My Germans to America part 1 Paul Wickenheiser

 

 

Paul Wickenheiser

My Second Great Uncle

 

 

 

An experienced genealogist once told me, “Every family story has a grain of truth in it.”  This has proved true numerous times, most recently with the immigration story of my maternal 2^nd Great Grandfather. Anton Wickenheiser, who travelled with his wife, Thekla Rebel, daughter Mary age 8, and my Great Grandfather, Nicolaus age 12. They were on the S.S. Oder and were able to obtain cabins. My great-grandfather's occupation was merchant. This was the only Wickenheiser family on the ships manifest, according to “Germans to America.”  The immigration date for this branch of the family was 1875.

 The facts, as we knew them, were that Franz Wickenheiser of Baden Germany had four sons who came to America. They came through Castle Gardens, NY. They were Johan, Phillip, Anton, and Paul. The ship name and arrival date has not been verified for the brothers yet. After a brief stop in Pennsylvania three of the brothers traveled on to Ash Township, Monroe County, MI. Johan stayed in Pennsylvania. This much was thought to be true. There was some communication between the states, but that came to an end about 30 or 40 years ago.  The Pennsylvania contingent still resides around Harrisburg, PA. The Ash township brothers stayed in the general area, venturing no farther than Scofield, Exeter Township, right next to Ash. Many of their descendants still reside in Monroe County, MI.

Fast forward to today. I was browsing in the massive obituary index at Monroe Historical Museum. Like many new genealogists, I had started my research going backwards, just concerned with my direct line. It has only recently been that I have started extending my research into aunts, uncles, and cousins. That was a huge undertaking. While I know all my aunts and uncles, and all eighty of my first cousins, it took a while to put all the names and dates in my on-line family tree. Then I started working on the children of my cousins. Many more entries. Then I started on the siblings and aunts and uncles of my grandparents’ and great-grandparent’s generation. And that is what I was doing in the museum obit file. And I found new information.

The obituary of Paul Wickenheiser, 1832 to 1915, my second great grand uncle,  was very interesting, as it told more of the immigration story. He immigrated in 1852 but did not go straight to Pennsylvania. I also obtained information that stated Johann Adam and the only sister Johanna did not come to America but remained in Germany. So which Wickenheiser’s stayed in Pennsylvania? I know there were relations there. Paul arrived earlier than his brother Anton. He lived in Bridgeport, CT, where he married Agnes Beck on October 26,1853, soon after arriving in America. Their first child, Johanna, was born in CT in 1854. Other children followed, all born in Pennsylvania. Anna in 1856, Ella in 1958, Mary in 1861, August in 1865. While in PA Paul was engaged in the lumber business. In 1866 they came to Monroe County, MI. Paul and Agnes bought a farm in Scofield, Mi where the last child, Sophie, was born in 1868. Paul remained on the farm for the rest of his life, his travelling days over. The obit went on to say, “He and the aged wife who is left to mourn celebrated their golden wedding anniversary October 26, 1903.” He also left thirty-five grandchildren and twenty-two great grandchildren. He was buried in Stoney Creek Cemetery, (now known as St. Patrick's Cemetery #2). The headstone is now moss covered and hard to read, but it says “Father. 1832-1915" The obituary ended with the words “Mr. Wickenheiser was a man of sterling qualities and will be missed in this community. The obituary was from the Monroe Record-Commercial, Thursday February 4, 1915.

This put a new spin on the quick stop in PA then onto MI story I had always heard. I will have to delve into the stories of Anton and his other brothers to find out more about their lives, and did Anton and Theka stay in PA a while before coming to MI? I also have questions about some of the dates, they do not really add up, but I know mistakes happened, especially in the newspapers. So, while the story of stopping in Pennsylvania is true, there is much more truth to be found.

 

Monroe County Museum Obituary file

“Frank Joseph Wickenheiser’s Family Ancestral Line and History” by Tim Wickenheiser

 

Rana Joblinski Willit  02/24