Veronika Jochum Fritz’s Probate

In my Children of Austria posting, I listed out the siblings of my third great grandfather, Benedict Fritz, from a book profiling the residents of Wapello County, Iowa. The biography had incorrect information (such as stating Benedict was from Tyrol rather than Lech, Austria), and mysteries (mentioning Benedict was one of seven children, but only naming five and mentioning a sixth).

Recently, I found an index of probates from the Land Vorarlberg web site, which provides a more accurate look into the family’s names.

I learned from my distant cousin Bruno Fritz in Austria that Benedict was born in Lech, Austria, rather than in Tyrol.

According to Wikipedia on Lech,

Lech am Arlberg (1,444m) is a mountain village (population: 1635, 30 June 2010) and an exclusive ski resort in the Bludenz district of Vorarlberg, in western Austria, on the banks of the river Lech.

And Wikipedia on Vorarlberg,

Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal state (Land) of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area (Vienna is the smallest) and population (Burgenland is less populated), it borders three countries: Germany (Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg via Lake Constance), Switzerland (Graubünden and St. Gallen) and Liechtenstein. The only Austrian federal state that shares a border with Vorarlberg is Tyrol to the east.

This gives a bit of background on the relation between the probate of Benedict’s mother and its being found on the Land Vorarlberg web site’s probate index.

The electronic probate document I viewed was dated July 31st, 2012. The following information was included: