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Birthplace in Germany
We have established that George Wenzel, was born on April 13, 1826 in
Germany, but where in Germany was he born? Various census records
give us information to narrow down the area. His 1860 Census
record states he was born in Hesse C G. His 1870 Census record
states he was born in Hesse Darmstadt. George Wenzel’s 1880 Census
record states he and his parents were born in Maine. At first one
would conclude Maine does not make sense and must be an error. However,
a careful analysis of a map of Germany reveals a city called Mainz.
From 1815 to 1871, Mainz was part of Hesse-Darmstadt.
Almost all of the Census records (1880 to 1930) for George Wenzel’s
children state their father was born in Germany. However, two
records are more revealing. The 1920 Census record for Charles F Wenzel
shows his father was born in Hesse Darmstadt. The 1920 Census
record for Joshua H. Wenzel confirms his father’s birthplace is Mainz.
This time spelled with a 'z'.
Mainz, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany
Mainz has been a busy trading center since Roman times. It is
situated on the Rhine River, just across from the mouth of the Main
River and the city of Frankfurt. The town grew on the site of the
Roman camp of Mogontiacum (founded 1st cent. B.C.). In 746 the
city was made the seat of the first German archbishop (St. Boniface).
The later archbishops acquired considerable territory around Mainz and
in Franconia, on both sides of the Main River, which they ruled as
princes of the Holy Roman Empire.
Under the rule of the archbishops-electors, Mainz flourished as a
commercial and cultural center. Johannes Gutenberg (ca.1397–1468)
lived in Mainz. He made Mainz the first printing center of Europe.
Mainz was at the center of many battles in the aftermath of the French
Revolution. The city was attacked by the French in 1792 and by the
Prussians and Austrians in 1793. It was ceded to France by two
treaties in 1797 and 1801, but then ceded to Germany in 1816 after the
fall of Napoleon. Mainz was (1873–1918) a fortress of the German
Empire. The University of Mainz was founded in 1477, was
discontinued in 1816, and was reestablished in 1946 as the Johannes
Gutenberg University.
Mainz shared the fate of many other important German cities during the
Second World War. The city was severely damaged but largely
restored and rebuilt after 1945. Some of the most important
monuments in the old inner city include the six-towered Romanesque
cathedral (consecrated 1009; restored 19th cent.); the Renaissance-style
electoral palace (17th–18th century), which houses an art gallery and a
museum of Roman and Germanic antiquities; and the Church of St. Peter
(18th century).
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