Who was the father of Elisabeth Krebs?

Consulting vital and census records in the Bas-Rhin region for any mention of Elisabeth Krebs’ father brought two possible results. This is an evaluation of the records mentioning Elisabeth and her possible parentage.

November 1830 in Tieffenbach, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France¹ Elisabeth Krebs married François Dentel. Elisabeth was said to be born 7 January 1810 in Burbach to Jeannette Krebs which points to a birth record but no father’s name is on the record.

Elisabeth’s birth record 7 January 1810 in Burbach² gives only one parent for Elisabeth, her mother, Johanetta Krebs. However, what is said on the record raises questions. Apparently she was born in Burbach, moved away as a child and afterward had no steady place of residence. She gave birth to Elisabeth at the home of Christophel Fritsch who reported Elisabeth's birth.

Elisabeth’s death in 1880³ does not give the names of any parents. It is unclear whether the informant who may be a grandson had any knowledge of the facts.

The table below lists the children of Francois Dentel and Elisabeth Krebs⁴

Child’s Name	Event Type	Year/Town	Father’s Name	Mother’s Name
Elisabethe Dendel	Birth	1831/Tieffenbach	François Dendel	Elisabethe Krebs
Elisabeth Dentel	Death	1861/Wingen-Sur-Moder	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Christine Dentel	Birth	1834/Tieffenbach	François Dentel	Elisabeth Sandebeck
Christine Dentel	Marriage	1855/Ingwiller	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs dite Sandebeck*
Françoise Dentel	Birth	1837/Wingen-Sur-Moder	François Dentel	Elisabethe Krebs
Madelaine Dentel	Birth	1839/Wingen-Sur-Moder	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
François Dentel	Birth	1841/Ettendorf	François Dentel	Elisabethe Krebs
François Dentel	Death	1845/Wingen-Sur-Moder	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Catherine Dentel	Birth	1844/Wingen-Sur-Moder	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Catherine Dentel	Marriage	1866/Ingwiller	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Catherine Dentel	Death	1871/Ingwiller	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Sophie Dentel	Births	1846/Wingen-Sur-Moder	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Joséphine Dentel	Birth	1848/Mietesheim	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Josephine Dentel	Marriage	1869/Wingen-Sur-Moder	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Joséphine Dentel	Death	1873/Wingen-Sur-Moder	Franz Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs
Ferdinand Dentel	Birth	1850/Wingen-Sur-Moder	François Dentel	Elisabeth Krebs

*Elisabeth Sandebeck called Krebs         

As can be seen from the table Elisabeth is Krebs in records for all but one child. The marriage record for Christine proves that Elisabeth Krebs and Elisabeth Sandebeck are the same person. Unfortunately a search of Wingen-Sur-Moder and Ingwiller records have not resulted in a death record for Christine as of yet.

To further explain the use of Sandebeck we have to delve into Elisabeth’s mother, Jeannette Krebs. Some of the records that she generated help to shed further light on the use of the name.

Elisabeth Krebs married Philippe Jacques Sanderbeck in Saarwerden, Bas-Rhin, 30 March 1815⁵. Part of the document includes a statement [see below] the groom made in which he said his wife’s two children are legitimate and that he is the father of them.

Saarwerden, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, "Marriage Records (Acte de Mariage)", Volume Mariage 1815, Number 1, 30 March 1815, Marriage Record of Philippe Jaques Saderbeck and Elisabethe Krebs;  Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.

Obtaining the death for Philippe⁶ along with the marriage record of Jeannette Krebs second marriage⁷ verify that Elisabeth and Jeannette are the same person.

Further examination of records in the area of Burbach, Sarre-Union, Tieffenbach and Sarrewerden reveal no other children, Krebs or Sandebeck, born to Jeannette or Elisabeth Krebs. It is possible that the child may have been born using a different surname. However, given the fact that their marriage occurred in March and she gave birth to a child in August⁸ he may have been referring to her pregnancy as the second child.

Nothing definitive shows that Philippe Jacques Sanderbeck was the father of Elisabeth. Her use of Krebs throughout her life raises concerns as to why she did not use the Sanderbeck surname instead. The fact her mother was present at the time of Elisabeth’s marriage to François Dentel and did not state the name of the man who legitimized her daughter seems odd. The space of time between Elisabeth’s birth and their marriage is another issue but seems to not be a rare occurrence in the family. It is also possible since Jeannette was living in the house of Christophel Fritsch that he could be the father. Given all records it is apparent that further research needs to be done to determine who is the father of Elisabeth Krebs.

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1 Tieffenbach, Saverne, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, "Marriage Records (Actes de Mariage))", Volume Mariages 1830, Number 13, 23 November 1830, Marriage Record of Francois Dentel and Elisabeth Krebs; Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.^↩
2 Burbach, Saverne, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, "Birth Records (Actes de Naissance)", Volume Naissance 1810, Number 2, 7 January 1810, Birth Record of Elisabethe Krebs; Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/. Thanks to the Genealogy Translation group on facebook for the assistance of translating the document for me.^↩
3 Wingen-Sur-Moder, Saverne, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, "Death Records (sterbe urkunden register)", Volume 1880, Number 5, 13 February 1880, Death Record of Elisabeth Krebs; Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.^↩
4 Various vital records viewed online at Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.^↩
5 Saarwerden, Saverne, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, "Marriage Records (Acte de Mariage)", Volume Mariage 1815, Number 1, 30 March 1815, Marriage Record of Philippe Jaques Sanderbeck and Elisabeth Krebs; Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.^↩
6 Sarre-Union, Saverne, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, "Death Records (Actes de Décès)", Volume Décès 1824, Number 87, 11 December 1824, Death Record of Philippe Jacques Sandrebeck; Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.^↩
7 Tieffenbach, Saverne, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, "Marriage Records (Actes de Mariage)", Volume Mariages 1830, Number 7, 26 May 1830, Marriage Record of Joseph Arnold and Jeannette Krebs; Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.^↩
8 Tieffenbach, Saverne, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, "Marriage Records (Actes de Mariage)", Volume Mariages 1836, Number 2, 20 April 1836, Marriage Record of Jean Jâques Sanderbeck and Anne Uhrhan; Archives Départementales du Bas-Rhin, http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.^↩