Phillip and Katherina Willems were living in Streator, Illinois where Phillip was working for a coal mine when their third child arrived on May 31 of 1884. They named her Mary, after his mother and her mother. Whether she was a sickly child and never thrived or some illness or disease took her there likely is no record. She died on October 8, 1884. Life went on and the couple was blessed with another daughter. Her name was Anna.
Name: Anna Willems
Gender: Female
Event: Birth
Event Date: 12 Nov 1885
Event Place: Streator, La Salle, Illinois
Father's Name: Philip Willems
Mother's Name: Catarina Neisius Willems
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C00758-9
System Origin: Illinois-ODM
Source Film Number: 1711610
"Illinois, Births and Christenings, 1824-1940," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2LH-Z26 : accessed 21 June 2012), Anna Willems, 1885.
Meanwhile Mathias migrated to the United States about the same time his brother Phillip did. He also made Streator his home for a period of time in which he married a woman of about the same age named Dora who was also a native of Germany. The marriage license below records the marriage. The second record is particularly interesting. It reads in part:
Full name of groom: Mathias Willems
Place of residence: Streator
Occupation: Laborer
Age next birthday: 23 years Color: White
Place of birth: Uhren, Prussia (probably should read Ouren, Prussia--see the family register from Sacred Heart Church later in future post)
Father's name: John Willems
Mother's maiden name: Mary Lennertz
Number of Groom's marriage: First
Bride's name: Dorothea Lauer
Place of residence: Streator
Age next birthday: 23 years Color: White
Place of birth: Stettin, Bavaria
Father's name: Andrew Lauer
Mother's maiden name: Eve Zink
Number of bride's marriage: First
Married at Streator in the County of LaSalle and State of Illinois,
the 27th day of September 1886.
Their signatures are at the bottom of the document above the signature of the priest.
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| Click on image to enlarge |
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The following year there was another wedding back in the old country. Katherine Willems married Nicholas Wahl about 1887. They too decided to migrate, and headed for Streator, IL about 1888.
The two youngest Willems girls immigrated to the United States together. Both were single at the time, but it wasn't long and both found young German men to marry in Streator.
Margarete (or Margaret) Willems was 22 years old when she married 24 year old John Sauer in St. Anthony Church in Streator on June 16, 1888.
Then on January 15, 1889, Katherine married Charles "Karl" Korstick in the same church. All of the Willems sisters eventually had large families of ten or more children each.
Katherine Korstick (later Klever) eventually had a daughter named Marie Klever Kolesar, now deceased, that wrote the following about her family: "She (Katherine Willems) married Carl Korstick in Jan. 1889. He also probably came to the U.S. during the 1880's. Their first child, Matt, was born in July 1890. Carl Korstick was probably a coal miner at first, but he became so crippled with arthritis that he had to give it up. In later years, he was not able to walk at all. He walked with a limp for a long time. After they were in the U.S. for a time, my mother became very homesick for her family in Germany. Carl being out of work at the time, took his little family back to Germany. Matt was a baby at the time. When they arrived in Germany, my mother's mother (Mary Ann Lernerts Willems) was so excited, she suffered a stroke and was not able to talk to her. (Katherine's) father died when she was a young teenager (Circa 1884). He had been a tailor. Her mother had broken up housekeeping at her father (John Willems) death and went to live with (Katherine's) sister, (Mary Ann's oldest daughter). So (Katherine) had to go to work to support herself. Very sad! (Katherine's) sister had a large family, so she couldn't stay there. (Katherine) wanted to help her sister with her little ones. So, while (Katherine) and Carl lived in Germany the second time, she had a baby named Charles. He died shortly after birth. Then Carl (being out of work again) left Germany with his family and started again for the U.S. On the way, they were ship-wrecked. They were stranded on the ocean for about 10 days. Finally a ship going in the opposite direction took them to an island. They finally got to go back to the U.S. on a cattle ship. It was quite an experience. My mother, (Katherine Willems Korstick Klever), often talked about that. She said you never heard such screaming, crying and praying during those horrible days. She never wanted to go on a boat after that. It made her deathly afraid of water."
Records show they left the port of Antwerp on the steamship Pennsylvania and arrived at Philadelphia on September 24 1892. Carl Korstick, age 34, is shown to be a millwright. The family of four, baby Carl, age one month was still alive as the manifest reveals. Their destination was Streator, the address of the elder Carl's brother-in-law Mathias Willems at 373 Baker Street. They had traveled with a young German family with the surname "Winkle" who were also going to Steator, to the address of Mr. Winkle's friend Nicholas Wahl at 1006 Benson Street. Mr. Winkle was a miner.
Before his youngest sister Katherine returned from her visit to Europe, Phillip, Katherine and their growing family headed for Kansas. Perhaps there wasn't enough work at the mine, or as family lore goes Phillip decided he'd had enough of mining so he decided to farm. During their stay in Streator, Katharina had given birth to four children, adding Joseph who was born March 28, 1887 and Alois John, born April 26, 1888 to the girls mentioned earlier. So, with five children in tow they made their home in Wakeene, Kansas, a small town in the northwest portion of the state where wheat was a primary crop. Phillip and Katherine had another daughter while living there. They named her Mary. She was born April 4, 1890, and was baptized the following month in Kansas City. Just over a year later Katherina Willems delivered another healthy girl who they named Katherine. She was born on August 22. Her baptism took place in Cuba, Kansas on August 28, 1891, when she was six days old. Katherina had her hands full. She cooked, cleaned, mended, did laundry, and used her teaching skills to educate her older children. Ten year old John Martin, Frank, then age 8, were surely of an age to help both parents. Boys that age were adept at fetching water, keeping the wood box full, and caring for livestock. But Anne, 5, Joe, 4, Alois, 3, one year old Mary and newborn Katherine required much more care and nurturing. Dangers lurked everywhere and young ones needed to learn to stay away from hot stoves, candles, oil lamps, livestock, and to beware of snakes. Life was hard in Kansas. After a blizzard burying the farm with deep snow, reportedly drifting up to the windows in the second story of the house Phillip tied rope from house to barn so he could safely find his way there and back.
By this time Phillip's brother Mathias, commonly known as Math, had moved to Franklin County, Arkansas. It must have left a favorable impression as a good place to eke out a living and raise a family because Phillip and Katherina packed up their now seven children and moved to Arkansas.
Charleston was the family's destination. It was a small town southeast of Fort Smith, a farming community with a catholic church called Sacred Heart that had been dedicated on November 4th, 1880 by Bishop Edward Fitzgerald. Phillip and Katherine hadn't been in Franklin County long when 41 year old Katherine gave birth to Cecilia February 21, 1893. She was the ninth child born to the family. Little Cecilia didn't even make it to her first birthday dying October 15. She was laid to rest at the Sacred Heart Cemetery east of the church in Charleston. Her grave does not have a legible stone to mark it. A book of cemeteries in Franklin County yielded the following information regarding Cecilia's grave marker: The stone read "Here Jesus Is God, Cecilla Christena Willems, Feb. 21, 1899- Aug. 15, 1892, RIP" The person who was recording the cemetery noted the stone was "white washed" and "hard to read". Since the stone was hard to read it's probably safe to go with the dates recorded in the church ledger in this case.
The copy of Phillip and Katherina's family register above from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Charleston, AR contains a wealth of information. Click on an image to enlarge, right click to select print.
Whether Phillip bought a farm, rented one, or found other work when he first arrived in Charleston, I have found no record. In 1900 he and his family were living in Weaver township on a farm. The Franklin County Courthouse did yield several land transaction records after 1900.
The two youngest Willems girls immigrated to the United States together. Both were single at the time, but it wasn't long and both found young German men to marry in Streator.
Margarete (or Margaret) Willems was 22 years old when she married 24 year old John Sauer in St. Anthony Church in Streator on June 16, 1888.
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| click on image to enlarge the Sauer marriage license |
Then on January 15, 1889, Katherine married Charles "Karl" Korstick in the same church. All of the Willems sisters eventually had large families of ten or more children each.
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| Charles Korstick marries Katherine Willems |
Katherine Korstick (later Klever) eventually had a daughter named Marie Klever Kolesar, now deceased, that wrote the following about her family: "She (Katherine Willems) married Carl Korstick in Jan. 1889. He also probably came to the U.S. during the 1880's. Their first child, Matt, was born in July 1890. Carl Korstick was probably a coal miner at first, but he became so crippled with arthritis that he had to give it up. In later years, he was not able to walk at all. He walked with a limp for a long time. After they were in the U.S. for a time, my mother became very homesick for her family in Germany. Carl being out of work at the time, took his little family back to Germany. Matt was a baby at the time. When they arrived in Germany, my mother's mother (Mary Ann Lernerts Willems) was so excited, she suffered a stroke and was not able to talk to her. (Katherine's) father died when she was a young teenager (Circa 1884). He had been a tailor. Her mother had broken up housekeeping at her father (John Willems) death and went to live with (Katherine's) sister, (Mary Ann's oldest daughter). So (Katherine) had to go to work to support herself. Very sad! (Katherine's) sister had a large family, so she couldn't stay there. (Katherine) wanted to help her sister with her little ones. So, while (Katherine) and Carl lived in Germany the second time, she had a baby named Charles. He died shortly after birth. Then Carl (being out of work again) left Germany with his family and started again for the U.S. On the way, they were ship-wrecked. They were stranded on the ocean for about 10 days. Finally a ship going in the opposite direction took them to an island. They finally got to go back to the U.S. on a cattle ship. It was quite an experience. My mother, (Katherine Willems Korstick Klever), often talked about that. She said you never heard such screaming, crying and praying during those horrible days. She never wanted to go on a boat after that. It made her deathly afraid of water."
Records show they left the port of Antwerp on the steamship Pennsylvania and arrived at Philadelphia on September 24 1892. Carl Korstick, age 34, is shown to be a millwright. The family of four, baby Carl, age one month was still alive as the manifest reveals. Their destination was Streator, the address of the elder Carl's brother-in-law Mathias Willems at 373 Baker Street. They had traveled with a young German family with the surname "Winkle" who were also going to Steator, to the address of Mr. Winkle's friend Nicholas Wahl at 1006 Benson Street. Mr. Winkle was a miner.
Before his youngest sister Katherine returned from her visit to Europe, Phillip, Katherine and their growing family headed for Kansas. Perhaps there wasn't enough work at the mine, or as family lore goes Phillip decided he'd had enough of mining so he decided to farm. During their stay in Streator, Katharina had given birth to four children, adding Joseph who was born March 28, 1887 and Alois John, born April 26, 1888 to the girls mentioned earlier. So, with five children in tow they made their home in Wakeene, Kansas, a small town in the northwest portion of the state where wheat was a primary crop. Phillip and Katherine had another daughter while living there. They named her Mary. She was born April 4, 1890, and was baptized the following month in Kansas City. Just over a year later Katherina Willems delivered another healthy girl who they named Katherine. She was born on August 22. Her baptism took place in Cuba, Kansas on August 28, 1891, when she was six days old. Katherina had her hands full. She cooked, cleaned, mended, did laundry, and used her teaching skills to educate her older children. Ten year old John Martin, Frank, then age 8, were surely of an age to help both parents. Boys that age were adept at fetching water, keeping the wood box full, and caring for livestock. But Anne, 5, Joe, 4, Alois, 3, one year old Mary and newborn Katherine required much more care and nurturing. Dangers lurked everywhere and young ones needed to learn to stay away from hot stoves, candles, oil lamps, livestock, and to beware of snakes. Life was hard in Kansas. After a blizzard burying the farm with deep snow, reportedly drifting up to the windows in the second story of the house Phillip tied rope from house to barn so he could safely find his way there and back.
By this time Phillip's brother Mathias, commonly known as Math, had moved to Franklin County, Arkansas. It must have left a favorable impression as a good place to eke out a living and raise a family because Phillip and Katherina packed up their now seven children and moved to Arkansas.
Charleston was the family's destination. It was a small town southeast of Fort Smith, a farming community with a catholic church called Sacred Heart that had been dedicated on November 4th, 1880 by Bishop Edward Fitzgerald. Phillip and Katherine hadn't been in Franklin County long when 41 year old Katherine gave birth to Cecilia February 21, 1893. She was the ninth child born to the family. Little Cecilia didn't even make it to her first birthday dying October 15. She was laid to rest at the Sacred Heart Cemetery east of the church in Charleston. Her grave does not have a legible stone to mark it. A book of cemeteries in Franklin County yielded the following information regarding Cecilia's grave marker: The stone read "Here Jesus Is God, Cecilla Christena Willems, Feb. 21, 1899- Aug. 15, 1892, RIP" The person who was recording the cemetery noted the stone was "white washed" and "hard to read". Since the stone was hard to read it's probably safe to go with the dates recorded in the church ledger in this case.
The copy of Phillip and Katherina's family register above from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Charleston, AR contains a wealth of information. Click on an image to enlarge, right click to select print.
Whether Phillip bought a farm, rented one, or found other work when he first arrived in Charleston, I have found no record. In 1900 he and his family were living in Weaver township on a farm. The Franklin County Courthouse did yield several land transaction records after 1900.
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