I am not sure whether this should be a comment or discussion, but I will explain how I arrived at posting the parents now listed for Charles Frederich Ludwig Pagenkopf and his full siblings. I searched for years, and based my search on the possible and probable person of Caroline Pagenkopf as the mother who accompanied three brothers (Frederick, Charles and Johann) to the United States in 1839. That immigration is documented with passenger records. Caroline and the three boys remained in the United States for a period of time as they can be found in the 1840 Census in Buffalo, New York.
That the brothers returned to the Germany is evident by marriage records, census reports and immigration records. What happened to Caroline is unknown. I have a tree dedicated just to finding her and there are many Caroline Pagenkopfs, One I will elaborate on below.
What changed my mind about the parents of the brothers were records that came to light for the youngest, Johann Gottlieb Pagenkopf. A distant relative sent me a copy of a narrative that stated the name of Johann’s wife – Mary Kasten. When I entered that information in our profile for Johann, a suggestion came up for a marriage record. The name of Johann’s father was stated as Gottlieb Pagenkopf.
Then came a record of baptism for Johann, stating his birthdate which matched what our family history has had for his birthdate. This baptismal record also included his mother’s name, Catharine Sophie Lindemann.
Pomerania, Germany, Parish Register Transcripts, 1544-1883
Name: Johann Gottlieb Pagenkopf
Event Type: Baptism
Birth Date: 20. Dez 1826 (20 Dec 1826)
Baptism Date: 31. Dez 1826 (31 Dec 1826)
Baptism Parish: Zedlin (Gumtow, Groß Zapplin, Voigtshagen)
Parish as it Appears: Zedlin
Father's Name: Gottlieb Pagenkopf
Mother's Name: Catharine Sophie Lindemann
Now there is an assumption being made with this -- that Johann Gottlieb is a full brother to Frederick and Charles. Frederick was born in 1820, Charles in 1823 and Johann in 1826. I have been in contact with two people in Germany who both told me there are no records for a period of time up to 1825 in the areas stated to be birthplaces for Frederick and Charles. So, we don’t have a smoking gun for their birth records or marriage record(s) for their father that would clarify this.
Further research shows that their mother, Catharine Sophie Lindemann, had another child, Caroline Wilhelmina Pagenkopf in 1829. In 1830, their mother died. Father Gottlieb remarried, had more children and remained in Germany. One has to wonder, though, why he would allow his three oldest sons to emigrate to the United States. Their full sister died about 1836, so she was not in the picture in 1839. And, who was Caroline Pagenkopf. We know she was born about 1802, but why did she come to the United States? And, did she return to Germany?
To muddy the waters, there is a Caroline Pagenkopf documented as the mother of a Johann Gottlieb Ludwig Pagenkopf. His exact birthdate is not known, but census reports in the US have a birthyear range from 1826-1830. Place of birth Dresow, Pomerania, Germany. He emigrated to the United States in 1839/1840 and lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was married twice, had at least six children, and it appears his life was spent in Milwaukee. His father’s name was also Gottlieb.
If anyone has information that confirms or refutes what I have stated, I would appreciate being informed. Submitted 8-August-2022 for the GENI account owned by Duane Madison Pagenkopf, by his sister Donna Pagenkopf Libal
