Catharina Sohn and Heinrich Weilbrenner

Catharina Sohn and Heinrich Weilbrenner married in Freinsheim 18 Mar 1847. Heinrich was the son of Sibilla Behringer or Böhringer and Johannes Weilbrenner christened in Freinsheim 01 Jan 1820. Catharina was the daughter of Sibilla Retzer and Johannes Sohn christened in Freinsheim 19 Feb 1821. Heinrich's and Catharina's tombstones give their dates of birth as 01 Jan 1819 and 17 Feb 1821 respectively.

Catharina and Heinrich had five children christened in Freinsheim, of whom one died young:

• Peter christened 05 Dec 1847;
• Adam christened 23 Sep 1849;
• Jacob christened 24 Aug 1852;
• Catharina, Jacob's twin, christened 24 Aug 1852. Died and was buried in Freinsheim 26 Aug 1852; and
• Johannes christened 13 Apr 1857. His christening record refers to his father as "Heinrich II Weilbrenner."

The Tabellarische Übersicht ber Auswanderungen nach überseeischen Ländern aus der Gemeinde Freinsheim (Tabular Summary of Emigration to Overseas Lands from the Freinsheim Community) reports that Heinrich II Weilbrenner emigrated from Freinsheim 1856-1857 with another adult and four children. This presumably happened after Heinrich and Catharina's youngest son was christened. Catharina, Heinrich and their four sons are apparently the "Weilbronner" family who arrived in NYC 11 Nov 1857 aboard the SS Germania out of Le Havre, although the passenger manifest identifies them as Prussians rather than as Bavarians. (I'm not sure about two other "Weilbronners" aboard the same ship, Sibilla born in or about 1798 and a man named "Christa." born in or about 1834, who are also identified as being from Prussia. They don't correspond to any entries in the Tabellarische Übersicht.)

Catharina and Heinrich may have been acting on information received from Catharina's younger brother Adam, who had emigrated to Baltimore County by 1855-1856.

By 1860, Catharina, Heinrich and their sons were living in Baltimore, where Henry worked as a farmer. According to the 1860 US Census, the youngest three boys, ages three through ten, had been born in Maryland. By 1880 the oldest son, Peter, had married Annie C Marhenke and was living with her and her mother in St Domingo, Baltimore County. Adam, Jacob and John were working as labourers, presumably on their parents' farm. This time Adam was said to have been born in Germany, while Jacob and John were said to have been born in Maryland. I suspect this might have had something to do with being able to speak English without a noticeable accent.

Catharina died in 1885. The month of her death as inscribed on her tombstone is illegible. Heinrich died 27 Jul 1891. They're both buried in the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Annie C Marhencke, Annie M and Peter Weilbrenner

As mentioned above, by 1880 Peter had married Annie C Marhencke. Annie was born to Marie Adelheide Middelkamp and Johann Heinrich Marhencke in Gardenville 04 Nov 1855 (per the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church death records) or 04 Nov 1856 (per her tombstone). Both of her parents immigrated from Hanover. She was the youngest of three daughters and the only one to survive childhood.

As of 1880, Annie and Peter were living with her mother in St Domingo, Baltimore County. Peter was working as a gardener. An article published in Der Deutsche Correspondent 25 Dec 1889 on appointments made by the County Committee mentions Peter as one of the lamplighters appointed for district 12.

Maria Adelheide died 12 Jul 1893 "in Gardenville on the Belair Road" (Der Deutsche Correspondent, 15 Jul 1893). (Gardenville is a neighbourhood of the city of Baltimore.) Annie and Peter were granted letters of administration for her estate.

On 15 Oct 1896 a US citizen named Peter Weilbrenner arrived on Ellis Island aboard the SS Spree out of Bremen. He was born in or about 1849, married and working as a grocer in "Gay?enville Md."

Annie died 26 Jan 1899 and is buried in the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery.

An article on Annie's funeral published 30 Jan 1899 in Der Deutsche Correspondent mentions that Peter was already the fire marshal of Baltimore County. He was reappointed to this post effective 01 Jan 1900.

The US Census conducted in June 1900 found Peter living in Baltimore with his housekeeper, Maggie Sittig. Maggie had been born in Maryland to German parents in April 1878. Then at some point in the latter half of 1900 or 1901, Peter married Annie M. I wasn't able to find out much about Annie M except that she was born to German parents 1878-1879. I can't help but wonder if "M" stood for Margaret, but none of the records I've been able to find supply this information.

Anna M and Peter were living together on the Belair Road in 1910 and 1920. An article published 13 Jul 1916 in the Baltimore Sun reports that, "Peter Weilbrenner of Gardenville yesterday was appointed road supervisor of the Fourteenth District of Baltimore county by the County Commissioners. Mr. Weilbrenner takes the place made vacant by the death of J. Thomas Carter. The new appointee was formerly Fire Marshal of the county." However, in the US Census conducted in January 1920, Peter was not listed as having an occupation.

Peter died 22 Feb 1921. A notice in the Baltimore Daily Record published 01 Apr 1921 described Annie M Weilbrenner as the executrix of the personal estate of Peter Weilbrenner, valued at $87.

As of 1930 Annie was living at 4714 Belair Road. This may or may not have been the same house that Maria Adelheide died in back in 1893. I've found records of land transfers made by Annie in newspapers, one in the Baltimore Daily Record published 12 Jun 1922 and one in the Baltimore Sun published 06 Apr 1938. After 1938, however, I lost track of her.

Margaret Kneas and Adam Weilbrenner

Margaret Kneas and Adam Weilbrenner married sometime in or about 1881. Margaret was the daughter of Henry and Amelia Kneas born in December 1861. Her parents were both from Hesse-Darmstadt.

By 1900 Margaret and Adam were living in Baltimore with Margaret's widowed mother. Adam was working as a farmer and gardener. According the census records, they had four children, three of whom were still living. Here are the records I have for their children:

• John Adam ("John") born 15 Jan 1883;
• Amelia ("Mollie") born April 1884;
• Henry ("Harry") born 23 May 1891; and
• Helen. Helen died when she was two days old. She wasn't part of the household in 1900, which suggests that she was born and died before then. But she's buried with her grandmother Amelia - they share a tombstone - who didn't die until 1906.

John married Minnie Ashauer, daughter of Therese and Henry Ashauer, in or about 1904. They had two children, Henry born in or about 1905 and Amelia born in or about 1912. The couple remained in Baltimore, and John worked as a carpenter. They seem to have had a bit of trouble around 1930, when John was enumerated as being divorced and living with his parents. But by 1940, Minnie and John were back together. John died 22 Oct 1948 and Minnie, 01 Feb or Mar 1952. Both are buried in the Parkwood Mausoleum and Cemetery in Baltimore.

On 27 Sep 1906 the younger Amelia married John Gottlieb Schwarz, the oldest son of Hannah and William Schwartz. The wedding seems to have been more of an event than John's, getting write-ups in both the Baltimore Sun and the Deutsches Correspondent. As Amelia had no sisters, her groom's sister served as her bridesmaid, while her brother Harry served as the groom's best man. Amelia and John were to have three daughters born 1910-1925. They remained in Baltimore at least through 1942.

Amelia's maternal grandmother Amelia attended the wedding but then died the following month. She's buried in the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery with her granddaughter Helen, who died as an infant.

By 1910 the road that Margaret and Adam lived on had received a name: Hazelwood Avenue. Besides their son Harry, two other people were living with them: Adam's younger brother John and "Alice" Zepp, who was described as Adam's "cousin-in-law." Adam, Harry and John were all working on the farm.

"Alice" was actually Ella May Zepp, the daughter of Sarah Miller and Artemus Zepp born in September 1893. "Cousin-in-law" was a loose term - I haven't been able to find a family connection. I don't know if she'd been brought into the household because she was Harry's fiancée or if the two young people met because she was living with his family. However it came about, by 05 Jun 1917 they had married. Their daughter Ellamay was born in or about February 1919. By 1920 Harry, Ella and Ellamay were living at 1300 Belair Road. Harry, apparently tired of farming, was working as a contractor in hauling.

Meanwhile, back on Hazelwood Avenue Adam and Margaret finally had the house to themselves, while their older son John, his wife Minnie and their children Henry and Amelia lived next door.

By 1930, the family had reconsolidated, with Adam, Margaret, John ("divorced"), Harry, Ella and Ellamay all living under the same roof. Minnie ("widowed") had taken young Henry and Amelia to live with her at 4308 Glenarm Avenue.

Adam died 27 Jul 1933. He's buried in the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery.

1940 found Margaret living on Hazelwood Extension with Harry, Ella and Ellamay. John and Minnie had gotten back together and were living at 5294 Greenhill Avenue.

Margaret died in 1943 and is buried in the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery with Adam.

Both Ella May and Harry died in 1870, Harry on 17 Oct 1970. They're buried in the Gardens of Faith Cemetery in Rosedale, Baltimore County.