X7 Great Grandma Ursula ~ Little Bear

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 40 (LEAST)

I found X7 great grandma Ursula while searching for a name that meant LEAST for this week's prompt.

I found none of the names in our bramble bush actually meant least.

I then stretched to LITTLE and found the name Ursula mean's little bear, and this week's blog found a focus.

Tracking back through the lines resulted in a shift in family lore. 

We thought Chris' father's maternal line originated from the Netherlands, and were fully Dutch. 

While tracking back on this line we found 5th great grandparents were from Germany. 

We now understood why his DNA had shown a smidge more Germanic than we would have expected. 

Our current brick wall stands at Ursula's grandparents, Chris' 9th great grandparents.

Chris' 7th great grandmother via his father's maternal line is:
Ursula Dorothea Goetz
Birth 5 APR 1672 • Esslingen, Baden Wurttemberg, Germany
Death 7 SEP 1744 • Backnang, Rems-Murr-Kreis, Württemberg, Germany

and his 7th great grandfather is:
John Martin (Martin) Helmsdörffer
Birth 29 JUL 1672 • Germany, Allemagne
Death 19 OCT 1719 • Germany

In looking at Ursula's life we see that her mother (Anna Catharina nee Wildermuht) was born during the last part of the Thirty Years' War.

"Württemberg was devastated in the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48) and fell prey to French invasions from 1688 until 1693 during the War of the Grand Alliance. Yet the country enjoyed progressive government. Compulsory education was introduced in 1649. Duke Eberhard Louis (reigned 1693–1733) improved the duchy’s defenses and schools, built the celebrated Ludwigsburg Palace, and admitted Waldensian refugees from France, who introduced the textile and other industries into the duchy."   1

Esslingen has a long history.

"There is archaeological evidence that what is now the city of Esslingen was settled since the Neolithic. Traces of human settlement found at the site of the city church date back to around 1000 B.C.  .... 
Esslingen was first mentioned in 777 as Ezelinga in the last will of Abbot Fulrad from Saint-Denis (near Paris), the chaplain of Pippin and Charlemagne. He bequeathed the church sixth cell upon the river Neckar to his monastery, Saint-Denis. He also brought the bones of Saint Vitalis to Esslingen, which made it a destination for pilgrims and led to its growth."   2

As a child learning about the historical events that happened it would have been so much easier to attach to the learning had we been able to attach an ancestor who was likely there. 

Looking at this photo of X7 great grandma Ursula's hometown we have added one more to our ever growing To-Visit List.

Growing our To-Visit List on ancestor at a time!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  Württemberg. Historical state, Germany. Britannica. Retrieved October 4th 2024 from https://www.britannica.com/place/Wurttemberg

2  Esslingen am Neckar. German Culture. Retrieved October 4th 2024 from 
https://germanculture.com.ua/travel-to-germany/esslingen-am-neckar/

Sources:

Descendants of Isaac & Mary Claus Williams. Williams Family Ancestry. Retrieved October 4th 2024 from
https://www.martinosworld.com/Genealogy/Williams-Family-Tree.htm#MariaAgnes

Esslingen am Neckar. German Culture. Retrieved October 4th 2024 from
https://germanculture.com.ua/travel-to-germany/esslingen-am-neckar/

Ursula. Behind the Name. Retrieved October 4th 2024 from 
https://www.behindthename.com/name/ursula

Ursula. German Names. Retrieved October 4th 2024 from 
https://www.germannames.de/wiki/Ursula

Württemberg. Historical state, Germany. Britannica. Retrieved October 4th 2024 from https://www.britannica.com/place/Wurttemberg

Photo:

Esslingen Neckar- Stuttgart - Germany. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved October 4th 2024 from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Esslingen_Neckar-_Stuttgart_-_Germany_(8917790032).jpg

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

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