB-1835 Dondelange
2. Henri Nemmers b. 17-JUN-1775 Tuntange d. 5-FEB-1835 Nospelt
m. Marguerite Peiffer 24-Jan-1807
Marguerite Peiffer b. 13-APR-1787 Nospelt
3. Marguerite Nemmers b. 27-JUN-1777 Tuntange d. ?
m. Egide Peiffer 24-Jan-1807 Kellen
Child of Peter Nemmers and Anna Maria Nesen (surname also spelled Noesen, Niessen):
4. Jean-Nicholas Nemmers b. 5-MAR-1783 Tuntange d. 7-MAR-1857 St. Donatus, IA
m. Catherine Weber 27-NOV-1811 Kellen
Catherine Weber: b. 2-FEB-1790 Dondelange
d. 23-MAR-1876 (or 1870?) St. Donatus, IA
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Suzanne Bunkers To send me an e-mail, click on suzanne.bunkers@mnsu.edu
To return to my home page, click on http://krypton.mnsu.edu/~susanna/
Werner Honkomp's Emigration from Damme, Germany, web site:
http://www.honkomp.de/damme-auswanderung/chapter0.htm
Polking Web Cards: http://math.rice.edu/~polking/genealogy/webcards2/WC_IDX/SUR.htm
Dr. Clemens Pagenstert's book on Lohne families:
http://home.t-online.de/home/lohner_familien/
http://www.oldstmarys.org/archives/1942history.html
Old St. Mary's Church in Cincinnati, OH
Werne Honkomp's page on Dyersville and New Vienna, Iowa:
http://home.t-online.de/home/ww.honkomp/iowa-egr.htm
