Benjamin H. Wenkel 1 of 4 #NotMyWenkel

So, this man is not my Wenkel relative, but as I was mining the newspapers for Wenkel stories, I kept coming up against his name.  Over. and Over. and Over. Forty newspaper articles over the span of 14 years, from the start of World War I to the start of the Great Depression.  I have a feeling he was a very likable fellow.  Now, to be sure, half of these forty articles are about missing and wounded lists from several newspapers all across the area.  We will check into these soon enough.

It's A Boy vintage card
source unknown

He is the third son of Squire Frederick E. Wenkel, who immigrated from Germany when he was about 6 years old, 1847.  Many Germans immigrated about this time, became farmers with financial backing from their families back home in the old country.  His mother died a few years later, when he was 11 years old.  His father, the Squire, had authority to marry couples, and apparently he performed quite a few ceremonies.  Frederick was drafted into the Missouri Civil War 30 June 1863, aged 25.  This means he'd managed to avoid the war until the very last year.  He started as Private of Company B, ending as Sergeant of Company E.

1889

birth, 5 October 1889, Champion, Douglas MO

1892 age 2

birth of brother Martin L. Wenkel, June 1892, who died in 1961.  His wife was Clarissa, of whom we find a record later on.  He is buried in Owensville MO.   He was in World War I and in World War II.

1898 age 8

birth of sister Grace M. Wenkel, May 1898, MO.  She married Walter Lottman, and they both lived with Frederick in one of the censuses.  She died 1984, and is buried in Franklin County MO.  

1900 age 11

Residence Boone, Franklin MO per Census

McGuffey's Eclectic Primer Page 4
photographed by Dayspringacres

He lives with parents Frederick and Veronica, who were married for 21 years by then.  He is a farmer and owns his own farm.  We know he was born in Germany, Veronica was born in Ohio but her parents were also born in Germany.  William age 20  and 19 year old Charles H. were born in Missouri.  Benjamin is age 10, Martin L. is age 7, and Gracie is age 2.  According to the census, every child was born in Missouri.

1905 age 16

death of brother Charles H. Wenkel, 26 April 1905, Champion
Row 3, plot 17, born 11 June 1881, died 26 April 1905, aged about 14 years.  This would have been a traumatic time for Benjamin at this young age.
http://files.usgwarchives.net/mo/franklin/cemeteries/champin2.txt

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!

Alvena Marie Wenkel Schnetzer 1889-1975 Part 2

Alvena Marie Wenkel Schnetzer 1889-1975

Part 2, age 20 to 27

Mini Pedigree from Ancestry.com

1910, age 21

1910 Gibson Township Michigan Census

Line 60, name is listed as Vena.  She lives with her parents August and Sophia Rohrsen Wenkel, her occupation is as Domestic doing General Housework.

1914 age 25

Her little brother William Carl Wenkel died at the age of 10.  He was the last sibling born, and he died young.

1914

Alvena Wenkel 1914 Directory Evanston IL

Alvena Wenkel is living in same address as sister Dora, both working as maids.  676 Greenwood Avenue, Evanston IL.  That address is replaced by a Bank of America and a parking lot today, according to a Google Maps search.

1917 age 27

 WWI starts, she was 27 years old, probably still living in Evanston Illinois.

August and Sophia Rohr Wenkel, immigrants

I didn't realize it at first, until I pulled up the pedigree on Ancestry, that these two immigrants are the same generation as my Joseph Ware and Laura Grant Swope Tapp.  For some strange reason, I always thought of these first Wenkels as being much older, in a time much farther away.  Perception is an interesting thing, and the genealogist and family historian must always be on guard for mistakes caused by perception.  This is why one must have proofs for the cool stories.  Sometimes I can't find the proof, and I will acknowledge that when I know.  Sometimes the family legend is a great story and simply must be included, but it must also have a cautionary label attached.




OK!  Enough Lecture, already!  Here is the mini pedigree generated by Ancestry's Lifestory.

The map also belongs to Ancestry.com.




1876 -- According to the 1910 Census of Gibson Township, Bay County, Michigan, August Wenkel I immigrated in 1876 when he was 15 years old.  I don't have any record other than the census of that first arrival.  Sometimes, information was obtained from the neighbors, so we always have to take census information with a grain of salt.  We know he married in Germany, and we later find him arriving with wife and daughter ten years later.  Often, immigrants would make several journeys from the old country to the new, seeking economic opportunities or to avoid religious persecution.  A great website for this type if historical information is found by clicking HERE.

Dive deeper by clicking Understanding your Ancestors, or here at Rootsweb's information on German Immigration.


1885 -- According to FamilySearch's German Marriages, "August Friederich Andreas Wenkel, married to Sophie Dorothee Luise Rohrsen 3 January 1885 Linden Stkr Linden, Hannover, Preussen, Germany"  They were both about 24 years old.  I would love to hear the story about how they met and married.  If anybody has that story, please get a hold of me so I can add to our collective narrative!

1885 January marriage record Rohrsen WenkelAncestry.com. Elbe-Weser Triangle, Germany, 
Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1574-1945 [database on-line]. 
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. 

This is the marriage record I found for August and Sophia Rohrsen Wenkel, Line 2.  All these years I thought Sophia was called Rohr (with the obligatory rolled "Rrrrrr").  I noticed some researchers had her name as Rohrsen but never knew where that came from.  Now I know, and have changed her name in my records.  I will have to have someone read and translate this record.

This is the translation I got from Ancestry.com:

• August Friederich Andreas Wenkel, männlich (Male)
• Married 3 Jan 1885, Hannover, Hannover, Preußen (Germany)
• Spouse -- Sophie Dorothee Luise Rohrsen
• Place -- Linden 
• Film Number -- 185208;  Custodian Evangelisches Kirchenbuchamt, Hannover
• Citation information -- Ancestry.com. Elbe-Weser Triangle, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1574-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.   This collection consists of Lutheran church records for the years 1574 - 1921 from the Elbe-Weser Triangle in Lower Saxony, Germany
  

21 Feb 1885 birth record August Wenkel Jr
Ancestry.com. Elbe-Weser Triangle, Germany,
Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials,
1574-1945 [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

1885 -- Line 71.  This is the German birth record for the first child, August Friederich Wenkel, born 21 February 1885.  He was born about 7 weeks after his parents' marriage.  I THINK it says February.  I have a hard time with this style of handwriting, combined with the German language.
The translation I got from Ancestry.com:

• August Freiderich Wenkel, männlich (Male), born to August Friederich Andreas Wenkel and Sophie Dorothee Luise Rossen, in Hannover.  
• Page 211; Custodian Evangelisches Kirchenbuchamt Hannover
• Film Number 185195
• Citation -- Ancestry.com. Elbe-Weser Triangle, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1574-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.   This collection consists of Lutheran church records for the years 1574 - 1921 from the Elbe-Weser Triangle in Lower Saxony, Germany.

The information I have is that he died 14 April 1885 while still in Germany.

1886 birth record Karoline Wenkel
Ancestry.com. Elbe-Weser Triangle, Germany,
Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials,
1574-1945 [database on-line].
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016

1886 -- Line 64.  Their daughter Karoline Friederike Sophie Wenkel was born April 1886 in Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany.  In this German record, I think there are other names including Wenkel in the fifth column.  I have GOT to figure out how to read this stuff!

Translation again from Ancestry.com:

• Karoline Friederike Sophia Wenkel, männlich (Male) {?}, born to August Friederich Andreas and Sophie Dorothea Luise Rohrsien, 14th April? 1886 in Limmer.
• page 186, Line 64; Custodian Evangelisches Kirchenbuchamt Hannover.  
• Film Number 185240
• Citation -- Ancestry.com. Elbe-Weser Triangle, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1574-1945 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.   Original data:  Mikrofilm Sammlung. Familysearch.org;  Originale: Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv, Standort Stade, Deutschland.  Description;  This collection consists of Lutheran church records for the years 1574 - 1921 from the Elbe-Weser Triangle in Lower Saxony, Germany.

I suppose we should deviate from the planned program to delve into German pronunciations.  It will make understanding some of my conjectures easier.  I will (hopefully) add a table to the end to help.  In the German tongue, "W" is pronounced as a 'V' sound, so the last name would sound like "Vaynkel."  The daughter's first name looks a lot like our Caroline, but it was pronounced "Kahr-oh-LEEN-ah."  Thus, her name on the immigration manifest is listed as Lina, and in America she was known as Lena.  The "ie" in Friederike is pronounced "FREE-der-eek-uh."  (Roll the "Rs" if you can to make it sound authentic).  August is properly pronounced as "OWW-goost" (where the "goost" sounds like the 'oo' in the word "goose").

1887 Immigration Manifest Part 1

1887 -- August Wenkel age 26, a Farmer.  On the next page is his 22 year old wife Sofie and 10 month old Lina.  They departed from Bremen Germany, and arrives in Baltimore Maryland on the ship Donau.

1887 Immigration Manifest Part 2

I have yet to find the proper photograph of the passenger ship Donau.  There were several ships by that name, one most infamously transported Jews up the river to Auschwitz concentration camp.  I did find a history of the correct ship S/S Donau, Norddeutscher Lloyd.

1887 Passenger Ship Donau
http://fdpiech.tripod.com/ships/ssdonau.htm

Well, it looks like I found a photo of the ship.
How did they get to Standish Michigan from Baltimore?  By the time August and Sofie immigrated, most had family already in place, brothers or uncles.  Was this the case here?  Did they take a boat or train?  They had to have known where they were going.

D.A. Bullock & Co. The county of Bay, Michigan:
maps, history, illustrations and statistics.
Bay City, Mich.: D.A. Bullock & Co, 1896. Map.
Retrieved from the Library of Congress,
<https://www.loc.gov/item/2007626769/>.

1896 -- The left map is of townships of Bay County.  Gibson is the top-most township.  The right map is detail of Gibson Township.  Zoom into section 1 in the upper right.  In the lower right part of Section 1 is 80 acres owned by August Wenkel.  This corresponds to the Grant description issued 1904.  In the section below, section 12 is two pieces of land owned by Peppel.  This may be the same Peppel who married his oldest daughter, Karoline, aka Lena.

1900 Gibson Census part 1
August Wenkel Family

1900 Gibson Michigan Census Part 2
August Wenkel family

1900 -- By 1900, the family had already grown by leaps and bounds, according to the Michigan Census.  The family was listed as "Wenkett" and live in Gibson, Bay County, Michigan.  They report arrival in 1887, that they married in 1886 in Germany, and have been married 14 years.  In that time, they had 9 living children, aged from 13 to 4 months old.  My grandfather August was just a year old.

Interestingly, this is the second child of theirs named August.  The first one died as an infant.  Nine children later, they were brave enough to name another boy after his father.  Of course, seven of those nine were girls.

I notice that Lena is not included here.  She was 14 years old, so was probably not yet married.  She may have been a domestic listed in another household.  That is a search for another time.

Sophie lists 11 children born, with 11 still living.  Sometimes I wonder why and how information was given to the census-takers.  August is still a farmer, and he has become a naturalized citizen.













1904 -- August was granted (or bought) a homestead of 80 acres.  One day I will translate the officialese to pinpoint his farm.  It reads:  "East half of the South East quarter of Section One in Township Eighteen North of Range Three East of Michigan Meridian in Michigan containing eighty acres."

Ok.  I can't just let it go without trying to research it out.  This is why my blogs take so darn long!

• I found a website with the wonderful title: How To Identify Old Descriptions With Modern Location.  A few scrolls down is the "trick to reading legal descriptions" which is to read it backwards. 
• This wiki Public Land Survey System helps describe what the system is, and why August Wenkel had 80 acres.
• This wiki, Systemic numbering in the Public Land Survey System explains more.
• Michigan meridian describes the baseline from which the townships are derived.

The vertical line running through the pink state of Michigan is the meridian we are interested in

From Smithsonian

So.  If we start at the North/South meridian and count three to the right.  That is the column we will focus on.  Then, we find the 18th little block north, and we get the township just west of Standish Michigan!  No wonder these people had so many legal events happen in Standish. (I tried to put an arrow on the spot, but you would not believe what that did to the entire blog page!)

Another explanation is here.

All that to get to the township part.  If I had a map that went with a closer view, this explanation would help.

Close up of same map

1907 passenger manifest from Germany
Line 1615, August Winkel age 46

1907 passenger manifest

1907 -- Line 22.  August Wenkel seems to have made another trip to Germany and back.  I think.  This one I'm not really sure about.  The first name is the same, August, but really, how many Augusts do you think there were?  I counted about every 20th male was August.  Wenkel is sometimes misspelled with an "i" as well as with an "a."  The age is right to within a year.  This August is also married, if I read it right.  But without another family member, I cannot be ABSOLUTELY certain this is the same man.  Not really.  Now, the jury is still out because I can't decipher all the columns, the last should tell where he is going.

The other manifest is the American side, I think.  Same information.

1907 Geo. A. Ogle & Co.
Standard atlas of Stark County, Illinois<https://www.loc.gov/item/2010589983/>.

1907 -- A few scenes from a Stark County Illinois town.  The Wenkel family saw stores similar to this

1907 Geo. A. Ogle & Co. Standard atlas of Stark County, Illinois<https://www.loc.gov/item/2010589983/>.

1914 -- Son William Carl Wenkel dies of Diphtheria, a common childhood disease.  Children often succumbed to the disease before we had vaccinations.  A couple things to notice: The last name is spelled "Winkel" with an "i," Willie was only 11 years old, and he was sick for about a week (unable to tell if he was in the hospital or died at home).  The informant was August Wenkel (with an "e"), and that may be his own signature.  The boy is buried at Woodmere cemetery, Standish Michigan.  

1929 Passenger Manifest of the SS New York

1929 -- Line 5.  Yet again, August Wenkel, age 67, is back from Germany.  Again, the spelling is right, the age is right, and his US address (Standish Michigan) is correct.  However, it says that he naturalized in 1928, the year before this trip.  According to the 1900 census, August was already naturalized by then.  I suppose he could have STARTED the naturalization process and misunderstood the question.  I am unable to find his naturalization papers, so I have no proof.  So, I include this document for your perusal and with a "caution" label attached.


Also find the photo of the SS New York that August traveled back on.

SS New York

I presume that he'd traveled back to visit with family, to tell how great America was.  German families tended to have more money to invest in their American families so they could buy land and farm equipment as needed.

Gravestone for three Wenkels
Woodmere cemetery, Standish MI
photo by Eloise J. Irish on Findagrave.com

1951 -- August Friederich Andreas Wenkel died age 90.  The only record I can find of that is his gravestone that he shares with his wife Sophia and his son Willie.

  

Plan of Action

1. Find a translator for the German records
2. Don't confuse the Wenkel Family with the Wankel Rotary Engine.
3. Include the census records to cover the gap I left in here.