u/nuget93

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to track down records related to my grandfather and his family from East Prussia, and I’ve hit a wall. I’d really appreciate any help or guidance on where else to look or how to interpret the little I’ve found.

Known information:

• Grandfather: Walter Bernikow
  • Born: April 8, 1932
  • Birthplace: Groß Grieben, Osterode, Ostpreußen (modern-day Grzybiny, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Poland) formerly Prussia
  • Source: 1953 German passport
  • Religion: Baptized Lutheran as an infant
• Mother: Auguste Bernikow (possibly maiden name Zevewsky or similar spelling)
  • Born: March 13, 1898 (location unknown, obituary says East Prussia)
  • Baptized Lutheran as an infant
• Parents’ marriage:
  • Auguste married John (maybe Johann of johannas?) Bernikow in 1931 according to her obituary (location unknown)

What I’ve found so far:

• According to Kartenmeister, Groß Grieben’s civil registry and Lutheran parish were in Rauschken (modern Ruszkowo): http://www.kartenmeister.com/preview/City.asp?CitNum=21023
• I’ve searched Ancestry, familysearch, and any other recomended place I can find for records but haven’t found anything for Walter’s birth (1932), Augeste's birth (1898), or the parents’ marriage (1931).
• I did find a record that might be relevant: https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/de/jednostka/-/jednostka/15930519 This appears to be a 1936 death record for an infant named Kurt Bernikow, which matches family knowledge that Walter had a younger brother Kurt who died as a baby. However, the father’s name in the record according to r/Kurrent is “Iwan Bernikow”, which is confusing since I expected Johann/John.
• According to family lore both Walters grandfathers were killed in war, and it is known that his father was also KIA or MIA

Questions:

1. Does anyone have experience with records from Rauschken / Osterode district in the early 1930s? Are there complete gaps or missing years? I tried to get Walter's birth certificate via Standesamt 1 in Berlin and they informed me "The certificate I requested is not possible. Many civil registries were destroyed due to war. To our knowledge the Berlin State Archived also does not have the relevant documents."
2. Could “Iwan” realistically be used interchangeably with Johann/John in this region (possibly due to Russian/Slavic influence)? Research seems to indicate it is a Slavic version of John.
3. Where else might Lutheran baptism records from this area/time be held (if not in the standard Polish archives)?
4. Any tips for tracking down the 1931 marriage or confirming the mother’s maiden name (Zevewsky?)
5. Are there alternate spellings or indexing quirks I should be trying

I’m especially interested in:

• Birth/baptism/melderegister record for Walter (1932)
• Marriage record (1931)
• Any confirmation that the 1936 Kurt Bernikow record is the correct family

Thanks in advance—any help or direction would mean a lot!