The Fleckenstein family is listed as having applied for a homestead in the Matanuska Valley by 1915. The patriarch of the Alaska Fleckensteins, was Joseph Bernard Fleckenstein born 1/18/1870 in Iowa City, Iowa and his wife Marie Antoinette Doane born 1867 in California, daughter of Sharon P. Doane and Ellen Threlfall.
Joseph
B. Fleckensteins parents were
Adam C. Fleckenstein (born 1842 in Bayern, Germany - died 1890 Sherrill,
Iowa) and Anna Cathrine Tigges. His grandparents
were Thomas Fleckenstein (born 1810 Germany - died 1871 Sherrill, Iowa)
and Catherine Heurtel.
THE ALASKA FLECKENSTEINS
Below is a compilation of Fleckenstein information that I've extracted from the U. S. Census records as well as the Herning diaries and online sources:
1900 U. S. Census Hydesville, Humboldt Co., California
Joseph
(Bernard) Fleckenstein 30 b. Iowa father b. Germany
mother b. Germany
Marie
(Antionette) Fleckenstein 32 b. California
father b. Illinois mother b. Georgia
Earnest
Fleckenstein.......not on census but shows up in family records
William
Fleckenstein age 9 b. California son
John
P. Fleckenstein age 7 b. California son
Christopher
Fleckenstein age 9 b. California
Frank
Joseph Fleckenstein age 3 b. California
Sharon
David Fleckenstein age 2 b. California
Lawrence
Edward Fleckenstein 1 month b. California
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1910
U. S. Census Eureka, Humboldt Co., California
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein age 40 b. Iowa
married 17 years
Nettie
Fleckenstein age 42 b. California married 17 years
(2nd marriage for Nettie)
William
Joseph Fleckenstein age 19
John
Fleckenstein age 17
Christopher
Fleckenstein 15
Frank
Fleckenstein 12........ (later murdered at Dillingham, Alaska 1925 hit
over head by Indian)
Sharon
Fleckenstein 11........(later married Maxine Crocker...and Florence Strigga
Edlund)
Lawrence
Fleckenstein 10...........(later married Helen ______ of Finland)
Ellen
Catherine Fleckenstein 7.………(later married Floyd Dewey Smith) see
below
Eva
Marie Fleckenstein 6 ………. (later married George Stanley Herning)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1920
U. S. Census taken between Knik and Wasilla
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein age 53 Farmer
Marie
Fleckenstein age 52
Ellen
Cathryn Fleckenstein age 17
Eva
Marie Fleckenstein age 15
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1930
U. S. Census taken in Kanakanak (Old Dillingham)
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein age 60 Head U. S. Deputy
Marshal
Maria
Fleckenstein age 63 wife
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Notes
from Herning diaries:
Fleckenstein
proved up on his homestead 11/18/1919 (working for railroad)
Fleckenstein
boys bought sawmill from Forty Mile Miller (O. C. Miller)
Chris
Fleckenstein running Road Commission Cat at Moose Creek 1922
Chris
Fleckenstein Cat hauling at Baxter Coal Mine 1923
Chris
Fleckenstein overhauling Alaska Engineering Commission Cats and trucks
1923
Chris
Fleckenstein sold his homestead to Jim Kennedy in 1946
Joseph
B. Fleckenstein in Wasilla for visit, heading to Bristol Bay 1924
Sharon
Fleckenstein and Maxine Crocker married after 11 day courtship
Wasilla’s FIRST wedding 1924
Sharon
Fleckenstein's 2nd marriage was to Florence Strigga Edlund 1938
Eva
Fleckenstein married Stanley Herning 1926
Ellen
Fleckenstein married Floyd Smith 1926 in Fairbanks then they left for Chatanika
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
1920
U. S. Census taken on railroad route from mile 236 north to Dead
Horse
Sharon
Fleckenstein age 21 Head of household
Christopher
Fleckenstein age 25 brother
1920
U. S. Census taken on railroad route from Willow Creek to Montana Creek
Frank
J. Fleckenstein age 22 b. California
Notes from Herning Diaries first mention Frank Fleckenstein as being elected to the school board of Wasilla’s 1st school in 1917. He also did the concrete work under the original Herning (later Teeland) store in Wasilla as well as a lot of the carpentry work on the building. In 1918, he left to go to the Army. Herning’s notes also say Frank Fleckenstein was clubbed to death by a Native in Dillingham in 1925. He is buried in the Anchorage Memorial Cemetery in the Pioneer section. His headstone reads, born 6/1/1898 died 5/1/1925.
WWI
Draft Registration for Sharon Fleckenstein age 19:
Gave
Wasilla as Sharon's permanent address, nearest relative listed as Nettie
Fleckenstein,
occupation
as miner at Willow Creek Mining District. Birthdate given January
2, 1899.
1930
U. S. Census Knik Road near Wasilla, Alaska
Sharon
D. Fleckenstein age 30 b. California
occupation Fur Farmer
Maxine**
(Crocker) Fleckenstein age 22 wife b. Minnesota
Frederick
Crocker age 75 Father-in-law b. New York
Owns own ranch
Maxine died at the early age of 26 and is buried in the Anchorage Memorial Cemetery in the Pioneer section. Her headstone reads born 7/17/1906 died 7/4/1932. I was told that she drowned (in the Little Susitna River) when a car she was riding in (with her husband and two other people) crashed into Pinnacle Rock on the Hatcher Pass Road and rolled into the river, on the 4th of July 1932.
Sharon Fleckenstein's second wife was Florence Strigga Edlund (m. 9/17/1938). They are buried in the Wasilla Cemetery. Their headstones give the following dates: Sharon 1895-1959 Florence 1905-1985
1930
U. S. Census for Anchorage
Lawrence
Fleckenstein age 29 b. California (died 1978 Soldotna)
Helen
Fleckenstein age 30 b. Finland (came to USA 1915)
(died 1980 Soldotna)
Myrtle
Fleckenstein age 14 b. Pennsylvania
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein buried at Anchorage Memorial Cemetery in the Pioneer
section. His headstone reads
born
1/18/1870 died 3/23/1948. His wife Marie is also buried there, her
headstone reads born 3/24/1897 died 10/20/1946. He is listed among the
original 1915 homesteaders of the Matanuska Valley.
ONLINE FLECKENSTEIN INFORMATION:
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein had five sisters: Mary, Elizabeth K., Catherine, Anna
and Emma.
His
father, Adam C. Fleckenstein's siblings were: Elizabeth 1838, Ignatz 1844,
Mria Johanna 1846 and Joseph L. 1850.
His
wife, Marie Antoinette (Doane) Fleckenstein, was the daughter of Sharon
P. Doane and Ellen Threlfell. Her siblings were: Joseph W. Doane 1857,
Ada Doane 1859, John F. Doane 1860, Isabel Doane 1863, Tessa Doane 1864,
Hattie Doane 1867 and Lizzie Doane 1870.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joseph Bernard Fleckenstein's 2nd youngest daughter, Ellen Catherine married Floyd Dewey Smith at Chena, Alaska in 1926. Here is the information I have for the Smith family:
FLOYD DEWEY SMITH FAMILY WASILLA, ALASKA
1930
U. S. Census for Kanakanak (Old Dillingham) (see Smith info below)
Floyd
Smith age 37 born Oregon* occupation Trapper in fur business
Ellen
Catherine
(Fleckenstein) Smith age 27 b. California
Marion
F. Smith age 2 years 5 months b. Alaska
(Smith family says this should be Frank Marion)
Marie
Smith* age 11
months b. Alaska (Smith family says this should
be Laura Marie)
Lavina
Ethel "Lee" Smith*
b. 1937 Kanakanak.......(Smith family says
this child born after 1930 census)
David
Floyd Smith b. 1933..........................(Smith
family says this child born after 1930 census)
Lavina
"Lee" Smith died 8/22/1998 Littleton, Colorado
Laura
Marie Smith died 2/12/1996 Wasilla, Alaska
FLOYD DEWEY SIMITH's
PARENTS WERE:
Theodore
Monroe Smith born about 1850 Michigan and died about 1931 in Oregon. Online
records show three wives for Floyd: Julia Knoth, Laura Bell Lynd and Sarah
Elizabeth Holt.
His children were:
Charles Agustus Smth b.
1877 Palouse, Whitman Co., Washington died 1958 Sand Point, Idaho
Elbert Hazen Smth b. 1885
"
"
"
Walter Monroe Smith b.
1886 "
"
"
died 1950 Eugene, Oregon
Ethel L. Smith b. 1888
Spokane, Washington
Lenn James Smith b. 1890
Palouse, Whitman Co., Washington died 1944 Monmouth, Oregon
Vernon J. Smith b.
1892 "
"
"
died 1896
Mabel Lorenda Smith b.
1894 "
"
"
died 1958 Redmond, Oregon
Floyd
Dewey Smith b. 1898 Absarokee, Montana
died 1979 Wasilla, Alaska
Lyle Theodore Smith
b. 1902 Lamonte, Oregon
died 1985 Redmond, Oregon
Marvin Loren Smith b.
"
"
died 1979 Eugene, Oregon
FLOYD DEWEY SMITH's GRANDPARENTS
WERE:
James
Monroe Smith b. 1815 in New York d. 1889 Nye, Stillwater,
Montana and Lorinda Burton Smith
Their
children were:
Francis
M. Smith b. 1843 Michigan
Stanford
Hess Smith b. 1846 Michigan
Theodore
Monroe Smith b. 1850 Michigan
Elizabeth
J. Smith b. 1850 Minnesota
Isabella
Smith b. 1855 Minnesota
Wilbur
F. Smith b. 1858 Minnesota
If you would like to
make corrections or additions to this
Fleckenstein - Smith
Information, please contact me