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52 Ancestors: Week 12, Hermann Anton and Charlotte Maria Bernhardina (Niehoff) Leferink

Orginal post: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Hermann Anton Leferink, printer, son of Gerhard and Johanna Henrica (Stücker) Leferink, was born in Gronau (Westf.) 29 May 19061 and went missing-in-action near Bihac in present day Bosnia and Herzegovina around February 1945. He was retroactively declared deceased 31 December 1945.2 He married in Gronau (Westf.) 15 May 1932, Charlotte Maria Bernhardina Niehoff,3 daughter of Bernard Elias and Bertha Louise (Oberem) Niehoff. She was born in Gronau (Westf.) 14 April 19094 and died there 13 August 1988.5,6

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Hermann Leferink and Charlotte Niehoff, wedding.

Hermann and his wife were Catholic; they were married in the St. Antonius church 18 May 1932. They had three daughters. On 11 August 1944, Charlotte's parents transferred ownership of their home at Heerweg 44 in Gronau (Westf.) to them.7 Charlotte would reside there for the remainder of her life.

During World War II, he was stationed at various locations including Greece.8 By 25 July 1944, he was with 2. Kompanie, Feld-Ersatz Bataillon, 373. (Kroatische) Infanterie-Division. He was last recorded with them in February 1945 when they were in the vicinity of Bihac.9

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Hermann Leferink, back row, 3rd from right.
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Hermann Leferink, man with pipe.

  1. Gronau (Westf.), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Geburtsurkunde [Birth Certificate] no. 158/1906, Hermann Anton Leferink.↩

  2. Gronau (Westf.), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Beschluß [Resolution], 27 September 1973, Hermann Leferink declared deceased 31 December 1945.↩

  3. Gronau (Westf.), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Heiratsurkunde [Marriage Certificate] no. 69/1932, Hermann Anton Leferink-Charlotte Maria Bernhardina Niehoff.↩

  4. Gronau (Westf.), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Geburtsurkunde [Birth Certificate] no. 113/1909, Charlotte Maria Bernhardina Niehoff.↩

  5. Gronau (Westf.), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Sterbeurkunde [Death Certificate] no. 215/1988, Charlotte Maria Bernhardina Leferink geb. Niehoff.↩

  6. For her ancestry, see "52 Ancestors: Week 11, Niehoff Family of Gronau (Westf.)"↩

  7. Gronau (Westf.), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Urkundenrolle, no. 231/1944, transfer of ownership of Heerweg 44.↩

  8. Interview with his daughter (author's grandmother).↩

  9. Letter to cousin from DRK-Suchdienst München.↩