Matrilineal Monday: Elisabeth Arzner

My 5th-great-grandmother Elisabeth Arzner is my earliest known ancestor in my direct maternal line. She was born about 1758. On 26 April 1787, she married Oswald Altbuez (or Albiez), a widower from Oberwihl, Waldshut, Baden, Germany. Oswald and his first wife Maria Elisabeth Lüttin had six children: Oswald (born 3 September 1774), Marzell (born 4 January 1777, died 15 January 1777), Regina (born 11 January 1778), Cornelius (born 13 September 1780), Elisabeth (born 6 November 1782), Thaddaeus (born 5 July 1784), and Fridolin (born 7 January 1787). Maria Elisabeth had died on 30 January 1787. Elisabeth gained an instant family when she married Oswald.

On 20 October 1787, Elisabeth's stepson Oswald died at age 13. But just after Christmas, there was a happier event; Elisabeth gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Ottilia, on 28 December 1787. More sad times followed a month later, when Elisabeth's stepson Fridolin died on 19 January 1788, less than a month after his first birthday. Elisabeth gave birth to her second child and first son, Anton, on 11 June 1789.

Elisabeth's next two children died young. Katharina was born on 2 March 1791 and died on 18 March 1792. Oswald was born on 10 June 1793 and died just one day later, on 11 June 1793.

Elisabeth gave birth to Maria Clara on 17 August 1794, and gave birth to my 4th-great-grandmother Maria Anna on 2 July 1796. She then had two more daughters that died young: Rosa (born 21 May 1799, died 14 December 1799) and Agatha (born 18 January 1801, died 21 January 1804). Her last child, Johann, was born on 11 July 1803.

Elisabeth's husband Oswald died on 13 April 1805. Elisabeth still had young children to take care of when she became a widow. Other than her children, I have not yet identified any of Elisabeth's relatives. I hope she had family support at this difficult time. Perhaps her older children and stepchildren helped.

Elisabeth died in Oberwihl on 26 September 1815.

Death record, Elisabeth Arzner, 26 September 1815. Staatsarchiv Freiburg L 10 Nr. 5794, Bilder 22-23. Permalink: http://www.landesarchiv-bw.de/plink/?f=5-498395-22, http://www.landesarchiv-bw.de/plink/?f=5-498395-23. Standesbücher / 1810-1870 > Waldshut; Amtsgericht > Oberwihl, Görwihl WT; Katholische Gemeinde: Sterbebuch 1810-1869 / 1810-1869.