Maybe one of the most unusual questions ever asked on AFF

[I love to travel]

Am hoping a German or historian guru might be able to help. My mum would like to return to the area where she was born before she dies. She was born in Husum Germany in 1944. Despite extensive internet searching, I cannot find the exact location of where the hospital was in 1944. Anyone have any ideas how to find out because I would love to make this happen for my mum. I tried to local tourist office and was simply told they had no idea. Many thanks

 

[juddles]

Very interesting question. My advice is that you search directly with people in the area - locals. Search for historical societies, community groups, whatever that exist in Husum today - you will eventually strike someone with an interest in helping

 

[opusman]

Are you sure she was even born in a hospital? In Germany, in the middle of the war, I would have thought homebirths would have been pretty common.

 

[RooFlyer]

Unusual on AFF maybe, but very common in family history.

I'm assuming that your mother doesn't know the name of the hospital she was born in - or if she was born in a hospital, as opusman points out.

Visit (don't telephone) your local large family history society - I assume it will be the Queensland Family History Society and put the problem to them. They should have resources, or at least 'how tos' for Germany. In particular, I would think you would want your mother's birth certificate, which should name the place and/or institution of birth. You, or your mother, may be able to obtain this on-line; some places you can, others you can't. Again, the QFHS should be able to help you. They shouldn't charge for such assistance.

Secondly, Ancestry.com host a large number of 'Rootsweb mailing lists' for areas and subjects all over the world. People subscribe to them to ask questions exactly like yours and there are always very many people, family history enthusiasts, are happy to help with advice, and even local 'look ups' if the enquirer is from overseas.

To start with, you may want to join the Australian-German mailing list. Don't worry about 'dumb (or vague) questions' - its all a very friendly and helpful community. You could ask about how to get a birth certificate there too, if you want to go down that route.

Alternatively, here is a list Germany mailing lists. Choose the one geographically suited to Husum. If you are unsure, choose one you think might be right and send an e-mail to the Administrator of that List (they come up when you click on each list) and just ask which list you should join.
.
Lastly, you could visit the German consulate in Brisbane - they should be able to assist with resources in Germany, if needs be (again, maybe about a birth certificate).

Happy for you to PM me if you need particular help.

 

[I love to travel]

Thank you so much for help, its a great place to start

Unusual on AFF maybe, but very common in family history.

I'm assuming that your mother doesn't know the name of the hospital she was born in - or if she was born in a hospital, as opusman points out.

Visit (don't telephone) your local large family history society - I assume it will be the Queensland Family History Society and put the problem to them. They should have resources, or at least 'how tos' for Germany. In particular, I would think you would want your mother's birth certificate, which should name the place and/or institution of birth. You, or your mother, may be able to obtain this on-line; some places you can, others you can't. Again, the QFHS should be able to help you. They shouldn't charge for such assistance.

Secondly, Ancestry.com host a large number of 'Rootsweb mailing lists' for areas and subjects all over the world. People subscribe to them to ask questions exactly like yours and there are always very many people, family history enthusiasts, are happy to help with advice, and even local 'look ups' if the enquirer is from overseas.

To start with, you may want to join the Australian-German mailing list. Don't worry about 'dumb (or vague) questions' - its all a very friendly and helpful community. You could ask about how to get a birth certificate there too, if you want to go down that route.

Alternatively, here is a list Germany mailing lists. Choose the one geographically suited to Husum. If you are unsure, choose one you think might be right and send an e-mail to the Administrator of that List (they come up when you click on each list) and just ask which list you should join.
.
Lastly, you could visit the German consulate in Brisbane - they should be able to assist with resources in Germany, if needs be (again, maybe about a birth certificate).

Happy for you to PM me if you need particular help.

 

[Boca68]

Husum has an official website Startseite / Stadt Husum

There is a contact form, it might be worth a go?

 

[Mattg]

Husum has an official website Startseite / Stadt Husum

There is a contact form, it might be worth a go?

I'd be happy to translate a message into German for you if you do decide to contact them (or anyone else in Germany).

 

[CaptJCool]

Husum has an official website Startseite / Stadt Husum

There is a contact form, it might be worth a go?

Looks like it's literally just south of the Danish border.... seems like one of those charming colourful places where national borders swapped to/from Denmark to Prussia .....tourist offices would notoriously not really know the past....


Having done some of the go to the location in Germany where the relies lived (before the Internet existed), sometimes it is the case of getting there and discovering various buildings once you're on the ground and it helps to understand some German. (As a side-note, I discovered the family story about a particular name had been a victim of translation and that what we were told as kids was all made-up!! Sounds like that infamous Telstra ad....)


Krankenhaus is hospital but also known as Klinikum and the modern day place is Klinikum Nordfriesland - Klinikum Nordfriesland. On the city map it's right next to the old castle in the middle of the old city where there's a Beautiful flower spread in April https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husumer_Krokusblüte
So that suggests it's likely the hospital was located there....


PS A numberof other things bobbed up https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Husum_Parish,_Schleswig-Holstein,_Germany.


Brians Homepage | Rettungsdienst | Rettungswache Husum a bit of a history of the ambulance service (which of course services hospitals) led to https://www.nordfriesland.de/ led to city archives https://www.nordfriesland.de/Kreisarchiv led to
https://www.nordfriesland.de/Kultur.../Kreisarchiv/Information-für-Familienforscher


Some pictures at https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Husum?uselang=de

LASTLY, The local museum NMH. English version
Seeing it was built in 1937, someone there ought be able to track it back if all else fails ....