My Elusive Cleff Ancestors
My Cleff ancestors have been hard to trace once back in Germany. From immigration records, I learned that Helena (13 years) immigrated with her two younger brothers, Walter (10 years), and Willie (8 years). It appears that the three travel unaccompanied, as there were no other passengers from Elberfeld on the ship traveling to Chicago. As I re-read my notes and reflected more on how Helena, Walter, and Willie made their way from New York to Chicago, as it doesn't appear that there were any connections between the children and other passengers, it may be that their father may have met them at Ellis Island when they arrived.
From Wilhelm Cleff's death certificate, I found that Helena's mother's maiden name was Ritz. and the family was mostly from Barmen. Barmen and Elberfeld have been incorporated into the city of Wuppertal. I contacted the Archives in Wuppertal for information about Helena's parents Otto and Helene. The Archives confirmed that the surname of Helene's mother Helene was Ritz. Not much additional information was learned, but Family Search has been busy transcribing information at a speedy pace, so it may not be long before the records of Barmen and Elberfeld are transcribed
UPDATE
After obtaining Helene's birth certificate and having it translated, her full name was Wilhelmine Juliane Helene Cleff, although, throughout her life she was know as Helene (all this time, I was spelling her name Helena). Helena was born 26 Mar 1879, in Barmen, Germany. In addition to her birth certificate, I also received her parents marriage license. Her father, Otto Cleff, was a butcher was born 24 Jun 1851 in Elberfeld Germany, and was the son of a band weaver, Ferdinand Cleff and his wife, Juliane nee Admann. Her mother, Helene Ritz was born 3 May 1856 in Barmen. She was the daughter of the shopkeeper Johann Wilhelm Ritz. Her mother's name was not provided.
My Cleff ancestors have been hard to trace once back in Germany. From immigration records, I learned that Helena (13 years) immigrated with her two younger brothers, Walter (10 years), and Willie (8 years). It appears that the three travel unaccompanied, as there were no other passengers from Elberfeld on the ship traveling to Chicago. As I re-read my notes and reflected more on how Helena, Walter, and Willie made their way from New York to Chicago, as it doesn't appear that there were any connections between the children and other passengers, it may be that their father may have met them at Ellis Island when they arrived.
From Wilhelm Cleff's death certificate, I found that Helena's mother's maiden name was Ritz. and the family was mostly from Barmen. Barmen and Elberfeld have been incorporated into the city of Wuppertal. I contacted the Archives in Wuppertal for information about Helena's parents Otto and Helene. The Archives confirmed that the surname of Helene's mother Helene was Ritz. Not much additional information was learned, but Family Search has been busy transcribing information at a speedy pace, so it may not be long before the records of Barmen and Elberfeld are transcribed
UPDATE
After obtaining Helene's birth certificate and having it translated, her full name was Wilhelmine Juliane Helene Cleff, although, throughout her life she was know as Helene (all this time, I was spelling her name Helena). Helena was born 26 Mar 1879, in Barmen, Germany. In addition to her birth certificate, I also received her parents marriage license. Her father, Otto Cleff, was a butcher was born 24 Jun 1851 in Elberfeld Germany, and was the son of a band weaver, Ferdinand Cleff and his wife, Juliane nee Admann. Her mother, Helene Ritz was born 3 May 1856 in Barmen. She was the daughter of the shopkeeper Johann Wilhelm Ritz. Her mother's name was not provided.