FERMAZIN Poem

I wrote a poem about my FERMAZIN Family. I would like to share it with you.

FERMAZIN

For my Fermazin family I looked and looked
And soon on genealogy I was hooked
At last I found them in the census
And as a consensus
Their name was Fermazine, which rhymes with magazine
But in the 1880 census it was Fermotsene
Years ago was known as Vormazin
And Formazin
And became Fermazin
Which rhymes with win

They came from Schubin, Posen, Prussia
Even though one reference says Russia
In Prussia they were descendents from Alasace
Who came as farmers to take up space
In the land
That once was Poland
But now it belonged to Prussia
And was known as Posen

Daniel Formazin and Mariana Soblenska married in Posen
Who’s son Friedrich Formazin
We find him living as a single fellow in 1840 Ruhden
He has met and married Louisa Bonau
The pretty lass from Bagno

In 1840 Schubin they made their home in the village, Labischin
And were known as Vormazin
Friedrich was an einwohner
Not a schoenfaerber
Which means he didn’t own the land where he was residing
But was an inhabitant who moved around a lot to earn a living

By 1842 they are living in Florentowo
And Kwieciszewo
Of this union they had August, Henriette, Stephan, and Carolina
But it 1852 along came the cholera
It took the lives of little Henriette and Louisa
So Friedrich was alone to raise the children she left
And to say the least he was bereft

Friedrich Formazin widower of Renarzewo,
Age 31, an einwohner went off to Arnoldowo
Where he met and married Justine Brauer
Daughter of a mailman who saved the hour
They had two children, Julia Augusta and Karl of whom are shown
But maybe more that may not be known
For these ten years of his life
We haven’t found the records with this wife

But it wasn’t long until again he was alone
And Justine too was gone
Alone again in ’62
And living in Kwieciszewo

As a widower again he off and finds a new wife to combat his strife
Carolina Hartwig is that one who he spends the remainder of his life
Marriage to Carolina Hartwig adds three more to his line
Of which he now has nine

While living in Godziwy
Is born Reinhart, Bertha, and Emily

By 1877 his oldest son August is married to Ernestine Kurz and working as a master tailor
Raising children of his own, the father of four

Stephan grows up to marry Emma Kunkel and has his own three
Hedwig, Ann, and Waldemar and on their way to the USA, land of the free
Caroline of Labischin is now all grown up and of age
Of which we don’t know much about her lineage
She has stayed in Posen
To live the life she has chosen

By 1878, Carolina Hartwig Fermazin, and the children Bertha and Reinhart have left Schubinland
And are sailing on the Weiland
One year later Friedrich and his daughter Emily Amelia
Are on the ship Ohio (a)
Steaming to America

Karl and Augusta came before the others in 1872
Settled in Aurora, Illinois with whom we do not know,
But made do

Of all of them who came
Uncle Reinhart ‘twas of fame
He married thrice, and homesteaded in Lemon, South Dakota far
And found time to fight in the Spanish American War
Friedrich and Carolina were his mom and dad
For whom he was glad
August, Stephan, Henriette, Caroline, Amelia, Bertha, Augusta, and Karl were his siblings, kin
And never they drank any gin
Because for them it was beer and sauerkraut
Which was their heritage I do not doubt

Reinhart married Charlotte Wittelsbach, Otto and Frieda’s daughter
Who died one year later
In 1905 of heart failure
Soon thereafter, in the summer of 1906, we find him with his second wife, Lillian Ryland
Working as a motorman living in Chicagoland

By this time Adam Weis has swept Amelia off her feet
They settled in Aurora where they farmed wheat
JD Watkins, a fireman married Bertha
And they settled too in Aurora
Julia Augusta married Mr. Giese
And they settled in Batavia you see
Great Grandpa Karl Americanized his name to Charles Daniel
Not Nathaniel
And married Minnie Plucker who was so beautiful
And she gave him seven children, so wonderful
They were Robert August, Carl Emil, Irene Laura, and Henriette Jean
William, Harry, and Charlotte Lottie Fermazine

Robert August, my grandpapa married Mary Linden
They had three children
Lola, Robert, and Irene

Lola grew up to be a splendid lady of eighty eight years old
Irene Mabel died at two years old
Robert was a mischievous rascal but finally made it to manhood
And married Grace Lorraine who was nothing but good

They had two girls named Mary Kathryn
And Nancy Roberta Fermazin
Who now carry on the family line from Schubin

Remember for my Fermazin family I looked and looked
And soon, I found on genealogy I was hooked
At last I found them in the census
And remember as a consensus
It was Fermotsene
Which rhymed with magazine
And years ago was even known as Vormazin
And Formazin
After many years the name evolved to Fermazin
Which rhymes with Gershwin

By Nancy Fermazin

Copyright © 2008 by Nancy Fermazin Peralta von Reyn
[was published in Everton's Genealogical Helper, December 2008]