#7- Children of Gustave F & Ernestina

Children of Gustaf F. & Ernestina

#6-Whassup With My Family Tree

OK, I have got the Riedell blog up and running, so my moms paternal line is out there for everyone to follow the trail. And I had already created the MyLaRueLinks blog about my dads paternal line. But, that leaves my maternal grandmas line of Ploeger and Marquardt along with their collateral lines. This line seems to enter into Wisconsin in the later half of the 1800's so will begin a blog about that branch of the family tree.

#5-Gustav F. Marries Ernestina

Since the first documents pretty much determine that the early residence of the Reidel family was around Plainfeld/East Wheatland Township, Will County, Illinois. This is where our next searches should continue for church and naturalization records. Photographs that come down in the family have been taken in that location and Gustav F. and Ernestina marry there.

The marriage certificate which gives the grooms name as Christoph is obvioulsy in error, as he signs the certificate as Gustav Riedel. They marry on 14 March 1885 at East Wheatland, Will County, IL by an Evangelical Lutheran Pastor, whose name is hard to read. Ernestina is referred to as Miss Ernestina Wadtke and her parents names are given, the father as a Wadtke. So, I am going to rule out the previous marriage theory. But, the one year old daughter begs some questions. The line on the document which asks the Number of this Marriage for the groom pretty much seems to be his first. But the Brides is rather confusing.

Finally the place of birth for both?  Although both seem to be in the Province of Posen, the town.village is difficult to read. Ernestina's could be Koppce and Gustav F. could be Leepenkord or Seepenkord or something like that.

We do not have a photo of Gustav F. and Ernestina while they were in Plainfield. The earliest photo is of them taken in Rock Island, where we believe they moved to around 1891-92 and left that area around 1895. The family photo shows not only the 2 parents, and Ernestina's daughter, Henrietta, but also the first 4 children born to them between the years 1885 and 1891.I will discuss this families movements to different locations and their children and descendants in succeeding posts. This keeps each subject/post short and sweet, making it easier to understand.

#4- Ernestina Wodtke Arrives USA

Ernestina Wodtke, the spelling of her surname is shown in various ways, arrived in the USA on board the ship Circassia departing Glasgow,Scotland and Moville, Ireland, arriving in New York on 22 May 1884. The place of origin is given as Germany/German as is her ethnicity/race/nathionality. She is traveling with her one year old daughter, Heinrietta Wadtke. Ernestina is listed as "Wife" on the manifest, so it begs the question as to whether the surname is her married name or maiden name?

#3- Gustav Frederich Reidel

Gustav F., believed to be the eldest of the children of Frederick and Henrietta, was said to have been born on 26 August 1859. His marriage certificate records his birth place as Leepenkord (or at least that is what it the handwritten location looks like), Posen, Germany. I am still trying to find it on a map, but I could be all wrong about the spelling, as the handwriting on the marriage certificate leaves questions about a few issues.

Gustav F. is the first of my immediate family line that immigrated to the USA. It appears to be him, on board the ship Mosel, arriving on 4 March 1881 possibly in New York. Interesting to note in the summary of the passenger lists, is his place of origin and Ethnicity given as Bohemia/Czeckoslovakia. The manifest of other passengers give numerous others from that location on the ship. Is this "our" Gustav F.? So far age, date etc. all match our Gustav, but his First Papers/Letters of Intention for Naturalization should clear this issue up.

We have a copy of his Naturalization Certificate but not his First or Second papers which could verify his immigration specifics. The information about the Mosel was taken from other sources, so we are not sure about its veracity either, so will continue to search for the Ships passenger lists, although some family traditions states that he may have been a stow-away. I am in question of this tradition, and feel that it may have been supposed by some earlier family historian when they could not find a list or his name spelled as it was more commonly known.  Although his Naturalization Certificate was found in Rock Island, IL there is the possiblity that he filed his papers through a Superior Court, and that he was residing at the first application dates in Plainfield, Will County, Illinois and a search within that county or court records is required.

Two photos have come to me through family connections. The first came through Melba Reidell of TX and is of two boys. She obtained them from Mary Jane Kinney of Rock Island, a descendant, who thinks one of the males is the son who died in Germany. We are unsure of the other.

The second photo came through another family descendant, but am not sure of exactly who passed it onto a cousin who shared it  with my Aunt who shared it with me. But, these two young men, both in uniform may be Gustav Frederick and Herman, before they emigrated to the US. Based on comparing this photo with those of Gustav F. and Herman a few years later, I am going to guess that the one on the left is Herman and on the right is Gustav F.Someone has suggested that the uniforms they are wearing are non-commissioned officers in the Prussian army, but am I am looking for more conclusive identification.

Like I said above, we are not sure about the identities in these photos. And dating them and specifying the uniforms may help to really determine if they are of the sons of Frederick G. .

#2-Frederick Gustav Reidel & Henrietta.

Frederick G. was born 4 Oct 1834 in Silesia, Germany. (His tombstone gives a birth year of 1836 but all other records consistently record it as 1834.) This was an area near what was once known as Bohemia.  It has had a varied history and has also been called Schleisen and now is Slasz/Slask, Poland. [See Wikepedia.] Family tradition has passed on that his occupation was that of a German postal worker. I have not found any of the First Papers or Petitions for Frederich G. or Gustav F, his son, so am still rather undecided about some information and its veracity.

Frederick married Henrietta Kampf/Kempf in Posen, Germany (Present day Poznan, Polan. Not sure whether the records are referring to the city or the county. This area lies almost directly North of Silesia.) We do not have a marriage date, but from the birth of their son Gustav F. (who we believe to be the eldest child) it may have been prior to August 1859.

Henrietta was born 12 Aug 1835 in Posen. Some records give her birth year as anything from 1834 to 1838.  Census, death certificate and her obituary give her birth year as 1835 and that is what I am going to use.

Frederick and Henrietta immigrated to the US by the Ship Neckar, leaving Bremen, Germany by way of Southampton, England and arrived New York, USA on 31 Oct 1885. They came through Castle Garden in New York, the entry point before Ellis Island was created. New York Passenger Ship arrivals records say that they reported their last residence in Kleinrose/Kleinvose, Germany. They traveled with their 3 youngest children, daughters, Emma, Hulda, and Helen/e. Traaveling on the same ship, but listed on a different page are Louise Reidel aged 28 and Arthur Reidel aged 18. Their is no previous residence for them given. So, as of 2013, we are still unsure whether they were related to our line or not. The ship Neckar was  built by Caird & Company of Greenock, Scotland for Lorddeutscher Lloyd in 1873. Its maiden voyage from Bremen, Germany through Southhampton, England onto New York took place on 18 Apr 1874 with its last voyage on this run in 1886. It accomodated 144 passengers in first class, 68 passengers in second class and 502 in steerage with a crew of 100 persons.

Frederick and his family appear to have first settled in Plainfield, Wills County, Illinois (the above photo of them is taken in Plainfield) and lived there until 1891-2. He then shows up on a city directory for Rock Island, Rock Island County, IL living at 1417 - 42nd Street. It appears that much of his family either lives with him or near by.

Frederick G. dies on 19 April 1893 at his home in Rock Island. His funeral is held at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in that city, with his burial in the church cemetery. It seems that this German Lutheran church was first established in 1856 and later rebuilt in 1896. The Reidel family appears to have been members at this church until at least Henrietta's death in 1920. Early funeral records in the church ledgers are written in German, and were later translated by one of the church pastors. Henrietta lives on a few years, and then dies at the home of her daughter, Emma on 18 March 1920 with her funeral and burial from the same church and cemetery as her husband.

#1-My Riedell Beginnings

Riedell/Reidell/Riedel/Reidel and all spellings of this family from the Posen and Silesia areas of the German Empire, later found in Poland. This is my Mother's paternal line whose descendants immigrated to Illinois from 1881 to 1885, and then later moved in to Nebraska, Texas, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The line that I have found so far, begins with Frederick Gustav Reidel and his wife, Henrietta nee Kampf/Kempf. He came with his wife and 3 daughters in 1885 to the US. He was preceded by his  sons, Gustav Frederick in 1881 (my direct ancestor) and a younger son, Herman in 1883. These 2 sons most likely worked to bring the rest of their family over, including Frederick G. & Henrietta, with daughters, Emma, Hulda, and Helen in 1885. There was reported to have been one son who died in Germany before they emigrated, but we have yet not found anything about him.

I hope to include the research that I have acquired over the years along with photos in this blog. I will begin with Frederick G. and the specific information that I have acquired on him then his wife and their emigration. I will follow with posts regarding their descendants. New information may be added and previous posts may be edited as new information is acquired. I will not be posting to this blog every day. Sometimes it could be weeks before I add anything, so be patient with me.

As with any blogs that I create about any of my family lines, I will not provide information or photos of living persons, to protect their privacy. Also, for the source citations for any of my data, please contact me by email at dervasti14@gmail.com.