My great grandfather Bernard Herman Mescher was baptized in the Catholic church in Neuenkirchen, Duchy of Oldenburg, in 1860. He way born on the Westendorf farm near the town of Nellinghof just north of there. His future wife, Bernardina Bloemer, was born a few miles further north in the town of Holdorf. They married in St. Clement Church in St. Bernard, Ohio, April 22, 1884 . Here are some of the Mescher ancestors I have found so far:
Great grandfather (1 of 1)
Bernard Herman Mescher (born November 15, 1860)
Great-great grandparents (2 of 2)
John Arnold Friedrich Mescher and Maria Catherina Gertrud Meyborg (m. July 26, 1853)
Great-great-great grandparents (4 of 4)
John Friedrick Mescher and Catherina Adelheid Brockman
John Bernard Meyborg and Anna Marie Ekelman
Great-great-great-great grandparents (2 of 8)
John Henry Mescher and Maria Elisabetha Knapke (m. August 28, 1783)
Great-great-great-great-great grandparents (2 of 16)
Johann Henrich Knapke and Anna Catherina von Dreele
I am still in the midst of working my way through the microfilms of the church records from Neuenkirchen. One challenge at the moment is trying to figure out which one of the four John Henry Meschers born between 1753 and 1757 is the one who married Maira Elisabetha Knapke in 1783.
My uncle Clarence Haverland married a Betty Meiners whose Meiners and Prues ancestors also came from this area. Her niece Gail Throenle and I are collaborating on tracing them.
Sr. Mary Lou Knapke, SC, has an uncle Luke who has compiled a lot of information on the Knapkes from Neuenkirchen. Beth Yunker also has connections with the Knapkes from Mercer County, Ohio.