Genealogy Chat

Looking at the German White Pages directory I am surprised to see that there are now 79 entries for the name Brentano spread from Munich to Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin ............ If he was born in Frankfurt then it is more than likely that he was Catholic being so close to Mainz which, I understand, was equal to the Vatican from a German point of view. No doubt you have Googled Brentano and found the wealth of information there is regarding sectors of the family in Germany especially some close to Beethoven !! In order to find the records that you require I suggest that you try and e-mail one of the following - if wrong, maybe they will help you with a further contact - Hessische Hauptstaatsarchiv - poststelle'at' hhstaw.hessen.de Hessische Stadtarchiv - poststelle'at'stad.hessen.de or write direct to the Central Catholic Church in Frankfurt-am-Maine. Explain what you are looking for and whether they are able to help and that you are willing to pay any costs they may incur - any cost will probably be small - in the region of Euros 20-30 I suggest which you can buy from most Bureaux de Change commission free. IF you write to the church then you should enclose two International Reply Coupons to cover their return postage - you can buy them at Main Post Offices.

Thanks Clive/Chris. He was born in 1769/70 and was on his grand tour of Europe allegedly. He could have sneaked in before the Act was passed. I cant find his marriage certificate on record either. Illusive until later in life.

In a way that's a pity. Illegal immigrants are far from new and Jewish records are often comprehensive. Start off with records office as recommended above. Clive

Thats interesting. Clive, his name was Joseph Mario John?? Brentano (Shown on his death certficate as Joseph Mary John Brentano). Descending at some point from the Brentano from Lake Como so I suspect he is going to be Roman Catholic. From what little research I have done so far Frankfurt (where he was born) was part of the Holy Roman Empire with Joseph II being the emperor at the time he was born,

From 1792 all foreigners arriving in England were required to register under the Aliens Act 1792 with a Justice of the Peace. Any surviving records would be with the local record office. From 1836 the Aliens Act of 1836 required aliens to sign and file certificates of arrival. These records are at Kew. Chris

if you look at http://www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/histories/jewish/origins/origins.htm#emigration you will note that the Jews settled at 'London and the major sea ports'. Hull counted as one of those. Within a few years of 1800 the industrial revolution was sucking in work people from Europe and Southern England to work in the factories and mills of the North - this was very definitely in full swing by 1833. Is this early enough for you? Clive

Do you happen to know his religion? It could make an enormous difference as to where to look and the probabilities of there being records. Clive

My gggg grandfather landed in Hull (I suspect as he lived there all his life until aged 83) but how do I find out where he came from? According to census records he was born in Frankfurt but thats all I know. Any suggestions where I can look.. Thanks