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Genealogy
In gathering and recording information about people, we should look at this not through our eyes but through the eyes of our 2nd great-grandchildren. What do they want to know as they will not have had the opportunity to meet us in person? Who were we besides a name, their 2nd great grandparent? Several things immediately come to the forefront. Where exactly were you born? Where exactly were you married? Where exactly did you live? Should they wish to better identify who you were, they need someplace to look. To say you were born on 16 December 1924 provides little help. To say you were born at St. Joseph Hospital in Hartford, Washington County, Wisconsin, USA, they then have someplace to hold on to. They now know where to begin their search.
Your wishes, your beliefs, your interests can only be defined by you as no one else can pass this information along. Who were you? Please don't say no one is going to care. We care now for our ancestors. They will then when we become ancestors. We just need to take the time to record and pass the information on.
Your picture, it is important? Only if you want your 2nd great-grandson or granddaughter to know what you looked like. If you do, then send me a pictures and I will add it to the family book. I am looking first for a family group picture, second an individual portrait picture and third, for any picture you think important that you would like to pass on. You don't have to limit yourself to one picture. Regarding the portrait picture, it need not be current and should reflect how you want other to remember you. The pictures that my Uncle Joe used in his Family Tree Books are no longer available as they were returned to their owners. On this subject I will speak no more. Your sharing pictures of previously departed families allows them to continue to live in our eyes and in the eyes of those that follow.
Beginning this year I am collecting death notice/obituaries for family members and adding the information as part of the person's documentation. I ask if you have saved copies of this information and would like to share them, please send a copy to me at the above address either postal or email. And thank you. By the way, I like to identify where individuals are buried so descendants may come and visit.
A memento, and you come to life. A remembrance, and they hold your hand. A picture, and you live on forever.
If you have not looked at the family information on the web page for some time, you will have missed that a family descendant chart is now available and each deceased direct family member has a links to that chart. It identifies their position within the family. (check it out)
Next year's issue will highlight a family group picture of the George and Maria (Philipp) Ott family.
Schulteis Family
I am happy to report our first contact with a Schulteis cousin in Germany. His name is Sven Oliver Schulteis. He is the 2nd great-grandson of Constantin Adam Hubert Schulteis (1826-1883), the younger brother to our Peter Joseph (1821-1881). Constant Adam would be my generations 4th cousin.
A little family history: The last of our direct ancestors who lived in Rheinbach, Germany, Peter Josef (1787-1826) and Anna Maria Wichterich (1792-1828) Schulteis did so for but a short time. There were nine children born to the couple, the first in 1814 and the last in 1826. Their names were Johann Josef, Maria Josepha, Anna Maria, Herman Joseph, Franz, Peter Joseph, Bernard, Johann Friedrich, and Constant Adam Hubert.
Peter Josef, the father, died when he was 39 years. At that time there were seven living children as Bernard and Johann Friedrich had died in 1824 and 1826 respectively. Anna Maria was left to care for the seven children, the oldest Johann Josef of 12 years and the youngest, Constant Adam, was yet to be born and did not arrive until six months after his father had died. The situation was certainly a hardship for Anna Maria who died eighteen months later. Sven believes the children remained together but at this time has no knowledge of who may have raised them or what happened to the others. He is working on this. Marlyn (Schulteis) Merten
related her father had told her the children were raised in an orphanage and were given a good education.
Births:
Brett Thomas Gettelman, son of John Henry Richard and Kathryn (Meyer) Gettelman, was born 24 June 2002.
Cameron Nicholas Dolan, son of Nicholas and Angela (Brunner) Dolan, was born 7 November 2002.
Paige Elizabeth Pfeifer, daughter of Timothy and Kimberly (Seyfert) Pfeifer, was born 26 November 2002.
Ella Marie Binfet, daughter of Gregory Mark and Shelly Binfet, was born 2 December 2002.
Emily Ann Boettcher, daughter of Chad Jason and Caroline Marie (Porubcan) Boettcher, was born 26 April 2003.
Ryan Alex Miller, son of Ronald Scott and Kelli Rae (Beyer) Miller, was born 12 June 2003 in Neenah, Wisconsin.
Logan Michael Heinze, son of Martin John and Linda (Wood) Heinze, was born 13 July 2003 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Peter Vennstra, son of Joseph Gerrit and Rebecca Jean (Schulteis) Vennstra, was born 11 September 2003 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
Caden Frank Wilson, son of Frank Lenord Wilson Jr. and Janell Renee Schulteis, was born 30 September 2003 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Evan Schulteis, son of Donna Renee' Schulteis, was born 16 October 2003 in Kitsap County, Washington.
Brock William Binfelt, son of Gregory Mark and Shelly Binfelt, was born 26 October 2003.
Marriages:
Jamie Natalie Gettelman, daughter of Dennis John and Janice Isabelle (Schulteis) Gettelman, and Nicholas Scott Kasten on 27 April 2002 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Germantown, Wisconsin.
Stephen Jerome Semo, son of Jerome Paul Semo and Mary Louise Schulteis, and Linda Lee Frahm, daughter of Gordon and Louise (Stacey) Frahm, on 26 March 2003 in Runaway Bay, Jamaica.
Daniel Robert Schulteis, son of Robert Herman Schulteis and Joyce Ruth Kraetsch, and Cheryl Lynn Torres, daughter of Terrence Torres, on 25 October 2003 in Holy Hill, Hubertus, Wisconsin.
Kathryn Anne Schulteis, daughter of Michael Walter Schulteis and Teresa Louise Koslo, and Kenneth Lloyd Bosch, son of Kenneth and Maureen Bosch, on 27 December 2003 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Deaths:
Richard Albert Held on 11 April 2002. Richard was the husband of Margaret Anna Schulteis, father of Ronald, Richard (Lavonne), Suzanne (Donald) Kern, and Jack (Regan) and the son of John C. and Anna (Endress) Held. He was 81 years.
John Peter Odenbrett died on 15 November, 2002 in Humboldt, IA. He was preceded in death by his wife Rosalie Marie Gallo. John is survived by stepsons Vincent (Diana), Salavatore Gallo, daughter Mary Ann (Randal) Miller, and son John Peter. He was the son of Frederick Mathias and Mary Katherine (Friedman) Odenbrett. John was 93 years.
Susanne Kathleen Semo died 9 March 2003 in Mogi Guacu, Brazil. She was the wife of Timothy John, the mother of Neva Marie and the daughter of Michael John and Nancy Kay (Stanfield) Pettit. Susanne was 33 years.
John William Kaehny died on 3 October 2003 in Wisconsin. John is survived by his sisters Marie Hennes, Frieda Hauser, Lorraine Lackes, and Sr. Fidellis SSSF. He was the son of William Andrew and Gertrude Mary (Schulteis) Kaehny. John was 90 years.
David Robert Schulteis died on 22 October 2003. He was the husband of Susan Marie Doerfert, the father of Ryan and Matthew, and the son of Francis Herman and Lucille Barbara (Joachem) Schulteis. David was 54 years.
The picture on your right shows the original grave markers of Peter Joseph and Anna Maria (Merkel) Schulteis. The picture was taken in 1941 and shared with us by Aubrey and Teresa (Eckery) Anderson of Forsyth, Missouri.
Siegl Family
The picture on the right is the blessing of the bells in Vollmau in 1924. I do not know the story behind the bells but believe our ancestors were instrumental in acquiring them. The picture was shared with us by Jean Tauer.
I am pleased to report making contact with another Siegl cousin, Jean Tauer of Milwaukee. While we had been in contact before, she initiated the cousin contact once she discovered her 4th great-grandparents were our Joachim and Juliana (Semelbauer) Sigel through their daughter Theresia. Her grandfather, Karl Tauer, emigrated from Vollmau, Bohemia in 1901 and her grandmother, Maria Hornik emigrated from Schafberg, Bavaria (1 km south of Vollmau) in 1904. Maria's mother, Margaret, was the daughter of our Theresia who marred Franz Macht.
Both her grandparents came to Milwaukee where they met and were married. To them were born 15 children, the first four in Milwaukee and the next 11 in Hiles, Forest County, Wisconsin where the family made their home. Jean shared with us the picture of the blessing of the bells in Vollmau in 1924.
Death: Theresa Elizabeth Carolina (Martin) Siegl died on 13 October 2003 in Oconomowoc, WI. Theresa is survived by her husband Joseph Anthony Siegl, her daughter Louise (Ray) Dalen, her son John Eugene, and daughter-in-law Jacquelyn (Beckman) Siegl. She was the daughter of John and Margaret Carolina (Goetz) Martin. Theresa was 95 years.
Ott Family
Deaths:
Mary Charlene (Nugent) Zoller died 7 May 2002 in California. She was the wife of Robert Zoller who had died one month earlier. Charlene is survived by her daughters Kathleen (Edward) Duffy, Linda (Robert) Aldera, Terry (David) Cross, and Barbara (Christian) Riegel. She was the daughter of Charles A. and Dorothy B. (White) Nugent. Charlene was 72 years.
Dr. Ralph Freiburger died 8 August 2002. Ralph is survived by his wife Jeannette Catherine Ott, daughter Jayne (Dr. Jerome) Theis, and son James (Christine).
Ralph was the son of Erwin and Erma (Haug) Freiburger. He was 86 years.
Leonard Albert Kastner died 2 December 2002 in Milwaukee. He is survived by his wife Margaret Mary Trunde and sons Paul (Nancy), John (Judy), Thomas (Deborah) and daughter Ruth (Gene) Sommers. Leonard was the son of Ludwig Caspar and Lillie (Dusold) Kastner. He was 84 years.
Schulteis Family Heritage:
Both pictures were taken at the Schulteis Homestead in Richfield, Wisconsin in 1941 and shared with us by Teresa Anderson. Above, the view is looking south southeast and identifies from left to right the slaughter house, the outdoor oven, the smoke house and the homestead house. The picture on the left shows in more detail the outdoor oven. Notice the garden in front.
Could someone share a picture of the Schulteis homestead barn, or house and barn? With the barn no longer there, this picture of history is no longer available to most of us and probably many have never seen it or remember seeing it.
Could someone share a picture of Gertrude Joanne Wolf (1905-1921), daughter of Herman and Wilhelmina (Schulteis) Wolf, also known as Sister Mary Innocence, towards the end of her life. She died when 15 years. Need this for the history of St. Boniface Parish book.
Could someone share stories of our family or family members of old. It is this that brings them to the present.
I would challenge someone to describe the Schulteis homestead farm in narrative form, and with words paint a picture of what you have seen: the barn, the house, the family pets, the animals, the fowl, the fields, the pond and stream, the pasture, all the experiences the good or bad that have been locked in your mind for you to remember and we, hopefully, together to share the experiences again.
Book: History of St. Boniface Parish:
I am please to report the book is complete with the exception of a few loose ends. It will be available in 2004. Eight years in the making. Much of the book is available online - check it out.
