b. 1800

Lena Wisbar b. 1871

/ Kirstin Miller

Lena Wisbar, my 2nd great grandma on RootsMagic tree.

Lena Wisbar was born in Germany on May 27, 1871, the 2nd daughter of Martin and Mary Walters Wisbar. In 1872 her family sailed from Bremen, Germany to New York, USA. They were in NY on August 17, 1872, then went on to Ela, Lake County, Illinois where on the 1880 census Lena was 9 years old and lived on a farm. By 1885 Lena and family farmed in Parkersburg, Iowa.

On March 14, 1888 Lena married John Roose. Lena and John farmed in Butler County, Iowa. They had seven children and many grandchildren. After farming for 37 years, Lena and John moved to town in 1925. They lived in Allison, Iowa with their youngest daughter Lela, age 18. John died in 1926.

In 1938 and probably other years too, Lena entered her crochet in the Butler County Fair and won ribbons for dining room and bedroom linens. 

Lena died on January 19, 1948, she was 76. Her funeral was at St James Lutheran Church in Allison. She is buried in the Allison cemetery.

Sources

  • 1938 Sep 14 Iowa Recorder, Greene Public Library Digital Resources
  • 1948 Feb 16 Lena’s obituary, Waterloo Daily Courier at Ancestry.com
  • US census at FamilySearch
  • New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891 at FamilySearch.org

Philippa Johns b. 1828

/ Kirstin Miller

Philippa Johns 3rd great grandmother on RootsMagic tree.

MylorParishChurchCornwallPhilippa Johns was born in Cornwall England, September 1828 and was baptized November 2, 1828 in the Mylor parish church. In 1851 Philippa was a servant in the home of Richard and Elizabeth Green Mockford. Richard and his son Henry were millers or flour makers: Richard a foreman, Henry a journeyman. Philippa married Henry Mockford in 1853 in the same Mylor church.

Henry sailed to America in 1854 on his own as husbands did, to set up a home, then once established send for Philippa. In the summer 1855 census Henry was a border in Clarkson, New York. On November 19, 1855 Philippa and oldest son 2 year old William arrived. The family lived in northern and northwestern New York: Batavia and Clarkson. When Philippa died in 1903 her husband, four sons and three daughters lived on. Philippa’s name like her granddaughter’s name is spelled different ways.

Philippa Johns (1828 – 1903) > Richard John Mockford (1856 – 1910) > Philippa Flood Mockford (1891 – 1979) > Elizabeth Matilda Speedy (1917 – 2005) m. > Stanley Roose Sr. (1915-2004)

Sources

  • England births and christenings 1538-1975 database at FamilySearch

  • Newspapers.com, Democrat and Chronicle, 1903 Feb 6, Rochester, New York

  • Cornwall online parish clerks OPC, click MORE on the bottom right to see the rest of the record.

John Henrichs b. 1864

/ Kirstin Miller

John G. Henrichs on RootsMagic tree

John Gerhard Henrichs was born October 9, 1864 in Germany. He sailed to America in 1882 at age 18. His sister Annie married Enno Frerichs, John married Enno’s sister Entje. John and Entje had a family and farmed. In 1917 John owned about 125 acres of farm land in Butler County, Iowa. On the 1930 US Census he was 65 and living on Main Street in Allison, Butler County, Iowa. He owned his home but didn’t have a radio set.

Henrich, John 1930On March 26, 1930 John celebrated Entje’s birthday with a party at their home for family and friends. This is in the Iowa Recorder, April 2, 1930 and directly below is grandniece Viola Roose entertaining 16 high school friends on March 29.

John was a widow in 1936 and lived with his daughter Flora and her family on the 1940 US Census. John’s obituary is in the Mason City Globe Gazette of December 22, 1943. John and Entje are buried in the Butler Center Cemetery. There are 21 Henrichs and 12 Frerichs memorials in this cemetery.

Sources

Violetta Cable b. 1857

/ Kirstin Miller

Cable, Violet obituary 1942Violetta Cable, great grand aunt on RootsMagic tree

Violetta was born April 11, 1857 in Wisconsin to Jonathan Cable, her mom was probably Eliza Frey. Violetta was the youngest of 5 kids with 3 brothers and a sister. By 1870 Violetta was 13 and living with her family in Pleasant Grove, Iowa. She lived on a farm in Pleasant Grove until about 1884 when she was a postmaster in Cable, Minnesota. This is noted on Wikipedia and also in a book: Minnesota Place Names by Upham.

Violetta took in her niece and nephews: Ethel Towslee, Chauncey and Leonard Cable all lived with her at different times in Chicago, Minnesota and Seattle. Violetta married Charles Anderson in 1908 in Seattle. She was 51 he was 39, Charles died in 1927, they didn’t have children. As a widow Violetta lived with her brother William’s widow, Mary Fries Cable in Des Moines, Iowa. Violetta died in Des Moines April 6, 1942 and is buried in the Pleasant Grove, Iowa cemetery, headstone not yet located, probably near her brother William.

Sources

Esther Young b. 1830

/ Kirstin Miller

Esther Miller 3rd great grandmother on RootsMagic tree.

Esther Young was probably born in Stark County, Ohio January 20, 1830. No info on her parents. Her parents were Michael and Mary Young both born in Pennsylvania. Esther married Peter Miller around 1851 on June 3, 1849 and they had their first child William L Miller in August, 1852. Esther had 5 more sons and her 7th child, a daughter: Lillie May Miller.

By 1860 the family was living in Bremer County, Iowa. They farmed and the children attended school. In 1880 Esther and Peter were neighbors to their son William and his wife Fiana Druckenbrod. In 1885 their neighbors were the Baileys, future in laws, their daughter Lillie would marry the youngest Bailey son, George. Imagine Esther’s day to day life in 1860: infants and toddlers, diapers, clothes, winter coats, laundry, food, baking, toothaches, crops, horses, livestock, snow, summer heat, having a bath; how in the world. There is very little info on Esther. Esther was in the local Waverly newspaper at different times for events including relatives visiting in Waverly, Iowa, Esther visiting Stark County, Ohio and winning a ‘medal for the first spring chickens this season having had a clutch of ten hatched Feb 9th” 1891. 

Esther died on February 10, 1898, about at age 68 and is buried at Andrews Cemetery near Waverly, Iowa.

Sources

Oscar Speedy b. 1867

/ Kirstin Miller

Oscar Alexander Speedy 2nd great uncle on RootsMagic tree.

Speedy, Oscar in Stockton California

Oscar’s parents were Manford and first wife Ann Coats Speedy. Ann died of typhoid fever in 1869, Oscar was 2. His 2nd mom was Elizabeth Stewart Speedy. Oscar grew up in Butler County, Iowa. He attended school and lived on a farm. By 1888 at age 21 he was out west in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California. He was first a miner then an engineer at the Stockton Jackson Baths, mineral baths. “The facility included twelve bath houses for private parties, a clubhouse for entertaining and a grand stand for musical concerts. The thirteen acre resort destination also featured lawn areas with picnic tables and barbecue pits, and even a small zoo and a scenic railway.” Article by Alice Van Ommeren, 2014 . The baths ended in the 1940s.

Speedy, Oscar Stockton, CA

Jackson Baths in Stockton California

Oscar is on the California Voter Lists in 1888 and 1892, not yet found on a census in California. ON voter lists Oscar is described “5′ 10″ dark complexion, hazel eyes, brown hair”.

He is not mentioned in his dad Manford’s 1914 obituary so may have died before 1914, not sure. Update Fall 2019, Oscar Speedy has a Find a Grave memorial with details. At Find a Grave: Oscar A. Speedy is buried in Block 27N, Row G, Lot 164. He died in 1895, he was 28 years old. There’s no grave marker or death certificate, details. Burial information was provided by Cathleen Boccia, an employee of the Stockton Rural Cemetery, memorial created by “lawman on 29 Jun 2019”.

Sources

Faber J Druckenbrod b. 1899

/ Kirstin Miller

Faber J Druckenbrod 1st cousin 3x removed on RootsMagic tree.

Faber was born on February 23, 1899 in Stark County, Ohio to Ivy and Elta Combs Druckenbrod. Faber was the nephew of Fianna Druckenbrod, mother of Lola Miller. Lola and Faber were cousins.

Stark County Infirmary

Faber’s dad, Ivy was Superintendent of the Stark Infirmary. The family lived at the infirmary, a huge stone mansion, when Faber and his brother were kids. Ivy died in 1916 and his widow Elta began traveling. In 1920 Elta sailed from Key West, Florida to Cuba. In 1924 she sailed from New York to Cherbourg, France. Elta and Faber made this European trip together with Faber staying longer in Europe. The photos are from their passport applications.

 

Faber Druckenbrod
Elta Combs Druckenbrod

In 1939 Elta, Faber and Faber’s fiance Grace, visited Greene, Iowa. They spent a weekend with Lola Miller and her husband William E Miller. William and Lola had a son named Faber, it’s a pretty strong probability that Faber Miller with his wife Gladys Cable Miller, shared a dinner on Friday night September 29, 1939. Faber and Gladys named their first son Faber, too.

Druckenbrods visit Greene

Druckenbrods visit Greene, Iowa

Faber J Druckenbrod (1899 – 1958) son of Ivy Benton Druckenbrod (1862 – 1916) brother to Fianna Druckenbrod (1854 – 1923), Lola M Miller (1880 – 1951), Faber W Miller (1905 – 1957) m. Gladys Mae Cable (1913 – 1991)

Sources

 

William L. Miller b. 1852

/ Kirstin Miller
William L. Miller, my 2nd great grandpa on RootsMagic tree.
William was born in August 1852 in Stark Ohio, his middle name may be Louis. William was the oldest of 7 children of Peter and Esther Young Miller. His family farmed in Ohio and by 1870 when William was 18 they were living on a farm in Bremer County, Iowa.
William kept in touch with Fianna Druckenbrod of Stark Ohio, and they were married on September 5, 1875 in Stark, Ohio.  The newlyweds settled in Bremer County, Iowa, had 7 children and farmed. On the  1880 Iowa agricultural census William’s farm had: 230 tilled acres, 10 acres of meadow, 30 acres of forest, 60 acres of hay, 3 horses, 2 cows, 2 calves, 21 pigs, 15 chickens, 40 acres of Indian corn, 20 acres of oats, 85 acres of wheat, half acre of potatoes.
By 1905 William and Fiana lived in Amery, Wisconsin. William was a teamster and a truck gardener. When Fiana died in 1923 William lived with his son Frank and family in Amery, Wisconsin.
William and Fiana are buried in Andrews Cemetery near Waverly, Iowa. I visited the cemetery in summer, 2017. William and Fiana’s headstone is surrounded by 5’ day lilies.
Headstone Miller, William and Fiana Druckenbrod
Sources at FamilySearch.org
  • Ohio, County Marriages 1789-2013
  • US census records
  • 1880 Iowa agricultural census

William Newcomb Gaines b. 1825

/ Kirstin Miller

William was born Nov 16, 1825 in Madison county New York, he died May 16 1907 in Lane, Oregon and is buried in Janesville, Iowa. He was the sixth child of Obed and Leydia Connable Gaines born after triplets Abigail, Lydia and Obed. William was either adopted or ‘bound out to’ his mom’s first cousin Samuel Newcomb. With Samuel, an early Mormon, William went to Salt Lake Territory in 1850. By 1854 he was married to Sarah Swain and living in Bremer County, Iowa. William was a hotel proprietor, a postmaster, a farmer, an assessor and a carpenter. He and Sarah had 6 children. William in the History of Butler and Bremer Counties.
The 1860 Agricultural census shows William producing 200 lbs. of maple sugar or syrup. William probably had no idea that his great great grandfather Samuel Connable was most likely the person who refined or engineered the way to extract maple syrup: History of Bernardston and The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, And Literature for the Year
William was a widow at age 64. At 70 he lived with his son and family in Wadena Minnesota. At 75 he was living with a daughter in Lane, Oregon.

Obed Gaines married Leydia Connable > William Newcomb Gaines married Sarah Swain > Mary Ella Gaines married James Davis Miller  > William Earl Miller married Lola Miller > Faber Miller married Gladys Cable Miller.

Kuna Kuntje Jansen b. 1833

/ Kirstin Miller

Kuna Kuntje Enen Jansen 3rd great grandmother

Kuna or Kuntje also known as Katie came to America when she was 49 years old. She made a quick stop at the New York harbor then landed in Baltimore in 1883.

From Baltimore she, husband Casjen and children Enno, Gerd, Entje and Hilke moved on to Iowa and settled in Butler County. The 1890 census was lost in a fire, the first record of the Kuna is the 1900 census. She lives with her son Enno and his family including 8 year old Mary Viola Frerichs, who would marry George Gerald Roose 12 years later. Kuna and Casjen share a beautiful handcarved headstone in the Parkersburg Oak Hill Cemetery.