Miscellaneous Monday -- August F.A. Wenkel died 100 years ago

On this day in history!

1917 ad for John Deer Corn Planter
Franklin County Tribune (Union, Missouri)
Fri, May 4, 1917 ·  Page 1
Downloaded on Mar 13, 2017
from Newspapers.com

According to my Legacy Software program -- on which I keep my personal family tree -- August F.A. Wenkel died 100 years ago.
Wow, that was a long time.

30 May 1917

August Friederich Andreas Wenkel [657] died 100 years ago

Memorial Monday -- Wenkel Family on Facebook

Wenkel Family on Facebook
The Wenkel Family reunion will be August 2018 somewhere near Standish Michigan.  Contact the Facebook page to join and to ask questions.

You would not believe the quilt somebody made, it is a fantastic rainbow, with each child and descendants assigned a colour.

These quilt photos are used with permission of the owner, Kevin Smith, Grandson of Fred Wenkel.  Thank you, Kevin, for your generosity.

The lettering is difficult to see in the lighter-coloured outer segments, but two women put in a lot of hard work on this piece of historical art.  Bertha Wenkel Peppel (daughter of August and Sophia Wenkel) and Eileen Wenkel Partlo (daughter of Fred Wenkel) worked on this big boy.  It is, according to Kevin, 7 feet tall and 6 feet wide.

There will actually be a reunion in Standish Michigan in 2018.  If you are a cousin, plan to go!  You can contact them through the Facebook link above, or contact me using the form to the right.

Enjoy, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any delicious posts in the future.

• Karoline (Lena) Wenkel Peppel 1886-1975
• Carolyn, 1911-1998
• William 1912-1964
• Herbert John 1915-1966
• Elinor Peppel Welton 1917-2007
• Geraldine Peppel Rhine 1920-1991

Lena, children, grandchildren

• Fred Felix Wenkel 1887-1969
• Velinda Wenkel Boetefuer 1918-2007
• Hershal Wenkel 1920-1929
• Doris Wenkel 1921-1983
• Esther Wenkel Eland 1922-1978
• Eileen Wenkel Partlo
• Clarence Wenkel 1930-2013
• Ernest Wenkel
• Robert Wenkel

Fred, children and grandchildren

• Alvena Wenkel Schnetzer 1889-1975
• Norman Schnetzer 1928-1989
• Arnold Schnetzer 1931-2008
• Anna Wenkel Straub 1891-1972

Anna and Alvena, children and grandchildren

• Dora Wenkel Hohlfelder 1893-1981
• Ellen Hohlfelder 1921-2011
• William Hohlfelder II 1923-2011
• Ronald Hohlfelder 1926-2014
• Marilyn Hohlfelder

Dora, children and grandchildren

• Bertha Wenkel Peppel 1894-1990
• Lucille Peppel 1920-1994
• Otto Lee Peppel 1921-2003
• Marshall O. Peppel 1923-2001
• Elizabeth Peppel Marlow Butterfield 1924-1999
• Priscilla Peppel LeMire 1926-2013
• Barbara R. Peppel 1926-2013
• Martha Lou Peppel

Bertha, children and Grandchildren

• Frieda Wenkel Jost 1896-1978
• Benjamin Jost 1920-1920
• Esther Jost 1921-2013
• Kenneth W. Jost 1922-2004
• Wallace A. Jost 1924-2008
• Edward Roy Jost 
• Evelyn Elizabeth Jost 1928-1993
• Gladys M. Jost

Frieda, children and grandchildren

• Celia Wenkel Schinler Loesch 1897-1997
• Rosemary Schinler 1922-1922
• Helen Schinler Ehrler 1923-2007
• Raymond Schinler 1926-2000

• 
  August Paul Wenkel 1898-1973
• Laurence P. Wenkel I 1932-1999
• Laura Grace Wenkel 1932-1991
• Lester Wenkel
• Ruth Wenkel
• Nancy Irene Wenkel 1943-2005
• Andrew Wenkel 1900-1979

August and part of Andrew, children and grandchildren

• Sophia Wenkel Hoder 1901-1983
• William J. Hoder 1921-1988

Sophia, children, grandchildren

General overview

Mystery Monday -- Lachlan and Gladys Stewart

I have a headache of a dilemma.  I have Gladys Jost Stewart living at a home two years BEFORE she was born.

As I have been going down each line of descendants for Andreas and Sophia Rohrsen Wenkel, I found something that is very confusing for me.

I got to Gladys Jost Stewart, who married Lachlan Stewart.  Gladys is the daughter of Roy and Frieda Wenkel Jost, the Granddaughter of immigrants August F.A. and Sophia Rohrsen Wenkel.

From Ancestry.com

But, as I research and confirm the records of residence and dates of birth and census records, I have Gladys living with Lachlan two years BEFORE she is born!

Okay, so I thought "This will straighten itself out in the end."  I figured that more research will reveal a typographical error, or a transcriptional error.  But no!  I have a headache now, because it gets more and more confusing.

The only scenario that makes sense is if Lachlan A. Stewart and Gladys Stewart (who were both 41 at the 1940 Census was the FIRST set of Lachlan/Gladys couple.

Note that in the 1940 Census, they have a son, Lachlan Jr.  I suspect THIS Lachlan is the husband of my Gladys Marie Jost.

I have to research this some more, and I will update as I find out the solution to this mystery.  Sometimes, I have to come up with (I am a nurse, so I think in terms of nursing) a working diagnosis.  This means that I have a hypothesis (there are TWO sets of Lachlan/Gladys units) and now I must see if my research supports my working hypothesis.  I may be wrong, of course.


UPDATE -- My working diagnosis was correct.  My Lachlan/Gladys unit was Lachlan III and Gladys M. Jost Stewart.  His parents were Lachlan II and Gladys A. Stewart.  And, yet, there is a third Lachlan Stewart who is the immigrant from Scotland.

From Ancestry.com

And it all began with a headache.  Headache is now resolved with application of the right treatment!

Census Sunday -- August and Sophia Wenkel 1910

August and Sophia Wenkel mini pedigree
from Ancestry.com

1910 Census, Gibson Township, Bay, Michigan
from Ancestry.com

This image of the 1910 census for Gibson Township in Bay County, Michigan shows the not-so-little Wenkel family on their farm.  This was information obtained for 30 April 1910.

On line 57 we start with August (FA) Wenkel.  I'll transcribe the census in a moment, but lets take a look at some things first, shall we?

The Wenkels are the 138th family visited.  There is no street and no house number, indicating this is farm country.  Most of this community were either Germans themselves, or descendants of Germans.  Most likely they spoke German fluently.  

{Whoa, nellie.  This census lists only 10 children.  August Jr (the first), Lena, and Barbara are missing.  August, we know, died while still an infant in Germany.  Lena was most likely working as a domestic.  Barbara died as an infant in 1895.  I wonder why she did not include her two dead children in the count?  I cannot believe she'd forgotten about them.  But, why were they not included in her children?}

It looks like the enumerator got the order of the children mixed up, if we look at the ages.  One thing to remember...just because the wife is listed as having no job, that does not mean she didn't take in laundry, sell eggs, sew clothing or anything else to earn a penny or three.

57.  August Wenkel, Head, white male.  Age 49, first marriage, married for 25 years.  Born Germany, parents born Germany.  Immigrated 1876 and is naturalized.  Speaks English.  Occupation Farmer on General Farm.   Able to read/write, does not attend school.  

58.  Sophia Wenkel, wife, white female.  Age 46, first marriage, married 25 years, 12 children born, 12 still living {see note above}.    Born Germany, parents born Germany.  Immigrated 1876.  Speaks English.  No occupation.  Able to read/write, does not attend school.  

59.  Fred Wenkel, son, white male.  age 23, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.  Farmer on Home Land.  Able to read/write, does not attend school.  

60.  Anna, daughter, white female.  Age 19, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.   Clerk in General Store.  Able to read/write, does not attend school.  

61.  Vena, daughter, white female.  age 21, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.   Domestic with Housework.  Able to read/write, does not attend school.  

62.  Bertha, daughter, white female.  Age 16, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.  None.  Able to read/write, attends school.  

63.  Dora, daughter, white female.  Age 17, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.  Domestic, Housework.  Able to read/write, does not attend school.  

64.  Frieda, daughter, white female.  Age 14, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.  None.  Able to read/write, does attend school.  

65.  Celia, daughter, white female..  Age 13, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.  None.  Able to read/write, does attend school.  

66.  August, son, white male.  Age 11, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.  None.  Able to read/write, does attend school.  

67.  Andrew, son, white male.  age 10, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.  None.  Able to read/write, does attend school.  

68.  Sophia, daughter, white female.  Age 7, single, born Michigan.  Speaks English.  None.  Able to read/write, does attend school.  

69.  William, son, white male.  Age 6, single, born Michigan.  None.  Able to read/not write, does attend school.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Military Monday -- August Paul Wenkel 1898-1973

August Paul Wenkel and siblings 3 generation pedigree
from Ancestry.com

1918 World War 1 Draft Registration Card
August Paul Wenkel

August P Wenkel, born 14 June 1898 is 20 years old when he registered for the Draft in World War I.  He was living at Rural Route #2 in Standish Michigan.  He is white, native born, with blue eyes and brown hair and of medium build.  He worked for a buttery hauling milk.  He lists his nearest relative as August Wenkel (August F.A. Wenkel, his father), with the same address.  This looks like it may be his own signature.  Interestingly, he signs as August Wenkel Jr.

Update -- 5/16/2017.
There has been some wonderment that this may not be the proper August Wenkel.  I'd been fooled once before, but as I re-analyze this WWI draft card, I can explain why I am sure this is the correct August Wenkel, my grandfather.

• Line 1 -- the name is August P. Wenkel, Jr.  While technically my grandfather was not actually a Junior (he had a different middle name) for all intents and purposes he was August Jr, the son of August.
• Line 2 -- RR#2, Standish, Arenac, Michigan.  I believe but cannot prove right now that the RR#2 is an address I've seen before, but I CAN say that Standish is the hometown of my August Wenkel family.
• Line 3 and 4 -- the birth date is spot on, and his age is 20 years old.  The math works out.
• Line 5 and 10 -- he is a white native-born male.
• Line 19 and 20 -- his nearest relative is listed as August Wenkel, presumably the Senior above, with the exact same address.  It was not uncommon for young men to live with their families at the age of 20.

I am confident this is the draft card for my grandfather, August Paul Wenkel.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Census Sunday -- Lena Wenkel, found

Wenkel, Lena line 17

When I posted about August Frederick Andreas Wenkel, I was missing daughter Lena's name on the 1900 census.

I found her.  Here she is, line 17, in Lincoln, Arenac County, Michigan

She was working in Lincoln Township, Arenac, Michigan as a domestic.  She was 14 years old, and she lived and worked for the Kraus family, who were also immigrants from Germany.  I wonder, did these two families know each other in the old country?  The Kraus family had three daughters, one of whom married Lena's brother Fred in 1915.

Is this your Wenkel?  

Wedding Wednesday -- Squire F.W. Wenkel marries a couple in Missouri

#NotMyWenkel

I found a blog post in which Squire F.W. Wenkel performs a marriage ceremony in Missouri.  Check it out here.  The blog was posted in 2010.  If anybody else is related to this Missouri Wenkel family, let me know if this was of any help.

http://kleager-klaeger-klager.blogspot.com/2010/12/frank-and-sophie-get-married.html

Update as of 5 May 2017

I have found another resource for this same marriage from Family Search.  In it, we find out a little bit more information, such as that they were married by Justice Wenkel because Sophie was Lutheran and Frank was Catholic.

Frank August Kleager and Sophie Drewel wedding picture

https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/29457244