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 

The Phillip Willems Family 1904-1906

Frank, age 20, the oldest of Phillip and Katherine's offspring still living at home, had met a young woman named Mary Louise Ehrlenspiel who was 22 years old.  Born in Baden, Germany on November 17, 1881, Mary Louise had immigrated to the US in 1885 with her parents Richard and Hortensia Schuler Ehrlenspiel. The family settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan where the family grew with the addition of four more children.  Grand Rapids was known for it's furniture factories,  so Mary Louise's father Richard Ehrlenspiel, a German craftsman, found a job in the furniture industry as a veneerer before relocating the family to the Fort Smith, Arkansas area. Frank Willems and Mary Louise Ehrlenspiel were married on January 26, 1904, at Sacred Heart Church in Charleston, Arkansas.

The newlyweds stayed in the area until at least early autumn when their daughter Emma was born, but by March of the next year they were living in Winfield, Kansas as proven by the 1905 Kansas Census.  Frank's occupation was listed as "Teaming" in this census that was begun on March 1, 1905.  Mary Louise was housekeeping.  Young Emma was listed as being 5 months old putting her birthday sometime from September 2nd to October 1st if the enumeration is correct.  It incorrectly lists Frank and Mary Louise to both be 22 years old.

Phillip Willems bought 160 acres of land December 23, 1902 for $1300 and turned around and sold two 40 acre parcels the following February for a total of $775.  Then on January 2nd of 1905 Phillip and Katherine sold approximately 246 acres for a total of $3600 in installments.  He still owned land in the Charleston area and but was trying to sell at least some of it.  Certainly some of it was farmed in cotton, the main crop in the area.  There was always a need for pasture for livestock, and the women of the house would have tended a kitchen garden in addition to their household duties.  Most families planted fruit trees or other fruit bearing plants and family lore suggests Phillip Willems did as well.

1905 was an exciting year for the family.  They had word from a far off place called Annaheim, Saskatchewan of land that could be yours for a $10 registration fee paid to the Dominion Government. This would entitle the family or individual to a 160 acre parcel of land.  As a bonus, Annaheim, German for "Anna's Home", had a Catholic church called St. Anne's, established by a Benedictine priest two years before their arrival.  Though it was sparsely settled, there was the promise of adventure in a new beginning.  The abundant game and fish were certainly an attraction to the young men, and while $10 seemed incredibly cheap for that amount of land, the government, who extended the offer in hopes of populating Western Canada with hard working people willing to cultivate the land had stipulations to the grant.  Following is the requirements of the 1886 Land Act which was in effect at the time Phillip Willems and family began homesteading:

The settler must commence cultivation of his/her homestead withing six months of date of entry or, if entry was obtained on or after the first day of September in any year, before the first day of June following.

Within the first year after entry, the settler must break and prepare for crop no less that 5 acres.

Within the second year, the settler must crop the initial 5 acres, and break and prepare for crop no less than 10 additional acres.

The settler must build a habitable house before end of second year and at the beginning of the third year must commence residence on homestead.

The settler must give six months notice in writing to the Commissioner of Dominion Lands of his/her intention to make application for patent.

Eligibility requirements changed over the years.  At the time the Willems family filed their claims, called entry in Canada, men could file for a homestead at any age if they headed a family.  Single men of 18 or older were also eligible. Only women who were the sole head of family were allowed to file for a homestead.

Millions of immigrants flocked to Canada to file patents.  Those from our Willems family were: Phillip Willems, Frank Xaver Willems, and Aloysius Joseph Willems.  Anytime following three full years after entry, the claim was granted.  
Below is the date the grant was  received,  the land description, and applicant's name.

24-Sep-1910 NE 34-38-21-2 Frank X. Willems
17-Sep-1909 NW 34-38-21-2 Aloysius John Willems
14-Jul-1908 SE 34-38-21-2 Philipp Willems


So using the earliest date, we can see that the Willems family would have arrived in Canada in Spring or early summer of 1905 to file entry on the land they would farm.  According to family lore Phillip, Katherine, and family, with the exception of eldest son John Martin Willems, packed up what household goods they would need in crates, barrels, and trunks. These, plus their livestock, and farm machinery, were loaded into a railroad boxcar in Charleston, Arkansas that several days later arrived in Rosthern,  a town in Saskatchewan midway between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.  Phillip chose his claim and filed for it- a parcel of 160 acres about four miles west of the tiny village of Annaheim.  Alois, just 17 years old when they arrived, filed an adjacent claim to his papa and older brother Frank the following year.

The land had never been plowed and turning it would have been arduous work done with a team of horses or possibly oxen.  The typical crops were wheat, oats, barley and the like, though other crops were planted as well.  While farming only a few acres using horses and oxen, homesteaders were subsistence farmers.  Once they had a tractor they tended to farm cash crops in addition to or in some cases instead of what crops they needed to live.  Land on the Canadian prairie was flatter with fewer trees than the Willems family was accustomed to.  To read more about homesteading in Saskatchewan go to http://www.saskarchives.com/collections/land-records/history-and-background-administration-land-saskatchewan/homesteading .

Willems claims are on the upper left of the page-click to enlarge

The Willems family had been residents of Canada for about a year when the 1906 Canadian Census was enumerated.  No record of Frank and Mary Louise Willems in this census.  A look at the border crossing document when they returned to the USA reveals the possibility they first settled in Canada in 1907.  
Phillip, Katherine and family were listed as follows:
Philipp, age 47, born- Germany, yr. of immigration to Canada 1905, PO address- Annaheim
Catherine,   54, born- Germany, yr. of immigration to Canada 1905, PO address- Annaheim
Joseph, son,  age 19, born- USA, yr. of immigration to Canada 1905, PO address- Annaheim
Aloyius,son,  age 18, born- USA, yr. of immigration to Canada 1905, PO address- Annaheim
Mary, daughter,  16,  born- USA, yr. of immigration to Canada 1905, PO address- Annaheim
Catherine, daughter, age 14,born- USA, yr. of imm. to Canada 1905,  PO address- Annaheim
Living with the family were:Katie Niesen, a servant, age 19, USA, who immigrated in 1906
and a single male lodger Frank Prodal,  22 from the USA, who came to Canada in 1905.
This census also counted livestock. According to the census the Willems family had 6 horses, 2 milk cows, 6 other horned cattle, and two hogs.

Not long after arriving in Annaheim, young Anna Willems caught the eye of a bachelor originally from Millerville, Minnesota who had immigrated in 1903 with his parents to the Lake Lenore area.  His name was Michael Hoffman.  He was 25, and she 20 when they married in 1906 in the Catholic Church.  The 1906 census enumerated them on their farm in the Lake Lenore area near his parents and siblings claims.  Their farm was Section 14-Township 40-Range 21- Meridian w2.  It noted that Michael and Anne Hoffman had 3 horses and a milk cow.  

Coincidentally--or maybe not, Frank Willems mother-in-law's maiden name was Schuler.
Were there members of Mary Louise's family in Annaheim?
The Schuler School was approximately 3 miles NNE of the Willems farms.

Phillip was visiting family in Arkansas the winter of 1906/07.  He took care of business, too, as he bought more land in the vicinity of Charleston.  It soon became Phillip and Katherine's habit to spend the summers in Canada and winters further south with family.   

Streator, Illinois at the turn of the Century

The population of Streator was growing, it was slow, but gradually increased from just over 14,000 at the turn of the century.  Industry was moving in creating openings in factories.  Though a mine may close, there were other opportunities for workers that paid better than mining.  Two sought after jobs were as glass blowers, and of course railroad workers. They were able to earn a living without supplementing their income with livestock and a large garden to ensure their families would eat.  The Sauer's, Wahl's, and Korstick's belonged to St. Anthony's Church in Streator.  In 1903 a Knight's of Columbus chapter was formed.  A new library whose structure was funded in part with Carnegie money was opened in early 1903.  Unfortunately, later that year brought a very destructive and deadly tornado that killed six and left others injured.

To read more of Streator's history see http://archive.org/stream/biographyinblack00fran/biographyinblack00fran_djvu.txt 

At the time the 1900 Census was enumerated, Phillip and Mathias' sisters families had grown considerably.  So, spelling names as they appear on the census: Nikolas Wahl, who was working as a railroad section foreman, had been married to his wife Catherine Willems Wahl for 13 years, producing seven children.  The census recorded their ages as follows:  Peter, born September 1877, age 12, Charles, born December 1889, age 10, Catherine, born January 1893, age 7, Mary, born September 1894, age 5, Frank, born April 1896, age 4, James born November 1897, age 2, and one year old William who was born March of 1899.  All of the children were born in Illinois.  The three oldest children attended school for nine months of the year (note the longer school year compared to their agricultural Arkansas cousins who typically went to school 5 to 6 months).  Catherine was listed as being the mother of eight children with seven of them living.  She was unable to read or write. Nikolas, was reported as owning the house free of mortgage that the family lived in at 1006 Bronson Street in Streator, and was listed as being an alien.

Catherine's younger sister Margaret Willems Sauer was enumerated as living in Farm Ridge Township outside Streator (an 1898 directory reports they had 80 acres).  Her husband, John, who like his brother-in-law Nickolas Wahl, also worked for the railroad.  Maggie was the mother of six children, all of them living.  They were listed as follows:  John, born June 1864, age 35, Maggie, his 34 year old wife, born Jan. 1866, lived in the house they rented.  Their six children were all born in Illinois. The three oldest had attended school 9 months.  Six year old Willie had just begun school and had only gone 2 months.  The children were enumerated as Mary, age 11, born March 1889, Nickalas, age 10, born May 1890, daughter Katie, 8, who as born June 1892, Willie, 6, born January 1894, John, age 4, born January 1896, and Cristina, a two year old born September 1897--(The name Cristina was a misconstrued record of Justina, the youngest daughter who was born in December and later, as a grown woman married Joseph Peter Hart).  John Sauer was reported to be a naturalized citizen.  He and Maggie had been married 11 years and all six of the six children Maggie had given birth to were living.

Living in the city of Streator was the youngest Willems sister, Katherine, and her husband Charles Korstick.  They were enumerated as Charles Korstick, born June 1858, age 41, and Catherine, his wife, born December 1870, age 29.  They'd been married 11 years.  Though Katherine had given birth to six children, only three of them lived at the time of the census.  They are Mathew, born July 1890, age 9, Nick, born January 1894, age 6, and ten month old daughter Catherine who was born July of 1899.  The family's house was a rental.  Only the oldest child, Mathew, went to school.  The Korstick's were reported to be naturalized citizens.  (The children who'd died before the 1900 census were Charles, who'd been born while in Germany, Mathilda, and John, who all died at a very young age.)  Charles Korstick's occupation was not listed.  The poor man had health problems and could no longer mine.  To make ends meet they opened a small grocery store in the front of their house. This grocery store was run by Katherine's son and eventually by her grandson until it was closed in 2001.

When Charles Korstick died July 22, 1913,  the Times Press ran the following obituary:

click on image to enlarge

Katherine Willems Korstick and children after the death of Charles Korstick; L-R Katie, Matt, Katherine, Nick, William, and Anthony Korstick

John and Katherine's marriage license

Katherine, now a widow with five children to support married the widower John Klever.  He was a native of Essen, Germany and was almost nine years her senior. (John and first wife Kate Poetkin, had three children together.)  They married August 4, 1914 in LaSalle County, Illinois.







Much of the information, newspaper clipping, record, and photo are courtesy of Bill Korstick, a wonderful family historian, who is a descendant of Katherine Willems and Charles Korstick.  
Many thanks Cousin Bill!