Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Gertrude Beutel

So frustrated. I have a who, Gertrude Beutel, I have a where Peoria, Illinois and I have an approximated time of the late 1880’s to early 1890’s, yet I have very limited records to learn about Gertrude. I’m also not sure who wrote Aunt Gertrude Beutel on the photo as i can find no records of her becomming an “aunt”.

So who was Gertrude Beutel? She was the youngest girl born in 1891 to William and Mary Beutel. She had two older sisters, Elizabeth, born April 18, 1885 and Flora, born March of 1889. The Beutel women are a complete mystery to me.

I started with the census records.

  • 1900 – I found 9 year old Gertrude and her family living on Groveland Street in Tazwell, Illinois. Williams occupation on that census was listed as Farmer.
  • 1910 – I found the Beutels all living in Richwoods Township on Maywood Street. Gertrude’s occupation is listed as Stenographer, WIlliams was listed as gardner and had a farm .
  • 1920 – The family minus Elizabeth was on LInn Street in Peoria for this census. Williams occupation was listed as laborer. Flora’s occupation was that of nurse and Gertrude’s occupation was that of a stenographer at a machine factory.
  • 1930 – In the census records Gertrude is listed as the head of household her occupation remains that of stenographer at a tool factory. William is listed as retired and Flora resides there and is listed as a nurse. They resided on Linn street.
  • 1940 – I found Gertrude as head of the household with her mother Mary and sister Flora. She is 47 years old now and there is no occupation listed for her. No was listed as answer to the question did this person work the week of March 24-30? The answer was no. There is no occupation listed for any of the women.
  • 1950 – while Gertrude and Flora should at least be on the 1950 census, I cannot locate them. I have located that Flora died in 1957 at the age of 68, but I can’t find any information about Gertrude’s or Elizabeth’s deaths. Which is where the frustration comes in.

This year I have found several of either my ancestors, or my husbands family members and while I can find information about them on census’ and city directories, that doesn’t give knowledge about who Gertrude or her sisters were.

I do love this photograph of Gertrude though. Such a simple photo but it tels a lot. My eyes are first drawn to her hands. She’s got her right hand clenched tight and her left one seems to be holding on to the trim of the chair or perhaps a pillow. I wish we could see her feet, but her dress is just a smaller version of a day dress an adult would wear at this time. I love the embroidery on the bottom of the skirt and bodice of the dress. With the pin tucks it makes it look fancy but it’s really a simple embelishment. It looks like a vine but it’s just a single stich which makes it genius! And her eyes they are so fair and blue. I’m unsure as to how they might have had her proped up in the chair. If she might have been seated on something or if someone was under that drape and holding on to her.

While we know more about Gertrude than we knew about the subject of last week’s post, it’s almost just as frustrating as we don’t know who she was or even some simple things about her life, such as when she died or where she is buried. While I wish I had more to share about Gertrude, I’ll keep looking for information. Someday, I will find out more about her and how happy that day will be when I can tell you the rest of her story.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Dio de Los Wenke Muertos

I love the Disney-Pixar movie COCO. If you have never watched it, it’s about a boy named Miguel who lives in a family who doesn’t allow music to be played. And all Miguel wants to do is become a guitar player and singer as successful as his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. On the way to a music competition, MIguel gets swept into the land of the dead on Dio de los Muertos, or day of the dead. While there Miguel learns how important it is not to forget those family members who came before us. If person is forgotten then they disappear from the land of the dead and are gone forever. One of the way Miguel’s family keeps those ancestors memories alive is by placing them on an “ofrenda” as a way of tribute. This movie was made for me! it speaks to my soul.

Day of the dead is a celebration that honors our deceased loved ones and welcomes their spirits back to Earth. This holiday is celebrated in Mexico, Central America and by many Mexican Americans and me here in the United States.

Marigold petals help direct the spirits to their family ofrenda. The spirits receive food and gifts that have been placed on the ofrenda in their honor.

Since seeing Coco in 2018, I’ve wanted to have an offrenda and honor my ancestors too! I want to have somewhere I can showcase our ancestors and keep their memories alive. Since this year’s Dios de los Muertos is November 2 & 3, 2024, I thought now was the time for a tribute, Dios de los Muertos style.

Here we have a family member from a photo album in which there were a lot of Wenke family members in it. This photo I felt needed to be used as we don’t know his name. There was nothing written on the back or front of this photo and we are left to assuming he is someone related to the Wenke’s.

The young man appears to be at the start of his adult life. In his Sunday best, all clean with his hair trimmed with bright eyes that look patient and ready for what awaits him. I love his jacket and waistcoat. The tiny plaid appears to be made out of wool and in the style of the 1880’s to early 1890’s. I just love his tie and pocket watch. Many photos in the photo album were taken by Max Erler at the Sunbeam Gallery in Peoria along with this one. I wish that we could get subject information from the photographer, but alas, that is not an option.

While I might not know his name at least i can keep his memory alive here on my digital ofrenda which is dedicated to keeping all the memories of our family members alive. May you have a Feliz Dia de los Muertos or Happy Day of the Dead! Que iva la memoria de nuestros seres queridos! Long live the memory of our loved ones!

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Uncle Jack

Last month when we stoped in Peoria we went to Springdale Cemetery. We wanted to see what Wenke family members we could find and knew most of them were buried there. When we got to Uncle John Wenke’s headstone I started looking around. His parents George D Wenke and Marie Beutel Wenke, are buried between he and his brother Otto.

Behind them is John Wagner (half-brother of Marie Beutel Wenke), his father, Carl Wagner, and then his mother, Elizabeth Beutel Wagner. Elizabeth Beutel Wagner is also mother to siblings from her union to Adam Beutel, Marie Beutel Wenke, Annie Beutel Oesterle, and William Beutel.

Behind this row, I found John and Otto Wenke’s sisters, Aunt Rena Wenke Armfield and her husband, Roy Armfield, along with our Pop, Frank Burd, and Mom, Anna Wenke Burd. This is as far as I usually go, as I usually stand there and talk to Frank and Anna. For some reason I kept on walking behind Roy and to my surprise found another row of our family. This row had Annie B Eichhorn, her sister Lizzie Eichhorn, father Phillipp Eichhron, their mother Anna M Eichhorn, I think she went by Mary. And the lone ranger on the end was brother John P Eichhorn. I stopped there at John. and was just gobsmacked. I had not realized that they had all been buried in the same area. 17 family members all buried together.

Plots at Springdale Cemetery

Springdale Cemetery has a really neat tool where you can go on and find a grave. This is pretty accurate, except next to Roy Armfield is Rena and Philipp Eichhorn is between Lizzie and Anna Eichhron. I have discovered that Anna Beutel Oesterle is also buried at Springdale with her husband Jacob, just not in this section

Once I got home and was looking at my blog schedule I realized that I had scheduled this photo for posting and was so happy. Now we get to talk about the Eichhorns and how we are related to them!

This is John Phillip Eichhorn. And I guess, by what was written on this photo, he also went by the name “Jack”. Jacks mother, Anna M. was sister to our Adam Beutel. I can find Anna M. in Census’ as ‘Mary”. Many times, people would not give their given names to the census takers. I can also find in her death records, it’s recorded as Anna M. Eichhorn. I am having a hard time finding Anna M’s or Adam’s arrival in the United States or in Philadelphia.

Anna M “Mary”, was married to a man named Phillip Eichhorn.  I found a military record for him for the Civil War.  I might be able to find out a maiden name from his pension paperwork, so I have will just have to locate it. Phillip and Mary had three children, Elizabeth, John and Annie.  That made Adam their uncle and Elizabeth their aunt.  Why they referred to them as “Aunt” and “Uncle” I can only assume was honorary and out of respect as they would have been more like cousins to our Anna, Rena, John and Otto.  

I just love this photograph. Taken at the Sunbeam Gallery owned by Max Erler, located at 1216 S Adams Street in Peoria, Illinois we have our subject John “Jack” Phillip Eichhorn. It’s like he just walked into the studio laid his jacket and hat on the chair and said I’m ready for my photo. I would anticipate that this was taken in the late 1870’s to early 1880’s. His Jacket was done in the style of the day with only the top button closed. I like how this makes it so that you can see his watch fob hanging from his waistcoat. And the stick pin in his tie makes him look very dapper.

John P Eichhorn was born to Anna M and Phillipp Eichhorn in 1859. He was the second child born to them and the only son. Elizabeth was born in 1857 and Annie was born in 1864. In the 1900 census John’s occupation is that of blacksmith. That’s the last records I can find about him until his death record on September 12, 1909.

They, like all the Wenke, Bourscheidts, Jordens, and Holtmans, seem to be an extremely close family. I hope that we too can strive to be as close and as united a family as the Eichhorns, Beutels and Wenkes. They are definelty #FAMILYGOALS

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Schroeder Boys

There are some names you grow up just knowing and for me the Schroeder name was it. Our William Carl Jorden Sr’s youngest sister Emma, married William Schroeder on Here we have Edwin born April 3, 1921, Herbert born June 28, 1922, Lloyd (Tiny) born June 6, 6, 1923 and Alfred (Skip) born September 19, 1924.

Aren’t they cute. I would estimate this photo taken in 1925 as Skip is sitting up and appears to be almost a year old. Tiny the second youngest, apeears to be ok with the going ons but also at the same time I’m just gonna hold on the the couch just in case. I am unsure who’s Edwin and who’s Herbert but those boys appear most at ease with having their photographs taken. All of them appear to be dressed in their Sunday best with stockings and shoes and suits with short pants. All the fashion of young boys in 1925.

In researching this Schroeders, I learned that all four served in World War II. While I’m sure their father, Uncle Billy, was proud of them, I’m sure he was also worried. Edwin was a corporal in the US Army Air Corp. Tiny served as a Technician 5th class in the US Army, a non-combat role such as a mechanic or radio operator. Herbert served in the Army in two enlistments, first in World War II and then for the Korean War. Skip was a Marine stationed in the Pacific theater as part of the 21st Regiment Company C. At Iwo Jima; he was killed as a result of combat along with 6,800 other American casualties. Skip is buried there in Beardstown alongside his father Billy, his mother Emma, and brother Tiny.

Thank you to the Schroeder boys for your service and last full measure of devotion to our nation during a time of war. May we remember you always.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Young Bernard

Meet Bernard Wichmann. His parents Meta Wenke Wichmann, Henry Wichmann migrated to Guiderock, Nebraska. They had three other children besides Bernard, Katie, Bertha and Karl. He would have been 14 when our George D. died, so maybe a little older then he appears in this photograph.

 Bernard was born June 15, 1887 in Guiderock, Nebraska.  The 1930 census lists him as an assistant cashier at a bank and we have a photo taken with his sister Katie which confirms this.  I’m not sure when he and his wife Tressie married, as I can find no marriage date. We had photos of Bernard and Tressie, and I made a blog post from them on January 30, 2022 if you want to go back and see their photos. Records show that they had 2 children, Kathleen born about 1919 and Francis “Bud” born September 8, 1927.  

Bernard died September 6, 1966 and Tressie died December 12, 1996.  They are buried in the Burr Oak Cemetery in Jewell County, Kansas.    Jewell is just 17 miles straight south from Guiderock.  Some day I want to go pay my respects to Bernard and the other Nebraska Wichmann’s until then I will be content with honoring them here.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson · 2 Comments

Mail Time

Don’t you just love getting mail. I think that today so little people send mail that it’s special when we receive some. I hoard my handwritten letters and cards keeping them in my desk too look back on.

Here we have a postcard that Uncle John Wenke sent to his sister Rena in 1919. The postmark is September 13, 1919 in Yellowstone, Wyoming. It is addressed to her at the family home they shared in Peoria at the corner of Rohman and Sterling Avenues. It appears that John also put that the house had a Rural Route address.

Yellowstone was established as the nations first National Park on March 1, 1872. Signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant, America’s first national park was set aside to preserve and protect the scenery, cultural heritage, wildlife, geologic and ecological systems and processes in their natural condition for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. Yellowstone encompasses 3,472 square miles (2,221,766 acres) which makes it larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

While Uncle John got to see the Teton’s and wonders of Yellowstone in person, I’m glad Rena saved it so that we have this record of his trip. To me it’s just as beautiful as the park is.

This is as close to deciphering Uncle John’s penmanship as I could get. It’s faded in spots and he used very little punctuation. Uncle John writes on 9-11-1919: Well I am at Old Faithful Hotel now. Having a fine time will write a letter after I get through the park for I’d not have any time here with go all the time. John

Posted on by Michelle Anderson · 1 Comment

Photographic George

It bothered me that I could not find a photo of George. When I posted about his death several weeks ago, I felt that there should be a photo of him somewhere. I felt for sure, with his stellar archeology career, that there should be a photo of him somewhere. But I could not find anything online, just of his wife. For now, I thought there would be no photographic record of George Schoenbeck.

Then, on Valentine’s Day, I was trying to find a baseball photograph among my photos, and when I pulled up the information, I found a photo of Uncle John with his baseball team, The Keller Baseball Club; imagine my surprise when I saw the name George Schoenbeck right there next to our Uncle John. I enjoy baseball and am amazed at how much this family does as well. So, even though it’s not what I might have wanted as a photo of George, I’m so thankful to have this record of him.

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Birth of a Pastime

Today while many of the nation is preparing for the Super Bowl showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, I found myself what it must have been like to have been born when football was in it’s infancy. Walter Camp is credited with altering the rules of rugby and coming up with what we today call Football. I’ve never attended a rugby match or learned the rules of play for that sport but can see the similarities between the two sports. 

The sport of American football itself was relatively new when Frank and Leo were born to Peter and Emma Bourscheidt. Frank was born November 25, 1891 and Leo on January 14, 1894. Football had seen the first intercollegiate football game played just 20 years perviously when Princeton played Rutgers. By the 1880’s most athletic clubs had a football team. Competition was fiercce and each team wanted to win. In 1892 the first players were openly paid to play in games making professional football. 

There are only two charter teams from 1920 when the American Professional Football league was made. The Arizona Cardinals, which when founded had been called the Chicago Cardinals and then the St. Louis Cardinals along with the Chicago Bears, which when founded were called the Decatur Stanley’s are the two charter members still in existence. The Green Bay Packers were founded in 1919, but did not begin play until 1921. 

While I can’t imagine our Frank playing football, I know it would have been an amazing thing to be there as these teams and the sport began. While football has changed over the 104 years it’s been around, it sure can be fun to watch. Hope you all have a Happy Super Bowl Sunday. 

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Poor George Schoenbeck

Sometimes, when you’re looking through family papers, you come across things that you never thought you’d see. The first time I saw this, all I could think of was, “Who in the world is George Schoenbeck?” Who was Geoge Schoenbeck? I’m very happy that I can tell you exactly who he was. 

George was born on December 21, 1885, to Johanna G Wenke and Richard Schoenbeck. He is the grandson of our Johann Wenke and Katherina Munderloh. His mother, Johanna Wenke Schoenbeck, and our George D Wenke were brother and sister. That meant that George and his siblings were cousins to our Anna Wenke Burd.  George married Ethel Lovilla Power on June 10, 1913. They had two sons, Fredrick born in 1914 and Richard born in 1916. 

Ethel and George led exciting lives.  At least to me.  They were Archeologists!  Maybe they didn’t go to exciting places like Egypt or South America but there was plenty in Illinois to keep them busy.

 For most of their life, the Schoenbecks lived in Peoria.  That area was made their particular field of study with other neighboring counties.  They collected thousands of potsherds, arrowheads, stone and copper axes, beads, pipes, and all sorts of prehistoric tools and carefully recorded where they were found.  

The site now known archaeologically as the Clear Lake Village on the Illinois River was most frequently visited by the Schoenbecks.  They got most of their material from this site.  Their findings represent many of the known prehistoric Indian cultures of Illinois.  Little would be known of this aboriginal Indian village of Clear Lake if it hadn’t been for the perseverance of the Schoenbecks.   They recovered 24,000 pottery shards from the site representing every potter type found in Central Illinois.  The Illinois State Museum received all artifacts recovered by the Schoenbecks. Clear Lake has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.   

Other sites the Schoenbecks explore are Stuben Village near Peoria and the Sisters Creek site in Fulton County. 

That tells you who George Schoenbeck was. Now, let’s talk about how he died. According to the Peoria Journal Stars morning edition, George suffered from a heart attack and was found dead in his son’s driveway on December 14, 1955. After knowing all the wonderful and amazing things that he and Ethel had done in their lives I feel that this article did not do justice to honoring his memory. I really wanted to find a photo of George, but I keep coming up empty handed in that regard. I have several of Ethel, but none of George. Hopefully some day, we will find some of him. This is why it’s so important to put names to all your photographs. 

I started out thinking I’d write about all the deaths on this page of the paper (Reverend Brown in the right corner of the photograph), or even more about how George died, but it quickly turned into more for me when I started looking at who he was. His work in bringing to light the aboriginal history of the general Peoria region and the important artifacts he either found himself or assisted in finding was a great gift and value to the people of Peoria and Illinois. 

If you have not subscribed to this page, I’d love for. you to join the mailing list so you don’t miss out on any postings. 

Posted on by Michelle Anderson

Elizabeth Koenig

Today’s subject had me turning to the Bourscheidt book that our Uncle Fred Bourscheidt compiled. In it, I found our ancestor, Franz Carl Bourscheidt. Fred wrote that Franz was a master furrier and foreman in C Theodor F Konig’s cap and fur business. After Mr Konig died, Franz married his widow, Christina J Mirbach, who was 11 years his senior. Their union resulted in the Konig business prospering. While married to C Theodor F Konig, Christina gave birth to 11 children. We do not know how many lived, their names, or their status. After her marriage to Franz, Christina gave birth to three more children, Franz Carl II in 1851, Maria in 1853, and our Peter Josef in 1855. 

  • Franz Carl II, later became Dr Frank Bourscheidt and was the father to Frank Jr and Jean Bourscheidt. They were cousins of our Frank Burd. 

Here we have Elisabeth Koenig. Peter wrote that she was his step-sister, but a better term would have been half-sister. She was the firstborn child of Christina and C Theodor F Konig; Peter wrote on the back of this photograph that Elisabeth was his mother’s first child; he was number 14. He also wrote that she died in 1931 at the age of 97. By my estimation, that would mean she had been born in 1834 when her mother was 22 years old. Elisabeth was 21 years older than our Peter. I was curious to see how old Peter was when he died; he was 79 years old. I’m not sure if Elisabeth lived a healthier life or one that was less stressful, but she definitely lived a longer life than her younger sibling. 

She is amazing. This photograph came from Germany, possibly with Peter when he came to America, and now resides with Aunt Ruth, which is incredible. Based on the style of her bodice and skirt, I would estimate this photograph to be from the mid to late 1860s. She has earrings, but I can’t tell based on her hair. Her eyes appear fair, and if I had to guess, I’d say they were blue. Elisabeth exhibits such a simple smile that it’s not really present. I’m sure she had to be still for a bit to get this photograph, which could have resulted in a simple facial expression. 

Elisabeth’s bodice appears to be made out of a velvet fabric. It appears dense and strong, unlike her skirt, which appears to be wool or linen. Adorning her bodice is a row of button-like embellishments around the cuffs, collar, and down the middle of the bodice. Often, the bodice would have different fastenings, such as hook and eye fasteners, when the buttons are so close together.  She has placed a broach at her neck, and a necklace of some length finishes her look. A knot or ball joins the necklace into one chain, which continues and looks to be attached to the chatelaine. Her what? A chatelaine was a decorative belt or hook worn at the waist with a series of chains suspended. Each chain would be mounted with useful household appendages such as scissors, thimbles, watches, keys, or smelling salts. Sometimes, women would attach small books and pencils to ensure they had paper for notetaking on their chatelaine. I can’t tell you how excited I am to see that one of our ancestors used one. It makes my costume-researching heart so very happy. 

I was interested in what is said in German on the back of the photograph. Google Translate has been my friend for many things that I find when searching genealogy documents. I translated what it said and it reads as follows;

                   Price – Medal

The international photographic exhibition to Berlin 1865

Photographic Institution

No 19 Hochstrasse

Cathedral monastery, opposite the West portal

Yep, I typed it many times, and Domkloster was the result each time. In English, that means cathedral monastery. And it’s THE cathedral: the Cologne Catholic Cathedral, the Church of Saint Peter. Peter would tell that he’d been baptized in this church, as I’m sure all of his family had been as well. On my bucket list is a trip to Germany to find the records to prove this assumption. 

 I want to tell you more about Elisabeth, but I do not know anything more than what Peter wrote on the back of this photograph. I do not currently subscribe to the part of Ancestry.com, in which you can access European records, so I have placed the names of C Theodor F Konig, Christina J Mirbach, and Elisabeth Konig on my list to research when I can plan a day at the library. I’m unsure why Fred did not include Peter’s half-siblings, as he included many in-laws in the Bourschedit book. I’m very thankful for the information he compiled for us and future generations of the Bourscheidt lineage. While I could go on and on with all that Fred wrote in this book, I think I will save that for another time. Until that time or when I can report more about lovely Elisabeth here, I will be forever searching to increase our knowledge of our German-born Bourscheidts. 

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