Thiekoetter Family History
The Thiekoetter family is of interest to us because of the marriage of Louisa Thiekoetter to Henry Broemmelsieck in 1879. Their daughter, Carrie Brommelsick, was married to Jule Landwehr, and was this author's grandmother (see :figref refid=cburt. for the relationship between the Thiekoetter family and the Landwehr family).
We can state with some confidence that Louisa Thiekoetter's father, Christoph 'Christopher' Thiekoetter, was born in the same general area in Germany as the rest of our Prussian ancestors. Beyond that, we know little about the European origin of the Thiekoetter family. Among the author's ancestors, no surname name has been misspelled as badly or as often; no ancestor's age has been recorded with more variation; and no ancestor's European origin has proven as difficult to trace, as that of Christopher Thiekoetter. In the four census records which include Christopher, his place of birth is listed as Germany, Hannover, Lippe-Detmold, and Prussia.
Based on the date of his death, and his age at death, as specified in his obituary, we believe that Christopher was born on February 8, 1808. He emigrated to America in 1848, at forty years of age. He must have settled in Franklin County soon after his arrival, as our first record of Christopher is associated with his purchase of Franklin County land that summer. On June 24, 1848, Christopher received a Land Grant from the U.S. Government for forty acres of land located one mile north and two and one-half miles east of the current site of Gerald, Missouri. But Gerald, of course, did not exist in those days. The area where the Thiekoetter farm was located was known in those early days as Big Creek. On the map provided by :figref refid=mthie., Christopher's first land purchase appears as part of the "C. Theketter" farm in section 5.
:fig id=mthie frame=box depth='6.7i'.
:figcap.Map of the Shotwell area
:figdesc.From Atlas Map of Franklin County, Missouri, published in
1878
:efig.
:fig id=cthie frame=box depth='6.1i'.
:figcap.Thiekoetter family chart
:figdesc.The ancestry of Louisa Thiekoetter
:efig.
When Christopher purchased his first forty acres in 1848, the area was only sparsely settled, and there were only eight post offices in all of Franklin County. The closest to Christopher's farm would have been the post office at Enon, located about three miles north of the Thiekoetter farm. The Enon post office was established in 1846, and was discontinued five years later. It was probably named after the Enon or Middle Fork Creek Methodist Episcopal Church, and both the church and post office were apparently located on the farm of one of the Postmasters, John L. Brant. The Star Mail Route from St. Louis to Jefferson City served the post office three times a week.
Christopher probably married Caroline Wilhelmine Drewel the following year, in 1849. At about forty-two years of age, Christopher was rather old to be taking his first wife, but we have no evidence of an earlier marriage.
When Christopher and Caroline were first married, there were no churches close to Christopher's farm. The nearest church would probably have been the St. John's Evangelical Church near Casco, about seven miles northeast of the Thiekoetter farm. But the early churches sprang up as soon as there were enough settlers in an area to financially support them, and the Thiekoetters did not have long to wait. In 1850, the Zion Congregation of the German Methodist Episcopal Church was organized only three miles east of the Thiekoetter farm. The Thiekoetter family were among the first members of this new congregation. When the census-taker made his rounds in October of that year, he found Christopher and his 24-year-old bride, Caroline, farming the forty acres Christopher acquired just two years earlier.
By March of 1851, Christopher was probably able to look to the future with optimism. He owned a small farm, was recently married to a young wife, and their first child was due to be born in the fall. He was ready to expand his operation. On March 10, Christopher doubled the size of his farm by purchasing a second forty-acre parcel of land from the U.S. Government. This second parcel was immediately north of his original forty acres.
The post office at Enon closed in 1851. For the next four years, the closest post office would have been at Beaufort, five miles east of the Thiekoetter farm. Established in 1849, the Beaufort Post Office was probably named after Beaufort, South Carolina, the former home of Dr. Pierce Nugent Butler, who was a resident and the second postmaster there. The office was later moved southward to the new railroad, and a considerable village developed.
But any plans that Christopher and Caroline had made to raise a family on their new farm came to a sudden and tragic end. A daughter, named Caroline Wilhelmine after her mother, was born to Christopher and Caroline on September 30, 1851. One month later, on November 1, Christopher's wife died. While we are certain of the date of death of Christopher's wife, there is some uncertainty regarding the date of birth of their daughter. It is possible that Caroline died in childbirth.
In any event, Christopher was suddenly left a widower with a newborn, or month-old, daughter to care for. Christopher did not waste time in his search for another spouse. On January 8, 1852, only ten weeks after Caroline's death, Christopher married again. This time, his bride was a thirty-year-old widow named Verena Ganz.
We will digress from our biography of Christopher Thiekoetter at this point, and review the background of his second wife. Verena Ganz was born in the village of Stadel, in Canton Zuerich, Switzerland on June 6, 1821. She was born Verena Meir, the daughter of Johannes Meir and Mary Magdalena Hauser (see :figref refid=cthie.).
On January 8, 1844, at the age of twenty-two, Verena was married to 29-year-old Felix Ganz in St. Peter's Protestant State Church in Zurich, Switzerland. Felix Ganz, the seventh child of Hans Jakob Gans and Anna Bodmer, was a mill-maker. He was born in Bulach, Switzerland on May 15, 1814.
Felix and Verena started their family in Switzerland. Their first son, August Rudolph Ganz, was born in 1844. Their second son, Johannes, was born the following year. And their first daughter, Carolina, was born in 1847. All three children were born at Embrach, Switzerland.
In planning their emigration to America, it was not unusual for a European family to temporarily separate. The husband would emigrate first, get established in his new homeland, and save enough money to help pay for the expense of bringing the rest of his family to join him. This was apparently the plan adopted by Felix and Verena Ganz.
Gene Ganz, of Valley Park, Missouri, has done some excellent research on the history of Felix and Verena (Meir) Ganz, and provided much of the early Ganz family information contained in this chapter. Gene learned that Felix Ganz emigrated to America in 1847 or 1848 without his wife and children, and provided the following rough translation of a letter that Felix wrote to Verena in 1850, instructing her on preparations for her emigration with their children to join him in America:
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:p.Jefferson City, 3rd of June, 1850
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:p.My dears!
The time of your departure comes closer, therefore I cannot wait until I have a new destination (address), to give you instructions for the preparation for the trip. Take as few as possible with you, that's the best way to manage it. Don't take old, worthless things with you, neither bedsprings (bedfeathers?). One can buy these here for 20 florins. For you buy two new pair of shoes and one pair for each child, and also fine woolen underwears and flannel on the body. On the ship one always wears drawers. Also buy a ??? dress, as an ordinary dress gets ruined on the ship. Also buy a night-jacket and a big woolen shawl which you can wear instead of a coat. Don't let make for you more new dresses than you necessarily need and let them make according to the fashion. Here the women-dresses aren't expensive. For each of the boys let make a ??? dress for the ship. Don't let the boys go on the decks by sunshine (during hours of sunshine?) without a hat. And also don't sleep at the sunshine, as this often brings dangerous sickness or death. Also take four six quarter sacks (bags) for potatoes and bread with you. The sacks must be marked by clear writings. In Le Havre, buy 30-40 litre wine and take it on the ship. You and the three boys have enough room in one bed. When the wind blows, one rocks that the head comes high, and sometimes it is very uncomfortable. Keep the kids clean on their heads. In the warm areas, it is healthy to take a bath in seawater. When the wind blows fast, one goes to bed, especially kids.
Through a good friend from here, I have sent you 100 dollars and 25 (250?) florints. Then you also have the 499 florin in Zurich money which you have obtained on the 3rd of March from Gottfried Heuss, pastor in Obelsbohn (?), Oberamt Waiblingen in Wurttemberg. I think with all this together you can make the trip. I am now waiting here for your next letter. I have work here for three more weeks, nevertheless the mill is already working for three weeks. The mill, which I talked about in the last letter, I didn't accept, because I couldn't go along with the conditions. I will probably go from here to St. Louis and work there, until I can welcome you in New Orleans. I didn't write to my brother yet, but I will do it before I leave here.
I send my greetings to you, the dear children, mother and ??? and all my earlier friends.
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:p.Your eternal faithful Felix Ganz
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Verena and the three Ganz children joined Felix in America within twelve months after Felix wrote the above letter. Upon their arrival, they settled in Jefferson City, Missouri. During Missouri's steamboat era, 1820-1865, the wharves at this river port bustled with business activity. But a by-product of this active river traffic was repeated exposure to contagious diseases, such as cholera. Jefferson City's cholera problems began in May of 1849, when the steamboat Monroe landed, carrying cholera-stricken Mormon immigrants. Sixty-three passengers and area residents died in the subsequent epidemic.
Residents anxiously sought to keep out steamboats carrying the dreaded disease. Citizens encountered particularly severe problems with the disease in the early 1850s. In August of 1851, cholera again took possession of Jefferson City. The Jefferson Inquirer, published in Jefferson City, carried the following death notice on page 2 of its August 30, 1851 edition:
"On the 28th inst. of Cholera, Mr. Felix Gantz, of this city, aged 42 years."
Only months after Verena and the children joined him in America, Felix Ganz was among at least nineteen residents of Jefferson City who fell victim to this outbreak of the dreaded disease.
Suddenly, Verena Ganz was a widow. A widow with three children, aged seven, six and four. Soon after Felix's death, Verena moved to St. Louis with her children. It was in St. Louis, just five months after Felix's death, that she married Christopher Thiekoetter.
There are several things about Christopher Thiekoetter's marriage to Verena Ganz that are unusual. First, the marriage took place only ten weeks after the death of Christopher's prior wife. Second, he apparently met and married Verena in St. Louis, even though his farmstead was in Franklin County. Third, he married a woman who was not from the same area of Europe that he was from. And fourth, Verena not only had three young children--she was also expecting the birth of another Ganz child in less than three months! One must wonder whether their marriage was arranged for them by a third party.
Christopher and Verena were married on January 8, 1852. It is likely that Christopher immediately took Verena and her children back to his farm in Franklin County, as his infant daughter Caroline, just two or three months old, required a mother's care. There, on March 28, 1852, Verena gave birth to her own child, a daughter whom she named Emilie Ganz.
Verena now had two infants to care for--her own newborn, and six-month-old Caroline Thiekoetter. But that situation was short-lived. On the 14th of August, ten-month-old Caroline Thiekoetter died.
Christopher and Verena soon started a family of their own. Louisa Thiekoetter, their first daughter, was born in April of 1854. That same year, Christopher expanded his farm for the last time. On September 22, he completed the purchase of an additional 142.5 adjoining acres from the U.S. Government, increasing the size of his farm to 222.5 acres.
By 1855, seven years after Christopher purchased his first land, the immediate area had attracted enough settlers to warrant a new post office. In January of that year, a post office was established just one and one-half miles west and one mile south of the Thiekoetter farm. The new post office was named Shotwell. It is said that Shotwell was named by John Seaton, the first postmaster, who lived one mile south of the Thiekoetter farm. There are at least three theories regarding the origin of the Shotwell name. One of the least likely, but most interesting, of the stories asserts that John Seaton took the name from an incident which occurred in the pioneer days of the county. It is purported that Alexander Gregory, who lived less than a mile southeast of the Thiekoetters, and an old Mr. Wages, both pioneer settlers, each claimed the same deer lick, and both went to it one night to kill deer. The deer failed to appear, and, after waiting for a long time, each became aware of the other's presence. They soon began firing at each other, and fired away all their ammunition, without personal injury to either. It is said that shortly after this exciting but harmless episode, Mr. Seaton was appointed postmaster, and in honor of such good shooting named the post office Shotwell.
Christopher and Verena had two children who apparently died in infancy. We believe that one of those two children was born in 1858. The burial records of the Leslie Methodist Church include the death of a six-month-old Thiekoetter infant on November 10, 1858.
At this point in Christopher's life, twelve years after his immigration, and a year before the outbreak of the Civil War, he decided to become a naturalized citizen of his adopted land. He completed the naturalization process on April 11, 1860.
Land values continued to rise during the 1850's, as more settlers moved into the lands further back from the banks of the Missouri River. In the 1860 census, Christopher valued his farm at $1500, and his personal property at $450.
The last child born to Christopher and Verena was Bertha Thiekoetter. Bertha was born on April 25, 1861, just eleven days after the surrender of Fort Sumpter, which signaled the beginning of the Civil War. It was a war that would leave its mark on the Thiekoetter family.
August Ganz, Verena's oldest son, was seventeen years old when Lincoln first called for volunteers in April of 1861. He didn't join the first wave of volunteers. But sixteen months later, when it became clear that the conflict would not be short-lived, eighteen-year-old August Ganz volunteered for service in the Union Army.
August enlisted in St. Louis on August 16, 1862. Two weeks later, on August 31, he was mustered into Company F of the 26th Regiment of the Missouri Infantry at Benton Barracks, in St. Louis. August served as a Private in Company F for nine months. Then, on May 21, 1863, August was killed in battle at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Life went on for the Thiekoetter family, in spite of the tragic loss of Verena's eldest child. The little village of Shotwell was built some years after establishment of the Shotwell Post Office, and the name was, as a matter of course, applied to the village. The first house was erected by John H. Schweer, who lived about two miles southwest of the Thiekoetter farm, and who was the first merchant of the little town. Both the first business house and the first residence were built of logs. Shotwell became one of the most important inland trading points in western Franklin County until it was destroyed by the growing influence of Gerald in the early 1900's. The Thiekoetter family undoubtedly found Shotwell a convenient place to trade.
:fig id=phthie frame=box depth='4.6i'.
:figcap.Christopher and Verena (Meir) Ganz Thiekoetter
:figdesc.Courtesy of Agnes (Landwehr) Farrell.
:efig.
In 1867, the first of the Ganz children was married, when Carolina Ganz married Friedrich Boedecker. By 1870, three years later, Christopher valued his farm at $1800, and his personal property at $410. All of his children and step-children except Carolina were living at home.
The 1870s were relatively uneventful for the Thiekoetter family. Emilie, the daughter of Felix Ganz born to Verena after her marriage to Christopher, was married in 1873 to John Wanner. And Christopher's eldest daughter, Louisa Thiekoetter, married Henry Broemmelsieck in 1879. The only children left at home were Christopher's step-son, John Ganz, and his youngest daughter, Bertha.
John Ganz married Louise Beyer in January of 1880. John was the only surviving son, or step-son, in the Thiekoetter family. It is not surprising, then, that John Ganz and his new bride made their home with Christopher and Verena on the Thiekoetter farm after their marriage.
Christopher Thiekoetter died one year later, on February 8, 1881. He was seventy-two years old. We are not sure of his final resting place, but feel safe in assuming that it is in the Methodist cemetery at Leslie. The Thiekoetter family had long been members of that congregation. The church cemetery was located only about two miles from the Thiekoetter farm, and Verena would be buried there ten years later.
Christopher had written a will in October of 1866, fourteen years before his death. In his will, he bequeathed the Thiekoetter farm, including all livestock, buildings, and personal property, to his "beloved wife Verena" for her use the rest of her life. Upon her death, Christopher's will provided that the farm and all remaining personal property were to become the property of his "adopted son" John Ganz "for his true and faithful service he rendered towards me". To ensure that Christopher's daughters and step-daughters also received a share of his estate, Christopher provided that John Ganz was to pay each of the four girls a $200.00 legacy out of his inheritance. It would appear that Christopher did not intend for John Ganz to inherit the Thiekoetter farm, or to pay the four legacies, until Verena's death. But the estate was probated as if Verena was no longer living.
When Christopher died, there were bills that had to be paid. As executor of the estate, John Ganz paid the following outstanding debts:
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:li.$111.70 to Dr. Butler for Christopher's medical attendance
:li.$86.38 to Dr. Butler, representing $85.00 for the purchase of a
horse, and $1.38 interest
:li.$11.65 to John Roedder to cover the balance on Christopher's
blacksmith account
:li.$21.25 to William Temme, which included $1.00 for wagon repairs
and $15.00 for Christopher's coffin
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A review of the description of Christopher's property at the time of his death provides an interesting glimpse of Franklin County farm life in 1881. His property was appraised as follows:
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:li.one light brown horse mule $40.00
:li.one dark brown mare mule 100.00
:li.one cow and calf 15.00
:li.one yearling steer 8.00
:li.one yearling steer 8.00
:li.one blue cow and calf 20.00
:li.one yearling heiffer 8.00
:li.one brindle cow & calf 15.00
:li.one two year old heiffer 12.00
:li.one 2 year old heiffer & calf 14.00
:li.one three year old stag 12.00
:li.one yearling heiffer 8.00
:li.one yearling heiffer 7.00
:li.one two year old steer 14.00
:li.one cow & calf 15.00
:li.15 hogs 37.50
:li.3 sheep 3.00
:li.1 tog wagon 5.00
:li.1 double shovel plow 1.00
:li.1 wheat fan 15.00
:li.5 old plows 5.00
:li.1 reaper 100.00
:li.1 sulkey plow 25.00
:li.1 lumber wagon 25.00
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The final settlement of the estate was dated December 8, 1883. As administrator, John Ganz apparently took possession of the Thiekoetter farm and Christopher's personal possessions, and paid the four $200 legacies stipulated in Christopher's will, as well as $327.96 in debts and probate expenses.
Christopher's youngest daughter was the last to leave the nest. In 1883, two years after her father's death, Bertha was married to John Frolker.
As a result of her son's death in the Civil War, Verena had received a $100.00 bounty payment, and the last three months of August's army pay, on September 11, 1866. Then, on October 15, 1870, Verena had received another $100.00 bounty payment. In October of 1887, Verena made "Declaration for an Original Pension of a Father or Mother". Her claim for a pension was based on the fact that she was the mother of a soldier killed in the Civil War who left neither widow nor child under sixteen years of age surviving, and that she had been, in part, dependent upon that son for support.
We seldom find a description of our early ancestors other than the few glowing words written for their obituaries. In the case of Christopher Thiekoetter, we do have another description. It is not written in a complimentary fashion. In reading the description, we must recognize that it is taken from an affidavit provided by Henry and Hannah Panhorst in 1888, after Christopher's death, in support of Verena's claim for a Mother's Pension. The affidavit was part of her evidence that she and Christopher were dependent upon their son, August Ganz, and that his loss had financial implications for them. The affidavit read:
"That they were well acquainted with the said Christoph Thiekoetter before, and in the year 1863, and that they knew him to be a man who did not have the physical ability nor did he possess the necessary knowledge as is required by a man to make a living for himself and family on a farm, and that he was subjected to spells of sickness, so that he had frequently to send for a Doctor, and that his Eyesight and hearing were also badly affected, and that he had no other sources from which he could derive any assistance in 1863 than his smal farm, and that from it and the assistance of the said August Ganz made a frugal living, but were not able to lay up any means for the future, and that the said Verena Thiekoetter, since the death of her last husband, is dependent of her son John Ganz, and as she is old and feeble and subjected to chills and fevers & cramp colic which confine her to her Bed frequently, cause a great burden to him, and that the occupation of the said Christoph Thiekoetter in 1863, was farming his smal farm, and that their acquaintance dates back to the year 1850 and that they have since frequently visited one another by which they derived this knowledge. But they are not able to state even approximately the amount of earnings derived from the farm or other sources in 1863, but have positive knowledge that said Christop Tiekoetter run in debt of $250.00 for the support of his family. And as John Ganz has acquired title to the Farm since 1883, they have no knowledge of what he earned in 1887 up to present time."
Verena's application for a Mother's Pension was approved January 29, 1889, with payments to be made retroactive to October 24, 1887. She received payments of $12.00 per month until her death in 1891.
Verena Thiekoetter died at the home of her son-in-law, Rev. John Wanner, on July 29, 1891. Her obituary indicates that she had gone to his home in Cedar Grove, Missouri, for a visit a week before her death. The reference to Cedar Grove is probably an error, and should have read Senate Grove, as Rev. Wanner was transferred from his charge at Senate Grove to Beaufort in 1891. Her obituary states that "she suffered much in her final years, but carried her suffering with patience and resignation in God's will". Her final illness was the grippe (influenza), allied with an "abdominal inflamation". Funeral services were conducted in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Beaufort (Leslie) on July 31, 1891, and burial was at the church cemetery. A granddaughter recalls that no gravestone was ever erected for Verena, or for any of those buried in the first three rows on the west side of the cemetery. She was survived by five of her eight children.
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:hp3.Children of Felix Ganz:ehp3.
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:li.August Rudolph Ganz was born at Embrach, Switzerland, on February 29, 1844. He was six years old when his parents emigrated to America, and seven years old when his father died.
During the second year of the Civil War, August answered the call for volunteers and enlisted in the army in St. Louis on August 16, 1862. He received a $25.00 bounty for enlisting for three years. At enlistment, August described himself as five feet six inches in height, with hazel eyes, dark hair, and dark complexion.
The 26th Regiment of Missouri Infantry was originally organized in Missouri at large from September to December of the preceeding year. When August was mustered into the Regiment on August 31, 1862, the Regiment was at Jacinto, Mississippi. A list of the Regiment's service after August joined the Regiment indicates that August fought in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee.
On May 18, 1863, the 26th Regiment was committed to the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi. On May 19 and May 22, the Regiment was involved in assaults on Vicksburg. Army records tell us that August was killed in action during the siege of Vicksburg, his death the result of a gunshot wound. Army records give the date of his death as May 21, 1863. In her application for a pension, Verena indicated that August died on May 22, and the Leslie Methodist Church records also give the date of August's death as May 22.
:li.Johannes 'John' Ganz was born at Embrach, in Canton Zurich, Switzerland, on August 22, 1845. John came to America with his parents as a small boy, and grew up on the Thiekoetter farm after his mother was married to Christopher Thiekoetter.
While we have not yet determined positively that he was the same person as the subject of this sketch, we know that a youth named John Ganz served as a Private in Company H of the 11th Regiment of the Enrolled Missouri Militia during the Civil War. He enrolled in September 7, 1862, just a week after August Ganz was mustered into Federal Service at Benton Barracks near St. Louis. This John Ganz was apparently exempted from service by Dr. Conzelman less than a month later, on October 2.
There is also a record that a John Ganz, of Missouri, filed an application (#1049237) for pension on August 14, 1891. Apparently, no certificate was issued. He evidently filed for an invalid pension based on service in Frazier's Company of the Provincial Enrolled Missouri Militia.
On January 29, 1880, 34-year-old John Ganz was married to 18-year-old Louise Beyer, of Belleville, Illinois. John and Louise were married in Franklin County by Rev. Charles Steinmeyer, of Berger, Missouri, who was the Minister of the Hermann Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church. After the death of his step-father a year later, John continued to operate the Thiekoetter farm, and care for his mother.
John's mother died in July of 1891. The following spring, on March 21, 1892, John and Louise sold the 222-acre Thiekoetter farm, plus an adjoining forty acres John had acquired, to Fritz Nolting for $1500. John died at Ballwin, Missouri, on February 22, 1923, and is buried in the Salem Methodist Church Cemetery at Ballwin.
:li.Carolina Ganz was born at Embrach, Switzerland, on August 19, 1847. Carolina was nineteen years old when she was married to Friedrich A. Boedecker of Manchester, Missouri, on February 21, 1867. Friedrich was born in Lippe-Detmold in 1841 or 1842. Carolina and Friedrich were married by Rev. John Koelle, the Minister of the Methodist Church at Leslie.
After their marriage, they apparently settled in the vicinity of Red Oak, east of Owensville, Missouri. In July of 1870, Friedrich listed his occupation as that of a wagon maker. Friedrich valued their land at $800, and their personal property at $300.
Some time before 1895, Friedrich and Carolina moved to Ballwin, Missouri. Carolina is buried in the Salem Methodist Church Cemetery at Ballwin.
:li.Emilie 'Amelia' Ganz was born on the Thiekoetter farm near Beaufort, Missouri, on March 28, 1852. While she was the daughter of Felix Ganz, she was not born until after her mother married Christopher Thiekoetter.
Amelia grew up on the Thiekoetter farm near Beaufort. Her mother and step-father were affiliated with the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church at Beaufort. Like most children raised in a German Protestant home, Amelia was confirmed as a member of the church when she was fourteen years old.
Amelia was married to Rev. John Wanner on December 26, 1873. Because John Wanner was a successful Methodist minister, his life touched many others, including other relatives listed in this book. For that reason, we will review John's life history along with that of Amelia Ganz.
John Wanner was born on January 1, 1836, in Schleitheim, in the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen. Schleitheim, located only about a mile or two from the German border in northern Switzerland, is only about twenty-five miles from the area where Amelia's brothers and sister were born.
John Wanner was the child of Calvinist parents, and enjoyed a good education in Switzerland. A Methodist biography of John, printed in the Jubilaeumsbuch der St. Louis Deutschen Konferenz about 1903, states that "at the age of 14, he found salvation in the forgiveness of his sins. The hand of the good Shepherd held him in spite of several errors, and as a youth he was mightily converted to God. It was his desire to save souls, to become a missionary, and to go to pagan countries."
In 1857, John first stepped on American soil. The Methodist biography goes on to state that he "sought an ecclesiastical home. Traveling aimlessly, the hand of God led him to a faithful Methodist family in Missouri, where to his great joy he found a spirit of companionship." John joined the congregation in St. Charles, Missouri, and was later active in Highland and Summerfield, Illinois, as class leader and admonisher.
John married Maria Keller in 1860. Although recently married, John enlisted for service in the Civil War. John first enlisted in St. Louis on July 16, 1861. He was mustered in as a Private in Company B of the 15th Regiment of Missouri Infantry Volunteers at St. Louis on August 31, 1861. He described himself as a 27-year-old laborer, born in Schleitheim, Switzerland, five feet seven inches in height, with brown hair, dark eyes, and fair complexion.
John Wanner's Civil War service record is a bit of a puzzle. Military records indicate that he deserted from his regiment at Cincinnati, Ohio on September 12, 1862, after slightly more than a year of service. The records also indicate that the desertion charges were removed by the War Department thirty-five years later, in November of 1897, and that a discharge was issued.
About 1905, John Wanner filed an application for a pension based on his military service during the Civil War. In an affadavit completed in February of 1907, John swore that he enlisted in Company H of the 108th Regiment of the Ohio Infantry on September 17, 1862. He also stated that he enlisted in the Ohio regiment at Camp Dennison, Ohio, under the alias of Jacob Keller, and that he was not involved in any other service during the war.
A soldier did serve in Company H of the 108th Regiment of the Ohio Infantry under the name of Jacob Keller. The date on which John Wanner indicated that he enlisted in the Ohio regiment at Camp Dennison was just five days after John Wanner was listed as a deserter from his Missouri regiment at Cincinnati, two hundred miles southwest of Dennison, Ohio. And the maiden name of John Wanner's wife was Keller. The description of John Wanner when he enlisted in the Missouri regiment, as given above, differed slightly from the description of the Jacob Keller who enlisted in the Ohio regiment. At enlistment, "Jacob Keller" described himself as a 27-year-old laborer, born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, five feet six inches in height, with fair complexion, blue eyes, and black hair. We assume that John left his Missouri regiment for some reason, and then enlisted in the Ohio regiment under an assumed name. The other possibility, which seems very unlikely, is that he applied for his pension on the basis of another soldier's service (such as a deceased brother-in-law).
The 108th Ohio Regiment surrendered in their first battle, the Battle of Hartsville, Tennessee on December 7, 1862. They were paroled the next day, and exchanged two months later on January 12, 1863. After reorganizing at Camp Dennison, Ohio, they were ordered back into active service in Kentucky on March 24, 1863.
According to the Methodist biography of John Wanner,
"In these troubled, dangerous times, he promised the Lord that, in the event that he remained well and was brought home safely, he would give his life to the service of the Lord."
After almost three years of service, "Jacob Keller" was honorably discharged at Louisville, Kentucky on the 22nd day of July, 1865.
Two years later, in 1867, John was sent from his home in St. Charles, Misssouri to his first field of work at the Linden, Missouri Mission, as a preacher in the St. Louis Conference of the German Methodist Church. He served Hopewell, Missouri from 1868 to 1871, and Brunswick, Missouri from 1871 to 1873. It was while he was serving at Brunswick that John lost his first wife and three of his children in 1873. His wife, Maria Keller, died in Dalton, Missouri, in October of that year.
John was assigned to the Methodist Church at Beaufort soon after the loss of his wife. As pastor of the Beaufort Church, he would have become acquainted with the Thiekoetter family. About two months after the loss of his first wife, 37-year-old Rev. John Wanner married 21-year-old Amelia Ganz on December 26, 1873. While we don't know where they were married, John gave his home as St. Charles, Missouri. The witnesses to their marriage were Amelia's brother, John Ganz, and her half-sister, Louisa Thiekoetter.
John served Beaufort until 1876, when he returned to the Hopewell region for three years. His next station was Bunker Hill, Illinois, where he served from 1879 until 1881. Nokomis, Illinois was his next field of work. While serving at Nokomis (from 1881 until 1884), Amelia became very ill, and would remain bedfast for years.
After Nokomis, John worked in Brighton, Illinois for one year, then in Petersburg, Illinois for three years, then in Senate Grove, Missouri for three years, and then back to Beaufort, Missouri for the second time. John served in Beaufort from 1891 until 1894. It was during this second period of service in Beaufort that Amelia recovered from the illness that struck her down ten years earlier. According to the Methodist biography, "Through a miraculous granting of our prayers, her health was restored on October 18, 1893."
John served in Chester, Illinois from 1894 until 1895, where he became ill with rheumatism, and completed his twenty-seven years of active service in 1895. Following his retirement, he continued to serve with a superannuary appointment. John moved to Oakdale, Illinois, in 1897, and to Edwardsville, Illinois in September of 1909.
Rev. John Wanner died of senility at his home in Edwardsville on November 30, 1910. His funeral service was conducted by the presiding elder of the district, and he was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Edwardsville. Besides Amelia, John was survived by two sons and a daughter from his first marriage, and one daughter from his marriage to Amelia. Four children from his marriage to Amelia preceeded him in death.
After John's death, Amelia was ill for the remaining ten years of her life. From 1914 until her death in July of 1920, Amelia lived at Etlah, Missouri. During these last six and one-half years of her life, she was a bed-ridden invalid, described as a "nervous wreck", and was cared for by a niece, Carrie Pehle, wife of August Pehle. Carrie was a daughter of Amelia's sister, Carolina Boedecker.
Amelia died in Etlah on July 23, 1920. After a funeral service at Etlah, she was taken back to Edwardsville, Illinois, where she was buried beside her husband in the Woodlawn Cemetery. Amelia was survived by one daughter.
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:hp3.Children of Christoph 'Christopher' Thiekoetter:ehp3.
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:li.Louise 'Louisa' Thiekoetter was born on the Thiekoetter
farm west of Leslie on April 15, 1854. She was married on July 24, 1879, to Casper Heinrich 'Henry' Broemmelsieck, who lived south of Berger, Missouri. They were married by Rev. John P. Faust, Pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Leslie. For additional information about Louisa Thiekoetter and Henry Broemmelsieck, see :hdref refid=brom..
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:li.Bertha Thiekoetter was born on the Thiekoetter farm on April 25, 1861. She was married to Johann H. 'John' Frolker on May 10, 1883. John Frolker was also born in 1861. They were married at the church by Rev. F. E. C. Mantels, Minister of the St. Johannes Evangelical Church north of Union, Missouri, on May 10, 1883.
John died in 1922, and was buried in the Red Oak Methodist Cemetery, near Rosebud, Missouri. Bertha died in southeastern Gasconade County on April 3, 1934, and was buried beside her husband in the Red Oak Methodist Cemetery.
We can state with some confidence that Louisa Thiekoetter's father, Christoph 'Christopher' Thiekoetter, was born in the same general area in Germany as the rest of our Prussian ancestors. Beyond that, we know little about the European origin of the Thiekoetter family. Among the author's ancestors, no surname name has been misspelled as badly or as often; no ancestor's age has been recorded with more variation; and no ancestor's European origin has proven as difficult to trace, as that of Christopher Thiekoetter. In the four census records which include Christopher, his place of birth is listed as Germany, Hannover, Lippe-Detmold, and Prussia.
Based on the date of his death, and his age at death, as specified in his obituary, we believe that Christopher was born on February 8, 1808. He emigrated to America in 1848, at forty years of age. He must have settled in Franklin County soon after his arrival, as our first record of Christopher is associated with his purchase of Franklin County land that summer. On June 24, 1848, Christopher received a Land Grant from the U.S. Government for forty acres of land located one mile north and two and one-half miles east of the current site of Gerald, Missouri. But Gerald, of course, did not exist in those days. The area where the Thiekoetter farm was located was known in those early days as Big Creek. On the map provided by :figref refid=mthie., Christopher's first land purchase appears as part of the "C. Theketter" farm in section 5.
:fig id=mthie frame=box depth='6.7i'.
:figcap.Map of the Shotwell area
:figdesc.From Atlas Map of Franklin County, Missouri, published in
1878
:efig.
:fig id=cthie frame=box depth='6.1i'.
:figcap.Thiekoetter family chart
:figdesc.The ancestry of Louisa Thiekoetter
:efig.
When Christopher purchased his first forty acres in 1848, the area was only sparsely settled, and there were only eight post offices in all of Franklin County. The closest to Christopher's farm would have been the post office at Enon, located about three miles north of the Thiekoetter farm. The Enon post office was established in 1846, and was discontinued five years later. It was probably named after the Enon or Middle Fork Creek Methodist Episcopal Church, and both the church and post office were apparently located on the farm of one of the Postmasters, John L. Brant. The Star Mail Route from St. Louis to Jefferson City served the post office three times a week.
Christopher probably married Caroline Wilhelmine Drewel the following year, in 1849. At about forty-two years of age, Christopher was rather old to be taking his first wife, but we have no evidence of an earlier marriage.
When Christopher and Caroline were first married, there were no churches close to Christopher's farm. The nearest church would probably have been the St. John's Evangelical Church near Casco, about seven miles northeast of the Thiekoetter farm. But the early churches sprang up as soon as there were enough settlers in an area to financially support them, and the Thiekoetters did not have long to wait. In 1850, the Zion Congregation of the German Methodist Episcopal Church was organized only three miles east of the Thiekoetter farm. The Thiekoetter family were among the first members of this new congregation. When the census-taker made his rounds in October of that year, he found Christopher and his 24-year-old bride, Caroline, farming the forty acres Christopher acquired just two years earlier.
By March of 1851, Christopher was probably able to look to the future with optimism. He owned a small farm, was recently married to a young wife, and their first child was due to be born in the fall. He was ready to expand his operation. On March 10, Christopher doubled the size of his farm by purchasing a second forty-acre parcel of land from the U.S. Government. This second parcel was immediately north of his original forty acres.
The post office at Enon closed in 1851. For the next four years, the closest post office would have been at Beaufort, five miles east of the Thiekoetter farm. Established in 1849, the Beaufort Post Office was probably named after Beaufort, South Carolina, the former home of Dr. Pierce Nugent Butler, who was a resident and the second postmaster there. The office was later moved southward to the new railroad, and a considerable village developed.
But any plans that Christopher and Caroline had made to raise a family on their new farm came to a sudden and tragic end. A daughter, named Caroline Wilhelmine after her mother, was born to Christopher and Caroline on September 30, 1851. One month later, on November 1, Christopher's wife died. While we are certain of the date of death of Christopher's wife, there is some uncertainty regarding the date of birth of their daughter. It is possible that Caroline died in childbirth.
In any event, Christopher was suddenly left a widower with a newborn, or month-old, daughter to care for. Christopher did not waste time in his search for another spouse. On January 8, 1852, only ten weeks after Caroline's death, Christopher married again. This time, his bride was a thirty-year-old widow named Verena Ganz.
We will digress from our biography of Christopher Thiekoetter at this point, and review the background of his second wife. Verena Ganz was born in the village of Stadel, in Canton Zuerich, Switzerland on June 6, 1821. She was born Verena Meir, the daughter of Johannes Meir and Mary Magdalena Hauser (see :figref refid=cthie.).
On January 8, 1844, at the age of twenty-two, Verena was married to 29-year-old Felix Ganz in St. Peter's Protestant State Church in Zurich, Switzerland. Felix Ganz, the seventh child of Hans Jakob Gans and Anna Bodmer, was a mill-maker. He was born in Bulach, Switzerland on May 15, 1814.
Felix and Verena started their family in Switzerland. Their first son, August Rudolph Ganz, was born in 1844. Their second son, Johannes, was born the following year. And their first daughter, Carolina, was born in 1847. All three children were born at Embrach, Switzerland.
In planning their emigration to America, it was not unusual for a European family to temporarily separate. The husband would emigrate first, get established in his new homeland, and save enough money to help pay for the expense of bringing the rest of his family to join him. This was apparently the plan adopted by Felix and Verena Ganz.
Gene Ganz, of Valley Park, Missouri, has done some excellent research on the history of Felix and Verena (Meir) Ganz, and provided much of the early Ganz family information contained in this chapter. Gene learned that Felix Ganz emigrated to America in 1847 or 1848 without his wife and children, and provided the following rough translation of a letter that Felix wrote to Verena in 1850, instructing her on preparations for her emigration with their children to join him in America:
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:p.Jefferson City, 3rd of June, 1850
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:p.My dears!
The time of your departure comes closer, therefore I cannot wait until I have a new destination (address), to give you instructions for the preparation for the trip. Take as few as possible with you, that's the best way to manage it. Don't take old, worthless things with you, neither bedsprings (bedfeathers?). One can buy these here for 20 florins. For you buy two new pair of shoes and one pair for each child, and also fine woolen underwears and flannel on the body. On the ship one always wears drawers. Also buy a ??? dress, as an ordinary dress gets ruined on the ship. Also buy a night-jacket and a big woolen shawl which you can wear instead of a coat. Don't let make for you more new dresses than you necessarily need and let them make according to the fashion. Here the women-dresses aren't expensive. For each of the boys let make a ??? dress for the ship. Don't let the boys go on the decks by sunshine (during hours of sunshine?) without a hat. And also don't sleep at the sunshine, as this often brings dangerous sickness or death. Also take four six quarter sacks (bags) for potatoes and bread with you. The sacks must be marked by clear writings. In Le Havre, buy 30-40 litre wine and take it on the ship. You and the three boys have enough room in one bed. When the wind blows, one rocks that the head comes high, and sometimes it is very uncomfortable. Keep the kids clean on their heads. In the warm areas, it is healthy to take a bath in seawater. When the wind blows fast, one goes to bed, especially kids.
Through a good friend from here, I have sent you 100 dollars and 25 (250?) florints. Then you also have the 499 florin in Zurich money which you have obtained on the 3rd of March from Gottfried Heuss, pastor in Obelsbohn (?), Oberamt Waiblingen in Wurttemberg. I think with all this together you can make the trip. I am now waiting here for your next letter. I have work here for three more weeks, nevertheless the mill is already working for three weeks. The mill, which I talked about in the last letter, I didn't accept, because I couldn't go along with the conditions. I will probably go from here to St. Louis and work there, until I can welcome you in New Orleans. I didn't write to my brother yet, but I will do it before I leave here.
I send my greetings to you, the dear children, mother and ??? and all my earlier friends.
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:p.Your eternal faithful Felix Ganz
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Verena and the three Ganz children joined Felix in America within twelve months after Felix wrote the above letter. Upon their arrival, they settled in Jefferson City, Missouri. During Missouri's steamboat era, 1820-1865, the wharves at this river port bustled with business activity. But a by-product of this active river traffic was repeated exposure to contagious diseases, such as cholera. Jefferson City's cholera problems began in May of 1849, when the steamboat Monroe landed, carrying cholera-stricken Mormon immigrants. Sixty-three passengers and area residents died in the subsequent epidemic.
Residents anxiously sought to keep out steamboats carrying the dreaded disease. Citizens encountered particularly severe problems with the disease in the early 1850s. In August of 1851, cholera again took possession of Jefferson City. The Jefferson Inquirer, published in Jefferson City, carried the following death notice on page 2 of its August 30, 1851 edition:
"On the 28th inst. of Cholera, Mr. Felix Gantz, of this city, aged 42 years."
Only months after Verena and the children joined him in America, Felix Ganz was among at least nineteen residents of Jefferson City who fell victim to this outbreak of the dreaded disease.
Suddenly, Verena Ganz was a widow. A widow with three children, aged seven, six and four. Soon after Felix's death, Verena moved to St. Louis with her children. It was in St. Louis, just five months after Felix's death, that she married Christopher Thiekoetter.
There are several things about Christopher Thiekoetter's marriage to Verena Ganz that are unusual. First, the marriage took place only ten weeks after the death of Christopher's prior wife. Second, he apparently met and married Verena in St. Louis, even though his farmstead was in Franklin County. Third, he married a woman who was not from the same area of Europe that he was from. And fourth, Verena not only had three young children--she was also expecting the birth of another Ganz child in less than three months! One must wonder whether their marriage was arranged for them by a third party.
Christopher and Verena were married on January 8, 1852. It is likely that Christopher immediately took Verena and her children back to his farm in Franklin County, as his infant daughter Caroline, just two or three months old, required a mother's care. There, on March 28, 1852, Verena gave birth to her own child, a daughter whom she named Emilie Ganz.
Verena now had two infants to care for--her own newborn, and six-month-old Caroline Thiekoetter. But that situation was short-lived. On the 14th of August, ten-month-old Caroline Thiekoetter died.
Christopher and Verena soon started a family of their own. Louisa Thiekoetter, their first daughter, was born in April of 1854. That same year, Christopher expanded his farm for the last time. On September 22, he completed the purchase of an additional 142.5 adjoining acres from the U.S. Government, increasing the size of his farm to 222.5 acres.
By 1855, seven years after Christopher purchased his first land, the immediate area had attracted enough settlers to warrant a new post office. In January of that year, a post office was established just one and one-half miles west and one mile south of the Thiekoetter farm. The new post office was named Shotwell. It is said that Shotwell was named by John Seaton, the first postmaster, who lived one mile south of the Thiekoetter farm. There are at least three theories regarding the origin of the Shotwell name. One of the least likely, but most interesting, of the stories asserts that John Seaton took the name from an incident which occurred in the pioneer days of the county. It is purported that Alexander Gregory, who lived less than a mile southeast of the Thiekoetters, and an old Mr. Wages, both pioneer settlers, each claimed the same deer lick, and both went to it one night to kill deer. The deer failed to appear, and, after waiting for a long time, each became aware of the other's presence. They soon began firing at each other, and fired away all their ammunition, without personal injury to either. It is said that shortly after this exciting but harmless episode, Mr. Seaton was appointed postmaster, and in honor of such good shooting named the post office Shotwell.
Christopher and Verena had two children who apparently died in infancy. We believe that one of those two children was born in 1858. The burial records of the Leslie Methodist Church include the death of a six-month-old Thiekoetter infant on November 10, 1858.
At this point in Christopher's life, twelve years after his immigration, and a year before the outbreak of the Civil War, he decided to become a naturalized citizen of his adopted land. He completed the naturalization process on April 11, 1860.
Land values continued to rise during the 1850's, as more settlers moved into the lands further back from the banks of the Missouri River. In the 1860 census, Christopher valued his farm at $1500, and his personal property at $450.
The last child born to Christopher and Verena was Bertha Thiekoetter. Bertha was born on April 25, 1861, just eleven days after the surrender of Fort Sumpter, which signaled the beginning of the Civil War. It was a war that would leave its mark on the Thiekoetter family.
August Ganz, Verena's oldest son, was seventeen years old when Lincoln first called for volunteers in April of 1861. He didn't join the first wave of volunteers. But sixteen months later, when it became clear that the conflict would not be short-lived, eighteen-year-old August Ganz volunteered for service in the Union Army.
August enlisted in St. Louis on August 16, 1862. Two weeks later, on August 31, he was mustered into Company F of the 26th Regiment of the Missouri Infantry at Benton Barracks, in St. Louis. August served as a Private in Company F for nine months. Then, on May 21, 1863, August was killed in battle at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Life went on for the Thiekoetter family, in spite of the tragic loss of Verena's eldest child. The little village of Shotwell was built some years after establishment of the Shotwell Post Office, and the name was, as a matter of course, applied to the village. The first house was erected by John H. Schweer, who lived about two miles southwest of the Thiekoetter farm, and who was the first merchant of the little town. Both the first business house and the first residence were built of logs. Shotwell became one of the most important inland trading points in western Franklin County until it was destroyed by the growing influence of Gerald in the early 1900's. The Thiekoetter family undoubtedly found Shotwell a convenient place to trade.
:fig id=phthie frame=box depth='4.6i'.
:figcap.Christopher and Verena (Meir) Ganz Thiekoetter
:figdesc.Courtesy of Agnes (Landwehr) Farrell.
:efig.
In 1867, the first of the Ganz children was married, when Carolina Ganz married Friedrich Boedecker. By 1870, three years later, Christopher valued his farm at $1800, and his personal property at $410. All of his children and step-children except Carolina were living at home.
The 1870s were relatively uneventful for the Thiekoetter family. Emilie, the daughter of Felix Ganz born to Verena after her marriage to Christopher, was married in 1873 to John Wanner. And Christopher's eldest daughter, Louisa Thiekoetter, married Henry Broemmelsieck in 1879. The only children left at home were Christopher's step-son, John Ganz, and his youngest daughter, Bertha.
John Ganz married Louise Beyer in January of 1880. John was the only surviving son, or step-son, in the Thiekoetter family. It is not surprising, then, that John Ganz and his new bride made their home with Christopher and Verena on the Thiekoetter farm after their marriage.
Christopher Thiekoetter died one year later, on February 8, 1881. He was seventy-two years old. We are not sure of his final resting place, but feel safe in assuming that it is in the Methodist cemetery at Leslie. The Thiekoetter family had long been members of that congregation. The church cemetery was located only about two miles from the Thiekoetter farm, and Verena would be buried there ten years later.
Christopher had written a will in October of 1866, fourteen years before his death. In his will, he bequeathed the Thiekoetter farm, including all livestock, buildings, and personal property, to his "beloved wife Verena" for her use the rest of her life. Upon her death, Christopher's will provided that the farm and all remaining personal property were to become the property of his "adopted son" John Ganz "for his true and faithful service he rendered towards me". To ensure that Christopher's daughters and step-daughters also received a share of his estate, Christopher provided that John Ganz was to pay each of the four girls a $200.00 legacy out of his inheritance. It would appear that Christopher did not intend for John Ganz to inherit the Thiekoetter farm, or to pay the four legacies, until Verena's death. But the estate was probated as if Verena was no longer living.
When Christopher died, there were bills that had to be paid. As executor of the estate, John Ganz paid the following outstanding debts:
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:li.$111.70 to Dr. Butler for Christopher's medical attendance
:li.$86.38 to Dr. Butler, representing $85.00 for the purchase of a
horse, and $1.38 interest
:li.$11.65 to John Roedder to cover the balance on Christopher's
blacksmith account
:li.$21.25 to William Temme, which included $1.00 for wagon repairs
and $15.00 for Christopher's coffin
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A review of the description of Christopher's property at the time of his death provides an interesting glimpse of Franklin County farm life in 1881. His property was appraised as follows:
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:li.one light brown horse mule $40.00
:li.one dark brown mare mule 100.00
:li.one cow and calf 15.00
:li.one yearling steer 8.00
:li.one yearling steer 8.00
:li.one blue cow and calf 20.00
:li.one yearling heiffer 8.00
:li.one brindle cow & calf 15.00
:li.one two year old heiffer 12.00
:li.one 2 year old heiffer & calf 14.00
:li.one three year old stag 12.00
:li.one yearling heiffer 8.00
:li.one yearling heiffer 7.00
:li.one two year old steer 14.00
:li.one cow & calf 15.00
:li.15 hogs 37.50
:li.3 sheep 3.00
:li.1 tog wagon 5.00
:li.1 double shovel plow 1.00
:li.1 wheat fan 15.00
:li.5 old plows 5.00
:li.1 reaper 100.00
:li.1 sulkey plow 25.00
:li.1 lumber wagon 25.00
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The final settlement of the estate was dated December 8, 1883. As administrator, John Ganz apparently took possession of the Thiekoetter farm and Christopher's personal possessions, and paid the four $200 legacies stipulated in Christopher's will, as well as $327.96 in debts and probate expenses.
Christopher's youngest daughter was the last to leave the nest. In 1883, two years after her father's death, Bertha was married to John Frolker.
As a result of her son's death in the Civil War, Verena had received a $100.00 bounty payment, and the last three months of August's army pay, on September 11, 1866. Then, on October 15, 1870, Verena had received another $100.00 bounty payment. In October of 1887, Verena made "Declaration for an Original Pension of a Father or Mother". Her claim for a pension was based on the fact that she was the mother of a soldier killed in the Civil War who left neither widow nor child under sixteen years of age surviving, and that she had been, in part, dependent upon that son for support.
We seldom find a description of our early ancestors other than the few glowing words written for their obituaries. In the case of Christopher Thiekoetter, we do have another description. It is not written in a complimentary fashion. In reading the description, we must recognize that it is taken from an affidavit provided by Henry and Hannah Panhorst in 1888, after Christopher's death, in support of Verena's claim for a Mother's Pension. The affidavit was part of her evidence that she and Christopher were dependent upon their son, August Ganz, and that his loss had financial implications for them. The affidavit read:
"That they were well acquainted with the said Christoph Thiekoetter before, and in the year 1863, and that they knew him to be a man who did not have the physical ability nor did he possess the necessary knowledge as is required by a man to make a living for himself and family on a farm, and that he was subjected to spells of sickness, so that he had frequently to send for a Doctor, and that his Eyesight and hearing were also badly affected, and that he had no other sources from which he could derive any assistance in 1863 than his smal farm, and that from it and the assistance of the said August Ganz made a frugal living, but were not able to lay up any means for the future, and that the said Verena Thiekoetter, since the death of her last husband, is dependent of her son John Ganz, and as she is old and feeble and subjected to chills and fevers & cramp colic which confine her to her Bed frequently, cause a great burden to him, and that the occupation of the said Christoph Thiekoetter in 1863, was farming his smal farm, and that their acquaintance dates back to the year 1850 and that they have since frequently visited one another by which they derived this knowledge. But they are not able to state even approximately the amount of earnings derived from the farm or other sources in 1863, but have positive knowledge that said Christop Tiekoetter run in debt of $250.00 for the support of his family. And as John Ganz has acquired title to the Farm since 1883, they have no knowledge of what he earned in 1887 up to present time."
Verena's application for a Mother's Pension was approved January 29, 1889, with payments to be made retroactive to October 24, 1887. She received payments of $12.00 per month until her death in 1891.
Verena Thiekoetter died at the home of her son-in-law, Rev. John Wanner, on July 29, 1891. Her obituary indicates that she had gone to his home in Cedar Grove, Missouri, for a visit a week before her death. The reference to Cedar Grove is probably an error, and should have read Senate Grove, as Rev. Wanner was transferred from his charge at Senate Grove to Beaufort in 1891. Her obituary states that "she suffered much in her final years, but carried her suffering with patience and resignation in God's will". Her final illness was the grippe (influenza), allied with an "abdominal inflamation". Funeral services were conducted in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Beaufort (Leslie) on July 31, 1891, and burial was at the church cemetery. A granddaughter recalls that no gravestone was ever erected for Verena, or for any of those buried in the first three rows on the west side of the cemetery. She was survived by five of her eight children.
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:li.August Rudolph Ganz was born at Embrach, Switzerland, on February 29, 1844. He was six years old when his parents emigrated to America, and seven years old when his father died.
During the second year of the Civil War, August answered the call for volunteers and enlisted in the army in St. Louis on August 16, 1862. He received a $25.00 bounty for enlisting for three years. At enlistment, August described himself as five feet six inches in height, with hazel eyes, dark hair, and dark complexion.
The 26th Regiment of Missouri Infantry was originally organized in Missouri at large from September to December of the preceeding year. When August was mustered into the Regiment on August 31, 1862, the Regiment was at Jacinto, Mississippi. A list of the Regiment's service after August joined the Regiment indicates that August fought in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee.
On May 18, 1863, the 26th Regiment was committed to the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi. On May 19 and May 22, the Regiment was involved in assaults on Vicksburg. Army records tell us that August was killed in action during the siege of Vicksburg, his death the result of a gunshot wound. Army records give the date of his death as May 21, 1863. In her application for a pension, Verena indicated that August died on May 22, and the Leslie Methodist Church records also give the date of August's death as May 22.
:li.Johannes 'John' Ganz was born at Embrach, in Canton Zurich, Switzerland, on August 22, 1845. John came to America with his parents as a small boy, and grew up on the Thiekoetter farm after his mother was married to Christopher Thiekoetter.
While we have not yet determined positively that he was the same person as the subject of this sketch, we know that a youth named John Ganz served as a Private in Company H of the 11th Regiment of the Enrolled Missouri Militia during the Civil War. He enrolled in September 7, 1862, just a week after August Ganz was mustered into Federal Service at Benton Barracks near St. Louis. This John Ganz was apparently exempted from service by Dr. Conzelman less than a month later, on October 2.
There is also a record that a John Ganz, of Missouri, filed an application (#1049237) for pension on August 14, 1891. Apparently, no certificate was issued. He evidently filed for an invalid pension based on service in Frazier's Company of the Provincial Enrolled Missouri Militia.
On January 29, 1880, 34-year-old John Ganz was married to 18-year-old Louise Beyer, of Belleville, Illinois. John and Louise were married in Franklin County by Rev. Charles Steinmeyer, of Berger, Missouri, who was the Minister of the Hermann Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church. After the death of his step-father a year later, John continued to operate the Thiekoetter farm, and care for his mother.
John's mother died in July of 1891. The following spring, on March 21, 1892, John and Louise sold the 222-acre Thiekoetter farm, plus an adjoining forty acres John had acquired, to Fritz Nolting for $1500. John died at Ballwin, Missouri, on February 22, 1923, and is buried in the Salem Methodist Church Cemetery at Ballwin.
:li.Carolina Ganz was born at Embrach, Switzerland, on August 19, 1847. Carolina was nineteen years old when she was married to Friedrich A. Boedecker of Manchester, Missouri, on February 21, 1867. Friedrich was born in Lippe-Detmold in 1841 or 1842. Carolina and Friedrich were married by Rev. John Koelle, the Minister of the Methodist Church at Leslie.
After their marriage, they apparently settled in the vicinity of Red Oak, east of Owensville, Missouri. In July of 1870, Friedrich listed his occupation as that of a wagon maker. Friedrich valued their land at $800, and their personal property at $300.
Some time before 1895, Friedrich and Carolina moved to Ballwin, Missouri. Carolina is buried in the Salem Methodist Church Cemetery at Ballwin.
:li.Emilie 'Amelia' Ganz was born on the Thiekoetter farm near Beaufort, Missouri, on March 28, 1852. While she was the daughter of Felix Ganz, she was not born until after her mother married Christopher Thiekoetter.
Amelia grew up on the Thiekoetter farm near Beaufort. Her mother and step-father were affiliated with the Zion Methodist Episcopal Church at Beaufort. Like most children raised in a German Protestant home, Amelia was confirmed as a member of the church when she was fourteen years old.
Amelia was married to Rev. John Wanner on December 26, 1873. Because John Wanner was a successful Methodist minister, his life touched many others, including other relatives listed in this book. For that reason, we will review John's life history along with that of Amelia Ganz.
John Wanner was born on January 1, 1836, in Schleitheim, in the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen. Schleitheim, located only about a mile or two from the German border in northern Switzerland, is only about twenty-five miles from the area where Amelia's brothers and sister were born.
John Wanner was the child of Calvinist parents, and enjoyed a good education in Switzerland. A Methodist biography of John, printed in the Jubilaeumsbuch der St. Louis Deutschen Konferenz about 1903, states that "at the age of 14, he found salvation in the forgiveness of his sins. The hand of the good Shepherd held him in spite of several errors, and as a youth he was mightily converted to God. It was his desire to save souls, to become a missionary, and to go to pagan countries."
In 1857, John first stepped on American soil. The Methodist biography goes on to state that he "sought an ecclesiastical home. Traveling aimlessly, the hand of God led him to a faithful Methodist family in Missouri, where to his great joy he found a spirit of companionship." John joined the congregation in St. Charles, Missouri, and was later active in Highland and Summerfield, Illinois, as class leader and admonisher.
John married Maria Keller in 1860. Although recently married, John enlisted for service in the Civil War. John first enlisted in St. Louis on July 16, 1861. He was mustered in as a Private in Company B of the 15th Regiment of Missouri Infantry Volunteers at St. Louis on August 31, 1861. He described himself as a 27-year-old laborer, born in Schleitheim, Switzerland, five feet seven inches in height, with brown hair, dark eyes, and fair complexion.
John Wanner's Civil War service record is a bit of a puzzle. Military records indicate that he deserted from his regiment at Cincinnati, Ohio on September 12, 1862, after slightly more than a year of service. The records also indicate that the desertion charges were removed by the War Department thirty-five years later, in November of 1897, and that a discharge was issued.
About 1905, John Wanner filed an application for a pension based on his military service during the Civil War. In an affadavit completed in February of 1907, John swore that he enlisted in Company H of the 108th Regiment of the Ohio Infantry on September 17, 1862. He also stated that he enlisted in the Ohio regiment at Camp Dennison, Ohio, under the alias of Jacob Keller, and that he was not involved in any other service during the war.
A soldier did serve in Company H of the 108th Regiment of the Ohio Infantry under the name of Jacob Keller. The date on which John Wanner indicated that he enlisted in the Ohio regiment at Camp Dennison was just five days after John Wanner was listed as a deserter from his Missouri regiment at Cincinnati, two hundred miles southwest of Dennison, Ohio. And the maiden name of John Wanner's wife was Keller. The description of John Wanner when he enlisted in the Missouri regiment, as given above, differed slightly from the description of the Jacob Keller who enlisted in the Ohio regiment. At enlistment, "Jacob Keller" described himself as a 27-year-old laborer, born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, five feet six inches in height, with fair complexion, blue eyes, and black hair. We assume that John left his Missouri regiment for some reason, and then enlisted in the Ohio regiment under an assumed name. The other possibility, which seems very unlikely, is that he applied for his pension on the basis of another soldier's service (such as a deceased brother-in-law).
The 108th Ohio Regiment surrendered in their first battle, the Battle of Hartsville, Tennessee on December 7, 1862. They were paroled the next day, and exchanged two months later on January 12, 1863. After reorganizing at Camp Dennison, Ohio, they were ordered back into active service in Kentucky on March 24, 1863.
According to the Methodist biography of John Wanner,
"In these troubled, dangerous times, he promised the Lord that, in the event that he remained well and was brought home safely, he would give his life to the service of the Lord."
After almost three years of service, "Jacob Keller" was honorably discharged at Louisville, Kentucky on the 22nd day of July, 1865.
Two years later, in 1867, John was sent from his home in St. Charles, Misssouri to his first field of work at the Linden, Missouri Mission, as a preacher in the St. Louis Conference of the German Methodist Church. He served Hopewell, Missouri from 1868 to 1871, and Brunswick, Missouri from 1871 to 1873. It was while he was serving at Brunswick that John lost his first wife and three of his children in 1873. His wife, Maria Keller, died in Dalton, Missouri, in October of that year.
John was assigned to the Methodist Church at Beaufort soon after the loss of his wife. As pastor of the Beaufort Church, he would have become acquainted with the Thiekoetter family. About two months after the loss of his first wife, 37-year-old Rev. John Wanner married 21-year-old Amelia Ganz on December 26, 1873. While we don't know where they were married, John gave his home as St. Charles, Missouri. The witnesses to their marriage were Amelia's brother, John Ganz, and her half-sister, Louisa Thiekoetter.
John served Beaufort until 1876, when he returned to the Hopewell region for three years. His next station was Bunker Hill, Illinois, where he served from 1879 until 1881. Nokomis, Illinois was his next field of work. While serving at Nokomis (from 1881 until 1884), Amelia became very ill, and would remain bedfast for years.
After Nokomis, John worked in Brighton, Illinois for one year, then in Petersburg, Illinois for three years, then in Senate Grove, Missouri for three years, and then back to Beaufort, Missouri for the second time. John served in Beaufort from 1891 until 1894. It was during this second period of service in Beaufort that Amelia recovered from the illness that struck her down ten years earlier. According to the Methodist biography, "Through a miraculous granting of our prayers, her health was restored on October 18, 1893."
John served in Chester, Illinois from 1894 until 1895, where he became ill with rheumatism, and completed his twenty-seven years of active service in 1895. Following his retirement, he continued to serve with a superannuary appointment. John moved to Oakdale, Illinois, in 1897, and to Edwardsville, Illinois in September of 1909.
Rev. John Wanner died of senility at his home in Edwardsville on November 30, 1910. His funeral service was conducted by the presiding elder of the district, and he was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Edwardsville. Besides Amelia, John was survived by two sons and a daughter from his first marriage, and one daughter from his marriage to Amelia. Four children from his marriage to Amelia preceeded him in death.
After John's death, Amelia was ill for the remaining ten years of her life. From 1914 until her death in July of 1920, Amelia lived at Etlah, Missouri. During these last six and one-half years of her life, she was a bed-ridden invalid, described as a "nervous wreck", and was cared for by a niece, Carrie Pehle, wife of August Pehle. Carrie was a daughter of Amelia's sister, Carolina Boedecker.
Amelia died in Etlah on July 23, 1920. After a funeral service at Etlah, she was taken back to Edwardsville, Illinois, where she was buried beside her husband in the Woodlawn Cemetery. Amelia was survived by one daughter.
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:hp3.Children of Christoph 'Christopher' Thiekoetter:ehp3.
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:li.Louise 'Louisa' Thiekoetter was born on the Thiekoetter
farm west of Leslie on April 15, 1854. She was married on July 24, 1879, to Casper Heinrich 'Henry' Broemmelsieck, who lived south of Berger, Missouri. They were married by Rev. John P. Faust, Pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Leslie. For additional information about Louisa Thiekoetter and Henry Broemmelsieck, see :hdref refid=brom..
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:li.Bertha Thiekoetter was born on the Thiekoetter farm on April 25, 1861. She was married to Johann H. 'John' Frolker on May 10, 1883. John Frolker was also born in 1861. They were married at the church by Rev. F. E. C. Mantels, Minister of the St. Johannes Evangelical Church north of Union, Missouri, on May 10, 1883.
John died in 1922, and was buried in the Red Oak Methodist Cemetery, near Rosebud, Missouri. Bertha died in southeastern Gasconade County on April 3, 1934, and was buried beside her husband in the Red Oak Methodist Cemetery.