THE KARL FERDINAND & ANNA (LIPKE) PETRAT FAMILY

Our family story begins with the Karl Ferdinand Petrat family.  Here are some comments from his grandson, Jim Petrat.

"Karl Petrat was born in Kovno, Russia, of German descent. I remember the Minister at his funeral commenting on his proud stature, similar to a proud Prussian Army General. He did have an air of dignity. He was a Minister, and had his own church in the old country. I think Pa told me the Bolsheviks forced him to shut it down. War broke out between White Russia (Prussia) and The Bolsheviks not too long after that.

The Bolsheviks won the war, and Prussia ceased to exist, it was swallowed up by Lithuania and Poland. The borders between those two countries kept changing. Not to long after that, they came to this country. So Grandpa made the right decision to bring his family here. The movie "Doctor Zhivago" is centered around that location, that time period and that war. It is one of my favorites.

For a short time Karl had a small church in Detroit. He would visit us every so often, always on a Sunday. He would always be dressed in a suit, crisp white shirt and tie. He would always hug and kiss Pa when he arrived and again when he would leave. He would make the rounds and visit all of his children. His first wife Anna, my Grandmother, died in a car accident in Paw Paw, Michigan, around 1950. Years later he remarried." - James Petrat

Anna & Karl Petrat had three more children that are not in this photo, Lydia, born in Europe, Helmuth and Lillian, born in the United States.

Here's a little more information about Karl Petrat from his granddaughter, Marianne.

"After reading what my Brother Jim said about our grandfather I remembered a story from his visits with our family on Colgate street. He was probably in his early eighties. Well, the road was a dirt road and there were ditches and we were all surprised that he could jump over the ditch. He drove a baby blue Nash. He lived to be about 94 and I remember the suit and crisp white shirt too. Anyway, after his wife, Anna died, Karl stayed unmarried for a while. I don't know how long. Then he meet another woman and had a family meeting to introduce her to the family and ask their approval to get married. They all said no but he married her anyway." - Marianne Farina

Taken nearly 100 years ago, this photograph, (above), of the Karl F. Petrat family, is our oldest family photo, (that we know of). It was taken in Kovno, Lithuania, (now the city of Kaunus-see map below), in the Summer of 1905. It had always been our understanding that the family traveled to the United States, (or possibly Canada), shortly after this photo was taken. In 2003 I received a letter from Esther Knopf, daughter of Anna, (the little girl shown in the photo), explaining how and when the family actually arrived here. Here's an excerpt from her letter.

"In 1908 Karl packed the whole gang up, (4 little boys, Anna and baby Lydia), boarded a freighter, which took passengers but not very deluxe, and landed in Baltimore, I think. From there they traveled to Elmhurst, Illinois where his sister and her family lived. They lived there for about 2 years, I think, and the kids that were old enough went to school. I'm not sure if Helmuth was born in Elmnhurst." - Esther Knopf

Based on this information, I discontinued my search for the Petrat gangs' arrival at the Ellis Island web site! I ordered and viewed a U.S. National Archive microfilm of passenger arrival lists through Baltimore and found the passenger records for Karl, Anna and their children. They traveled from the Port of Bremen, Germany to Baltimore, Maryland US arriving on May 18, 1907. I have copies of the passenger records for the family posted here for everyone to see as well as photos and a history of the SS Breslau, the ship they traveled on.

So, Esther was close when she stated it was 1908, and that they arrived in Baltimore. This small bit of information was enough to point me in the right direction and after many years of searching, locate the family immigration records. Thank you Esther. I may have continued looking for months and months in all the wrong places without your help.

GEOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING... WHERE THEY CAME FROM

I save my extra special National Geographic Magazines. My Uncle Jim and I had just started talking occasionally about the family history when I saw this map in the November 1990 issue. I thought it might be worth keeping. If my Uncle Jim's recollections are correct, Prussia, would have been a part of Lithuania and Poland. The boundaries shown in the 1938 map, are the new boundaries created as a result of the Bolshevik war. Only East Prussia is shown on the map below. However, this map will give you a general idea as to the part of the world where Karl Petrat was born.

Another interesting point: Aunt Marianne knows that all the Petrat boys, (in the photo above), were named after German generals. As Uncle Jim said, "Karl Petrat was born in Prussia, of German descent." That explains that pretty well! In fact, according to an old map I have, from the Netherlands northeast to Memel, and South to the borders of Switzerland and Austria, then west almost to Warsaw, was all Prussia. This area made up what was considered the North German Confederation and The South German states, which from 1871-1919 was known as the German Empire. Hence, the German decent of Karl Petrat!

I will continue my search for a better map that shows Prussia as it was at the time this photograph was taken.  More research is needed! For now, here's the text and the1938 map from National Geographic of the Baltics.

"The Baltics-1938. On the eve of war, the Baltics had been free for 20 years. After World War II East Prussia, a remnant of 19th-century Germany, was split between Poland and the U.S.S.R. The latter part became the Kaliningrad oblast of the Russian Republic."

Map provided by National Geographic Magazine - November 1990

If you would like to read more about Prussia and the German Empire, here are some links from Jimmy Petrat.

Now that you have a general idea regarding what part of the world the Petrats came from, let's move on.

Our family journey will begin in 1905, with our focus on Alfred Erick Petrat's family, my Grandfather. Alfred Erick is the youngest member of the family, and he is seated on his Mother's lap. To see Erick and his family, click on his picture or the link above.

I am hoping for many contributions from our family members. I cannot do this alone since the information I have is limited. Our story cannot be told without the shared experiences of each individual. Your stories and photographs are all important pieces in the documentation of our history. Think of our web site as a 21st century, electronic age, family tree! With your stories, photos and recipes, it will become much more than a family tree!

Patricia (Trish) Petrat

Are you a Petrat?

If you think you're related to one of the Petrats in the photo above, or if you have information to share about one of them, send an e-mail. We'd like to hear from you.

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This page was last updated on 11/19/08