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The Gerken-Larson Heritage:
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The 19th and 20th Centuries
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A Family History
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Herman Gerken (1819-1875)
Henry Gerken (1855-1914)
Ewald Gerken (1895-1956)
Joan (Gerken) Larson (1926-1994)
Thomas Larson (1962-)
Researched and written by
Tom Larson
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| This family history contains not only names and dates but also presents a narrative about the lives of those mentioned, as gleaned from interviews, newspapers, books, and official records. Along the way you'll encounter the Gerken and Larson families as well as those of Schulte, Winter, Schumacher, Uthe, Kieler, and Nyborg as they made their way through life at places such as New Vienna, Dyersville, and Dubuque, Iowa; Argyle and Kieler, Wisconsin; and East Dubuque, Illinois. Although the website is centered on my direct lineage through the Gerken line, you'll also find information about other branches of the family, where you'll encounter many more surnames and many more places! T.L. |
| What's New? - Discover what has recently been added or changed at this Gerken-Larson Heritage website |
Sitemap - a basic contents page of this Gerken-Larson Heritage website |
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Our Gerken lineage has been traced back to the 1711 marriage of Heinrich and Clara Anna (Fumen) Gerken, and here you'll discover their descendants, as recorded in the Catholic church records of Hegensdorf in Germany, from 1711 to 1874. Heinrich and Clara Anna Gerken are great-great-grandparents to Herman Gerken, who brought our Gerken line to the United States. They are Tom's great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents.
Geschichte des Hauses Schnieders (Gehrken) - Read about the ancestral Gerken home in Hegensdorf. Information (in German) was prepared by Hegensdorf historian Heinz Lummer, and the information was translated by fellow genealogist and Gerken relation Tom Steichen.
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Relatives of Herman Gerken who also came to America:
- Anna Marie (Gerken) Ostwald, sister of Herman Gerken; with her husband Michael and their family, followed Herman Gerken to New Vienna, Iowa, in the 1850s
- Conrad Herman Gerken, nephew of Herman Gerken; of Dyersville and Dubuque, Iowa, and Chicago, Illinois
- Francis Xavier Gerken, nephew of Herman Gerken; of New Vienna, Iowa
- John E. Gerken, nephew of Herman Gerken; of Woonsocket, South Dakota.
- Rev. Anton Gerken, grandnephew of Herman Gerken.
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Read about the life of Herman Gerken, Tom's great-great-grandfather, who emigrated from Hegensdorf, Germany, in 1851. Herman, his wife Mary Catherine Gerken née Schulte (1822-1869), and their baby daughter Mary settled at New Vienna, Iowa. The Herman Gerken family later farmed east of Dyersville, Iowa.
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The Schulte and Pape Heritage - Read about the heritage of Herman Gerken's wife, Mary Catherine née Schulte, as well as that of her half-brother Wilhelm Pape, who emigrated to America in 1850 and settled at New Vienna, Iowa, with his wife Margaret and their sons.
Conrad Pape - Read about Conrad Pape, a son of Wilhelm and Margaret Pape. Conrad Pape married Josephine Wente, and they farmed the Pape homestead at New Vienna, Iowa. Conrad Pape was a first cousin to Tom's great-grandfather Henry Gerken.
Rev. Frederick William Pape - Read about the Reverend F. W. Pape, the youngest son of Wilhelm and Margaret Pape and pastor of St. Boniface Catholic Church in New Vienna from 1874 to 1919, under whose direction the present church was built. Father Pape was a first cousin to Tom's great-grandfather Henry Gerken.
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Read about the life of Henry Gerken, Herman and M. Catherine (Schulte) Gerken's son and Tom's great-grandfather. In 1878, he married Anna Winter, at New Vienna, Iowa, and they lived out their lives there with Henry working as a carpenter. Anna was born in 1861 at Dubuque, Iowa, to John Peter and Anna Mary (Ickenroth) Winter, who a short time later moved to New Vienna. Henry Gerken died in an auto accident in 1914, and Anna (Winter) Gerken followed him to the grave in 1916.
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John Peter and Anna Mary (Ickenroth) Winter - Read about J.P. Winter (1816-1896) and A.M. (Ickenroth) Winter (1825-1888), the parents of Mrs. Henry Gerken, née Anna Winter, Tom's great-grandmother. They came to America from Germany in 1854, went to Dubuque, Iowa, in 1855, and finally settled in New Vienna, Iowa, in 1864.
Anna Mary (Winter) Meinhart Huberty - Read about John P. and Anna M. (Ickenroth) Winter's niece, whom they adopted after her parents died en route to America. Anna Mary Winter (1851-1910) married George Meinhart (ca. 1838-1879) in 1867, and they had five children. George Meinhart died in 1879, and his widow Anna (Winter) Meinhart married Hubert Huberty (1855-1925) in 1882. They lived at New Vienna and Dyersville, Iowa.
Maria "Mary" Anna (Winter) Klostermann Sturm - Read about Mary Anna Winter (1855-1908), a daughter of John P. and Anna M. (Ickenroth) Winter. Mary Winter married Caspar Klostermann (1848-1878), and they had three children. Caspar Klostermann died, and Mary then married Jacob Sturm (1841-1905), whose first spouse, Elizabeth née Knolle (1844-1877), had also died. Jacob brought five children from his first marriage into his union with Mary, and they proceeded to have seven additional children of their own. The Sturm family lived at Springbrook, Iowa, where they farmed.
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Henry Gerken's brothers and sisters
the other children of Herman and M. Catherine (Schulte) Gerken:
- Mary (Gerken) Kerkhoff (1849-1932) - Mary Gerken married Herman Kerkhoff (1843-1890), and they farmed at Petersburg, Iowa.
- Margaret (Gerken) Kunkel (1851-1896) - Margaret Gerken married Frank Kunkel (1850-1936), and they farmed at Dyersville, Iowa. After Margaret died, Frank married her younger sister Sophia Gerken, and Sophia became stepmother to the children.
- William Gerken (1853-1922) - William Gerken inherited the Herman Gerken homestead east of Dyersville, Iowa. He married Elizabeth Sudmeier (1856-1888), and they had seven children. Elizabeth (Sudmeier) Gerken died, and William Gerken then married Carolina Wuebbelt (1856-1929), and they had six children.
- Caroline (Gerken) Steger (1857-1929) - Caroline Gerken married Michael Steger (1854-1924), and they lived at Norcross, Minnesota.
| Children of Michael and Caroline (Gerken) Steger |
Pauline Steger
Clara (Steger) Murphy
Eva (Steger) Bauer
Arthur Steger
Wanda (Steger) Ramsay
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Florentine (Steger) Vaughan
Louis Steger
Hildegard (Steger) Jones
Alma (Steger) Mulryan
Walter Steger
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- Herman Gerken (1859-1866) - Herman Gerken died a young boy at New Vienna, Iowa.
- Sophia (Gerken) Kunkel (1861-1909) - Sophia Gerken kept house for her older sister Margaret Kunkel and family, and when Margaret died, Sophia married her widower Frank Kunkel, and she became stepmother to the children. The Kunkel family lived at Dyersville, Iowa.
- Louis Gerken (1862-1951) - Louis Gerken lived at Dyersville, Iowa, and in Texas for eight years before returning to Iowa.
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Read about the life of Ewald Gerken, Henry Gerken's son and Tom's grandfather, who was born in 1895 at New Vienna, Iowa. In 1919, in Dubuque, Iowa, after his return from Europe and his service in the U.S. Army during World War I, Ewald married Anna Schumacher, who was born in 1895 to George and Mathilda (Uthe) Schumacher at East Dubuque, Illinois. They made their life together in Dubuque, where Ewald worked for Morrision Brothers and later as a foreman in the pattern making department at John Deere. Ewald and Anna Gerken and their family were members of Holy Ghost Parish. Ewald died in 1956 and Anna in 1967, and they were buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Dubuque.
Photographs from a reunion of the descendants of Ewald and Anna Gerken on September 2, 2001, at the old Ewald Gerken homestead in Dubuque.
Postcards of New Vienna, Iowa, where Ewald Gerken was born and raised. The New Vienna postcards appearing here are from Ewald's own collection.
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The Kieler · Uthe · Schumacher Heritage - Here you'll find the heritage of Mrs. Ewald Gerken, née Anna Schumacher, Tom's grandmother, who was born in 1895 in East Dubuque, Ill., to George and Mathilda (Uthe) Schumacher: Mathilda, born in 1865 in Dickeyville, Wis., was the daughter of Frank and Barbara (Kieler) Uthe, who had immigrated here from Germany, and Barbara was the daughter of Johannes and Katharina Kieler, who had also come from Germany and settled in Grant County, Wis., near the present town of Kieler, which was given the family name when their son George opened the first post office there in 1883. This lineage is traced here and includes other branches of these families of the Kieler and Dickeyville area of Grant County, Wis., and of East Dubuque, Ill.
History of the Parish at Kieler, Wisconsin, from a 1957 publication celebrating the church's centennial.
Immaculate Conception Church Cemetery, Kieler, Wisconsin - readings of gravestones for selected surnames.
Founder of Kieler Gave It Name, 1929 newspaper article.
Holy Ghost Church Cemetery, Dickeyville, Wisconsin - readings of gravestones.
Don Gentner's Genealogy Page (offsite link) - includes the Schumacher family.
Selected webpages at Don Gentner's site:
Wiesental, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (offsite link) - The Schumacher ancestral village.
The Wiesental - Springville Connection (offsite link) - includes many Schumachers and relations, who emigrated from Wiesental, Baden, to the area around Springville, N.Y.
Martin Schuhmacher (1819-1900) (offsite link) - Martin Schumacher is Anna (Schumacher) Gerken's grandfather. From this starting point, follow the links to discover earlier generations of Schumachers and many other relations.
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Ewald Gerken's brothers and sisters
the other children of Henry and Anna (Winter) Gerken:
- Louis P. Gerken (1880-1939) - Louis married Christina "Tina" M. Lange (1883-1978), and they settled in Templeton, Iowa.
| Children of Louis and Tina (Lange) Gerken |
Edwin Gerken
Ermin Gerken
Julius Gerken
Marie (Gerken) Leise
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Flora Gerken
Elmer Gerken
James Gerken
Edgar Gerken
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- Mary Anna (Gerken) Fritz (1882-1925) - Mary Anna married Joseph Fritz (1869-1947), and they lived at Cresco, Iowa.
| Children of Joseph and Mary Anna (Gerken) Fritz |
Armella (Fritz) Herold
Leo Fritz
Gilbert Fritz
Irma (Fritz) Ollendieck
Vincent Fritz
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Ewald Fritz
Luella Fritz
Edna (Fritz) Heimer
Sylvester Fritz
Jack Fritz
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- George F. Gerken (1884-1957) - George married Anna M. Ruemmele (1889-1957), and they lived in Dubuque, Iowa, for a time before settling at Cincinnati, Ohio.
| Children of George and Anna (Ruemmele) Gerken |
Inez Gerken
Esther (Gerken) Ryan
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Ivo Gerken
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- Hubert "Hub" H. Gerken (1886-1950) - Hubert married Rose Ann Beatrice Kramer (1887-1974), and they settled at Adrian, Minnesota.
| Children of Hubert and Rose (Kramer) Gerken |
Virginia Gerken
Marjorie (Gerken) Reker
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Charles Gerken
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- Wilhelmina "Minnie" (Gerken) Winter (1889-1967) - Minnie married Peter John Winter (1886-1964), and they farmed at Adrian, Minnesota.
| Children of Peter and Minnie (Gerken) Winter |
Alphonse Winter
Victor Winter
Edward Winter
Lucille (Winter) Jacobson
Harold Winter
George Winter
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Viola (Winter) Wasmund
Alvin Winter
Stella (Winter) Tryon
Marcella (Winter) Scully
Ila (Winter) Murphy
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- Irma (Gerken) Schumacher (1891-1954) - Irma married Joseph Henry Schumacher (1890-1969), and they lived at Dubuque, Iowa.
| Children of Joseph and Irma (Gerken) Schumacher |
Sylveria "Sally" (Schumacher) Hird Pauly
Walter Schumacher
Erwin Schumacher
Joseph Schumacher
Marian (Schumacher) Glover Frederick
Doris (Schumacher) Conry Hanten
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Charles Schumacher
Francis Schumacher
Joyce Schumacher (Sr. Mary Irma)
David Schumacher
Louis Schumacher
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- Alphonse Gerken (1893-1967) - Alphonse married Helena Elizabeth Lais (1895-1992), and they settled at Adrian, Minnesota.
| Children of Alphonse and Helen (Lais) Gerken |
Wilfred Gerken
Willis Gerken
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Richard Gerken
Victoria Gerken
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- Zita Gerken (Sr. Ewalda) (1898-1954) - Zita entered the order of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration at St. Rose Covent, La Crosse, Wisconsin, and her religious name was Sister Mary Ewalda. She taught at various schools in Iowa and Wisconsin.
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Read about the life of Joan (Gerken) Larson, Ewald Gerken's daughter and Tom's mother, from the time of her birth in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1926, to her marriage in 1949 to Vernon Larson--he was born in 1925, and information is included here about his parents, Oscar and Mary (Nyborg) Larson, of Argyle, Wisconsin; his education; and his years in the service during World War II--to Vern and Joan's life together, including their family traditions, interests, and activities, in Dubuque, Iowa, where they were members of Holy Ghost Church and where Vern worked at John Deere, and finally to their passings, Joan in 1994 and Vern in 2001.
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Debra (Runde) Larson's heritage - Presented here are ancestral charts for Deb's parents, Faber and Jeanette (Timmerman) Runde; Deb is Tom's wife. Surnames include Bussan, Dunleavy, Hauser, Manemann, Runde, Timmerman, Weber, and Wiederholt. Most of her heritage may be traced to Grant Co., Wisconsin, and Jo Daviess Co., Ill., with German, Irish, and Dutch roots.
The Wiederholt Lineage and Family Heritage / John and Elizabeth (Weber) Wiederholt - John and Elizabeth Wiederholt are Deb's great-grandparents, and this webpage includes information about them, their descendants and ancestry, while centering on the Wiederholt lineage.
The Timmermans-Clompen-Baetsen Lineages / The Timmerman Family Heritage -
Peter J. and Rose Ann (Hauser) Timmerman are Deb's great-grandparents, and this webpage contains information about them and their family; their parents, Mathias and Maria "Mary" (Op 't Roodt) Timmerman; the Timmermans ancestral lineage, along with the Clompens and Baetsens, in the Netherlands.
The Dunleavy Family Heritage: Thomas and Jane (Rooney) Dunleavy - Thomas and Jane Dunleavy are Deb's great-great-grandparents, and this webpage includes information about them and their descendants.
The Manemann-Runde Family Heritage: August and Louisa (Manemann) Runde - August and Louisa Runde are Deb's great-grandparents, and this webpage includes information about them and their descendants.
A Great Adventurer: The Duke de Ripperda - this famous (or infamous) duke is a great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather to Deb, and his story is given here.
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Joan (Gerken) Larson's brothers and sisters
the other children of Ewald and Anna (Schumacher) Gerken:
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From the mysterious ...
Newspaper Accounts of the Murder Mystery of Thecla M. Gerken (1894-1917) - Read about Thecla Gerken, a daughter of John E. Gerken (Herman Gerken's nephew), who is treated at length here in the form of sensational newspaper articles relating the circumstances of her 1917 murder in Sioux City, Iowa.
To the miraculous ...
Archbishop Rudolph A. Gerken (1887-1943) - Read about Archbishop Gerken, a son of William and Elizabeth (Sudmeier) Gerken of Dyersville, Iowa. He served as the first bishop of Amarillo before being named archbishop of Santa Fe. Archbishop Gerken was a grandson of Herman Gerken (a nephew to Henry Gerken and a first cousin to Ewald Gerken).
From Hegensdorf, the Gerken Ancestral Village...
Hegensdorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, the home of our Gerken ancestors, is a small village located in an area which, in the past, was part of Westfalen (Westphalia), Prussia.
- Hegensdorf: A Small Village in Germany (offsite link) - Discover Hegensdorf at Joe Beine's website, a fine introduction to our ancestral village. Includes some photographs by Giles Gerken, a second cousin of Joan (Gerken) Larson, Tom's mother.
- The Steichen 2000 European Trip (offsite link) - The Steichens trip included Hegensdorf, and the website tells about their experiences at Hegensdorf and includes descriptions and photographs of our ancestral village. Tom Steichen is a descendant of the Hegensdorf Gerkens and is a sixth cousin to Tom Larson.
... to New Vienna and Dyersville, Iowa ...
New Vienna is located north of Dyersville in New Wine Township in western Dubuque County, Iowa. Herman and M. Catherine (Schulte) Gerken, Tom's great-great-grandparents, settled at New Vienna before moving to a farm east of Dyersville. Their son William remained on the farm at Dyersville, while their son Henry Gerken returned to New Vienna, where he married Anna Winter, worked as a carpenter, and raised a family. Ewald Gerken, Tom's grandfather, grew up in New Vienna.
- New Wine Township, Dubuque County, Iowa: 1874 Plat - Index of Landowners.
- New Wine Township, Dubuque County, Iowa: 1906 Plat - Index of Landowners and a Directory of the Leading Farmers.
- Dyersville, Iowa, Business Directory - from the 1874 Atlas of Dubuque County, Iowa.
- Dyersville, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, and Leading Business Houses - essays about the early history of Dyersville and its Catholic church, and advertisements, from the 1906 Atlas of Dubuque County.
- New Vienna, Iowa, Map and Directory - from the 1874 Atlas of Dubuque County, Iowa.
- St. Boniface Congregation, New Vienna, Iowa - an essay about the early history of New Vienna and its church written by its long time pastor, the Reverend F.W. Pape, from the 1906 Atlas of Dubuque County, Iowa.
- New Vienna, Iowa, Advertisements - from the 1906 Atlas of Dubuque County, Iowa.
- Postcards of New Vienna, Iowa - real photo images.
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The Gerken-Larson Heritage: The 19th and 20th Centuries - A Family History
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tdlarson/
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Last revised May 17, 2009.
© 1998-2009
Tom Larson
P.O. Box 141
Peosta, IA 52068-0141
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Visitors since November 2, 2000
Larson Online Residence
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