Census 1880 - He is living in Carrolton Twsp, Fillmore Co., MN -Occupation : farmer
listed with his family is Emile Joseph, age 17, farm hand, born - Germany, both parents born - GermanyThe Adam Zimmerman Story
2 Jun 1837 Sebringville, Ontario, Canada – 3 Apr 1899 Canby, Oregon, USA
5 February 2005
Dear ChildrenTonight I will tell you about one of your great-great-great grandfathers. Even though he is our direct ancestor, I know less about him than I do about some of his brothers because nobody wrote too much about Adam. But here is his story as much as I have been able to uncover.
Adam Zimmerman was born in Sebringville, Stratford, Ontario, Canada, 2 June 1837, the second child of Christian and Elizabeth Knoll Zimmerman, both immigrants from Altheim, Darmstadt, Hesse (now Germany.) Adam and Katherine Zimmerman, his next younger sibling, went to Minnesota in or before 1858.
Why did Adam go to Minnesota, and why did he take his sister with him? During my research for this story I have discovered a number of families in the Preston, Minnesota area that migrated from near Sebringville, Canada to Fillmore County, Minnesota. Some of their names are Krause, Krusp, Reihl. We have heard some of those names when we learned about Adam's brothers in the last story. A Krusp family that came to Fillmore County recorded the following route (from memories of a Krusp grandson found on Ancestry.com):
1. They drove a team and wagon to Port Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
2. They sold the team and wagon.
3. They crossed the St Clair river via ferry to Port Huron, Michigan.
4. From there, they took a train to Chicago, Illinois and on to LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
5. They took a steamboat to Winona, Minnesota.
6. They took a train to St. Charles, Minnesota
7. The final leg was a stage to Preston, Minnesota
Adam and Katherine very likely took this same route. Though we don't know exactly why they decided to move to Minnesota, we do know there was stress in the Canada family after the father died and the oldest son, Henry, was running the farm. Annie Marie Zimmerman Nelson wrote:"At the time of grandfather's death the older boys (Henry and Adam) were fourteen and thirteen, and my father (Philip) who was the youngest was only five or six months old. Very sad and lonely hours followed the breaking up of the once so happy home. The church formed a council of which a man by the name of John Kastner was one of the leading men. The council decided that most of the property should go to the oldest boy, Henry, which was an English custom, and that the other
boys should help Henry until they were sixteen, and go to school six months out of every year. But Henry was too youthful to understand and manage the family affairs properly..."Henry was actually 16 the year his father died and Adam was turning 14, but hardly the ages that boys would be expected to have a lot of business sense. Since the farm was given to Henry, perhaps Adam was resentful. During that decade people were flooding into Fillmore County, Minnesota. Adam had no doubt heard of the opportunities there from other westward moving German neighbors. We don't really know the details. But he and Katherine went together and there they met the Hopp family.
The Hopps were a large family that had immigrated from the Alsace Lorraine area of eastern France/western Germany. Sometimes it was French, sometimes German. On some censuses the Hopps said they came from France, on others, Germany. Adam and Katherine both married into the Hopp family, and had a double wedding at the Evangelical Church in Preston, Fillmore County, Minnesota on August 3, 1858. Adam married Eve Hopp, Katherine married George Hopp.
Adam and Eve had seven children on their farm near Preston in Carrrollton township. But, the stars were not aligned right for Adam and Eve. Four of their children died in early childhood or infancy. Then Eve died in December of 1867. I have a photo of Eve's tombstone in the Methodist Cemetery in Preston, her four little babies' tombstones roundabout her. Then in March of 1868, just four months later, Adam married again to Elizabeth Britzius, also of German descent. Elizabeth was the oldest of 15 children and no doubt brought some good homemaking skills with her. Though Adam had poor luck with his first family, he still had three little children that needed care, Elizabeth age 8, Mary 7, and William 2, so he was anxious to get a new wife.
Sometime around 1865 Adam took a trip back to visit his family in Canada. Things were not going well back on the farm with brother Henry in charge. When Adam returned he brought his 14 year old brother Philip with him. Soon after, brothers Peter and Christian arrived. Philip turned 14 in January 1865; Peter married in Preston, MN in Jan 1868, so it was within this time frame that the two middle brothers arrived. Peter and Philip stayed in Minnesota. Christian left for western adventures and eventually settled in Oregon.
Meanwhile Henry lost the home farm in Canada and mother, Elizabeth Knoll Zimmerman, soon joined her sons in Minnesota. Annie Marie says mother lived mostly with Philip but she was living with Adam when she died in 1888.Adam and Elizabeth had better luck at having children than did Adam and Eve. They had Emma, Aaron, Clara, George, Margaret, Sarah, and Della. But, they also had two babies die. Their children John and Katherine died in 1875. John was six when he died on July 14. Then Katherine, age 2, died on August 6, less than a month later. John and Katherine are also buried at Preston.
Back in the 1800's babies were much more likely to die before the age of 5 than they are today. The number of children up to age five who die out of every 1000 who are born is called the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). In 1860 in the USA the IMR was 197. That means almost one out of every five babies died before they reached 5 years old. In 2012 in the USA the IMR was below 6. In the 1800's children died of many diseases for which we now have vaccines, like small pox, diphtheria, whooping cough and typhoid. So if Adam and Eve and Elizabeth had 16 children all together and 7 died before age 5 can you figure the infant mortality rate for that little part of our family? (I know, I'm counting John who had turned six!)
Adam's mother died in 1888 and is buried in Preston, Fillmore County. Adam's daughter, Emma, married Charles Druschel of Clackamas County, Oregon about 1891. Emma may have been the daughter that went out to Oregon with her half-sister, Mary. Annie Marie says Adam followed his children to Oregon. Adam's younger brother Christian had already gone west and settled in Yamhill, Oregon. If Adam followed his children, perhaps Emma was the one to find Canby. We don't know why Adam ended up there, but we know from our Wintermantel story, there was a growing German settlement there that included the Druschel family. Before 1899 it included the Zimmermans. Adam's home in Canby was about 25 miles to the west of Yamhill where his brother Christian had settled.
One summer when I and my family visited my grandfather in Portland, Oregon he took us to Canby to see the home where he lived with his family, and so I have a photograph of the Canby house.
Annie Marie wrote the following about Adam:
"(The Zimmermans) were all of a very good disposition except for a slight touch of severity which I noticed in my father's (Phillip's) two oldest brothers. For example, Uncle Adam wanted to arrest people who according to his way of thinking desecrated the Sabbath. He thought it should not be allowed, and if people would not do right, they must be compelled to do right...
Adam Zimmerman, my father's second brother, lived near Preston, Minnesota on a farm until most
of his children were grown. Then he followed them into the West to the state of Oregon, and bought a home for himself in that state at Canby. At one time he had been thrown from a horse and injured, causing hernia, so that for many years he was compelled to wear a truss. Shortly before he started for Oregon he came in touch with the Zionist movement in Chicago. They had a program of divine healing and told him to throw away his truss; that God was able to take care of him. He finally did throw it away and his old trouble, hernia, soon killed him. He died very suddenly in Canby, Oregon, at the age of about 67 years. He was a very robust, healthy man, and if he had continued to wear his truss, or if he had had an operation, he probably could have lived many years longer. He left a widow and eight children to mourn his loss..."Adam died at Canby on 3 April 1899. He is buried at Zion Cemetery in Canby.
We have a copy of Adam's estate papers. You can see it all by looking in Adam's sources in the family tree program. Here are the parts I found interesting:Adam loaned out over $6000 during 1898 and 1899. There are several familiar names on the list.
He loaned $1000 to Charles Druschel. Charles Druschel was married to Adam's daughter, Emma.
He had two loans outstanding to John Krusp for property in Fillmore County, Minnesota, total $4750. Krusp was the name of Adam's brother, Henry's, wife. John was probably one of her relatives.
He loaned $30 to J. D. Britzius. Britzius is Adam's wife's maiden name. This is one of her relatives.
He had loaned $18.25 to Leonard Haas. A Leonard Haas was the father of Zora Haas who was married to Adam's nephew, John William Zimmerman.
George Hoff paid a debt of $212. George was married to Adam's daughter Clara.
William Druschel paid a debt of $6.63. William Druschel was the future husband of Adam's widow, Elizabeth.The other names on the list of loans are Riep, Rappe, Tollefsen, Sauer and Morgan. At the time of his death Adam owned only a house and seven acres in Canby so this money may have been from the sale of his Minnesota farm.
All these loans were paid off by the time the estate was settled. Reading about them makes me wonder about the state of banking in 1898 in a less developed area of the country. People will tell you, “Never loan money to friends or family,” however in an earlier time that may have been the only way to get money in an emergency.
Adam's property in Canby, house and land, was valued at $550. Altogether his estate totaled about $7000. Elizabeth got the home. After bills were paid half of what was left went to his widow, the remainder was divided up among his 10 children.
During the two years it took to settle the estate Elizabeth was allowed $40 per month for the care of herself and her three under age children. You may not think an estate of $7000 is not very large by today’s standards and it wasn't huge even a hundred years ago. But when you consider four people being able to live on $40 per month, $7000 looks a lot larger.
Here is a bit about Adam's children:
Adam and Eve's first child was Elizabeth Zimmerman (1859 Minnesota – 1934 North Dakota). She married John Krak and had seven children. She and her husband farmed near Cavalier in Pembina County, North Dakota. The children were Rosa Anna, Ruben, Edna, Flossie,Dewey, Miles, and Pansy Pearl Katy Krak. Elizabeth and John Krak are shown living with their daughter and husband, Harry and Edna Carlson, on the 1930 census. In Adam's estate papers, Elizabeth is credited with $700 already received, which is more than twice as much as the other kids got.
Adam and Eve's second child was Mary Zimmerman (1861 Minnesota – 1929 Oregon) I have a whole story about Mary. In the meantime here is what Annie Marie wrote about her:
Mary, was never married. When she was eighteen she had a stroke of paralysis from which she never entirely recovered. After doctoring for a number of years and receiving very little help she came out to Portland with a half-sister, and went into business for herself. She always was successful and spent a very profitable life.
Adam and Eve's third child was Henry Zimmerman (Jun 1863 Minnesota – Dec 1866 Minnesota)
Adam and Eve's fourth child was William Zimmerman (Dec 1864 Minnesota – Aug 1865 Minnesota).
Adam and Eve's fifth child was an infant daughter that lived from 9 May to 15 May 1866, Minnesota.
Adam and Eve's sixth child was a second William Zimmerman (9 May 1866 Minnesota – 1900 Portland) who was a twin to the baby girl that died (#5 above.) Here's what Annie wrote about William:
(William) was a boy whom they called Willie, who died of pneumonia contracted while he was
drilling a well. He was about thirty years of age when he died, and had never been married. When he
was a small child he lost an eye by getting lye into it while his mother was making soap.Adam and Eve's seventh child was Sarah Zimmerman (Aug 1867 Minnesota – Feb 1868 Minnesota). Sarah died two months after her mother died.
Eve Hopp Zimmerman died 16 Dec 1867 in Fillmore County, Minnesota.
Adam Zimmerman married Elizabeth Britzius 25 March 1868 in Olmstead County, Minnesota.
Adam and Elizabeth's first child was John Zimmerman (1869 Minnesota – 1875 Minnesota).
Adam and Elizabeth's second child was Emma Zimmerman (1870 Minnesota – 1962 California). Annie Marie seemed to believe that Emma was the half-sister with whom Mary went to Oregon. Emma married Charles Druschel in Canby, Oregon in 1891. Charles ran the Druschel and Klein Butcher Shop in Portland. Emma outlived Charles by 25 years. After he died Emma went to live with her daughter Mildred in Long Beach, California, where Mildred was a High School teacher. Emma's son, Clifford was also a high school teacher. He taught social studies and music, in Naperville, Illinois. Annie Marie says Emma only had two children, but I discovered she and Charles also had a son William who died at about age 13 in 1907.
Adam and Elizabeth's third child was Katherine Zimmerman (May 1873 Minnesota – Aug 1875 Minnesota). I know it must have been horrible for these parents to watch so many of their children die. But I wonder what it must have been like for the children that lived. Adam's daughter Elizabeth was 15 when Katherine died. Mary was 14. They had experienced the deaths of six younger brothers and sisters.
Adam and Elizabeth's fourth child was Heinrich Aron Zimmerman (Dec 1875 Minnesota – 1946 Waukegan, Illinois). He was called Aron. Sometimes his name is spelled Aaron and sometimes Arien. Here is a little about him from his obituary:
"Aaron Zimmerman, 72, of 2712 Edina Blvd., Zion, died yesterday ay Victory Memorial Hospital after a 12 day illness. He was born in Preston, Minn., and moved to Zion in 1914 from the state of Washington. A retired farmer, Mr. Zimmerman was affiliated with Masonic lodges in Rockford, Waukegan and Coolie Dam, Washington.
Mr. Zimmerman is survived by his wife, Hannah; two sons, Rollin of Chicago, and Wesley of Denver, Colo; two daughters, Mrs. Bernice Poulsen of Zion, and Mrs. Gladys Kreuschner of Kenosha, Wis.; one brother, George of Portland, Ore.; four sisters, Della and Margaret Zimmerman of Seattle, Wash.; Sarah Zimmerman of Portland., Ore., and Mrs. Emma Druschel of Long Beach, Calif., and eight grandchildren."His granddaughter, Mary Alexander, shared the following:
"I got a copy of (Aaron's) land record in WA. He was a blacksmith, didn’t buy the land until 1910 and then moved to Zion (Illinois) in 1914 and rented his land. . . .Aaron died in April 1946 of prostate cancer. He and Hannah had come to visit us in Denver for Christmas in December 1945 when I was nine and that was the last time I saw him. He was a quiet person and can’t remember him stating his opinion or taking a stand on anything. Actually the only thing I really remember is he would let either my sister or me sit on his lap and went we weren’t expecting it he would spread his knees and we would almost fall – he thought that was funny."
Zion is a small town just up the road from where I lived as a teenager in Waukegan, Illinois. It had a famous lace factory where Aaron worked part time as a mechanic, probably after he retired from farming. By the time we moved to Waukegan in 1955 Uncle Aaron was dead. Some of his children were still in the vicinity but we never met them.
Adam and Elizabeth's fifth child was Clara Phoebe Zimmerman (1877 Minnesota – 1917). Here's what Annie Marie wrote about Clara:
Clara (next younger than Aron) died in 1917. She had been married to a man by the name of Huff (George Johann Hoff) who was a minister but turned out later to be a scoundrel. I am told that he deserted his wife and family many years ago and has not been heard from since. She had four children, Kenneth, Harold, Violet and Myrtle. Violet and Myrtle live in Portland, Oregon. Harold lives in Cleveland, Ohio. I do not know where Kenneth is; I think he was in the army.
On the 1910 Census Clara reports that she has given birth to six children but only four are still living. Clara's daughter Violet lived in Portland and helped her Uncle George, my grandfather, a great deal when he was elderly and trying to care for his bed-ridden wife, and his only child, my father, was half the continent away. I met Violet in 1954 when Aunt Musa took me on a vacation and we stayed in Portland for several days. Violet and her husband, Harold Moore, invited us to stay with them. They were lovely, gracious people. They had a sweet home with a beautiful garden full of flowers and a pool with fish in it. Harold lived to be over 100 years old. Violet and Harold had one daughter, Muriel.
Adam and Elizabeth's sixth child was George Edward Zimmerman (1879 Minnesota – 1965 Portland). He was my grandfather and has his own story.
Adam and Elizabeth's seventh child was Margaret S. Zimmerman (1882 Minnesota – 1964 Washington).Margaret never married. She worked as a private duty nurse and later, as an embalmer in a funeral home. Do you know what an embalmer is? It's a person that gets dead bodies ready to be buried. Margaret lived in Seattle from 1920 until she died in 1964.
Adam and Elizabeth's eighth child was Sarah R. Zimmerman (1884 Minnesota – 1948 Portland). She married Ed Gunther who worked in the fruit wholesale business. They had two daughters, Eleanor and LaVerne, and they lived in Portland all their lives.
Adam and Elizabeth's ninth and last child was Della C. Zimmerman (1888 Minnesota – 1979 Washington). Della never married. She worked in Seattle as a bookkeeper from 1920 on. She and her sister Margaret lived together part of the time. Later on she bought a home with her friend Carol Richmond. My brother, Jon Zimmerman visited her in Seattle when he lived nearby in the 1960's. At that time she had been working as a schoolteacher for many years.
I don't know if you kept track, but I figure Adam had 24 grandchildren. That's a pretty good number considering how he and Eve started out.
After Adam died, Elizabeth stayed in the home in Canby, at least for awhile. The 1900 Census shows her living there with Sarah, age 16, and Della, age 11. Several older children were living with their half-sister Mary, at her rooming house in Portland. By 1910 Elizabeth had moved to Portland and was living with her daughters Margaret and Della at 540 Clay Street. That is where she died on 19 March 1911. She is buried at Zion Cemetery in Canby.
Adam was a pioneer twice in his life; once as a young teenaged boy when he moved from Canada to Minnesota, and again when he moved his family from Minnesota to Oregon. Both moves were undoubtedly difficult He saw a lot of grief in his life with the deaths of at least six children and one wife. Life on the frontier in the 1800's required courage, intelligence, and a lot of very hard work just to survive. Both Minnesota and Oregon were on the frontier when Adam moved to those places. Adam Zimmerman gave it all he had. We can all be proud of our Adam.
Love,
Granny
from the Anna Zimmerman Nelson story of our immigrant Zimmerman ancestors:"When Philip was fourteen years old, Henry, being in need of money, advised Philip to work for someone who would pay him a salary. So it came about that he was employed by an old Scotchman for six months for ten dollars a month and board and room. When the six months were up, the Scotchman paid him the salary in silver dollars. Philip carried those sixty silver dollars home six miles to Henry, who gave him seventyfive cents out of it for spending money. This was the first spending money Philip had ever had, and the first thing he bought was a comb for himself, thinking how fine it would be to have one all his very own. Then, as most boys would have done, he bought a jack-knife, and with the money he had left, he bought a candy treat for his brothers. He was badly in need of a suit of clothes at this time, so that he could go to church and Sunday School, but that seems to have been out of the question. Adam, who was next younger than Henry, and who was now living in the United States at Preston, Minnesota, made a visit to Canada about this time. When he returned to the states, he brought Philip with him. Elizabeth lived with her children in Minnesota until her death, October 18, 1888, at the Adam Zimmerman home three or four miles north of Preston."
Elizabeth is named administrator of her husband's estate. She inherits $2345.35. House and land in Canby are valued at an additioal $550 and is "decreed to descend according to law." I hope and assume that means she got to keep it.
Per Portland death record for March 1911 - Elizabeth died at 540 Clay St, her home She died of Carcinoma of the Gall Bladder.
Per 1910 Census, Elizabeth reports she has borne 11 children and 8 are still living.
From: "The Adam Zimmerman Story" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
Adam and Elizabeth's third child was Katherine Zimmerman (May 1873 Minnesota – Aug 1875 Minnesota). I know it must have been horrible for these parents to watch so many of their children die. But I wonder what it must have been like for the children that lived. Adam's daughter Elizabeth was 15 when Katherine died. Mary was 14. They had experienced the deaths of six younger brothers and sisters.
At father's death Maggie is 16 and living in Canby. She inherits $260.59.1900 census - She is living with Half-sister Mary in Portland and working as a nurse.
Per 1910 Census - Margaret is living at her sister Mary's Boarding House in Portland. She has not married. She lists her occupation as "nurse - private family." She also lists "Nurse" as well as "sister" in the "Relation to head" column.
She is also listed as living with her mother at 540 Clay St., Portland, ORE.1920 Census - shows S. as middle initial. Margaret is working as an embalmer in an undertaking parlor. She is living with her sister Della.
1930 Census - living on 12th Ave. Still lists her occupation as embalmer for an undertaking firm.
SS# 532-01-4361
from "The Adam Zimmerman Story" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
Adam and Elizabeth's seventh child was Margaret S. Zimmerman (1882 Minnesota – 1964 Washington).Margaret never married. She worked as a private duty nurse and later, as an embalmer in a funeral home. Do you know what an embalmer is? It's a person that gets dead bodies ready to be buried. Margaret lived in Seattle from 1920 until she died in 1964.
Per dad's estate papers Della is 10 and living with mother in Canby. She inherits $260.59.
1920 Census - Della is living in Seattle with her sister Margaret. She lists her occupation as Bookkeeper.
1930 Census - Della's first name is illegible. I'm sure it's she because of the rest of the listing. She is still working as a bookkeeper. She gives the type of business as "Optical." It says she owns her home on 78 S. Street. It's value is $4200. She has a lodger, Carol Richmond, who is not employed.
from "The Adam Zimmerman Story" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
Adam and Elizabeth's ninth and last child was Della C. Zimmerman (1888 Minnesota – 1979 Washington). Della never married. She worked in Seattle as a bookkeeper from 1920 on. She and her sister Margaret lived together part of the time. Later on she bought a home with her friend Carol Richmond. My brother, Jon Zimmerman visited her in Seattle when he lived nearby in the 1960's. At that time she had been working as a schoolteacher for many years.
From "The Wintermantel Story - Beginnings" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
1 September 2013
Dear Children,
Tonight I am writing to you about our ancestor Christian Wintermantel. He, along with his father and mother, was one of our immigrant ancestors.
We have his church birth record from Ihringen, Baden, Germany:
Christian Wintermantel
No.67
In the year one thousand eight hundred forty-two, the 2nd of October, 8:30 am, was in the parish of Ihringen legitimately born, and on the 9th of October, 10 AM, in the church christened: Christian. The parents are: Johann Jacob Wintermantel, citizen and farmer here, and Salome, nee Walther.
Godparents and witnesses:
1. Johannes Jacob, citizen and farmer here
2. Martin Gybsun, citizen and gravedigger here
3. Maria Waibel, wife of citizen and farmer here, Johannes Jacob.
Ihringen the 9th of October 1842
Thomen
Pastor.Christian Wintermantel (b. 1842 Ihringen, Baden – 1897 Canby, Oregon) was the last child born to Johann Jacob Wintermantel (1799) and Salome Stalbar Walter (1800). When he was thirteen years old he left his native home in Ihringen, Baden, and sailed across the sea to America with his mother, father, two sisters and three brothers. The year was 1856.
His brother, George, wrote to friends and family in Germany in 1875. We are very fortunate to have a copy of that letter in which he tells about the early days of the family in America. Here is the first part:"January 31, 1875
Honey Creek, Sauk County, Wisconsin
Dear Relatives and Friends,
Since nearly 10 years have already passed since our emigration to America, and I have not entirely forgotten you who still live at my place of birth, I finally came to the thought to write again to you. Very likely, there are those of our relatives and acquaintances there who still think about us and would like to know how things are going with the Wintermantel family in America. This short report will give you some idea how we have fared.
After a wait of 2 days in New York we journeyed directly to Wisconsin and settled in Honey Creek, Sauk County, where we worked for the first few months for different farmers until August when our father moved a few miles farther and, in September, bought 40 acres of land for $1.00 an acre. Next spring we built a house on this land, and that is where the parents now live."
Soon the Civil War started in their new country of the United States. Although they had left Germany to avoid being conscripted into the Hessian army, three of the young Wintermantel brothers joined up to fight with the Union Army against slavery. Christian was the first. He ran away from home when he was just 17 in 1859, to sign up. His brother George writes:
"Brother Christian was also in the war. He served in the 26th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment He was in some of the largest battles of the whole war, near Fredricksburg and Chancellorsville in Virginia and at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. He endured earthshaking cannon fire, he saw blood flow in streams in larger and smaller battles. After his three years of service in the army he came back home from the war unhurt."
During the war he was promoted from Private to Corporal. I have his promotion certificate. And he stayed in the army until the war was over in 1865.
But he didn't have an easy time of it. And he was not exactly 'unhurt' as brother George wrote. Here are some of the comments from his Pension File that describe his difficulties. (Page numbers are mine)
p. 1a – 25 Jun 1889 - Christian Wintermantel testifies that during the Siege of Atlanta he contracted severe and chronic rheumatism from exposure, and during the march through North Carolina contracted bronchitis through exposure in the line of duty.
p. 1b – 6 Feb 1890 - Christian’s official Civil War medical record: (times he was treated by medical personnel)
21 Jan 1863 – 20 Feb 1863 Pleurisy
19 Dec 1863 – 5 Jan 1864 Typhoid Fever
20 Nov 1864 - 18 Dec 1864 Chronic Rheumatism
31 Dec 1864 – 10 Jan 1865 Chronic Rheumatismp. 2 – 27 May 1890 - Testimony of John P. Witwen. He was with Christian during Sherman's march through Georgia. Christian, at that time was taken by ambulance to the field hospital because of rheumatism.
(John Witwen's daughter married brother George's only son.)p. 3 – 30 May 1890 - Testimony of Theobald Fuchs who was Christian's corporal at Gettysburg and at Lookout Mountain, TN. He describes how he “carried (Christian's) musket and led him along.”
p. 5 - (No date) – J. Vand Vaart, physician who treated Christian during war. “(Christian)was a sound and healthy man when he enlisted. He (contracted) rheumatism and catarrh from exposure.”
p. 6 – 6 Feb 1895 - Christian's Application for Pension Increase - “He suffers from rheumatism and bronchitis catarrh. He has pain in shoulder and chest. He expectorates blood and pus. One half his chest is larger than the other.”p. 61 – 4 Feb 1903 - William Wintermantel (Christians brother) - “When he was first home from the army he was pretty badly run down. He was just skin and bone.”
p. 62 – 4 Feb 1903 - William Wintermantel - “ In Iowa he started coughing and spitting blood whenever doing hard work...In 1886 we took a trip east of the mountains and then his coughing irritated me so much at night that I offered him $5 to stop it and he got angry. That cough hung to him and kept getting worse until it killed him.”
p. 65 – 4 Sep 1903 – Peter Smeller. He knew Christian since they were 12 years old. They served in army together. He testified, “Christian was very sick the winter of 1862-63, in his chest. He spit blood.”
p. 67 - John Knoll – neighbor from Ackley, Iowa – Christian said he got rheumatism from laying out in the rain in fields while in army and he got his cough after having lung fever.p. 71 – 18 Mar 1904 – Henry Nolt. He was the Sargent of Christian's company and a Sauk County neighbor. Their families attended the same church. He testified that during Sherman's march Christian was in bad shape. He walked all doubled up and marched with a stoop thereafter.
p. 75 - Mrs. Dina A. Belzer - (as a small child was a friend of Christian children and frequently in their home) – “He was sickly and stoop shouldered and looked to me as though he might have consumption...Neighbors used to speak of him as a man who was broken down as though it came from being in the war.”
The whole file goes on for 86 pages and 32 years. It's very interesting reading. You can read the full summary in the sources section of this history. In the first part Christian is trying to prove that his medical problems are the result of his Civil War service so he can qualify for a pension. He succeeded because the 1895 entry mentions he is receiving $8 per month.
You have to understand when reading these comments that Christian and his supporters are trying to put forward the best case to get money from the government. But the Pension File definitely gives a very personal view of what it was like to be a soldier month after month, year after year, in the Civil War. Though Christian had health problems he always worked hard and provided for his family. Here's what we know of his life after the war:In November of 1865, about four months after he got home from the war, he married Matilda Fey. She and her family were recent immigrants from Prussia and lived about four miles from Christian's home in Sauk County. The Fey's had been in America only two years longer than the Wintermantels. (See The Fey Story.) For the next three years Christian and Matilda lived in Franklin, Wisconsin with or near Christian's folks. Their first child, Rosina, called Rose, was born there in 1866 and also, their second, Matilda, called Tillie, in 1868.
In Brother George's 1875 letter to Germany in he writes the following about Christian:
" In 1867 he sowed 2 acres of hops on Father's land and made more than a thousand dollars from the hops. In the fall of 1868 he moved to the other brother's in Iowa. (That would be to William Wintermantel, born 1838.)
Iowa, our western neighbor state, draws the people there because there it is not necessary to make a farm out of woodland like in Wisconsin, in most cases, for there on the large prairies you can see only heaven and grass for hundreds of miles. There the settlers can prepare 40, 50 or 60 acres of the nicest and fattest land with the break-plow and two teams of horses in one summer, and harvest 800, 1000 or 1500 bushels of wheat the next summer, and so with one stroke come to easy street. Of course, it does not always go so well, but it does in many cases. The harvesting as well as the sowing and threshing is done with machines. Ten horses (5 teams) and 12 to 14 men are used for threshing when the grain and weather are dry, and 400 to 500 bushels of wheat or 700 bushels of oats can be threshed in one day, and in most cases, so well cleaned that it can be taken to the mill or to the market. Of course, the grain is cheap in the west and the workers wages are high. From myself, I cannot report such famous deeds and thrilling experiences."
Christian and William lived together in Wintersett, Madison County, Iowa for four years. Christian and Matilda's sons William Frederick, named for Christian's brother with whom they were living, and Albert Ernest were born there. And William's wife, Sarah, gave birth to their first child, a little boy, George, who only lived a month. Perhaps the house was getting crowded, in any case, in the spring of 1872 Christian moved his family on to a new farm in Geneva township, Franklin Co., Iowa, near the town of Ackley. William moved his family on to Kansas in 1874.
While they lived near Ackley five more children were born: Hedwig, Herman Otto, Amelia Ella, Louisa Anna, Wilhemina Julia, and Clara Edith. Christian was a hard worker even though he continued to suffer from rheumatism and his chronic cough. His wife testified in the Pension papers that Christian did not consult a physician because he had little faith in doctors. Instead he used his own remedies, patent medicines or those recommended by friends. Those remedies were not totally efficacious so in 1883 they decided to follow the lead of dear brother William and move to Oregon, hoping the milder weather would ease his suffering.
William states in the Pension Papers, page 60,
"(Christian) came to Oregon the year...the Northern Pacific R.R. was opened. I think in October...It was in 1883 he came out here. He stayed with me that winter."
By that time Christian had ten children, William had three. Plus four adults! What a household that must have been for that winter. I hope they had a three-hole privy.
Christian and Matilda and their family came out to Oregon on the first immigrant train that ran from Chicago to Portland. I always pictured them riding along in a coach car with Matilda trying to keep all those little kids quiet. But it wasn't like that at all. In The Song of Yamhill our cousin, Gordon Zimmerman, describes that train ride (p. 9 -11).
". . . a most unique travel conveyance on the Northern Pacific Railroad and the C. B. & Q (Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy.) The lines had started to run immigrant trains from Chicago to St. Paul to Portland, Oregon. As soon as the new Northern Pacific Line opened in 1882, they charged only one dollar for a family to go west in a special boxcar that had water tanks overhead. The family's animals were stabled in one end of the car, their farming implements were placed in the other end, and their furniture, beds, and tables, etc. were placed in the center of the car for use. Coal stoves for cooking were also installed in these special boxcars. Straw, hay, and water were provided at division stops along the way."
Christian kept a journal during the trip. He describes leaving Geneva, switching trains in Mason City Junction, and staying in a hotel overnight in St. Paul, where they paid $7.25 for 'soups and breakfast.' They boarded the immigrant train the next morning. The Journal was difficult to translate as it was written in the German language, in German script, in pencil, 130 years ago. But Dr. Rotter whom I asked to translate it, did a valiant job. There are many '?s' but overall you get the gist of what they saw on their journey. He mentions crossing the Missouri River, Mandan, North Dakota, the Badlands, following the Yellowstone River, passing snow peaked mountains, passng a chained bear, Indians, going through a mountain tunnel, crossing a 216 ft high bridge, Pikes Peak, the continental divide, crops, wildlife, scenery, crossing Snake River on a train boat, and Walla Walla, Washington, among other things. You can read the translated journal in the sources.
One thing Christian brought with him to Oregon was his wind-up pendulum clock that gongs every hour. It now sits in my kitchen and your grandpa, Paul Stevens, winds it every night.
After the first winter in Oregon, they settled in Jefferson, Marion County, Oregon. Their eleventh and final child, Eleanor Charlotte was born there in 1885. Mrs. C. C. Marlatt, a neighbor in Jefferson, was present at the birth of Ella, as she was called. Mrs. Marlatt testified:
Pension Papers pp. 49-50 - "(Christian) appeared in good health while here, did lots of hard work. He had a hacking cough."
He must have worked hard in Jefferson. At the time of his death he still owned property in Jefferson in the amount of 640 acres!
Matilda testified that his rheumatism didn't bother him after they got to Oregon. However his cough continued.In the pension papers, pp. 53 and 54, Dr. W. C. Hawk testified that he treated Christian while he lived in Jefferson but he did not keep a record and that Christian suffered from advanced TB.
In 1892 Christian moved his family for the final time, to Canby, Clackamas County, Oregon. They moved to the old Henry Kraft farm on Union Hall Road. The children attended the Mundorf School.
They came to Canby just as a new German Evangelical Church was being formed. The church, still standing, was built in 1893. Many of the families that formed or led the congregation became very important to the Wintermantel family as Christian's daughters reached marrying age. Among those families were Weber, Ehret, Hornschuch, Mundorf and Koehler. They were all upstanding, devout, German members of the church. In the 'Sources' section is an article written in 1952 telling about the early years of that church.In Oct of 1896, page 23 of the Pension Papers, Dr.White testifies that he examined Christian in Canby, in Oct 1896 and found he had bronchial and lung problems. He also says Christian “expectorated freely,” a frequent occurrence that a number of other people describe in the Pension Papers. Christian continued to go downhill through November and December. His wife testified on page 35 of the Pension Papers:
"(Christian) was confined to bed last 3 months of life...We had to keep windows open in January because of the foul odor."
Dr. White testified:"He became emaciated and expired in January of exhaustion and 'consumption of the lungs.'"
Christian Wintermantel, immigrant ancestor, Civil War soldier, pioneer, farmer, husband and father of eleven, died of tuberculosis on January 19, 1897 at Canby, Clackamas County, Oregon. He was only 54 years old. Two of his daughters were still underage. But he did not leave his family without resources. His property at death as reported in the Pension file amounted to:
"640 acres of land in Marion Co., OR assessed at $2841, real value $8500
Assessed value of property in Clackamas County for taxation purpose is: 38 acres tillable land and 48 acres non-tillable together valued at $860, improvements at $150, personal property including livestock, $175."His wife, Matilda, testified on page 34:
"At date of death CW left property: 490 acres of land near Jefferson, OR; 80 acres at Canby; Will left all property to me (Matilda Wintermantel);130 acres of the property at Jefferson was under cultivation. I rented that for 1/3 of the crop. On average I would get 300 bu wheat at 50cents/bu and 10 bu oats at 30 cents/bu. This place (Canby) I worked myself for the first few years. There was about 40 acres under cultivation. I have since sold most of it. My taxes were on both places about $70 - $80 per year. There was no insurance. There was indebtedness of $2600 with interest of 7 and 8%. No other property except a few head of stock, farming implements, and household goods... There was no money in bank or investments of any kind."
I don't know why there's is a discrepancy in the amount of land in the two reports, but either way, it's a lot of land.
The Pension board decided she had too many resources to receive a pension. But later on she did receive a pension because of Christian's Civil War service.
I have photos of a number of items related to Christian in the photo section of this story including “Resolutions of Respect” from the Warner Grange, his Funeral Card, and some army certificates.
Did Christian get the Pension that required so much ink. Paper and testimony? According to Pension File pages 82 and 83, Christian drew a pension starting sometime after the war until his death. At the time of death he was receiving $8 per month. After Christian died, Matilda was refused a pension at first, but then drew a widow's pension until she married William Druschel. After William's death she again applied for a pension as Christian's widow and had the following correspondence with the Pension Board, p.83:"Two years ago I applied to renew my pension with no results. Now they tell me I must submit the same paper work all over again. Can you please help me?"
And we thought the Bureaucracy was a new invention!
Christian and Matilda are buried in Zion Cemetery just out of Canby, Oregon. Christian was the first buried there which had been a corner of his farm land, along with corners of three other farms, set aside for the purpose of a new cemetery. In the earlier cemetery a Presbyterian woman had been buried alongside a German Evangelical pastor. This incident was incendiary. They HAD to have a new cemetery just for German Evangelicals. According to an article, Visiting Zion, two other men involved in starting the cemetery were Jacob Mundorf and John Koehler. (remember those names.)
All of Christian and Matilda's children stayed in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and Washington. Many of them settled near one another at various times through the years. Herman and Amelia lived in Tillamook County, Oregon at the same time (1930). In 1910 four siblings, Amelia, Minnie, Clara and Ella lived in Tacoma, Washington along with their twice widowed mother. Tillie and Hettie were living in the same community near Yakima, Washington in 1940.
Here follows a little bit about each of the eleven children of Christian and Matilda Wintermantel:
Christian and Matilda's first child was Rosina Magdalena Wintermantel (1866 Franklin, WI – 1955 Okanogan, WA), called Rose. She married Matthew Hoover (1861 Missouri – 1952 Bridgeport, Washington). Rose and her husband farmed wheat land in North Central Washington. Later they lived at Ocean City, WA, and rented tourist cabins. They retired at Okanongan, WA. They had two daughters, Greta and Marie, both of whom graduated from college. Marie taught school for 47 years. She never had children. Her husband, Prater Hilliard Smith, grew orchards in Washington state. Greta also taught school. She married Harold F. Greely. They lived in Okanogan, Washington where Harold ran a Richfield Service Station for many years. They had only one child, a son, Donald Hoover Greely who became an Army Colonel, receiving many honors for his service in WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. Colonel Greely's only son, Donald Hoover Greely Jr., and daughter-in-law died in a car accident in 1973. Colonel Greely also had a daughter by a second marriage.
Another person, Ora Greely, is related to this family in some way. Ora's obituary says that Greta and Marie are her sisters. Ora also lived in Okanogan. She was born in 1883, ten years before Matt married Rose, so perhaps she was a child from a former marriage of Matt Hoover.Christian and Matilda's second child was Matilda Caroline Wintermantel (1868 Franklin, WI-1949 Spokane, WA), called Tillie. The 1940 census shows us that Tillie only stayed in school through 6th grade. She married Heinrich C. Weber in Canby in 1892. Henry, as he was called, was an Evangelical pastor. Most of his adult life he earrned a living as a fruit farmer near Yakima. He was one of the founders of the Canby church. Tillie and Henry had six children. One died at birth. Wayne Wardle, Tillie's nephew wrote to me about two other sons:
"(Tilly and Henry) had 2 sons, Walter and Fred, that drowned in the Yakima River."
But not at the same time. Walter was 60, old enough that he left Tillie five granchildren. Fred was only 26. Here is an article about Fred's drowning from Yakima Daily Republic, Part 1, p. 3, Wednesday, July 17, 1918:
"HEROIC EFFORT TO SAVE CHUM'S LIFE - Fred Weber drowns while trying to ford Naches River at Horseshoe Bend - Though his companion, Samuel Shuman, made heroic efforts to save his life Fred Weber was drowned late yesterday afternoon while attempting to ford the Yakima River at Horseshoe Bend.
When the water at Clear creek, where they were fishing, became muddy early in the afternoon, the two young men started for Yakima in their car. At Horseshoe Bend they saw clear water and decided to try their luck. Weber, lured by a deep hole on the opposite side of the river, suggested fording the stream. Shuman at first objected, but finally expressed his willingness to go. When he was across he saw Weber floating down the stream a distance below him.
HOW IT HAPPENED
"Weber was carried under the water for about 100 feet," says Mrs. George Longmire who was called to the scene of the accident by Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Pontius, the only eye-witnesses."Shuman went after him as fast as he could. Part of the time he went under water. Later he said that he could not have done it at any other time and wondered how he was able to do it at all.
"When he reached the body, wedged in between rocks, he was still 20 feet from the shore. He pulled Weber to the surface, though the current there is strong, and picked him up in his arms as he started to walk the remaining distance. We who watched did not think he could get across at all. The stream is so swift that it is not easy at any time. Hampered by the weight of the body, Shuman staggered slowly along, at times appearing to stand still for several minutes while gathering his strength for another step.
Funeral Services Tomorrow
"First aid measures were tried the minute he reached the shore. B. J. Coe, who had been fishing, and saw Shuman on the rocks, swam across to help; but it was too late. Weber's body had a bad bruise between the eyes and also a bruise over the heart, so it may be that he did not die from drowning at all. He may have slipped as a result of a sudden attack of heart trouble, which he had.
After the unavailing efforts to resuscitate his comrade, Shuman went to Yakima and back to look after affairs. H. A. Shaw, acting coroner, brought the body to Yakima last night. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at the Evangelical Nob Hill Church at one o'clock.
Fred Weber, 26 years old, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Weber of Nob Hill. He and Shuman are neighbors and were chums during their years at the Yakima high school, of which both are graduates. George Longmire, Mr. Pontius, Shuman, and Coe carried the body to the Fechter cabin."In 1910 Tillie and Henry were fruit farming in Yakima County, Washington. By 1920 they were settled on their place at West Summitview, Yakima County, WA, where they remained the rest of their lives.
Christian and Matilda's third child was William Frederick Wintermantel (1869 Winterset, IA – 1917 Marion Co., OR) married Edna Monroe Nye, from Jefferson, Oregon. He's the one who was named after his father's brother, William Frederick Wintermantel (b. 1838) with whom Christian's family was living when William F. (1869) was born. They had three children. The first was Ethel Marjorie. Ethel was the news correspondent for her community newspaper for many years. Ethel had two husbands named Blinston. When the first died she married his brother so she was always Mrs. Blinston. Ethel had one child.
William and Edna's second child, William Frederick Wintermantel, Jr., died of pneumonia when he was only 23. But he was married at the time and did leave one descendant.
William and Edna's third child was Elda M. Wintermantel. Elda had an interesting life. When she was young she was a barnstormer and did trick flying. She married John Potts who died of cancer within a month, so then she married his brother, George Potts. Isn't that strange that two sisters would each marry twice, the second husband of each being the first husband's brother! Elda and George had very bad luck with their children. Elda gave birth three times. In 1941 their baby daughter was stillborn. In 1960 their two sons John Gary Potts, 22, and George Potts, Jr., 17, died in a boating accident on Antelope Reservoir in NE Oregon. William Wintermantel (1869) ended up with one grandchild.Christian and Matilda's fourth child was Albert Earnest Wintermantel (1871 Winterset, IA – 1925 Spokane, WA) married Eva Bickel . They had only one child. According to the censuses they lived in Lincoln County, Washington most of their married life. Albert also had his mother-in-law living with him most of his married life. They had only one child, Verna Maude. One of Verna's children, Earl Wash, sent this illuminating story about his grandfather, Albert Earnest Wintermantel:
"The Germans, at least at that time, were a very clannish group. That is to say, “We will all speak German in our schools and churches, all our sons and daughters will marry only to Germans and will all be very happy ever after.” (Or until further notice.) “Further notice” came one day in 1895 when son Albert decided to fall in love and marry a pretty little auburn haired Scottish girl by the name of Eva Verna Bickal. As a result of this union, she was by most of the family treated as an outcast. There were three of his siblings she did manage to befriend. Albert (granddad), being somewhat of a young rebel, tired of what he found was happening, decided to remove an edge of the German stigma by changing ever so slightly the spelling of his last name. Others around him were told that, 'In the presence of my wife, we will speak English.'"
Christian and Matilda's fifth child was Hedwig A. Wintermantel (1873 Geneva twsp, Franklin Co, IA – 1957 Chehalis, WA), called Hettie, married John Ehret, a minister involved with the Canby church. Throughout his life he worked as either a clergyman or a farmer, probably both at the same time. The 1930 census shows him as a fruit farmer near Yakima, Washington. In the 1940 Census he and Hettie are living in West Summit View, Yakima County, Washington, the same municipality as Hettie's sister Tillie. In 1940, John lists his occupation as retired minister. They had three children Arthur William Ehret was a teacher and administrator in Centralia, Washington and was a very active community member. Their second child, Walter W. Ehret died in an automobile accident at the age of 23. Are you counting how many of Christian's grandchildren and great grandchildren died in accidents? Their daughter, Helen married a railroad worker and was living and raising her family in Spokane in 1940.
Christian and Matilda's sixth child was Herman Otto /Wintermantel (1874 Geneva Township, Franklin Co, IA – 1856 Portland, Multnomah, OR) married Emma Lena Wenger. Wayne Wardle told me, “Emma and Herman lived on a small farm in the Portland area." But in the 1920 census, Herman was working as a house carpenter in Yakima, Washington, and in the 1930 census, working as a carpenter in a box factory in Tillamook County, Oregon. That is the county his sister, Amelia, was living in. Perhaps they moved to the farm when Herman retired. Herman and Emma had three children: Mabel, Pearl and Lloyd. Mabel had a great tragedy in her life when her husband, Marvin Gholson and six year old daughter Audrey drowned in a boating accident on the Columbia River. Here is an article I found about it; Idaho Falls-Post Register, Monday Aug. 20, 1934:
"FIVE DROWN WHEN BOAT OVERTURNS
Four Other Members of the Portland Party are Saved From River
Portland, Ore. Aug. 20 (AP) Surviving members of three Portland families today mourned five relatives drowned on a Sunday afternoon boating party on the Columbia River. One family lost mother and son; another mourned a father and daughter; and a third lost a son.
The five were drowned when a narrow 15-foot outboard motor boat turned suddenly and capsized. Mrs. O. G. McCann and her son Delbert, were killed. Mr. McCann and his daughter Orva, were saved. Police still were dragging the river for the bodies of Marvin Gholson, 37, and his six year old daughter, Audrey. Mrs. Gholson and her daughter, Jean, 7, stayed afloat with an automobile inner tube until they were pulled to shore. Billy Nelson, a youth, clung to the overturned boat for a time, but sank before rescuers could reach him.
C.G. Johnson, a witness to the accident; Arthur Reeves, Robert Blair and Jack Buckner, caddies from a nearby golf course, and a man known only as 'Carl' rescued the four persons and also pulled out three bodies. Police resuscitation equipment proved ineffective."Herman and Emma's other two children were Pearl and Lloyd. Herman died on his birthday, in Portland at the age of 82.
Christian and Matilda's seventh child was Amelia Ella Wintermantel (1877 Geneva twsp, Franklin Co, IA – 1950 Longview, WA) married another one of the church men from Canby, Theodore Robert Hornschuh called Theo. According to the census Theo was a clergyman in Tacoma WA in 1910, a dairyman in Tillamook County, Oregon in 1920 and 1930, and a Presbyterian minister in Portland in 1940. Perhaps people didn't pay their ministers enough for them to be full-time all-the-time pastors. Remember when Christian was the first person buried in the Canby cemetery because the good German Evangelicals did not want to be buried next to Presbyterians? My how time changes us all!
Amelia and Theo had five children. So far as I know, none of them died in horrible accidents, although their fourth child, Lois Hope Hornschuch, died at age 18. I don't know why.
A great granddaughter of Amelia sent me this description of Amelia, quoting her mother, Amelia's granddaughter:
“Amelia was very quiet and was always working hard, tending the family, feeding road crews, and being a minister's wife. She also said, though, that her grandmother was very witty and had a wonderful sense of humor."
Christian and Matilda's eighth child was Louisa Anna (1878 Geneva twsp, Franklin Co, IA – 1936 Clackamas Co., OR) married John Koehler, who was active in the Canby Evangelical Church. The 50th Anniversary article about the Canby church mentions John Koehler as being the first Class Leader when the Canby Class was formed. That statement may well have been referring to John's father, who also lived in Canby and was also John Koehler or Johann. John and Louisa lived in Canby their entire lives. Louisa took care of her mother, Matilda Fey Wintermantel Druschel, in her final years and Matilda was living with the Koehlers when she died in 1922. Besides being active in the church, John worked as a carpenter and building contractor. Louisa and John had one adopted daughter, Arlene, who married a blind man. John's brother, Johann George Koehler (b. 1871) married a step-sister of Louisa's, Matilda Druschel (b. 1877) (Louisa's mother's step-daughter).
Christian and Matilda's ninth child was Wilhemina Julia Wintermantel (1880 Geneva twsp, Franklin Co, IA – 1959 Portland, OR) is our ancestor and she has her own story.
Christian and Matilda's tenth child was Clara Edith Wintermantel (1882 Geneva twsp, Franklin Co, IA – 1962 Selah, WA). She married Jay Dumont Wardle (1885 Michigan - 1967).
In Christian pension papers pp 55-58 Clara testified she did not know what was wrong with her father, she did not know what he died of. He coughed a lot. She thought he had a stomach tumor or cancer. She was asked extensive questions about how old she was and how did she know how old she was because her mother was trying to get pension benefits on the basis of her having minor children when Christian died. Clara was 15 at the time. Clara told them over and over, the way she knew how old she was and when her birthday was is that her mother had told her.
Clara married Jay Wardle in 1913. They had four children together; Elbert, Harley, Alma Fey Louise, and Shirlie Wayne. Sometime after Wayne was born in 1920 and before the 1930 census, they divorced.
The following information comes from Clara's granddaughter, Karen Rose:"Clara and Jay Wardle could not get along with one another so they got a divorce. Jay took the two older boys, Elbert and Harley, and left. They traveled around from place to place. Jay worked as a cowboy on various ranches, but he was frequently without work and the boys had to work to support themselves and their dad. Neither one made it past the first year of high school.
Clara had had polio as a child and one leg was shorter than the other. She was left to make do with two children. Jay never wrote or sent a nickel of child support. The younger ones did not see the older ones for nearly thirty years. The older ones didn't see their mother for thirty years either. On the very rare occasion when they would find themselves at the same place at the same time, one would make a point to be going out the backdoor while the other was coming in the front."
In the 1930 and 1940 censuses Clara says she is a widow. There was a stigma to being divorced in those days. The 1940 census shows Clara living in Yakima, WA, and working as a house maid in a private home. She says she has completed 2 years of high school and she owns her own home worth $1800. All four of Clara's children are in the photo of some adult Wintermantel cousins. They are:
Elbert Wardle - Elbert Wardle was a career Army Air Force mechanic. he maintained bombers and spent two years during WWII in the South Pacific. He was in charge of maintenance for a group of planes. Elbert wrote Wintermantel Genealogy, published informally in June 1986.
Harley Wardle was a gifted mechanic who could fix anything. He worked as a lumber mill maintenance manager. He was the father of Karen Rose with whom I correspond and who visited in our home in August 2013.
Alma Fey Wardle married Wilfred Lawrence Sampson (called Larry). They lived in Washington and had two children.
Shirlie Wayne Wardle - Wayne's first employment was as a Yakima area orchard worker. He thinned and harvested apples. He enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1940. He spent 5 years in the Air Force and attained the rank of Master Sgt. He was in charge of records for the Second Air Force Hdqrs and was based in Colorado Springs. After the war he was employed by the State of Washington Employment Security Dept. When he retired he was in charge of the Wenatchee office. He retired to run a small pear orchard.
Christian and Matilda's eleventh child was Eleanor Charlotte Wintermantel (1885 Jefferson, OR – 1965 Corvalis, OR) called Ella or Ellen. She married John Mundorf, of Canby (1881 Kansas – 1936 Oregon). The Mundorfs were an important family in Canby. Jacob and Paulina came from Kansas in 1883 and the school was named for them, Mundorf School, where the first German Evangelical services were held. Jacob Mundorf was the first Sunday School superintendent. Jacob and Paulina's son, John, married Ella Wintermantel in 1904. John and Ella raised seven children in the Cornelius, Oregon area where they farmed. John died in 1936 leaving Ella with several underage children. The 1940 census shows them living in Cornelius, no longer on the farm. Son John, 18, is the only member of the household employed. He is working as a farm laborer and in the canning industry. Ella, the last surviving child of Christian and Matilda Wintermantel, died in Cornelius in 1965.
Here ends the story of Christian Wintermantle, our immigrant ancestor, a Civil War soldier, an enterprising farmer, and an Oregon pioneer. He suffered mightily as a result of his three years of Civil War service, but that didn't stop him from accumulating a fine legacy of land that his family inherited. His eleven children gave him a total of thirty-six grandchildren. Christian survived the bloody misery of the civil War but at least nine of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, participating in harpy pastimes like boating and fishing died in violent accidents. Among his descendents were many teachers, preachers, housewives, carpenters, farmers and US!
Here is how we're related to Christian Wintermantel. Christian and Matilda had Wilhemina Wintermantel. Wilhemina had Forrest Zimmerman. Forrest had Dianne Zimmerman. Dianne had Dawne Stevens. Dawne had Sarah, Hannah, Timothy and Rebecca Pamplin.
So Hooray for Christian Wintermantel!
Love,
Granny
1910 Census shows Matilda living in Tacoma with her daughters Minnie, and Ella, and their husbands and babies.
1920 Census she is living with daughter Louise
This story was told by our cousin's grandmother, Ethel Fey Hornschuch. "The Fey's were on a ship coming to America when a great storm hit. The family knelt on the deck and prayed, and were saved. Her recollection was that the mother was in ill health, and made her husband promise to take the girls to America and raise them there after she died."
from "The Fey Story" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
Matilda Ella Fey (1845 Prussia – 1922 Canby, Oregon) is the last child of Johann Adam Fey and is our ancestor.This is what Elbert Wardle wrote about Matilda in his Wintermantel genealogy in 1986:
"Matilda, our grandmother, was the youngest child and was two and a half years old when her mother died. Her father, sisters and brothers took care of her.
On their trip across the ocean she had her ninth birthday. They were on a sailing ship and the sea was stormy and very rough. Two icebergs were closing in on both sides of the ship and crashed together just behind them. Although Matilda was only nine, she remembers her father holding her and her sister Charlotte on his knees and comforting them while many of the passengers prayed. This trip took six weeks. Upon arrival in America the Fey family settled on a farm at Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin."And there she grew until 9 November 1865 when she married a neighbor and returning Civil War soldier, Christian Wintermantel. Her story continues in the Wintermantel section of this history, but it also continues after that section, because Matilda outlived Christian by 25 years.
After 31 years of marriage Matilda Fey Wintermantel became a widow when Christian died in October, 1897. She married William Druschel in October of 1899. He died in June of 1907 and Matilda was a widow once again. Christian's pension file details where Matilda lived from the time her second husband died until her death. In 1900 Matilda and William are living in Canby. She lived there until March of 1908 when she moved to Seattle. She lived there until March 1910 when she moved to Tacoma, Washington. The 1910 census shows Matilda living at 1323 S. M Street, Tacoma, Washington with the families of both daughters, Minnie and Ella. A year later she moved to North Yakima,Washington for one year, then Tacoma, Washington again for two years, and then Portland, Oregon until December 1917. I suspect in all these moves she was living with various of her children. After that she moved back to Canby, Oregon with her daughter and son-in-law, Louisa and John Koehler. And that is where she died of heart disease on 2 July 1922.
I have a huge file of copies of Christian's pension file. She applied to receive benefits as Christian's widow after he died, to receive benefits for his two daughters who were still underage at his death, and to again receive widows benefits from Christian after the death of her second husband, William Druschel. It is very interesting reading. The number of depositions involved is truly astounding. Bureaucracy and paper work were not invented in the 20th century. On page 83 of the file, April 18, 1918, is a letter from Matilda to the Honorable C. N. McArthur. She writes:
"Two years ago I applied to renew my pension with no results. Now they tell me I must submit the same paper work all over again. Can you please help me?"
She did succeed in her claims and at the time of her death was receiving 30 dollars per month.
One more interesting thing about Matilda and William Druschel. They both lived in Canby, Oregon with their first families. Each of them had eleven children with their first spouses. Another neighbor family was that of Adam and Elizabeth Zimmerman. Adam and Elizabeth's daughter Emma married one of William Druschel's sons from his first marriage, Charles. Adam and Elizabeth's son George married one of Matilda Fey Wintermantel Druschel's daughters from her first marriage, Minnie.
Immigrated May 1854 ship Bremen
Per L. Brown, 25 Apr 2010, " (Her mother) She didn't remember much more than that, other than my grandmother (Amelia Ella Wintermantel) had said that her grandfather was a Burgermeister of Berlin."
I (DZS) believe this refers to John Jacob Wintermantel. The traditional story I got from my grandmother is that he was the Burgermeister of a small town in Germany, probably Ihringen, not Berlin.The Wintermantel Story - Beginnings
17 August 2013
Dear Children,
My father's mother was a Wintermantel. Tonight I will tell you about her branch of the family.
Wintermantel means winter coat in German.The Wintermantels came from a part of Germany in the southern province of Baden-Württemberg. They lived in a little village called Ihringen which is about five miles northwest of Freiburg. Freiburg sits on the western edge of the Black Forest, so Ihringen is very near to it also. The Black Forest is a 3500 square mile area, almost rectangular area of mountains and forests. The Danube River originates in the Black Forest and the Rhine River Valley falls away to the west. The area is famous for its clock-making industry, especially cuckoo clocks, and also for the wood carving that adorns them. It has 14,000 miles of hiking, biking and skiing trails. The most interesting thing I learned about the Black Forest is it's inhabited by a species of giant earth worms called Lumbricus badensis. I wouldn't want to meet one on a dark and stormy night, would you? I imagine our Wintermantels were much too busy with day to day living to enjoy the trails, but perhaps they knew Lumbricus.
And I'll bet they did climb on the Kaiserstuhl! This series of volcanic hills rises from the the Rhine Valley and the southern end of the Kaiserstuhl is right at Ihringen!. Kaiserstuhl means king's chair. It was so named because King Otto III held court there in the year 994. I seems like our Wintermantels lived in a lovely and historic part of Germany.
The first Wintermantel we know of is Georg Jacob Wintermantel (b. Ihringen, Baden 1746 – d.1795). He died before he reached 50. His wife was Barbara Jacob. She only lived 33 years, from 1753 – 1786. They had three children, the youngest only a year and a half when Barbara died. So then Georg Jacob married Catharina Hohweiler. They had three more children, the youngest being less than two when Georg Jacob died. (If you want to know the exact dates and places for any of these people go to my website at dianneandpaul.net or refer to the CD in this book) Who took care of all these siblings after Georg Jacob and Barbara were gone? We don't know. We don't know how long Catharina lived. But our ancestor Johann Jacob would have been 23 when his father and mother were both gone. He had two younger siblings and three younger half siblings to worry about. Hopefully, there were many aunts and uncles around to help out. So here is the next generation:
Johann Jacob Wintermantel (b. Ihringen 1773 – d. Ihringen 1805) - He only lived to the age of 33. He married Catharina Mueller in 1795 and they had four children, the youngest six months old and then Johann Jacob died in 1805. We don't know how long Catharina lived or when she was born. Our ancestor, the second of these four children was only six when his father died. And that was:
Another Johann Jacob Wintermantel (b. 1799 in Ihringen, Baden – d. 1879 Sauk County, Wisconsin), one of our two immigrant Wintermantel ancestors. We know about his birth because the Wintermantel researcher, J. E., went to Ihringen and brought back a copy of the church record. Here it is translated to English:1799
Johann Jakob Wintermantel
The 28th of August between 10 and 11 p.m., born, and the 29th of the same (August) christened
father: Johann Jakob Wintermantel
citizen here.
Mother: Catharina nee Muller.Christening Witnesses:
1. Jakob Walther, citizen and caregiver here
2. Wilhelm Muller, single here.
3. Salome Birmelin, single here.
4. Anna Maria nee Muller, wife of Johannes Mossner, citizen here.In 1822 he married Salome Stalbar Walter (b. 1800, Ihringen – d. 1883 Sauk Co., Wi). Johann Jacob was a farmer, and according to my grandmother, Minnie, he was the “Bürgermeister” or mayor, of “a small village in Germany.” That must have been Ihringen, as that's where he, his wife and all his children were born and lived until they came to America. However, the only time I ever heard or read that fact was when my grandmother told it to me. I don't know that there is any way to verify it.
Here is another story of the Wintermantel family in Germany. This one comes from a great-grandson of Johann Jacob (b. 1799), Elbert Wardle, who did research on the Wintermantles before the age of computers:
"The Wintermantel Family
The Wintermantel family originated in Switzerland from around the late 1300's and were of the Aristocracy. Those we have record of were from the Freiburg area of Germany in the province of Baden Wurtemberg.According to Paul Wintermantel, sometime prior to the Thirty Years War, which began in 1618, there were three Wintermantel brothers. One remained in Switzerland while another journeyed to Austria and the third emigrated to the Baden Wurtemberg region of Germany. As far as we are able to determine, all Wintermantels originating out of Germany are descendants of the brother who emigrated to Baden from Switzerland.
John Jacob Wintermantel lived close enough to the Alps that he could see them while herding the sheep and cattle. Like the Alsace region of France, the Baden area is wine growing country. John Jacob was a wine merchant, also. There are still many Wintermantels in the Baden area to this day. Most Wintermantels were peasants or farmers. Many were Lutheran although some were Roman Catholic as documented by old birth records.
Beginning with the Thirty Years War until Bismark consolidated the German states in 1871, there was civil strife and religious fighting between the Lutherans and Catholics throughout Germany. During the 1800's there was a mass migration of people to America, including John Jacob Wintermantel and his family about 1855.
The route followed by the family was by wagon to Chur, Switzerland. From Chur, the family crossed into France traveling northward to the Alsace Lorraine area where they worked in the vineyards for a while. They traveled along the Seine River to the vicinity of Paris and on to England where they boarded a ship to America for the three week crossing. At the time this trip was made, it was more than likely a clipper ship. After reaching New York, John Jacob Wintermantel's family settled in Wisconsin at Prairie du Sac."
Another researcher I'll refer to as 'J.E.' has uncovered evidence that questions Elbert's version. Some think the description of the view from Ihringen and of the journey out of the country to America, was perhaps copied from another Wintermantel source that lived elsewhere. Following is what J. E. had to say about this issue:
"OK, so it looks like a consensus on the Chur journey being incorrect. And as far as being able to see the Alps from Ihringen, here is a reply from Werner Schmidlin, a Schmiedlin cousin, who was born and raised in Bischoffingen (next to Ihringen), and now lives in Australia, so he would know for sure.
'To your question could one see the Alps from Bischoffingen or Ihringen?
The answer is no. If you look behind you in Ihringen or Bischoffingen (He means north) you see the hills of the Kaiserstuhl. If you look west, you see the Vogue Mountains in France. If you go on top of the Hills on the Kaiserstuhl and look east, you see part of the Black Forrest. If you look towards Basel (south), about 50 Km away you do not see the Alps as the northern part of Switzerland is fairly flat or slightly undulated and the Alps are a fair way back.'”The part about Johann Jacob (1799) being a wine merchant, though, is very interesting and adds to our portrait of him.
Johann Jacob (1799) and Salome (1800) had nine children in Ihringen. In 1856 they decided to come to America. Their two eldest sons, John Jacob (1825) and George Frederick (1827) had already come. We don't know for sure why they decided to leave their homeland. We do know that many other Germans were coming to America at that time. According to the story my grandmother told me, and the same story I have found while researching others of our German ancestors, an important consideration was the matter of young men being conscripted into the German army and then being rented out as Hessians to fight in other people's wars. According to my grandmother, Minnie Wintermantel, the sons, John Jacob (1825) and George Frederick (1827), wanted to avoid that fate so they slipped away to the coast and caught a boat for America.
More information about John Jacob (1799) comes from the Wintermantel passport for the family when they left for America in 1856:
Passport No. 38 Hemisphere
No. 11413 Purpose: To travel to America
Canton Baden
Oberheim Section Passpot Bureau BreisachDescription:
age - 55 years
Height - 5 ft 9 in
stature - slim
face - longish, healthy
hair - brown
Forehead - high
eyebrows - brown
eyes - blue
nose - pointed
mouth - middlesized
beard - small beard in cheeks
chin - round
distinguishing marks - none
Personal affairs - marriedSignature - Jacob Wintermantel
All native and foreign civil and military authorities are requested to let the holder of this passport -
Jacob Wintrmantel
and his wife, Salome Walter
and their six children -
Anna Maria - 26
George Jacob - 24
John George - 24
William - 17
Rosina - 15
Christian - 13
born in Ihringen, residing in Ihringen, who wish to travel to North America in order to settle there, travel free and without hindrance, also providing protection and help if needed. This pass was issued upon proper payment in triplicate, 9 April 1856.
Witnessed by Gortsch - Passport Bureau."
(translated by Meta Fashing.)Our source, J. E., provides us a timeline for the family coming to America:
"1846 - 1847 The 2 oldest Wintermantel sons, JOHN Jacob and George FREDERICH, traveled to America, together or separately. (And 3 Gugel sons came as well--Jacob in 1846, John in 1851, and George in 1854.)
1847 Frederich Wintermantel died in Louisville, Kentucky.
9 April 1856 The remaining members of the Wintermantel family (except the married daughter Salome and her husband Mathias Schmiedlin, and children, who remained in Germany...), were issued a passport at Breisach, Baden, Germany, near Ihringen.
24 April 1856 John Jacob Wintermantel, his wife, Salome (Walter), and children -- Anna Maria, George JACOB, John GEORGE, Wilhelm (WILLIAM) Frederick, Rosina and Christian, left Ihringen. Also, Jacob and Catherine Gugel's remaining family left Ihringen on the same day, with the following remaining children -- William, Christian, Kate, Barbara and Sarah. The oldest daughter, Anna May Gugel and her husband, George Wintermantle, a cousin of our Wintermantels, remained in Ihringen until 1857.
The Wintermantel and Gugel families arrived in Kehl, Baden, by train that evening, and stayed there overnight.25 April 1856 The families crossed the Rhine River and went to Strasburg, Alsace, France, and later that evening started for Paris.
26 April 1856 The families arrived in Paris, and that night the journey was resumed for le Havre, France.
27 April 1856 In the morning, the families arrived in le Havre, and spent several days there.
30 April 1856 In the evening the families boarded the sailboat "Hemisphere".
1 May 1856 In the morning the ship Hemisphere started for America.
7 June 1856 After a voyage of 37 days, the Hemisphere arrived in New York. Jacob Gugel had been ill before the voyage, but it was hoped the trip would improve his health. Instead, "he was taken to the hospital shortly after arriving in New York, where he died of palsy and a complication of diseases, at the age of 68 years, and was buried on Staten Island". (The rest of the Gugel family settled in Cass County, Indiana where the oldest Gugel son, Jacob, had been given a land grant for his service in the Mexican War.)
18 June 1856 The Wintermantels arrived in Little Prairie, Wisconsin.”
The Gugels mentioned above were also from Ihringen. Jacob, John or George Gugel may have been part of the group that my grandmother told me “ran off to the coast one night when they heard the army conscriptors were coming, and left for America.” The rest of the Gugel family came over the ocean aboard the Hemisphere with the rest of the Wintermantel family. There was intermarriage between the two families.
Doris Listscher Gasser, a Wintermantel descendant who still lives in Sauk County, wrote the following about the family's first home in America:
"The Wintermantels purchased a farm in Irish Valley and built a home. They sold the farm to Martin Yanke in 1907 and his descendants continue to live there. The house was in the path of the same tornado that destroyed the Catholic Church in Plain in 1918."
The 1860 census shows Jacob (1799) and Salome liivng there with five of their children. The 1870 census shows them living with their daughter Salome and Matt Schmiedlin right next door to G Jacob (1832) and his family. Neighbors Walsh (Welch), Howlet, Yaeger, and Hauser (Heiser) are the same or similar in both censuses, so I believe it to be the same farm. By 1870 G Jacob and George (1835, the letterwriter) are the only two sons still in Sauk County. So it makes sense to assume the farm on which G Jacob (1832) riased his family, that was destroyed by the 1917 tornado, was the same farm that his father and mother, Jacob (1799) and Sally settled on when they came to Wisconsin.
After the family had lived here for nineteen years, their son George wrote a letter home to relatives in Germany and someone saved it, translated it and shared it with us. It tells a lot about the early days of the Wintermantel family in Sauk County, Wisconsin.
"January 31, 1875
Honey Creek, Sauk County, Wisconsin
Dear Relatives and Friends,
Since nearly 10 years have already passed since our emigration to America, and I have not entirely forgotten you who still live at my place of birth, I finally came to the thought to write again to you. Very likely, there are those of our relatives and acquaintances there who still think about us and would like to know how things are going with the Wintermantel family in America. This short report will give you some idea how we have fared.
After a wait of 2 days in New York we journeyed directly to Wisconsin and settled in Honey Creek, Sauk County, where we worked for the first few months for different farmers until August when our father moved a few miles farther and, in September, bought 40 acres of land for $1.00 an acre. Next spring we built a house on this land, and that is where the parents now live.
The first years father broke up 20 to 30 acres of land and with the help of Jacob and William planted a vineyard and fruit trees, so that the parents have a pretty nice home. Both are still living. Father is still well and strong for his age. Mother is somewhat frail, but still pretty well. They live in well-to- circumstances and know nothing of want, for their land has produced MANY A GOOD HARVEST of wheat, oats, corn, wine and different vegetables with which you are acquainted too.
The land was still pretty wild when we arrived. The first ones came to this region about 10 years earlier, most of them from Switzerland, others from North Germany and South Germany and from the Alsace, still others from the eastern and southern states. Until 1846, wild people and wild animals were the only inhabitants of this region. And some of the original inhabitants are still present...”
He goes on to tell about the various children and I will share those other parts soon. And then...
“On January 13th I received a letter from Brother Christian in Iowa in which he enclosed a letter from you which you sent to Christian Wintermantel in Iowa. Regarding this I wanted to write to you, and had a letter ready when I received 2 other letters from him, one was from you and one from my mother's oldest sister, Kathrina, very likely written by her daughter, Kathrina. The next morning I brought them to my parents and read them to them in the presence of their daughter, Salome, and the young Schmidlin. These 2 letters surprised us, and brought joy, but also sorrow. We blamed ourselves for great carelessness, that for such a long time we did not write to you, and if I should give the reason, I would not know what to say. After the letters were read, father gave me $10 which I was to send to my mother's oldest sister. But if she should not be living any more, one half of it shall go to Rosina, the other sister of my mother, but the other half to go to the oldest sister's daughter, Kathrina.
Now I could come to a close, but I cannot send empty paper to Germany. I will, therefore, write something about the price of land. Last spring a farm of 120 acres was sold in our neighborhood for $2,700. It is almost all level land, but perhaps 50 acres is usable, the other is woods. But the land is all fertile. Another farm of 200 acres, with 80 acres under plow was sold for $4,250. On it was a 2 story stone house which cost $1,200.
Now I shall also write something of the conditions of the state and church, but there isn't enough room. Finally, a hearty greeting from us all to you all. Next spring I want to write another letter, God willing. When you write again tell us how many gulden you received for the $10. Our address is,
George Wintermantel, Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin.".
You can read the entire letter in the section of this book called “Sources.”
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel are buried in Black Hawk Cemetery, Troy Township, Sauk Co, WI, along with many of their descendants.Now I want to tell you a little about each of John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's nine children.
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's first child was Salome Wintermantel (b. 1823 Ihringen, Baden – 1904 Sauk City, Wisconsin). Salome married Mathias Schmiedlin (b.1820 Ihringen – d. 1903 Sauk City, Wisconsin). They were married and had at least five children in Ihringen before they followed the rest of the Wintermantel family to Sauk County. Here is what brother George wrote about Salome and Matthias in his letter to Germany in 1875:
"M. Schmidlins live close by our parents. He had father's farm in rent for several years, but then they bought out an Irishman. The two older daughters are married. Several children were born in America, and several have died. The parents and the rest of the children are healthy and well."They had about nine chidren, four of whom survived to adulthood. One, their daughter Salome Schmiedlin and her husband, Emmanuel Kirschner, had nine children also. Five of them died before the age of eight. During a two month period during the winter of 1880 three of their little boys died; Franz Kirschner, age 7, Herman Kirschner 5, and John Heinrich Kirschner, 3. Most likely a contagious disease like diphtheria swept through the community. We don't know for sure. Sad though this was there is also good news for Salome and Matt. Of their grandchildren who lived, many lived into their 80's and 90's, at least nine. And one granddaughter, Sara, lived to be 102. She was the daughter of Mary Magdalena Weber, Salome and Matt's first child. Sara Weber married Clint O. Belzer. Both Sarah and Clint lived past the 100 mark, Sara to 102, Clint to 103. They were married almost 80 years!
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's second child was John Jacob Wintermantel (b. 1825 Ihringen, Baden – 1894 Iowa). John Jacob and his brother, George Frederich, had come to America before their parents and family in 1846 or 1847. When John Jacob (1799) and Salome arrived with their six children in Sauk County one of their first thoughts was to find the two older brothers and unite the family.
Brother George wrote the following about his brother John Jacob:
"Brother John Jacob was found by Brother William in Memphis in 1860 and they took the train to Wisconsin. He lived for several years with the parents. In 1865 he went to Iowa, bought land, married, sold the land again, moved farther west, bought other land at Winterset, Madison County, Iowa, where he now lives. He is a widower, but lives in well-to-do circumstances."
John Jacob (1825) married Caroline Schoepflin. She brought 5 children with her to the marriage. Caroline and John Jacob had two more children. When the youngest was only 2 Caroline died. Then John Jacob married Eliza Jacquiss and had Katherine Ethel Wintermantel who married Harry Woodford. Kate and Harry had eight children including twins. In 1919 during the great flu epidemic, Harry, just back from WWI, and the twins, Elmer and Eleanor, who were then 2 1/2, all died.
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's third child was George Frederich Wintermantle ( 1827 Ihringen, Baden – 1847 Louisville, Ky) Sadly, George Frederick never made it to Wisconsin. Brother George writes (1875 letter to Germany):
"We never saw anything more of Brother Frederich. According to J. J. Angaben he died in 1847 in Louisville, Kentucky."
This comment has puzzled researchers. Who was J. J. Angaben?
One researcher, M. Jenstad, had the following insight (email 2009):
"I've always just figured he must have been some researcher someone used before I was actively involved in genealogy. I've tried looking for that surname.....can't find it ANYWHERE! Today I had a new thought......using Babelfish website I entered "angeben" as a German word, and it came back as the word, "indicate".
Could this possibly mean that "according to J. J. (meaning John Jacob Wintermantel 2nd, who came to America before his parents), angeben (meaning "indicated") he died in 1847....so it might read:
'According to J. J. (Wintermantel), he indicated he (George Frederick) died in 1847 in Louisville, Kentucky.' ...This would then probably mean that John Jacob W. (2nd) and George Friedrich W. had found each other in America."John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's fourth child was Anne Marie Wintermantel (1829 Ihringen, Baden - 1870) Only lived to age 40. She married Rudolf Yaeger. They had one son, Fred. Fred's daughter, Lillian Yaeger, married James Callaway and they had 10 children in Wisconsin and Canada.
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's fifth child was George Jacob Wintermantel (known as Jacob) (1832 Ihringen, Baden – 1916 Sauk Co, WI). Jacob was a shoemaker before the Civil War. He married Agnes Joos from Switzerland about 1860. Jacob and most of his descendants stayed in Wisconsin. And one of his descendants became a good friend of mine even before I knew she was a descendant! That may be why I have such a wealth of information about Jacob. I even have a wonderful story about how his wife's family came to America. You can find it all in “Sources.” In the meantime, I will condense some of it for you here.
Jacob and Agnes had three small children when he was drafted in October, 1864 and became part of Company H, Thirty-seventh Wisconsin Infantry. He fought with Ninth Army Corp in battles at Fort Steadman, VA and Petersburg, VA.
Jacob's brother George wrote about Jacob's Civil War service in his 1875 letter:"During the Civil War George JACOB'S lot came to go into the army, and he went to Petersburg and Richmond in Virginia. He returned to Wisconsin safe and sound at the close of the war. It was hard for him to leave wife and children. He told me that sometimes everything was a cemetery for the fallen soldiers."
In another letter, written in 1908 to his sister-in-law, Matilda Druschel, in Oregon, George writes again of brother Jacob:
"The family of my brother Jacob has had much grief and heartache. He has about 118 acres, about 80 acres in hills and woodlands, and a few acres of swampland."
We don't know what that “grief and heartache” was.
Jacob and Agnes stayed in Sauk Co., WI. The 1870, 1880, and 1900 census shows them in Franklin Township. In 1910 they are living in Prairie du Sac; Agnes reports having birthed 9 children, 8 still living. (Their son William died at age 27.) All the children stayed in Sauk Co except for the eldest, Jacob, who moved to Iowa.
Here is a very little bit about each of George Jacob's children:
Jacob married Amelia Buttke and raised a family of one child in Iowa
Salome married Albert Hudson. They raised a family of one child in Lodi, WI.
William never married. He died at age 27.
John lived in Prairie du Sac and clerked at Conger and Schoephorsters General Store. He married Emma Ragatz and had five children all of whom stayed in the area
Sarah and her sister, Rosina, married brothers, Felix and Fred Sprecher. Sarah married Felix and had three children. Sarah's granddaughter, Doris Listcher writes for the local paper in Prairie du Sac and has written articles about the Wintermantels and drew the picture of the Wintermantels Coming to America.
Mary married August Mellentine. They had no children. They stayed in Prairie du Sac.
George F. never married. He and his brother Christian ran a butcher shop in Reedsburg. George liked to tell limmericks.
Christian ran the Butcher shop with George. He also never married.
Rosina Agnes married Fred Sprecher, bother of Felix, husband of her sister Sarah. Rosina (Rose) had five children. One of whom, Wilbert, has a wife, Marcella Felix Sprecher, still living at 102. Another child, still living, is Rosina's daughter, Ruth. Ruth is the mother of my dear friend, Marilyn, that I know from church.
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's sixth child was John George Wintermantel (known as George) (1835 Ihringen, Baden – 1920 Sauk County, WI.) We have two wonderful letters that George wrote, one to the folks back in Germany in 1875, the second to his sister-in-law, Matilda Druschel in Canby, Oregon in 1908. Those letters are the basis for much that we know about these Wintermantels and their circumstances.The 1860 census shows George working on the farm of Frederick and Catherine Rose. They had a 15 year old daughter Charlotte he must have been sweet on, because he married her two years later. She gave birth to a baby girl, Charlotte, in Nov 1863,then died 23 Dec 1863. George's sister Salome took Baby Charlotte to care for. A year later George married Anna Kindshi. With her he had five girls, and then finally a boy, Frederick in 1881. Fred is said to have told that his father regarded his eight cows as being “a sizable herd.”
In 1871 George purchased a farm on Sauk County Hwy PF two miles west of the Ragatz Church. During the Wintermantel Reunion of 2003 we were able to tour the farmhouse that still stands. It is a Swiss style house made with very thick sandstone walls in a distinctive mode called Block and Stack.
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's seventh child was William Frederick Wintermantle (known as William) – (1838 Ihringen, Baden – 1927 Portland, OR). He married Sarah Dengel and had eight children, four of which survived to 1900: George, Mary E. (married Stone), Rosa (married Finnigan), Sadie (married Enke). William and Sarah and all their children ended up living in Oregon. Like his brothers Jacob and Christian, William served in the Civil War. We have the following from brother George about William's Civil War service and his life up to 1875:
"Brother William enlisted in the army in the beginning of the war. He served 3 years in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment, mostly under General Bloncl in the southwest, in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and in Indian Territory. He was in many battles and bloody situations, and in danger day and night between southern rebels and enemy Indians. In 1865 he moved with John Jacob to Iowa where he bought and sold farms several times, naturally not without profit. But two years ago he moved to Kansas where he again acquired 160 acres of land. Probably, according to law, every soldier with an honorable discharge was entitled to 160 acres of land. He sold a farm in Iowa, I think it was 730 acres. His wife was a daughter of a German preacher from Illinois."
William testified extensively during his brother, Christian's, pension case, of which we have the file. He testified that Christian and Matilda moved together from Wisconsin to Iowa after the war and they lived together with William's family in Iowa until 1874 when William and his family moved on to Kansas.
William and Sarah's daughter Mary married Andrew Stone and had six children. The third was a girl named Bercha. Bercha grew up and married a man named Earlyn Besaw, so her name was Bercha Besaw. I'll bet there weren't too many Bercha Besaws around.
Bercha's eldest sibling was a boy named Lawrence Orr Stone. Lawrence and his wife had four children. His wife may have died before 1940, I'm not sure. But the 1940 census shows him married to another woman with no sign of his children. I finally found one of them, 12 year old Betty Louise Stone, living in the Waverly Children's Home in Portland, Oregon. This was basically an orphanage. I shall continue to look for the other three children Cletus, Donald, and Marjorie Stone
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's eighth child was Rosina Wintermantel (b. 1840 Ihringen, Baden – 1923 Leola, South Dakota). Rosina married Paulus Heitz and they had eleven children. They moved to Minnesota in 1865. On the 1910 Census Rosina reports she has had 11 children/ 10 are still living. Their daughter Salome had died in 1894.
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's ninth child was Christian Wintermantel (1842 Ihringen, Baden – 1897 Canby, Oregon) Christian is our second Wintermantel immigrant ancestor. He has his own story.
Here ends the story of the first three Wintermantel generations that we know about. They lived in a beautiful part of Germany, then called Baden, in the village of Ihringen. The first two generations were mostly farmers. Their lives were short and filled with hard work. Our immigrant ancestor, Johann Jacob (1799) was a farmer, a wine merchant and perhaps, “Bürgermeister.” He and his wife Sally, to keep their sons from being conscripted as Hessian soldiers, packed up their lives and their family and followed their two oldest sons to America. They settled in Sauk County, Wisconsin where they lived together into ripe old age and their children produced many descendants now in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon and other places.
So Hooray for the Wintermantels!
Love, Granny
middle name is from Doris Gasser book.
From "The Wintermantel Story - Beginnings" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
John Jacob and Salome Walter Wintermantel's third child was George Frederich Wintermantle ( 1827 Ihringen, Baden – 1847 Louisville, Ky) Sadly, George Frederick never made it to Wisconsin. Brother George writes (1875 letter to Germany):
"We never saw anything more of Brother Frederich. According to J. J. Angaben he died in 1847 in Louisville, Kentucky."
This comment has puzzled researchers. Who was J. J. Angaben?
One researcher, M. Jenstad, had the following insight (email 2009):
"I've always just figured he must have been some researcher someone used before I was actively involved in genealogy. I've tried looking for that surname.....can't find it ANYWHERE! Today I had a new thought......using Babelfish website I entered "angeben" as a German word, and it came back as the word, "indicate".
Could this possibly mean that "according to J. J. (meaning John Jacob Wintermantel 2nd, who came to America before his parents), angeben (meaning "indicated") he died in 1847....so it might read:
'According to J. J. (Wintermantel), he indicated he (George Frederick) died in 1847 in Louisville, Kentucky.'
...This would then probably mean that John Jacob W. (2nd) and George Friedrich W. had found each other in America ."
1910 Census shows Matilda living in Tacoma with her daughters Minnie, and Ella, and their husbands and babies.
1920 Census she is living with daughter Louise
This story was told by our cousin's grandmother, Ethel Fey Hornschuch. "The Fey's were on a ship coming to America when a great storm hit. The family knelt on the deck and prayed, and were saved. Her recollection was that the mother was in ill health, and made her husband promise to take the girls to America and raise them there after she died."
from "The Fey Story" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
Matilda Ella Fey (1845 Prussia – 1922 Canby, Oregon) is the last child of Johann Adam Fey and is our ancestor.This is what Elbert Wardle wrote about Matilda in his Wintermantel genealogy in 1986:
"Matilda, our grandmother, was the youngest child and was two and a half years old when her mother died. Her father, sisters and brothers took care of her.
On their trip across the ocean she had her ninth birthday. They were on a sailing ship and the sea was stormy and very rough. Two icebergs were closing in on both sides of the ship and crashed together just behind them. Although Matilda was only nine, she remembers her father holding her and her sister Charlotte on his knees and comforting them while many of the passengers prayed. This trip took six weeks. Upon arrival in America the Fey family settled on a farm at Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin."And there she grew until 9 November 1865 when she married a neighbor and returning Civil War soldier, Christian Wintermantel. Her story continues in the Wintermantel section of this history, but it also continues after that section, because Matilda outlived Christian by 25 years.
After 31 years of marriage Matilda Fey Wintermantel became a widow when Christian died in October, 1897. She married William Druschel in October of 1899. He died in June of 1907 and Matilda was a widow once again. Christian's pension file details where Matilda lived from the time her second husband died until her death. In 1900 Matilda and William are living in Canby. She lived there until March of 1908 when she moved to Seattle. She lived there until March 1910 when she moved to Tacoma, Washington. The 1910 census shows Matilda living at 1323 S. M Street, Tacoma, Washington with the families of both daughters, Minnie and Ella. A year later she moved to North Yakima,Washington for one year, then Tacoma, Washington again for two years, and then Portland, Oregon until December 1917. I suspect in all these moves she was living with various of her children. After that she moved back to Canby, Oregon with her daughter and son-in-law, Louisa and John Koehler. And that is where she died of heart disease on 2 July 1922.
I have a huge file of copies of Christian's pension file. She applied to receive benefits as Christian's widow after he died, to receive benefits for his two daughters who were still underage at his death, and to again receive widows benefits from Christian after the death of her second husband, William Druschel. It is very interesting reading. The number of depositions involved is truly astounding. Bureaucracy and paper work were not invented in the 20th century. On page 83 of the file, April 18, 1918, is a letter from Matilda to the Honorable C. N. McArthur. She writes:
"Two years ago I applied to renew my pension with no results. Now they tell me I must submit the same paper work all over again. Can you please help me?"
She did succeed in her claims and at the time of her death was receiving 30 dollars per month.
One more interesting thing about Matilda and William Druschel. They both lived in Canby, Oregon with their first families. Each of them had eleven children with their first spouses. Another neighbor family was that of Adam and Elizabeth Zimmerman. Adam and Elizabeth's daughter Emma married one of William Druschel's sons from his first marriage, Charles. Adam and Elizabeth's son George married one of Matilda Fey Wintermantel Druschel's daughters from her first marriage, Minnie.
The Fey Story
July 20, 2013
Dear Children
Tonight I want to tell you about our Fey ancestors.
Our Feys came from Prussia. Prussia was where Germany is now, but there was no “Germany” then. The kingdom of Prussia existed from 1701 to 1918. It varied in size over the years depending on who had won the latest battle, but at one time it was very large, stretching from the Baltic sea in to north, to Poland and parts of Russia in the east, and south into the Rhineland. At times it contained parts of Selesia, Pomerania, and even Lithuania. The part of Prussia our Feys were from is now in a German state called Nordrhein-Westfalen.
The earliest Fey we know about was a Heinrich Fey, probably born in the late 1600's in Prussia. We can guess his birth date because we know his son Johann Jost Fey was married in 1746. All we know about him is his name, but we can glean tidbits from the history of the region. For instance, there was a terrible outbreak of Bubonic Plague in Prussia when Heinrich was a boy (1708). One third of the people in Prussia died from the plague, but Heinrich survived. We don't know who Heinrich's wife was or who his children were except for:
Johan Jost Fey who married Agnesa Joerg on the 18th of August in 1746 in the village of Niederdresselndorf, Prussia. We know this because a man named Maxwell Andrae went to Germany and found old church records. Niederdresselndorf and Holzhausen were two little villages close together. Today they are part of the metropolitan community of Burbach in Siegen-Wittgenstein, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Nordrhein-Westfalen would correspond to one of our states in the USA, Siegen-Wittgenstein would correspond to a county. Burbach would perhaps correspond to our townships with the village of Burbach being the seat of government for itself and nine other surrounding villages. The river Heller runs through the Burbach community.
Johann Jost and Agnesa had a child, Johann Georg Fey (1752 Niederdresselndorf, Westphalia, Prussia – 1822). He married Catharina Junker (1761-1836). Their seventh child (that we know about) was :
Johann Adam Fey (1800 Holzenhausen, Westphalia, Prussia). He married Anna Thomas (1804 Niederdresselndorf, Westphalia, Prussia - 1848 Prussia) He was known as Adam. He was our immigrant Fey ancestor and so we know a little more about him. He was born during the Napoleonic War, when France under Emperor Napoleon tried to take over the world. Prussia was very involved in this war and sent many soldiers to fight so that when Napoleon met his Waterloo, Prussia was rewarded with lots of territory. This may well be the time when Westphalia became part of Prussia. This all happened when this Adam was a kid. It was all done by 1815 and then the French were gone.
The following is from Elbert J. Wardle, Wintermantle Genealogy: Christian and Mathilda's Family Tree 1799 to 1986, informal publication, July 1986.
" The Adam Fey FamilyThe Fey family lived on a wheat farm, near Bremen, in Westphalia
province. Adam Fey was a wheat merchant who traveled all over the
world. He made his first trip across the Atlantic when he was
nine years of age. He and his wife, Katherine, had seven
children.”Minnie told us her Fey grandmother's name was Anna and listed 9 children. Church records indicate there were 12 children. Eight are listed as coming along with Johann Adam in the ship Bremen when he came to America. His son John was already in the USA.
Here is the record from the immigrant ship's log record that brought Johann Adam Fey and the rest of his children to America:
ship: Bremen
From Bremen to New York
Arrived: 20 May 1854Fey, Adam age 53, farmer, from Prussia, destination Illinois
Adam age 27, farmer, " "
Catherine age 26, unkown, " "
Anna age 21, " " "
Elisabeth age 19 " " "
Carl age 14 " " "
Caroline age 12 " " "
Charlotte age 9, child, " "
Mathilde age 7, child, " “Here is the note left by my grandmother, Minnie Wintermantle about her mother's family:
"Matilda Fey - daughter of Adam Fey and Anna Thomas Fey - Born in Westphalia, Prussia, May 2, 1845. She was the youngest of nine children Adam, John, Carl, Katherine, Caroline, Anna, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Matilda. Her mother died of TB when Matilda was three years of age. At the age of nine, she and the family came to America and settled in Wisconsin. When she was 20 years old she was married to Christian Wintermantel. For a time they lived in Ackley, Iowa, then in 1883, the family came to Oregon. They lived near Jefferson and in 1891 moved to the Canby district. In 1899 she was married to William Druschell. She died July 2, 1922 at the age of 77, and was buried in Zion Cemetery."
The 1860 census shows Johann Adam and his family living in Sauk County, Troy township, with real estate worth $1500, not bad for 1860.
The 1870 census shows him living with his daughter Elizabeth in Dane County.In the 1880 census he is living with his son, Adam in the town of Ableman, township of Excelsior, Sauk County, Wisconsin. The town that was once called Ableman is now Rock Springs.
Here is what I found out about Ableman from Wikipedia::
"Named for Col. Stephen Van Rensselaer Ableman, who settled there in 1851. The place was once called Ableman Mills, and once Rock Springs, and for a while Excelsior. The name of Rock Springs was given from the springs at the base of the rocky bluff, and Excelsior from the seal of New York. "
In December 1880 there came to the family of Christian Wintermantel in Ackley, Iowa a letter edged in black. The “letter edged in black” was written on very special stationery that one would purchase to inform far away family members of a death. My grandmother, Minnie Wintermantel, wrote of this letter:
"The black bordered stationery was almost a 'must' as was the black veil the widow wore. The bereaved gentlemen wore crepe bands on their sleeves but not very long. "
This particular letter was especially for Matilda Fey Wintermantel, Christian's wife and the daughter of Johann Adam Fey who died on 4 December 1880 in Sauk County, Wisconsin. The letter is written in German. Here is an English translation:
(Envelope):
“Mr. Christ. Wintermantel
Ackley, Hardin Co, Iowa”(Letter):
“Ableman, 7 December 1880
Dear Brother-in-Law and Sister:
Father died on Saturday the 4th (December) at 5:45 in the morning, after a 6 week-long illness. He had at the beginning of his illness a weakness with the back and stomach ache. We used the Lebenswecker*, whereupon he was better, but he does not lose the entire weakness, whereupon we let
the doctor come, but as soon as father had the medicine taken away ? was to eat, so that in 9 days, he had forgotten he was to meet with Karl. Brother John, sister Eliza, and Caroline her 3 daughters, which serve in Baraboo, were here for the funeral. Father endured from Friday noon up to his end after much
pain. Father died gladly, since he himself saw, that he cannot have much luck and more happy conditions with his handicap. Father was buried yesterday the 6th of the month, he now has overcome all pain and worries and the ground may be easy to him. The rest of us are well and hope that our letter, to you, finds you well.Many cordial greetings from all of us to all of you.
Your brother, A. Fey”The translator added this note about the Lebenswecker:
* Originally invented in the 1850s by Carl Baunscheidt and called a Lebenswecker (German for "Life
Awakener"), this counter-irritation device consisted of an 8" long turned ebony hollow handle, with 30
small needles in one end which the operator coats with Baunscheidt's inflammatory oil. A spiral spring
concealed in the handle is then pulled back and let go to drive the 30 needles and their irritating oil into
the skin.".Here follows a little of what we know of Johann Adam and Anna Thomas Fey's nine children:
Adam Fey (1827 Prussia – 1905 Ableman, Wisconsin) married Johanna Reuter. In 1880 the Wisconsin State Historical Society published A History of Sauk County. This is what they wrote about this Adam Fey:
"Adam Fey, Merchant, Ableman, son of Adam and Anna (Thomas) Fey; born in Holtzhousen, Prussia, Feb. 10, 1827; lived in Prussia till 1854, when he moved to Iowa, where he remained till he came to Wisconsin in 1855, locating in the town of Troy, Sauk County, where he was engaged in farming for four years; in 1869, he moved to Spring Green, and opened a general store, and in 1871, removed to Ableman, where he now resides; he is dealing in general merchandise, and has a large, well-stocked store in company with L. Goedecke. He was married at Madison, Wis., May 5, 1872 to Hannah Rueder, daughter of Adolph Rueder; have had two boys - Adolph and one unnamed.”The boy unnamed would have been Maxemilian. It appears neither he nor five others of their children survived to adulthood. On the 1910 census his mother, Johanna Fey, reports she has given birth to six children and only one survived. That one was Gustave Adolph. He continued his father's business as a merchant in Ableman, Wisconsin and must have done quite well with it. The 1930 census shows him to be the owner of a $15,000 home with two radios! A lot of wealth for that time.
Katherine Fey (1828 Prussia - USA) married Benedict Roth from Switzerland and had at least six children.
John Fey (1830 Prussia – 1915 Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin) married Lozina Violetta Hornbeck.. John was the son that came from Germany ahead of the rest of his family. Like some of our Wintermantel ancestors he was avoiding conscription into the Hessian army that was rented out to countries all over Europe.. He immigrated in 1853, one year before the rest of his family, arriving from Bremen in New York Harbor on May 2, 1853 on the ship Mathilde. Perhaps he was the one to find a good place for his family to settle in Sauk County, Wisconsin. In 1867 he married married Lozina Violetta Hornbeck.. John and Lozina had six children. The 1880 census shows him living with his family in Prairie du Sac, WI and he is a saloon keeper. By 1910 he and his family are still in Prairie du Sac but his occupation has changed to village clerk. By far the most amazing thing about John Fey is this: his great-granddaughter, A. A. Fey, had seventeen children! This was not back in the 1800's but in the 1950's and 60's. A.A. And her husband live in Monroe, Wisconsin. They are very active octogenarians and have fantastic family reunions.
Anna Fey (1833 Prussia - USA) We no nothing further about this Anna.
Elizabeth Fey (1835 Prussia - USA) married August Gastine Reuter and they had eight children in Wisconsin. August died in Dane County, Wisconsin in 1890. The 1880 census shows August working as a day laborer, their son Augustas working as a harness maker, and their daughters Emma and Rosette working as seamstresses. Just think how many seamstresses it must have taken to keep the world clothed before the advent of sewing machines!
Carl Fey (1839 Prussia – aft 1910 Reedsburg, Wisconsin) The 1860 census shows a Charles Fey living with the Johann Adam Fey family but no Carl. Since Charles is the age that Carl should have been I assume this person and Carl are one and the same. Carl appeared on the 1900 census and the 1910 census as a resident of the County Poor Farm in Reedsburg. His occupation - “pauper.”
Caroline Fey (1841 Prussia – 1891 Troy, Wisconsin) married Ludwig Diehl, a farmer from Prussia. They lived in the township of Troy, Sauk County, Wisconsin, and together raised at least twelve children.
Charlotte Fey (1843 Prussia - Wisconsin) The 1870 census shows Charlotte as a 26 year old seamstress living with the family of Louis Goedecke In Spring Green, Wisconsin. Her brother Adam is listed there as well. In the 1880 census she is living with her brother Adam and his family in Excelsior, Sauk County, Wisconsin and she is listed as Carlotta rather than Charlotte.
Matilda Ella Fey (1845 Prussia – 1922 Canby, Oregon) is the last child of Johann Adam Fey and is our ancestor.
This is what Elbert Wardle wrote about Matilda in his Wintermantel genealogy in 1986:
"Matilda, our grandmother, was the youngest child and was two and a half years old when her mother died. Her father, sisters and brothers took care of her.
On their trip across the ocean she had her ninth birthday. They were on a sailing ship and the sea was stormy and very rough. Two icebergs were closing in on both sides of the ship and crashed together just behind them. Although Matilda was only nine, she remembers her father holding her and her sister Charlotte on his knees and comforting them while many of the passengers prayed. This trip took six weeks. Upon arrival in America the Fey family settled on a farm at Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin."And there she grew until 9 November 1865 when she married a neighbor and returning Civil War soldier, Christian Wintermantel. Her story continues in the Wintermantel section of this history, but it also continues after that section, because Matilda outlived Christian by 25 years.
After 31 years of marriage Matilda Fey Wintermantel became a widow when Christian died in October, 1897. She married William Druschel in October of 1899. He died in June of 1907 and Matilda was a widow once again. Christian's pension file details where Matilda lived from the time her second husband died until her death. In 1900 Matilda and William are living in Canby. She lived there until March of 1908 when she moved to Seattle. She lived there until March 1910 when she moved to Tacoma, Washington. The 1910 census shows Matilda living at 1323 S. M Street, Tacoma, Washington with the families of both daughters, Minnie and Ella. A year later she moved to North Yakima,Washington for one year, then Tacoma, Washington again for two years, and then Portland, Oregon until December 1917. I suspect in all these moves she was living with various of her children. After that she moved back to Canby, Oregon with her daughter and son-in-law, Louisa and John Koehler. And that is where she died of heart disease on 2 July 1922.
I have a huge file of copies of Christian's pension file. She applied to receive benefits as Christian's widow after he died, to receive benefits for his two daughters who were still underage at his death, and to again receive widows benefits from Christian after the death of her second husband, William Druschel. It is very interesting reading. The number of depositions involved is truly astounding. Bureaucracy and paper work were not invented in the 20th century. On page 83 of the file, April 18, 1918, is a letter from Matilda to the Honorable C. N. McArthur. She writes:
"Two years ago I applied to renew my pension with no results. Now they tell me I must submit the same paper work all over again. Can you please help me? "
She did succeed in her claims and at the time of her death was receiving 30 dollars per month.
One more interesting thing about Matilda and William Druschel. They both lived in Canby, Oregon with their first families. Each of them had eleven children with their first spouses. Another neighbor family was that of Adam and Elizabeth Zimmerman. Adam and Elizabeth's daughter Emma married one of William Druschel's sons from his first marriage, Charles. Adam and Elizabeth's son George married one of Matilda Fey Wintermantel Druschel's daughters from her first marriage, Minnie.
So these are our Fey ancestors. We only have records of five generations, but very important generations as they cover the time when the Feys came to America. They had a perilous journey across the ocean and braved many hardships They established new lives in America and left many descendants, even us!
So Hooray for the Feys!
Love
Granny
Carl is not a patient at the Home in 1920
from "The Fey Story" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
Carl Fey (1839 Prussia – aft 1910 Reedsburg, Wisconsin) The 1860 census shows a Charles Fey living with the Johann Adam Fey family but no Carl. Since Charles is the age that Carl should have been I assume this person and Carl are one and the same. Carl appeared on the 1900 census and the 1910 census as a resident of the County Poor Farm in Reedsburg. His occupation - “pauper.”
from "The Fey Story" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
Charlotte Fey (1843 Prussia - Wisconsin) The 1870 census shows Charlotte as a 26 year old seamstress living with the family of Louis Goedecke In Spring Green, Wisconsin. Her brother Adam is listed there as well. In the 1880 census she is living with her brother Adam and his family in Excelsior, Sauk County, Wisconsin and she is listed as Carlotta rather than Charlotte.
This person is dead.
from "The Christian Wintermantel Story" by Dianne Z. Stevens - 2013
Christian and Matilda's first child was Rosina Magdalena Wintermantel (1866 Franklin, WI – 1955 Okanogan, WA), called Rose. She married Matthew Hoover (1861 Missouri – 1952 Bridgeport, Washington). Rose and her husband farmed wheat land in North Central Washington. Later they lived at Ocean City, WA, and rented tourist cabins. They retired at Okanongan, WA. They had two daughters, Greta and Marie, both of whom graduated from college. Marie taught school for 47 years. She never had children. Her husband, Prater Hilliard Smith, grew orchards in Washington state. Greta also taught school. She married Harold F. Greely. They lived in Okanogan, Washington where Harold ran a Richfield Service Station for many years. They had only one child, a son, Donald Hoover Greely who became an Army Colonel, receiving many honors for his service in WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. Colonel Greely's only son, Donald Hoover Greely Jr., and daughter-in-law died in a car accident in 1973. Colonel Greely also had a daughter by a second marriage.
Another person, Ora Greely, is related to this family in some way. Ora's obituary says that Greta and Marie are her sisters. Ora also lived in Okanogan. She was born in 1883, ten years before Matt married Rose, so perhaps she was a child from a former marriage of Matt Hoover.
This person is dead.