[Genealogy] Did Gerd Go Back and Reliance on Memory
Michael John Neill
mjnrootdig at gmail.com
Sun Dec 21 15:41:53 CST 2025
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**Did Gerd Go Back?
**Full-Text Webinar
**Reliance on Memory and Why 3 May Equal 5
**Using the FamilySearch Catalog
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Did Gerd Go Back?
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Not every immigrant stayed in their new country. That’s the apparent case
with Gerd Behrens who arrived in the United States in 1858.
What is known:
- Gerd and Trientje (Claassen) Behrens arrived on 28 August 1858 in New
York City on board the *New York. *Their destination per the manifest
was Illinois and listed directly after Gerd and Trientje was the family of
their daughter Gretje Ostendorf. The Behrenses and the Ostendorfs settled
in Clayton Township, Adams County, Illinois, where the sons of Gerd and
Trientje had already settled. Their arrival in 1858 meant that parents and
children were all reunited. There were no remaining children of Gerd and
Trientje in Germany.
- Gerd and Trientje are enumerated in Clayton Township, Adams County,
Illinois, in the 1860 federal census as Gerrett and Twuga Barnes.
- Gerd Behrens died on 21 June 1867 in Ludwigsdorf/Weene, Ostfriesland,
Germany according to his entry in *Die Familien der Kirchengemeinde
Weene (1671-1911)*.
- Trientje (Claassen) Behrens is enumerated in the 1880 federal census
in Clayton Township, Adams County, Illinois, with son Ulfert Behrens and
his family.
- Trientje died in 1881 and is buried in the South Prairie Cemetery near
Golden, Adams County, Illinois.
One scenario constructed from the known information is that both Gerd and
Trientje returned to Germany because they were unhappy in America. Then
after Gerd’s death, Trientje returned. That’s one scenario. Trientje has
not been located on a return manifest entering the United States between
June of 1867 and her 1880 census enumeration. Trientje would have been
seventy-three years old when her husband died.
The other possible scenario is that Gerd returned to Germany by himself,
either for a visit or permanently. Just because he died in Ludwigsdof/Weene
does not mean that Trientje was there at his side. I also really can’t say
if he was “happy” in the United States or not.
One has to stick with what the records say and the scenarios supported by
the records.
What’s missing at this point is the 1870 census. An organized search for
Trientje in 1870 needs to be conducted. This search should include the
concomitant spelling variations for Behrens (and there are many) using
various online census indexes. A manual search should be conducted in
Clayton Township and nearby locations as she most likely is living near the
area where her children settled. The 1870 census enumerations for all her
known children should be referenced to see if she is living with one of
them under a name spelling that eludes database searches. She may not be
living with one of them in 1870, but their entries should be searched just
the same.
I should continue trying to search for Trientje in passenger list databases
for the 1867-1880 time period, documenting my search parameters and search
process. During these searches I will remind myself that Trientje did not
necessarily immigrate.
The death entry for Gerd is from a compiled ortssippenbuch for Weene. It is
possible that actual church records make some mention of Trientje.
At this point, I cannot say whether Trientje went back or not. All I know
is the bulleted information above that indicates Gerd did go back.
-----------------------------
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-----------------------------
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------------------------------
Reliance on Memory and Why Three May Equal Five
------------------------------
Mom graduated from college in 1963. I was sure of it. I was positive. I
would have bet money on it. Well not a lot of money and certainly not an
entire paycheck, but perhaps the change floating around in my pocket. After
all I wasn’t alive in 1963 and wagering on events one did not witness is
risky business even when one is certain they took place.
Turns out it was a good thing I never made that wager.
Mom told me she had finished college in three years (“was done” is most
likely the phrase she used). I had heard her tell me more than once and I
knew I had heard it. The number stuck in my head like a song that just will
not leave. Three years. The memory was combined with the caveat that Mom
didn’t want me to try and finish college in three years because some times
she wished she had not done it that way herself.
She never told me why she was done in three years and I never thought to
ask. She had worked at the college bookstore to support
herself and apparently had some student loans. Finishing in three years was
a way to cut the total cost down. The reason was practical and
quintessential Mom.
And so when it came time to write her obituary, I indicated she had
graduated in 1963. She had graduated high school in 1960 and little math
was required to determine that three years later would be 1963. Math does
not get much simpler than that.
The only problem was her diploma dated 1965. The diploma was discovered
before the obituary was published. My error was corrected. But I was
confused.
And then I remembered.
Mom had started teaching elementary school back in the day when a completed
bachelor’s degree was not required. She had enough credits and was allowed
to teach even though she had not finished her degree. Those stories of her
driving to Macomb (home of Western Illinois University, Mom’s alma mater)
with some of her fellow teachers to take summer classes came flooding back
to me. It made perfect sense and explained the 1965 graduation date.
It also made sense why Mom said she “was done” in three years. She was done
enough to start teaching but technically had not graduated.
But it got me to thinking.
How many pieces of information are in records because someone remembers
part of a story or remembers a story incorrectly? How often do we use
information provided in a record without giving too much thought as to how
the informant came to know that information? Was the informant providing
information based on only part of the story?Was the informant providing
information at time when they were under stress or were distracted?
And how many times do we hear a phrase and conclude that it means a little
more than it does? “Getting done” could be slightly different than
graduating–at least in Mom’s situation.
I cannot provide primary information as to when my mother graduated
college because I was not alive when it happened. That’s a simply fact of
chronology. I could scream it as loud as I wanted. I could type it in bold
face using the largest font. Communicating the information loudly and
proudly does not change the fact that my knowledge is not primary.
That diploma? It does provide primary information and the type size is not
unusually large.
And me? Against Mom’s advice I graduated from college in three years.
That’s something I have primary knowledge of because I personally witnessed
it.
And somewhere is the diploma to prove it.
----------------------------------
Using the FamilySearch Catalog
-----------------------------------
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------------------------------------
Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
http://www.genealogytipoftheday.com
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