Exploring
Mathia - Pankau Connections
Prepared by Kurt Matthia and Karen Matthia
Aland, August 2004
The Mathia and Pankau families converge now and then. Both
families lived in and around the Koschneiderei.
This page explores some of the connections
between the two families.
Partial ancestry of Günter Albert Mathia (1928)
Notes: An asterisk ( * ) means born. Not all
events have been confirmed with documents.
2a-Joseph Thomas Mathia; *14 Dec
1899, Kgl. Neukirchen, Konitz, Westpreußen
3b-Anna Veronica Oellrich; *4
Feb 1872, Kgl. Neukirchen, Konitz, Westpreußen
5b-Anna Magdelena Fritz;
*16 Jul 1838, Kgl. Neukirchen, Konitz, Wprßn
1-Günter Albert Mathia; *7 Apr 1928,
Wilhelmstal, Germany
2b-Gerta Christine Sophie Hunkenschröder;
*22 Aug 1904, Essen, Germany
Research on the ancestry of Marianna
PANKAU, *ca. 1816
 Josephem
Casimirim Oelrich was born to Johannes Oelrich and Marianna
PANKAU on 7 February 1836 in Frankenhagen
(Silno), Kreis Konitz. At
this time, people from the village of Frankenhagen attended the Catholic parish in Osterwick, Kreis Konitz,
Westpreußen.
Joannem
Oelrich married Mariannam PANKAU
on 17 May 1835 in Osterwick. Their residence at the time was
Frankenhagen (Silno), Kreis Konitz, Westpreußen. We have
a copy of the marriage record from Film 715188, page 83. Marianna's
age is given as 19. Her birth should then be found between
18 May 1815 and 17 May 1816.
Despite
much research and redundant checking, the birth of Marianne
PANKAU has not been found in Frankenhagen / Osterwick.The
birth and baptismal records for Osterwick that are available
through the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, films
72314, 715188, and 1497003 (items 2-5) consist of three independent
filmings of the available Osterwick records. These films were
made from "Mikrofilme aufgenommen von Manuskripten in Berlin-Dahlem,
im Stadtarchiv Augsburg, Archiwum Panstwowym Bydgoszcz und Archiwum
Diecezji Chelminskiej w Pelplinie." On all three films,
the baptisms for the year 1816 are incomplete.
Two
PANKAU families were having children in Frankenhagen (Silno),
Kreis Konitz, at the time of Marianna's estimated birth. After
considering both families, Francisco PANKAU and Elizabeth Radken
remain the sole candidates to be the parents of Marianne
PANKAU. The other family had a different child born
early in 1816. Franciscum PANKIOG (variant of PANKAU) and
Elizabeth Radken were married on 21 Nov 1808 and shown
as living in Osterwick (not Frankenhagen). His age was listed
as 24, hers as 23. We have a copy of
the marriage record from Film 715188, page 364. So far we have
found one child in the records who born to Franciso and
Elizabeth. This child was born in Osterwick:
- Andream Franciscum PANKAU, *3 Oct 1809,
Osterwick, Film 7151888, pages 236-37.
As stated above, until we find contradictory
information, we will treat Francisco PANKAU and Elizabeth Radken
as the parents of Marianne
PANKAU. A fellow researcher from Heikendorf,
Germany, Peter
Pankau, has considered this problem and by email made
the following suggestion: "A chance to verify Marianne
PANKAU's birth year and birth town may be her death
record. If she died after 1873, the chances are good to
see her age at death, and perhaps her parents and birth
town." We don't know Marianne PANKAU's
date of death, and have not yet followed up on this idea.
Previous
research, with with we DISAGREE, shows that Francisco PANKAU
was born 24 April 1785 to Adam PANKAU and Barbara
Mellin. There are two reasons for believing that Francisco
came from a different family:
 (1) The marriage of Francisco PANKIOG
(variant of PANKAU) and Elizabeth Radken
took place 21 Nov 1808 in Osterwick, Kreis Konitz, Westpreußen.
We found it on film 715188, page 364. After Francisco's
name, the record states, "de Villa Obkaß"
(from the villiage of Obkaß). If Francisco was not
a local to Osterwick, then we would NOT expect him to be
born to a local family. Click image at right to enlarge.
(2) We carefully researched the family of
Adam PANKIOG (PANKAU) on Osterwick film #1497003
and found that his wife's name was Barbara Nelkin
(not Mellin). They were married 13 May 1782 in Osterwick
(page 326), but showed the residence of 'Ciechocin'. We
followed their marriage through the time of Franciso's
expected birth and found the following three children,
all born in Ciechocin (Deutsch Cekzin), Kreis Konitz:
- Anna Marianna, *18 Apr 1783,
Osterwick, Film 715188, page 106.
- Margaretha, *24 Apr 1785,
Osterwick, Film 715188, pages 113.
- Marianna Barbara, *27 Nov 1787,
Osterwick, Film 715188, page 122.
Since the previous research gave the date
of birth for Francisco PANKIOG (PANKAU) as the exact
date of birth for Margaretha, AND there is no record of
a Francisco PANKAU or PANKIOG being born in those years
in Osterwick, we submit that Francisco must be found
elsewhere.
The
record of the marriage of Francisco PANKIOG
(variant of PANKAU) and Elizabeth Radken
contains important information. The text in Latin and then
the important part translated to English:
- Latin: Osterwik. Tribus Bannis
3bg continuis Diebg Doricus utpote Drica 22da 23ta
et 24ta post Pentecosten premissis et nullo Impedimento
Canonico Detecto, ego Josephus Scheffs P.O. benedicti matrimonium
in facie Eclesia inter HH Franciscum Pankiog
Juvenem de Villa Obkaß et Elisabeth Radkin Virginem,
Die 21. ma 9bris habito prius eorum mutuo consensu adstantia
Testibus Augustino Pankiog Sculteto ObKaßensi et
Josepho Schreiber jurato Ostrovite.
- English: Osterwick. ... between
Franz Pankiog bachelor from the village of ObKaß
and Elisabeth Radkin a virgin on 21 November with
mutual consent. Witnesses present August Pankiog mayor
of Obkaß and Joseph Schreiber attorney from Ostrowick.
Obkaß,
Kreis Flatow, Westpreußen is today called Obkas. As the crow
flies, it is only about 11 kilometers from Osterwick, but
there was no direct road at that time. Our next step was to
find the birth records from Obkaß, and look for the birth of
a Francisco PANKIOG (PANKAU). Reference works available
at the Family History library indicate that people from the
villiage of Obkaß attended church in the larger town of Kamin
(today Kamien Krajenski) which is at least 6 kilometers in the
opposite direction of Osterwick. It was actually a shorter trip
of only 4 kilometers to the church in Görsdorf (today Ogorzeliny),
but the records show that Obkaß was assigned to the Kamin parish.
Another possibility to consider is the little village of
Obkaß Minore, which was halfway between Obkaß and Kamin. We
found the Catholic Church records for the Kamin parish births
for this period on Film 462779 at the library.
We
found only one likely candidate for Francisco PANKIOG (PANKAU)
on Film 462779. Franciscus was born to Joanni PENKAU
and Marianna Bobrowna on 2 Oct 1785. The village where
Franciscus was born is listed as Witkowo (German
Wittkau, today still Witkowo). Witkowo is 5 kilometers due west
of Kamin and about 10 kilometers from Obkaß. Thanks to help
from fellow researcher, Peter
Pankau, we must ELIMINATE Francisco PANKIOG from
consideration. Peter has written us that Francisco PANKIOG
from Witkowo died on 5 May 1786 at an age of one year
according the church records of Kamin parish.
Using
his own extensive PANKAU database, Peter
Pankau, has suggested that we instead consider Benedikt Franz
PANKAU, son of Johann PANKAU and Eva Grabowiczowna,
born 21 Mar 1784 in Obkas. Peter graciously provided us
with a extract of his database which includes 669 church ordinances
taking place in Obkaß involving the PANKAU
family from the beginning of record keeping until 1830. On reviewing
this database, we must agree that this Benedikt Franz
is the only reasonable candidate from Obkaß.
 As
of this writing (15 Aug 2004), Benedikt Franz PANKAU,
born to Johann PANKAU and Eva Grabowiczowna on
21 Mar 1784, is the most
likely candidate as Günter Albert Mathia's ancestor. We are
appreciative to Peter Pankau for providing a graphic showing
this Franz's entire family. Click on the thumbnail image
to see an enlargement.
One
more piece of evidence supports Benedict Franz PANKIOG
as the correct husband of Elisabeth Radkin. That
is the first witness at the wedding was "August Pankiog
mayor of Obkaß." The information on the Johann PANKAU
family from Obkaß shows that Johann was "Schulze."
That means mayor. It was not uncommon at that time for such
an office to be passed to the oldest son. Johann's oldest
son was Augustin PANKAU, born 7 Jan 1773. If this assumption
is right, then Franz's older brother Augustin,
now having succeeded his father as mayor of Obkaß, was the witness
at Franz's wedding.
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