Genealogy hobbyist and weekend traveller with my husband and kiddos. Lots of German/English family in Texas and German/Polish family in Baltimore, MD. Just out to do some family research and hopefully help someone else along the way.

I have added memorials from various Baltimore area hand-written church records from the 1800s-early 1900s. The birth dates and ages at death written in the books were often approximate, and it was common to have alternate spellings of names. This is true for the death certificates, obituaries, and other records as well. Baptismal records tend to be reliable on birth dates at least.

German immigrant names commonly spelled alternate ways in English:

Carl, Karl, Charles (abbreviated Chas.)

Christine, Christina

Elisabeth, Elisabethe, Elizabeth

Emilie, Amelia

Friedrich, Frederick, Frank

Georg, George (abbreviated Geo.)

Heinrich, Henry (abbreviated Hy.)

Jakob, Jacob

Johann, Johan, John, (abbreviated Jno.)

Katharine, Katherine, Catharine, Catherine

Luise, Louise, Louisa

Margarethe, Margaretha, Margareth, Margaret

Marie, Maria, Mary

Mathilde, Matilda

Philip, Philipp, Phillip

Wilhelm, William (abbreviated Wm.)

Wilhelmine, Wilhelmina, Minna, Minnie

Geography notes: Bavaria existed as an independent kingdom from 1805 to 1918. In 1871, Bavaria joined the newly formed German Empire, established after the Franco-Prussian War. At that point, it was still technically its own kingdom within the empire. In America it was, and still is, common to refer to that area just as "Germany" so if you see birth location listed as Germany in these memorials, just take it for what it's worth. That may not be technically historically accurate, but as close as Find A Grave offers. (Similar situation for Prussia.)

Another historical technicality: Canton was not fully part of the City of Baltimore until the Maryland General Assembly approved moving the city line from East Avenue to its present location on March 19, 1918. So if you see birth or death location listed as Canton, Baltimore City, just realize that means Canton as it is today.

I get a lot of suggested edits for calculated birth years. I'm not one to deny suggestions, just know that it's possible the year could be slightly off. If something is wrong, I'm happy to have the best correct information, please send a correction!

Notes about the Mount Carmel Cemetery Records book compiled by the Maryland Genealogical Society: The date listed in the book is not the death date, it is the date of interment. This book was compiled from the original burial records, which were compiled from the original death certificates (all of which were prone to errors). There are Many spelling, date, age, and address errors in the book. There are also proven plot errors. I use this book along with other records (that also often contain errors) to form a complete picture. It is a fantastic resource, but I do not use it as a sole source of information.

Highly recommend Katherine Schober's book, Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting and/or Ernest Thode's German English Genealogical Dictionary, if you're digging into German records.