The Landwehr Family: An Epilogue
The Landwehr family was, without a doubt, a close family. In twelve years of research, we have not run across a hint of any problems between the families of the five Landwehr children who emigrated to America, or between the descendants of their five families. Three of the sons--Philip, Fritz, and William--all finally settled in the same neighborhood in southwest Franklin County, Missouri. Their children, and many of their grandchildren, grew up together, and continue to be close friends today, more than 127 years after the family came to America. The eldest of the immigrant Landwehr children, Henry Landwehr, raised his family in southern Warren County, about twenty-five miles to the north, and across the Missouri River, from his three brothers. Until Henry died in 1922, he and his son would pay occasional social and business visits to the families of Henry's three brothers at Champion City and Strain.
But time and distance take a toll on the closest of families. After Henry's death, visits between Henry's family and the Franklin County Landwehr families apparently ceased. Descendants of Henry Landwehr now living in Warren County knew they had relatives in Franklin County, and vice versa, but the families had completely lost contact with each other.
Maria, the only daughter in the immigrant Landwehr family, married Christopher Lichte. Maria and her husband both died young--in the 1870's--leaving four Lichte children. The Lichte children migrated to Arkansas, and then Kansas, where they all lived at one time. One of the four Lichte children, Gussie (Lichte) Hoemann, moved back to Washington, Missouri, with her family in 1921. The other three raised their families in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Over the years, the three Lichte children who remained in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas made a few trips back to Missouri to visit their sister and cousins in Franklin and Warren Counties. But the sister who lived in Washington, Missouri died in 1926, and few visits were made after her death. There were occasional visits to Missouri by the Lichte families until about 1950, but either those visits were forgotten by our Missouri cousins, or the family relationships were not understood at the time, as none of our Missouri relatives were aware of any relationship between the Landwehr family and the Lichte family when this project began. The only member of the Landwehr family who we were eventually able to locate, and who was aware of the relationship between the two families, was Ella (Linenschmidt) Trietsch, of Denton, Texas. Ella is a granddaughter of Henry Landwehr, and she had occasionally corresponded with a descendant of the Lichte family in Littlefield, Texas, maintaining the last surviving relationship between the Landwehr and Lichte families.
With publication of this family history, the families of the five immigrant Landwehr children will, in one sense, be reunited. All of the descendants of our immigrant Landwehr family will once again be aware of their cousins, regardless of whether they are first, second, third, fourth, or fifth cousins. But what of the relatives that Anna and her five children left behind in Prussia when they set sail for America 127 years ago?
:fig id=august frame=box depth='4.1i'.
:figcap.August Landwehr
:figdesc.Our German cousin
:efig.
In 1979, we were successful in an attempt to contact relatives of our Landwehr family still living in Germany. In response to our inquiry, we received a letter from August Landwehr, a resident of Joellenbeck, West Germany. August and his family still live in the area once known as #5 Niederjoellenbeck--the same neighborhood where our immigrant Landwehr family lived before they emigrated in 1859! Through correspondence, we soon learned that August's great-grandfather was Johann Friedrich Landwehr (born 1821), a younger brother of Friedrich Wilhelm Landwehr, who was the father of the immigrant Landwehr children (see :figref refid=llist.). To the grandchildren of the immigrant Landwehr children, August is a third cousin.
The linen industry that was so important to the earlier generations of our Landwehrfamily has survived as an important industry in Joellenbeck. August Landwehr writes that his father was employed as a Master Weaver by the firm of C. A. Delius and Sons, in Joellenbeck, until he was pensioned. His mother was earlier employed as a silk weaver by the same firm. August's father was well-known in Joellenbeck. He was the Chairman of the Home and Property Owners Association; he gave lectures in the Heimat Organization in Plattdeutsche (low German); he was a member of the Deputy's Office in Joellenbeck; he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Construction Bank; and he was in the Information Bureau of the Building Organization. And on April 10, 1969, August's parents celebrated their "iron wedding anniversary", signifying sixty-five years of marriage without any illness.
August Landwehr was born in Oberjoellenbeck on June 16, 1909, and married Johanne Moellering on May 10, 1935. August writes that his learned trade was that of construction and furniture carpenter. In his free time, he was a musician in the Comrades in Arms Band in Joellenbeck. During World War II, he served as a buyer, and was in charge of the mess, with a Naval unit for seven years. He was stationed in France, on the Island Oberon, at Camp La-Rochelle. Joellenbeck was unharmed during the war, but the nearby city of Bielefeld was bombed. During the war, families from other parts of Germany, whose homes were destroyed, lived with the Landwehr family in Joellenbeck. After his discharge in May of 1948, August worked for a textile company in Joellenbeck until he retired in 1968.
August and Johanne have two sons. Heinz was born in Joellenbeck on March 30, 1936. He is married, has two children, and is a bus driver with the Postal Service in Bielefeld. Hans was born in Joellenbeck on April 5, 1941. He is married, has two sons, and is a trucker with a large company in Bielefeld. Both sons enjoy traveling, and often take vacation trips in the Grand Canaries, Spain, and on the North Sea.
August and Johanna, along with Hans and his family, live in a large, attractive home that August's father built in 1911. August is very interested in the history of the Landwehr family, and the history of Joellenbeck. In a translation of one of his early letters, August wrote of the period when our Landwehr ancestors lived in Joellenbeck:
"Our forefathers from 1780 to 1860 were very poor. They lived only from farming, spinning, flax trade, home weaving. Because of this, many Joellenbeckers emigrated to the United States, because here, the living was so hard."
Our knowledge of the August Landwehr family is not derived solely from our correspondence. In 1982, Debbie (Landwehr) Felton spent three days with August and his family. And in 1985, Ella (Linenschmidt) Trietsch and Horace Trietsch visited at the August Landwehr home. On both occasions, the American visitors were treated like long-lost family, and thoroughly enjoyed their visits. At long last, the American and German branches of our Landwehr family have been reunited!
But time and distance take a toll on the closest of families. After Henry's death, visits between Henry's family and the Franklin County Landwehr families apparently ceased. Descendants of Henry Landwehr now living in Warren County knew they had relatives in Franklin County, and vice versa, but the families had completely lost contact with each other.
Maria, the only daughter in the immigrant Landwehr family, married Christopher Lichte. Maria and her husband both died young--in the 1870's--leaving four Lichte children. The Lichte children migrated to Arkansas, and then Kansas, where they all lived at one time. One of the four Lichte children, Gussie (Lichte) Hoemann, moved back to Washington, Missouri, with her family in 1921. The other three raised their families in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Over the years, the three Lichte children who remained in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas made a few trips back to Missouri to visit their sister and cousins in Franklin and Warren Counties. But the sister who lived in Washington, Missouri died in 1926, and few visits were made after her death. There were occasional visits to Missouri by the Lichte families until about 1950, but either those visits were forgotten by our Missouri cousins, or the family relationships were not understood at the time, as none of our Missouri relatives were aware of any relationship between the Landwehr family and the Lichte family when this project began. The only member of the Landwehr family who we were eventually able to locate, and who was aware of the relationship between the two families, was Ella (Linenschmidt) Trietsch, of Denton, Texas. Ella is a granddaughter of Henry Landwehr, and she had occasionally corresponded with a descendant of the Lichte family in Littlefield, Texas, maintaining the last surviving relationship between the Landwehr and Lichte families.
With publication of this family history, the families of the five immigrant Landwehr children will, in one sense, be reunited. All of the descendants of our immigrant Landwehr family will once again be aware of their cousins, regardless of whether they are first, second, third, fourth, or fifth cousins. But what of the relatives that Anna and her five children left behind in Prussia when they set sail for America 127 years ago?
:fig id=august frame=box depth='4.1i'.
:figcap.August Landwehr
:figdesc.Our German cousin
:efig.
In 1979, we were successful in an attempt to contact relatives of our Landwehr family still living in Germany. In response to our inquiry, we received a letter from August Landwehr, a resident of Joellenbeck, West Germany. August and his family still live in the area once known as #5 Niederjoellenbeck--the same neighborhood where our immigrant Landwehr family lived before they emigrated in 1859! Through correspondence, we soon learned that August's great-grandfather was Johann Friedrich Landwehr (born 1821), a younger brother of Friedrich Wilhelm Landwehr, who was the father of the immigrant Landwehr children (see :figref refid=llist.). To the grandchildren of the immigrant Landwehr children, August is a third cousin.
The linen industry that was so important to the earlier generations of our Landwehrfamily has survived as an important industry in Joellenbeck. August Landwehr writes that his father was employed as a Master Weaver by the firm of C. A. Delius and Sons, in Joellenbeck, until he was pensioned. His mother was earlier employed as a silk weaver by the same firm. August's father was well-known in Joellenbeck. He was the Chairman of the Home and Property Owners Association; he gave lectures in the Heimat Organization in Plattdeutsche (low German); he was a member of the Deputy's Office in Joellenbeck; he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Construction Bank; and he was in the Information Bureau of the Building Organization. And on April 10, 1969, August's parents celebrated their "iron wedding anniversary", signifying sixty-five years of marriage without any illness.
August Landwehr was born in Oberjoellenbeck on June 16, 1909, and married Johanne Moellering on May 10, 1935. August writes that his learned trade was that of construction and furniture carpenter. In his free time, he was a musician in the Comrades in Arms Band in Joellenbeck. During World War II, he served as a buyer, and was in charge of the mess, with a Naval unit for seven years. He was stationed in France, on the Island Oberon, at Camp La-Rochelle. Joellenbeck was unharmed during the war, but the nearby city of Bielefeld was bombed. During the war, families from other parts of Germany, whose homes were destroyed, lived with the Landwehr family in Joellenbeck. After his discharge in May of 1948, August worked for a textile company in Joellenbeck until he retired in 1968.
August and Johanne have two sons. Heinz was born in Joellenbeck on March 30, 1936. He is married, has two children, and is a bus driver with the Postal Service in Bielefeld. Hans was born in Joellenbeck on April 5, 1941. He is married, has two sons, and is a trucker with a large company in Bielefeld. Both sons enjoy traveling, and often take vacation trips in the Grand Canaries, Spain, and on the North Sea.
August and Johanna, along with Hans and his family, live in a large, attractive home that August's father built in 1911. August is very interested in the history of the Landwehr family, and the history of Joellenbeck. In a translation of one of his early letters, August wrote of the period when our Landwehr ancestors lived in Joellenbeck:
"Our forefathers from 1780 to 1860 were very poor. They lived only from farming, spinning, flax trade, home weaving. Because of this, many Joellenbeckers emigrated to the United States, because here, the living was so hard."
Our knowledge of the August Landwehr family is not derived solely from our correspondence. In 1982, Debbie (Landwehr) Felton spent three days with August and his family. And in 1985, Ella (Linenschmidt) Trietsch and Horace Trietsch visited at the August Landwehr home. On both occasions, the American visitors were treated like long-lost family, and thoroughly enjoyed their visits. At long last, the American and German branches of our Landwehr family have been reunited!