Surname Saturday: Baerecke / Barecke

The subject of this week's Surname Saturday is Baerecke, sometimes spelled Barecke. It is the maiden name of my great-grandmother, Gertrude Eleanor. I have traced the name back two more generations to my great-great-great grandfather Maximilian "Max" Baerecke.

If Max sounds familiar, it's because he is the subject of my Anatomy of a Military Pension File series.

Based on records in my possession, Max was born 24 August 1827. He gave his birthplace as Eisenach, Saxony, Germany. I have not yet done research across the pond. Max came to America, married and raised a family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Baerecke / Barecke is an unusual surname (in the U.S.) that is misspelled countless different ways. In my research, I have seen other Baerecke records and people that don't appear to be related to my Max. Nonetheless, I am interested in corresponding with any other researchers who have Baerecke / Barecke / Barrecke or similar names in their lines.

Surname Saturday: Turk / Türk

The surname for this Saturday is Turk / Türk.

Albert Turk (1880-1964) was my great-grandfather. I don't know much about him so bear with me. The few documents I have say he was born in Eickel, Herne, Germany. He came to the United States in 1914. He met and married his wife in Pennsylvania. I don't know the exact date of their marriage, but it was likely in Allentown or Bethlehem. They had a daughter in Pennsylvania, then moved to Los Angeles and had 3 more children.

Albert was widowed in 1931. He worked for an electric company and was a carpenter. He is buried with his wife in East Los Angeles.

I know little about Albert Turk's family in Germany and have not crossed the pond to investigate. My grandmother has a German postcard addressed to (brother) Albert from Heinrich. I also have a document that says Albert's father is Albert and his mother is Elisabeth Brauckman.

The few documents I have that were created in the United States say "Turk" but the documents handwritten by Albert say "Türk."

Turk is a somewhat common name, so I'm not interested in casting a wide net. If you have connections to the places I've mentioned above (especially Eickel) I'd love to hear from you.

The Feldzug Boys: 10th Edition of Smile for the Camera

The topic for the 10th edition of Smile for the Camera is: costume. This is not a Halloween theme, more like period costume. Genealogical word association made me think "uniform" when given the topic costume. This led to my selection for entry into the carnival. I call them The Feldzug Boys:


The sign at the center of the photo say the following:

Feldzug 1914--?

L. I. Rgt. 29. I/2

Here's what I know about the photo: nothing. It was part of my great-grandfather's papers. Below is an image of what is written on the back of the photo:

According to Google Translate, "feldzug" is a German word that means "campaign."

I haven't figured out the first two lines of text in the second image. I'm pretty sure "zu Coln" is "to Cologne," meaning Germany, which is where my great-grandfather was from. 1915 may be the date the photo was taken...or not. The "D" word in the second line is probably the "from" town if Cologne is the "to" town.

There are some good clues on the front and back of the photo. In time, I hope to solve the mystery and find out exactly what The Feldzug Boys were doing, and give them the proper Smile for the Camera introduction they deserve.

Feb. 10, 2009: Update! Greta Koehl was kind enough to ask her husband, Mr. Greta Koehl, about the photo. She left this reply in my comments:

My husband said this would have been the ist battalion, 2nd company, 3rd Rhineland (Rheinisches) Regiment No. 29, aka Infantry Regiment Von Horn. It formed part of the 16th Infantry Division, under the Eighth Army of the Imperial German Army. Cologne was the regimental depot; the division HQ was Trier. The men were mostly recruited from Rhein province, from towns along the Rhine and Moselle rivers. He thinks the photograph was probably taken when they were mobilized. The division fought in the invasion of Belgium and France in 1914, ending at the Battle of the Marne. They were briefly on the Eastern Front in late 1914, but returned to the Western Front, where they remained until disbanded in 1919.

Thank you! This location matches what I know about where my great-grandfather came from. His naturalization papers say he left for America on August 5, 1914. It's possible that a family member (possibly brother?) is in the photo and sent it to my great-grandfather in America.

The kindness and generosity of other genealogists never ceases to amaze me.

Hat Dude: Smile for the Camera, 5th Edition

The subject for the 5th edition of Smile for the Camera: A Carnival of Images is "Hair Do's and Dont's."

My choice isn't really a hair do, but more of a hat do:

This photo was part of my great-grandfather's papers. That's all I know. He was from Germany, so I'm guessing this is a relative back in the home country. My great-grandfather came to the United States in 1914.

I call this guy "Hat Dude." If anyone can shed some light on this uniform or its era, I'd really appreciate it. He seems very proud of his threads. I'd like to know more so I can share in that admiration.