The Ancestors and Cousins of Tracy Lynn DeVault

Blanche Anna Birch^1,2

F, #5301, b. 17 December 1905, d. 10 July 2005

Parents

Father	Raymond Edwin Birch (b. 5 February 1881, d. 12 February 1968)
Mother	Laura Olive Hillman (b. 4 November 1879, d. 3 May 1951)

Pedigree Link

Family: Jesse Frederick (b. 7 November 1896, d. 4 October 1984)

Adopted Daughter	Beth Frederick+ (b. 24 March 1926, d. 14 November 1994)
Daughter	Lavonne Frederick+
Son	Kenneth Frederick+
Son	Robert L. Frederick+

BASIC FACTS

Blanche Anna Birch was born on 17 December 1905 in Adams, Gage Co., Nebraska.³ She and Jesse Frederick were married on 7 January 1924 in Winner, South Dakota.^2,4,5 She died on 10 July 2005, at age 99.⁶

Blanche Anna Birch had reference number 5564. Her Social Security Number was 505-30-3948, issued: Nebraska, last residence: Grand Island, Hall Co., Nebraska.⁶ See Blanche's memoirs in an appendix.

Citations

[S8714] Letter from Wanda (Hillman) Cartwright dated January 31, 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S7355] Genealogy prepared by Susan (Johnson) Birch
[S12263] Phone conversation with Blanche (Birch) Frederick July 7, 2000
[S9080] Memoirs of Blanche (Birch) Frederick
[S8591] Letter from Blanche (Birch) Frederick dated December 1, 2000
[S12398] Social Security Death Index, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Violet Emily Birch^1,2

F, #5302, b. 25 December 1912, d. 16 September 1973

Parents

Father	Raymond Edwin Birch (b. 5 February 1881, d. 12 February 1968)
Mother	Laura Olive Hillman (b. 4 November 1879, d. 3 May 1951)

Pedigree Link

Family: Willard Jaster

Daughter	Bonnie Jaster
Daughter	Sharon Jaster+
Daughter	Deanna Jaster+
Daughter	Marilyn Jaster+

BASIC FACTS

Violet Emily Birch was born on 25 December 1912 in Gracie, Loup Co., Nebraska.^3,2 She died on 16 September 1973, at age 60, in Fontana, California.³ She was buried in Crestlawn Memorial Park, Riverside, California.³

Violet Emily Birch had reference number 5565.

Citations

[S8714] Letter from Wanda (Hillman) Cartwright dated January 31, 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S8675] Letter from Marjorie Fern (Birch) Klink Goldman dated June 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S7355] Genealogy prepared by Susan (Johnson) Birch

Family Explorer

Marjorie Fern Birch^1,2,3

F, #5303, b. 29 November 1914

Parents

Father	Raymond Edwin Birch (b. 5 February 1881, d. 12 February 1968)
Mother	Laura Olive Hillman (b. 4 November 1879, d. 3 May 1951)

Pedigree Link

Family: Lloyd Klink (b. 25 December 1912, d. 17 March 1986)

Daughter	Donna Lea Klink+
Daughter	Ila Mae Klink+
Son	Virgil Klink+

BASIC FACTS

Marjorie Fern Birch was born on 29 November 1914 in Gage Co., Nebraska.³ She was born on 29 November 1914 in Burwell, Nebraska.² She and Lloyd Klink were married on 22 March 1934 in South Dakota.³ She and William Spencer were married after 1986. She and George A. Goldman were married after 1987.

Marjorie Fern Birch had reference number 5566.

Citations

[S8714] Letter from Wanda (Hillman) Cartwright dated January 31, 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S7355] Genealogy prepared by Susan (Johnson) Birch
[S8675] Letter from Marjorie Fern (Birch) Klink Goldman dated June 2000, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Robert Raymond "Buster" Birch¹

M, #5304, b. 9 April 1917, d. 20 January 1960

Parents

Father	Raymond Edwin Birch (b. 5 February 1881, d. 12 February 1968)
Mother	Laura Olive Hillman (b. 4 November 1879, d. 3 May 1951)

Pedigree Link

Family: Anna Rose Schutt (b. 21 January 1920, d. 3 September 1996)

Son	William Raymond Birch+
Daughter	Betty Rose Birch
Son	Bobby Ray Birch+
Daughter	Bonnie Ruth Birch+
Son	Bennie Leo Birch+

BASIC FACTS

Robert Raymond "Buster" Birch was born on 9 April 1917 in Taylor, Loup Co., Nebraska.² He and Anna Rose Schutt were married on 4 April 1938 in Winner, Tripp Co., South Dakota. He died on 20 January 1960, at age 42, in Riverside, California.² He was buried in Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park, Riverside, California.²

Robert Raymond "Buster" Birch was also known as Raymond Robert Birch.^3,2 He had reference number 5567. His Social Security Number was 506-18-5221.

Citations

[S8675] Letter from Marjorie Fern (Birch) Klink Goldman dated June 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S7355] Genealogy prepared by Susan (Johnson) Birch
[S8714] Letter from Wanda (Hillman) Cartwright dated January 31, 2000, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Zella Ruth Stonemets^1,2

F, #5305, b. 23 March 1897, d. 3 February 1972

Parents

Father	George Milton Stonemets
Mother	Margaret Amartha Hinderliter

Pedigree Link

Family: Earl Delmar Grubb (b. 21 January 1894, d. 26 December 1986)

Son	George William Grubb+ (b. 10 February 1918, d. 17 December 1975)
Son	Harold Wayne Grubb+ (b. 5 May 1921, d. 17 May 1982)
Son	Donald Lyle Grubb+ (b. 16 September 1925, d. 9 December 1987)
Son	Alma Lee "Lee" Grubb+

BASIC FACTS

Zella Ruth Stonemets was born on 23 March 1897 in Smithfield, Fulton Co., Illinois.³ She and Earl Delmar Grubb were married on 26 November 1916 in Wellington, Larimer Co., Colorado.³ She died on 3 February 1972, at age 74, in Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri.³ She was buried in Mound Grove Cemetery, Independence, Jackson Co., Missouri.⁴

Zella Ruth Stonemets had reference number 5568.

Citations

[S8498] Hillman Family Picture, Source Medium: Book
[S8655] Letter from Judy (Amdahl) Grubb dated 5/24/99
[S8653] Letter from Judith (Amdahl) Grubb dated June 2000
[S8652] Letter from Judith (Amdahl) Grubb dated 7/3/00

Family Explorer

George William Grubb^1,2

M, #5306, b. 10 February 1918, d. 17 December 1975

Parents

Father	Earl Delmar Grubb (b. 21 January 1894, d. 26 December 1986)
Mother	Zella Ruth Stonemets (b. 23 March 1897, d. 3 February 1972)

Pedigree Link

Family: Lillian Evelyn Beard (b. 13 December 1923, d. 23 November 1998)

Son	William Morton Grubb+
Daughter	Peggy Edith Grubb+

BASIC FACTS

George William Grubb was born on 10 February 1918 in Fort Collins, Larimer Co., Colorado.³ He and Lillian Evelyn Beard were married on 9 March 1940 in Independence, Jackson Co., Missouri.³ He died on 17 December 1975, at age 57, in Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri.³ He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Independence, Jackson Co., Missouri.³

George William Grubb had reference number 5569.

Citations

[S8498] Hillman Family Picture, Source Medium: Book
[S8655] Letter from Judy (Amdahl) Grubb dated 5/24/99
[S8653] Letter from Judith (Amdahl) Grubb dated June 2000

Family Explorer

Harold Wayne Grubb^1,2

M, #5307, b. 5 May 1921, d. 17 May 1982

Parents

Father	Earl Delmar Grubb (b. 21 January 1894, d. 26 December 1986)
Mother	Zella Ruth Stonemets (b. 23 March 1897, d. 3 February 1972)

Pedigree Link

Family: Vera Elizabeth Story (b. 16 August 1921)

Son	Robert Wayne Grubb+
Son	LeRoy Earl Grubb+
Son	Raymond Leon Grubb+
Son	Ronald Dean Grubb+

BASIC FACTS

Harold Wayne Grubb was born on 5 May 1921 in Waverly, Larimer Co., Colorado.³ He and Vera Elizabeth Story were married on 24 May 1939 in Oak Grove, Jackson Co., Missouri.³ He died on 17 May 1982, at age 61, in Kansas City, Jackson Co., Missouri.

Harold Wayne Grubb had reference number 5570. Harold Grubb worked in a steel mill. He drove a small train engine used to pull heavily loaded cars. One day the engine would not hook up to a car. Harold got between the engine and the car to see what was the matter. What ever was holding the engine and car apart let loose and Harold was crushed.

Citations

[S8498] Hillman Family Picture, Source Medium: Book
[S8655] Letter from Judy (Amdahl) Grubb dated 5/24/99
[S8653] Letter from Judith (Amdahl) Grubb dated June 2000

Family Explorer

Lois Reva Snyder^1,2

F, #5308, b. 23 June 1912, d. December 1992

Parents

Father	Harry Leslie Snyder (b. 3 March 1874, d. 6 February 1945)
Mother	Mary Edna Hillman (b. 30 September 1874, d. 1955)

Pedigree Link

Family 1: Clarence Freeman

Daughter	Donna Freeman (d. DECEASED)
Daughter	Shirley Freeman
Son	Jerry Freeman (d. DECEASED)

Family 2: Mike Straface (b. 5 June 1903, d. December 1975)

Daughter

Linda Straface

BASIC FACTS

Lois Reva Snyder was born on 23 June 1912 in Adams, Gage Co., Nebraska.^3,2 She and Clarence Freeman were married on 15 April 1931.² She and Unknown Unknown were married about 1932. She and Mike Straface were married after 1940. She died in December 1992, at age 80, in Arvada, Jefferson Co., Colorado.³

Lois Reva Snyder had reference number 5571. Her Social Security Number was 507-07-2026.³

Citations

[S8714] Letter from Wanda (Hillman) Cartwright dated January 31, 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S6568] Genealogy prepared by Leo Wayne Jeffres
[S12398] Social Security Death Index, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Mike Straface^1,2

M, #5309, b. 5 June 1903, d. December 1975

Pedigree Link

Family: Lois Reva Snyder (b. 23 June 1912, d. December 1992)

Daughter

Linda Straface

BASIC FACTS

Mike Straface was born on 5 June 1903.² He and Lois Reva Snyder were married after 1940. He died in December 1975, at age 72, in Arvada, Jefferson Co., Colorado.²

Mike Straface had reference number 5572. His Social Security Number was 521-16-8442.²

Citations

[S8714] Letter from Wanda (Hillman) Cartwright dated January 31, 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S12398] Social Security Death Index, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Emil Krueger¹

M, #5310, b. 12 January 1908, d. July 1981

Pedigree Link

Family: Amy Violet Snyder (b. 4 January 1907, d. DECEASED)

Son	Harland Krueger

BASIC FACTS

Emil Krueger was born on 12 January 1908.² He and Amy Violet Snyder were married on 25 January 1928.³ He died in July 1981, at age 73, in Grand Island, Hall Co., Nebraska.²

Emil Krueger was also known as Emil Kroeger.³ He had reference number 5573. His Social Security Number was 506-36-9423.²

Citations

[S8714] Letter from Wanda (Hillman) Cartwright dated January 31, 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S12398] Social Security Death Index, Source Medium: Book
[S6568] Genealogy prepared by Leo Wayne Jeffres

Family Explorer

Norman Kenneth Snyder^1,2

M, #5311, b. 6 February 1915, d. 3 May 1936

Parents

Father	Harry Leslie Snyder (b. 3 March 1874, d. 6 February 1945)
Mother	Mary Edna Hillman (b. 30 September 1874, d. 1955)

Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Norman Kenneth Snyder was born on 6 February 1915 in Adams, Gage Co., Nebraska.^3,2 He died on 3 May 1936, at age 21, in Bayard, Morrill Co., Nebraska.^3,2 He was buried in Bayard Cemetery, Bayard, Morrill Co., Nebraska.³

Norman Kenneth Snyder had reference number 5574.

Citations

[S8714] Letter from Wanda (Hillman) Cartwright dated January 31, 2000, Source Medium: Book
[S6568] Genealogy prepared by Leo Wayne Jeffres
[S8245] Grave Marker - Norman Snyder, Bayard Cemetery, Bayard, Morrill Co., Nebraska

Family Explorer

Friedrich Kuhfusz^1,2

M, #5312, b. 1811, d. 14 October 1864

Pedigree Link

Family: Wilhelmine Vieth (b. 3 September 1810, d. 14 August 1858)

Daughter	Wilhelmine Marie Katherine Kuhfusz+ (b. 29 January 1836, d. 29 August 1864)
Daughter	Caroline Wilhelmine H. Kuhfusz+ (b. 12 December 1839, d. 5 November 1871)
Daughter	Charlotte Kuhfusz+ (b. 24 January 1842, d. 20 November 1916)
Daughter	Sophia Justin "Justina" Kuhfusz+ (b. 21 August 1844, d. 26 April 1916)
Son	Frederich Kuhfusz, Jr (b. 17 July 1847, d. 23 November 1864)
Daughter	Friederike Kuhfusz+ (b. 6 August 1850, d. 4 September 1926)

BASIC FACTS

Friedrich Kuhfusz was born in 1811 in Boesingfeld, Lippe-Detmold, Germany.^1,2 He and Wilhelmine Vieth were married in Germany.² He died on 14 October 1864, at age ~53, in Hopewell, Warren Co., Missouri.² He was buried in Lippstadt Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Hopewell, Warren Co., Missouri.³

Friedrich Kuhfusz had reference number 5575. The Kuhfusz family came to the United States in the spring of 1856 and settled on Lippstadt Ridge near Hopewell, Warren County, Missouri. In 1864 an epidemic of some sort (called Nervenfieber in the German obituaries) swept the Hopewell community and three members of the Kuhfusz family died, namely father Kuhfusz, the oldest daughter, Wilhelmine Kuhfusz Offel, and the only son, Fredrick Kuhfusz, Junior. (Nervenfieber, literally nerve fever, is an old term for typhus.) Mother Kuhfusz died in 1858. The bodies of Fredrick Kuhfusz and Wilhelmine Vieth Kuhfusz are buried in the Lippstadt Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, several miles south of Warrenton, Missouri. We think that the bodies of Wilhelmine Kuhfusz Offel and Fredrich Kuhfusz, Junior, are buried in the Hopewell, Missouri Cemetery. Unfortunately, at that time, now a century ago, bodies were ofter buried without benefit of headstones and death records are incomplete.

In 1841 a group of German Methodists laid the foundation for a chapel at Smith Creek, Warren County, Missouri. In 1845 the building was completed; so too were two other church edifices, one near Hopewell, and the other in Marthasville, both in Warren County, Missouri. The area which included these three congregations was called the Hopewell Circuit and they were served by a single pastor. His parsonage was first in Marthasville, later in Hopewell.

When the Kuhfusz family came to the Hopewell, Missouri community from Germany they became members of the German Methodist Church there. Almost immediately wedding bells rang. In 1857 Wilhelmine Kuhfusz was married to Charles Frederick Wilhelm Offel and they settled on a farm near Pickney, Missouri, which was situated southeast of the Smith Creek Community. After Wilhelmine died in 1854 Wilhelm Offel married Louise Wilhelmine Baurichter in 1865. They continued to live on the farm near Pinckney and attended the Smith Creek German Methodist Church. Wilhelm died in 1881. Louise Baurichter Offel married Frederich Schake in 1889 and they lived at Marthasville until he died in 1916. They Louise lived with her daughter, Ella Schake Korth, until her death in 1934.

Caroline Kuhfusz was married in 1859 to John (Johannes) Joekel. They settled first in the Hopewell, Missouri neighborhood. In 1864 they moved to a homestead six miles southwest of Sterling, Nebraska. After the marriage of Caroline to John was terminated by her early death, John was married in 1872 to Louise Maria Sophia Schroeder. They continued to reside on the Joekel farm as long as they lived.

In each of the Offel and Joekel families there were two sets of children. In each family the children had the same father but part of the children had one mother, another part a different mother. Since the children in each family were related in this way, we are reporting both groups of children in each case as one family unit.

Justine Kuhfusz was married in 1865 to Conrad Frederick Anton Biesemeier. They went directly to a homestead southwest of Sterling, Nebraska, directly east of and adjoining the Joekel homestead. They continued to reside there as long as they lived.

Charlotte Kuhfusz was married in 1862 to Frederick (Friederich) Laeger (Lager). They settled on a farm near Pittstown, east of Warrenton, Missouri. After they had resided in several places in central Missouri, they came to Nebraska in 1880 and settled on a farm directly north of the Biesemeier farm. The Laeger farm as well as the Joekel farm and the Biesemeier farm have been and still are owned and operated by the respective families.

Frederike Kuhfusz came with the Biesemeiers to Nebraska in 1865. In 1868 she was married to Wilhelm Ernest Krause in the Biesemeier home and they settled on a homestead two miles west of the Joekel farm. The Krauses left their farm late in life to reside with their children in Texas and Kansas.

In 1887 Frederick William Offel, the son of Wilhelmine Kuhfusz and Wilhelm Offel came to reside with the Biesemeiers, his uncle and aunt. Eight years later, he married Louisa Metzger and they settled first on a farm near Pickrell, Nebraska and later on a farm which adjoined the Joekel farm. In the middle nineties, Henry Carl Offel, the son of Wilhelm Offel and Louise Baurichter, came to Nebraska and he resided for seveeral years near the Kreause family until he went to Oregon. He resided there the rest of his life. The other children of the Wilhelm Offel family continued to live in eastern and central Missouri.

In 1865 a Carl Steinmeyer, a pioneer missionary, found the Joekels, the Biesemeiers and the Michael Kritners, all of them German Methodists, and helped them to organize a religious class, with August Vieth the leader. August Vieth, who came to Nebraska with the Biesemeiers and resided with them, was born September 15, 1815 at Lippe-Detmold, Germany, and died March 6, 1899 near Sterling, Nebraska. August was a tailor by trade. He had a brother, Johann Henrich Vieth whose family tree was constructed by Frederick Henry Wipperman in 1934. August and Johann were brothers of WIlhelmine Vieth Kuhfusz.

(Missing text) ... pastor at Otoe, Nebraska, and was appointed as the pastor for the newly organized class and it now became the Hopewell German Methodist Church. The name Hopewell was chosen because it was from Hopewell, Missouri, that the Kuhfusz families had come to Nebraska. The congregation met in homes until a school house was built on a plot across the road from the northwest corner of the Joekel farm. The people of the Hopewell community used the new school house for the operation of a public school and also for the services of the congregation until 1883 when they decided to build a church structure. The structure was built across the road west of the school house. In 1884 a parsonage was built near the church. This school-church-parsonage complex was the center of the Hopewell community. Unlike the Hopewell, Missouri community it was never organized into a village with a post office and stores. The primary emphasis in the Hopewell, Nebraska community was on the religious, educational and social aspects of life. The services in the church were conducted in the German language and German was the primary language in the homes of the community. In the public school English was taught and spoken. Consequently the children for many years became bilingual; they spoke German and English with equal proficiency. The oppopsition to German during and after World War I and the integration of the community into the county, state and national life hastened the reduction in the use of the German language and then to its elimination in the German Methodist churches, including the Hopewell church. When the German Methodist conferences in the United States merged with the English Methodist conferences many local German Methodist congregations ceased to exist and the local church buildings were abandoned. The Hopewell church, however, made the transition from the German to the English status without too much difficulty. The membership in this congregation has changed much over the years but there is still a good representation of the original Kuhfusz families. The resident pastor and the congregation of the Hopewell, Nebraska Methodist church are celebrating the centennial anniversary this year, 1966.

In addition to the Joekels, the Biesemeiers, the Michael Kritners, the Laegers, the Krauses and the Offels there were other families who settled in the Hopewell community. Among these were the families of August Krause, the brother of Wilhelm Krause, of John Buehler, of Christian Buehler, of Michael Finkner, of Adam Finkner, of Frederick Fritz, of Thomas Diehm, of Wilhelm Tiemens, and of Charles Frederick Werner. The primary occupation of these families was farming. As farmers, the men tilled the soil after they had broken the sod, they raised crops, bred and fed livestock, improved their farmsteads by erecting buildings, building fences, planting trees for shelter, food and beautification of the place. The women attended to the many detailed activities of the home, assisted in the gardening and even in the fields and helped with the daily chores. The tradition of farming has continued to be strong with the offspring of the five Kuhfusz children.

The influence of the emphasis on religion and educaton by the original couples is reflected in the considerable number of men and women who entered the Christian ministry and of the men and women who did and still do participate in church activities. It is also reflected in the rather large number who chose teaching as an occupation, and in the increasing attendance of the Children in seconday schools, in colleges and universities and in graduate and professional schools. The family has been generous in contributing personnel to the armed services of the United States, beginning with Conrad Biesemeier and Wilhelm Krause who served in the Civil War and were members of the Grand Army of the Republic. In this Family Tree, we have tried to indicate the occupations of the members through the first four generations. This is true particularly of the men. We also indicated the occupations of the women if they differed from housekeeping or if they were in addition to keeping house. The is no intention to minimize the importance of housekeeping on the part of the women by omitting special reference to it.

Oscar Helmuth Werner.

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S12411] The Family Story of William (Wilhelm) Ernest Krause and Friederike (Kuhfusz) Krause by Stanley F. Krause, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Wilhelmine Vieth^1,2

F, #5313, b. 3 September 1810, d. 14 August 1858

Pedigree Link

Family: Friedrich Kuhfusz (b. 1811, d. 14 October 1864)

Daughter	Wilhelmine Marie Katherine Kuhfusz+ (b. 29 January 1836, d. 29 August 1864)
Daughter	Caroline Wilhelmine H. Kuhfusz+ (b. 12 December 1839, d. 5 November 1871)
Daughter	Charlotte Kuhfusz+ (b. 24 January 1842, d. 20 November 1916)
Daughter	Sophia Justin "Justina" Kuhfusz+ (b. 21 August 1844, d. 26 April 1916)
Son	Frederich Kuhfusz, Jr (b. 17 July 1847, d. 23 November 1864)
Daughter	Friederike Kuhfusz+ (b. 6 August 1850, d. 4 September 1926)

BASIC FACTS

Wilhelmine Vieth was born on 3 September 1810 in Lippe-Detmold, Germany.³ She was born on 3 September 1816 in Lippe-Detmold, Germany.^1,2 She and Friedrich Kuhfusz were married in Germany.² She died on 14 August 1858, at age 47, in Hopewell, Warren Co., Missouri.²

Wilhelmine Vieth had reference number 5576. The Kuhfusz family came to the United States in the spring of 1856 and settled on Lippstadt Ridge near Hopewell, Warren County, Missouri. In 1864 an epidemic of some sort (called Nervenfieber in the German obituaries) swept the Hopewell community and three members of the Kuhfusz family died, namely father Kuhfusz, the oldest daughter, Wilhelmine Kuhfusz Offel, and the only son, Fredrick Kuhfusz, Junior. (Nervenfieber, literally nerve fever, is an old term for typhus.) Mother Kuhfusz died in 1858. The bodies of Fredrick Kuhfusz and Wilhelmine Vieth Kuhfusz are buried in the Lippstadt Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, several miles south of Warrenton, Missouri. We think that the bodies of Wilhelmine Kuhfusz Offel and Fredrich Kuhfusz, Junior, are buried in the Hopewell, Missouri Cemetery. Unfortunately, at that time, now a century ago, bodies were ofter buried without benefit of headstones and death records are incomplete.

In 1841 a group of German Methodists laid the foundation for a chapel at Smith Creek, Warren County, Missouri. In 1845 the building was completed; so too were two other church edifices, one near Hopewell, and the other in Marthasville, both in Warren County, Missouri. The area which included these three congregations was called the Hopewell Circuit and they were served by a single pastor. His parsonage was first in Marthasville, later in Hopewell.

When the Kuhfusz family came to the Hopewell, Missouri community from Germany they became members of the German Methodist Church there. Almost immediately wedding bells rang. In 1857 Wilhelmine Kuhfusz was married to Charles Frederick Wilhelm Offel and they settled on a farm near Pickney, Missouri, which was situated southeast of the Smith Creek Community. After Wilhelmine died in 1854 Wilhelm Offel married Louise Wilhelmine Baurichter in 1865. They continued to live on the farm near Pinckney and attended the Smith Creek German Methodist Church. Wilhelm died in 1881. Louise Baurichter Offel married Frederich Schake in 1889 and they lived at Marthasville until he died in 1916. They Louise lived with her daughter, Ella Schake Korth, until her death in 1934.

Caroline Kuhfusz was married in 1859 to John (Johannes) Joekel. They settled first in the Hopewell, Missouri neighborhood. In 1864 they moved to a homestead six miles southwest of Sterling, Nebraska. After the marriage of Caroline to John was terminated by her early death, John was married in 1872 to Louise Maria Sophia Schroeder. They continued to reside on the Joekel farm as long as they lived.

In each of the Offel and Joekel families there were two sets of children. In each family the children had the same father but part of the children had one mother, another part a different mother. Since the children in each family were related in this way, we are reporting both groups of children in each case as one family unit.

Justine Kuhfusz was married in 1865 to Conrad Frederick Anton Biesemeier. They went directly to a homestead southwest of Sterling, Nebraska, directly east of and adjoining the Joekel homestead. They continued to reside there as long as they lived.

Charlotte Kuhfusz was married in 1862 to Frederick (Friederich) Laeger (Lager). They settled on a farm near Pittstown, east of Warrenton, Missouri. After they had resided in several places in central Missouri, they came to Nebraska in 1880 and settled on a farm directly north of the Biesemeier farm. The Laeger farm as well as the Joekel farm and the Biesemeier farm have been and still are owned and operated by the respective families.

Frederike Kuhfusz came with the Biesemeiers to Nebraska in 1865. In 1868 she was married to Wilhelm Ernest Krause in the Biesemeier home and they settled on a homestead two miles west of the Joekel farm. The Krauses left their farm late in life to reside with their children in Texas and Kansas.

In 1887 Frederick William Offel, the son of Wilhelmine Kuhfusz and Wilhelm Offel came to reside with the Biesemeiers, his uncle and aunt. Eight years later, he married Louisa Metzger and they settled first on a farm near Pickrell, Nebraska and later on a farm which adjoined the Joekel farm. In the middle nineties, Henry Carl Offel, the son of Wilhelm Offel and Louise Baurichter, came to Nebraska and he resided for seveeral years near the Kreause family until he went to Oregon. He resided there the rest of his life. The other children of the Wilhelm Offel family continued to live in eastern and central Missouri.

In 1865 a Carl Steinmeyer, a pioneer missionary, found the Joekels, the Biesemeiers and the Michael Kritners, all of them German Methodists, and helped them to organize a religious class, with August Vieth the leader. August Vieth, who came to Nebraska with the Biesemeiers and resided with them, was born September 15, 1815 at Lippe-Detmold, Germany, and died March 6, 1899 near Sterling, Nebraska. August was a tailor by trade. He had a brother, Johann Henrich Vieth whose family tree was constructed by Frederick Henry Wipperman in 1934. August and Johann were brothers of WIlhelmine Vieth Kuhfusz.

(Missing text) ... pastor at Otoe, Nebraska, and was appointed as the pastor for the newly organized class and it now became the Hopewell German Methodist Church. The name Hopewell was chosen because it was from Hopewell, Missouri, that the Kuhfusz families had come to Nebraska. The congregation met in homes until a school house was built on a plot across the road from the northwest corner of the Joekel farm. The people of the Hopewell community used the new school house for the operation of a public school and also for the services of the congregation until 1883 when they decided to build a church structure. The structure was built across the road west of the school house. In 1884 a parsonage was built near the church. This school-church-parsonage complex was the center of the Hopewell community. Unlike the Hopewell, Missouri community it was never organized into a village with a post office and stores. The primary emphasis in the Hopewell, Nebraska community was on the religious, educational and social aspects of life. The services in the church were conducted in the German language and German was the primary language in the homes of the community. In the public school English was taught and spoken. Consequently the children for many years became bilingual; they spoke German and English with equal proficiency. The oppopsition to German during and after World War I and the integration of the community into the county, state and national life hastened the reduction in the use of the German language and then to its elimination in the German Methodist churches, including the Hopewell church. When the German Methodist conferences in the United States merged with the English Methodist conferences many local German Methodist congregations ceased to exist and the local church buildings were abandoned. The Hopewell church, however, made the transition from the German to the English status without too much difficulty. The membership in this congregation has changed much over the years but there is still a good representation of the original Kuhfusz families. The resident pastor and the congregation of the Hopewell, Nebraska Methodist church are celebrating the centennial anniversary this year, 1966.

In addition to the Joekels, the Biesemeiers, the Michael Kritners, the Laegers, the Krauses and the Offels there were other families who settled in the Hopewell community. Among these were the families of August Krause, the brother of Wilhelm Krause, of John Buehler, of Christian Buehler, of Michael Finkner, of Adam Finkner, of Frederick Fritz, of Thomas Diehm, of Wilhelm Tiemens, and of Charles Frederick Werner. The primary occupation of these families was farming. As farmers, the men tilled the soil after they had broken the sod, they raised crops, bred and fed livestock, improved their farmsteads by erecting buildings, building fences, planting trees for shelter, food and beautification of the place. The women attended to the many detailed activities of the home, assisted in the gardening and even in the fields and helped with the daily chores. The tradition of farming has continued to be strong with the offspring of the five Kuhfusz children.

The influence of the emphasis on religion and educaton by the original couples is reflected in the considerable number of men and women who entered the Christian ministry and of the men and women who did and still do participate in church activities. It is also reflected in the rather large number who chose teaching as an occupation, and in the increasing attendance of the Children in seconday schools, in colleges and universities and in graduate and professional schools. The family has been generous in contributing personnel to the armed services of the United States, beginning with Conrad Biesemeier and Wilhelm Krause who served in the Civil War and were members of the Grand Army of the Republic. In this Family Tree, we have tried to indicate the occupations of the members through the first four generations. This is true particularly of the men. We also indicated the occupations of the women if they differed from housekeeping or if they were in addition to keeping house. The is no intention to minimize the importance of housekeeping on the part of the women by omitting special reference to it.

Oscar Helmuth Werner.

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S12411] The Family Story of William (Wilhelm) Ernest Krause and Friederike (Kuhfusz) Krause by Stanley F. Krause, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Samuel Joekel¹

M, #5314, b. 22 February 1869, d. 22 August 1869

Parents

Father	Johannes Joekel (b. 17 October 1836, d. 1 June 1904)
Mother	Caroline Wilhelmine H. Kuhfusz (b. 12 December 1839, d. 5 November 1871)

Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Samuel Joekel was born on 22 February 1869 in on the Joekel Farm, Johnson Co., Nebraska.¹ He was born on 21 March 1869 in Sterling, Johnson Co., Nebraska.² He died on 22 August 1869, at age 0, in Sterling, Johnson Co., Nebraska.¹ He was buried in Granite Hill Cemetery (aka Hopewell Cemetery), Johnson Co., Nebraska.^1,2

Samuel Joekel had reference number 5577.

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Christian Buehler¹

M, #5315, b. 19 June 1850, d. 13 June 1945

Parents

Father

Matthaus Buehler

Pedigree Link

Family 1: A. Mary Kirgis (b. 1855, d. 1880)

Daughter	Ida L. Buehler (b. 1877, d. 1880)
Daughter	Dora Sophia Buehler (b. 20 January 1879, d. 23 February 1899)
Son	J. Noah Buehler (b. 1880, d. 1882)

Family 2: Mary Joekel (b. 23 September 1860, d. 10 February 1945)

Son	William Arthur Buehler+ (b. 25 September 1882, d. 18 January 1968)
Son	Simon Friedrich Buehler (b. 4 July 1884, d. 1886)
Son	Carl Aaron Buehler+ (b. 26 December 1887)
Son	Ernest Matthew Buehler (b. 3 November 1889)
Son	Walter Otto Buehler (b. 24 May 1892, d. 30 May 1893)
Son	Ezra Christian Buehler+ (b. 13 May 1894)
Daughter	Cora Edna Buehler+ (b. 18 December 1898)

BASIC FACTS

Christian Buehler was born on 19 June 1850 in Schiltach, Schwarzwald, Baden, Germany.^2,3 He was born on 19 June 1850 in Hornberg Schwarzwald, Baden, Germany.¹ He and A. Mary Kirgis were married in 1873.¹ He and Mary Joekel were married on 3 October 1881 in Sterling, Johnson Co., Nebraska.^1,2 He died on 13 June 1945, at age 94, in Lincoln, Lancaster Co., Nebraska.¹ He was buried in Granite Hill Cemetery (aka Hopewell Cemetery), Johnson Co., Nebraska.^1,2

Christian Buehler had reference number 5578. Christian Buehler came to te United States in 1867 and settled first in Illinois. In 1878 he came to Hopewell Comunity southwest of Sterling, Nebraska. Christian was a farmer, also a male nurse and he was very active in local religious and educational activities.

GRAVE STONE

BUEHLER

A. MARY CHRISTIAN MARY
1855 - 1880 1850 - 1945 1860 - 1945. He immigrated in 1867.¹

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4624] Email from Lee Buehler dated November 6, 2001

Family Explorer

Lizzie Hieter¹

F, #5316, b. 1896

Pedigree Link

Family: Willie Schutt (b. 1891)

Daughter

Anna Rose Schutt+ (b. 21 January 1920, d. 3 September 1996)

BASIC FACTS

Lizzie Hieter was born in 1896 in Iowa.¹

Lizzie Hieter had reference number 5579.

Citations

[S7355] Genealogy prepared by Susan (Johnson) Birch

Family Explorer

Willie Schutt¹

M, #5317, b. 1891

Pedigree Link

Family: Lizzie Hieter (b. 1896)

Daughter

Anna Rose Schutt+ (b. 21 January 1920, d. 3 September 1996)

BASIC FACTS

Willie Schutt was born in 1891 in Iowa.¹

Willie Schutt had reference number 5580.

Citations

[S7355] Genealogy prepared by Susan (Johnson) Birch

Family Explorer

Elva Milda Buehler^1,2,3

F, #5318, b. 13 April 1907

Parents

Father	William Arthur Buehler (b. 25 September 1882, d. 18 January 1968)
Mother	Ida Agnes Krause (b. 23 April 1881, d. 11 October 1945)

Pedigree Link

Family: Wesley Henry Velte (b. 26 January 1914)

Daughter	Sandra Jean Velte+
Son	Reid Stewart Velte

BASIC FACTS

Elva Milda Buehler was born on 13 April 1907 in Sterling, Johnson Co., Nebraska.¹ She and Wesley Henry Velte were married on 27 August 1936.¹

Elva Milda Buehler had reference number 5581. She was a Public school teaher.³

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S5292] Genealogy prepared by Beth Gatewood, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Wesley Henry Velte^1,2

M, #5319, b. 26 January 1914

Pedigree Link

Family: Elva Milda Buehler (b. 13 April 1907)

Daughter	Sandra Jean Velte+
Son	Reid Stewart Velte

BASIC FACTS

Wesley Henry Velte was born on 28 January 1911 in Eustis, Nebraska.² He was born on 26 January 1914 in Eustis, Nebraska.¹ He and Elva Milda Buehler were married on 27 August 1936.¹

Wesley Henry Velte had reference number 5582. He was a Mechanic.²

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Sandra Jean Velte^1,2

F, #5320

Parents

Father	Wesley Henry Velte (b. 26 January 1914)
Mother	Elva Milda Buehler (b. 13 April 1907)

Pedigree Link

Family: Robert Clyde Oman (b. 7 March 1938, d. 12 February 1970)

Son	Randall Scott Oman (b. 9 April 1959, d. 15 April 1959)
Son	Scott Robert Oman
Daughter	Sheila Rae Oman

BASIC FACTS

Sandra Jean Velte and Robert Clyde Oman were married on 30 December 1956.¹

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Robert Clyde Oman^1,2

M, #5321, b. 7 March 1938, d. 12 February 1970

Pedigree Link

Family: Sandra Jean Velte

Son	Randall Scott Oman (b. 9 April 1959, d. 15 April 1959)
Son	Scott Robert Oman
Daughter	Sheila Rae Oman

BASIC FACTS

Robert Clyde Oman was born on 7 March 1938 in Farnam, Nebraska.¹ He and Sandra Jean Velte were married on 30 December 1956.¹ He died on 12 February 1970, at age 31.¹

Robert Clyde Oman had reference number 5584.

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Randall Scott Oman¹

M, #5322, b. 9 April 1959, d. 15 April 1959

Parents

Father	Robert Clyde Oman (b. 7 March 1938, d. 12 February 1970)
Mother	Sandra Jean Velte

Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Randall Scott Oman was born on 9 April 1959 in Fort Huachuca, Arizona.¹ He died on 15 April 1959, at age 0, in Fort Huachuca, Arizona.¹ He was buried in Eustis, Nebraska.²

Randall Scott Oman had reference number 5585.

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book
[S4116] Descendents of Frederick Kuhfusz prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Scott Robert Oman¹

M, #5323

Parents

Father	Robert Clyde Oman (b. 7 March 1938, d. 12 February 1970)
Mother	Sandra Jean Velte

Pedigree Link

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Sheila Rae Oman¹

F, #5324

Parents

Father	Robert Clyde Oman (b. 7 March 1938, d. 12 February 1970)
Mother	Sandra Jean Velte

Pedigree Link

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book

Family Explorer

Reid Stewart Velte¹

M, #5325

Parents

Father	Wesley Henry Velte (b. 26 January 1914)
Mother	Elva Milda Buehler (b. 13 April 1907)

Pedigree Link

Citations

[S4133] Descendents of John (Johannes) Joekel prepared by Oscar and Gertrude Werner, Source Medium: Book