Category: Pirotte

19th c. Ancestors in Prussia, Belgium, & Baden

John Reuter (Edward John Hubert Reuter) and Pauline Pirotte (Pauline Marie Gaspard Pirotte) are my maternal great-grandparents. John was born about 1822 in Cologne (German: Köln), Prussia. Pauline was born about 18241 in Fiphelens (Dutch) (French: Fexhe-lins), Liége Belgium. They married about 1850 and had three children:

1.  Stephanie, born 1851 in Liége, Belgium

2.  Armand, born 1852 in Antwerp, Belgium

3.  Edmond, born 1857 in Karlsruhe, Baden

They emigrated to Montreal, Canada between 1853 and 1857.

I wrote the following to provide a high level backdrop for their lives vis-à-vis Prussian and Belgium history.

Continue reading “19th c. Ancestors in Prussia, Belgium, & Baden”

Reuter and Pirotte Immigration

John E. Reuter and Pauline Pirotte are my maternal great-grandparents. They emigrated from Europe to Montreal, Canada between 1853 and 1859. They immigrated to the United States of America around 1880. This is an overview of their movements.

Their Lives in Europe

I found the earliest records for my maternal great-grandparents, John Reuter (Eberhard Johann Hubert Reuter) and Pauline Pirotte (Pauline Marie Gaspard Pirotte), at the FelixArchief in Antwerp, Belgium.

– John E. Reuter arrived in Belgium on the 4th of April 1850 and lived in Liége (Walloon: Lidje; Dutch: Luik; German: Lüttich). I don’t know if Pauline Pirotte was already living there. I estimate they were married around 1850 but I do not know the location. Their daughter, Stephanie was born on the 3rd of February 1851 in Liége.

– In February of 1851 John Reuter came to Antwerp, Belgium from Liége.  (It is not clear to me if his wife and daughter came at the same time.)

– On 17 April 1852 the family of three officially changed their residence from Liége to Antwerp and John registered as a foreigner residing in Antwerp. Their second child, Armand (Armandus Joannes Hubertus Reuter), was born the 29th of May 1852 in Antwerp.

Continue reading “Reuter and Pirotte Immigration”