OSTFRIESEN-L Archives

From: Stupor Genius <>
Subject: Weert Meljes
Date: Tue, 01 Nov 2005 18:35:23 -0500

Hi all,

Does anyone on the list have the Meljes surname in their database or
books, or specifially a Weert Meljes born abt 1844?

There's a St Pauls Lutheran Church a couple miles NW of Nokomis,
Illinois in Montgomery County that was founding in the early 1870s by
Ostfriesen immigrants. They were predominantly from the Remels area but
there were many from various places in Ostfriesland and other areas of
Germany too.

Many immigrated in the 1850s and 1860s to the Madison & Macoupin county
areas, then migrated up to Montgomery & Christian County area about 1870
or so as that farmland opened up. In old newspapers, St Pauls is often
referred to as the German Lutheran Church.

In the church cemetery across the street there is a big stone for a
fellow named Weert Meljes. According to the church records, he died 11
July 1898 and was buried the 13th. Records give his age as 54 but no
details of other family, survivors or where he was from. There are no
other references to him or any other Meljes that I can find in the
church records either.

In the 1880 census there are a couple of Meljes families in Missouri
that are from Schaumburg-Lippe, and in 1900 there is one Meljes in
Wisconsin but I can't say that either is related to this mysterious
Weert fellow.

Can anyone help shed any light on this man? I'm related to him, but
he's about the last person in the cemetery that I haven't been able to
find a family for.

Is Meljes an Ostfriesen name? If not, does anyone know where it might
be from? Perhaps the same Lippe area as the other Meljes in the 1880
census?

Is he in the GTA? There is a Weert Meljes in the 1500s to 1900s
Immigration Lists Index at genealogy.com, but I don't have access to
that so can't say if it's the right one.

*Any* help with this fellow is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Darren King

This thread:

• Weert Meljes by Stupor Genius <>