Surname Saturday–Hänfler (Germany / Illinois)

Minnie HÄNFLER (with variants including Henfler, Hamfler, and Hemfler) is my second great-grandmother. She was born in Germany and married Herman LEPPIN in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

I previously discovered a possible sister, Augusta HÄNFLER, who married Philipp Zimmermann, and just days ago confirmed my suspicion further with a baptism record for Augusta and Philipp's daughter naming Minnie Leppin as a witness. Clues in other church records suggest that Minnie may have had a brother, Carl HÄNFLER, and that her parents might have been Carl HÄNFLER and August --?--. Further research is needed to prove/disprove these connections.

My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.

Minnie1 HÄNFLER was born on 9 April 1871 in Germany and died on 17 May 1945 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Minnie married Herman LEPPIN on 26 March 1894 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Herman was born on 22 March 1873 in Germany and died on 31 March 1948 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. Children from this marriage were:

+ 2	i.	Alma2 LEPPIN was born on 1 September 1896 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 December 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois
3	ii.	Heinrich "Henry" August LEPPIN was born on 11 July 1898 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 26 March 1958 in Cook County, Illinois. Henry married Ann M FORNER, daughter of Lena, on 5 July 1933 in Cook County, Illinois. Ann was born on 10 March 1912 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1976 in Cook County, Illinois. They had three known children: Henry, Mary, and Susan.
4	iii.	Herman Paul LEPPIN was born on 17 May 1900 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 2 November 1959 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. He never married and had no children.
5	iv.	Carl "Charles" Friedrich LEPPIN was born on 13 February 1906 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 October 1980 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. Charles married Maida "Meta" HOFFMANN about 1928 in Illinois. Maida was born on 22 June 1906 in Germany and died on 28 July 1997 in Arizona. They had one known son, Warner.

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Second Generation

2.

Alma2 LEPPIN (Minnie1 HÄNFLER) was born on 1 September 1896 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 December 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Alma married Emil Karl August MÜLLER, son of Emil MÜLLER and Hulda WACH, on 4 September 1915 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Emil was born on 9 February 1889 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 21 February 1938 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

6	i.	Roman3 "Raymond" Henry MILLER was born on 18 August 1916 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 May 1979 in Whittier, Los Angeles, California. Raymond married Roma C BENING between 1939 and April 1940. Roma was born on 26 August 1917 in Illinois and died on 4 August 1995 in Orange County, California. They had three children.
7	ii.	Harold Leslie MILLER was born on 4 August 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1982 in Maywood, Cook, Illinois. Harold married Marie Ethel ROTTMAN, daughter of George ROTTMAN and Anna E STOFFEL, on 6 July 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Marie was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, DuPage, Illinois. They had two children, their daughter, Jean, being my mother.
8	iii.	Mildred Dolores MILLER was born on 10 December 1922 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 September 1976 in Mountain View, Santa Clara. Mildred married Sidney William HICKS on 14 February 1940 in Cook County, Illinois. Sidney was born on 17 June 1916 in Illinois, and died on 6 August 1990 in Santa Clara County, California. They had one daughter and an adopted son.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 9 April 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Hänfler family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

Surname Saturday – Leppin (Germany / Illinois)

My Leppin line currently ends at my second great-grandfather, Herman LEPPIN. I don't know much about his roots other than he apparently came from Germany and settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.

Herman1 LEPPIN was born on 22 March 1873 in Germany, and died on 31 March 1948 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. Herman married Minnie HEMFLER, on 26 March 1894 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Minnie was born on 9 April 1871 in Germany, and died on 17 May 1945 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

+ 2	i.	Alma2 Mary LEPPIN was born on 1 September 1896 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 December 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
3	ii.	Henry August LEPPIN was born on 11 July 1898 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 26 March 1958 in Cook County, Illinois. Henry married Ann M FORNER, daughter of Lena, on 5 July 1933 in Cook County, Illinois. Ann was born on 10 March 1912 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1976 in Cook County, Illinois. They had three known children: Henry, Mary, and Susan.
4	iii.	Herman Paul LEPPIN Jr. was born on 17 May 1900 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 2 November 1959 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. He never married and had no children.
5	iv.	Charles F LEPPIN was born on 13 February 1906 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 October 1980 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona. Charles married Maida "Meta" HOFFMANN about 1928 in Illinois. Maida was born on 22 June 1906 in Germany and died on 28 July 1997 in Arizona. They had one known son, Warner.

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Second Generation

2.

Alma2 Mary LEPPIN (Herman1) was born on 1 September 1896 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 December 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Alma married Emil Karl August MILLER, son of Emil MILLER and Hulda WACH, on 4 September 1915 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Emil was born on 9 February 1889 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 21 February 1938 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

6	i.	Roman3 "Raymond" Henry MILLER was born on 18 August 1916 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 May 1979 in Whittier, Los Angeles, California. Raymond married Roma C BENING between 1939 and April 1940. Roma was born on 26 August 1917 in Illinois and died on 4 August 1995 in Orange County, California. They had three children.
7	ii.	Harold Leslie MILLER was born on 4 August 1918 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 15 June 1982 in Maywood, Cook, Illinois. Harold married Marie Ethel ROTTMAN, daughter of George ROTTMAN and Anna E STOFFEL, on 6 July 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Marie was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, DuPage, Illinois. They had two children, their daughter, Jean, being my mother.
8	iii.	Mildred Dolores MILLER was born on 10 December 1922 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 6 September 1976 in Mountain View, Santa Clara. Mildred married Sidney William HICKS on 14 February 1940 in Cook County, Illinois. Sidney was born on 17 June 1916 in Illinois, and died on 6 August 1990 in Santa Clara County, California. They had one daughter and an adopted son.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 18 February 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Leppin family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

Fearless Females – Brick Walls

Back in 2010, in honor of Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo created a list of writing prompts for each day during the month of March.  I didn’t participate in 2010, so I’m going to take the opportunity to participate this year, since Lisa was kind enough to resurrect her prompts for 2012.

Is there a female ancestor who is your brick wall? Why? List possible sources for finding more information.

Three of the four second great-grandmothers on my mom’s side are “brick walls” simply because in order to determine their parents and siblings, requires studying others of the same surname in Chicago and/or “crossing the pond” to Germany.  Here are some basic details on each of them:

Minnie (Hemfler) Leppin – According to her death certificate, Minnie Hemfler was born on 9 April 1871 in Germany.  Minnie married Herman Leppin on 26 March 1894 in Chicago.  Minnie died on 17 Mary 1945 in Chicago.  Her death certificate does not name her parents.  However, based on the correlation of a few sources, I’m fairly positive that she had a sister named Augusta, who married a Philip Zimmermann (you can read more about this in my post I Think She’s Related).

Mary Eva (Reeder) Rottman – This one is definitely a thorn in my side (I’m sure my cousin Barbara would agree!).  I don’t really know that much about Eva, other than she was probably born about 18 March 1849 in France, married Philip Rottman likely before 1870, and died on 26 October 1899 in Iowa.  The interesting twist is that of their six children’s records, sometimes her maiden name was listed as Reeder, while other times is was listed as Lasser.  Is it possible that she was married briefly before she married Philip?

Mary (Braun) Stoffel – According to her death certificate, Mary was born on 19 November 1855 in Frankfurt, Germany.  She married Carl “Charles” Stoffel about 1884.  On 9 August 1936, Mary died in Chicago.  As I was reviewing a wedding booklet for Mary’s daughter, Anna, I was able to identify all of the names, except two.  After researching those two names, I’ve come to the conclusion that Mary had a sister (could also be a cousin, but there’s definitely a relationship), Anna, who married an Otto Beckard in Chicago in 1871.

Hopefully as my research on these ladies continues, I will be able to figure out who their parents and sibling were and where they came from, other than “Germany.”

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Read all of my Fearless Females posts.

SNGF - “Heritage Pie” Chart

This week’s challenge from Randy is:

• List your 16 great-great-grandparents with their birth, death and marriage data (dates and places). 
• Determine the countries (or states) that these ancestors lived in at their birth and at their death.
• For extra credit, go make a "Heritage Pie" chart for the country of origin (birth place) for these 16 ancestors. [Hint: you could use the  chart generator from Kid Zone for this.] [Note: Thank you to Sheri Fenley for the "Heritage Pie" chart idea.]
• Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook or google+.

Here’s mine:

 

16.  Thomas CAHILL - bap. 8 May 1860 in Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland; died 15 October 1929 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois; married Margareth MILLETT, 3 July 1887 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

17.  Margareth “Maggie” MILLETT – bap. 3 February 1863 in Old Grange, Kilkenny, Ireland; died 7 January 1945 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

18.  John SCHWARTZ – born 11 Arpil 1856 (cal.) in Luxembourg; died 20 January 1912 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois; married Margaretha KRAMER, 6 September 1888 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

19.  Margaretha “Margaret” KRAMER – born 31 October 1866 in Consdorf, Echternach, Luxembourg; died 14 January 1945 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

20.  Timothy McMAHON – born 14 May 1874 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; died 14 October 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; married Sarah Jane WARD, 11 November 1899 in Lake County, Indiana.

21.  Sarah Jane WARD – born 7 April 1875 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; died 8 October 1956 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

22.  James Manly GARRISON – born 26 December 1861 in Picton, Prince Edward, Ontario, Canada; died 23 May 1909 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; married, Sarah Jane MULLIGAN, 23 January 1893 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

23.  Sarah Jane “Jennie” MULLIGAN – born 16 April 1870 in Flint, Genesee, Michigan; died 26 April 1947 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

24.  Emil MILLER – born January 1864 in Germany; died after 1902, probably in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; married Hulda WACH, 8 August 1886 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

25.  Hulda WACH – born 9 January 1869 in Germany; died probably between 1910 and 1920 in McHenry County, Illinois.

26.  Herman LEPPIN – born 22 March 1873 in Germany; died 31 March 1948 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona; married Minnie HEMFLER, 26 March 1894 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

27.  Minnie HEMFLER – born 9 April 1871 in Germany; died 17 May 1945 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

28.  Philip ROTTMAN – born about 1835 in Bavaria, Germany; died between 1885 and 1889, probably in Linn Couny, Iowa; married Mary Eva REEDER before 1870, possible in France.

29.  Mary Eva REEDER – born 18 March 1849 (cal.) in France; died 26 October 1889 in Iowa.

30.  Carl “Charles” STOFFEL – born 16 September 1855 in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany; died 8 November 1902 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; married Mary BRAUN, about 1884.

31.  Mary BRAUN – born 19 November 1855 in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany; died 9 August 1936 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

I Think She’s Related

In October 2008, I went to various cemeteries to take photos of family gravestones.  I came across an unusual arrangement of three stones, two of which were for sure family.

The first photo shows the stones for Henry August Leppin and his wife Ann.  Seeing that there was a stone butted up against Ann’s I went around to investigate.  I found the stone for Minnie Zimmermann, who I had not yet run across, but photographed it wondering if there was a connection.  I wondered if Minnie was perhaps a sister of Ann, since I do not have Ann’s maiden name.  Unable to make a connection, I filed it in my “Possible Family” folder and moved on.

Over the last few days, I’ve been exploring other people with the same surnames in the areas where know family lived.  I stumbled across a possible sister for my second great-grandmother, Minnie HEMFLER/HAMFLER (who married Herman LEPPIN in 1894).  Finding a marriage record for Augusta HEMFLER and Phillip Zimmermann, I went on to explore them.   In the 1900 census, it indicated that Augusta immigrated in 1892, which is the same as Minnie’s immigration in the 1910 census.  Augusta was born about 1869 in Germany; Minnie was born in 1872 in Germany.  In the 1900 census, their residences were about a mile apart in Chicago.

What’s interesting is that the marriage record for Augusta and Phillip was in 1899, but the 1900 census lists them as being marriage seven years and having three children.  I suppose it’s possible that Phillip was married before and the children were from a previous marriage; this is still not clear to me.  I have not been able to locate the birth records for the three children living in the 1900 household.

I did however find a birth certificate for a Minnie Zimmermann, born to Phillip Zimmerman and Augusta Hemffler on 22 November 1904.  As I’m entering this information in my “Possible Family” database, it occurs to me I’ve seen this name before…and I knew where to look to find it.  I hopped over to my “Possible Family” folder and found the image of the Minnie Zimmermann gravestone.  The bonus?  The birth date on the stone matches the date on the birth certificate.  There is no doubt that this is the same person.

With what I’ve uncovered so far, I am now pretty certain that Minnie HEMFLER Leppin and Augusta HEMFLER Zimmermann are in fact sisters.  I have not been able to find the death certificate for Minnie HEMFLER Leppin, so I am hoping to find the one for Augusta and learn who their parents are.

Boy, I sure am glad I took a photo of that gravestone!!  Without it, I may not have made this connection.  I would have suspected that Minnie and Augusta were sisters until I found other proof.  But having this stone, in the same section as my Leppins (and right next to Leppin stones) makes me pretty darn certain of this relationship.  More research is needed, of course, but right now I’m content with what I’ve found so far.