Friday Find: Karl Greulich’s Birth Record

While putting together a picture book for my cousin’s daughter, I found records from the church book at Haag, Germany in the online collection of the State Archive of Baden-Württemberg. My Greulich ancestors were from this village.

Here’s a close-up of the actual entry for Karl Philip Greulich’s birth record from the Haag church book.

The handwriting is difficult, but I can clearly make out his parents—Georg Philipp Greulich and wife Anna Margaretha (née Würzel). The document also names his baptismal sponsors but I’m not sure of all the names. I believe I see “Johannes Philipp Würzel” and maybe Hans Georg Würzel, too.

Karl Philipp Greulich, my 2x great grandfather, was born 13 February 1838 in Haag, Mosbach, Baden. He was the son of Georg Philipp Greulich and Anna Margaretha Würzel. Johann Georg Würzel and Anna Elisabetha Zimmerman were his maternal grandparents and Johann Adam Greulich and Maria Katharina Wilhelm, his paternal grandparents.

He immigrated to the United States in 1856 on board the barque Dorette with his sister Eva Catharina Greulich (aged 21) and half-brother Georg Jacob (aged 33). Karl was only 17 years-old. The ship arrived at New York harbor on 21 January 1856. Catharina remained in New York (state) and married. Georg continued his journey on to South America. At least that’s the family lore.

Karl anglicized his name to Charles Philip Greulich and settled in East Greenville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. On 30 November 1861, he married Susanna Krauss Wolf. After her death in 1863, he married her sister, Caroline Krauss Wolf, on 7 August 1864. In all he had fourteen children, twelve who survived to adulthood, including my great grandfather Elmer Calvin Greulich.

Charles died in East Greenville on 2 February 1904 and was buried at the New Goshenhoppen Reformed Church cemetery.

Sites like Ancestry are great, but more and more archives are putting their holdings online. They can be a goldmine for locating records on your family. If they don’t have what you need today, keep checking. You just might find a treasure.

• Category: Church, Resources
• Tag: Friday Finds, Maternal Line