- Gertrud is the most distand maternal ancestor known of Alex+Jamie. Her parents are unknown and probably will never be known, as the records of the church in her town of Birkelbach do not go back earlier than 1656. Immediately preceding this was the thirty years war where many records were lost.
Prior to the thirty years war, surnames were increasingly rare in this area, and, aside from the noble classes, records of women are practically non-existant
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