A face from the 1860s so faded it is almost impossible to make out. I tried to save the image digitally as best as I could.
I can’t make out all the text written in faded pencil on the back of the photo, but with the help of a friendly Facebook Group we identified her as:
Marie Könnemann née Sobbe
sister of my grand... …. Sobbe
married to Mayor Könnemann in Gernrode
The Wikipedia page dedicated to Gernrode lists all their mayors, past and present. And indeed, one Friedrich Könnemann governed the town between 1876-1905!
So this faded face was the First Lady of Gernrode in Quedlinburg, Germany! She looks the part, don’t you think?
But there is not much else I find on her or her husband. According to the Wikipedia page, her husband was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Gernrode in 1907. He was a member of the parliament of Anhalt between 1886-1906. In 1905, the couple lived at 309 Gerostr. in Gernrode.
I also see that there are some documents that might be interesting for our research at the regional archives in Sachsen-Anhalt, but they are not available online and ordering a copy would cost a lot, so I will skip that unfortunately.
I see on the Wikipedia list of mayors that between 1824-1862 one Leopold Sobbe served as mayor in Gernrode. I wonder if Leopold Sobbe might have been Marie’s father? It would be only fitting that a former mayor approves his daughter’s decision to marry the mayor of the next generation.
Another file I cannot access without paying additional fees is a document from 1877 titled “The estate of Friederike née Sachse from Gernrode, the widow of mayor Leopold Sobbe”. I wonder if Friederike Sobbe née Sachse was Marie’s mother?
So I don't have much to go on for now. But I'll keep digging, maybe we get the answers. I will keep you posted!
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