Monroe County, Illinois Church Records

My latest genealogy project is to put my transcriptions from original church records on-line, with a focus on Esther Kraus's ancestors and the Eckert, Krauss/Kraus, Lepp, Stumpf, Wehinger, and Wenkel families. Many other related families are also found in these records.

You can access the records here. Just follow the link to the church of interest.

So far, I have completed the following:

• St. Paul's Evangelical, Columbia, Monroe County, Illinois:
  - Member list
  - Confirmations (full transcription of 1938 confirmands directory, partial transcription of original records)
  - Marriages (partial transcription of original records)
  - Deaths (partial transcription of original records)
  
• St. Paul's Evangelical, Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois:
  - Marriages (partial transcription of original records)
  

There are scans from the original record microfilms for many of the entries. Extracts from the baptism records of both St. Paul's in Columbia and St. Paul's in Waterloo are next on the agenda.

In addition to my transcribed records, I've compiled other online resources, including histories, photos and record indices, for St. Paul's Evangelical (Columbia), St. Paul's Evangelical (Waterloo), Zoar Evangelical (New Hanover), Immaculate Conception (Columbia), and Zion Evangelical (Millstadt, St. Clair County). Esther's ancestors (or their siblings) recorded baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths at each of these churches.

Corrections and comments are always welcome.

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Views of the Old Country: Thuringen, home of the Wenkel Family

Dorothea Maria Hupe was the daughter of Johann Friedrich Hupe, a medical officer in Ebeleben. On August 9, 1795, she married Johann Friedrich Wenkel and they had at least ten children there, including our ancestor, Johann "Conrad" Christoph Wenkel.

Ebeleben is in the Kyffhäuserkreis (Kyffhäuser region) of Thuringen, Germany, in the Hainleite hills, south of the Harz Mountains*.

• Pictures of Ebeleben
• History of Ebeleben (German) and German Wikipedia article on Ebeleben with map.
• Kyffhäuser District tourism page (English).

Move to Amt Lohra/Großwenden

In about 1819, the Wenkel family moved 15 miles north to Amt Lohra, in the neighboring district of Nordhausen. Both Johann Friedrich and his son Conrad were brick makers there.

In 1822, Conrad Wenkel married Henriette Bierwirth, in the neighboring town of Großwenden. Henriette was the daughter of Friedrich Bierwirth, one time mayor of Großwenden, and farm owner. Our ancestor Wilhelm Conrad Wenkel was born in Amt Lohra in 1832.

Both Amt Lohra and Großwenden were part of the lands ruled by the Duke of Lohra (Grafen von Lare (Lohra)) in the 11th and 12th century. His castle, Burg Lohra, can be visited today. The towns of Großwenden was so-named because it was "wendische" (Slavic) settlement in the Middle Ages (Groß means "large").

• About Grosslohra (including the former villages of Amt Lohra, Grosswenden, Kleinwenden, Friedrichslohra, Münichslohra and Burg Lohra) from the Nordhausen district official web site (German, with pictures).

• German Wikipedia article on Großlohra, with map.

Leaving Thuringia

In 1846, the Wenkel family sailed to America on the Ship Iris.

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Our Ancestral Villages and Towns

Genealogy and How suggests that a little research on the literal meaning of German town names can provide some insight as to how our ancestors lived in the "old country." From what I've learned about our own ancestors' homes, it is often not as simple as looking up words in a German-English dictionary. While some names are based on a local geographic feature, others are named after early inhabitants, or are based on the old Roman town names. Most have become distorted over the centuries.

Below is a summary of some of the information I've found. Note that the linked English translations are very crude.

Becherbach: Krauss family
Becher: This probably refers to the "Pechbrennern" (pitch burners) that were used there.
Bach: brook

The Becherbach area has been inhabited since neolithic times. Roman roads criss-cross the region. Today it is in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

• Official Becherbach website
• Becherbach Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• For more information about the Krauss family start here.

Bregenz: Einsle family
Bregenz is a town in Austrian Alpine state of Vorarlberg. The area has been settled for thousands of years. The city of "Brigantium" was founded by the Romans in 15 BC. The name Bregenz is derived from the Roman name.

• Official Bregenz site
• Brengenz Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Bregenz photo album
• Start here for more information about the Einsle family.

Dornbirn: Wehinger Family
Dornbirn is a town in western Austria in the Alpine state of Vorarlberg. The name Dornbirn is derived from "torrin puirron", meaning the "settlement of Torro" after the name of a resident farmer. The the first recorded use of the name was in 895.

• Official Dornbirn web site
• Dornbirn Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Dornbirn Photo Album
• Start here for more information about the Wehinger family.

Ebeleben: Wenkel family
Ebeleben was first settled between the 4th and 6th century, and the first documented use of the name was in 1198 (Duke Fridericus de Eveleiben). The meaning of the name is unclear.
Ebeleben is in the German state of Thuringia.

• Official Ebeleben site (click the links under "Geschichte" for pictures).
• Wikipedia entry for Ebeleben (English translation
• Start here for more information about the Wenkel family. (See also Bierwirth.)

Grosswenden or Großwenden: Bierwirth family
Gross or Groß: large.
Wenden: in this case it refers to the old German word for "Slavs" (English translation). The towns of Grosswenden and Kleinwenden were founded during the Middle Ages by Slavs who had migrated west. Today Großwenden and nearby Klein(small)wenden are part of the greater municipality of Großlohra in the German state of Thuringia.

• Wikipedia article about Großlohra and its castle. (English translation)
• Großwenden Evangelical (Protestant) Church Information
• Start here for more information about the Bierwirth family. (See also Wenkel)

Gross-Zimmern: Stumpf family
Gross or Groß: large or greater
Zimmern: literally rooms, but the derivation is slightly different

• Official Groß-Zimmern website
• Groß-Zimmern Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Start here for information about the Stumpf family.

The town was first mentioned in 1250, when the Abbey of Fulda Groß-Zimmern gave the fiefdom of the deceased George von Zimmern to the counts Diether und Eberhard von Katzenellenbogen. The 13th century name "Cymmern Superior" developed into Groß-Zimmern (also called over the centuries "Obernzimmern", "Zummern", "Zymern", "Zymmern", "Großen Zymern", "Oberzimmern" und "Großen Zimbern").Groß-Zimmern is in the present-day state of Hessen in Germany.

Michelbach: Eckert family
Michel: Michael
Bach: brook
There are several Michelbachs in Germany. Our Eckert family was probably from the village of Michelbach that lies outside of Fränkisch-Crumbach in the Odenwald (Oden Forest) in the state of Hessen, Germany.

• Official Fränkisch-Crumbach website.(Map showing Michelbach).
• Odenwald Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Fränkisch-Crumbach Wikipedia entry (Enlish translation)
• Start here for more information about the Eckert family.

Nierstein: Leip Family
Nier: ? One interpretation of the name is "stone house of Naro".
Stein: rock or stone

Nierstein lies in the wine growing region along the Rhine river in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz.Romans founded the town of Bauconica on this site almost 2000 years ago. The name Nierstein was first recorded in 882 ("Nerinstein" in a confirmation record).

• Official Nierstein website
• Nierstein Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Nierstein History Association (click on map)
• Nierstein photos
• Start here for information about the Leip family.

Oppenheim: Lepp Family
Oppen: probably after a Frankish nobleman named "Obbo"
Heim: home

Oppenheim lies in the wine growing region along the Rhine river, adjacent to the town of Nierstein (see above). By the 4th century there was a Roman settlement on the site. In about 510 a Frankish nobleman, probably named "Obbo" established a manor (Hofgut) around which the village of Oppenheim grew.

• Official Oppenheim website (click on map)
• Oppenheim Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• Oppenheim photos
• Start here for information about the Lepp family.

Schönborn: Jaeger family
Schön or Schoen: beautiful
Born: spring or fount

Schönborn is near the village of Becherbach in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

• Official Schönborn website
• Schönborn Wikipedia entry (English translation)
• For more information about the Jaeger family start here.

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Evangelical St. Paul's Cemetery Photos

Esther (Kraus) Mabry was a member of St. Paul's Evangelical Church (now UCC) in Columbia, Illinois, as were were her parents, grandparents and even several of her great+ grandparents. Most of her ancestors were buried in the Evangelical St. Paul cemetery.

Several volunteers, particularly Judy Lindquist (a cousin on the Wenkel side), have photographed gravestones in Evangelical St. Paul cemetery, and shared them with their fellow genealogists on the Evangelical St. Paul Cemetery Page.

Esther's Parents
• Fred Kraus (1874-1928) and Katherine (Wenkel) Kraus (1879-1964)

Esther's Grandparents
• Daniel and Margaretha (Eckert) Krauss (not pictured)
• John Wenkel (1853-1918) and Margareth Sophia (Lepp) Wenkel (1857-1949)

Esther's Great grandparents
• Daniel Krauss, Sr. (1817-1887) and Catherine (Jaeger) Krauss (1815-1882)

•(Margaretha (Eckert) Krauss's parents are not known)

• William Wenkel (1831-1905) : buried with his third wife Christina (Schuckhardt) Wenkel
• Catherine (Stumpf) Wenkel (1835-1862)

• William Lepp (1828-1912) and Paulina (Wehinger) Lepp (1832-1906)

Esther's Great-great-grandparents

• Conrad Wenkel (1800-1858) and Henriette (Bierwirth) Wenkel (1804-1881)

• Esther's Krauss, Jaeger, Eckert, and Wehinger great grandparents did not emigrate to America.

• Wilhelm Lepp's father died in Oppenheim, Germany. His mother, Johanna (Leip) (Lepp) Reitz probably died between 1850 and 1860 in Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois. She is probably buried there.

• George Stumpf (1801-1875) and Elisabeth (Keim) Stumpf (1801-1853) are buried New Hanover Cemetery (only George's grave is pictured)

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Our Ancestors in 1800

I've been playing with the Google maps API to generate a map showing where the ancestors of Esther (Kraus) Mabry lived in 1800. I've pinpointed where the Krauss, Wenkel, Stumpf, Lepp, Eckert, and Wehinger families were living in what is now Germany and Austria.

The advantage of using Google maps is that I can insert "pins" with information at different locations. The viewer can zoom in on any point and see either a standard map or a satellite view. I am still learning how the system works, so comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

Map showing where our ancestors lived in 1800.

At the moment only the most recent web browsers (Firefox/Mozilla, IE 5.5+, and Safari 1.2+) can be used to view the maps. I've found that Firefox works the best.

Download Firefox for free.

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Wenkels on the Ship Iris

Johann "Conrad" Christoph Wenkel married Henriette Bierwirth in 1822 in Großwenden (now part of Großlohra), which today is in the German state of Thuringia (Thüringen). The Wenkel family lived in Ebeleben, southwest of Sondershausen. According to family stories the Wenkel family emigrated to America between 1843 and 1846, traveling up the Mississippi River to Monroe County, Illinois. A new database of immigrants arriving at Castle Garden shows that the Wenkel family did in fact come to America in 1846 on the ship Iris, stopping first in New York City on their way to Illinois.

Castle Garden, located at the tip of Manhattan, was the first official immigration center in America, and operated until the opening of Ellis Island in 1892. The Castle Garden database includes ship passenger lists from 1830-1913.

A search of the database reveals that the Wenkel family arrived in America aboard the ship Iris on July 13,1846:
Name_______________Occupation_________________Age Sex
CONR.______WENKEL Brick Maker / Manufacturer__46 M
HENRIETTE__WENKEL Unknown_____________________45 F
FREIDRICKE_WENKEL Unknown_____________________16 F
WM.________WENKEL Unknown_____________________14 M
AUGUSTA____WENKEL Child, Youngster____________10 F
AMELIA_____WENKEL Child, Youngster_____________8 F
MINA_______WENKEL Child, Youngster_____________5 F
HENRIETTE__WENKEL Child, Youngster_____________3 F

How do we know this is the correct Wenkel family?

1. The ages are generally correct:
- Johann "Conrad" Wenkel was born in May 1800 (age 46)
- Henriette (Birwirth) Wenkel was born August 1804 (age 42 - in handwritten record a 2 can look like a 5)
- Friedericke Henrietta Wenkel was born in December 1830 (age 16)
- William - Conrad Wenkel (our ancestor) was born in January 1832 (age 14)
- Auguste Wenkel was born May 1836 (age 10)
- Friedericke "Emilia" Wenkel was born about 1838 (age about 8)
- Wilhelmine "Mina" Wenkel was born in February 1841 (age 5)
- Henriette Wenkel was born in March 1843 (age 3)

2. Conrad Wenkel's occupation is reasonable:
According to some sources, Conrad Wenkel was a linen weaver in Germany*. However, according to those same sources, Conrad's father, Johann Friedrich Wenkel, was a brickmaker in Lohra, and may have owned a brickyard. It is not unreasonable to think that his son also learned brickmaking (perhaps in addition to linen weaving).

3. A further search of the database shows that that Heinrich and Henriette (Wenkel) Mundt, with their daughter Mina were on the same ship.
Henriette (Wenkel) Mundt was the sister of Conrad Wenkel. The Mundt family (shortened to Mund) also settled in Columbia, Illinois. (note that they were later joined by Andreas Christoph Mund and family. Andreas was son of Heinrich Christoph and Juliane Dorothea (Wenkel) Mundt, making him a likely cousin of both Heinrich Mund and Conrad Wenkel).

Taken together, it looks like this is our Wenkel family on the Iris. After arriving in New York, they probably continued on to New Orleans, either on the Iris or a different ship.

I have not found a picture or description of the Iris, which was the name of a number of different 19th century ships. Iris was probably a "bark" (or "barque").

It should be noticed that the three oldest Wenkel children were not found on the passenger list: Caroline "Lena" Wenkel (born 1824), Friedrich "Fritz" Wenkel (born 1826), and Johanna "Dorothea" Wenkel (born 1827). It is unclear if they are simply indexed incorrectly (the database does not allow you to view the entire list, just to search) or if they took a different ship to America. We know that both Lena and Dorothea were in Monroe County by September 1846.

*Information about Johann "Conrad" Wenkel in Ebeleben from "Wenkel/Wenkle Cousins", Update #2, Christmas 1983

MAPS
•map of the Nordhausen region, showing Grosswenden, Sondershausen and Ebeleben
•Thuringian States in 1848 (Ebeleben is in the principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, in purple).

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UPDATED: Land owned by George Stumpf & William Wenkel in Monroe County, Illinois

Esther Kraus was born in Monroe County, Illinois. Her grandparents and great-grandparents emigrated from Germany in the 1830s-1850s, probably in part because of the availability of land in America. Our ancestor Johann Georg "George" Stumpf (1804-1875) made several land purchases from the federal government. In contrast, Johann "Conrad" Wenkel purchased land already in the public domain.

Stumpf and Wenkel properties in Monroe County as of 1875. [large image]

George Stumpf made three purchases in Monroe County. The purchased land was all in Township 1S, Range 10W, Section 28, which is in Columbia Township (formerly Eagle Precinct), between the towns of Columbia and New Hanover. On this 1875 map of Monroe County, section 28 is below the L in "EAGLE".

Because the land was purchased from the federal government, the original grants can be downloaded from the Bureau of Land Management Database.

Purchase Date - Description [all in Monroe Co., T1S R10W Section 28]
12/10/1836 --- E1/2SW 80 acres View Image
04/19/1839 --- SWSW 37.75 acres View Image
06/19/1839 --- SWSW 40 acres View Image

At the time the first purchase was made, George was living in adjacent St. Clair County. When the 1839 purchases were made, George was living in Monroe County, presumably on the first piece of land.

George's brother John Stumpf purchased land in the NWSW and SWSE portions of Section 28. According to an 1894 biography of John's son Fritz Stumpf, the land was purchased shortly after John (and presumably George) arrived from Germany. It was untamed wilderness:

He at once bought forty acres of land in this county and township, which was a wild and heavily timbered piece of land, and which is still a part of the present estate of our subject. The father worked hard and long to bring about its cultivation.

George and John still owned this land in 1875 . George died on November 25, 1875, and John died on September 4, 1878, passing the land to their heirs.

William Wenkel arrived with his parents Conrad and Henrietta (Bierwirth) Wenkel in Monroe County in the mid-1840s. By 1850, Conrad owned $3000 of real estate. He did not purchase land directly from the government - he was probably the second or third owner of the property that made up the Wenkel farm.

William Wenkel married Katharina Stumpf, George's daughter, in 1853. His father Conrad died in 1859, and it appears that William was living on the farm in T1S R10W (his older brother and widowed mother lived in the town of Columbia).

By 1875, William Wenkel owned several parcels of land, included a large tract in the northwest corner of R10W section 21 (the rectagular property that spans R11W section 24 and R10W section 19 - above the E in EAGLE on the 1875 map ). It isn't clear if this was the original Wenkel farm of the 1850s.

UPDATE: The 1918 Prairie Farmer's Directory of St. Clair and Monroe County lists Charles Wenkel, son of William Wenkel and Auguste Zweig, living on Columbia R1 in Columbia Precinct "24W" (probably the farm in section 24 listed for William Wenkel, above). His brother William is living on Columbia R1, Columbia Prt. 35W, on the land owned by Walter Huch.

On Section 28 were living Fred Stumpf (1855-1928, married to Theresa Schueler), son of the immigrant John Stumpf and William E Stumpf, son of Fred. Note that the two sons of George Stumpf were not listed: son John died before 1900, and had no surviving sons; son Henry and family moved to St. Louis before 1880.

UPDATE: The 1953 Monroe County Plat Book shows that Charles Wenkel, probably the son of our ancestor William Wenkel (who died in 1905) and Auguste Zweig had land in R11W Section 24. This to appears to be part of the the Wenkel farm of 1875.

Members of the Stumpf family still owned land in R10W in Section 28, and adjacent Section 33 near the border of Columbia and New Hanover Precincts. The land in section 28 is the same as that purchased by John and George Stumpf in the 1830s.

Related links:
• How to figure out the location of a land purchase.
• The Illinois Public Land Tract Database records the initial sale of public land.
• Bureau of Land Management Database.

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Monroe County, Illinois Funeral Cards: Wenkel, Kraus, Lepp

The ancestors of Esther (Kraus) Mabry (1905-1986) lived in and around Columbia in Monroe County, Illinois for several generations. The Monroe County Genweb site has added a lot of material recently. Among the interesting items are scanned funeral cards. There are a number for our relatives, including:

• Ida (Kraus) Schmidt - sister of Esther (Kraus) Mabry. [neither Esther, nor her sister Edna (Kraus) Baker]

Esther's maternal aunts (sisters of her mother Katie (Wenkel) Kraus):
• Pauline (Wenkel) Eckert
• Mathilda (Wenkel) Stumpf and her husband John Stumpf.
• Emma (Wenkel) Stumpf and her husband William Stumpf.
• Bertha (Wenkel) Landgraf and her husband Edmund Landgraf.
[not included: Esther's mother, Katie (Wenkel) Kraus; and aunts Clara (Wenkel) Schmidt and Ida (Wenkel) Eschmann.]

Esther's paternal aunts and uncle (siblings of her father Fred Kraus):
• Elizabeth (Kraus) (Payne) Penn
• Louisa (Kraus) Harres, and her husband William Harres.
• Annie (Kraus) Stumpf and her husband Philip Stumpf.
• Henry Krauss
[not included: Esther's father, Fred Kraus, and his siblings Clara (Kraus) Schroeder, John Kraus, George Kraus, Bertha Kraus, Bill Kraus, and Emma (Kraus) Wingate)

Other family:
• Sophia Margaretha (Lepp) Wenkel - mother of Katie (Wenkel) Kraus, grandmother of Esther (Kraus) Mabry. Also her twin brother Fred Lepp, Sr.
• William Lepp, Sr. - father of Sophia Margaretha (Lepp) Wenkel (listed with his third wife, Caroline Haller, who is not our ancestor).

I will post more links to information from this site!

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Mini bio: Conrad and Henriette (Bierwirth) Wenkel

Brief biography of Johann "Conrad" Christoph Wenkel (1800-1858) and his wife, Henriette Bierwirth (1804-1881). Their position on the family tree.

Johann "Conrad" Christoph Wenkel

Birth: May 30, 1800 in or near Ebeleben area (now in Thuringen, Germany)
Parents: Johann Friedrich Wenkel and Dorothea Maria Hupe
Known Residences:
---1846 arrived in New York on the ship "Iris" . The Wenkel family eventually settled in Monroe County, Illinois.
--- remainder of his life lived in or near Columbia, Monroe County, Illinois
Occupation: linen weaver (in Germany), farmer (in Illinois)
Death: June 3, 1858 in Columbia, Illinois. Buried in St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) Cemetery, Columbia, Illinois.

Henriette Bierwirth

Birth: August 14, 1804 in Grosswenden (now in Thuringen, Germany)
Parents: Friedrich Bierwirth and Maria Louise Fliemert
Known Residences:
--- lived with husband Conrad until his death, then continued living in Columbia
Death: May 16, 1881 in Columbia, Illinois. Buried in St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) Cemetery, Columbia, Illinois.

Marriage and Children

Johann "Conrad" Christoph Wenkel married Henriette Bierwirth on September 29, 1822 in Grosswenden (now in Thuringen, Germany).

Children of Conrad and Henriette (Bierwirth) Wenkel
--- Caroline Marie Wilhelmine "Lena" Wenkel: born 1824, married Friedrich Schaefer, then Louis Schaefer (first husband of Dorothea Wenkel)
--- Friedrich Christoph Theodore "Fritz" Wenkel: born 1826, married Augusta Maul, then Mina Kalowsky (widow of Wilhem Kuenstle).
--- Johanna "Dorothea" Wenkel: born 1827, married Louis Schaefer
--- Friedericke Henriette Wenkel: born 1830, married Carl Heinrich Friederich "Henry" Mund
*** Wilhelm Conrad "William" Wenkel: born 1832, married Anna "Katharina" Stumpf, then Louise "Augusta" Zweig, then Christina Schuckardt.
--- Auguste Wenkel: born 1836
--- Friedericke "Emilia" Wenkel: born about 1838, married Peter Wilhelm Mueller
--- Wilhelmine "Mina" Wenkel: born 1841, married Ludwig Ernst "Conrad" Roever
--- Henriette Wenkel: born 1843, married Jacob Gundlach

Posts about Conrad and Henriette (Bierwirth) Wenkel
• Views of the Old Country: Thuringen, Home of the Wenkels
• Wenkels on the ship Iris
• Land owned by George Stumpf & William Wenkel in Monroe County, Illinois
• Our Ancestral Villages and Towns
• Map of our ancestors in 1800

Off-site Links
• Gravestone photo: Conrad Wenkel and Henrietta Bierwirth Wenkel at St. Paul Evangelical Cemetery in Columbia, Illinois.
• St. Paul Evangelical (Columbia) Death Records - with links to scans of Conrad Wenkel's and Henriette (Bierwirth) Wenkel's original death records

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Mini bio: William and Katharina (Stumpf) Wenkel

Brief biography of Wilhelm Conrad "William" Wenkel (1832-1905) and his wife, Anna "Katharina" Stumpf (1835-1862). Their position on the family tree.

Wilhelm Conrad "William" Wenkel

Birth: January 1, 1832 in Amt Lohra, Nordhausen (now in Thuringen, Germany)
Parents: Johann "Conrad" Christoph Wenkel and Henriette Bierwirth
Known Residences:
--- 1846 arrived in New York on the ship "Iris" . The Wenkel family eventually settled in Monroe County, Illinois.
--- remainder of his life lived in or near Columbia, Monroe County, Illinois
Occupation: Farmer
Death; September 1, 1905 in Columbia, Illinois. Buried in St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) Cemetery, Columbia, Illinois.

Anna "Katharina" Stumpf

Birth: November 22, 1835, probably in or near New Hanover, Monroe County, Illinois
Parents: Johann "Georg" Stumpf and Elisabeth Keim
Known Residences:
--- Lived with husband William near Columbia, Illinois until her death.
Death: March 30, 1862 in Columbia, Illinois. Buried in St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) Cemetery, Columbia, Illinois.

Marriage and Children:

Wilhelm Conrad Wenkel married Anna "Katharina" Stumpf on March 26, 1853 in Monroe County, Illinois. The marriage was recorded in the records of Zion (UCC) in Millstadt, St. Clair County, Illinois (the nearest church at that time). Katharina died in 1862.

Wilhelm Conrad Wenkel married for a second time, to Louise "Auguste" Dorothea Zweig on January 18, 1863 by M. Fotsch, minister of St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) of Columbia, Illinois. Auguste died in 1874.

Wilhelm Conrad Wenkel married for a third time, to Christina Schuckardt, widow of both Wilhelm Kuni and Charles Kuni. They married on June 29, 1878.

Children of William and Katharina (Stumpf) Wenkel
Only one surviving child
*** Johann Conrad "John" Wenkel: born 1853, married Sophia "Margaret" Lepp
--- Emelie, Friedrich, Heinrich, Henriette, Minna, and W. (no dates)
--- Catherina Wenkel: born and died 1862.

Children of William and Auguste (Zweig) Wenkel
--- Carl Friedrich Wenkel: born 1864, died 1866
--- Auguste Minna Clara Wenkel: born 1866, died 1870
--- William Karl Wenkel: born 1869, married Johanne Henriette "Theresia" Stumpf
--- Carl Conrad "Charles" Wenkel: born 1872, married Mary Dahmer

Children of William and Christina (Schuckardt) Wenkel
--- Henriette Emilie Wenkel: born 1880, died 1881
--- Wilhelmine "Lena" Catharine Elisabeth Wenkel: born 1882, married John Weissler
--- Franz "Hugo" Wenkel: born 1885, never married

Posts about William and Katharina (Stumpf) Wenkel:

• Land owned by George Stumpf & William Wenkel in Monroe County, Illinois
• Our Ancestral Villages and Towns
• Wenkels on the ship Iris
• Views of the Old Country: Thuringen, Home of the Wenkels

Off-site Links
• Gravestone photo: William H. Wenkel at St. Paul Evangelical Cemetery in Columbia, Illinois. He is buried with his third wife, Christina nee Schuckardt. (no, I don't know what the "H" stood for).
• Gravestone photo: Catherine (Stumpf) Wenkel (1835-1862), also at Evangelical St. Paul Cemetery.
• Marriage Records of Zion Evangelical in Millstadt
• Marriage Records of St. Paul's Evangelical in Columbia (William Wenkel's 2nd marriage)
• Death records of St. Paul's Evangelical in Columbia - with scans of both William and Catharine's death records.

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Mini bio: John & Margaret (Lepp) Wenkel

Brief biography of Johann Conrad "John" Wenkel (1853-1918) and his wife, Sophia Margaretha "Margaret" Lepp (1857-1949). Their position on the family tree.

Johann Conrad "John" Wenkel

Birth: July 19, 1853 in Columbia, Monroe County, Illinois.
Parents: Wilhelm Conrad "William Wenkel and Anna "Katherina" Stumpf
Known residences:
--- Lived in or near Columbia, Illinois his entire life.
Occupation: Farmer
Death: December 4, 1918 in Columbia, Illinois.Buried in St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) Cemetery, Columbia, Illinois.

Sophia Margaretha "Margaret" Lepp
Margaret (Lepp) Wenkel
Birth: April 23, 1857 in Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois
Baptism: June 7, 1857 at St. Paul Gemeinde (now UCC) in Waterloo, Illinois
Parents: Wilhelm Lepp and Pauline Wehinger
Known Residences:
--- 1860 living in Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois
--- 1862-3 living in Centreville (Millstadt), St. Clair County, Illinois
--- 1870 until death: lived in or near Columbia, Illinois.
Death: August 7, 1949 in Columbia, Illinois. Buried in St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) Cemetery, Columbia, Illinois.

Marriage and Children

John Wenkel married Margaret Lepp on November 30, 1875 in Columbia, Illinois.

Children of John and Margaret (Lepp) Wenkel:
--- baby boy: born and died in about 1876
--- Pauline Wilhelmina Wenkel: born 1877, married Frederich "Fritz" P. Eckert
*** Katherina Elizabetha "Katie" Wenkel: born 1879, married Valentin Friedrich "Fred" Kraus
--- Mathilda Christine "Tille" Wenkel: born 1881, married Johann Wilhelm "John" Stumpf
--- Emma Lucinde Wenkel: born 1883, married William Heinrich Friedrich Stumpf
--- Bertha Elisabeth Wenkel: born 1886, married Edmund Landgraf
--- Ida Magdalena Wenkel: born 1888, married Theodore Eschmann
--- Clara Wenkel: born 1890, married Richard Schmidt

Posts about John and Margaret (Lepp) Wenkel
• Funeral cards of Margaret (Lepp) Wenkel, and daughters Pauline, Mathilda, Emma and Bertha.
• 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis

Off-site links
• Funeral Card of Sophia Margaretha (Lepp) Wenkel
• Gravestone photo:John Wenkel (1853-1918) and Margareth Sophia (Lepp) Wenkel (1857-1949), buried in St. Paul Evangelical Cemetery, Columbia, Monroe County, Illinois.
• Baptism Records of St. Paul's Evangelical in Waterloo - Margaret Lepp's baptism record
• Death records of St. Paul's Evangelical in Columbia - with scans of both John and Margaret's death records.

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Mini bio: Fred & Katie (Wenkel) Kraus

Brief biography of Valentin Friedrich "Fred" Kraus (1874-1928) and his wife, Katherina Elizabetha "Katie" Wenkel (1879-1964). Their position on the family tree.

Valentin Friedrich "Fred" Kraus

Birth: December 21, 1874 in Columbia, Monroe County, Illinois
Baptism: May 2, 1875 at St. Paul's Evangelical (UCC), Columbia, Illinois
Parents: Daniel Krauss and Margaretha Eckert
Known residences:
--- lived entire life in Columbia, Illinois
Occupation: blacksmith
Death: May 1, 1928 in Columbia, Illinois. Buried in St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) Cemetery, Columbia, Illinois.


Katharina Elisabetha "Katie" Wenkel

Birth: September 15, 1879 in Columbia, Monroe County, Illinois
Baptism: May 29, 1880 at St. Paul's Evangelical (UCC), Columbia, Illinois
Parents: Johann Conrad "John" Wenkel and Sophia Margaretha "Margaret" Lepp
Known residences:
--- lived in or near Columbia, Illinois until the death of her husband Fred
--- 1930 living in St. Louis, Missouri at 3327 Carson Rd., with her daughter Ida (Kraus) Schmidt
--- subsequently lived with daughter Esther (Kraus) Mabry, also in St. Louis, Missouri
Death: August 2, 1964 at the Monroe County Nursing Home in Waterloo, Illinois. Buried in St. Paul Evangelical (UCC) Cemetery, Columbia, Illinois.

Marriage and Children:

Fred Kraus married Katie Wenkel on September 19, 1898 by Gottfried Dornenburg, minister of St. Paul's Evangelical (UCC) in Columbia, Illinois

Children of Fred and Katie (Wenkel) Kraus:

--- Ida Emma Kraus: born 1900, married William Andreas Schmidt
--- Edna Margarethe Kraus: born 1902, married Ralph Emerson Knowles, then Earl Baker
*** Esther Clara Kraus: born 1905, married Robert Neil Mabry

Posts About Fred & Katie (Wenkel) Kraus
• World War I Draft Registration
• 1915 Graduation of daughter Ida Kraus.
• Funeral card of daughter Ida (Kraus) Schmidt
• 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis

Off-site Links
• Gravestone photo: Fred Kraus (1874-1928) and Katherine (Wenkel) Kraus (1879-1964), buried in St. Paul Evangelical Cemetery.
• Baptism Records of St. Paul's Evangelical in Columbia
• Confirmation Records of St. Paul's Evangelical in Columbia
• Marriage Records of St. Paul's Evangelical in Columbia
• Death records of St. Paul's Evangelical in Columbia

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