Immigration of Vincent & Susanna (Raduntz) Sievert & his Siblings

Vincent Sievert and Susanna Raduntz are my paternal 2nd great-grandparents and two of my German immigrant ancestors. They had eleven known children and lived in Joliet, Will County, Illinois, once they arrived in the United States.

Pre-immigration
Vincent was born on 24 January 1823 in Schneidemühl, Posen to Christoph Siewert and Anna Marianna Ewald. He was the third son and fifth child of seven. One brother and two sisters also immigrated and lived in Joliet: Johannes Daniel Sievert, Eva Sievert, and Henrietta Charlotte Sievert.

Vincent married Susanna Raduntz on 10 February 1850 in Schneidemühl. He was twenty-seven and she was eighteen. The origins of Susanna are not known from this marriage record. This information was acquired by a third cousin who had hired a researcher in Poland. We do not have any documentation nor does my cousin have the paperwork anymore. This is something I wish to recreate – hoping the church records will someday be online. I do not even know the name of the church.

However, digging some online, I found the church archives are in Koszalin. Thankfully, Google translated the Polish into English for me. The only Schneidemühl church that has records in the time frame that my family was there is the current town Saw and the Holy Family church. Baptisms begin in 1798, marriages 1800, and burials 1818. It also indicated they were digitized, but I could not find a link.[1]

I also found the name of the researcher, Lukasz Bielecki, who heads the Posnan Project. I emailed him after making a donation to the project, asking if he could get digital images of the records. He answered right back and it seems he lives quite a distance from the archives and that the archives charges somewhere around $15 per image of only the cropped portion of the record.[2] I might need to locate someone who lives closer to Koszalin.

The other children who immigrated to Joliet married in Schneidemühl. Johannes married Anna Christina Maria Wienke on 6 February 1842. He was twenty-seven and she was twenty-four. Eva married Christoph Michael Wienke on 14 January 1845. He was twenty-seven and she was twenty-five. Christoph and Anna may be siblings. That is something to investigate. Finally, Henrietta Charlotte married Joseph Freitag on 8 January 1850. He was twenty-eight and she was twenty-two.

Interesting that the men did not marry until around 27 or 28 years old. The women were younger. These names and dates were acquired by a third cousin who had hired a researcher in Poland. We do not have any documentation nor does my cousin have the paperwork anymore. This is something I wish to recreate – hoping the church records will someday be online. I do not even know the name of the church.

Back to Susanna’s origins. The German Catholic church in Joliet kept good records and recorded hometowns in Germany. From several of their children’s baptism records, her hometown appeared to not be Schneidemühl but rather some variation of Hasenberg. The location of Hasenberg also varied between records. Some said Pommern (Pomerania), Marienswerer in Prussia, and West Prussia. One record even gave Hafendorf in Posen, Prussia.[3]

It is time to learn more about Schneidemühl. The German word means “sawmill” and the town today is known as Piła which means “saw.” The Küddow River flows through it. Prussia annexed the area in 1772, so maybe Christoph and Anna Marianna moved to the area afterwards, when it was encouraging Germans to settle in the new annexed areas.[4] Christoph and Anna Marianna married on 14 January 1811 in Schneidemühl. It is not known whether Vincent’s father farmed or a worked a trade. Since Vincent was a mason, then perhaps so was his father.

Immigration
Vincent’s family was the first to emigrate to the United States. He is found on a Hamburg passenger list, 15 May 1852, aboard the Johanna Elise, along with a wife and one child. This child may be August, who was born on 2 Oct 1851 in Schneidemühl. The family was from Schneidemühl, Prussia.[5] His occupation was listed as “Maurer” or mason.[6] They arrived in New York on 23 June 1852.[7]

His brother, Johannes Daniel, departed with his family aboard the Elida on 15 April 1854. He had a wife and two children.[8] These are likely Elizabeth Dorothea “Dora,” who was born on 6 February 1843, and Johann Martin, who was born on 29 October 1852. The incoming passenger list at New York gave the names of the family as Joh. D. Siwart, 40 years old, Christina, 40, and children Dorthea, 8 and Johann, 3 months.[9]

Eva and her husband, Christopher Wienke, and three children were also aboard the Elida on 15 April 1854.[10] They stated they were from Satrow in Mecklenburg, though I cannot find that town in Meyer’s Gazetteer.[11] They also arrived in New York on 22 May 1854.[12]

Finally, Henrietta and her husband, Joseph Freitag, and one child were on the same Elida.[13] They were listed following Johan Sievert on the New York ship list: Joseph Freitag, Henrietta, and Helene, who was 2.[14]

Next Time
What were their lives like in Joliet?

#12for’26

February Week 1: This is another post of my 12 for ’26 project. This month I’m researching the Hork and Sievert family lines.

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[1] “Rzymskokatolickie księgi metrykalne,” (Roman Catholic Parish Records), no. 17, Saw (Schneidemühl), Holy Family, Archiwum Diecezji (http://www.archiwum.koszalin.opoka.org.pl/ksiegi_rz.html : accessed 6 Feb 2026).

[2] Email Lukasz Bielecki to Lisa S. Gorrell, 6 Feb 2026; author’s records.

[3] The baptism records are part of the “Illinois, U.S., Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Sacramental Records, 1800-1976,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62097), St. John the Baptist Church in Joliet, and will be cited in detail in the next installment.

[4] “Schneidemühl urban district,” Pommerscher Verein Freistadt (https://pommerscher.org/cpage.php?pt=68).

[5] “Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934,” imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1068/images/K_1702_080461-0218 : accessed 6 Feb 2026) > 1850-1859 > Direkt Band 003 (1 Mär 1852-1 Jul 1852) > image 191 of 246, Johanna Elise, 15 Mai 1852, W. Sievert; Staatsarchiv Hamburg.

[6] “German Genealogical Word List,” FamilySearch Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/German_Genealogical_Word_List#M : accessed 6 Feb 2026), “Maurer.”

[7] "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYM237_115-0261 : accessed 8 Feb 2026), Date > 1852 > June > 23 > Johanna Elise > image 2 of 4, Winzent Seivert; NARA RG 26, M237, Washington, DC.

[8] “Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934,” imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1068/images/K_1703_080462-0476 : accessed 6 Feb 2026) > 1850-1859 > Direkt Band 006 (15 Apr 1854-7 Dez 1854) > image 337 of 459, Elida, 15 Apr 1854, J.D. Sievert; Staatsarchiv Hamburg.

[9] "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYM237_139-0703 : accessed 6 Feb 2026) > Date > 1854 > May > 22 > Alida > image 5 of 7, Joh D. Siwart; NARA RG 26, M237, Washington, DC.

[10] “Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934,” imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1068/images/K_1703_080462-0561 : accessed 6 Feb 2026) > 1850-1859 > Direkt Band 006 (15 Apr 1854-7 Dez 1854) > image 422 of 459, Elida, 15 Apr 1854, Chr. Wienke; Staatsarchiv Hamburg.

[11] Search for Satrow at Meyers Gazetteer (https://www.meyersgaz.org/search?search=satrow&type=slM : 6 Feb 2026). Several “close” town names of “Stierow” in Mecklenburg. 

[12] "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYM237_139-0704 : accessed 6 Feb 2026) > Date > 1854 > May > 22 > Alida > image 6 of 7, Chistoph Wienne; NARA RG 26, M237, Washington, DC.

[13] “Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934,” imaged, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1068/images/K_1703_080462-0244 : accessed 6 Feb 2026) > 1850-1859 > Direkt Band 006 (15 Apr 1854-7 Dez 1854) > image 105 of 459, Elida, 15 Apr 1854, J. Freytag; Staatsarchiv Hamburg.

[14] "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7488/images/NYM237_139-0703 : accessed 6 Feb 2026) > Date > 1854 > May > 22 > Alida > image 5 of 7, Joseph Freitag; NARA RG 26, M237, Washington, DC.

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