Life in Arkansas circa 1900/ A Wedding

The Guenther family was getting by on their farm in Clark Township outside Paris when 1900 rolled around. It's hard to know how prosperous they were. They certainly had their share of heartache with the loss of both of their sons and likely had to hire local men or families to assist Friederich with the farming. At the time of the census they were enumerated as a family of four: Frederich, Anna, and daughters Elisabetha, and Anna. Fred, a farmer owning his farm free and clear had filed the first papers for citizenship.   Some of their neighbors were German, most were farmers although there was a carpenter and a stonecutter among them.

The railroad had reached Charleston by 1898 resulting in an increase in population.  With approximately 650 people, it had a newspaper, a catholic church and school, various merchants selling groceries, drugs, hardware, furniture, a livery stable, and stage stop.  There were also several doctors, a dentist and at least one attorney. The surrounding land was planted primarily in cotton, though there were area farmers raising dairy and beef cattle. Coal was beginning to be mined since the railroad's arrival adding more options for those not inclined to farm.

Another thing the railroad did was bring orphaned children to the Midwest farm belt.  New York City had an especially large population of abandoned and orphaned children.  Gangs of them wandered the streets, begging and stealing to feed themselves.  Many children were voluntarily turned over to the churches and orphanages by a parent in sad circumstances or who had too many children to feed in hopes that they might have a better life and food to eat.  There were too many to keep in institutions or for the surrounding population to adopt as their own so the adoptable of these children were sent by train, stopping in town after town in hopes that some kind person who wanted a child to love would select one. This worked in some cases although there were children who were exploited and overworked by those who'd taken them in.

In the 1900 census Mathias Willems, age 36, and his wife Dora, age 37, were living on a farm that Mathias owned (according to the census record) in Prairie Township of Franklin County, not far from Charleston. Their surname was misspelled as "Williams".  Mathias and Dorothea Willems wanted children.  Apparently they were unable to have any the conventional way because they began adopting. At least some of these young ones were adopted off of the orphan train.  On this census was  Margaret, frequently known as "Maggie" in records, born in Streator, Illinois, so likely was taken in while Mathias and Dorothea resided there. The 1900 census in which then eleven year old Maggie appears, relationship to head of household is "daughter".  Dora is enumerated as being the mother of one child, with that child still living.  However in the 1910 census which worded the question slightly differently, "Mother of how many children"-under "number born" there is a zero.  Other children were taken in later some stayed with the family, others moved on.  Whether the children were formally adopted or not has not been ascertained (though it seems they were), and adoption records, according to courthouse personnel remain sealed regardless of time elapsed.
Author's note: Prairie township in Franklin County was named after the tallgrass prairie that was abundant there circa 1900.  Cherokee Prairie natural area, a 566-acre remnant of  native prairie that has never seen a plow lies north of Charleston, on the west side of Hwy. 217 just a stone's throw from what was Phillip and Katherine Willems 160 acre farm.  The natural area features many native plants and grasses including big bluestem, a grass that is as tall as a man on a horse.  

Phillip & Katherina Willems

Mathias brother and sister-in-law, were listed in the 1900 census as also living on a farm they owned. It recorded: Phillip Willems, age 47 (incorrectly), and Catherine, age 48 as the mother of 9 children, 7 of them living.  John, 18, Frank, 17, and Annie, age 14 did not attend school as did their younger siblings Joseph, Alois, Mary and Katie.  The younger children who were aged thirteen to eight likely attended the catholic school.  According to the 1900 census both Phillip and Mathias were naturalized citizens which due to rules at the time made their wife a citizen as well.

John Martin Willems, Phillip and Katherina's oldest child soon began life as a traveling salesman or drummer in the term of the day.  He sold organs, pianos, and other musical instruments-- some say he also sold sewing machines.  Fortunately he'd learned to play several instruments so he at least had a bit of a musical background. John drove his wagon from farm to farm in the sparsely populated Franklin and Logan County area visiting with the local residents while trying to sell some instruments. Then one fateful day John Martin Willems drove his wagon to the Guenther farm outside Paris.  It was there that he met the lovely Anna Marie Guenther who was just eight months younger than he.  How long it took from their first meeting until they were wed we may never know.  Surely John wooed Anna Marie at least a few months before their wedding on February 17, 1903 at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Paris.
Finally the big day arrived.  It was a cold February day with everyone dressed in their finest clothing. But most importantly, John and Anna's families were with them at the church on their big day.  The wedding party consisted of Frank and Anna Willems, John's brother and sister, his friend Joseph Gerber, and Anna Marie's sister Margaret.  After the wedding,  the servers, who customarily received a tip for performing their duties, tied the doors of the church closed in protest since they hadn't been tipped.  Finally John Martin Willems, who apparently had neglected to bring any money worked it out with the servers and friends and family were released to drive their buggies and wagons to the Guenther cabin for a party.  They partied until it became late and once ready to leave they found the buggy wheels had frozen to the ground.  They wouldn't budge!  Kettles of water were heated on the Guenther's wood stove to pour on the areas to free the wheels.

The marriage as it appears in Franklin County's Book of Marriages

The witnesses to the marriage

John and Anna's marriage record from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Paris, Arkansas

 John Martin Willems with beautiful bride Anna Marie Guenther Willems, 
Frank Willems, Margaret Guenther Post, Joseph Gerber, 
and Anna Willems stand behind the couple. 

The newlyweds set up housekeeping with 
Anna Marie's parents on the Guenther 
farm outside Paris.  Surely the family dynamic 
had changed with an energetic young man 
on the farm.  No doubt John worked to 
improve the lot of the family 
and the condition of the farm.  

A short four months following the wedding came the sad event of the death of sixty one year old patriarch Friederich Wilhelm Guenther.  He was laid to rest near his son Wilhelm in the family plot of Saint Joseph Cemetery.

Record of death from St. Joseph Catholic Church

With the loss of her dear husband Anna Marie Guenther had no more use for the farm.  She had her daughters Margaret, Elisabeth, and Anna sign a quit claim deed relinquishing their claim of inheritance on the land.  For this she paid them $1 each. The same day, January 1, 1904 Anna sold the 120 acre farm to her new son-in-law John M. Willems for the sum of $1800.

Though perhaps unaware of it at the time of her father's funeral, young Anna Marie was already "in a family way".  Was this enough to get the ball rolling on the construction of the large two story framed farmhouse now that John owned the farm?  John and Anna Marie became parents on March 1, 1904 when Anna gave birth to a daughter they named Catherine Philomena Willems.

The Mystery of John Klyne
In 1903 Anna Marie Guenther (and possibly Friederich) took in a young boy who came to town on the orphan train.  Whether he was formally adopted remains to be seen, though he was considered to be part of the family.  The boy's name was John Klyne (sometimes recorded as Kline).  John was born in New York on April 17, 1897 so would've been six, or almost six years old when he came to live with Anna Guenther and her daughter Elisabeth in the log cabin on the Guenther farm. Certainly John was put to use bringing in wood for the stove, and drawing water from the well.  Hopefully he filled the void in Anna's heart left when she lost both of her sons and loved the boy as a boy should be loved.  He lived out his life in the area, eventually married a local woman named Bertha Baumgartner with whom he had at least two children.  John Klyne was a coal miner in 1940 and died in February 1965.  He and Bertha were buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery outside Paris.

The above paragraph was updated due to information sent by fellow researcher Roseann Willems Kennedy regarding orphan train riders.  Go to http://files.usgwarchives.net/ar/state/history/arot.txt to see a partial list of train riders.  Thank you Cousin Roseann!

Friederich and Anna Guenther & family settle in Arkansas

The Günther family, now spelled Guenther (and pronounced Ginthur with a hard G), arrived in Logan County, Arkansas by late autumn 1881.  It was in the midst of a terrible drought with little or no rain falling from May until October resulting in a total crop failure that the family took possession of their 120 acres. Officially the date was November 22,

page one of sale-click on image to enlarge

 1881, when Anna Marie Mesel Günther’s brother, Anton, sold the land to his brother-in-law F. W. Günther for the sum of $780 as had been arranged.  Anton made a profit of $20 on the sale.  Whether Anton originally bought the farm for himself or with the intent of turning it over to his sister and brother-in-law is unknown.

The drought led many settlers to move in attempt to make a better life elsewhere, but the Günther family stayed and began construction of a log cabin on their new property in the midst of an influx of other German Catholic immigrants.  Perhaps there was a structure of some fashion that the family lived in until the log cabin was completed.   
Nearby in Subiaco was a tiny Benedictine settlement staffed with Swiss monks called St. Benedict’s, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Paris that served the family’s spiritual needs.  They were devout Catholic's and though Sunday was the Lord's Day it was the only day of relative leisure.  Following Mass German immigrants would often bring out their violins, accordions, and other musical instruments and play while others in the group danced.  This was done to the dismay and disapproval of the local Sounthern Baptists who seriously frowned on that sort of behavior.  There were incidents when the sheriff was called to subdue revelers not long before the Guenthers arrived in Logan County.  

Anna Guenther's baptism record

The following spring on March 11, 1882, a baby girl conceived in Bavaria was born in the log cabin with a dirt floor on the Günther farm near Paris. Anna Marie Günther, the youngest of four living children was the first and only American born child in her family.  Anna was baptized in St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Paris, Arkansas.  

The Friederich and Anna Guenther family were settled in their cabin outside Paris. Like other families they spent the day farming and making improvements to their cabin, their land, tending their livestock.  The children were schooled by the nuns at St. Joseph's.  They had made friends of neighbors and fellow German settlers.  
Wilhelm, now Americanized as William to some, was showing an interest in politics and debating issues of the times.  There was talk that he might go into politics.  It never happened.  On July 18, 1895 a burst appendix took his life and dreams at the age of 27. He was laid to rest at St. Joseph's Cemetery west of Paris, Arkansas.  His dying was the dying out of the Guenther name in Friederich's branch of the family.  Friederich, Anna, at this time both aged 53, and Wilhelm's three younger sisters mourned their son and brother sorely.  At his age he had so much ahead of him.  He was THEIR Wilhelm who took care of much of the farm work, was depended on, and surely loved.  

Friederich and Anna Günther

This photo blew  out of an open window of the old Willems homeplace after the house was sold.  The picture was given to Frank Willems and is thought to be Elisabeth Günther, although she and her sister Anna shared a striking resemblance causing some discussion.

Anna’s older sister Margaret met  Tobias Post of Altus.  He was the son of Jacob and Mary Ann (Lailer) Post of Altus, Arkansas who like the Guenther's migrated from Bavaria.  They, however, first settled in Delphi, Indiana where Tobias and several of his siblings were born, and arrived in Arkansas shortly before the Guenthers.  According to the marriage license Tobias was 23, and Margaret 25 years of age when

they married on November 21, 1899.   The newlyweds continued to live in the area through at least 1906. 

Margaret Guenther

Tobias Post

Other relatives


Henry Kraemer, Friederich Guenther's nephew, the son of his sister Maria Cleopha and brother-in-law  Heinrich Wilhelm Kraemer migrated to the USA as well and was ordained as a Benedictine brother taking the name Frater Fintan March 21, 1888, at St. Benedict's at Subiaco, Arkansas later becoming a priest.  During his career as a priest he organized a church for black folks at Little Rock and served St. Andrew's German Catholic Church from 1893 to 1898.

Henry's sister Margaret also migrated to the Paris/Subiaco area.  She married the widowed businessman Conrad Elsken in 1900.  He'd had eight children by his first marriage, several of whom were deceased by the time of his second marriage.  Conrad and Margaret had seven children together.

This is the record of Henry's birth and christening:

father:  Wilhelm Kraemer
mother:  Maria Cleopha Guenther
Name  Heinrich Wilhelm Kraemer
Gender  Male
Christening Date  19 Apr 1868
Christening Place  LEISTADT,PFALZ,BAVARIA
Birth:  18 April 1868
Father's Name  Wilhelm Kraemer
Mother's Name  Maria Cleopha Guenther
Indexing Project (Batch) Number  C97325-3
System Origin  Germany-ODM
GS Film number  1050045 

This

nna. 

The Willems Immigrants

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. 

Click on image to enlarge

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.

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.

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.

The Friederich Günther Family

click on image to enlarge

Anna Marie Mesel, daughter of Joseph Jacob Mesel and Anna Marie Elisabeth Fischer Mesel married Friederich Günther at a Roman Catholic Church in Bad Dürkheim,Pfalz,Bavaria on June 4, 1867.

Their marriage records:

Groom's Name: Friedericus Carolus Guenther

Bride's Name: Anna Maria Mesel

Marriage Date: 04 Jun 1867

Marriage Place: Roemisch-Katholische,Bad Duerkheim,Pfalz,Bavaria

Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M99745-5

System Origin: Germany-ODM

Source Film Number: 367710

Collection: Germany Marriages, 1558-1929

Groom's Name: Friedrich Wilhelm Guenther

Bride's Name: Anna Maria Mesel

Marriage Date: 04 Jun 1867

Marriage Place: Grethen,Pfalz,Bavaria

Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M99174-7

System Origin: Germany-ODM

Source Film Number: 587643

Collection: Germany Marriages, 1558-1929

(note that Grethen is a burrough or quarter of Bad Duerkheim

The newlyweds began their family the following year when Wilhelm was born May 15, 1868. Following are his birth and baptism records: 

Name Wilhelm Guenther 

Gender Male 

Birth Date 15 May 1868 

Birthplace Dürkheim, Bayern, Germany 

Race White 

Father's Name Friedrich Guenther 

Mother's Name Anna Mesel 

Indexing Project (Batch) Number C99170-3 

System Origin Germany-EASy 

Source Film Number 587615 Reference Number

Name Guilhelmus Guenther 

Gender Male 

Baptism/Christening Date 24 May 1868 

Baptism/Christening Place ROEMISCH-KATHOLISCHE,BAD DUERKHEIM,PFALZ,BAVARIA 

Father's Name Friederici Guenther 

Mother's Name Annae Mesel

Indexing Project (Batch) Number C99745-3 

System Origin Germany-ODM 

Source Film Number 367708 Reference Number

Another son, Karl, was born April 29, 1871. 

Name: Carl Gunther

Gender: Male

Birthdate: 29 April, 1871

Birthplace: GRETHEN,PFALZ,BAVARIA

Father's Name: Friedrich Wilhelm Gunther

Mother's Name: Anna Maria Mesel

Indexing Project (Batch) Number: J99174-7

System Origin: Germany-ODM

Source Film Number: 587643

Collection: Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898

Then Margaret arrived. (Her tombstone reads 1872--note that since these records were transcribed there is room for error.)

Margaretha Guenther

Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898

birth: 15 May 1873 BAD DUERKHEIM,PFALZ,BAVARIA

father: Friedrich Wilhelm Guenther

mother: Anna Maria Mesel

Elisabeth was born June 21, 1876 in Durkheim, Germany. 

Just like other Germans the Guenther family heard of wonderful opportunities in the United States.  They had undoubtedly corresponded with Anna Marie's brother, Anton, who bought 120 acres of land outside Paris, Arkansas on March 24, 1881.  So it was that they decided to migrate to Arkansas.  The damper on this fresh start in a new land was complete and utter tragedy.   Carl, age 10, the second oldest of the children died when he was pushed and fell in a schoolyard prank.   It was just 3 and a half months before the family boarded ship. 
  

In 1881 the Günther family migrated to the United States from their home in Dürkheim, Bavaria.  They boarded the SS Pollux at the port of Amsterdam on October 5 and were among 569 steerage passengers.  The manifest translates as:

F.(riederich) Gunther   age 40 Male labourer 

A.(nna) Gunther  40 Female without (occupation)

W.(ilhelm) Gunther  8  Male  without (occupation)

M.(argaret) Gunther  7  Female without (occupation)

E.(lisabeth) Gunther  5  Female without (occupation)

The Pollux arrived in New York City October 25, 1881.  From New York City they made their way mostly via train to what was to become their home in Logan County, Arkansas.   Saddened parents Friederich and Anna, then with child, made the arduous journey with remaining children Wilhelm, age 13, Margaret, 6, and Elisabeth, age 5.  Two others of the family name Günther made the trip aboard the Pollux, The first listed a man "A." possibly Friederich's older brother Arnold, listed here as a carpenter,  and a young woman with the first initial "L."of 19 years.  They chose to settle elsewhere. 

 

Names. Places, and a Grain of Salt

Names

When researching this history I found that try as I might there is no way to get this information completely correct.  Starting with the spelling of Phillip Willems name I find at least four different spellings on census, land, and other official documents--Phillip, Philip, Philipp, and Phillp (the last variation is on his tombstone).  Some documents spell his name two different ways on the same document, so apparently spelling wasn't terribly important at the time.  If there were a document or letter bearing his signature it would be less of a guessing game.

Katherina has variations too, but which is correct I do not know.  Katrina, Kate, Catherine, etc. 


Places

Documents, such as censuses that ask for where someone was born were usually generalized.  Remember at the time Phillip and Katherina lived there European boundaries were different than they are today.  Prussia covered much of Europe.  Alsace-Lorraine was a territory annexed by the German Empire in 1871.  It reverted back to France after the Germans lost WWI.


A Grain of Salt

Many documents and family histories have points that contradict each other.  Keep in mind that information conveyed on documents is more valuable if the subject themselves filled it out usually making the information accurate. 

The Phillip Willems Family Leaves Europe

The 1870s and 1880s found Germany and its states in troubled times leading to a massive rush to leave for America. To spur the exodus, advertisements appeared in German newspapers depicting the USA as the land of milk and honey.  The ads were placed by large employers including the railroads, hoping to attract immigrants who were typically paid less than American born workers. 

The Phillip Willems family left Europe for a variety of reasons in hopes of a better life for themselves and their growing family.

Their Story

On September 11, 1880 Phillip J. Willems married Katherina Neiseus in an arranged marriage.  The bride, daughter of Clemens Neiseus and Mary Yunk, was a school teacher and had been working in Alsace Lorraine which at the time was a German territory. Arranged marriages were common in Europe during this time and the young couple had met only a few times before the wedding took place in Luxembourg. Katherina was 28 years old, and Phillip, just 21.  

John Martin Willems was the first child born to the newlyweds at their home in Niederwampach, Luxembourg.  He arrived on July 15, 1881 and was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church the following day.    April 1, 1883 brought the birth of Frank Xaver, making them a family of four.  In order to support his growing family it has been said that Phillip had done some coal mining in Prussia.

Later in 1883, or possibly early in 1884, Phillip, Katherina, toddler John Martin, and baby Frank Xaver Willems headed to the harbor at Antwerp, Belgium.  There they boarded the ship that would be home for the several weeks it took to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 

Not much is known of which family members were left behind on Katherina's side of the family.  Phillip however had at least five siblings and parents to say goodbye to.  When he left Europe Phillip left a brother named Mathias, and four sisters, one named Margaret, two who went by Catherine or Katherine when they were grown, and the eldest sister (whose name I don't know) behind.  He would never again see his father, probably named John, a tailor and Mary Ann his mother (maiden name Lernerts or Leonard).  Phillip may have "paved the way" as three of the sisters and his brother Mathias, too, eventually called the USA their home. More on them later. 

Feel free to email mhlady31@gmail.com if you have a correction, story, photo, or record to share.