My Trails into the Past

The Genealogical Proof Standard, also known as the GPS, is the ultimate test to ensure that our genealogical conclusions are sound. [1] There are five elements that genealogists follow to ensure they have met standards. It begins with conducting reasonably exhaustive research. We research in a wide range resources, some easy to obtain, and others that are more difficult. We use the records that will most likely answer our research questions pertaining to identity, relationships, or events. Research should always begin with a research question. A sample research question might be: When was Maria Sievert, daughter of Vincent Sievert and Susanna Radunz, who lived in Joliet, Will County, Illinois, born? See how I identified Maria Sievert? She was the daughter of Vincent Sievert and Susanna Radunz. She lived in Will County, Illinois. There may be more than one Maria Sievert in Joliet, but not likely more than one who was also the daughter of Vincent and Susanna. As we gather evidence f...

This month for 12 for ’26, I am working through documents I have collected over the past 30 years concerning the Sievert and Hork families. My great-grandfather, Johan Anton Hork, married Julia Ann Sievert. This week, I am continuing the focus on the Sievert family in Joliet, Illinois. The Sievert Family in Joliet Vincent and Susanna’s first child born in America, Julia Ann, was born on 31 October 1854. It is unknown where she was baptized as the German Catholic Church’s records begin in 1855. [1] Their son, Peter, was baptized at St. John’s German Catholic Church on 5 July 1857. He was born on 29 June 1857. [2] Vincent became a naturalized citizen on 28 December 1857. [3] Their son, John was born on 23 August 1858 and baptized on 27 August as Johanes Siebert. [4] His cousin, Ana Elisabeth Feitag was born on 24 August and baptized on the same day. [5] Joseph and Henrietta Feitag were his sponsors and Vincent & “Dorothea” Siebert were Ana’s sponsors. In 1860, Vincent was ...

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...