Arkansas 1904 to 1910

John M.  and Anna M. Willems
John Martin Willems house was built in several sections added on as the family outgrew it.  The initial section with a kitchen, front room, and several bedrooms was complete, or at least livable by February 7, 1907 when Elizabeth Ann Willems was delivered.  Firstborn Catherine, then almost three years old had a little sister, and mama Anna Marie was back to washing diapers once again.  
John continued reading law books, and other informative tomes always looking for ways to improve his mind and the lives of those around him.  He wasn't afraid of trying new innovations, but took his role as family provider seriously.  His fields were planted primarily with cotton as the main cash crop of the day.
Late the next year Phillip Joseph, the first of what eventually would be eight sons, was born to Anna Marie and John M. Willems.  He arrived on December 12, 1908 to surely pleased parents.

The family portraits show the John M. Willems family circa 1910.  From left clockwise are Anna Marie, Elizabeth, John M., Phillip, and Catherine. The first photo has a story behind it that will be told later.  

As a young man John Martin Willems knew he wished to enter the political arena.  People knew him as not only a hardworking, intelligent man, but one who was a man of his word.  It was only natural then that he would serve as justice of the peace at some time in his public service career.  Soon he would run for a position in the Arkansas state legislature.  The portrait of him was taken about the time he would have run for office.  

John M. Willems

In part, the 1910 census shows the family as:
John M. Willems, head, age 27, married 7 years, immigrated in 1882, naturalized, a farmer,
Anna M. Willems, age 28, married 7 years, mother of 3 with all children living, able to read & write,
Catherine P. Willems, age 6,
Lizzie A. Willems, age 3,
Philip J. Willems, age 1 year and 4 months.

The Willems family had a hired man who lived on the farm. His surname is illegible, first name is Madison, age 21 years was listed beneath the family. He was single, and an Arkansas native.

Anna Guenther and John Klyne were living in the town of Paris, Arkansas when the 1910 census was enumerated.  Sixty eight year old Anna, and 12 year old John, who in the census was listed as Anna's adopted son with her surname, lived on Roseville Street.  It would've been just a few blocks walk at most for John to go to St. Joseph's School.  Both are listed as being literate, though Anna has German as language spoken.  Anna was incorrectly recorded as being married instead of widowed.  
Hermena Werner Pinter reports that her mother, Elizabeth also lived with her grandmother in Paris when she started school in Paris.  She would've been 6 years old in February 1913.  Anna Mesel Guenther's residing in Paris was likely just a way for the children to get to school easily, and it's quite probable Catherine also lived with her grandma during the school year.  How long this continued and how many children were involved in this arrangement remains a mystery.  
   




                     Günther/Mesel
Near Paris, Arkansas, on the farm now belonging to John Martin Willems, John's mother-in-law Anna Marie Mesel Günther's older brother was back on the land he purchased March 24, 1881 from H.M. & R.M.J. Youngblood.  Anton, sometimes documented as Anthony, had like his sister, been born in Grethen, Bavaria, but migrated to the United States at an earlier age.  He and their older brother John Mesel were living in the lawless Kansas Territory in 1860.  That census recorded Anthony as a farmer while John was a grocer. In later censuses Anton Mesel was still living in Kansas working in a feed stable in 1870 and in 1880 as a grocer.  He never married, so it was natural that he would visit his younger widowed sister in his old age.  He lived out the remainder of his life dying September 3, 1906.  Anton Mesel was laid to rest in St. Joseph Cemetery near Paris, Arkansas.

As if this wasn't enough grief for the family, less than a year later, Elisabeth Günther died.  Never a strong healthy person, the lovely, still single Elisabeth was laid to rest not far from her papa, uncle, and older brother.  She died on June 22, 1907, the day after she turned thirty one. Elisabeth was survived by her mother, Anna Günther, and sisters Margaret Post and Anna Marie Willems. 

 

Anna Günther's family record in German. click on image to enlarge.

Anna Marie Günther Willems' uncle,  Arnold Günther was 73 years old when he died July 29, 1909. As he was a recent immigrant to the USA when the Civil War was raging, and as he had experience as a baker, he was conscripted into the Union army as a cook.  His large butcher knife is in the possession of descendants of Frank J. Willems.

Tobias & Margaret Post

L-R, Tobias holding daughter Louise, Anna, Margaret, and Fred Post, circa 1907, in the Altus, Arkansas area.

Tobias Post at left with a friend

Anna Marie Willems only surviving sibling Margaret Post also had three children.  She had been diagnosed by her husband Tobias brother Jacob L. Post, also known as Dr. James Post, a recent graduate of medical school as having some mysterious respiratory illness, perhaps asthma.  He prescribed a warmer climate for Margaret.  Sobered by Elisabeth's death, plus Tobias, wishing to prove he was his own man, sold whatever property they owned.  Equipped with a wagon and pair of horses, he and Margaret loaded up eight year old Anna, five year old William Frederick "Fred", and Louise who was 3 years old. Advertisements were circulating for high wages for good workers at the shipyards of Galveston, so the family headed south.  

Margaret, who was in a family way when they left Arkansas went into labor while the family was in Victoria, Texas.  It was January 27, 1909 when Theresa arrived.  She was named for the kind Hispanic woman who insisted Margaret give birth in her bed instead of in the wagon.  

Tobias and Margaret were still in Victoria County, Texas on April 16, 1910 when the U.S. Federal Census was enumerated.  According to it: 
Tobias, age 33, owned the farm he was working.  It was mortgaged. 
He and Margaret had been married 10 years.
Margaret, age 34, had given birth to 4 children, all four were living.
Anna M., their daughter, was 9; William F. their son, was 7; Louise E., their daughter, was 4.  These three older children were born in Arkansas.
Daughter, Teresa C., by now age 2 years and 5 months was of course born in Texas.
Anna and William had both attended school in 1909.


These two photos, as well as the portrait of Elisabeth Guenther above were in Margaret Post's photo album at the time of her death.  They were shared by Michael Graham, a wonderful researcher of the Post family in the hope I could help identify the subjects in those photos that were yet unidentified.  Some of the Tobias  and Margaret Post history here is due to his research.

Mathias Willems and family

In the early 20th century Mathias Willems, commonly known as "Math", was a respected member of the Charleston community.  Like his brother Phillip, Math had a mustache and preferred to speak German, though could speak English with a thick German accent.  He was active in the Church, and extremely devout.  The little girl he and Dorothea took in as their own had grown into a young woman.  Margaret "Maggie" Willems met a young local man named Albert Henry and married him on her 18th birthday.  They married in Sebastian County making me think they may have eloped.

Name: Albert Henry
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birth Year: abt 1883
Residence: Charleston, Franklin, Arkansas
Spouse's Name: Maggie Williams
Spouse's Gender: Female
Spouse's Age: 18
Spouse's Residence: Charleston, Franklin, Arkansas
Marriage Date: 12 Feb 1907
Marriage License Date: 12 Feb 1907
Marriage County: Sebastian
Event Type: Marriage
FHL Film Number: 1034046 

Though Math and Dorothea still had no biological children they adopted two boys from the orphan train.  The older of the two according to the 1910 census was Joseph Kohn, a 12 year old.  The younger boy, John Martin, was 11.  Later these boys took the Willems name. 
Both Dorothea (who was enumerated as Doradore) and Math were 45 years old at the time of the census.  They had  a 48 year old man named George Lumpp listed as a lodger living with them.   He was an Ohio native of German ancestry.   Math entered into a partnership with George Lumpp.  They pooled their resources and opened a store selling dry goods and groceries on Main Street, Hwy 22.  Not a trace of this store exists today.  A search at the Franklin County Courthouse in Charleston turned up at least a half dozen real estate transactions for Math in the years 1906 to 1910.  In one transaction in 1907 Math bought land adjacent to the Sacred Heart Church on it's east side for $400.  They used this land as collateral the following year when they obtained a mortgage financed by Anna Günther.

Maggie Willems Henry and husband Albert lived on Chismville Road a short distance away from Math and Dorothea Willems. By the time of the 1910 census they had 3 daughters. Twins Dora G. (Gertrude) and Mary T. (Theresa) were 2 years of age, and Francis D. (should be spelled Frances which happens to be Albert's mother's middle name) 9 months. Albert was listed as being 28 and the head of the family.  He worked for wages as a farm laborer.  His widowed mother, Nancy F. Henry, was living at the same address.  She was 53 and had 4 children, 3 of them were still living.  She had her own income.

Mathias and Dorothea Willems Family in the Sacred Heart Church Register, click image to enlarge