My great-grandfather, Wilhelm Karl Friedrich Christopher was born at
Gross Polzin, Kreis Greifswald, Pommern (1853-1921). His parents were
Joachim Johann Christopher, born 1817 at Menzlin, Kreis Greifswald, and
Wilhelmine Johanne Mann, born 1819 at Krien, Kreis Anklam. They married
at Schlatkow in 1843 and had six children born at Gross Polzin. The
Hamburg Passenger lists showed that Joachim and Wilhelmine and their six
children (Johann "Friedrich" 1844-1920; Maria Luise (1843-1908); Dorothea
Henriette (1847-1920); Wilhelmine Johanna (1855-1918); Karoline
Friederika (1860-1936) and eleven year old Wilhelm left Hamburg 1 August
1864 onboard the ship, "Old Dominion", bound for New York City. The
passage told over 40 days from Hamburg ! What a horrible journey it must
of been !

Joachim was the son of Jochen Johann "Gustav" Christopher and Maria
Sabina Jahnke of Ziethen (1792-1834). Unfortunately, the church books of
Ziethen, the parish church, were destroyed by fire in 1814/1815 and did
not begin again until 1818. Sadly, I would not be able to find the birth
and marriage record for Gustav and Maria Christopher or the birth of
their son, Joachim Johann. 

What could I do? I spent many hours reviewing the Kirchenbuch Duplikat
for Ziethen and other church books from Kreis Greifswald and Kreis Anklam
to fill the gaps in our family history. I spent hours studying church
book duplicates available through the Family History Library and also
enlisted the services of  Dr. Gerhard Mueller of the Univeristaet
Halle/Neustadt who extracted data from numerous Kreis Greifswald and
Anklam parishes not available through the Family History Library. 

This research located only a handful of Christopher lineages in Kreis
Greifswald and Kreis Anklam during the period 1680-1874. Here are those
extracts:

***Johann Jochen Christopher, born 1797 at Salchow, Ziethen parish, died
1822 at Menzlin. 
(Note: Gustav and Maria Christopher's first child was born at Menzlin
in 1819).

***Anna Maria Christoffer of Salchow, born about 1773, was married to
Heinrich Lembke about 1793. They had at least one child, Christian
Matthias Lembke (born about 1795 at Salchow) was a witness of the baptism
of Gustav and Maria Jahnke Christopher's child, Christian Heinrich
Christopher, at Ziethen in 1823. 

Anna Maria Friederica Christopher, born about 1768 at Salchow, married
Carl Friedrich Martienson, and Anna
died at Hohendorf, Kreis Greifswald, in 1832.

Catharina "Sophia" Christopher, born about 1770 at Salchow, married
Michael Christoph Behrend around 1790. (Unfortunately, only Catharina
Sophia is the only Christopher listed in the 1799 Liste der Koenigliche
Untertanen (Swedish census). The census seems to omit several villages
around Ziethen and Gross
Buenzow.) Sophia's husband, Michael Christoph Behrend, a native of
Hohendorf parish, died at Zarnitz, Hohendorf parish, in 1806. Sophia
remarried to Franz Steinger/Steinert at Hohendorf in 1806. She 
died at Zarnitz in 1832.

No other records in the adjoining parishes came close to matching family
connections. It is impossible to prove the connection between these
Christophers and my paternal line since primary sources no longer exist. 
However, I was provided with additional information from the Hohendorf
parish by Dr. Mueller and through corresponding with local churches:

Michael Christian Christoffer, born 1731, father *Jacob Christoffer
*Johann Joachim Christoffer, born 1734 to J. Christoffer of Seckeritz
(Hohendorf parish)
Catharina Dorothea, born 1737 to *Hans Christoffer
Christian Wilhelm Christopher, born 1742, to Christoffer (kein Vorname)
Catharina Sophia Christopher, born 1744 to Christoffer aus Hohensee
(Hohendorf parish)

*Hans Jacob Christoffer married 1730 to Anna Catharina Schmidt at
Hohendorf

*Christian Christoffel of Zemitz mit N.N. vertrauet zu Zemitz 1687. 
Children born:

Juergen Fridrich Christoffel, born 1687
Christian, born 1689
Maria Elisabeth, born 1693
*Hans Jacob Christoffel, born 1695
Isabe Regina, born 1698

Only three Christophers are listed in the Swedish Landesaufnahme:

Christian Christopher, Bauer at Zemitz in 1694
Heinrich Christopher, Kleinbauer at Seckeritz in 1694
Michael Christopher, Bauer at Zemitz in 1694

The Christophers of Hohendorf parish disappear from Hohendorf records
after the birth of Catharina Sophia Christopher in 1744. The family
reappears in Salchow around 1768. I have speculated on why they would
have moved to Salchow. The wars between Sweden and Frederick the Great
ravaged much of Northern Europe during this time and may have been a
factor in their move to Salchow.

I was told when I was a child that our original family name was
Christofferson. Over twenty years ago, I located a distant cousin, the
descendant of my great grandfather's brother, who said we couldn't
possibly be related because he was told their original family name was
Christofferson! It appears that this oral family tradition has been
handed down from father to son for over 300 years!

I have one other part of my family from the Krien, Kreis Anklam area,
that also has Swedish origins. Christoph Utes/Utesh married Catharina
Reuter about 1720 at Voelschow. Christoph is an ancestor of Johanne
Wilhelmine Mann (1819-1907), the wife of Joachim Johann Christopher
(1817-1887). Dr. Mueller wrote that the records at Voelschow and Krien
indicate he was from the village of Zyha but I have not been able to find
this village anywhere in Northern Europe.

One last request: I have been unsuccessful in tracing the line of two
sisters of Joachim Johann Christopher. Around 1845, Maria Erdmuth
Christopher married Johann Christian Ludwig Erdmann. I was only able to
find the births of three of their children at Klein Buenzow (Louisa Maria
Carolina, born 1850; Carl Ludwig Christian, born 1851; and Ludwig Carl
Johann, born 1853). I don't know if they stayed in Germany or immigrated
to the USA. The other sister, Christine Christoph/Christopher, was
listed as being in Gross Buenzow and Gross Polzin around 1840 but I could
not locate a marriage or death record. 

I apologize about the long e-mail but I have about 35 years of research
on my family that I have never shared with anyone except family members. 
I would like to make it available to relatives in Germany and here in the
USA so they don't have to spend as much time as I did putting it all
together. 
           

Cary Christopher

San Diego, California