Karolina "Lina" Gertrud GUTBERLET

Karolina's last name -- Gutberlet -- is sometimes spelled Gutberlett (with two "t's"), although it should be noted that records from the 18th and 19th centuries are riddled with variations in spelling. Different, yet equally credible sources, list different birth dates for Karolina. Family records and her tombstone list it as May 1, 1836; the church records of St. Mary's in Borgholz list it as Mar 1, 1836. I believe the May date is correct, and that somewhere in the church records (or their transcription) "May" became "Mar." Although we do not know much about Karolina, family records trace her ancestry back to the early 1700's (see Gutberlet Ancestral information). In fact, a fair amount of genealogy was collected by many of our German ancestors because of a very dark spot in history: Adolph Hitler. Families had to prove their pureblood Aryan heritage, and genealogy was their tool. Karolina was one of (at least) seven children. Her siblings included: Philipp (born November 24, 1828); Maria Katharina (born August 29, 1830); Marie Elizabeth (born February 13, 1833); Hermann (born March 11, 1841); Anna Augusta (October 21, 1844); and Theodore Philipp (March 3, 1847). Three of Karolina's siblings died in childhood: Philipp at the age of 9, plus Marie Elizabeth and Hermann, both at the age of 3. Before marrying, Karolina was the schoolmistress of Borgholz (the town had only one teacher). Schoolteachers at the time were required to remain unmarried. When Karolina asked the mayor for a raise in salary, he refused. Karolina's response was "Then I will marry!" ... and she carried out her threat by marrying Franz Potthast. In September 1997, while John Geppi and Ted Potthast Jr. were strolling in the garden behind the old Potthast house in Borgholz, they found, standing against the wall, the tombstone of Karolina. It read: "Caroline Potthast, geb. Gutberlet May 1, 1836 - August 4, 1904." They asked cousin Joseph about the headstone for Franz Potthast. Joseph took them to his woodshed. He said it was underneath some lumber, but John and Ted didn't have time to move the lumber in order to find it. The birth and/or christening records for some (but not all) of Franz and Lina's children were found in the LDS Family Search database. Those found include: Franz Joseph, Anna Florentine, Wilhelm Albert, Maria Theresia, Adolph Vincenz, Karl Gustav, Johann Anton and Anna Maria. Those not found include Josephine and Theodore. However, that particular set of LDS records only goes through 1874; Josephine & Franz were both born later than that (1875 and 1877, respectively), which explains their omission. It is interesting to note that family records indicate that Karolina died on the same day as her husband (August 4,1904); this would generally imply some type of catastrophic event, although I have not been able to find documentation of such an event. The death date of Karolina is better documented (her tombstone) than the death date of Franz; if they did not die on the same day, the error most likely lies in the death date for Franz.

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