Mystery Monday: Forgotten Age???

The grandpa that my grandpa remembers best and talks about most is his Grampa Tony.  I was told it was short for Anthony William Konst, but in reality he was born Anton Wilhelm Kunst.  In agreement is that he was born to Henry Kunst and Anna Kramer in Burlington, Racine County, Wisconsin on March 3. I have the family history my great grandmother, Tony’s daughter, wrote down in her own handwriting while she was sitting with her parents.  I have a photo of Tony’s grave stone.  Everything lists his year of birth as 1867. 

However, the baptism records clearly show his year of birth as 1868.  Clearly.  And this is the record made closest to the time, so one that I must believe the most.  So WHY?  I don’t see how it could be a mistake.  His parents were married in January 1867 and he was actually born a year and two months later, but they tell everyone he was born two months after they were married?  That seems backward.  And that there is a story that is missing.  

Konst/Kunst Family from Germany

Anton William Konst

Elizabeth Bauhaus

Our family’s name was Kunst, which means, “Art” in German.  In fact, some of the Kunst who came to America changed their last name to Artt and Artz.  But our family changed theirs to Konst and that is how they stayed.  

Our German family came from Osterwick, which was actually in Prussia at the time of their emigration. 

Osterwick was in the Prussian province of Westphalia from 1815 until after World War II.  Before 1815, it was divided duchies and other feudal areas of power until 1807 when it was treatied into the Kingdom of Westphalia (founded by Napoleon and a French vassal state).  In 1815, it was granted to the Kingdom of Prussia .  From Wikipedia.com, “The present state of North Rhine-Westphalia was created after World War II from the former Prussian province of Westphalia, the northern half of the former Prussian Rhine Province, and the former Free State of Lippe. North Rhine-Westphalia is subdivided into five government regions (Regierungsbezirke), so one can say that Westphalia today consists of the Regierungsbezirke of Münster, Detmold and Arnsberg. “  Osterwick is in Munster.  Technically, “Coesfeld, Munster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, Europe.”

Our immigrant ancestor was Adoph Anton Joseph Kunst and his parents were Joan Gerhard Kunst and Anna Elisabeth Popping.   Joan’s parents were Joan Henrich Kunst and Margaretha Tummler.  Joan H. parents were Joan Kunst and Elisabeth Rovekamp.

This drawing was painted by Martin Holz. It shows the house of Anton Kunst a short time after he had left it to go with his family to America.

Fromour German cousin’s website, here is the translated information about our immigrant ancestor, Adolph Anton Joseph Kunst:

04.12.1853 - Family Kunst emigrates to America !

 Adolph Anton Joseph Konst was born near monastery Varlar, now castle Varlar. The address was: "Dorfbauerschaft 13". Since more than 100 years till today there is the "Varlar Schänke" a little tavern.

 

Adolph Anton Joseph Kunst had married into the house No. 119 in Osterwick which belonged to the grave-digger Jacobus Hannemann. He had only daughters, no sons.

With his wife, Theresia Hannemann, his three children and his sister in law, Josephine Hannemann (*07.06.1823) the family Kunst emigrated on 12th of April in the year 1853 to America. First they went to Antwerpen, a port in Belgium, and then with the ship "Satellite" to America. There were 125 emigrants on the ship including a family Tast (Tastove) with 4 children which came also from Osterwick. In Osterwick they had lived in "Schulze Niehoffs Leibzucht No. 1a". Later the family Tast (Tastove) settled in Quincy IL.

The ship reached New York on 27.06.1853. In the documents about the persons, who left the ship, you find not the name of Josephine Hannemann. It is possible she was infected during the passage with cholera and died.

From New York the family started into the wide country of the United States. Theresia Hannemann was far advanced in pregnancy. On 4th of July 1853 they reached Spring Prairie, Walworth Co. A short time before, in 1851, Heinrich Voerding from Osterwick had also settled there. Anton Kunst and Heinrich Voerding where neighbours in Osterwick, also they where from same age (*1818). It is allowed to suppose, the family of Anton Kunst has gone to Spring Prairie to settle there together with their neighbor Heinrich Voerding.

In August 1853 Theresia Hannemann beared her son Henry. 5 children more followed  next years. Till 1857 the family Kunst lived and worked in Spring Prairie. In 1857 they went to Burlington Township. Anton bought a farm of 40 acres, good land and well improved.

In 1870 his wife Theresia died. 1871 Anton Kunst married May Herting, a native of Holland. They had together one child, it was born in 1873.

And about Theresia Hannemann:

Theresia Hannemann was the daughter of the gravedigger, Jacobus Hannemann of Osterwick.  She, along with her husband, three children, and her sister Josephine, the youngest child of Jacobus Hanneman, immigrated to America on April 12, 1853.

Jodocus Henrich Hannemann was the first grave digger of Osterwick.  On 7th August 1808 priest Mathias Jurgens had blessed the new churchyard.  The old one was at the church and full.  So they made a new one outside of Osterwick near "Elsen".  (a street in Osterwick).

He was the gravedigger for 22 years, but was fired on 6th March 1831.  It was found that after each burial, he'd take the iron fixture from the casket and resell it over and over again.  He went to prison for 14 days.

Two of his children immigrated to America, Theresia Hannemann and her sister Josephina. 

 

And more from The history of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin ...

 By Western Historical Company in 1879, page 645:

We descend from Adolph and Theresia’s son Henry Hermann Konst.  As one of the pioneers of Chickasaw County, Iowa, Henry was written up in the History of Chickasaw and Howard Counties, Iowa, Volume 2 by Robert Herd Fairbaim, S.J. Clarke Publishing Company in 1919.

 

HENRY KONST.

Henry Konst is one of the earliest of the pioneers of Chickasaw county and is now living retired in Alta Vista. He was born in Germany, August 4, 1842, and has therefore passed the seventy-seventh milestone on life's journey. He is a son of Anthony W. and Theresa (Hannamann) Konst, who came to the United States in 1852 and took up their abode in Walworth county, Wisconsin, upon a rented farm. Later they purchased a farm in the same county, where the mother's death occurred in April, 1869, while seven years later the father passed away in the same county.

Henry Konst was educated in the district schools of Germany and of Wisconsin after coming to the new world. In 1869 he removed to Chickasaw county and purchased a small farm, comprising forty acres of wild prairie land on the southeast quarter of section 25, Washington township. Later he added to this place, extending the boundaries of his farm until it comprised one hundred and twenty acres. He continued to make his home upon the farm for twenty years and during that period successfully carried on general agricultural pursuits. About 1889 he removed to Alta Vista and for some years conducted a saloon but it was said of him that he was too much of a man to succeed in the saloon business. If he felt that a customer had had enough to drink he refused to sell him more and If the family needed the man's wages he refused to take his money. In later years Mr. Konst has lived retired, enjoying the fruits of his former toil.

On the 22d of February, 1868, Mr. Konst was married to Miss Anna Kramer, of Racine, Wisconsin, and to them were born three children: Anthony W., living in Capa, South Dakota; Margaret, the wife of A. Holden, a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Ella, who Is the wife of C. M. Erion, of Tacoma, Washington. The wife and mother passed away in 1885 and on the 1st of February, 1892, Mr. Konst was married to Mrs, Anna W. Rechner, of Howard county, Iowa, who by her former marriage had two children: George Rechner, now living at home with Mr. and Mrs. Konst; and Lilly, the widow of Richard Tietjen, of Alta Vista.

Mr. Konst is a member of the Independent Order of Foresters. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church, while his wife holds membership with the Lutheran church. In politics he is a democrat but cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. It is characteristic of him that he does not hesitate to support any cause or project which he believes to be for the best interests of the community, and the substantial traits of character which he has displayed have made him one of Alta Vista's esteemed citizens.

Sentimental Sunday: Great Grandma, Anna Ellen Konst

Playing around with MyMemories...

 

Tombstone Tuesday: Henry and Clem Konst

My great grandmother’s brothers, Clem and Henry, were among other things, very tall- well over 6 feet and racing to 7.  They were farmers and landowners, as well as railroad workers.

Henry Barnard Konst was born on May 24, 1890 in North Washington, Chickasaw County, Iowa.  His brother, Clemens Henry Konst was born on April 10, 1896 also in North Washington.  In the 1900 census they are in Jacksonville, Chickasaw County and in 1905, they are in Alta Vista, Chickasaw County.  In 1908, they moved to Capa, Jones County, South Dakota with their parents and siblings to a homestead.  But that’s a different part of the story…

When Henry and Clem were 23 and 17, respectively, they were “haymaking” in Aberdeen, South Dakota.  In 1920, Clem married Ora Belle Saxton in Philip, South Dakota and in 1921, they experienced both the birth and death of their daughter Clara.  She was born April 10 and died October 10 that year.

In 1922, Clem married Alice Rose Griswold and the next year, their daughter Dorothy was born.  They had a son, Paul William, in 1925 and a daughter Dorris in 1925.

Closed to camera is Tony Konst.  Two other tallest are Henry and Clem, Tony's sons.

Right to left: Lizzie Elizabeth Bauhaus Konst, Clem and/or Henry (not sure which is which), unknown

After the death of their father, Henry and Clem had a falling out over the land and, despite living in the same small area of South Dakota, didn’t speak for years.

I don’t know much about Henry and Clem, but I did have some correspondence with Jim Konst, Clem’s grandson who reported, “Grandpa was a quite serious man who did not want to leave his home to visit people. Once, my aunt Dorothy and her family ‘kidnapped’ grandpa and brought him to our house, a mere  200 miles away. That was the only time he came to our house.  Grandpa had his opinions as well. He never believed that man went to the moon. His simple logic was: ‘How could they go there without knowing the way.’ Grandpa enjoyed fishing in his retirement.”

From Find-A-Grave in the Midland Cemetery, Midland, SD

From Find-A-Grave in the Midland Cemetery, Midland, SD

Mystery Monday: Duke of Mixager

Grampa’s Uncle Henry Konst used to tease him for being so many ethnicities and called him, “The Duke of Mixager.”

You see, Grampa’s father was half Scottish and the other half was a little bit of a lot.  Grampa’s mom’s family (Uncle Henry's, too) was German.  All German but with a possible hint of illicit Native American.

While I grew up thinking I was Indian because my dad was born in Indiana, I really didn’t know about the whole possible Native American connection.  But apparently on Great Grama’s death bed, she whispered, “There is some Indian in us.”  Coming from California in the 21^st Century, it’s difficult to imagine that being anything but awesome, but times were different in the homestead years and some things were apparently not something the family was proud of.

But all I have to go on for this illicit Native American is a death bed statement, a tease from Uncle Henry about Grampa being named Pierre for a French Indian, and a story from Grampa’s childhood.

When he was a boy, his grampa, Tony Konst, took him to the Indian Reservation.  They went into a tee pee and all sat in a circle and the men smoked a peace pipe.  Grampa doesn’t remember where this was, but he remembers thinking that it was important that they were there and that his grampa was important to these Native Americans.

So was Tony’s mom or dad not who we think but actually a Native American?  Or were Tony’s children those to first house the possible Native American DNA?

We may never know.


But it's cool.

Thriller Thursday: Naked Turkeys

At some point during their time in Capa, South Dakota, my great grandfather, Orville Thomas Conner, decided that he was going to be a turkey farmer. They rented a farm outside of Capa near the Badd River and bought 60 baby turkeys. They raised them to adulthood on that farm south of town. One day, a cyclone came through the farmlands.

After they safely emerged from the cellar, they went to check the livestock. The turkeys were nowhere to be found. They searched and searched until they heard an odd noise down by the river. Looking up, my grandfather and his sisters saw the turkeys in the trees. But they looked odd. Something was amiss.

No feathers?

The tornado had plucked their feathers right out. The turkeys were naked.

They finally came down from the trees to eat, but sadly, died in just a few days from sunburn.

Faced with 60 rotting dead turkeys, Great Grampa had to quickly perform a mass burial. But where? He looked around the place and remembered the hole that tended to retain water after the snow melted each year. He decided that if he buried the turkeys there, and covered them with enough dirt… well, two birds with one stone (so to speak…).

He informed Great Gramma (Ann Konst) of the plan and she insisted it would stink. “No, Ann! We’ll bury ‘em deep! It’ll be fine!”

So Grampa and Great Grampa, using a scoop made of a half-barrel looking piece of metal strung up to the horse, dug and dug and dug. When they thought they were done, they dug even further, just to not hear, “I told you so!” from Great Gramma.

And that was that with the turkey farm.

Funeral Card Friday: Houdek

This is my great grandmother's sister, Christine (Konst) Houdek.  She was born 24 May 1888 in Iowa and died 14 Nov 1969 in Garner, Hancock Co., IA.  She was married to Anton Houdek.

Tombstone Tuesday – Konst

I played with Find-A-Grave the other day and found a number of my Konst family members.  I took the time to place notes and/or obituaries on their sites for anyone else who may notice them.

From the Midland Cemetery, Midland, Haakon County, South Dakota:

Konst, Anthony- my great, great grandfather

Konst, Elizabeth- my great, great grandmother (wife to Anthony)

Konst, Clem- my great grandmother’s brother

Konst, Alice- Clem’s wife

From Saint Mary’s Cemetery, North Washington, Chickasaw County, Iowa:

Konst, Anna- my 3^rd great grandmother, married to Henry

From the Masonic Cemetery, Philip, Haakon County, South Dakota

Konst, Henry B.- my great grandmother’s brother

Konst, Ora- wife to Henry

Konst, Clara- infant daughter of Henry and Ora

From the Calvary Cemetery, Alta Vista, Chickasaw County, Iowa

Konst, Henry- my 3^rd great grandfather

From unknown cemetery:

Konst, Anna Marie Reckner- 2^nd wife of my 3^rd great grandfather, Henry Konst