Four weeks ago I left. – with hopes high only to be dissappointed. Just received your letter of the 2nd but none from Bill- Haven’t heard from him for two days- He’s awfully busy I know as they have piled all sorts of responsabilities on him.
I have received two calls from friends of his that have flown in from Moses Lake. His address is-
301 Service Group
Moses Lake Army Air Base
Moses Lake, Wash.
He may get back for a day or two this week- I only hope so
p2
I went to Club with my neighbor last nite. Played pinocle & had a good time.
Sent you a little gift for Mother’s Day which I hope you like – Would like to see both of my mothers Sunday but guess that is impossible so will just send Best Wishes for the day. Evelyn is having a good time at Aunt Juanitas. She bought Eve a dress – $22.95. O.K. I guess-guess I’ll go visit her too.
The weather is nice again but cool at nights. Sue had a little cold which I hope gets better soon.
My girl from the N.Y.A. took care of the children again last
p3
without accident for a change. First time I had her she spilled ink on my table cloth- second time broke the baby’s bottle. – Maybe she was jinxed. – Must get asway to clean house as my land lady is coming for the rent today – Hope to see you soon.
Mina was born in Dömitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany on the 28th of June in 1820 and was baptized two days later.1 Her parents were Johann Christoph Wilhelm Sachs and Ursula Margaretha Sophia Schult. In her picture on the right, she looks exactly like I would want a great grandmother to look, including that impish little smile.
Recently I have been able to search the indexed church records of Dömitz and expand Mina’s tree a few generations. So here it is now.
We have some pretty interesting German surnames to add to our family: Lütken / Lüthgen / Lütdan (apparently no one knows how to spell it), Schlein, and Schult. Schult has been on the surname list for a while, but these recent finds in the church records, make me more certain that the name is not Schultz, although I did see it in one record as Schulten.
Mina lost both of her grandmothers before she was even born. Of her grandfathers I have been unable to ascertain when they died. And, unfortunately for Mina, both of her parents were dead by the time she was almost 16 years of age, her father dying about 2 months before her birthday in 1836. She did have two sisters and one brother all older than her, the youngest of her siblings was 19 when they became orphans.
As none of her siblings were married when the last of their parent’s died, I am assuming that they were taken in by relatives until they were. Her sister Johanna married the next year to Christian George Heinrich Strempel.
In 1820 Mecklenburg abolished serfdom. While it is a good thing that this happened, it had unintended side affects now that land owners were no longer responsible for the people who lived on their land. They reduced the amount of housing that was available, so the former serfs no longer had a place to live, land was not available for them to buy and farm for themselves, and work became much harder to find. About 250,000 people left Mecklenburg in several different waves of immigration. Many went to the United States, the rest went to other cities within Germany itself. The conditions at home left them very little choice. “Almost every third person from Mecklenburg left their home country, almost 90 % of them came from rural places.”2
Dömitz on the Elbe.
Castle in Dömitz.
Lutheran Church.
Of great interest to me, is finding the answer to the question of how Mina and Friedrich Karl Isserstedt, who was born in Hessleben, Sömmerda, Thuringia, Germany, met. They were married somewhere in Germany, and came to America with 3 of their children who were born in Thuringia (where Hessleben is located).
Here is a map showing the location of the two towns in Germany where Mina and Fred were from. Where and how did they meet?
Was Friederick in the military and somehow ended up in Dömitz? Did Mina leave home because of the conditions in Mecklenburg and end up in Fred’s neck of the woods? I am hoping I can find the answer to these question with more digging. I would especially love to find out where they married as there is no record in Dömitz of their marriage. It doesn’t mean they weren’t married there, just that I can find no record if it.
In 1855 the Isserstedt family left their residence in Wandersleben3 and made the long trip to America. Sailing from Hamburg to the port of New York. Eventually ending up in Plymouth, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, where together they carved out a new home from the wilderness and prospered.
OBITUARY Mrs. Wilhelmine Isserstedt nee Sachs, one of the oldest settlers in this area, died on Friday in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Emilie Hamm, near Medford, at the age of over 70 years. Her husband, Mr. Friedrich Isserstedt, died about a year ago. She was born in Doemitz, Mecklenburg-Schwerin on 26 July 1820, and came to America in 1855 with her husband. At first they lived on a farm in the Town of Sheboygan Falls. Later they lived in the city for a time where Mr. Isserstedt has a shoemaker business. Then they again moved on a farm in the northeastern part of the Town of Plymouth. They lived there many years when they moved on the farm formerly owned by the deceased Chr. Komen where they lived until Mr. Isserstedt’s death. She is survived by a son, Mr. Fred. Isserstedt, in the northeastern part of Town Plymouth; three daughters, Mrs. Henriette Hoppe and Mrs. Emilie Hamm, Medford, and Mrs. Minna Kaestner, Town Plymouth. Another daughter, Mrs. Amanda Hoffmann, died several years ago. The funeral was held in Town Rhine on Sunday.4[died 13 Aug 1899]
Sources:
1. Sophia Catharina Willhelmina Sachs baptism, Taufen, Hieraten, Toter, Konf. 1835-1852 vol. 2, entry ?3, (1820) page 12, Stadtkirche Kirchenbuecher Church Records Evangelical Lutheran, Doemitz, Mecklenburgische, Sippenkanzlei, Mecklenburg-Schwerin: FHL Film #69078, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
2. http://www.emecklenburg.de/Mecklenburg/en/emi_intr.html
3. According to the passport records from Hamburg. Wandersleben is near Gotha, which is also in Thuringia, where their only son was said to have been born. Staatsarchiv Hamburg. Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008. 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 00. 4. Wilhelmine Sachs obituary, The Plymouth Post, Plymouth, Wisconsin; [reprinted in ‘From Here and There’, 17 August 1899, page 1??, Historical Research Center, Inc., Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin].
Victor Hugo John, the youngest of Frederick William John and Johanna Deadrich’s children, had three children with his wife Gertrude Cain. They were all boys.
Today I want to talk about Lincoln William John (Link), their second son, and apparently the shortest. He must have gotten his height from his mother Gert.
Here is a great picture of Victor with his three sons in order of birth: Clarence, Link, Vic jr.
Link was born 7 Feb 1901 in Wabeno, Forest County, Wisconsin. He grew up and played in the woods of Wisconsin, but when he hit the age of about 21 he must have developed restless feet because he left the bosom of his family and headed out to the wild west, and other exotic places. He was definitely no longer living in Wisconsin by 1930. (I believe that I found him in the 1930 census as: William John, living in Beckton, Sheridan County, Wyoming, age 23, lodging and working as a farm hand. The age is off, but he is also listed as being born in Wisconsin, so it could be the same Lincoln William of this biography. Then again, if Link was working for the railroad, he might have been missed in this census altogether.)
While I am not 100% that I have found him in the 1930 census, I did find this article in the Forest Republican, a weekly Crandon paper, from April of 1922:
Lincoln John, who has been employed at Casper, Wyoming, is expected to return to Crandon to-day to drive taxi for H. H. Patterson.
And in 1926 he took a trip to Cuba. Holiday?:
Interestingly, the 1930 census for Hazel is dated April 1 of 1930, and it was only a few weeks later that Link was married in Hot Springs, Fall River County, South Dakota to Hazel (Ward) Jacobs, a 28 year old divorcé with an adopted son, Martin Jacobs. Martin was 5 years of age at the time.
Hazel and Link possibly met through the railroad company, because in 1920, when she was living in Kansas with her parents, Hazel was working as a messenger in a railroad office, and Link was employed as a railroad fireman in the 1940 census.
Link’s employment in the railroad, no doubt came about because of his father and grand father’s involment with the railroad in Wisconsin. He grew up around trains and the railway. His father Victor, sr. was a station agent for many years before going into banking.
Ten years later, (1940), Link and Hazel were still living in Casper, Wyoming, however Martin is no longer in the household.
The family story was that Martin was ‘given up’ because Hazel and Link went to Panama, where Link was going to be working in the Canal Zone, and they weren’t allowed to take Martin with them. From my research, it appears that Martin went to live with his father in Texas, where he appears in the 1940 census. I don’t know when he went to live with his father, but it was before Link was starting to make trips Panama.
Passenger lists can be found from 1944, ’45, ’47 and ’48 with Link’s name on them. He is traveling to and from the Canal Zone in Panama for work. Hazel appears with him in 1945 and 1947. But I could find only one passenger list showing them leaving the US for Panama, the rest are all arrivals back to the US.
So it appears that a short time after 1940 (about 1944) to about 1948 the Johns had moved to Panama. I imagine that Link’s work with the railroad is what led to his being transferred to the Canal Zone to help with construction or other activities related to railroad work there.
This is a cool passenger list from 1944, because it is actually from Pan American Airlines. Link is flying in to New Orleans from Panama on his way back to Wyoming. Maybe it had been his first trip to Panama to get things ready for Hazel to join him.
Unfortunately, I don’t know much about their experiences in Panama, other than that they were there. It was during part of WWII, and also in a time where there was much unrest in the area, as the majority of the locals really wanted the Americans out of their backyard. (Maybe someone in Hazel’s family has pictures and stories.) We do have one letter that Hazel wrote where she mentions that my mother should enjoy the ‘housegirls’ she had when we lived overseas, in reference to Hazel and Link’s time in Panama:
This would be one of the types of ships that were traveling through the canals at the time they lived there.
When Link and Hazel retired they did so in Fresno, California. I can recall visiting with them in Fresno in the early 1970s, and being delighted with the train set-up Link had in the house. It was pretty cool, with all the little buildings and landscaping. They also kept a wonderful garden on their lot. Hazel always sent hand crocheted slippers for Christmas. I guess we always sent them cheese.
This is a doodle drawing that Link made. Hazel makes a reference to Link always drawing train pictures in one of her letters to us.This is definitely a picture of Link, but I am not positive of the women beside him, it could be Hazel. Looks like she is working on the car.
Hazel passed away in 1987, Link stuck around a few years longer, passing away in 1992. They had no children of their own to pass on their legacy. I remember them fondly, and we do still have the letters they sent to us.
More on Hazel’s early life:
Hazel Ward was born in Kansas in 1899. Her mother Eva was married more than once. When we find the family in the 1910 census her mother is married to Henry Piper and they had one child together. Hazel had two sisters, Blanche and Gladys, and a brother Robert, also one half sister.
Hazel’s first husband was probably Martin Jacobs, sr. and they most likely married in Kansas, where they were both living in the 1910s. I don’t know when they were married, although the 1920 census indicates that she was already divorced. Martin had a child with another women when they were married, because Martin jr was adopted by Hazel according to the 1930 census.
A Martin Frank Jacobs jr., who appears in the Social Security applications and claims index at Ancestry, has the same year of birth as the Martin Jacobs from the 1930 census, and applied from Casper, Wyoming. He died in Texas in February of 1986. This same Martin, jr. appears in the 1940 census living with Martin, sr. and Lucy Jacobs in Texas. Martin, sr. was probably Hazel’s first husband, who took his son back to live with him sometime between 1930 and 1940.
301 Service Squadron
Moses Lake Air Base
Moses Lake, Washington
May 1, 1943
Dear Mother and Dad,
I have been transferred to another squadron, and temporarily to another state. I am doing about every kind of work imaginable. This is a God-forsaken hole and I wouldnt even put a rat in it. I am fine & so is everyone else. We hope to be in Pendleton again soon. Why dont you plan to come out and stay a month or so mother? We would be glad to have you.
Write and tell me how everyone is.
Love to all
Bill
Received your box Monday and letter – Was very glad to get both. Ken & Jim played the best of any day – that day. I guess it was just the lack of things to do that made them so biligerent.
Anyway they left Mon nite at 10:00 & Bill took them to the station. Then he got home at 10:30 – to bed at 11 & up at 2:30 – He left at 3:30AM and is now somewhere in the wilds of Washington. No hope of seeing ^him for a while and very little then. But he will try to get about 3 days off sometime this month. That is why he wanted me to stay. And – not knowing how things might work out – there is a possability of his returning to Pendleton after a couple of months
or going overseas. In either case he wants me to be here so he can see me whenever possible. So if you want to come out, Dick, your arrival will be greatly appreciated at any time. In fact – the sooner the better. Yesterday was my first day alone & if it is any example of those to follow – I don’t want any thank you. Just the knowledge that there is no one that I could go to in this town & no hopes of anyone dropping in for a short visit is enough to make anyone blue. Tho I’m not sorry I came for I did get to see Bill a little.
Just received your letter & one from Gertrude. Guess I’ve answered your questions all ready so whenever you can come it’s O.K. We don’t have much in the way of furniture but we make out. The worst problem is getting ice as they don’t deliver till June 1st. But it gets
cool enough at nite that things don’t spoil.
We have the softest water immaginable & it is a pleasure to wash your hair. We had beautiful weather the first week but it rains nearly every day now. Not cold but rainy. It clears up some in the afterboon. I use the lady next door’s washer for a quarter but I wash in the bathtub a lot too.
Do write & let me know if & when you are coming. I spect you are busy moving & all. Keep up the good work in writing. Hope Herman gets his deferement. We need a good man on the home front.
I’m in better spirits today than I was yesterday – thank heavens. If Ken would look at me I’d balw. Sue has a slight case of dysreah(?sp). Anyway she sh– to too much.
Will wait for word from you. And tell all the folks at home that I’ll be seeing them some time this summer.
I have been doing a lot of intermittent research on the Cross line on my Dad’s side of the family. Along with other Cross researchers, (some of whom are quite surly and rude), I have been trying to find that magical document that connects my Clarissa Cross to her probable mother Serviah (Warner) Cross. No luck so far.
During this search I have been gathering any documents I can find on the surname. In particular I have been focused on Sophia (Rosa) Cross, the eldest sister of my 3x great grandfather Abram Rosa.
Like her father Garrett Rosa, Sophia also married a Cross, Amandor Mandrick Cross to be exact. He is believed to have been her uncle, her mother’s brother. (And with the reputation this family has, I wouldn’t be at all surprised.)
So, while I haven’t found that ‘holy grail’ document, I thought I might share a bit about what I have learned about herself, and her sons George H. and Daniel Wellington Cross, from their Civil War pension application files. Both boys were Union soldiers.
Daniel Wellington Cross
If you will recall, not too long ago I had some interesting research results to share about Daniel regarding his foray into larceny and his stint in prison. All of which happened after he served, pretty much the duration, of the Civil War in Co. I of the 17th Michigan infantry, and later, in Co. C of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters.
Daniel was only in his first unit for about 6 months, about half of which time he was in the hospital ill. So, in February of 1863 the military discharged him due to this illness.
In April of that same year he signed up again, this time with the Sharpshooters. Unfortunately, I could find no record of his time in this unit, other than he was mustered out at the end of the war on the 28th of July 1865. After looking at the regiment’s timeline during the war I found that Daniel’s unit was involved in several battles that would put him in the same area as my great great grandfather FW John: Weldon Railroad, the mine explosion in Petersburg. Maybe they ran into each other. I hope gramps checked his pockets afterward if they did! If you are interested in a little bit of the regiments history there are a couple of links below you can check out.
We know next to nothing about Daniel’s personal experience in the Civil War, except regarding his health. Thanks to his pension record we know that while serving guard duty at Camp Douglas in Illinois on New Year’s eve 1863/4, his feet were frozen to such a degree that he most likely experienced frostbite. This incident affected his feet for the rest of his life. Below is his mother Sophia’s testimony and a friend or neighbor Darius ____ regarding the matter.
Both above items from Daniel’s pension record.
Although Daniel had been married for a short time, (they divorced), there were no children from the marriage, so Daniel died in 1918 without issue.
An interesting note regarding Daniel’s service, he was most likely only 16 or 17 when he signed up in 1862. Maybe his enthusiasm for battle had him running away and lying about his age. There is nothing in the pension papers that gives any sense of Sophia’s feelings regarding the matter, but she must have been frantic with worry with her two eldest sons off to war.
George H.Cross George was born about 1840 in Michgan. The eldest of the Cross boys he has the dubious honor of having died during the war after contracting an illness. Although he did die at home while on leave. According to my quick research, dysentary was the leading cause of death of 2/3rds of the men during the Civil War, and it is most likely that this was the cause of George’s demise. He had also contracted measles earlier in the war but apparently survived that.
Like his brother Daniel, George was also in the war for pretty much the duration. Although he was sick throughout much of his service. He enlisted in Co. I of the 1st Michigan Cavalry and was later tranferred to Co B. When he enlisted he signed with his mark as he was unable to even write his name.
Image of 1st Michigan Calvary.
This particular unit was under the command of General Custer and was known as the Michigan Calvary Brigade, Wolverines or Custer’s Brigade. They fought in every major campaign of the Army of the Potomac from the Battle of Gettysburg to the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House in 1865. George was unable to be there for the surrender as he had died at home in February of that year. (See below several links regarding some history of this regiment.)
Custer on the field with the Wolverines.
George’s illness made for some interesting reading in his pension record as he was arrested earlier in the war for desertion, an accusation which was later rescinded. He hadn’t informed his superior that an illness prevented his returning to his company after his furlough was over.
George had been captured at Berryville, Virginia in August/September of 1864. His service record indicates that he was confined at Richmond, Virginia, which would mean he was most likely at Libby Prison. Another of those nasty hell-holes they called a prison during the war. By December he had been paroled and was back with his unit. It was shortly thereafter that he was transferred to Co B.
Much of George’s time in the Civil War was spent being ill. The time he spent in a confederate prison made his health worse, a situation which eventually contributed to his death in February of 1865. Like his brother Daniel, George died single and without any issue. But least Daniel had had a chance to make a life for himself, even if the choices he made were very poor ones.
Sophia Rosa Cross
George’s mother Sophia was the person who applied for a pension under her son’s name. She was alone and in need of support. She had been widowed in 1866, her drunkard of a husband, Amander, having died. Below is a statement from George’s pension regarding Amander’s weakness in this regard:
Transcription: That they have known Amander Cross, the father of George H. Cross, deceased, since the year 1850 and befor, and from the year 1860 he never did anything for the support of his family for the reason that he was an habitual drunkard from 1860 and befor until the day of his death about July 9th 1866, Sophie Cross was dependent on George H. Cross her son for her support and at his death was in destitute circumstances, and has been ever since.
It appears that Amander put little effort into making the farm they owned a viable resource for providing for the family. He had probably been too busy getting drunk.
So. He died in 1866. Sophia’s eldest son died during the war. Daniel was a thief and ex-con, and lazy Frank wasn’t much better. After Amander died Sophia ended up having to sell her land and everything on it to pay the mortgages that were owed on the property. As that only paid the debts, she hired herself out to clean houses and the like to make money to live on. All told, she was in desperate straights. Thankfully, the pension board saw fit to provide a small pension for Sophia. It was nothing to get rich on, but it help a little.
Sophia died in 1901 at about 85 years of age. She had ended up in a facility for the mentally incompetant and had a guardian; dementia or Alzheimer’s is probably what put her there.
Sophia’s legacy regarding her sons is not a pretty one, they were mostly not good folk. I have my suspicions she had some pretty loose morals herself. After all her favorite brother was Joseph, who had been her son Daniel’s partner in crime, literally, and she had had one of her daughters lie in their pension affidavit about her not having married again, because she had, although the marriage didn’t last.
All-in-all a family of many scoundrels. Makes for interesting reading.
And as for George, (whose illness and poor health during the war contributed to abruptly ending any chance of his having a life), he still died honorably in service to his country. Even Daniel, whose later life choices were usually bad, did at least one good thing in his life by serving his country throughout the war. I respect that.
Well-Bill will be gone to Washington State tomorrow – & Evelyn leaves tomorrow nite so I shall be all alone. And Bill had to check the beds & bedding back in today so we have one daybed for all of us tonite. Nice life —
Bill wants me to stay here as he can get back to see me at times & there is a chance that he will be sent back to Pendleton Field in a month or two. Here is a proposition — Would you like to come out the last of May & stay until things are decided. Then if I decide to come back to Ohio you can help me with the children which would be one h– of a job alone. Bill is still trying for flight training –
it will be either that or overseas — and you will want to see him before he goes.
I am going to try to get a second hand bed next week to do me. The kids are having a good time with their Easter basket this A.M. And bill hasn’t had a day at home yet. We went to a formal dance at the Officer’s Club last nite & had a very good time. I initiated the skirt & it held its own with all the other formals & I had one Tom Collins a& after one fast rhumba it started its effects but I managed to conrol myself. I only wish Bill could stay for it would be so much fun to go all the places with him. We have got to go a little in spite of this dam army– One day Bill will come home & pack to go somewhere
& then come back & unpack.–It keeps you guessing till you don’t care whether it happens or not.
Well Sue must have her bath so please write & let me know if you will come or not. Bill wants you to & he wants me to stay for a couple of months at least. I might have gotten ready & come back with Evelyn but we now know what might happen.
Richard was one of three sons of Emil Hamm, (the youngest child of George Hamm and his wife Emilie Isserstedt). Born in 1917, Richard was also the youngest of Emil and Rebecca Hamm’s children. I have been researching the family in hopes of finding more living cousins just for the fun of it, and of course DNA! I really want a Hamm DNA sample tested.
I found his obituary in Boise, Idaho where he died in 1991. I am chagrined that I have all these close cousins dying and I never got a chance to meet or converse with them. Richard’s obituary has some interesting things to say so of couse I have inserted it below.
My hope is to contact some of his children, or grandchildren, and exchange information and acquire spit!
Letter writing session. Eve & I are both at it. We got a letter from Aunt Vie and Pop this A.M. – Eve sure waits for the mail man. As bad as I used to be.
Well I am almost out of breath. Bill keeps me in a whirl trying to follow his changing orders. Two days ago something was in the air that he couldn’t tell me all about except that he would be going away. Maybe for a month, maybe for two. So we pack his things. Home he comes last nite & says it is all off. They were going north for a while-then overseas-but the orders wre changed. So we unpack-goes to work this A.M. & home at 9:00-going to Redman for a few days-So we pack. Oh-no. If I’m crazy is it my fault! He is going to try to fly home Sunday for the day. He hasn’t had a day at home since we’ve been here. But I do get a glimpe of him now & then as he comes home to pack.
Evelyn is leaving Mon. Nite so I shall be alone for a while. I think I could stand a rest as the kids drive us nuts. ken & Jim fight all the time.
we took Jim & Billy Lou-a neighbor girl to see “Bambi” last nite. I enjoyed it myself.
Hare I was all keyed up to going
to a formal Sat. nite & now that’s off since Bill’s gone.
How about Herman? Please write all of you. Send the public opinions too.
Raining this morning. Our beautiful weather is gone.
Well – I’m wondering if Herman took his physical & if he passed it.
Bill has been made an engineering officer & relieved from his duties as transporation officer. He is very happy about it. Someone else can do the worrying now. He had too much responsibility before & no glory. He has a chance for advancement now. We will hope so anyway. He has been working late most of the time so I don’t see a lot of him. It was 10:00 last nite when he got home.
Evelyn & Jim will leave next Monday if she can get reservations I will miss her.- especially if Bill is gone a lot.
Don’t send me anything – Dick as I never know when I might be coming back & I have enough to get along on.
I got easter baskets for the kids the other day. They are talking about it but Ken of course doesn’t
know what it is all about I only hope Bill is home for Easter at least. If he gets home early tonite we are going to step out. Have to have a little fun. H. O. asked me to drink all I could for him but tell him that here you have to have a ration card to even get a smell.
Has Chuck gone yet? & what did they name the baby?
[Ken writing] Hi Dick & Dad –
This is Kenny.
[picture of train and scribbles]
Or as she was called by the family, Mina.
Daniel was only in his first unit for about 6 months, about half of which time he was in the hospital ill. So, in February of 1863 the military discharged him due to this illness.
jen's ancestors 