WEGENER
FAMILY
HISTORY
The Ancestors and Descendants
of the Rev. Gottfried J. B. Wegener
of Bremen (Germany), Brooklyn, NY,
and New Orleans, Louisiana

Wegener family reunion at St. Paul Lutheran Church
New Orleans, Louisiana (ca 1923)



Off and on over the past 60+ years, I have gathered data about Wegener family history. I created this website in order to share some of the information. Making everything available will take time, but this will be a start. Please contact me if you have any questions. Also, additions or corrections are always invited. Contact: norm.hellmers (at) gmail.com





History of G. J. Wegener and His Family
     Wegener cousins have added new material to the Wegener Family History.
     Kevin Bozant has published a 196-page book titled: Rev. G. J. Wegener: His Life and Ministry in New Orleans. Richly illustrated, it tells the story of G. J. Wegener’s life as Pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in New Orleans and the story of his family’s life in the next-door parsonage. Copies can be purchased through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rev-G-J-Wegener-Ministry/dp/1981257144/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
     Maryann Randolph Fikes is working on a comprehensive list of all the descendants of the Wegener family. An update is occasionally posted on the Wegener Genealogy Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/145198445972/





G. J. Wegener Autobiography
     Thankfully for anyone interested in the history of the Wegener family, G. J. Wegener—at the age of 82—wrote an autobiography, which he titled A Brief Story of My Life. The 48-page document can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF file here.

A Brief Story of My Life
, annotated by Norman Hellmers

     This narrative attempts to verify and expand those portions of the book that lacked the detail now possible with the luxury of time, better communications, and much improved access to records, both in Germany and the United States. The most recent version of this narrative in PDF format is available here.





Wegener Family Photographs
     Many photographs of the late Rev. G. J. Wegener and his family have been preserved. Digital copies of the pictures can be viewed and downloaded, which now includes over 200 images connected with the Wegener family. The photos can be accessed here.



Wegener Documents
     G. J. Wegener had an office on the first floor of the parsonage of St. Paul Lutheran Church. There he prepared sermons, maintained records, and wrote his autobiography. His many papers were saved and eventually donated to the Concordia Historical Institute. Scans of the documents can be accessed here.


Von Wittke Family Data
     Links to data about Julius von Wittke and his family are here.





Ancestors and Descendants
     Data on the Wegener family has been recorded using a genealogy software program known as PAF (Personal Ancestral File.) Data on the ancestors of G. J. Wegener and his two wives and his descendants can be found here. Anyone is welcome to use this data.





Sources
     Genealogical relationships and data on individuals must be supported by evidence, which is provided by a variety of sources. These include church and civil records of births, marriages, and deaths, cemetery records, obituaries, censuses, city directories, ship passenger lists, and similar records. The Wegener sources are here.