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Please make sure to check the "Missing
Information" report for the descendants of Johannes Feller, to see if There are any
dates, locations, or other information you may be able to add. Thank you.
Johannes Feller was born on April 1, 1810 in Ruwer, Rheinland, Germany,
the third of six children of Johannes Feller and Margaretha Kreper.
At some point the family moved a short distance away to a town called Osburg.
It was in Osburg on June 15, 1845 that Johannes married Catharina Michels. She
was born on February 6, 1818 the daughter of Adam Michels and Anna Maria
Elisabeth Schmitt of Osburg. Johannes and Catharina had nine children; Peter,
who is detailed in the next chapter, Maria who died in infancy, Barbara, Anna,
Eva, who also died in infancy, Johannes (John) detailed in a later chapter,
Maria , Casper and Matthias, these last three all whom died in infancy.
For
information and history about Osburg, follow this link.
An interesting note that around the same time of Johannes
Feller’s birth in Ruwer, Germany, less than 20 miles away across the
border in Neiderdonven, Luxembourg, Henry Ruppert was born.
Almost 80 years later and 4,300 miles away in Freedom, Wisconsin, Johannes’ son
John Feller would marry Henry’s granddaughter Theodora Romenesko.
Catharina (Michels) Feller died in Osburg on
September 18, 1871 at the age of 53. The following year, their eldest son Peter
Feller immigrated to the United
States. In 1874, daughter Anna married
Mathias Steinbach also from Osburg. Matthias and Anna had at least 4 children
that survived into adulthood and were married in Germany; Johannes born 1874 married
Anna Maria Schmitt, Anna born 1876 married Matthias Scherf, Anna-Maria born
1878 married Mathias Flesch and Nicholas born in 1880
married Katherine Beck.
Many of the
MICHELS family also immigrated to the United States, you can find more info on the Michels
family on the Michels Family web page.
In 1875, the widowed Johannes Feller immigrated to
the United States
with his two remaining unmarried children, Barbara then 24 and Johannes then
17. They traveled on the Rhein from Bremen to New York arriving on May
10, 1875.
The RHEIN
in front of the Lloyd Wartehalle, built in 1869 at
the Neuer Hafen,
Bremerhaven. Source: Clas Broder Hansen, Passenger
liners from
Germany,
1816-1990, translated from the German by Edward Force (West Chester,
Pennsylvania:
Schiffer Pub., c1991), p. 27.
The
steamship RHEIN, the first of two vessels of this name owned by Norddeutscher Lloyd, was built by Caird
& Co,
Greenock,
Scotland, and was launched in
August 1868. 2,901 tons; 106,4 x 12,22 meters (length x breadth); clipper bow,
1 funnel, 2 masts; iron construction, screw propulsion, service speed 12 knots;
accommodation for 70 passengers in 1st class, 100 in 2nd class, and 600 in
steerage; crew of 117. The RHEIN had been laid down as the ODER,
but was delivered as the RHEIN, to replace the vessel originally laid
down as the RHEIN, but sold on the stocks to the Royal Mail Steamship
Co, and launched in February 1868 as the
NEVA.
3 October 1868, maiden voyage,
Bremen -
Southampton -
New York.
1878, engine compounded and new boilers by builders; service speed 13 knots.
1889-18 September 1890, Bremen-Baltimore service. 1891, sold to Gray,
Liverpool. 1892, resold to A. Rimner
& Co,
Liverpool (register shows Caird's as owner). 1893, sold to Jaeger Brothers,
Liverpool. June 1894, broken up in
Barrow-in-Furness.
From New York, they
traveled to Wisconsin,
to meet with Peter. He was living in a small town called St.
John’s in Calumet
County. Six months later,
in Jan 1876, Peter would marry Maria Krell, who was actually his first cousin
once removed.
From this point the
daughter Barbara disappears. She does not appear in any Wisconsin Census
records, nor do any death records seem to exist for her.
Johannes Feller died in St. John’s on April 16, 1878 at the age of
68. He was buried April 18th in the cemetery of St. John’s
Catholic Church in St. John’s,
Calumet County, Wisconsin.
His sons Peter and John are detailed in the
following chapters.
The numbering
system used below can be outlined as;
1.
Johannes Feller
1.1 Peter Feller
1.1.1 Peter Feller's first child
1.1.2
Peter Feller's second child , etc.
1.2 John Feller
1.2.1 John Feller's first child
1.2.2 John Feller's second child, etc.
1.1 Peter Feller was born in Osburg, Germany
on April 6, 1846, the eldest son of Johannes Feller and Catharina Michels of
Osburg. His godparents were Petro Michels and Maria
Feller.
When Peter was 25 years of age, his mother passed
away. The following year, in 1872 Peter became the first Feller to immigrate to
the United States.
He sailed on the Hermann, from Bremen to New York, arriving on
March 11, 1872. He must of have Wisconsin as a
destination in mind, because he was there by October in Calumet
County, where he filed his paperwork
for his intent to become a citizen of the United States. Most likely, he had
heard how wonderful Wisconsin was from his 1st
cousin Peter Krell, who had immigrated in the mid 1850’s settling around
Newburg and Farmington in Washington County, Wisconsin.
The steamship HERMANN
was ordered in August 1864 and laid down for Norddeutscher
Lloyd as the EUROPA by Caird & Co.,
Greenock (yard #84 [Kludas] / 124 [Drechsel]), but was launched in June 1865 as the HERMANN,
in honor of the founder of Norddeutscher Lloyd
(Hermann Heinrich Meier) and of the Germanic hero. 2,715 tons; 96,92 x 12,19
meters (318 x 40 feet; length x beam); clipper bow, 1 funnel, 2 masts; iron
construction, screw propulsion, service speed 11.5 knots; accommodation for 80
passengers in 1st class, 120 in 2nd class, and 500 in steerage; crew of 105. 17
December 1865, maiden voyage,
Bremen -
Southampton -
New York.
1872, engines compounded by Day, Summers & Co, Southampton; service speed
12.5 knots, coal consumption cut by 30 percent. 21 April 1884, stranded on the
Tegeler Plate off the mouth of the
Weser, and broke her keel; complete
reconstruction with straight stem, triple-expansion engine. 22 December 1892,
last voyage,
Bremen-New York. 13 February 1893, sold to Sir W.
G. Armstrong, Mitchell & Co, in part exchange for the H. H. MEIER.
1895, sold to H. F. Swan,
Newcastle.
1896, scrapped in
Genoa.
Oil
painting on canvas of the steamship HERMANN, signed Wettering
1870. 45 x 67,5 cm.
Focke-Museum,
Bremen,
Inv.-Nr. 32.97. Purchased in 1932 from H. B. Sanders,
Bremen.
Source: Johannes Lachs, Schiffe aus Bremen; Bilder und Modelle im
Focke-Museum (Bremen: H. M. Hauschild, [1994]), p. 164, no. 137.
On January 2, 1876 Peter married Maria Krell in Milwaukee, WI.
She was born August 21, 1858 in Farmington,
WI. the daughter of Peter’s
cousin, Peter Krell and Margaretha
Mueller. Peter Krell was born in Osburg Germany;
Margaretha Mueller was born in Roodt,
Luxembourg. It
is not known if Peter’s father Johannes, sister Barbara and younger brother
John attended the wedding. They most likely did as they had arrived in the United States
on May 10, 1875.
Peter filed his Declaration of Intent to become a citizen
of the United States on October 26, 1876, with the Clerk of the Court in Calumet County.
Six days later his younger brother John Feller would so the same.
By 1880, Peter and Maria are living in Woodville in Calumet county, his younger brother John was living with
them at the time of the Census that year. On April 13, 1887, Peter Feller
became a citizen of the United
States. By June of 1894 Peter was living in
Kaukauna, as reported in the Kaukauna Sun dated June 29, 1894 “Peter J. Feller
paid $200 and was granted a license to sell liquor in Kaukauna”.
In the 1895
Census, he is listed living in Kaukauna the head of a household of two males
and 4 females. That would have been himself and his son, also named Peter, and
his wife and three daughters.
In the 1900 Census he listed his occupation as a
laborer. In 1901 the Kaukauna Times reported on November 8, 1901 “Mr. Peter J.
Feller who has spent the last summer and fall at Niagara
returned to Kaukauna Sunday evening. Mr. Feller has been in the employ of
contractor Sherry, building houses. He says the company has erected 40
residences there this season for the mill employees.”
Peter and Maria had six children;
1.1.1. Theresa Feller, born about 1877 in Woodville, WI.
She would marry Louis Edwin Smith sometime before 1900. He was born January 25,
1871 in Dana, IL. The son of Henry W. Smith and Catherine Weisenmiller. Louis and Theresa moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and had 4 children; Darwin, Merle, Leona and Orlow.
1.1.2. Elisabeth Feller, born August 24, 1878 in
Woodville,
WI.
Not much is known about
Elizabeth, by 1905 at
the age of 25 she was running her own dressmaking shop in Kaukauna and made
frequent trips to the Dressmakers Convention in
Chicago. In 1910, she moved to
Kingsville,
TX
where a friend, Mrs. James Toner has settled. At some point she left
Texas and resided in
Chicago. Her obituary mentions she worked for
Best & Co. in
Chicago
for 65 years. Affectionally known as “Aunt Epsy” to
her nieces, she is known to have sewn several of her nieces wedding dresses.
Maybe this advertisment which ran in the Kaukauna Times, helped
Elisabeth to decide to moved to Kingsville, Texas.
She died in
Sheboygan,
WI. July 19, 1965.
1.1.3. Anna Feller, born July 9, 1880 in Woodville, WI.
Anna was also a dressmaker, working for her sister Elisabeth in Kaukauna. In
mid 1909 she became sick and went to Green
Bay to live with her widowed mother. Anna died on
September 7, 1910 in Green Bay.
On September 9, 1910, the Kaukauna Times reported “Miss Anna Feller age 26,
died at the home of her sister Mrs. Marie Leppla at Green Bay, after a short illness. Although in
delicate health for sometime she had been able to be out as usual and was only
recently a visitor here at her old home among her old acquaintances. She had
spent practically all her life in this city and it was only last spring when
her sister concluded to leave Kaukauna for Texas
that the deceased left the city to live with her mother at Green Bay. She was confined to her bed only a
week and was stopping at the home of her sister Mrs. Leppla when the last
sickness came. Mr. & Mrs. Wallie Leppla were up
in Kaukauna Thursday morning and arranged for the funeral which will be held at
Holy Cross church on Saturday morning at nine o'clock. Surviving is her mother,
her sister Mrs. Wallace Leppla of Green Bay, Elizabeth Feller of Kingsville
TX, Joseph and Ursula Feller at
home.”
1.1.4. Maria Feller was born in November of 1882 in Woodville, WI.
She would marry Wally Leppla on April 23, 1903 in Kaukauna. He was born on
January 22, 1877 in Medina,
WI. The son of Valentine and Camilia Leppla.
Wallie and Maria had two children;
Wallie F. Leppla and Doris Elisabeth Leppla.
1.1.4.1
Wallie F. Leppla
1.1.4.2 Doris Elizabeth Leppla
1.1.5. Joseph Peter Feller was born on September 23, 1892 in
Kaukauna, WI.
His family knew him only as Joseph Peter, though records show him baptized as Peter Joseph
Feller. We know that he was living with his mother in Green Bay when his sister
died in 1910. Then on June 26,1918 he married Margaret "Martha" Deviley. Shortly
afterwards they moved to Escanaba, Michigan. They had two children;
1.1.5.1 Marcella
Feller was born in Escanaba, Michigan on September 9, 1919. She would marry Max Saums
about 1940.
They have one
son, Ronald Saums.
1.1.5.1.1 Ronald Lee Saums was born in Escanaba, MI. He would marry
Suzie Anderson in 1967 in Wayzata, MN. They had two children. They have since
divorced.
1.1.5.1.1.1 Kerry Ann Saums was born in St.
Paul, MN. She is married to David McDonald and they have two children; Katelyn and
Claire.
1.1.5.1.1.2 Molly Jennifer Saums was born in
Blaine, MN. She is married to Scott Sharp and they have two children; Cole and Lauren.
Not much is
known about Marcella and Max and their family. One small
newspaper article mentions her bowling.
Marcella (Feller) Saums died August 5, 1997 in St, Paul, MN.
1.1.5.2 Donald Feller
was born April 18, 1923 in Escanaba, Michigan. He would marry Elaine T. Cousineau, on
February 4, 1950. Elaine was also born in Escanaba.
They have two
sons;
1.1.5.2.1 Robert and
his wife Karin;
1.1.5.2.1 Joseph and
his wife LeAnn and their two children, Jessica and Paul.
Donald Feller passed away on October 24, 1999 in Escanaba, MI.
Joseph Peter Feller passed away February 1, 1945 in Escanaba, MI.
Martha (Deviley) Feller would pass away on February 16, 1979 in Escanaba, MI.
1.1.6. Ursula Maria Feller was born on April 5, 1898 in Kaukauna, WI.
She would marry Herb Schowalter on October 17, 1921 in West Bend, WI.
He was born September 2, 1894 in Jackson, WI. the son of Henry Schowalter. Herb and Ursula had three children;
Donna, Joanne and Mary.
1.1.6.1
Donna J Schowalter was born in Milwaukee, WI. In 1959 she married Harold Roll.
1.1.6.2
Joanne Schowalter was born in Milwaukee, WI. In 1949 she married Clarence Loebel.
Clarence and
Joanne have 6 children;
1.1.6.2.1
Jeanne Loebel was born in Milwaukee, WI. and is married to William Brantman.
They have two
children; Luara and Ann.
1.1.6.2.2
Mary Jo Loebel was born in Meadowbrook, NJ. She is married to Thomas Flood and they
have three children; Lisa, Katy and Meagan.
1.1.6.2.3
John Loebel was born in Meadowbrook, NJ. He is married to Kathy Muehfelt and they have
two children; John and Matthew.
1.1.6.2.4
Victoria Loebel was born in Jacksonville, FL. She is married to Joseph Mather and they
have four children; Joseph, Carrie, William and Thomas.
1.1.6.2.5
Mary Elizabeth Loebel was born in Jacksonville, FL She is married to Christopher
Lingenza.
1.1.6.2.6
Thomas Loebel was born in Glenview, IL. He is married to Vandana Loomba and they have
one child; Henry.
1.1.6.3
Mary Schowalter was born in Milwaukee, WI. In 1950 she married Milton Rusch.
Milton and
Mary have four children;
1.1.6.3.1
Michael Rusch was born in Milwaukee, WI. He is married to Elizabeth Moroda.
1.1.6.3.2
Jane M Rusch was born in Milwaukee, WI. She is married to Oscar Robredo.
1.1.6.3.3
Peter J Rusch was born in West Bend, WI. He is married to Kim Jones and they
have two children; Kerrie M and Jennifer K.
1.1.6.3.4
Nancy B Rusch was born in West Bend, WI. She is married to Thomas Klinke and they have
two children; Caneron and Kirsten.
Herb was known around West
Bend as "The Colonel," he had written this note which was published in the newspaper
following his death.
The West Bend News dated 11/?/1972; The Colonel's Farewell
(Editor's Note: The following statement was written by Col. Herbert Schowalter
before he died. The well known community leader and top staff officer under Gen. George
Patton in World War II, passed away on Nov. 3.)
"Please do not grieve unduly over my
death. As you know, death is inevitable for all of us. God has been good to me. He has
spared me from many earlier deaths, both in times of peace and war. I saw enough of this
earth, experienced enough of life with innumerable peoples of many nations, to enable me
to know what makes man a purposeful being, that his most important duty is to save his
soul, and the souls of as many as possible of others. Life was a grand experience, far
beyond my hopes or expectations, especially in my later years. Please, thank God for me
again and again. You may, also pray for me" Col. Herbert P. Schowalter.
Herb
Schowalter passed away Nov. 3, 1972.
Ursula Maria
(Feller) Schowalter died July 2, 1982.
On June 17, 1907 Peter Feller passed away in Holcombe, WI.
On June 21, 1907 the Kaukauna Times reported “Miss Elisabeth and Anna Feller
received a telegram Monday night of the sudden death of their father Peter
Feller, aged 62, a resident of this city for many years. The death occurred at
Holcombe Monday evening at 8 PM. The dispatch not stating the cause. Mr. &
Mrs. Feller were married in Milwaukee in 1876 making their home at St. John's
until 1889 when they came to Kaukauna where they resided until 4 years ago.
Surviving are wife Mary and 6 children; Mrs. L. Smith of Sioux Falls, South
Dakota, Mrs. W.V. Leppla of Green Bay, Elisabeth and Anna Feller of Kaukauna,
Joseph and Ursula Feller of Holcombe. He is also survived by a brother John
Feller of Kaukauna. The Misses Feller and their Uncle John left for Holcombe
Tuesday to attend the funeral which was held Wednesday at St. Joseph's Church. The remains arrived here
Thursday and a service held at Holy Cross with internment in the family plot at
Holy Cross Cemetery.”
His Chippewa County Death Certificate listed his
occupation as a Carpenter, and that he died of valvular heart disease and
cirrhosis of the liver.
Maria (Krell) Feller passed away on August 10, 1935
in West Bend, Wisconsin.
1.2 Johann “John” Feller was born on December 4, 1856 in
Osburg, Germany. In reviewing the records
of the Catholic Church in Osburg John is listed among the children of the
Catholic Church Osburg to receive "First Communion" in 1870. This
list was entered in church records at a later date as many of the entries had
notes such as marriage dates or death dates. Johann Feller's was noted as
"in Amerika". In 1875, John immigrated to
the United States
with his father Johannes and sister Barbara. The family traveled from Bremen to New York on
the RHEIN arriving in New York
on May 10, 1875, John was 17 at the time. The following year on November 1,
1876 he filed his Declaration of Intent to become a citizen of the United States.
His brother, Peter, had done the same just six days earlier.
In 1880, he was living in Woodville with his older brother Peter, and listed
his occupation as a carpenter. In the Kaukauna Times dated November 5, 1880 it
was reported “John Feller, Nicholas Fritz and Ed Cooper were injured when their
scaffolding collapsed while working on the new Ott
building.” By the 1885 Census, John was living in Kaukauna by himself.
On October 9, 1888 John married Theresia Romenesko
in Freedom, WI. Theresia was born on April 10, 1869 in Freedom, WI. the
daughter of Henry Romenesko and Mary Ruppert. The Romenesko family is explored
in a separate section.
John and Theresia had eight children; Henry aka “Harry or Hine”, Mary aka “Mayme”, Ann, Margaret, Theodore, Della and Harold, all
of whom are outlined in the following chapters.
One other son, John Louis
Feller drowned in the Fox River on July 16,
1902, at the age of 7, ending the direct line of sons named “John” Feller’s
since the birth of Johannes Feller in 1770. Little John Feller is buried in a
gravesite at Holy Cross Cemetery in Kaukauna with several other children, one
of whom would have been his niece, Lois Wilpolt who died at birth in 1923.
John had been listed as a carpenter in several
previous census records. The last years of his life he worked at Patten’s Mill
as a millwright.
John Feller passed away on November 18, 1910, just
two weeks short of his 54th birthday. He is buried at Holy Cross
Cemetery in Kaukauna.
Theresia Feller became “sick” and was committed to
the Outagamie County Asylum on September 20, 1912. It is questionable as to
whether she was “insane” or that she might have developed a severe form of
epilepsy, which was not treatable in those days. Not only were the asylums for
the mentally insane, but they also served as “dumping grounds” for the
seriously ill who required constant attention and care. It is clear on
Theresia’s death certificate that she died of an epileptic seizure, but then
again, if she was mentally ill, electro shock therapy was in it’s heyday at the
time, and this treatment often
caused severe epileptic seizures.
Theresia
(Romenesko) Feller died on April 24, 1924 and is buried with her husband at Holy Cross
Cemetery in Kaukauna.
In
researching my Feller-Romenesko ancestry, I am beginning to believe that any descendants
of this couple, are possibly genetically predisposed to abdominal problems, including
cancers, as well as breast cancer in women. The Feller family also has a number of deaths
related to Heart disease. have no scientific proof, but I certainly
would suggest that if you are a descendant of this family you get regular breast exams and
a colonoscopy for both men and women, as well as informing your family doctor about these
potential health concerns.
PICTURE OF HENRY &
FLORENCE?
1.2.1
Henry Feller was born August
23, 1889 in Kaukauna, the first child of John and Theresia Feller. Henry was
nicknamed “Hiny” and often referred to as “Harry” by
other relatives. He was baptized on August 27th and his baptismal
sponsors are listed as Henry Romenesko and Maria Feller.
The Kaukauna Times reported
on July 3, 1903; “The ten year old son of Mr. & Mrs. John Feller of the 2nd
ward was injured last week by having a spear run through his foot near the
toes. No attention was paid to it until his muscles began to grow rigid, when
Dr. C. D. Boyd was called and found the lad suffering from lockjaw and in a
very dangerous condition. Prompt attention taken by the Dr. has overcome the
danger and it is thought the boy will recover.”
He was listed in the 1908
Appleton/Kaukauna City Directory as living at 712 Desnoyer St., his occupation 
listed as plumber for W.H. Howerth.
On April 19, 1922 he married
Florence Joers in Milwaukee, WI.
She was born on December 9, 1899 in Milwaukee,
WI. the daughter of Walter Joers and Louise Dumpko.
The picture on the right was
found in the photo album of Richard Wilpolt, no date was listed and the picture
itself being “cut-out” from something larger. Richard Wilpolt would become “Hiny’s” brother-in-law when Margaret Feller and Richard
Wilpolt were married in 1921.
Henry and Florence
had one daughter,
1.2.1.1 Ethel, born in
Milwaukee.
She would marry Frank Beckman in
Greenfield,
WI. He was born in
Wauwatosa, WI., the son of
???.
Frank and Ethel have three
children;
1.2.1.1.1
Frank
Beckman
1.2.1.1.2
Belinda
Beckman
1.2.1.1.3
Jon beckman
Henry had served in World
War I (get military records)
In 1962 Henry and Florence retired to Miami.
Henry Feller passed away on November 4, 1966 in Miami,
FL.
Florence (Joers) Feller passed away on June 1,
1977 also in Miami.
1.2.2 Mary C. Feller was born on January 2, 1891 in
Kaukauna. She was baptized Maria Catharina on January 4th at Holy Cross
Church with Peter Feller
and Dorothy Verhagen as her baptismal sponsors. She was known as “Mayme” to
just about everyone.
In the 1908 Appleton/Kaukauna City Directory, she is
listed living with her family at 712
Desnoyer St, her occupation listed as a
dressmaker. In the 1910 Census, she was also living with her family, but her
occupation was listed as “at the paper mill”.
On June 23, 1914, she married
Frank Yingling in
Kaukauna. He was born on December 4, 1891 in Kaukauna, the son of Matthias
Yingling and Kathrin Reichel.
Frank worked at the Outagamie Mill, then the Thilmany Pulp and Paper Mill the
rest of his working life, retiring in 1956 at the age of 65.
In the 1920 Census, Frank and Mayme are living in
Kaukauna with their children. Frank’s occupation is listed as “Foreman at the
paper mill”. They also had three boarders living with them; Harold and “Teddy”
Feller and Andy O’Connell. Harold and Teddy were actually Mayme’s
brothers and Andy O’Connell would become Mayme’s
brother-in-law when he married her sister “Della” that same summer.
Frank and Mayme had seven children;
1.2.2.1
Jerome F. Yingling, born on May 21, 1915 in Kaukauna. He would marry
Helen Andrejeski in 1944. She was born on November
11, 1923 in Kaukauna the daughter of Thomas Andrejeski
and Stella Romenesko.
Jerome and Helen have five children;
Thomas, Linda,
Karen, David and Gary.
1.2.2.1.1
Thomas Yingling
1.2.2.1.2
Linda Yingling
1.2.2.1.3
Karen Yingling
1.2.2.1.4
David Yingling
1.2.2.1.5
Gary Yingling
Jerome Yingling passed away on June 2, 1966 in Kaukauna.
Helen
(Andrejeski) Yingling died on November 28, 2002 in
Appleton.
1.2.2.2
Oroville Yingling was born in Kaukauna. He would marry Hazel Alft on January 25, 1942 in Kaukauna. She was born on July
1, 1914 in
Langlade County,
WI. the daughter of John Sr. and
Susan Alft. Oroville and Hazel have three children;
Katherine, Carol and Timothy.
1.2.2.2.1
Katherine Yingling
1.2.2.2.2.
Carol Yingling
1.2.2.2.3
Timothy Yingling
Hazel (Aft) Yingling passed away on June 3, 1959
in
Shawano,
WI. in a tragic automobile accident. With
three children to raise, Oroville remarried the following year, September 30,
1961, to Beatrice Smits. She was born in Freedom, WI. the daughter of Theodore
Smits and Lucy McDaniels.
1.2.2.3 Donald R. Yingling was born on December 31, 1921 in Kaukauna. He would
marry Mary Hesselman in Kaukauna. She was born in
Oshkosh,
WI.
the daughter of Earl Hesselman and Janet Sawicki. Donald and Mary have three children; Jeffrey,
Scott and Todd.
1.2.2.3.1
Jeffrey Yingling
1.2.2.3.2
Scott Yingling
1.2.2.3.3
Todd Yingling
Donald Yingling passed away on October 15, 1993 in
Lakewood,
WI.
1.2.2.4 Norbert A. Yingling was born on August 23, 1924 in Kaukauna and died in
Omaha,
Nebraska
on September 1, 1995. He would marry Barbara A. Buth
on February 21, 1950 in
Appleton.
She was born in
Milwaukee,
WI. the daughter of Walter Buth and Charlotte Barbara. Norbert and Barbara have two
children;
Lorraine
and Christine.
1.2.2.4.1
Lorraine Yingling
1.2.2.4.2
Christine Yingling
Norbert Yingling died September 1, 1995 in Omaha, Nebraska.
1.2.2.5 Francis H. Yingling was born in Kaukauna. He would marry Dolores
Giebish in
Appleton.
She was born in Appleton, the daughter of Anton Giebish
and Hattie Boettcher. Francis and Dolores have two children; Greg and Laurie.
1.2.2.5.1
Greg Yingling
1.2.2.5.2
Laurie Yingling
Francis Yingling died February 12, 2002 in Appleton.
1.2.2.6 Dorothy Mae Yingling was born in Kaukauna. She would marry Robert
Kennedy in Kaukauna. He was born in
Fargo,
North Dakota, the son of Fred
Kennedy and Elsie Johnson. Robert and Dorothy have one son, Richard Kennedy. On
June 6, 1987 Dorothy remarried Gene Sage.
1.2.2.6.1
Richard Kennedy
1.2.2.7 James N. Yingling was born in Kaukauna. He would marry
JoAnn Driessen in Kaukauna. She was born in Appleton, the
daughter of Quintin Driessen and Helen Wegand. James and JoAnn have
three children; James, Jay and Jill.
1.2.2.7.1
James Yingling
1.2.2.7.2
Jay Yingling
1.2.2.7.3
Jill Yingling
Frank Yingling passed away on May 28, 1968 in
Kaukauna.
Mayme (Feller) Yingling passed away on November 19, 1990 in Kaukauna.
They both are buried in the family plot at Holy Cross Cemetery in Kaukauna with Mary’s parents
John and Theresia Feller.
Ann Feller was born on September 10, 1892 in
Kaukauna, and baptized Anna Magdelena on September 14 at Holy Cross Church with Henry and Anna Romenesko
listed as her baptismal sponsors.
On July 16, 1914, she married Frank “Son” Goetzman.
He was born on January 2, 1888 in Kaukauna, the son of Valentine Heinrich
Goetzman and Margaretha Schavet.
Frank Goetzman worked at Thilmany Mills for many
years and as a young man prior to his marriage. The Kaukauna Times reported on
April 24, 1903; “Frank Goetzman gets hand caught in paper mill machinery.
Frank Goetzman aged 16 years third hand on the No. 3
machine at the Thilmany Pulp and Paper mills, suffered a very painful injury
Monday night about 11 o'clock, by which his right thumb was completely severed
between the first and second joints and about six inches of the cord torn out
with it. Young Goetzman was trying to throw out the friction clutch of the rewinder when his hand slipped from the lever and caught in
the gearing, causing the accident. The boy showed remarkable nerve, as he never
uttered a cry of pain or shed tears, but on being taken away from the machine
fell in a dead faint. Will Pahl, the machine tender,
found the severed member hanging in the machinery by the cord, and brought it
along to the doctors’ office to show the full extent of the injury. Dr. Blair
dressed the hand.”
Ironically Ann’s brother-in-law, Frank Yingling, also got
his fingers seriously lacerated in the Paper Mill machinery in May of 1909.
Frank Goetzman, Mark
Goetzman , Ann Feller, Margaret Feller
at Frank and Ann’s wedding
in 1914
Robert Goetzman was born on April 8, 1915 in Kaukauna. He would marry
Laverne Kromer on June 8, 1940 in Kaukauna. She in
Kaukauna, the daughter of Arthur Kromer and Grace
Waters. Robert and Laverne have four children; Lance, Hope, Suzanne and Lynn.
Robert Goetzman passed away March, 2, 2004.
A short biography from himself, Robert Goetzman,
written in 2001.
Bob and LaVerne, he being
Catholic and she being Lutheran were married in the rectory by the then Father
Garthaus, Bob started working at the Thilmany Paper Co.
right out of high school and stayed with that company for 43 1/2 years. He started
for wages in the mill as an hourly laborer and advanced to the office marketing
department and wound up his career as manager of administrative operations. As
with his dad, Bob spent much of his time on and around the
Fox
River hunting ducks and small game. The
Fox
River played a big part in the lives of all the Goetzmans'. Bob was proud of the fact that he served 20
years as a member of the Kaukauna Housing Authority, two of which as the
chairman. He was also a volunteer clerk for 20 years at the Kaukauna St.
Vincent De Paul store. LaVerne was a sales clerk in a
Kaukauna variety store before her marriage. She was, by choice, a mother and
housekeeper.
2. Virginia Goetzman was born on July 13, 1916 in Kaukauna. She would
marry Lester Coonen on August 9, 1941 in Kaukauna. He was born on April 4, 1907
in Dundas, WI. the son of James Coonen and Petronella
Biese. Lester and Virginia have eleven children; Mary Nell, Peter, John
Michael, Christopher Robert, Shelly Ann, Kim Francis, Lee Norbert, Michael
Steven, Katherine Eileen, Steven James and Erik. Lester Coonen passed away on
December 5, 1989 in Fort Atkinson,
WI. Virginia remarried to Lester’s older brother
Jerome Coonen on November 22, 1990. Virginia (Goetzman) Coonen passed away on
October 12, 1991.
A biography about Virginia Goetzman Coonen
from her brother, Robert Goetzman, written in 2001.
Virginia Goetzman was a free spirit all of her life
and enjoyed obliging her many friends. She enjoyed trying to figure out
"what made them tick." After she graduated from high school, she
lived in
Milwaukee
where she attended college for a couple of years. She and Lester Coonen were
married in
Holy
Cross
Church
with the reception held in the back yard of our home on
Desnoyer St. I remember how my dad got a
little tipsy and got up on the picnic table and sang an old fashioned song for
the crowd. Les was a self made man and installed roofing to earn his way
through St. Norbert's College and then through the University of Wisconsin for
his Ph D in Biology. "Gin" as she was called and Les lived in
Toledo for a couple of
years where he taught in the Biology Dept. Incidentally, Gin had been baptized
Lucina, but never went by that name. Then they moved to
Detroit, where he was head
of the Biology Dept. As the story goes, Les, on his way home from college one
evening, stopped in a shoe store which was having a sale. There was a rack of
children’s’ shoes with about two dozen shoes in various sizes. To the surprise
of the salesperson, he bought the whole rack. With eleven children there were
always shoes for one or another. Sometime during their stay in
Detroit, Gin was diagnosed
with having a brain tumor necessitating a surgical operation. Since the
University of
Detroit
was a
Jesuit
School, she was inundated with prayers
from the faculty and students. She came out of the operation with "flying
colors" and was put on exhibition the next day to all the medical students
as an example of the perfect operation. Upon retiring, Les and Gin moved to
Fort
Atkinson
because it was near Whitewater
Wisconsin
which had a college and a good library. After Les' death, Gin married his
brother Jerome. Gin and Les are both buried in
Fort
Atkinson.
Ann (Feller) Goetzman passed away on July 11, 1957
in Kaukauna. Frank Goetzman passed away on September 10, 1967, also in
Kaukauna. They are buried in a family plot with Frank’s parents, Henry and
Margaret Goetzman at Holy
Cross Cemetery
in Kaukauna.
Theodore Feller was born on March 4, 1899 in
Kaukauna. He was baptized on March 13 at Holy Cross Church with Theodore Pennings and
Henrietta Pennings as his baptismal sponsors. He lived with his older sister
Mayme and her husband Frank Yingling for several years before he married. In Kaukauna
he worked at Thilmany Mills paper mill.
On September 21, 1927 he married Angeline
DePrey in Two
Rivers, WI. She was
born on April 13, 1907 in Algoma,
WI. the daughter of Joseph Deprey and Christina Louises.
Theodore and Angeline had
one son, Virgil Feller. He was born in Two
Rivers, WI. He would
marry Elaine Grimm in Two Rivers. She was born in Two Rivers, the daughter of
Joseph Grimm and Marcela Bohne. Virgil and Elaine
have four children; Steven, Kathryn, Mary and Marcia.
Theodore Feller died on September 1, 1976 at the
Heritage Care Home in Manitowoc
where he had resided for two years. Angeline (DePrey) Feller died in Manitowoc on May 1, 1990. They are buried at
Holy Cross cemetery in Two Rivers,
Wisconsin.
PICTURE?
Della Feller was born March 2, 1901 in Kaukauna. She
was baptized Della Odelia Feller on March 11 at Holy Cross
Catholic Church with Henry Verhagen and Delia Romenesko as her baptismal
sponsors. In the 1920 Census she is
listed living as a roomer at the home of Mary Ward on Taft St. in Kaukauna. She was 18 years
old and listed her occupation as a “finisher” at the paper mill.
On June 29, 1920 she married Andrew O’Connell in
Kaukauna. He was born on June 7, 1898 in Buchanan, the son of Andrew O’Connell
and Mary Hoolihan of Buchanan. In the 1920 Census Andrew O’Connell was listed
living as a roomer at home of Della’s sister Mayme and her new husband, Frank
Yingling. Andrew’s occupation was listed as a “Machine helper” at the paper
mill.
Andrew and Della had three children;
1. Noreen O’Connell was born on October 16, 1925 in
Kaukauna; She would marry Lee Jacobi on July 20, 1946
in Milwaukee.
Lee and Noreen had no natural children, but adopted two wonderful girls, pictures here. Noreen (O’Connell) Jacobi died
January 25, 1998 in Milwaukee.
2. Janet O’Connell was born in Kaukauna. She would
marry Robert Nelson September 5, 1953 in DePere, WI. He was born on June 25,
1922 in Waupaca, WI. the son of Henry Nelson and Dorothy Van Hecke. Robert and Janet have four children; Peter, Andrew,
Amy and Martha Nelson. Robert Nelson died in June 1977 in DePere, WI.
3. Dennis Joseph O’Connell was born in Kaukauna. He would marry Delores Marie
Miller. Dennis and Marie have three children;
Michael who is married to Elizabeth Ann Eischeid and they have
one daughter, Madeline Rose.
Kevin O'Connell is their second son.
Ryan
O’Connell who is married to Candy Ann Ocello and they have three children; Ashley, Andrew
and Nathan.
Della (Feller) O’Connell
passed away May 21, 1980 in
Green Bay, WI. Andrew O’Connell passed away on December
7, 1995, also in Green Bay.
Andrew O’Connell is also pictured as the best man in the wedding picture of
Richard Wilpolt.
Standing: Gary, Barbara,
John
Seated: Myra, Elvira (Conradt),
Harold, Donna
A short biography about Frank Goetzman from his son,
Robert Goetzman, written in 2001.
