INTRODUCTION
Bernhard Mittelstedt of Australia
My curiosity about my ancestry began when the Sunday Mail (South Australia) mentioned a Josef Mittelstadt in a "Believe it or not" segment. Years later the same information appeared in Ripley's Giant Believe It or Not! (1986) and says:
"Josef Mittelstadt (1681-1793) Served in the Prussian army for 67 years, Fought in 17 wars, Married his third wife at the age of 109, And lived to be 112."Mittelstadt is similar to Mittelstedt and I wondered whether there is any connection.
I looked into my family history in the 1980s but dropped the topic when clues ran out and expense increased.
Paul Mittelstedt, a brother of my grandfather, traced the family back to 1537. His research was lost when he died around 1970. Relatives who had viewed it told me that many Mittelstedts in the 16th and 17th century were robbers and highwaymen.
At some stage the family got the title "von" but later sold the title. They had a "wappen der familie" [coat of arms] represented by "drei rote Rosen and drei goldene Aehren" [three red roses and three golden heads].
My grandfather used to say that his ancestors lived in Angern and Rogaetz. It is confirmed that my great grandfather Friedrich Heinrich Mittelstedt (1845-1906) grew up in Angern (25km north of Magdeburg) and moved to Magdeburg around 1870. In 1988 the Lutheran pastor at Angern traced the ancestry of Friedrich Heinrich back to 1650 in the church registry.
In September 2010 I returned to genealogy by checking Google-Search and then started this website.
Much Mittelstedt history introduced on this website is sparse, missing, or hearsay. Anyone able to assist with more information or correct errors can e-mail me at:
mittelstedt@adam.com.au
Varta Atlas Deutschland Europa 1981/82, page 26.
Rogaetz is in the centre of the map; Angern is the nearest town NW of Rogaetz;
Loitsche the nearest town SW of Rogaetz; Wenddorf is north of Angern
