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Plotzmin (Plecemin), Kreis Deutsche Krone

Plotzmin (shown above) is a village associated with the Michael Remus family. Michael Remus was a miller and later freischultz in this village. This village is administratively in Kreis (county) Deutsche Krone; Lutherans attended church in Tarnowke in Kreis Flatow and Catholics attended church in Kramske in Kreis Deutsche Krone. Previously he resided with his second wife Anna Wenski in Hutte, Kreis Flatow where he managed a large estate.

Below is a picture of the old flour mill site where Michael likely worked (the mill was destroyed in the Second World War):

 

Following is a 1939 map where the mill is shown by the symbol M next to a pond:

 

Two important questions are not fully resolved:

  1. Who were the children of Michael Remus?

    2.  

    The genealogy here is rather complicated. The appendix (anhang) of Deutsch Geschlecturbuch (DGB) article on the Remus family in volume 62 lists Michael with two wives (Anna Luise Troi (shown as Anna Luise Trojan daughter of Erdmann Trojan of Bondecz) and Anna Wenski (shown as Anna Benske - she was the daughter of Christoph Wenski) but only Carl Gottlieb as a son. Note that this record lists Michael Remus as landed farmer in Bondecz prior to 1800; that village is about 50 miles south of Plotzmin. So the children of Michael Remus and Anna Luise Troi might be recorded in Bondecz. Here is the DGB entry:

    The children and grandchildren of Martin Remus of Schwente also intermarried with the Wenski and Troi families. Wenski family members were also Schultz in Schwente and Troi family members were the Schultz of nearby Schmirdau. Caspar the son of Martin was the Innkeeper in Schmirdau. So Michael's marriages linked the Remus family to the important Wenski and Troi families.

    Are there other children? After Anna Marie's death, Michael apparently had more children. We find the marriage record for Ernst Remus born in 1812 that lists Michael of Plotzmin as his father (no mother is listed). Here is that record:

    August Remus' death record (November 18, 1880 in Schonwalde, Kreis Flatow. Age 67) states that he was born in Plotzmin and his mother was Wilhelmine Brach. No father for August was listed. August was born in 1813 or possibly 1815. As I have no other Remus in Plotzmin other than Michael, I assume him to be August's father.

    Since WWFB does not list either Ernst or August Remus, I assume that August's mother, Wilhelmine gebornen (nee) Brach, is Michael's third wife and the mother of both Ernst and August.

    So when Michael dies probably around 1815, Michael's brother-in-law Martin Wenski raises Michael Remus and Anna Marie Wenski's three boys; all were millers. Willhelmine Brach and her family raise Michael and Wilhelmine's babies Ernst and August; Ernst was a miller and August a blacksmith. Their professions were important in those times.

     

  2. Who were Michael Remus' parents?

I initially thought Franz Remus of Stretzin was Michael's father. My logic was Franz's wife was probably a Klawitter and the Klawitter's claimed that they were the Schultz of Plotzmin. Hence Michael could have been Schultz and miller by virtue of his mother's family. However, I have never been able to document that she was a Klawitter. Nor did I find evidence confirming Klawitter management of the village. Nor did I find a record of Franz having a son named Michael.

I now believe that Michael is the son of Caspar Remus, innkeeper (kruger) of Schmirdau. Here are the supporting reasons.

  1. Caspar had a son named Michael who was about the right age. WWFB provides 1758 as an estimate for Michael's age (probably based on the now destroyed record of his 1796 marriage to Anna Wenski) and Caspar's son Michael was born in Schmirdau on 3 September 1752. Five years difference between Michael's self reported age at marriage but this is better than my previous choice Franz Remus of Stretzin where there is no birth record for any Michael.

  2. Kruger Caspar Remus had money so could help Michael gain a good career as a miller and good marriages.

  3. Michael's first wife was Anna Luise Troi. Her family included Schultz Troi of Michael's birth village Schmirdau. So Michael's first marriage was between the two highest ranking families in the village. The marriage took place in Bondez where there were also Remus family members closely related to Caspar Remus.

  4. Michael's second wife Anne Marie Wenski's family was co-Schultz in the village of Schwente with Michael's grandfather Martin Remus. So these families were well connected already.

Sorry for all the foregoing complexity but I had to make my assumptions clear.

 

Click here for the genealogy of the Remus family listing Michael Remus as the head of the 6th family. I have set up August Remus and his mother in a separate file. Click here for this family and its many descendents in Minnesota and the Chicago area. For more about the August Remus family email "Rhoda Mackenzie" <hbmack@comcast.net>

 

The Carl Gottlieb Remus family settled in Irowroclaw, Ernst Remus family settled near Vandsburg, and Johan Michael and Franz Wilhelm Remus families settled near and in Krojanke, Kreis Flatow. August Remus was a blacksmith and plied his trade on the estates of Kreis Wirsitz like Weisenthal (Skoraczewo).

 

John Rendfrey also has connections to this village through his ancestor Andreas Ruhnow. Click here for more details.

 

Click here to see an 1806 Map with Plotzmin at the left edge.

Click here to see an 1914 Map with Plotzmin at the center.

Click here to go to other West Prussia Villages.

 

Please send any queries to Bill Remus at

Remus@hawaii.edu

April 8, 2010