It's A Dull Life, But Weary Or

[Guest Rick Research]

Many persons see thousands of pages of geriatric Sutterlin scribbling and say " ! How the BLEEP can you READ that stuff?"

Well...

it could be worse.

Ohhhhhhhhhh much MUCH worse!

Here is a "nice" typewritten section of the Mecklenburg Strelitz Cross for Distinction in War 2nd Class lists. Known, by its heading, as "Roll A." there are at least 5 overlapping rolls, which will have to be combined for duplications and errors.

Here are the first 19 entries:

You see, the entries above, though going on 100 years old, are pretty darned just about totally useless.

In order to have the nice exhaustively worked over value-added Krause-Lundstr?m BOOK version, ALL OF THE DATA IN RED has had to be added or corrected. The blue bit in the original is so garbled it cannot be correct and will have to be Group Checked separately:

Black = what's there. Red = what needs to be added/corrected. The pencilled roll notations ARE scanned PERFECTLY. What YOU see is exactly what I see. Persons 13, 14, and 15 remain--at this point--completely unidentifiable from what the Roll offers. Persons 5 and 6 had completely nothing for their descriptions, but Research Gnomes are able to pluck data fragments from other aethereal dimensions of existence and non-existence.

Ohhhh yeah.

Thousands and thousands and thousands of lines.

...

Yes, one DOES need to be crazy. :rolleyes:

[webr55]

My deepest sympathy!

At least, in your mines, you don't have the Balrog on your back... :cheers:

[Guest Rick Research]

Thank God these got better. I'm through the "typed neatly" 1914-15 into handwritten 1916 on Roll B.

BTW, Unknown Person #15? = Rittmeister aD LOWTZOW formerly of Hussar Rgt 15.

(Also I can correct my own typos from "korregiert" to "korrigiert." )

[arb]

The von Levetzow mentioned on page 740 of the Ehrenrangliste, who was reactived during the War and served with Armierungs-Batl. 9 , had last served with Hus. R. 12 until retiring in 1907. This Rittm., Erdmann von Levetzow, was commissioned in Drag. R. 4 in 1889, tranferred to 1. Garde Ulan. R. in 1894 and then to Hus. R. 12 in 1901. He was born 25.08.1868. Sounds like a strong candidate for your missing Rittm. a.D., as the spelling of that last name varied quite a bit.

Andy

Edited September 1, 2008 by arb

[Ed_Haynes]

It is amazing how easy it is to please the research-addicted. Others don't/won't get it (ever)! They just want their STUFF.

[Guest Rick Research]

There's a definite forensic "rush" (OK, it's a very slow and boring one, but.... ) to making a whole out of fragments. History detectives, literally.

Rittmeister aD von Lowtzow served on... Staff of the 17th Infantry Division. Never encountered his name before.

The KILLERS here are the Strelitz Tribe Von Oertzen. There are handfuls of 'em, all Hobby Cavalrymen... and MOST have no first names. Combined with that habit of just omitting the proper rank qualifiers that indicated active, reserve, retired etc...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

However, it is amazing what the Gnome Collective can turn up from our pooled resources and experience. The final product, like the proverbial sausage, SHOWS no signs of the mess and chaos from which it came. :ninja:

[922F]

Onward and Upward, EXCELSIOR! Pure research for it's own sake....furthering historical understanding. A noble tradition honored and advanced! Thank you for giving us insights into the gnomish charge.

Or as others may put it, no good deed goes unpunished!

[arb]

I look forwward to seeing the list with its many "von Oerztens", as I have worked especially hard on id'ing all 30 of the active duty officers listed in the 1914 Rangliste. I was gratified to know I was correct in all 30 first names when a few years back I exchanged letters with a member of that family seeking info on several members of his extended branch of the family tree. He even shared some particularly interesting and informative family documents which confirmed my previous work. We'll just have to wait and see if this might assist with id'ing the recipients on your roll.

[Guest Rick Research]

:Cat-Scratch: That would be an ENORMOUS help.

Here are the ones from the 1st Class Roll-- it will take months to transcribe and sort through the 2nd Classes, since those are on multiple rolls. What I need are birth and death dates to distinguish between them-- especially men with the same first names and ranks.

ADOLF von Oertzen, "Oberleutnant Inf Rgt 24"

KARL von Oertzen "Leutnant der Reserve Feldart Rgt 53"

WILHELM von Oertzen "Rittmeister und Bataillons F?hrer Landsturm Inf Rgt 17"

Almost all of them are Rittmeisters, and most were NOT active in 1914, so sorting out Reserve or Landwehr or retired... given the usual No First Names Prussian period sources is a chore within a chore unless they were fatalities during the war.

:cheers:

[arb]

Wilhelm von Oertzen, geb. 22.06.1861 Rittm. d. Res., seit Sep 1914 F?hr. d. III./Landst. Inf. R. 17.

Adolf von Oerzten, geb. 11.07.1889 Oberlt. im IR 24

Carl von Oerzten, geb. 05.11.1889, Landwirt, Lt. d. Res. d. FAR 53.

[Glenn J]

Rick,

BTW, Unknown Person #15? = Rittmeister aD LOWTZOW formerly of Hussar Rgt 15.

Rittmeister Wilhelm Konstantin Ludwig Martin v. Lowtzow (6 May 1867) Formerly a regular officer in 2 Gro?herzoglich Mecklenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 18. He went into reserve status in that regiment on 25 November 1898. From 1 July 1903 he was attached for regular service to Husaren-Regiment K?nigin Wilhelmina der Niederlande (Hannoversches) Nr. 15 where on 14 June 1904 he returned to active duty provisonally without a Patent which was duly granted on 22 April 1905. He retired on 21 July 1908 with the charakter of Rittmeister. He received a Patent as a Rittmeister a.D. on 22 May 1915 whilst serving on the staff of the 17. Infanterie-Division.

Sek. Lt.: 18.1.91

Oberleutnant d.R.: 14.9.00 D/22.4.05

char. Rittmeister: 21.7.08

Rittmeister a.D.: 22.5.15

Regards

Glenn

[arb]

Glenn,

Reading your post on v. Lowtzow makes it crystal clear that your work with the MWB has enabled you to pull together careers and the like in ways absolutely impossible previously. Such resources simple do not exist without the dedication of individuals like you. My hat's off to you for the countless hours at the copier, keyboard and the years of work and study which allow you to understand the nuances of this arcane hobby and solve many of its mysteries. Great job!

Andy

[Guest Rick Research]

MUCH appreciated Andy and Glenn! :cheers:

[Glenn J]

Andy,

thanks. It gets progessively easier the more I manage to index. Its a long slog but paying off dividends now.

Regards

Glenn