roger.pape Site Admin
Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 414 Location: Liverpool, NY
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Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:42 pm Post subject: August Frerking (1828-?) and family |
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Loberta Runge compiled a great amount of detail about the family of Johann and Dorothee Frerking who immigrated to the Concordia area from Esperke, Hanover, Germany in her Frerking Family History; however, she was unable to trace the whereabouts of their 11th child Dietrich “August”.
While digging through some Frerking records, I was able to uncover part of the puzzle. The key was the 1870 census records where August shows up as a grocer in St. Joseph, MO. By that time, his family included his wife Mary (age 33), son Louis (age 15), daughter Emma (age 10), son Herman (age eight), and daughter Clara (age 6).
Marriage records or other information about when August moved to St. Joseph could not be located. Loberta noted that his first son, Louis Wilhelm Diedrich, was baptized at St. Paul’s Church, Concordia, on June 22, 1856. That was over a year after he was born (March 6, 1855). His sponsors were three of his uncles, G. H., Fritz, and Diedrich Frerking. It is not clear why the family waited that long, but they possibly were already living in St. Joseph and baptized Louis on a visit back to Concordia.
August must have died before 1880 because, in the 1880 census, his wife Mary had remarried another merchant, Charles Michalis. The three youngest children, Emma, Herman, and Clara, were living in this household. Emma apparently was married by then because her surname is listed as Miller. Herman was working as a telegraph operator. (No more Pony Express ) Louis was married with a wife Eliza (age 22) and daughter Clara (age 2) and was farming in the St. Joseph area.
Louis W. D. Frerking’s death certificate provides more detail. It notes that he lived in St. Joseph for his entire life. After retiring from farming, he lived in downtown St. Joseph working as a real estate dealer. He died on Jan. 18, 1938 at the ripe old age of almost 83 and was buried in an Ashland Cemetery vault. His mother is listed on the certificate as Mary nee Schmidt, born in Germany.
Louis’ wife Eliza died almost six years later on Christmas Eve 1943. Her death certificate lists the informant as the “Family Bible”. She was born on July 9, 1859 in New York City and came to St. Joseph at the age of 14. Her parents names are not listed, but from Germany. |
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