The Bohlen Genealogy

Among the Low German speakers of Ostfriesland in northwest Germany, the surname Bohlen is a patronymic indicating a family descended from a man named Bohle. Among the Ostfriesisch Germans, "Bohle" became popular as a given name because the earlier Middle Low German word Bole had earlier been a popular nickname for male relatives, colleagues in guilds and fraternities, or even a woman's lover. Our ancestor Bohle was an Ostfriesisch German who lived about the mid-1700s. Unfortunately we know very little about him and his family. Everything we know or can infer comes from the 1788 marriage record of Bohle's daughter Gretje, as indicated here:

1. ENNE ("Enno"), parentage and ancestry unknown, born perhaps circa 1705 in Ostfriesland, in the Electorate of Hannover, in the Holy Roman Empire. Enne was an Ostfriesen German who had a son named Bohle. Nothing else is known of him, and what little we do know is derived from the 1788 marriage record of Enne's granddaughter Gretje Bohlen.

     --  BOHLE ENNEN, born circa 1730 in Ostfriesland, in the Electorate of Hannover.

2. BOHLE ENNEN, son of Enne, born perhaps circa 1730 in Ostfriesland, in the Electorate of Hannover, in the Holy Roman Empire. Nothing is known of Bohle apart from his name, the name of his father, and the name of his daughter Gretje or Gretke, all of which are derived from Gretje's 1788 marriage record.

     --  GRETJE BOHLEN, born circa 1755 in Ostfriesland, in the Electorate of Hannover.

3. GRETJE BOHLEN, daughter of Bohle Ennen, born circa 1755 in the Electorate of Hannover, died 19 June 1830 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, buried 24 June 1830 in Extum. On 9 June 1788 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, Gretje married TÖNJES ENNE JANN OLTMANNS, son of Oltmann Gerdes, born circa 1759 in Aurich, Hannover, died 17 Jan. 1839 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, buried 18 Jan. 1839 in Extum. In Lutheran church records of Ostfriesland, Tönjes is named simply as "Tönjes Oltmanns," but he must have had the middle names of "Enne Jann" because his sons Bohle and Enno had the patronymic middle names of, respectively, "Tönjes Ennen" and "Tönjes Janssen." All that we know of Gretje and Tönjes comes from the Lutheran church registers of Extum in the District of Aurich, Ostfriesland, in the Electorate of Hannover. In some of those records, Gretje's name is spelled "Gretke," but usually her name appears as "Gretje." Both versions of her name are diminutive forms of the name Margaretha or Margaret. Gretje and Tönjes are known to have had three daughters and three sons. The date of their marriage and the date of birth of their eldest child show that Gretje was about three months' pregnant when they married.

This detail from page 258 the marriage register of the Lutheran churches of Aurich District, Hannover, shows the 1788 marriage record of Tönjes Oltmanns (son of Oltmann Gerdes) and Gretje Bohlen (daughter of Bohle Ennen).

This detail from page 138 of the burial register of the Lutheran churches of Aurich District, Hannover, shows the death and burial record of Gretje Bohlen Oltmanns, wife of Tönjes Oltmanns.

The children of Gretje and Tönjes Oltmanns were:

     --  BERENDJE TÖNJES OLTMANNS, born 30 Nov. 1788 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, died 14 April 1863 in Kirchdorf, Aurich, Hannover, married Heere Harms Heeren.
     --  GRETJE TÖNJES OLTMANNS, born 23 Feb. 1791 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, married Garrelt Claassen.
     --  BOHLE TÖNJES ENNEN OLTMANNS, born 8 June 1793 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, died 13 March 1873 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, married Margaretha Catharina Friederica Janssen.
     --  GERD OLTMANNS, born 12 Oct. 1794 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, died 14 Dec. 1818 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover.
     --  ENNE TÖNJES JANSSEN OLTMANNS ("Enno"), born 31 Aug. 1797 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover.
     --  GESCHE TÖNJES OLTMANNS, born 19 March 1800 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, died 29 May 1861 in Extum, Aurich, Hannover, married Johann (or Jan) Focken Janssen.

Bohlen Genealogy Resources:

Bohle, meaning and etymology.
Bohlen, meaning and etymology.
Map of Aurich District, showing location of Extum/Haxtum in the District of Aurich, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Germany.

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