German genealogy of the Groth and Tarnow ancestors of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany

Johann Gottfried Groth "Kammerdiener und Aussehers die Gemäldegallerie und Kunstkammer" to the Duke of Mecklenburg Photo from Staatliches Museum Schwerin Building in Schwerin housing the art collections of the duke	Johann Gottfried Groth of Schwerin, Mecklenburg was great -great-great-grandfather Johann Gottfried Groth (1726-1806) was married to Margarete Elizabeth von Zweydorff, the daughter (kaufmannstochter) of Schwerin goldsmith, Johann Caspar von Zweydorff (born in Brunswick) and her mother was Sophia Dorothea Ploezky. And this is as far back in time in genealogy for this Groth line as I have gotten. Thanks to John Duke Groth and his contacts with Dr. Gero Seelig, Dept. of Paintings, Staatliches Museum, Schwerin we have learned more about our Great Great Great Grandfather, Johann Gottfried Groth. Johann Gottfried Groth was a "Aufseher über die Gemäldegallerie und Kunstkammer" to the Duke of Mecklenburg in Schwerin. His duty (or one of his duties) was to care about all the art collections of the duke, not only the one in Schwerin (picture of the building shown below at left) but also in the other palaces, residencies and houses being (at least) Ludwigslust, Güstrow, Neustadt-Glewe, Rostock, Hamburg. According to Dr. Gero Seelig of the Staatliches Museum, Schwerin, Johann Groth had the position for a number of decades. "Groth's most important work is the catalogue of the Duke's art possessions, which he published on his own expense in 1792. Obviously he would have liked the duke to come up for the printing, but the collections then were not public and the duke probably saw no point in printing a catalogue; all he needed was an inventory. Therefore the drawings were not published together with the catalogue as Groth had intended. But they are still there and show us the walls of all the gallery rooms. A descriptive catalogue of a whole gallery of the late 18th century is something rare which gives a wonderful insight into the holdings and presentation of the collection, most of the paintings Groth listed in 1792 are still in the possession of the museum The image below, in Gt Gt Gt Grandfather Johann Groth's own hand shows one of the drawings of the gallery walls.
Das Schweriner Schloss Schwerin Castle Staatliches Museum Schwerin Museum Gift Shop More about the Mecklenburg Castles Schwerin Güstrow Ludwigslust	Photo from Staatliches Museum Schwerin Johann Groth's own hand shows one of the drawings of the gallery walls

The old seal of the Duke of Mecklenburg. View Larger Map	Photo above: Castle in Schwerin the residence for the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, shown in present day. Gr.Gr.grandfather was christened in the Mecklenburg Schwerin Castle castle chapel in December 1774. The palace chapel is an architectural gem. It was built during the years 1560-1563 as the first specifically constructed protestant church in Mecklenburg. The Schwerin castle shown above incorporated parts of the 16th century building when it was remodeled in 1845-57, therefore, it did not look like this at the time of Johann Gottfried Groth. (Photo of Schwerin castle is from Mecklenburg Internet Service System MISS.)More information Schweriner Schloss Castle Wikipedia
	Photo of painting of Friedrich Emil Groth (1774-1847) of Schwerin and later Damshagen Mecklenburg. He was great-great-grandfather. He was reportedly in Field Marshall Gebhard Von Bleucher's Prussian Army that defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. General von Bleucher was a Mecklenburger. The Lutheran pastors tutored the nobility and provided school for village families, he was pastor 1808-1847 at the Damshagen parish.. Pictures of the Damshagen church are below. Friedrich Emil Groth (b. Schwerin, Meck-Schw. 9/27/1774 and d. Damshagen, Meck-Schw. 6/26/1847), baptized in the "Schlosskapel" in Schwerin Dec 28, 1774. On Nov 17, 1817 he married Louise Sophie Dorothea Meister (b. 6/8/1785 and d. 12/25/1869), daughter of brewer and grain merchant at Schwerin, (Brauers) Wilhelm Christoph Meister (born in Wittenberg, c.1709). Brother of my great-great grandfather was an "advokat" in Schwerin. Previously, the first wife of Friedrich Emil Groth was Christine Eleanore Maatzen (b3/3/1786 in Klutz d 1/29/1817 Damshagen) on Nov 11, 1808 (the year he became the pastor at Damshagen). She was the daughter of the gräflich (Count) Bothmerschen Justitiars (the daughter of Justice official for the Count Bothmer of the Family von Bothmer) Friedrich Hieronymus Maatzen. The Bothmer Castle in Klutz 'Bothmer Schloss'
(Dr Rudolph Greuer Photo) View Larger Map	(Dr Rudolph Greuer Photo)
	Photos above are of the church at Damshagen where Gr.Gr.grandfather Friedrich Emil Groth was Lutheran pastor after Napoleon was defeated. You can see more of Damshagen: Go to Damshagen 1999 photos More on the von Plessen family Damshagen Manor House 'Guthaus' and more about the Family von Plessen the nobility who held many positions of power in Germany during the time Gr.Gr.grandfather Friedrich Emil Groth was in Damshagen. Wikipedia Damshagen
To the left is Great-Great Grandfather who was a pastor at Kittendorf. He was married to Emma Tarnow. To the right is the tower of the church in Kittendorf. The pastor's family of 13 children had a French governess who taught the children French, the pastor served as tutor to the nobility and provided education for the village children. Emma Tarnow's ancestors, Paul and Johann Tarnow, were professors at University of Rostock. Back in 1624 Johann almost brought the Thirty Years War to Mecklenburg when he published an essay that the Saxon princes and theologians did not like. (We have a thick pigskin-bound book in Latin by the Tarnow professors).	(Dr Rudolph Greuer Photo) To the right is the Kittendorf church that was built in 1280, only about a hundred years after King Henry the Lion of Saxony forced the Obodrites or Wendish people of Mecklenburg to become Christian. About the Kittendorf Manor House 'Guthaus' or here of the Family von Oertzen View Larger Map Kittendorf
	Scenes of Schwerin, to the left, the Bard's church, where Clara Groth's husband, Paul Bard, was the son of the chief minister of this Cathedral (Schwerin Dom), and, to the right, another church of Schwerin,
	To the left is Emil Groth, born in 1853, he was reportedly a publisher or journalist in Rostock. To the right is Henrietta Julia Groth, born in Kittendorf, reportedly an opera singer.
	This a photo of Clara Groth Bard. Clara came to the USA from Germany and became a naturalized citizen in 1890. Clara Groth Bard lived in Detroit and had 5 children, Elizabeth -- born Jan 1891 in Illinois, age on census: 9; Paul -- born Aug 1892 in Michigan, age on census: 7; Balthasar -- born Mar 1895 in Michigan, age on census: 5; Gutta (daughter) -- born Jan 1897 in Michigan, age on census: 3; Magda -- born Mar 1899 in Michigan, age on census: 1
This photo at right taken in 1905 in Berlin of Groth kin. This is the family of grandfather's brother Hartwig. We have heard that his family progeny moved from Oranienburg to Bielefeld after 1945. In photo is Hartwig Groth, his 7 children, and Professor Adolph Groth of Nicolassee.