I’m not asking for full translations, just an idea of what these documents are about and maybe a more concise direction to move towards in my research of dear Great Uncle Walfried Norrenburg. I never met him but it’s thanks to him that my life is the way it is. I cherish his hard work, that it directly impacts to this day, in such a positive way. 🕊️
Thank you!
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1ruehd6
Posted by froststomper
10 Comments
apologies, I am just realizing number 12 is in english
The first one is a diploma certifying that he finished his professional studies in welding.
The first one is a vocational certificate for metallurgy (literally “melding of metals”). The second is a poem in German. Then there is his entire CV — he worked as a driver etc in the local government. You can find more info in our online registries.
Thats a lot of history there. Born in Narva, primary school certificate ( average 😛 ). One document (last pic) lists his parents and siblings. A lot of employment history with pay, some with military. Don’t understand the german text.
You really should get high-res scans and find someone whos experienced digging through this kind of stuff.
List of documents:
– welding course certificate
– German language poem
– service history
– service history
– service history
– service history
– service history
– German language service explanation for WW2
– service explanation for 1937-1939
– English language IRO Vocational Testing Certificate
– German language clerical certificate
– English language letter to a Washington, D.C. police chief
– primary school graduation certificate
– locksmith and welding internship certificate
– German language family certificate
– family status certificate
Intriguing, IMHO the most interesting of these are from the 30s actually. There is even a part detailing his compulsory military service in 1922-1923.
wow he got out at the right time.
Do you have any more info about his journey and what happened during ww2?
certificate of a skilled worker
The owner of this certificate
based on the order
passed in front of the Vocational Skills Board of Pärnu and acquired in January 1933 the the profession of a skilled worker in the profession of melting together metals.
Pärnu March 5, 1933
chairman
members
German poem “What is life?”
Then whole overview of his work. Certificate that he worked as a locksmith
The primary school certificate from Narva is for someone named Raimund Seeder, who graduated 6 year course and got all the rights that a are granted with primary education.
Then a certificate that Norrenberg worked in Kurt Kannenberg aircraft factory from Nov 1942 to March 1945
Marriage certificate of Adele Norrenberg b 1877 marred to Ferdinand-Rudolf Norrenberg
There’s Walfrieds passort in national archive
[https://www.ra.ee/dgs/browser.php?tid=121&iid=110700875515&img=era0001_003_0003100_00005_t.jpg&tbn=1&pgn=1&prc=100&ctr=0&dgr=0&lst=2&hlx=&hly=&hlw=&hlh=&hash=19eeef12018592a3f3bc6a82d5b61702](https://www.ra.ee/dgs/browser.php?tid=121&iid=110700875515&img=era0001_003_0003100_00005_t.jpg&tbn=1&pgn=1&prc=100&ctr=0&dgr=0&lst=2&hlx=&hly=&hlw=&hlh=&hash=19eeef12018592a3f3bc6a82d5b61702)
https://preview.redd.it/wsw6xjxvb8pg1.png?width=1002&format=png&auto=webp&s=6dde796a2a09f40f9a7c9f4a97faa29645ef3620
I think the story is, that he was a Baltic German from Estonia. After Germany and USSR signed the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 Germany called all germans from Estonia and Latvia to evacuate. About 14000 people left Estonia, using the only way to escape from the Soviet invasion, many tried to even forge themselves german ancestry. The fact that he was allowed to emigrate to US shows that he had no nazi connections during the war. as the papers show worked in some factory in Germany.
Send money rich cousin
the welding course cert has funny outdated wordings. welding is named “boiling together metals” passing examination – “got even with exam”