Family History Trip Part 2: Nieder Schönfeld, Altöls, Kreis Bunzlau in Nieder Schlesien — Starke, Dausel, and Dehmel Families

This is the 2nd part of our family history trip, to present-day Poland (Formerly Nieder Schlesien, Germany). We’re researching where the Starke / Dausel / Dehmel families lived in and around Nieder Schönfeld, Ober Schönfeld, Altöls, and other towns in Kreis Bunzlau, Nieder Schlesien, former Germany. These villages are now Krasnik Dolny, Krasnik Gorny, Stara Oleswia, in the Boleslawiec District, Poland.

The genealogy focus starts with my father Gene Kuhns’ “Granny Geerdts”, Bertha STARKE (Geerdts), and her mother Johanna Anna DAUSEL (Dehmel, then Starke). Bertha STARKE left Nieder Schönfeld / Kreis Bunzlau and came to Milwaukee as a teenager in the early 1890s. It was there she met and married my father’s maternal grandfather, Gustav Martin Carl GEERDTS.

This part of the research tour will also include a Czech DNA relative of my father from about 100 km east of Prague.

[For an overview of the entire family history tour and a in-depth discussion of the Kuhns / KUNZ / MARK line from Kreis Tirschenreuth, Bavaria, find it here.]

Family History Tour in Nieder Schönfeld, Kreis Bunzlau, Nieder Schlesien, Germany
(Krasnik Dolny, Boleslaweic, Poland)

After a lot of research about the Starke / Dausel / Dehmel family in one-time Nieder Schlesien, Germany (now in Boleslaweic district in SW Poland), we finally made it there. My father’s maternal grandmother, “Granny” Geerdts (aka Bertha STARKE Geerdts) was born in and lived in and around Nieder Schönfeld, Kreis Bunzlau, Nieder Schlesien, Germany. Today it’s known as Kraznik Dolny, Boleslawiec District, Poland. Towns she was connected with include Nieder Schönfeld, Neu Schönfeld, Ober Schönfeld (Krasnik Gorny), Alt Öls (Stara Oleszna), and others in that area.

Backstory and Historical Context of STARKE, DAUSEL, and DEHMEL Families in the Nieder Schönfeld and Altöls Areas of Kreis Bunzlau, Nieder Schlesien

When Bertha STARKE left Bunzlau for Wisconsin, USA in the early 1890s, she may have gone with other half-siblings or siblings, including members of the STARKE and DEHMEL families. After she left, her mother Johanna DAUSEL (Dehmel, then Starke) stayed in the area before traveling to Milwaukee to visit. She then lived in Kiel with her son Ernst Starke until she passed away and was buried in Kiel in 1911.

From the letters Johanna wrote, it appears her DAUSEL brothers stayed in the area, including in Altöls. This trip was an attempt to find their graves and more information about them.

Although there is evidence of Starke, Dausel, and Dehmel families in the Kreis Bunzlau area up to and including WW2, no specific connection has been made, nor have other relatives been found.

At the end of WW2, many people from this area of Germany fled because of the advancing Russians. Those who didn’t leave were eventually forced out in the late 1940s as part of the post-war turning over the land to the Poles. As a result, there are no native Germans left in this area. The border city of Görlitz, Germany (former DDR / East Germany) is about 40 km. west of Bunzlau / Boleslaweic. Most of the German cemetaries were destroyed or fell into disrepair. Many of the old buildings were abandoned or fell into disrepair during the Cold War era.

Family History Research in Nieder Schönfeld (Krasnik Dolny) and Altöls, Kreis Bunzlau

Because there are still German-speaking people whose parents and grandparents fled Kreis Bunzlau, we were fortunate to have some Family History research help about that area. In particular, the Facebook Group Ahnenforschung Kreis Bunzlau + Umgebung was very helpful. During our trip, group member Sascha Simon, his neighbor (and potential relative — no DNA connection yet) Bert Dausel, and others met us in Krasnik Dolny cemetary, helping us find potential Dausel ancestor places and graveyards.

Fortunately for us, they had been in the area before, which made it very easy to find and get to different sites.

Marnie’s blog about our Family History tour discusses our first full day in Krasnik Dolny (Nieder Schönfeld), especially meeting “cousin” Bert Dausel and Nieder Schlesien researcher Sascha Simon at the Lutheran Cemetary. Bert and Sascha then read the Marie Rothkirch DAUSEL (married to Gottfried DAUSEL) headstone at an old cemetary in Altöls / Stara Oleszna (the blog includes a YouTube video).

Day 7 of our family history / genealogy research trip continues with more extensive cemetary research in Altöls (Stara Oleszna, Boleslaweic District, Poland), including uncovering and taking more photos and videos of headstones from the 1700s and 1800s. Check out that blog here.

Kreis Bunzlau Ahnenforschung Auf Deutsch

Falls Sie Deutsch sprechen, und interessieren Sich für Starke, Dausel, Dehmel Familien in Kreis Bunzlau, können Sie auch bei mir anmelden: da.kuhns at gmail dot com.