52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #4: William Davis Farnsworth

Hi everyone.  Hope you are doing well.  Here is this weeks installment for the 52 Ancestors challenge.  I hope you are enjoying them!

                My third great-grandfather, William Davis Farnsworth was born on 28 March 1853 in Jasper, Newton County, Arkansas.  His father was William W. Farnsworth and his mother was Martha Emiline Henderson.  William W. was born in Pennsylvania and Martha in Tennessee.  The couple was married in Missouri before moving to and settling in Arkansas.  William Davis was the fifth of nine children born to the couple.  William Davis’s father was a school teacher and the postmaster in Jasper.  People say that is because he was the only male in Jasper who could read and write. 

                When the Civil War broke out the Farnsworth family found themselves in a serious situation.  Arkansas is a southern state and William W. was a Union sympathizer.  Soon it was no longer safe for William W. to stay in Jasper.  Bushwackers, who killed all males, young or old, if they did not support the Confederacy were quickly on to William W.  So William W. left for Columbia County, Wisconsin, where his brother lived.  Martha soon followed with the nine children, their cattle and all the possessions.  Along the way, much of their possessions were stolen by the Bushwackers.  Also, along the way tragedy struck when Martha and one of her daughters died in Savannah, Illinois, of diphtheria.  The remainder of the children including William Davis continued on by themselves to Wisconsin. 

                By the time of the 1870 United States census, William Davis had already been though a lot.  In 1870 he was a sixteen year old working on a farm in Caledonia, Columbia, Wisconsin.  In the early 1870s, he went to visit his sister, Mary, in Iowa.  There he met Catherine McDonald, daughter of John and Catherine Ann McDonald.  William Davis and Catherine were married on 18 June 1874 in Delhi, Delaware, Iowa.  After they were married, they settled in Caledonia, Wisconsin, and to this union, twelve children were born – eight boys and four girls.  According to the census records, William was a farmer while in Caledonia.  All of the children seemed to have been raised on the family farm.

                On 10 June 1905, at the age of forty-nine, Catherine passed away following a short illness.  At the time there were still six children living at home – the youngest was five years old.  In 1921, son Ira passed away from a burst appendix.  By 1930, William was seventy-three, retired and living with his youngest two children.  On 4 March 1931, William passed away at his home in Caledonia.  According to the newspaper he had been in failing health the last few years of his life, however was well on the day of his death.  William and Catherine are both buried at the Welsh Cemetery in Portage, Columbia County, Wisconsin. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #3: Felix Nelles

Hello everyone!  I hope you are well.  As promised, today is the biography about Felix Nelles, my father's paternal grandfather.  He was one of the great-grandparents I did not know.  I hope you enjoy!

                Felix was born on 20 June 1906 in Quincy, Grant, Washington.  His parents were Matt and Beata (Hoffman) Nelles.  Felix was the second of six children and the only one born in the state of Washington.  Early on the family seemed to move quite a bit:  Felix’s sister was born in Minnesota in 1905, Felix in Washington in 1906, sister Melitta was born in Minnesota in 1908, in 1910 they were enumerated in the United States census in Washington, in 1912 back to Minnesota where brother Clarence was born.  In 1919, the family went to Texas but did not stay long.  The land they invested in was worthless, Beata could not adjust to the climate, and it is possible that Felix had a brush with rheumatic fever.  Finally when the 1920s came around, they settled in Wisconsin and stayed there.  One more brother, Max, was born in Wisconsin in 1923.

                On 10 May 1927 Felix married Esther Michels who was the daughter of Nickolaus and Tillie (Michaelis) Michels.  They were married at Corpus Christi Catholic church in the town where they both resided.  The 1930 United States Census for Lincoln Township, Wood, Wisconsin, shows the family quickly growing.  Felix and Esther are joined by sons Harold and Dwaine.  Also living close by are Esther’s parents and grandparents.  Felix and Esther are renting their home for $12.  He is working as a blacksmith.   The home that they rented was an apartment above the blacksmith shop where Felix worked.  The owner of the shop was Esther’s father, Nick. 

                The 1930s kept Felix and Esther busy as three more children joined the family:  Edward (my grandfather) in 1931, June in 1933, and Ethel in 1935.  Felix became known as one of the best mechanics in the area – he could diagnose the problem a car was having just by listening to it drive up the road.  Unfortunately, he also suffered from a heart ailment possibly brought on by his brush with rheumatic fever.  My grandfather said they called it a leaking heart back that.  He would easily get tired and have to rest often. 

                Tragedy struck the family when in 1939 Dwaine got an ear infection which quickly turned into mastoiditis.  Before antibiotics became more common in 1942, this was one of the leading causes of death in children.  Unfortunately for Felix and Esther, it claimed their son in January of 1940 shortly after his tenth birthday.  The 1940 US Census finds the family still in Lincoln Township.  Felix is now listed as a trucker for an ice and fuel yard.  Under the employment section he does state that for a time in the last year he was unable to work presumably due to health issues.   Children Ethel and Edward remember their father being sick quite often and hospitalized.  If work required him to go up and down stairs, he would get winded fast and have to take time off.  According to Edward, Felix also had to make regular trips to Milwaukee via bus to the draft board.  They would not take his doctor’s word that he had a heart ailment, so would have to go for a physical every thirty days in order to not get drafted into World War II.

                On 3 December 1943, Felix was admitted to the hospital.  Edward remembered him getting pneumonia from having to walk to a doctor’s appointment in the rain.  Apparently construction was being done on the road and he was not able to drive on it.  I do not know if this is what led to his hospitalization or if this was earlier on.  Felix passed away on 13 December 1943 in Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin, at age 37.  He was survived by his wife and five children:  Harold, Edward, June, Ethel, and newest addition, Jerry who was only eleven months when his dad passed.  Felix is buried in Bakerville, Wood, Wisconsin, at the Corpus Christi Catholic cemetery. 

                

52 Ancestors #2: Blanche Ethel Wittke

Hello again!  As many of you know, I was fortunate enough to know six of my eight great-grandparents.  The two I did not know will be the subjects of the next two biographies.  I hope you enjoy and as always, look forward to your comments.  Thanks!

            One of only two great-grandparents I never met was Blanche Ethel Wittke.  She was my mother’s maternal grandmother.  Blanche was born on 10 January 1908, in Clark County, Wisconsin to August Wittke, Junior and Ethel Schummel.  August was born in Illinois and Ethel in Wisconsin.  In the 1910 United States census, August, Ethel and Blanche were living in Pine Valley, Clark, Wisconsin, where August was a farmer.  

            The 1920s saw a lot of change in Blanche’s life.  The 1920 US census shows her and her family living in Levis, Clark, Wisconsin.  Blanche is twelve years old and is now joined by two year old sister Olga.  On 14 May 1924, at age sixteen, Blanche married my great-grandfather, Carl Heinrich Sternitzky who was twenty-eight years old.  They were married at the Mapleworks Lutheran Church in Granton, Clark, Wisconsin.  Less than a year later, their first son, Duane, was born.  Two more children were born in the 1920s – Arlene in 1926 and Shirley in 1929.

            According to the 1930 census, Carl and Blanche were living in the township of Lynn, Clark, Wisconsin.  Carl was a farmer while Blanche took care of the children.  The addition of three more children kept the household busy:  Douglas was born in 1931, Patty (my grandmother) in 1936, and finally, Donald in 1937.   However, about six months after Donald was born, Blanche left the family.  Though I do not know for sure, Blanche may have suffered from postpartum depression.  She did say she was overwhelmed having six children so young – she was not yet thirty when Donald was born. 

            According to her obituary, she moved to Rochester, Olmsted, Minnesota, in 1938 where she was employed by a hospital.  According to my mother, Blanche worked in the dietary department.  She remained employed there until her retirement in 1970.  The 1940 US census shows Blanche living in Rochester with her new husband, Irving Payne.  He is forty-nine years old (compared to her thirty-two years) and he works in construction.  According to the census, Blanche is a maid in a private home.  I do not know if she had this maid job before working in the hospital or if she held both jobs for awhile. 

            I do not know much about Blanche’s life after the 1940 census.  I know she was married to Irving until his death in 1962, but they had no children of their own.  After her retirement in 1970 she moved to Neillsville, Clark, Wisconsin.  She married Arnold Sternitzky on 10 January 1972 and in 1974 they moved to Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  Blanche lived there until her death on 10 July 1979 from an apparent heart attack.  She is buried in Rochester with Irving.

            I do know that after leaving Carl, she sued for custody of her two youngest children, but Carl retained custody of all of the children.  She did reach out to her children while they were growing up.  The younger ones were more receptive but maybe that is because she brought them candy!  She was not always invited to family occasions, in consideration to Carl, but as years went on, and grandchildren were added to the mix, she was included more.  The grandchildren referred to her as Grandma Payne.

           

            

52 Ancestors: Albert Carl Sternitzky

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!  One of my New Year's resolution is to do more writing.  So I want to tackle the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge again and try to do a better job.  Hopefully I will get fifty-two biographies done this year.  The first one I am posting is about Albert Carl Sternitzky.  I hope you enjoy and I look forward to your feedback!

                My great-great-grandfather Albert Carl Sternitzky was born on 10 March 1862 in Lynn, Clark, Wisconsin.  He was a first generation American – his grandfather, grandmother, and their children emigrated from Silesia, Prussia, in 1840.  The family spent a winter in Buffalo, New York, before traveling through the Great Lakes and settling in Milwaukee.  In 1856, after securing land farther north in Clark County, the family left Milwaukee.  The Sternitzky family was one of the pioneering families in that part of the county. 

                Albert was the first born child to Charles Friedrich Sternitzky and Catherine Miller.  He was born on the family farm in 1862.  He would later be joined by brother Wilhelm (William) and sisters Anna and Phoebe.   In the 1870 United States census, Albert is eight years old and living with his family on the farm in Lynn, Clark, Wisconsin.  His father is a farmer with real estate valued at $800.  They are surrounded by family – there are many Sternitzkys on that same page and all through the township of Lynn.  The 1880 US census shows Albert at eighteen years of age, living with his family in the Town of Lynn.  His father is still farming, his mother is keeping house, and Albert is in school along with his three siblings.  I assume all of this information is correct as Albert’s father, Charles, was the enumerator. 

                On 27 May 1885, Albert married Louise Ernestine Garbisch, daughter of John and Dorothea Garbisch.  Louise was born in Lynn on 7 May 1864.  Albert and Louise were married at the Zion Lutheran “Mapleworks” church in Lynn.  Albert and Louise had six children:  Oscar, Arthur, Louis, Alvin, Carl (my great grandfather) and Rudolph.  All of the boys, except Arthur, lived to adulthood.

                The 1895 Wisconsin, 1900 US, 1905 Wisconsin, 1910 US and 1920 US census all show a familiar pattern.  The children grow up and move out and by 1920 it is just Albert, Louise and son Rudolph still on the farm.  Albert continues to farm, but he also has an apple orchard and he also produced maple syrup.  Somewhere along the line, he built and operated a tavern/store called Orchard Inn (the building no long exists).     

                The 1920s were a little difficult for Albert.  On 12 January 1921, Louise passed away.  According to the newspaper, the cause of death was trichinosis, an illness caused by eating undercooked pork.  In 1923, it was reported in a local newspaper that Albert was seriously injured when he was driving into his yard in a milk wagon and was hit by “an automobile at a terrific rate”.  The accident caused Albert to fly out of the wagon and into a ditch.  According to the paper he was a “large, heavy man and it is believed he is injured internally”.  He did break an arm in four places, but the paper doesn’t report any other serious injuries.  Albert was taken to the hospital and luckily someone reported the license plate of the driver. 

                The 1930 US census shows Albert living alone on his farm in Lynn.  It does seem that his son Carl is living close as he is the next family listed.  Albert passed away on 21 September 1931 at his home in Lynn.  He was 69 years old.