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Black Hussars for Kaiser Wilhelm?

Black Hussars for Kaiser Wilhelm?

Posted: 26 Jan 2015 7:07PM GMT
Classification: Military
Edited: 26 Jan 2015 7:08PM GMT
Surnames: Gaul
Hello all,

I'm hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction or even tell me if I am completely off base.

Family legend goes that my great-great-grandfather (Leo F Gaul) served in the military before immigrating to the US in 1876.
All I have to go on is a faded photocopy of something that I believed was typed in the 1960s saying that he was from "Butow, 30 miles west of Danzig" and that he served in the "Black Hussans" as a "body guard" the the Kaiser

I believe that it means present day Bytow Poland (formerly West Prussia?) which is closer to 50 or 60 miles but it's alot closer than Butow, Germany.
I also think "HussaN" is incorrect and might possibly be HussaR as I have not been able to find any reference or even the word Hussan.
In my searching, I have also found groups called the Black Brunswickers, is this the same as the Totenkopf (Death's head)? and the Garde du Corps which seemed to be more the Kaiser's body guards, right?

I can't verify any of this with any family records, so my question is, is there a list or muster role or some kind of resource that might have names of Prussian service members along with vital stats that I could verify with what I do have?

Thanks for any insight that you can offer

Re: Black Hussars for Kaiser Wilhelm?

Posted: 28 Jan 2015 2:19AM GMT
Classification: Query
This post was deleted by the author on 20 Apr 2015 12:15PM GMT

Re: Black Hussars for Kaiser Wilhelm?

Posted: 28 Jan 2015 11:15AM GMT
Classification: Query
There were three Regiments of Blacks Hussars:
"Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr.5" stationed in Braunschweig (this does not fit)
"Leib-Husaren-Regiment Nr. 1" and "Leib-Husaren-Regiment "Königin Victoria von Preussen" Nr. 2", both in Danzig. Both were in the tradition of the Black Hussars with the death head from the 1700 s. I would say the "Leib-Husaren Nr. 1". May be this was translated as body guard.
There was also the "Leib-Garde-Husaren-Regiment", but in red and stationed in Potsdam. This does not fit. The Garde du Corps was a Kürassier-Regiment (heavy cavallery). This has nothing to do with hussars.
To Bütow/Butow: There is "Bütow", today Bytow. It belonged to the Provinz Pommern: 80 km = 50 english miles west from Danzig. This at least does not fit.
More in the west near Stargard in the former Kreis Saatzig there is "Butow", this is a little bit more than 30 german miles west from Danzig (one german or prussian mile is about 7500 m.).
So, the question is: did the author thought of german miles?

Re: Black Hussars for Kaiser Wilhelm?

Posted: 28 Jan 2015 9:17PM GMT
Classification: Query
Thank you for your response.
You have given me some leads to at least investigate.

The Leib Husaren Regiments at least fit with the family description of "body guard"

For Buetow/Butow/Bytow - I can find Buetow , Germany on Google maps and Bytow, Poland.
I also see a Stargard Gdanski that is 30 English miles from Danzig/Gdansk but I am unfamiliar with what you mean by "Kreis Saatzig" and don't see a Butow near Stargard Gdanski. Could you clarify a little more?
It is possible that the cousin that wrote the document in the 1960s was taking information at face value and not realized that the 'miles' his interviewees said where not English miles. He would have interviewed Leo's children that were born in the US so if their father said "30 miles" then they would not have known any different, I guess.

A lot to think about. Thank you for your help

Re: Black Hussars for Kaiser Wilhelm?

Posted: 28 Jan 2015 9:19PM GMT
Classification: Query
Thank you for the leads.
Now it appears that all I have to do is learn to speak German :)

I will have to comb through these and see if I can find something pertinent

Re: Black Hussars for Kaiser Wilhelm?

Posted: 29 Jan 2015 9:02AM GMT
Classification: Query
Sorry. I forgot that you would look to google maps and not to a historical map. And there are a lot of "Stargard". this mean only "Old castle".
The Stargard I think of is the today "Stargard Szczecinski" (Stargard in Pommern). You can find it on google maps. The Butow I think is today called "Bytowo", a small village, difficult to find on google maps, but you can. "Kreis Saatzig" is the name of the further county (=Kreis) Saatzig. There is no translation for Saatzig.
You can go the page "butow.kreis-saatzig.de". Afterwards you can switch to english language. There you will find some informations.
This Butow is only a theory, but a good one, I think. May be it is not so easy to find some church records or something similar. But it is easier than to find lists of soldiers, which are not existent or not online.
You should look for both places: Butow/Bytowo and Buetow/Bytow.
To the hussars. There is a short film on you tube. I asked for "Leib-Husaren-Regiment Nr. 1". You can see also Kaiser Wilhelm II and his eldest son, who was the commander before WW I.
It is not so easy, to find this because there are so many carneval societies called "Schwarze Husaren".

Re: Black Hussars for Kaiser Wilhelm?

Posted: 30 Jan 2015 6:46PM GMT
Classification: Query
Thank you for your thoughts.
You have given me a lot to think about and some leads to follow
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