The River Running
"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Elisabetha Hehlinger and Johannes Weilbrenner
Elisabetha Hehlinger and Johannes Weilbrenner married in Freinsheim 01 Oct 1846. Johannes was the son of Sibilla Behringer or Böhringer and Johannes Weilbrenner born in or about 1818. Elisabetha was the daughter of Susanna Gerber and Jakob Hehlinger christened in Freinsheim 18 Jan 1826.
Elisabetha and Johannes had a son named Johannes who was christened in Freinsheim 22 Nov 1846. At some point after the christening, they emigrated to the States, settling in Union Township, Iowa, 72 km west of Burlington, by 1860, where they established a farm. Their next child, Henry, was born in Iowa in 1853-1854.
Altogether, Elisabetha ("Elizabeth") and Johannes ("John") had seven children that I know of:
I don't know how much contact the family had with the older John's brother Wilhelm ("William"), who immigrated to the States in 1854 and settled in Burlington, where he worked as a tailor.
The older John died in Iowa 17 May 1892. I don't know what happened to Elisabeth.
John Weilbrenner the Younger
The younger John married Matilda C Gnatz 30 Mar 1876 in Des Moines County (the same county Burlington and Union lie in, not to be confused with the city of Des Moines in Polk County). Matilda had been born in Iowa to German parents in or about 1854. Matilda and John had a daughter Louisa born in or about 1879. As of 1880, the family was living in Flint River, 14 km NW of Burlington. John was a working as a farmer. By 1885, however, John was back living with his parents and siblings in Union Township. I don't know know what happened to Matilda and Louisa.
John then remarried, this time in Burlington 01 Nov 1893 to Lillie Bradfield, the daughter of Augustus Young born in Boston in or about 1865. The marriage seems to have ended in divorce (per Lillie's record in the 1910 US Census). John's third marriage took place in Burlington 17 Nov 1896, the bride this time being Louise Blum, the daughter of Grace Heines and Joseph Hartman born in or about 1856. By 1900 John was alone once more. The 1900 US Census lists him as widowed. He was living in Union Township and working as a farmer. By 1910 he was living in Union Township with his brother William (see below). He died in Des Moines County, Iowa, 29 Oct 1929.
Henry and Louis Weilbrenner
I lost track of Henry and Louis after 1880. They were not living with their parents and siblings in 1885.
Helena Weilbrenner and John William Nichols
Helena, usually called Lena, married John William Nichols in Burlington 24 Nov 1880. John was the son of Sarah Erle or Earl and William Nichols christened 17 Nov 1850 in Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire, England. He immigrated to the States and settled in Iowa with his parents and younger sister Elizabeth sometime between 1855 and 1858. John's and Sarah's records in the 1900 US Census say 1857.
By 1900 Helena and John had had 12 children, of whom eight were still alive. The family was living and running a farm in Union Township. I have records for nine of the children plus one more child born in 1901 after the family had moved from Iowa to Cass County, Nebraska:
Lena died 17 Jul 1918; John, 24 Jan 1920. They're both buried in the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery in Greenwood, Cass County, Nebraska. Unless otherwise noted, all of their children are buried there as well.
After John Sr's death in 1920 and Earl's marriage in 1924, Sarah, John Jr, Harry and Florence continued to run the family farm in Cass County. Viola lived with them until her marriage to Thomas Taylor.
Emma Weilbrenner and Henry Tiedemann or Teadaman
Emma married Henry Tiedemann or Teadaman in Burlington 14 Dec 1886. Henry was the son of Mary and Claus Tiedemann born in Clinton County, Iowa, 19 Dec 1858. The transition in the name from Tiedemann to Teadaman seems to have taken place during his lifetime. Henry's and Emma's tombstone reads Teadaman, as does their son Fred's tombstone.
Emma and Henry had four children, all apparently born in Des Moines County, Iowa:
Emma and Henry seem to have been close to her brother William. The two families were living next door to each other in Union Township in 1900.
Henry and later Fred were farmers. Fred lived with his parents in Des Moines County his entire life, first in Union Township, then by 1925 in Danville and then by 1930 in Concordia.
Henry died 12 Feb 1937 and was buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Des Moines County, Iowa. Emma, their son Fred and Emma's brother William are all buried in the same plot as Henry. Emma died 25 Jan 1951 and Fred, 19 Mar 1961.
Christina Zachmeyer and William Weilbrenner
William married Christina Zachmeyer, daughter of Christina Tiedemann and Martin Zachmeyer, in Burlington 13 Apr 1896. As far as I can tell, William's mother-in-law was not related to Emma's husband.
Christina and William had seven children:
As of 1900, Christina, William and their two oldest children were living in Union Township next door to William's sister Emma and her husband Henry Teidemann. William was working as a farmer. By 1910, the two families were no longer living next door to each other, but William's widowed older brother John (see above) had moved in with Christina and William.
Sometime between 1915 and 1920, Christina and William divorced. Both were still living in Burlington on Madison Avenue as of 1920 Christina at #2407 and William at #2330. William was working as an engine operator at a pumping station. Alice and Pearl were living with him. Tillie, Mabel and Bernice were living with Christina, while Fred and Hazel had already married.
By 1925, Christina and the youngest four girls had moved to Davenport, where Fred and his wife were also living. After this they seem to have moved westwards. Alice married in Denver, Colorado, 29 Sep 1927. Hazel and her family were living in Jefferson County, Colorado, by 1930. Christina died in Los Angeles 05 Dec 1931. According to her death certificate, she had been living in Los Angeles since 1927. Mabel married in Los Angeles 18 Dec 1937, and she and Pearl were living together in Los Angeles as of 1940.
Christina's father Martin Zachmeyer died intestate on 27 Oct 1935. Since as Christina was already deceased and six of her seven children were still alive, each of them was due 1/30 of Martin's estate. A legal notice published 16 Dec 1937 in the Burlington Daily Hawk-Eye Gazette lists them as Fred W. Weilbrenner, Hazel Murch, Mabel Weilbrenner, Alice Mauldin, Pearl Weilbrenner and Bernice Weilbrenner. Matilda, last seen in 1920, was no longer alive. Bernice definitely was alive, but I don't know where. Note that the notice was published two days before Mabel's marriage to Thomas Gibson. She was, at that point, still Mabel Weilbrenner.
I don't know where William Weilbrenner was throughout all this. By 1940 he was back in Union Township and working as a farmer. He died 27 Nov 1949 and is buried in the Spring Grove Cemetery in the same plot as his sister Emma and her family.
Bertha Weilbrenner and Frank M Johnson
Bertha married Frank M Johnson, son of Mary E Smith and J E Johnson, in Burlington 24 Dec 1889. According to the 1910 US Census, they had four children but only one was still alive at that time. I have records for three of the four children:
I wasn't able to find Bertha, Frank and their children in the 1900 US Census. They were living in Burlington in 1910. By 1920 the three of them had moved to 1214 Perkins Avenue in Burlington, where they were still living in 1940. Frank was working as chief clerk at a freight house or depot. Bertha died on 04 Jun 1945, Frank, on 03 Jan 1947, and Ruth, on 23 Nov 1982. All three are buried in the Aspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington, Bertha in grave 283 003 5, Frank in grave 283 003 6 and Ruth in grave 283 003 7. Graves 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9 are occupied by Frank's sister, niece, father, sister and mother respectively.
Bertha's uncle Wilhelm/William and her grandnephew Donald Jack are also buried in the Aspen Grove Cemetery but not in lot 283 003.