Amanuensis Monday: How Claus Schlichtmann Came to America

Amanuensis Monday is a blogging prompt used by many fellow genealogy bloggers. An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a newly-discovered (by me, anyway) photo of my third great Claus Schlichtmann and Anna Sophia von der Lieth. Claus and Anna Sophia were early pioneers of my hometown, Tracy, California, but I didn't know very much about them until I stopped in for a visit at the Tracy Genealogical Society office about six weeks ago. Among the photos and records that documented the lives of my Schlichtmann and Bruhns families in Tracy, I found a hand-written account of how Claus and Sophia came from Germany to make a life for them and their children in California. The story was written by one of Claus and Sophia's granddaughters, and she notes that her information came from interviewing "a lot of people who might know or remember" and "it may not be totally correct." In any case, it's a compelling story, and it has motivated me to continue my research into the Schlichtmann family in Holstein, Germany.

Here are images of the hand-written story, and I've transcribed the text below.

 Here's the story of Claus and Anna Sophia Schlichtmann, as written by their granddaughter:

My great grandmother, Maria Katt, was born Maria von Holte in Hanover, Germany. She married Christopher Schlichtmann and had 2 sons, Christopher and Claus. Her husband died leaving her with 2 young boys. She married Dietrich Katt. He was a good step father, the boys liked him. The boys married sisters named von der Lieth and moved their families to the States, eventually to California. In those days, all young men went into the army at 18. Claus, my grandfather, had been in 12 years, 4 each in infantry, cavalry and artillery. He deserted, went through Holland pushing a wheel barrow with his belongings on it. He went to the port of embarkation, signed on as a crew member and worked his passage out. He went to Pennsylvania, took out first citizenship papers, then sent for his wife and 2 little girls, Annie and Christina. They lived in Pennsylvania long enough to add Sophia and Claus to the family, then came to California by boat. They sailed down the Atlantic Coast across the Gulf of Mexico then across Panama by boat and mule train, boarded ship again on the Pacific Coast and sailed to San Francisco. Grandmother was seasick and couldn't take care of her baby. There was a young woman on board who took care of him. Later in San Francisco she married and had a daughter who grew up to marry that boy. Willie and  August were added to the family in San Francisco. It turned out to be too damp and cold there for Grandfather, so they moved to a piece of homestead land west of Tracy. All a man needed to homestead land in those days was 2 horses and a wagon load of lumber -- enough for one room. When they arrived at their chosen piece of land a neighbor who already had a ranch wanted that piece, too, so he told them they were on the wrong piece and directed... (writing is illegible here). While he went for his load of lumber, they were told that the first location was right, so Grandmother and the children carried the lumber back. It was not dry country then. There was good vegetation and plenty of game including deer and antelope. The only money they had at first was what Grandmother earned washing for the section men. She walked to Midway, about 3 miles, and carried the laundry on her back, dipped water from their spring and washed it by hand, then carried it back to Midway -- for 50¢ a week. It's my guess that she got more for 50¢ than we get for a dollar now. The older girls went to work in families, often as mothers helpers for their keep. From this small beginning they became well off as worth was measured in those days. They moved to a better farm where they built a comfortable house with running water, a rarity in those days. Grandfather built a water tank on a slope above the house from rocks he gathered himself, probably on his own land. It was smooth inside like porcelain. May still be in use.

After Dietrich Katt died Great Grandmother followed her boys to California. It was she who brought the story about our connection with the House of Hanover. We had a romantic ancestor who eloped with an army officer and was dropped from the family. Old country folks told us we had good blood, came from good stock which seemed to be worth something to them but not to young folks raised in California. Great Grandmother lived to be 88. She was a big woman, had red hair. She is buried in the Tracy cemetery along with her son and his wife and 2 of their children in the family plot. 

In gathering this information we questioned a lot of people who might know or remember. It may not be totally correct. 

(Note: The writer's great grandmother, Anna Maria von Holte Schlichtmann Katt, actually lived to 98, and not 88, per the inscription on her gravestone.)

So, I think that the granddaughter who wrote this may have been Annette Genzen Kniveton, who was the daughter of Claus and Anna Sophia's daughter, Anna Maria Schlichtmann Genzen. I'm not completely sure if this is the case, and Annette passed away in 1990. In any case, this little bit of history now has me excited to delve further into our family story before Claus came to the States. I want to know more about Claus' father who died so young, and I'm dying to find out about our alleged connection to the House of Hanover (royalty!).

Meanwhile, here's how I'm descended through this line:

4th great grandparents:
Christopher Schlichtmann (??-1838)
Anna Maria von Holte (1802-1901)

Children:
Christopher Schlichtmann
Claus Schlichtmann (1831-1899)

3rd great grandparents:
Claus Schlichtmann (1831-1899)
Anna Sophia von der Lieth (1830-1901)

Children:
Boy Schlichtmann (1857-??)
Girl Schlichtmann (1858-??)
Anna Maria Schlichtmann (1860-1896)
Christina Marguerita Schlichtmann (1862-1952)
Johanna Sophia Schlichtmann (1864-1952)
Claus Schlichtmann (1866-1943)
William Frederick Schlichtmann (1868-1910)
August Schlichtmann (1872-1931)

2nd great grandparents:
Johann Bruhns (1848-1934)
Christina Marguerita Schlichtmann (1862-1952)

Children:
Matilda M. Bruhns (1883-1932)
Christina Anna Bruhns (1885-1965)
Johanna Bruhns (1886-1965)
Bertha Bruhns (1888-1949)
John Bruhns (1890-1976)

Great grandparents:
Lars Hansen Madsen (1893-1971)
Johanna Bruhns (1886-1965)

Children:
Lloyd Harold Madsen (1918-2012)
Donna Marie Madsen (1919-1966)
Rae Harriett Madsen (1921-2010)

Grandparents:
John Bartram (1911-1987)
Donna Marie Madsen (1919-1966)

Children:
Clinton James Bartram (1938-2001)
Brenda Rae Bartram (living)
Rebecca Elizabeth Bartram (living)
Clay John Bartram (living)

Parents:
William Lee Brittain (1942-2003)
Rebecca Elizabeth Bartram (living)

Children:
Wendy Lee Brittain (that's me!)
Cynthia Lynn Brittain (living)

Not So Wordless Wednesday: GGG Grandparents, Claus Schlichtmann and Anna Sophia von der Lieth

When I was home in Tracy, California, a few weeks ago, I stopped by the Tracy Area Genealogical Society (TAGS) to do a little research on my Bruhns and Schlichtmann family. I had known that my Germans came to California in the 1860s and 1870s, and were successful farmers in the Tracy area, but I really didn't know an awful lot more about them prior to their arrival in the States. I was surprised to find that the TAGS group had a LOT of information about my Tracy pioneers, including some fantastic photos.

My favorite picture that I unearthed that day is this one. It's of my GGG grandparents, Claus Schlichtmann (1831-1899) and Anna Sophia von der Lieth (1830-1901). 

I had never seen a photo of either of them before, and it somehow really touched me to look upon the faces of these brave maternal ancestors who risked a lot to bring their family to a whole new world of opportunities. In addition to the photos I found at the TAGS office, there are more documents that tell the story of how the Schlichtmanns came to the US, and to Tracy, California. There's even a bit of romantic mystery that needs some more research (perhaps, we're related to German royalty!). More to come on all of that in the weeks ahead. 

Meanwhile, please say hello to Claus and Anna!

Tombstone Tuesday: Claus Schlichtmann (1834-1899) and family

Last month, on my way to visit my mom for our annual birthday celebration (cake, steak and gambling!), I stopped by my old hometown of Tracy, California, to check out the cemetery where some of my pioneer ancestors were buried. I mostly grew up in Tracy (we moved there from over the hill in Livermore when I was almost eight, in 1973, and my mom finally moved away after Dad passed away in 2003). Lately, I've been trying to dig a little further into my Tracy roots, and it occurred to me that I hadn't yet even bothered to visit my ancestors who "lived" so close to me. Shame on me!

So, here is is the tombstone and burial plot of my Great Great Great Grandfather, Claus Schlichtmann. His name and information are inscribed on the front of the monument and his mother, Anna Maria (von Holte-Schlichtmann) Katt, and daughter, Anna Maria (Schlichtmann) Genzer, are both memorialized on the side and back of the monument.

Claus Schlichtmann, Born Sept. 4, 1831. Died July 5, 1899. A native of Germany

Claus Schlichtmann was my 3rd great grandfather on my mom's side. He was born in 1831 in Hanover, Germany, and immigrated to the US in 1862. Not long afterward he sent for his family, including his wife, Anna, and my great great grandmother, Christina Schlichtmann Bruhns, who was just a baby when they made their voyage. They lived in Pennsylvania for a time, and then finally they made their way to California, living for a short time in San Francisco before they settled in Tracy. Claus died in San Francisco on July 5, 1899, at the age of 68, and was buried at the Tracy Public Cemetery in Tracy, California. The plot is in the oldest section of the cemetery, right at the corner of Schulte Road and McArthur Boulevard. Growing up, we drove by there at least a few times a week on our way into town. 

Claus' daughter, Anna Maria Genzen, Born Sept 14, 1860. Died Feb 3, 1896. A native of Germany  

Claus' mother, Anna Maria von Holte (Schlichtmann) Katt, Born Nov 12, 1802.
Died Jan 17, 1901. A native of Germany.

Mystery stone, but I think it belongs to Claus' wife, Anna Sophia, or one of his other daughters.

Claus' wife (and my GGG grandmother), Anna Sophia von der Leith, is not memorialized on the stone.  However, I believe she is buried with her family in the plot. It's possible that this broken stone that was leaning against the base of the memorial stone belongs to her or another family member. Next time I'm in Tracy, I'm going to visit the cemetery office to see if I can get some records that might help me determine exactly where Anna Sophia is resting.

I enjoyed my first "tourist" visit (meaning, not there for a funeral) to the Tracy Public Cemetery, and I'm having fun getting to know my German ancestors. In fact, on my way back home to Oakland that week, I stopped in at the Tracy Area Genealogical Society office and did a little more research into my Schlichtmann and Bruhns families. What a treasure trove! More to come on that soon.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: My 16 Great Great Grandparents

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings offers this mission for some Saturday Night Genealogy Fun:

1)  List your 16 great-great-grandparents with their birth, death and marriage data (dates and places).  [Hint - you might use an Ancestral Name List from your software for this.]

2)  Determine the countries (or states) that these ancestors lived in at their birth and at their death.

3)  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.]

Since my sweetie is away for the weekend, and I'm on my own this Saturday night, I thought it would be fun to play along! I went one step further and, where available, added photos for each set of great-greats.

My 16 great-great grandparents are:

1. Frederick Harmon Brittain, son of Milton Price Brittain and Nancy Garriott, was born on 20 January 1859 in Keokuk County, Iowa, USA. He died on 6 February 1921 in Van Buren County, Arkansas, USA. He married Mary Jane Rooks on 14 September 1879 in Lowery City, St. Clair County, Missouri, USA.

2. Mary Jane Rooks, daughter of Thomas J. Rooks and Serena Jane Ishmael, was born on 3 March 1862, in Grundy County Missouri, USA. She died on 28 March 1904 in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, USA.

Frederick and Mary Jane Brittain

3. William Leroy Halstead, Jr., son of William Leroy Halstead and Ann Dobson, was born on 6 March 1859 in Pocahontas, Pocahontas County, Iowa, USA. He died on 27 November 1944 in Avery, Lincoln County, Oklahoma, USA. He married Nancy Catherine Campbell in 1880 in Missouri, USA.

4. Nancy Catherine Campbell, daughter of George Thomas Campbell and Mary Jane Carter, was born on 13 November 1856 in Palo Alto County, Iowa, USA. She died on 14 March 1940 in Avery, Lincoln County, Oklahoma, USA.

William and Nancy Halstead

5. William Calhoun Hunt, son of James Sanders Hunt and, possibly, Arnetta Sellers, was born on 9 September 1870 in Prentiss County, Mississippi, USA. He died on 26 March 1915 in Jackson, Coal County, Oklahoma, USA. He married Georgia Frances Ann Purser on 4 March 1891 in Lee County, Texas, USA.

6. Georgia Frances Ann Purser, daughter of James Monroe Purser and Nancy Susan Hodge, was born on 7 October 1871 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas, USA. She died on 14 July 1956 in Henderson, Rusk County, Texas, USA. 

William and Georgia Hunt and their family

7. Riley Harrison Martindale, believed to be son of James Jancey Martindale and Sarah ____, was born in 1876 in Sebastian County, Arkansas, USA. He died on 17 April 1899 in Canadian, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, USA. He married Nancy Dezina Jaggers on 19 February 1896 in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, USA.

8. Nancy Dezina Jaggers, daughter of Jessie James Jaggers and Louiza Jane Turman, was born on 1 September 1877 in Sulligent, Lamar County, Alabama, USA. She died on 14 September 1944 in Vinita, Craig County, Oklahoma, USA.  

Nancy Dezina Jaggers Martindale with her daughter, Ethel

9. John Bartrem, son of Samuel Bartram and Harriet Boste, was born in 1815 in Kelsale, Suffolk County, England. He died about 1882 at sea (en route from England to USA). He married Esther Meredith on 12 July 1846 in Welsh Newton, Herefordshire, England.  

10. Esther Meredith, daughter of Joseph Meredith and Sarah ___, was born in 1814 in Welsh Newton, Herefordshire County, England. She died in March 1888 in Monmouthshire County, Wales.

James and Esther Meridith and their family

11. George Elmer Veale, son of Andrew Jackson Veale and Elizabeth Miller, was born on 5 August 1850 in Pike County, Indiana, USA. He died on 20 September 1928 in Emporia, Lyon County, Kansas, USA. He married Margaret Harriman on 7 February 1872 in Daviess County, Indiana, USA.

12. Margaret Harriman, daughter of Jacob Harryman and Catherine LeFevre, was born on 12 November 1850 in Indiana, USA. She died on 23 January 1932 in Richmond, Contra Costa County, California, USA (while visiting family). 

Margaret Harriman Veale in 1931

13. Laurits Hansen Madsen, sone of Hans Madsen and Sidsel Marie Christensen, was born on 21 May 1839 in Risemark, Ærø, Denmark. He died on 1 October 1934 in Risemark, Ærø, Denmark. He married Kristen Kristen Terkelsen on 1 April 1869 in Risemark, Ærø, Denmark. 

14. Kristen Terkelsen, daughter of Hans Terkelsen and Kirsten Christensen, was born in 1850 in Graasten, Denmark. She died in 1925 in Risemark, Ærø, Denmark.

Laurits and Kristen Madsen and their family in Denmark

15. Johann Bruhns, son of Frederich Bruhns and Marguerite ____, was born on 20 July 1848 in Holstein, Germany. He died on 24 July 1934 in Tracy, San Joaquin County, California, USA. He married Christina Marguerita Schlichtmann, on 3 November 1881 in San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA.

16. Christina Marguerita Schlichtmann, daughter of Claus Schlichtmann and Anna Sophie Vanderleith, was born on 20 March 1862 in Hannover, Stadt Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany.  1 December 1952 in Tracy, San Joaquin County, California, USA.

Wedding photo of John and Christina Bruhns

 
The birthplaces of my 16 great-great-grandparents are:

*  USA - 10 (3 in IA, 2 in AR, 2 in IN, 1 in AL, 1 in MO, 1 in MS)

*  England - 2

*  Denmark - 2

*  Germany - 2

Here is my "Heritage Pie" chart:

 Well, that WAS fun! Thanks, Randy, for the inspiration!!

The Faces of Genealogy - The Bruhns Family

In response to Thomas McEntee's call-to-action regarding an event article from the LAWeekly website that included an offensive photo, many genealogy bloggers are banding together to show the true faces of genealogy. Here's a photo that I recently found in my mom's files. It's of her great grandparents, John Bruhns and Christina Schlichtmann Bruhns, and their children: Matilda, Christina, Johanna, Bertha and John, Jr.

Sunday Obituary: Claus Schlichtmann, 1831-1899

Claus Schlichtmann was my 3rd great grandfather on my mom's side. He was born in 1831 in Hanover, Germany, and sailed to New York on November 10, 1862, on the ship Teutonia. Not long afterward he sent for his family, including his wife, Anna, and my great great grandmother, Christina Schlichtmann Bruhns, who was just a baby when they made their voyage. They finally they came to California, living for a short time in San Francisco before they settled in my hometown of Tracy, San Joaquin County, California. He was a well-known and well-liked farmer in the area and was a member of the Order of Druids in San Francisco. He voted with the Republican party.

Claus died at the German Hospital in San Francisco on July 5, 1899, at the age of 68. Here is his obituary in the July 7, 1899, edition of the San Francisco Call newspaper:

The obituary reads:

SCHLICHTMANN -- At the German Hospital, July 5, 1899, Claus, beloved husband of Anna Schlichtmann, and father of Claus, William and August Schlichtmann, Mrs. John Bruhns, Mrs. John Krohn and the late Mrs. F. Genzen, a native of Germany, aged 68 years.

Remains at the parlors of Theo. Dierks, 957 Mission street. Remains will be shipped to Tracy, Cal., this day (Friday), at 8 o'clock a.m. for interment.

When I read this obituary, I immediately thought of the hardship that Claus and his family must have gone through when he became ill and needed to travel to a hospital. Today, Tracy is only about an hour's drive from San Francisco. But, back in 1899, that had to be a difficult journey for a sick man. Think about it: they didn't have our cars, freeways or bridges back then. So, they likely traveled to the German Hospital in San Francisco by horse-drawn carriage over dirt roads. They had to travel over two hilly passes in the heat of the summer (it gets well over 100 degrees in the San Joaquin Valley in the summer, although it was likely nice and cool and foggy in SF at that time). I'm guessing that there must have been a ferry to get them from the East Bay to San Francisco. Otherwise, they would have had to skirt the bay around San Jose and then come all the way up the peninsula to SF. Easier said than done in those days!

The other thing that caught my eye in the obituary was the name of the hospital where Claus died: the German Hospital. I live in San Francisco, and I had never heard of that hospital. When I did a little research, I found out that the German Hospital, as you might surmise, served the German population of the area. It was built in 1854, and was the first public hospital built on the west coast. It sat on the site where Davies Medical Center now sits: at the corner of Noe and 14th Streets. It's an easy walk just up the street from my apartment, and I now think of Claus every time I'm near there!

I wish I could find a picture of Claus. He sounded like a lovely man who was adored by his family and respected by his community. And he had that pioneer spirit that I admire so much in my ancestors. Here's to Claus!

Wedding Wednesday: John Bruhns & Christina Schlichtmann

Mr. and Mrs. John & Christina Bruhns
on their wedding day

Yesterday, I posted the gravestone and story of my great great grandfather, John Bruhns. For Wedding Wednesday, here's John and his wife, Christina, in happier times.

John Bruhns (b. July 20, 1848) was married on November 3, 1881, in San Francisco, California, to Christina Marguerita Schlichtmann (b. March 20, 1862). Both were born in Germany and immigrated to California. John arrived as a young man in 1870, while Christina and her mother followed her father, Claus, to America as a baby in 1863. Both the Bruhns and Schlichtmann families were early pioneers in my own hometown of Tracy, California.

John and Christina Bruhns were successful farmers and respected citizens in Tracy, California, and they raised a happy family, including four girls and a boy: Matilda, Christina, Johanna (my great grandma), Bertha and John Jr.

My cousin, Vikki, shared with me these wonderful wedding pictures of our great great grandparents. They were taken in San Francisco on November 3, 1881.