Andrew Wenkel Part 6 1950-1979

Andrew Charles Wenkel

1951, age 51

In this decade, he experienced the death of father August Friederich Andreas Wenkel, 5 October 1951, Standish, Arenac, Michigan

1951 ANC10_benefits_pay

1969, age 69

In this decade his brother died, Fred Felix Wenkel, 21 March 1969, Standish, Arenac, Michigan

1972, age 72

In this decade, five siblings died as well as his own death.

• Death of sister Anna Wenkel, 16 May 1972, Montclair, Essex, New Jersey
• Death of brother August Paul Wenkel, 24 July 1973, Wauconda Lake, Illinois
• Death of sister Alvena Marie Wenkel, 30 October 1975, Asbury, Warren, New Jersey
• Death of sister Karolina Friederike Sophie Wenkel, 32 October 1975, Standish, Bay, Michigan
• Death of sister Frieda Caroline Wenkel, 17 November 1978, Glencoe, Cook, Illinois

Something I just noticed.  Anna died just a year before my grandfather August.  Alvena and Karolina died within a day of each other.

1979, age 79

Died, 28 August 1979, Glencoe, Cook, Illinois, buried Northbrook, Cook County, Illinois.  He died two months after I graduated from High School, but I never knew it.

Andrew F. Wenkel 1979 obituary

Wenkel

Andrew F. Wenkel, beloved husband of Emily L., fond brother of Dora Hohlfelder, Alvena Schnetzer, Celia Schinler, Bertha Barber and Sophia Hoder.  Funeral ... Interment at Sacred Heart Cemetery....

Andrew F. Wenkel gravestone
from FindaGrave Memorial# 25470133

He is buried in Sacred heart Cemetery, Northbrook, Cook County Illinois, Plot #12

Sacred Heart Cemetery
from FindaGrave

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

Andrew Wenkel Part 5 1940-1949

As Promised, here is the 1940 Census

1940, age 40, Census

1 April 1940, New Trier, Cook, Illinois.

Andrew  and Emily Wenkel, 1940 Census

This couple moved again, this time to 334 South Avenue in New Trier IL.  They are both 40 years old, married, not attending school.  Andrew completed 8th grade while Emily completed the first two years of High School.  According to this census, they lived there five years previously in 1935.  However, the census a year earlier shows a Madison Avenue address.  What gives?  He is a paid worker as an auto mechanic and has never been unemployed.

Well, we have to understand how the census was taken.  If, when the enumerator came around, and they were both gone, they asked at the neighbors house.  Neighbors don't always know where you lived five years earlier.  That's the only explanation for the discrepancy.

1946 Family Reunion

Andrew and Emily Wenkel with Anna
photo by Christi Adams, used with permission

Andrew and Emily Logan Wenkel, Anna Wenkel
August and Sophia Rohrsen Wenkel
1946 Reunion, Standish Michigan

1948, age 48

Death of mother Sophia Rohrsen, 2 August 1948, Standish, Arenac, Michigan

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

Andrew Wenkel Part 4 1930-1939

1930 Lucky Strike Cigarette Ad
Marshfield News-Herald, Marshfield WI
from Newspapers.com

1930 Census

I cannot for the life of me find any 1930 census.  So here is some clip art that Andrew would have seen.

1935 age 35 Residence

334 South Avenue, New Trier, Cook, Illinois according to the 1940 Census, which we will describe in the next post.  The home that is in that spot now was built in 2001 according to Zillow.  Do you have a photo of the house as it was when Andrew lived there?

1936 age 36, North American Heat Wave

Historical Insight from Ancestry.com
How did this affect their dairy farm?  Did they lose out on milk production?

Credit: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Throughout the summer of 1936, the United States experienced one of the most devastating heatwaves in the nation’s history.

Before 1939, Married

He married sometime between the 1920 census and the 1939 directory which includes his wife Emily. He married Emily M. Logan who lived from 1896-1989, the child of Thomas Burke and Jessie Eleanor Davenport Logan.  She died in Chicago, and is buried in Northbrook, Cook County IL

1939, age 39, Residence

Evanston, North Shore, Illinois.  Here, again he is listed as Andrew F. Wenkel.  He is a mechanich in the Village of Glencoe, and lives at 486 Madison Avenue, Evanston IL.

Andrew and Emily Wenkel 1939 Directory, Evanston IL

Let's see if we can find this address on Google Maps.

This residence on standard maps view
Google Maps 2017

This residence in Street View
Google Maps 2017

It almost looks like they lived really near the train tracks, or under neath them?

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

Andrew Wenkel Part 3 1920-1929

1920, age 20 Census

Gibson, Bay, Michigan

Andrew Wenkel in Gibson MI

He is 19 years old, living and working on the family farm with his parents in Gibson, Bay, Michigan. He and his sister Sophie are the only two children left on the farm.  It seems August owns the farm, rather than renting it.

1920s

Photos used with permission from Christi Adams.  I can see a bit of my grandfather August Wenkel (and his sons, my Uncle Laurence Wenkel, and Uncle Howard Wenkel) in this first photo.  Those are some large hands.

Andrew Wenkel at the Cloverleaf Hohlfelder Dairy
with Ellen, Glencoe Illinois

Andrew Wenkel at the Cloverleaf Hohlfelder Dairy
with children, Glencoe Illinois

These children are listed on Ancestry.com as Edwin H., Bud H., Eleanor, Ellen, Billy and Myrtle Ekelman.  I think that Edwin and Bud are Hohlfelder children, and the other four are the Ekelman's.

1925, age 25 Residence

Auto Mechanic living at 859 Vernon Avenue, Evanston, Illinois

Andrew Wenkel 1925 Directory

I looked at this address, and the house standing here now was built in 1995.  It is now part of Glencoe IL.  When I searched Evanston, I did find Vernon Avenue.  I did a streetview "walk" down the street and found 859 Vernon, it was across from a school (or it was replaced by the school) -- wait a minute -- it keeps sending me back to Glencoe!  I want to find Vernon Avenue in Evanston.   Never mind.

1925 Tri-State Tornado

Historical Insight from Ancestry.com

After the tornadoes dissipated, citizens began cleaning up the wreckage of their homes. It was not uncommon to find a table still in place in the kitchen with walls crumbled around it. March 18, 1925, Princeton, Indiana. Credit: Archive Farms/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1927, age 27 Residence

Evanston, Illinois

Andrew F. Wenkel
1925 Evanston IL directory

Once again, he is an auto mechanic living at 859 Vernon Avenue, Evanston IL.  Look on the first column of the second page.  He is listed here as Andrew F. Wenkel.  Why?  Typographical error?  If you know, please let me know.  There is a possibility that I have two different Andrew Wenkel men.  I want to make sure.

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

Andrew Wenkel Part 2, 1910-1919

I don't have much information during this time.

November 10, 1913, Chicago, Illinois.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

1913, age 13

Historical Insight -- Great Lakes Storm of 1913.  How did this affect their farm?

The storm is historically known by several names including the “Big Blow”, the “Freshwater Fury,” and the “White Hurricane.”November 10, 1913, Chicago, Illinois. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

1914, age 14

Death of brother William Carl Wenkel, 2 February 1914, Gibson, Bay, Michigan.  Did the previous storm cause Willie's death?

April 7, 1917, San Francisco, California.
Credit: San Francisco Chronicle/Newspapers.com

1917, age 17

Historical Insight -- America Enters World War I

from Ancestry.com

President Wilson’s speech to Congress was published across the United States. On April 6, 1917, he asked that “all officers, civil or military, of the United States that they exercise vigilance and zeal in the discharge of the duties incident to such a state of war.”

Historical Insight -- Registering for the Draft in World War I

from Ancestry.com

About 1917, New York.
Credit: FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Each prospective soldier went through two complete medical examinations. The first by local physicians following their induction, the second at the mobilization camp before training. By the end of the war, these examinations included psychiatric evaluations. 

1918, age 18

WWI Draft Registration, residence Standish, Michigan

Andrew Wenkel WWI Draft Registration

No middle name listed here, his address is RR #2, Standish, Arenac, Michigan.  Some people have his birth month as June, but here it is an abbreviated word for January.  He is white, native-born.  He is a Farmer working for his father August at the same address.  I think this is his signature.

On the back side, we see that he is of medium build, medium height with blue eyes and brown hair.  He registered for the draft on September 12, 1918.

If you want to see what was going on in the news in Arenac County, here is a great source -- Arenac County Dateline.

1919 Historical Insight -- Red Scare Palmer Raids

from Ancestry.com

Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/UIG via Getty Images

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

Andrew Charles Wenkel Part 1 1900-1910

Andrew Charles Wenkel is my Great Uncle, the brother of my Grandfather.  I never met any of his siblings.  I think I met cousins at the one reunion I attended when I was about 12 or so. 

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

1900 Census, birth

Andrew Charles Wenkel was born 22 January 1900 in Gibson, Bay, Michigan.  I don't have primary source for this information.  I do have several Census, including this first one he's enumerated on:

August and Sophia Wenkel family 1900 Census page 1
Gibson, Michigan from Ancestry.com

In this census, which spans two pages, he is called "Charley.  He is only 4 months old, living  on 159 Dochen 40, Gibson, Bay County MI., with his eight older siblings.

I've searched google maps, and it hangs up on the "Dochen" part of the equation.  The only thing I have is Gibson Twp in Bay county MI.  Just a moment, let me look at the census once more ... loading ... aHAH!  The census doesn't say anything about which house number, nor which road they live on.  For some unexplained reason, the index on Ancestry.com has them living at 159 Dochen 40.  When I searched for the meaning of "Dochen 40" I kept coming up with a family name.  Perhaps the word means something in German, other than a last name, but I can't find it.  If you know, let me know, right?  the "Dochen 40" is an enigma.  But it is part of the story, at least.

YSL-O clipart
Catnip Studio Collage

1901 and 1903

Birth of sister Sophia M. Wenkel, 7 June 1901, Michigan; and birth of brother William Carl Wenkel, 3 December 1903, Gibson Township Michigan

Credit: Archive.org/Public Domain

1906, age 6

Historical Insight -- Michigan Central Railway Tunnel (from Ancestry.com)

1910 Census age 10

Andrew Charles aka "Charley" 1900 Census page 2
Gibson, Michigan from Ancestry.com

He was ten years old living in Gibson Michigan, living with his family on the farm.  He had eight older siblings and two younger.  Total of 11 children ages 23 to 6.  I wonder what they raised?  Corn?  Wheat?

Comment below if you know anything about this farm, or if you can place it on a map.  Inquiring minds want to know!

Obit Sunday -- Andrew F. Wenkel 1900-1979

Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois)
Thu, Aug 30, 1979 ·  Page 48
Downloaded on Apr 7, 2017
from Newspapers.com

Andrew Charles Wenkel is how I have his name.  His obituary, as you can see, has him with the middle initial of F.  It has to be a typographical error, since everything else in the obituary is correct.

Since he is the brother of my grandfather August Wenkel, Andrew is my grand-uncle.

Andrew Charles Wenkel 3-gen Pedigree
from Ancestry.com

He married Emile M. Logan who was about 3 years older than he was.  He is found in 1910, 1920, 1930 censuses, and we'll get to those in another post.

You can find him in the Social Security Death Index on Ancestry.com.  He last lived in Glencoe Illinois, and his card was first issued between 1957-1959 in Illinois.

He is buried at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Northbrook, Cook County, Illinois, plot 12.  The FindaGrave.com Memorial# 25470133.

Andrew F. Wenkel gravestone

Sacred heart Cemetery
Northbrook, Cook IL
from FindaGrave.com

Does anybody know why he is Andrew Charles in some places and Andrew F. in others?  Comment below, or contact me using the form on the right.  
________________________________________

Ancestry.com. (1957-1959). US Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA. Retrieved 2017, from Number 337-34-6190; Issued Illinois, 1957-1959.

Winslow, L. (2008, March 23). Andrew F. Wenkel Memorial# 25470133. Retrieved May 31, 2017, from Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=25470133&ref=acom