|
Franz Ernst August Ehlers was born on 3 March
1860. His parents were Heinrich Jochim Jacob Ehlers and Friederike
Wilhelmine Burgemeister and he lived in Freetz, Kreis Schlawe, Pomerania prior to
immigrating. It is possible that he was born in Freetz, but the
church records for this period of time are unavailable; they most likely
were destroyed during World War II or during the expulsion of the German
people when this area was given to Poland. He sailed from Prussia to Quebec in June of 1866
with his parents, sister and step-brother, as is evidenced in the
passenger listing of the ship Elvira below.
A ship, named Elvira, sailing from Hamburg to
Quebec, Canada, in early June of 1866 lists the following family as passengers:
Joc. Jac. Ehlers,
master carpenter, 56 years of age, former residence Freetz. Fridike, wife,
47 years of age. Herman, son, 17 years of age. Franz August, son, 6
years of age. Mathilda, 4 years of age.
The family lived in the Watertown area, at least
part of the time, after their arrival in the United States. Although
the confirmation of Franz was never found, his sister Mathilda was
confirmed at Saint John Lutheran Church in Watertown in 1971. The family
was living in Watertown when Mathilda and his father died in 1877. The
family was not found on the 1870 or 1880 censuses. Speculation is
that they were either living with relatives and therefore missed by the
census taker, or because of his father's occupation as a carpenter, that
perhaps his work as a carpenter resulted in the family moving wherever his
services were need.
Bertha Caroline Friederike Post, daughter of
Carl Martin Post and Sophia Louis Friederike Brendemühl, was born on 1
September 1855 in Neides, Kreis Greifenberg, Pomerania. Her first
marriage was to Gustav Neumann in about 1875. Carl Julius Neumann,
born 2 November 1878, was born of this union. Gustav Neumann died
prior to 1887 when Bertha immigrated with
Carl, her sister Wilhelmine, and her mother Sophia Brendemühl Post
on 9 April 1887, aboard the ship Weser, to the United States. One of her brothers were part of the "Old Lutheran
Emigration" in 1846 and her parents and other siblings had immigrated
a few years later to the Watertown, Wisconsin area.
Franz met Bertha at the hotel in Watertown, where
both of them were working. They were married on 26 February 1879 at
Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. After
their marriage, they lived in the Watertown area; five children were
born there prior to 1900. Their first child Elsa Martha Louise
was born on 28 January 1990, but she died on 14 March 1891 from a fall
down the stairs. Grandmother Bertha related that Franz cried and
walked the floor for hours with the dead child in his arms. Children of
Franz and Bertha Ehlers were:
Elsa Martha Louise born 28 January
1890 and died 14 March 1891
Ella Anna Emma born 19 December 1891 and
died 8 May 1967
Clara Martha Louise born 24 May 1894 and
died 28 September 1975
Alvin Erich Herbert born 19 April 1896 and
died 10 July 1977
Martha Anna Henrietta born 17 July 1899 and
died 10 December 1974
Franz and Bertha
purchased 60 acres of land in the Township of Eaton, Clark County,
Wisconsin, in about 1900. They built a house, a barn and the needed
outbuildings for a dairy farm. The skills Franz learned as a teenager
from his father enabled him to build these buildings himself. They accumulated a dairy
herd and also raised geese, ducks and chickens.
 The harvesting of those geese was an extended family
affair. We all gathered at my grandparents' farm to butcher, dress
and pluck them. This was followed with the production of pillows and
"feather ticks." Each of our beds had a couple of these
feather ticks, one to sleep on and one to use as a blanket When laying on
one of these ticks, one would sink deeply into them. When I visited
this area of Kreis Greifenberg, Pomerania, I realized that the raising of
geese was a tradition with the residents there. I was amazed that
most of the Polish people now occupying the area also raise geese.
Grandma Bertha was also "in charge" when we butchered pigs on my
parents farm. She gave the orders when they dressed the pig,
gathered the blood and then made the sausage.
The Ehlers home often was a refuge for extended
family members. When Auguste (Fabian) Neumann, wife of Carl Neumann,
died, the younger children became a part of the Ehlers household until
Carl (Uncle Charlie) married again. When her husband deserted her,
Clara's children stayed with their grandparents until she married
again. Grandma's nephews, Otto and Julius Post, also stayed with the
family for extended periods. When their youngest daughter, Martha,
married, she and her husband, Emil Fabian, took over the management of the
farm under Grandma's directions.
In about 1920, Franz was injured in a horse "runaway." The horses had been spooked or frightened
by something and ran uncontrollably while pulling a dump rake with Grandpa
on it. He fell from the rake seat into the prongs of the rake while the horses
galloped on. He was seriously injured and sustained many cuts,
bruises and broken bones. He lived with a lot of pain after this
accident and always seemed to carry his arm in an odd manner. Franz
was the son of a carpenter and therefore built their house and
out-buildings on the farm, but Bertha appeared to be the farmer in the
family and seemed to be in charge of everything. Perhaps this was
partly because of Grandpa's injuries, or maybe it was because of her very
strong and dominant nature. Although Grandma broke her hip when she
was about 70 years of age, she continued to do the household chores,
hobbling around on her crutches.
Franz and Bertha both spoke German and understood
very little English. Since I did not understand German, it
was almost impossible to form a relationship with them. My mother
spoke "high German" and I imagine that is what they spoke,
although Platt Deutsch was the language used in Pomerania. Grandpa
and Grandma attended church every Sunday and yet I wonder how much of the
service they understood. Although the church originally had a German
service, it was discontinued shortly after World War II. Grandma would walk down the church aisle on her crutches, in
her long black coat and hat, and would take her place on the left side
of the church with her daughter, Martha. Grandpa would sit with his
son-in-law, Emil Fabian, on the right side of the church.
There was an old fashioned trunk that stood in their
living room. My mother said it contained all of the personal belongings
that my Grandparents had brought from Germany. I presume it contained passports, letters, pictures, etc. One day when her young
grandson, Herbert, was angry at his Grandmother, he set a fire inside the truck
and her mementos were all destroyed.
 Grandpa Franz Ehlers appeared to be a gentle, soft
spoken man, but he became very frail as he aged. He died just
prior to his 79th birthday on 9 February 1939 on their farm. Grandma Bertha Post Ehlers lived 7 months beyond her 92nd
birthday and died on 27 March 1948, also on the farm. They were
interred in the Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery at Loyal, Wisconsin.
. Top of Page
|
|
bravenet.com
