Sources

Family Historians
Gene Bals [Texas, USA]
Gene is a descendant of Heinrich Anton Bals [21 December 1859 - 26 January 1949]. His site focuses on the history of Henry and Elizabeth, Nebraska history, and the origins of the surname. Most of his information comes directly from the Bals-Lusebrink as he was given a document during his first visit in 1975.
There is some duplication between our sites, which I found necessary for context, but I’ll keep it to a minimum.
http://bals.info
I stumbled on Gene’s current website on 17 December 2019 and emailed him immediately. He responded the following day and a week later a binder arrived on my doorstep, which contained a printed version of his 2014 website. Gene first visited Schmerlecke and the Bals-Lusebrink in 1975 so to say he’s a wealth of knowledge is a vast understatement. We actively email information/documents back and forth and I thoroughly enjoy our collaboration.

Bettina Balz [Germany]
Bettina is a descendant of Anton Theodor Balz [05 March 1864 - 01 July 1934]. She had a genealogy/family tree styled site which compiled 1950s era family history with her own research.
I have included a link to an internet archive version of the site for those curious and/or tech savvy enough to navigate that resource.
http://www.balz.name
I found Bettina’s website a few hours before Gene’s making it my most successful research day in terms of positive hits. Her site was created on 17 November 2003, last updated on 28 March 2005, and is sadly no longer active. Bettina has old family photos which she plans on scanning and hopefully I’ll be able to post some of them.

Franz Josef Bals & Andreas Bals [Germany]
Franz Jozef and Andreas are descendants of Franz Ferdinand Joseph Balz [26 June 1855 - 03 May 1930], They, along with their wives Heidi and Julia, are the current stewards of the Bals-Lusebrink. We spent a full day [12 hours] with them during our trip in May 2025 and they were extremely gracious and welcoming. During our time together, they shared historical stories and I was able to get some pictures and video.

Franz Volker Balz [Germany]
Volker is a descendant of Anton Theodor Balz [05 March 1864 - 01 July 1934]. His genealogy research from 30 years ago not only filled a lot of voids in my research [names, dates, locations], but he had the Testaments of Theodore Balz, and Franz Ferdinand Joseph, which designate the dispersion of land and assets.
We connected via my Chapel on the Lusebrink YouTube video in October 2025 and he graciously emailed me pictures of his documents.

Publications
Kirchenbuch Microfilms, 1642-1874
As of 2025, these four rolls of microfilms have been scanned and are available to view/download as digital files via a Family Search Center and/or Affiliate library.
Film Numbers: 1052063 [1309 slides], 1052064 [874 slides], 1052065 [921 slides], 1052066 [199 slides]
https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/koha:357719

The Westphalia Division of the Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen [Former State Archives in Münster]
The Westphalia Division of the Landesarchiv Nordrhein-Westfalen holds documents covering twelve centuries of Westphalian history including extensive holdings from ecclesiastical and secular territories as well as secularized monasteries in the former Prussian province of Westphalia prior to 1815.
https://www.archive.nrw.de/en/division-westfalen-munster

Geschichtliche Nachrichten über Pfarre und Kloster Benninghausen [Historical News About the Parish and Monastery of Benninghausen]
A German-language publication from 1902 which contains historical information about the parish and monastery of Benninghausen.
Authored by Ferdinand Schelhasse. Published in Paderborn by Schöningh.
[PDF Specs: 197 pages - 56.5MB]
University of Münster Download Link

1150 Jahre Schmerlecke 883-1983
A German-language book published in 1983 by the Schmerlecke Local Historical Society to celebrate the 1150th anniversary of the Village. This book is out of print and I don’t currently possess a physical copy.

Benninghausen Beiträge zur Heimatkunde [Benninghausen Contributions to Local History]
A German-language publication from 1989 which explores the history of the Benninghausen district of Lippstadt, Germany.
Authored by Hartwig Walberg. Published by Stadt Lippstadt.
This book is out of print and I don’t currently possess a physical copy.
[PDF Specs: 194 pages - 49.1MB]

Map Guide to German Parish Registers [Vol. 40] - Kingdom of Prussia - Province of Westphalia II
An English-language publication which identifies the parish where an ancestor worshipped based on where they lived and provides the FHL microfilm number, which can then be accessed on FamilySearch.org or at a Family History Center.
Authored by Kevan Hansen. Published in 2011 by Family Roots Publishing Company.
https://familyrootspublishing.net/ [Available as hardbound, softbound, and PDF eBook]

Online Resources
The Chapel On The Lusebrink Informational Sites
https://kapelle-schmerlecke.jimdofree.com
https://pr-geseke-erwitte.de

Erwitte/Schmerlecke Sites
https://www.erwitte.de
https://www.erwitte.de/schmerlecke

Archival Sites
https://newspaperarchive.com
https://pocahontas.historyarchives.online

Genealogy Research Sites
https://www.ancestry.com
https://www.myheritage.com
https://www.familysearch.org
https://www.wikitree.com
https://www.findagrave.com