New Discoveries In the VOGT Family Research

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(posted January 2001)

I've been traveling in Germany and England on business this week. We had a lull in our meetings Wednesday (31 January 2001), and we had the afternoon free, so my boss and I drove up to Mainz and Wiesbaden in Germany to find some old American bases that used to be here. Towards the end of the afternoon break time, I went looking for - and found - the Mainz city archives (stadtarchiv). I went in about an hour before closing, armed with the knowledge that our almost-oldest known ancestor, great-great-great-grandfather Jean Henri Joseph VOGT, was born in Mainz 28 January 1762, and in my rusty and flimsy German, I started knocking on doors and asking questions.

I was finally directed to the vital records office, where I explained what I knew and what I was looking for once again (ganz auf deutsche), and the archivist went straight to a wall full of old wooden card catalog drawers (just like the ones in libraries holding 3x5 cards), pulled one out and brought it back to me. In the space of the remaining hour, using that card catalog and some reference books, I learned the following:

I found GGG-GF Jean Henri Joseph VOGT's birth card, confirmed as being 28 January 1762. His father, GGGG-GF Jean Nikolaus (not Nikolas as I have it) VOGT, was a butcher and was born 15 March 1710 in the village of Lich (near Geißen) to his father Heinrich VOGT (also a butcher - ein metzger) and his mother Anna Maria (nee WOHMANN) - our great-great-great-great-great-grandparents. GGGG-GF Jean Nikolaus VOGT was married THREE times; 10 June 1729 to Anna (nee FRITZ) from Mainz, 19 Feb 1740 to Catherine Elizabeth (nee SCHELL), and 6 Dec 1748 to Anna Marguerite Wilhelmina (nee ???? - born 10 Jan 1707 in Frankfurt). The 3rd wife is our great-great-great-great-grandmother.

I was not able to get copies of any of the certificates (they are in storage and it takes a number of days to extract them and make negative copies), but I will write a letter with the found information and request copies of the relevant documents.

This was by far the most friendly and helpful group of archivists I have encountered in all my searches in the US, Ireland, France and Germany. They were truly excited to see me and help (but not so excited that they wanted to stay after closing and continue! ;) . This was as far as I could go in Mainz anyway (short of getting the copies while I was there), as GGGG-GF Jean Nikolaus VOGT was not born in Mainz, but in Lich. I will have to continue the thread with the records from Lich.............

WooHoo!!