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Note: on the Baltic Sea, on both banks of the Oder River. Pommern was a province of the State of Prussia until 1945. The area west of the Oder was known as Hither Pomerania (Vorpommern), and the area east of the Oder was Farther Pomerania (Hinterpommern). Hinterpommern was the area the Neeck Family were from. Hinterpommern was cleansed of its ethnic German population and given to Poland in 1945. The villages of Sabes and Marienwerder were located in the Kreis (county) of Pyritz where my grandmother Koepp (Neeck) was born in Lubtow, Pyritz, Pommern. Her father, my great-grandfather, Carl August Wilhelm Neeck, was born in Marienwerder, Pyritz, Pommern. My great grandmother was born in the village of Sabes, as were several of my great aunts and uncles.
After WWII almost all of Germany east of the Oder and Neisse Rivers was given to Poland except for the northern half of the Prussian province of East Prussia, which was taken by the Soviet Union. This included most of Pomerania. The 12 million inhabitants of eastern Germany were expelled from their homes under horrific conditions, having to leave everything behind. Close to 2 million did not survive the ordeal. It was hell on earth with heavy fighting in eastern Pomerania during the last months of WWII. There are no more Germans living there today.
In 1939, Pyritz was a city of about 11,000 people; Sabes a village of about 400 people, and Marienwerder a village of about 425 people. Following World War II and expulsion of the German inhabitants in 1945/46 and the resettling of these territories with Polish population all the cities, towns and villages are in Poland and were given Polish names. Pomerania's capital Stettin, is now Szczecin, Pyritz is now Pyrzyce, Sabes is now Zaborsko and Marienwerder is now Zaleze, L�btow is now L�biatowo, and Suckow on the "Ploenesee" or Ploene Lake, in the district of Pyritz is now Zuckow. Pommern, "The Land By The Sea" where my ancestors originated no longer exists today as it was during the 1800s when they lived there.
The village of L�btow was the tiniest of places with a total of 47 Lutherans and no Catholics. The Lutherans of L�btow traveled to Suckow on the Pl�ene to attend church and that is where their records were kept. The village of Sabes had a population of 454 Lutheran and 3 Catholics. The Lutherans attended church in Alt Prilipp and the Catholics in Stargard. L�btow was so tiny it was not included in the reference book but Suckow on the Pl�ene was. Suckow was a village and a knight's estate on the "Pl�enesee" (Pl�ene Lake) indicating that there was a river by the name of Pl�ene that emptied into a lake near the town of Suckow. After World War II these villages and towns are in Poland and the names have been changed.
Maria was christened 17 Apr 1865 in L�btow, Pyritz, Pommern, Prussia. Sponsors were Christian BERNDT in Muscherin, wife of laborer Mahlkuk born BERNDT of Dolitz, and wife of laborer Berndt born SCHRAMM of Suckow. Maria immigrated to the U.S. in 1883 at age 18 with her father and her stepmother. Maria's mother died when she was only 9 years old. It isn't known if she ever became naturalized. She was educated in Germany and could speak English. She had 8 brothers and sisters. Birth/baptism records were found in the Birth and Christening Register of Suckow, Pommern, Prussia 1824-1874, The Family History Library in Luptow-Suckow, The Luptow Evangelical Church Records and the Berlin Family History Library. Further research located birth/baptism records for the first six children of Carl and Dorothee in Alt Prilipp, Pyritz, Pommern, Preussen, Germany for the town of Sabes in the Lutheran Parish books from 1797 to 1874. Also located here was the marriage record for Carl and Dorothee, and a death record of Maria NECK, a previously unknown daughter. After the years 1861 the children's birth records were located in the Suckow Lutheran Parish Records.
On the birth/baptism records of Carl and Dorothee's children, the name of the father varied from August NECK to Carl August NECK, though the most common entry was Carl August Wilhelm NECK. For the mother a few entries were Marie BEHRNDT, but most were Dorothee Marie BEHRNDT. Eventually the spelling of the surnamed changed to BERNDT.
Amsterdam Ship Log 1883
Carl August W Neeck age 55 from Pommerania to Wisconsin Wife, Wilhelmine (Gloege) Neeck age 46 from Pommerania to Wisconsin Daughter, Maria age 18 from Pommerania to Wisconsin Daughter, Johanne Wilhelmine Caroline Neeck age 16 from Pommerania to Wisconsin Son, Franz August Neeck age 20 from Pommerania to Wisconsin Son, John Neeck age 7, Port of Departure: Bremen, Germany Ship: Amsterdam Port of Arrival: New York Arrival Date: 15 Jun 1883 The first three children are Carl August and his first wife Dorothee Marie Berndt's children. Carl August and Dorothee Marie married 3 Mar 1853. She died Nov 1874 in Germany. Carl August married his second wife Wilhelmine in 1875 in Germany. She was born Feb 1837
Marriage Record: Full name of husband....Franz Koepp Name of the father of husband....Carl Koepp Name of the mother of husband before marriage....Louisa Koepp Occupation of husband....Farmer Residence of husband....Decatur, Green County, Wisconsin Birthplace of husband....Prussia Empire Full name of wife previous to marriage....Marie Neeck Name of the father of wife....August Neeck Name of the mother of wife before marriage....Maria Berndt Birthplace of wife....Prussia Empire Time when the marriage was contracted....Jan 15, 1885 The place, town or township and county where the marriage was contracted....Decatur, Green County, Wisconsin The color of the parties....White By what ceremony contracted....Religious Names of subscribing witnesses....August Neeck,and Friederica Riese Name of person pronouncing marriage....Friederick Strobel Residence of person last named....Juda, Wisconsin Date of certificate or affidavit of marriage....Jan 15th, 1885 Date of registration....Jan 17th, 1885
Maria E. Neeck is listed in the 1900 Spring Grove Twp., Green County, WI Census: Married 15 years, living on a farm and the mother of 7 children: Ella, 13, Charles 11, Dora 10, Otto 9, Albert 6, Agnes 4, and August 2 years old.
1910 Rock Grove, Stephenson County, IL Census: Frank and Maria own a farm in Davis, Stephenson County, IL. Four children are at home.
1920 U.S. Census: Frank was retired and is 59 years old, Maria is 55 with one child at home, Alfred age 16. They bought a house in Brodhead free of mortgage and lived there until 1941 when Maria died. They were married 56 years at her death. Maria died 12 Nov 1941 at the home of her daughter, Agnes Schultz, in Magnolia Twp., Rock County, Wisconsin. Cause of death: Cerebral Hemorrhage. She is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Brodhead, Wisconsin beside her husband Franz. She was the mother of nine children.
Mrs. Maria Koepp, Brodhead, Is Dead
Brodhead--Mrs. Maria Elizabeth Koepp, 76, a resident of the Brodhead vicinity for many years, died at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Fred Schultz, Magnolia Township, Route 1, Brodhead. She had been seriously ill for five days.
Mrs. Koepp was born in Germany March 26, 1865, the daughter of August and A. Berndt Neeck, and was married to Frank Koepp in Decatur Township on Jan 15, 1885. They have since resided in the vicinity of Brodhead. Survivors are her husband, who with Mrs. Koepp has lived with the daughter since last spring; three daughters, Mrs. Ernest Riese, Janesville, Mrs. Fred Weimer Rock City, Illinois and Mrs. Fred Schultz, Brodhead; four sons, Charles Koepp, Brodhead, Otto, Davis, Illinois, August, Janesville, and Alfred Koepp, Evansville; one sister, Mrs. Herman Pinnow, Brodhead; one brother, Herman Neeck, Medford, Wisconsin, and one half-brother, John Neeck, Lewiston, Minnesota. A son, Albert, died in 1918 and a brother and two sisters also preceded her in death.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Fred Schultz home and at 2 o'clock in St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Brodhead. The Rev. Erwin Schewe will officiate and burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery.
Note: The NEECK and BERNDT Family originated from Pommern/Pomerania, which is located
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