Oconto County WIGenWeb Project
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OCONTO COUNTY
Wisconsin
FAMILIES and BIOGRAPHIES

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Widower Gottlieb Luhn taken in Nebraska probably shortly after wife Anna Bitters death on 02 December 1881. Her death came not long after they came to Nebraska in 1878.

Germany as we know it today, did not exist until 1871. What makes it up today was, in the 1850's,  38 separate and independently governed Germanic country/city states. It was common for Germanic men to marry later in life; in their late 30's and early 40's for the first time, due to long mandatory years of military service which demanded them to remain single and then finding no lucrative employment after discharge. Marriages did not live on love alone. This placed men around the 40 year mark by the time they were able to emigrate to a new homeland.

By 1860 there were large numbers of people originally from Hessen, particularly Darmstadt and Cassel, in Washington and Sheboygan Counties.
 

Gottfried Luhn's wife Anna Bitters, on the 1860 census for Washington County, WI., came from Hessian (sic) Cassel, an independent state in 1850 but part of Prussia in 1860.

The 1870 census page for Andrew Luhn, again in Washington County, WI., shows Andrew is age 49. Gottsfried is age 50 that year and in the same county. Andrew is from Hesse Darmstadt, by 1870 a part of Prussia and his wife Anna (another one) is also from Prussia. These could easily be brothers.

Also in 1870 is Jacob Luhn who is age 47,  living  just a hop and a skip directly north in Sheboygan County, WI. He is from Prussia and look at Catherine, his wife. She is from Hesse Cassel, the very same place as Gottfried's wife Anna.

The family children were all born in the US. Gottsfried and Anna's oldest surviving child was age 6 in 1860 (born abt. 1854). Andrew and wife Anna's first surviving child was born in about 1859.  Jacob and Catherine Luhn's first child was born in about 1854. That puts all of their immigrations at least back to the early to mid 1850's.

Jacob and Andrew Luhn remained in Wisconsin in census reports.

To further pinpoint the Luhns of early Wisconsin:
Database: WI 1855 State Census Index
Jacob Luhn
State: WI
County: Washington County
Township: West Bend
Year: 1855
Page: 005

A Henry Luhn was found on the 1900 Federal census for Richardson, Nebraska. He was born in Prussia in 1852 and came to the US in 1854. His wife, Hulda age 40, was born in Wisconsin and the couple married in about 1880. All their surviving children were born in Nebraska starting in 1881, placing them in the same Nebraska time frame as Gottsfried Luhn. This connection is less solid.

1860 Federal Census - Trenton, Washington County, Wisconsin
Page 141, line 5
Gottfried Luhn - age 40 was a day laborer who was born in Prussia
Anna Luhn - age 33 was born in "Hessian Casel"
John Luhn - age 4 was born in Wisconsin
Eliza Luhn - age 4 months was born in Wisconsin

1870 Federal Census - town of Oconto, Oconto County, Wisconsin
Page 6, line 2
Godfry (sic) Luhn - age 50 was a farmer born in Prussia
Anna Luhn - age 43 kept house for Gottfried,  born in Prussia
John Luhn - age 14  born in Wisconsin
Eliza is not present in the household in 1870
Catherine Luhn - age 10 born in Wisconsin
Mary Luhn - age 8 born in Wisconsin
Anna Luhn - age 6 born in Wisconsin
Peter Luhn - age 5 born in Wisconsin
Elizabeth Luhn - age 3 born in Wisconsin
 

1880 Federal Census -Potsdam, Webster, Nebraska
Page 9, line 8
Gottfried Luhn - age 61 was a farmer, born in Prussia
Anna Luhn - age 53, wife of Gottfried,  born in Prussia
John Luhn - age 23, son,  born in Wisconsin
Catherine Luhn is not present in the household in 1880
Mary Luhn  is not present in the household in 1880
Anna Luhn - age 17, daughter, born in Wisconsin
Peter Luhn - age 15, son, born in Wisconsin
Elizabeth Luhn - age 11, daughter, born in Wisconsin
Ella Luhn - age 7, daughter, born in Wisconsin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Tin Type Photograph Frahm Collection Possibly a wedding photo  of Gottlieb and Anna Bitters Luhn. Gottlieb was about the age of 38 years when his oldest surviving child was born. He is fairly close, if not that age, on this photo. Anna was age 30 when this first surviving child was born in 1856. I do not find records of previous births, so it is fairly safe to assume that they were married not long before 1855.

Generation No. 1
1.  GOTTFRIED LUHN
    born 12 May 1819 in Prussia Germany, and
    died 11 March 1899 in
    buried: Walker Cemetery, SE of Blue Hill, NE.
    married ANNA BITTERS.
        born 15 October 1826 in Germany
        died 02 December 1881 in Blue Hill, NE.
        buried:  Walker Cemetery, SE of Blue Hill, NE.

Notes for GOTTFRIED LUHN:
In 1873 Gottlieb Luhn was among the first residents in Oconto to help organize the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation. The charter members had been served for the previous year by the Methodist minister, meaning that they had resided in the county at least since 1872. Two other charter member living in Oconto County were Phillip Bitters and Louis Bitters. Gottlieb Luhn and Phillip Bitters were elected among the three first  church trustees on January 1, 1874.

Argus
Blue Hill News
17 Mar 1899

Grandpa Luhn passed away last week, and was buried Sunday afternoon.  A great number followed the body to the Lutheran Church and to the cemetery, as he was an old settler and much respected. Burial: Walker Cemetery  Webster county NE

Children of GOTTFRIED LUHN and ANNA BITTERS are:
    i.    JOHN LUHN, b. 04 July 1856, Oconto WI; d. May 1884, Blue Hill NE;
        m. CHRISTINA GOLL, 26 December 1883;
                b. 08 October 1855, Germany;
                d. 03 April 1944, Hastings NE.
                burial: Walker Cemetery/Blue Hill Cemetery  Blue Hill, Webster county, NE
    ii.    CATHERINE LUHN,
                b. 25 February 1860;
                d. 25 April 1934, Hastings NE;
                burial: Blue Hill Cemetery  Blue Hill NE
        m. LOUIS K. SCHUMAN, 1880, Blue Hill NE;
                b. 13 November 1844;
                d. 13 March 1908.
                burial: Walker/Blue Hill Cemetery  Blue Hill NE
Notes for CATHERINE LUHN:

Mrs Catherine Schuman, formerly a resident of Blue Hill, died at her home at 1619 west Fourth Street, Hastings, on Wednesday, April 25, after a prolonged illness.  She was 74 years of age.  She is survived by three daughters, Mrs H.E. Mueller of Pilot Grove, MO; Miss Louise Schuman of Hastings; and Mrs G. L. Bradbrook of Hysham, Montana; one brother, Peter Luhn of Lincoln; three sisters, Mrs Chris Waechter of Blue Hill, Mrs Jake Goll of Hastings and Mrs Ella Winkler of Hastings; and two grandsons.  Funeral services will be held on Sunday from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hastings, and burial will be in Blue Hill Cemetery.

Obituary
Mrs Katherine Schuman died Wednesday April 25, at her home 1619 west Fourth Street.  She was born February 25, 1860, in Oconto, Wisconsin.  Her parents were Godfrey and Anna Luhn.  She was confirmed in the Lutheran faith at Oconto in 1874 at the age of fourteen.  In 1878 she moved with her parents to Webster County, Nebraska, locating on a homestead two and one half miles south of Blue Hill.   Here in 1880 she was married to Louie Schuman.  Nine children were born to this union.  Six of the children, three sons and three daughters, died when small.  Her husband died in 1908.  In 1911, she moved to Fremont and from there, one year later, to Hastings where she made her home until her death.   Mrs Schuman was a member of First St. Paul's Lutheran Church and was active in church work and the Ladies' Aid.   She had been in failing health for several years and was removed to her bed December 18, 1933.   Surviving her are three daughters, Mrs H.E. Mueller of Pilot Grove, MO, Miss Louise Schuman of Hastings and Mrs G.L. Bradbrook of Hysham, Mont., one brother, Pete Luhn of Lincoln, and three sisters, Mrs J. Goll and Mrs Ella Winkler of Hastings, and Mrs Christ Waechter of Blue Hill, and two grandsons.   Funeral services were held at the First St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Sunday afternoon, April 29, with the Rev. F.C. Schuldt officiating.   Music was furnished by quartet composed of Mrs Louis Philbrick, Mrs Jacob Thomas, Mrs Alma Kernan and Miss Caroline Golsenstein.  Burial was at Blue Hill.   Pallbearers included six nephews, Fred Goll, Fred Bock, Fred Luhn, Carl Waechter, Harold Waechter and Clarence Winkler.

Notes for LOUIS K. SCHUMAN:
Blue Hill Leader
4 Jun 1897
L. Schumann recently erected 5 new monuments at graves of his beloved dead, in Blue Hill Cemetery.

Front Page
Blue Hill Leader
20 Mar 1908

The citizens of Blue Hill were grieved last Friday to learn of the death of Louie Schuman, one of the pioneer residents of the town.  He has been ailing nearly all winter more or less, but of late had been some better and the news of his death was unexpected.   He was up town the day before his death, looking after his business, and stated he was feeling much better but that night he had a relapse and died shortly afternoon the following day.  Death being attributed to heart failure.    The deceased was born in Wilsnak, Germany November 13, 1844 and came to America at the age of 22, and settling in Illinois, where he remained until 1879 when he came to Nebraska and settled in Blue Hill.  He has resided here ever since.  He was numbered as an enterprising citizen of our town, and assisted material in the building of Blue Hill, erecting the large two story brick building on the north side of Main Street in 1890 following the fire that wiped out that side of the street.     He was married in 1880 to Miss Katherina Luhn, and to this union nine children were born, six daughters and three sons.  He is survived by his wife and three daughters: Louisa, Edith, and Mrs Emma Mueller, the latter residing in Pitoskey, Mich.   He belonged to two orders in Blue Hill, the K.P. Lodge and I.O.O.F. Lodge, being a charter member of the former and joining latter soon after it was established.  He carried $3,000 insurance in the endowment Rank, a side order of the K.P. Lodge.   The members of both lodges attended the funeral along with nearly all the people of the town and country and the church was unable to hold one third of those who came.   Services were held at the St. Paul's Lutheran Church at 2 o'clock Monday afternoon and were conducted by Rev. Buechner.  Interment was made in the city cemetery, alongside of six of his children, three of whom died in one week.

     iii.   MARY LUHN,
            b. 14 August 1861, Oconto WI;
            d. 26 October 1954, Hastings NE;
            Burial: Blue Hill Cemetery  Blue Hill NE
            m. JACOB GOLL, 13 January 1881;
                    b. 13 November 1857, Germany;
                    d. 25 November 1943, Hastings NE. More About MARY LUHN:More About JACOB GOLL:Burial: Blue Hill Cemetery  Blue Hill NE
 

    iv.    ANNA M. LUHN,

Frahm Collection This is Gottlieb and Anna Bitters Luhn's daughter Anna Martha Elizabeth Luhn. She is buried in the old Walker Cemetery in Nebraska with her parents. She died after her marriage to Phillip H. Bock, in 1881, Blue Hill NE.

            b. 21 May 1863, Oconto WI;
            d. 24 January 1889, Blue Hill NE;
            m. PHILLIP H. BOCK, 1881, Blue Hill NE;
                    b. 23 July 1856, Jackson Wisconsin;
                    d. 21 September 1937, Blue Hill NE.
                    burial: Blue Hill Cemetery  Blue Hill NE

    v.    PETER LUHN,
            b. 28 February 1865, Oconto WI;
            d. 02 July 1947, Lincoln NE;
            m. WILHELMINA SOPHIA FRAHM, 27 December 1889
                    b. 10 November 1867, Herman Missouri;
                    d. 21 May 1942, Lincoln NE.

    vi.    ELIZABETH EVA LUHN,
            b. 06 October 1868, Oconto Wisconsin;
            d. 19 September 1954, Blue Hill NE;
            m. CHRISTIAN WILHELM WAECHTER 23 March 1890, Blue Hill NE.
                    b. 29 February 1864, Sprantal Baden Germany;
                    d. 09 June 1945, Blue Hill NE.
Notes for ELIZABETH EVA LUHN:   Elizeberth Eva Luhn was born in 1868 to Godfried & Anna Luhn in Oconto, Wisconsin.  At the age of 10 her family moved to Blue Hill, NE.  They homesteaded 3 1/2 miles southeast of Blue Hill (NW 1/4, 27-4-10) in 1878,  In 1892 they moved 1 miles south and 1 miles west of Blue Hill (SW 1/4, 8-4-10).    When Elizabeth was a young girl she and her sister used to climb the windmill, when their father and brothers went to the field to farm.  They were scared of the Indians that were camped to the east of their place.  The Indians would come to their place and take what ever they wanted.  Told to me by Minnie (Waechter) Frahm.

Hastings Daily Tribune

Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at St. Paul's Lutheran church for Mrs Elizabeth Waechter who died at her home in Blue Hill on Sunday.  Rev. F.W. Lau officiated at the prayer service at the Merten-Butler Funeral Chapel and the church rites which followed.  Accompanied by Mrs Ralph Baird at the organ a quartet composed of Mrs Harry Robinson, Fred Morey, Mr & Mrs John Worley, all of Bladen, sang "Have Thine Own Way, Lord," "Beyond the Sunset" and "Going Down the Valley."

Elizabeth Eva Waechter, daughter of Anna and Godfried Luhn, was born in Oconto county, Wisconsin, October 6, 1868.  She passed away Sept. 19, 1954 at the age of 85 years, 11 months and 13 days.   At the age of ten she accompanied her parents to this community in the year 1878.

On March 23, 1890, she was united in marriage with Christian Wilhelm Waechter at Imanuel Lutheran Church, southeast of Blue Hill, by Rev. Volk.  To this union nine children were born, five sons and four daughters.   The first three years of their married life was spent at Rulo, Nebr., before they returned to this community.  They lived first on a place west of Blue Hill, later moving to the Highland community.  In 1901 they moved to the farm southwest of Blue Hill where their son, Harold now lives and remained there until the fall of 1944 when they retired and moved to Blue Hill.

The husband and father preceded Mrs Waechter in death on June 9, 1945.  Also preceding her were two son, Louis, who died at Stratton, Colo., on Dec. 30, 1948, and Carl who passed away at Red Cloud on June 20, 1939.   The surviving children are Mrs Eda Hartman of Stratton, Colo., Mrs Clara Vance of Denver, Mrs Ella Englehardt of Bertraud, Colo., Fred Waechter of Englewood, Colo., Mrs Minnie Frahm of Pauline, Harold Waechter of Bladen, and Howard Waechter of Arlington, Colo. She is also survied by one sister, Mrs Mary Goll of Hastings, 19 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.   Mrs Waechter had been in poor health for some time but did not become bedfast until Wednesday morning, Sept. 15.  She failed rapidly and on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 3:50 a.m. she slipped quietly away to receive the reward of her faith.     She was baptized and confirmed a Lutheran, Mrs Waechter was a devoted member of St. Paul's church where her presence will be missed but where her Chrisitian influence will be continued in the children who are still with us.   Paulbearers were grandsons of the deceased:  Donald Englehardt of Estes Park, Colo., Howard Hartman and Norman Smith of Stratton, Colo., William Frahm Jr. of Pauline, Wade Pearson of Hastings and Marlin Waechter of Wilbur.  Burial was in the Blue Hill Cemetery.

Notes for CHRISTIAN WILHELM WAECHTER:   Christian Wilhelm Weachter and Elizabeth Eva Luhn were married 23 Mar 1890, in the Imanuel Lutheran Church by Rev. Christian Volk, which was located on the same section where the Luhns homesteaded.  This church was destroyed in a tornado later, but the cemetery remains.  It is now called "Walker Cemetery".     Chris came to the United States, arriving in Falls City, NE in 1881 with his cousin Jacob Waechter.  Chris was only 17 years old.

Blue Hill Leader
16 Feb 1934
New filling station being built by C.W. Waechter is rapidly nearing completion.

Front Page
Blue Hill Leader
15 Jun 1945

Funeral services for Christian W. Waechter, who passed away at his home in Blue Hill on Saturday morning, June 2, were held at the St. Paul’s Lutheran church in Blue Hill on Monday, with the pastor, the Rev. J.N. Marxen in charge.  Mrs Emil Kort and Rev. Jack Peil sang "Be Thou Near" and "Beyond the Sunset,"  accompanied by Burnell Hartman at the organ.  Burial was in the Blue Hill cemetery.   Pallbearers were Louis, Fred, Harold and Howard Waechter, Clarence Frahm and Carl Hartman.  Flower girls were Marilyn, Leola and Lorene Waechter and Julane Frahm.   Christian Wilhelm Waechter was born in Spartthal, Germany, February 29, 1864.  At the age of 17 he and a cousin migrated to the United States and came to live near Rulo, Nebraska.  He was united in marriage on March 23, 1890, to Miss Elizabeth Luhn of Blue Hill, and to this union nine children were born.  One son, Carl, preceded him in death on June 20, 1939.   For two years Mr & Mrs Waechter made their home near Rulo.  They then moved to a farm west of Blue Hill where they resided one year before moving to a farm in the Highland community south of Bladen.  In the year, 1901 the family moved to their place seven miles southwest of Blue Hill, in the Prairie Gem community, where they resided until September last year, when Mr & Mrs Waechter moved to Blue Hill.   Mr Waechter was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church and was a faithful member of the St. Paul’s congregation.  He served on the church board for several years.  He was a great lover of home and one of his greatest delights was to among his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.   Mr & Mrs Waechter celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on March 23, 1940.  Mr Waechter had been in failing health for some time, but was not confirmed to his bed until Tuesday preceding his death.  He passed away peacefully on Saturday morning at 5:16 o’clock, at the age of 81 years, 3 months and 10 days.   He is survived by his devoted wife and eight children:  Mrs Eda Hartman and Louis Waechter of Stratton, Colorado; Miss Clara of Omaha; Mrs Ella Englehardt of Berthoud, Colorado; Mrs Minnie Frahm, Fred and Harold of this community, and Howard, of the U.S. Navy stationed at Grosse Ile, Michigan.  Seventeen grandchildren and five great grandchildren also survive.  So far as is known there is only one brother in Germany surviving him.

    vii.    ELLA LUHN,
            b. 02 April 1873, Twin Rivers Wisconsin;
            d. 29 August 1953, Hastings NE;
            burial: Parkview Cemetery  Hastings NE
            m. CHARLES WINKLER, 28 November 1892, Adams county NE; Occupation: Farmer & Florest.
                    b. 1868, Wisconsin;
                    d. 02 August 1914, Hastings NE.
                    burial: Parkview Cemetery  Hastings NE
            Notes for ELLA LUHN:
Blue Hill Leader
4 Sep 1953
Front page

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