Mathia - Matthia Family Organization

Benefits

 * Receive assistance in identifying and documenting your Mathia - Matthia ancestors.
 * Share in the rich history and heritage of the Mathia - Matthia Family.
 * Maintain contact with other living family members.

History

 * This organization has arisen spontaneously as the Internet and social media networking has made it possible.

Current Projects

 * Maximize exposure and coverage using social media websites. Example: Facebook Mathia - Matthia Family Connections Group
 * Continue extending and documenting Mathia - Matthia ancestry and descendancy lines. Example: Mathia - Matthia Family genealogical database
 * Enrich Mathia - Matthia histories. Example: Memories of Lucia Mathia born Schulz written in 1977

Past Projects

 * Establish a credible and documented genealogy of the Mathia - Matthia Family branches.
 * Make research trips to Mathia - Matthia homelands.
 * Establish the Mathia - Matthia Family website.

Mathia - Matthia Family Branches
So far we have identified two main branches of the family. The first of these originates in what is today Poland and formerly was Prussia, or the German Empire. The second originates in the Bas Rhin area of Alsace-Lorraine France. If the name "Mathia" or "Matthia" originated with the Germanic tribal name as suggested by Günter Mathia of Haunsheim, then there should be a genetic or DNA connection between the two branches. Some male members of the families from both branches have provided genetic samples, but it will take a large number of samples before any conclusions can be reached. Genetic DNA testing can be purchased or, under certain limitations, can be obtained for free. We encourage all male members of the family to have a Y-Chromosome test to move this investigation of origins along.

The Polish-Prussian Branch of the Family
The earliest occurances of the Mathia - Matthia Familiy in Poland are in the area near Tuchola, in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. In the earliest church records of there are three men who we call "patriarchs" in the village of Żalno, northwest of Tuchola. They were Joann (birth estimated 1634), Stephan (birth estimated 1735), and Franz (birth estimated 1729). These men could have been brothers, but we have not yet found records of their births. There are earlier occurences of the Mathia name in the Tuchel area, but no direct connections have yet been possible. Since many or most of the Mathia-Matthia family members (of the Polish-Prussian Branch) actively doing research are descended from one of these three, there is less information about possible descendants of the others in the area.

The Bas Rhin (Alsace-Lorraine, France) Branch of the Family
We invite a researcher from the Bas Rhin branch to work on this section.

Research Standards
In any effort as large as this, methods and standards must be used to create something of value for the generations to come. When we receive new information, we do our best to assure accuracy before publishing it here at the website. We seek to identify and confirm a valid source for each entry.