The Gerken Ancestry in Germany

Johannes Heinrich Gerken died on October 24 (September 14?), 1823, in Hegensdorf. Maria Catharina (Stratmann) Gerken died on February 23 (26?), 1834, in Hegensdorf.

Anna Maria Gertrudus Gerken was born on January 17, 1774, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the fifth of eight children born to Joanne Georg and Maria Elisabeth (Wördehoff) Gerken. She married Conrad Reimann on April 28, 1794, in Hegensdorf. He was born about August 6, 1765.

Conrad and Anna Maria Gertrudus (Gerken) Reimann had the following children, all born in Hegensdorf:

• Anna Maria Elisabeth Reimann, born January 20, 1795.
• Maria Catherina Reimann, born October 2, 1796.
• Joannes Josephus Reimann, born September 17, 1798. He died May 15, 1800.
• Henricus Christophomus Reimann, born August 24, 1800. He died May 9, 1801 in Hegensdorf.
• Anna Maria Elisabeth Reimann, born April 8, 1802.
• Scholastica Reimann, born April 18, 1804. She married Josephus Kleine on January 22, 1828, in Hegensdorf. He was born about 1780 to Mr. and Mrs. Joannes Theodorus Kleine in Hegensdorf.
• Joannes Franciscus Theodorus Reimann, born August 13, 1806.
• Anna Maria Catherina Reimann, born January 25, 1809.
• Joannes Josephus Henricus Reimann, born July 5, 1811.
• Anna Maria Gertrud Reimann, born November 12, 1816. She died November 28, 1816, in Hegensdorf.
• Maria Angela Elisabeth Reimann, born March 30, 1820.

Conrad Reimann died on November 25, 1827, in Hegensdorf. Anna Maria Gertrudus (Gerken) Reimann died on September 28, 1832, in Hegensdorf.

FIFTH GENERATION

Anna Maria Gerken was born October 5, 1802, at Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the eldest of seven children born to Johannes Heinrich and Maria Catharina (Stratmann) Gerken. She married Michael Ostwald, on September 23, 1826, in Hegensdorf.

Michael and Anna Maria (Gerken) Ostwald had the following children, all born in Hegensdorf:

• Joannes Adamus Ostwald, born June 14, 1827. He died on October 19, 1827, in Hegensdorf.
• Anna Maria Elisabeth Ostwald, born August 24, 1828. She died on October 2, 1830, in Hegensdorf.
• Maria Agnes Carolina Ostwald, born December 12, 1830.
• Elisabeth Catherine Ostwald, born March 3, 1833.
• Anna Maria Elisabeth Ostwald, born May 29, 1835.
• Maria Sophie Ostwald, born July 16, 1837. She died on June 24, 1839 in Hegensdorf.
• Maria Theresia Ostwald, born March 25, 1840.
• ----- Ostwald, born and died November 27, 1842.
• Johannes Hermannus Ostwald, born June 29, 1844.

Michael and Anna Maria (Gerken) Ostwald emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1856, and they arrived at New Orleans on April 29, 1856, aboard the ship New Orleans. Four of their children made the journey with them. They settled at New Vienna, Iowa, where Herman Gerken, Anna Maria (Gerken) Ostwald's brother, had previously settled.

Jodocus Wilhelmus Gerken was born on January 22, 1810, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the fourth of seven children born to Johannes Heinrich and Maria Catharina (Stratmann) Gerken. He married Maria Catherine Quante on January 25, 1834, in Hegensdorf. She was born circa 1808 in Hegensdorf.

Jodocus Wilhelmus and Maria Catherine (Quante) Gerken had the following children, all born in Hegensdorf:

• Anna Maria Gerken, born March 31, 1836. [An Anna Marie Gerkin married a Johannes Conrad Meis on September 20,1860, at New Vienna, Iowa, according to a Family Search IGI record found online; the same Anna Maria Gerken listed here?]
• Marie Elisabeth Gerken, born June 28, 1839. She died on May 1, 1874, in Hegensdorf.
• Maria Elisabeth Gerken, born June 1, 1842.
• Johann Wilhelm Gerken, baptized July 10, 1845. Johann Wilhelm Gerken died on October 24, 1849, in Hegensdorf.
• Hermann Conrad Gerken, baptized July 10, 1845. He and Johann Wilhelm Gerken were twins. Hermann Conrad Gerken emigrated to Iowa in the United States, where he was known variously as Herman Conrad or Conrad Herman Gerken. His date of birth appears as July 9, 1845, in a history of Dyersville, Iowa.

Maria Catherine (Quante) Gerken died on April 8, 1847, in Hegensdorf. Jodocus Wilhelmus Gerken then married Catherine Thiele on September 3, 1847, in Hegensdorf. She was born circa 1821 to Mr. and Mrs. Casper Thiele.

Jodocus Wilhelmus and Catherine (Thiele) Gerken had the following children, all born in Hegensdorf:

• Maria Francisca Gerken, born October 9, 1848. She died on May 16, 1863, in Hegensdorf.
• Wilhelm Gerken, born April 13, 1852.
• Casper Xaver (Franz as a third name?) Gerken, born March 27, 1854. He emigrated from Hegensdorf in 1875 and settled in Iowa in the United States. Casper Xaver Gerken was known as Xavier, Francis Xavier, or F.X. Gerken in the United States.
• ----- Gerken, born and died September 26, 1856.
• Johann Everhard (Eberhard?) Gerken, born November 1, 1857. He emigrated to the United States, where his name was anglicized to John E. Gerken, and eventually settled in South Dakota. Johann Everhard Gerken was a nephew of Herman Gerken.
• Franz Gerken, born September 3, 1860. He died February 21, 1861 in Hegensdorf.
• ----- Gerken, born and died July 21, 1862 (1863?).
• Bernard Gerken, born July 21, 1863 (1867?). He emigrated to America in 1879. An emigrant list gives his date of birth as June 21, 1863.
• Franz Anton Gerken, born April 7, 1867. He was a priest of the Catholic church and was stationed at Wickede. He was known to have made at least one trip to the United States to see his relatives that emigrated to Iowa. The Reverend Franz Anton Gerken died on May 29, 1943, in Hegensdorf. The image at right is that of Rev. Franz Anton Gerken.

Jodocus Wilhelmus Gerken died on May 18, 1871, in Hegensdorf.

Johann Heinrich Hermann Gerken was born on May 11, 1819, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the last of seven children born to Johannes Heinrich and Maria Catharina (Stratmann) Gerken (4/1.3.1.4). He was a Tischler, a carpenter. He married Maria Catharina Theresia Schulte on February 1, 1849, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia. She was born on April 30, 1822, to Johann Wilhelm and Maria Christina (Schulte) Schulte.

Johann Heinrich Hermann and Maria Catharina Theresia (Schulte) Gerken had the following child born in Hegensdorf:

• Anna Maria Gerken, born May 19, 1849. As a young child, she emigrated to Iowa in the United States with her parents, where she was known as Mary.

The Gerken family emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1851, arriving at New York from Bremen aboard the Alfred on July 7, 1851, and they settled near New Vienna, Iowa. Johann Heinrich Hermann Gerken was ever known as Herman Gerken in the United States. Hermann and Maria Catharina (Schulte) Gerken had seven more children, all born at New Vienna, Iowa: Margaret, William, Henry, Caroline, Herman, Sophia, and Louis.

Anna Maria Elisabeth Reimann was born on January 20, 1795, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the first of eleven children born to Conrad and Anna Maria Gertrudus (Gerken) Reimann. She married Johann Friderich Schmücker on January 25, 1823, in Hegensdorf. He was born on January 14, 1790, in Hegensdorf.

Johann Friderich and Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schmücker had the following children:

• Johannes Antonius Schmücker, born March 23, 1823.
• Casperus Joannes Fridericus Schmücker, born December 5, 1825, in Hegensdorf.
• Maria Gertrudis Schmücker, born January 24, 1829, in Hegensdorf.
• Hermann "Matthias" Schmücker, born January 30, 1832, in Hegensdorf. He married Marian Jakobi in 1869. She died on July 1, 1879. He then married Juliana Goebel on October 5, 1880, in St. Charles, Nebraska, United States. She was born on November 15, 1862, in Westhausen uber Eichsfeld, Sachsen, Prussia. She died February 15, 1920, in St. Charles. Hermann Matthias" Schmücker died on March 9, 1920, in St. Charles.
• Conrad Schmücker, born August 8, 1834, in Hegensdorf. He died on November 22, 1836, in Hegensdorf.
• Johann Heinrich Conrad Schmücker, born October 9, 1837, in Hegensdorf. He emigrated to America in 1856.

Johann Friderich Schmücker died in 1857. Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schmücker died in 1875.

Maria Catherina Reimann was born on Oct 2, 1796, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the second of eleven children born to Conrad and Anna Maria Gertrudus (Gerken) Reimann.

Born to Maria Catherina Reimann were the following children, both born in Hegensdorf:

• Joannes Wilhelm Laurentius Reimann, born January 2, 1815.
• Catherina Reimann, born June 14, 1825.

Anna Maria Elisabeth Reimann was born on April 8, 1802, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the fifth of eleven children born to Conrad and Anna Maria Gertrudus (Gerken) Reimann. She married Joannes Hermann Schaefer on October 1, 1825, in Hegensdorf. He was born on June 3, 1800, to Joannes Philippus Laurentus and Catherine Margaretha (Schulte) Schaefers in Hegensdorf.

Joannes Hermann and Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schaefer had the following children, all born at Hegensdorf:

• Johann Conradus "John" Schaefer, born December 29, 1825.
• Johann Henricus Antonius "Anton" Schaefer, born March 22, 1828.
• Johann Henricus "Henry" Schaefer, born March 30, 1830.
• Johann Wilhelm Conrad "Conrad" Schaefer, born September 18, 1832.
• Friedrich Schaefer, born December 7, 1834.
• Johann Franz "Frank" Schaefer, born March 12, 1837.
• Angela Marie Catherine "Angela" Schaefer, born December 12, 1839.
• Maria Theresia "Theresia" Schaefer, born November 4, 1842.

The family emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1856, and they arrived at New Orleans on April 29, 1856, aboard the ship New Orleans. They settled in Stearns County, Minnesota. Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schaefer died on Apr 23, 1869, in Stearns County. Joannes Hermann Schaefer died on December 25, 1878, in Stearns County.

Joannes Franciscus Theodorus Reimann was born on August 13, 1806, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the seventh of eleven children born to Conrad and Anna Maria Gertrudus (Gerken) Reimann. He married Margaretha Kleine on January 22, 1828, in Hegensdorf. She was born about 1787 to Mr. and Mrs. Joannes Theodorus Kleine in Hegensdorf.

Margaretha (Kleine) Reimann died on February 7, 1831, in Hegensdorf, apparently of complications from childbirth: an unnamed child Reimann of Joannes Franciscus Theodorus and Margaretha (Kleine) Reimann died the same day in Hegensdorf.

Joannes Franciscus Theodorus Reimann then married Angela Maria Honneböhl on April 19, 1831, in Hegensdorf. She was born about 1803 in Siddinghausen, Westfalen, Prussia.

Joannes Franciscus Theodorus and Angela Maria (Honneböhl) Reimann had the following children, all born in Hegensdorf:

• Anton Reimann, born February 27, 1832. He died about 1893 in America.
• Elisabeth Reimann, born November 3, 1833.
• Johann Wilhelmus Reimann, born November 20, 1835.
• Friedrich Anton Reimann, born March 13, 1839. A Friedrich Anton Reimann, whose birthdate is listed as March 15, 1839, on a Hegensdorf emigrant list, left for America in 1868. He died on December 15, 1914, at West Point, Nebraska. A second entry for a Friedrich Anton Raimann states only that he left before 1872.

Angela Maria (Honneböhl) Reimann died on May 6, 1840, in Hegensdorf.

Joannes Franciscus Theodorus Reimann then married Angela Maria Fromme on August 11, 1840, in Hegensdorf. She was born circa 1809 in Hegensdorf.

Joannes Franciscus Theodorus and Angela Maria (Fromme) Reimann had the following children, all born in Hegensdorf:

• Adamus Reimann, born September 23, 1841. He died on March 31, 1842, in Hegensdorf.
• Ferdinandus Reimann, born January 8, 1843.
• Maria Gertrud Theresia Reimann, born February 20, 1846.
• Hermann Wilhelm Reimann, born February 10, 1849. A Hegensdorf emigrant list has a Hermann Reimann, born February 15, 1849, emigrating to America before 1899. He died at West Point, Nebraska, on December 15, 1914.
• Scholastica Agnes Reimann, born December 12, 1853.

Maria Angela Elisabeth Reimann was born on March 30, 1820, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the last of eleven children born to Conrad and Anna Maria Gertrudus (Gerken) Reimann. She married Johann Franz Naber on November 10, 1839, in Hegensdorf. He was born circa 1808 in Harth, Westfalen, Prussia, to Jacob and Gertrud (Fante) Naber.

Johann Franz and Maria Angela Elisabeth (Reimann) Naber had the following children, all born in Hegensdorf:

• Wilhelm Naber, born January 20, 1840. He died on February 7, 1840, in Hegensdorf.
• Johann Hermannus Naber, born February 12, 1842. He was a Polizeidiener and Tagelöhner (literally, a police servant and day-laborer). He married Anna Maria Theresia Schäfers on October 26, 1867, in Hegensdorf. She was born on July 18, 1845, to Johannes Conrad Adam and Anna Marie (Brocke) Schäfers. To them was born Johannes Naber on July 15, 1868, in Hegensdorf, where he died on March 7, 1869. Anna Maria Theresia (Schäfers) Naber died on January 24, 1869. Johann Hermannus Naber then married his first wife's younger sister, Marie Sophie Schäfers on August 22, 1869, in Hegensdorf. According to a Hegensdorf emigrant list, he emigrated to America in 1881 with his wife Marie Sophie née Schäfers (born April 1, 1848) and their children: Caspar (born April 10 [4?], 1870), Hermann (born September 27, 1872; circa 1901 married Mary Bruggeman, born circa 1879 in Germany), Conrad (born June 11, 1875, died in 1909 in South Dakota), and Anna (born January 8, 1878; in 1897 married Henry Kramps, born November 10, 1864, in Hegensdorf and died in 1928 in South Dakota). Johann Hermannus Naber died on July 18, 1845, in South Dakota.
• Adamus Naber, born November 7, 1845. A wagonmaker, he emigrated to America in 1867. See note below.
• Anton Naber, born March 19, 1849. He died on May 10, 1850, in Hegensdorf.
• ----- Naber, born and died April 25, 1851, in Hegensdorf.
• Joannes Naber, born January 28, 1853. Johannes Naber emigrated to America in 1875. The Hegensdorf emigrant list gives his date of birth as January 28, 1853. See note below.

Johann Franz Naber died on November 27, 1853, in Hegensdorf.

SIXTH GENERATION

Wilhelm Gerken was born on April 13, 1852, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the second of nine children born to Jodocus Wilhelmus and Catherine (Thiele) Gerken (the seventh of fourteen children born to Jodocus Wilhelmus Gerken). He married Catherina Maria Sammer on August 10, 1878, in Hegensdorf.

Born to Wilhelm and Catherina Maria (Sammer) Gerken were the following children:

• Maria Anna Gerken, born July 19, 1880. She married Willhelm Stratmann on August 8, 1919. He was born January 30, 1884.

  Born to Willhelm and Maria Anna (Gerken) Stratmann was Maria Stratmann on March 28, 1921. She married Johannes Wellen on May 18, 1949. He was born on July 4, 1913. Johannes Wellen died on May 18, 1983. Maria (Stratmann) Wellen died on November 17, 1988.

  Willhelm Stratmann died on February 17, 1947.

• Franz Gerken, born August 9, 1882. He died on March 7, 1883.
• Anton Gerken, born September 27, 1884. He was a priest in the United States and died in 1956.
• Johannes Gerken, born November 8, 1886. He died on July 16, 1918.
• Franz Gerken, born May 13, 1892. He died on December 1, 1894.

Wilhelm Gerken died on June 9, 1908.

Maria Gertrudis Schmücker was born on January 24, 1829, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the third of six children born to Johann Friderich and Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schmücker.

Born to Maria Gertrudis Schmücker was the following child, born in Iowa in the United States:

• Anton Schmücker, born March 18, 1854. He married Eleanora Goebel on November 3, 1880, in West Point, Nebraska, United States. She was born on November 3, 1858, in Westhausen uber Eichsfeld, Sachsen, Prussia. Anton Schmücker died on May 23, 1936, in St. Charles, Nebraska. Eleanora (Goebel) Schmücker died on July 7, 1929, in St. Charles.

Johann Conradus "John" Schaefer was born on December 29, 1825, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the first of eight children born to Joannes Hermann and Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schaefer. He married Mary Pick on September 7, 1872, in Stearns County, Minnesota. She was circa 1853 in Prussia, Germany.

Johann Conradus "John" and Mary Schaefer had the following children, all born in Stearns County:

• Katherina Schaefer, born May 11, 1873. She died before 1880 in Stearns County.
• Helena Schaefer, born Aug 31, 1874. She died before May 1, 1875, in Stearns County.
• John Schaefer, born December 23, 1875.
• Frank (Frederick) Schaefer, born January 8, 1878.
• Franz (Frank) Schaefer, born January 20, 1880.

Johann Henricus Antonius "Anton" Schaefer was born on March 22, 1828, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the second of eight children born to Joannes Hermann and Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schaefer. He emigrated to America circa 1857. He married Barbara Hehn circa 1871 in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. She was born in 1852 in Wuettemburg, Germany.

Johann Henricus Antonius "Anton" and Barbara (Hehn) Schaefer had the following children:

• John Herman Schaefer, born April 18, 1872, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He died in 1958.
• Frank Schaefer, born May 5, 1874, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He died August 1, 1875, in Stearns County, Minnesota.
• Theresia Schaefer, born January 20, 1876, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. She married Wenzel Link before 1910. Theresia (Schaefer) Link died after 1910.
• Frederic Schaefer, born November 15, 1877, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He died December 1970 in Cold Spring, Minnesota.
• Crescense (Grace H) Schaefer, born November 1879 in Stearns Co, Minnesota. She married Henry Lubbers before 1910. Crescense (Grace H) (Schaefer) Lubbers died after 1910.
• Ignatius Schaefer, born May 1882 in Stearns County, Minnesota. He married (?) before 1935. He married a second time to Rose C. Meyer on May 29, 1940, in Richmond, Minnesota. She was born on April 9, 1908, in Richmond, Minnesota, to John and Barbara (Huschle) Meyer. Ignatius Schaefer died on March 11, 1978. Rose C. (Meyer) Schaefer died on March 12, 1998, in Cold Spring, Minnesota.
• John Schaefer, born November 1885 in Stearns County, Minnesota. He died after 1910.
• Antony Schaefer, born February 1891 in Stearns County, Minnesota. He died after 1910.
• Bernard Schaefer, born January 19, 1894, in Stearns County, Minnesota. He died June 3, 1899, in Stearns County, Minnesota.

Johann Henricus Antonius "Anton" Schaefer died on January 30, 1910, in Stearns County, Minnesota. Barbara (Hehn) Schaefer died on December 17, 1933, in Stearns County, Minnesota.

Johann Henricus "Henry" Schaefer was born on March 30, 1830, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the third of eight children born to Joannes Hermann and Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schaefer. He married Elizabeth (?) in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. She was born circa 1846 in Prussia.

Johann Henricus "Henry" and Elizabeth Schaefer had the following children, all born in Stearns County, Minnesota:

• Hermann Schaefer, born circa 1866.
• Maria Schaefer, born circa 1868.
• Anna Schaefer, born April 17, 1873.
• Frederic Schaefer, born September 23, 1875.
• Henry Schaefer, born August 14, 1877.

Johann Franz "Frank" Schaefer was born on March 12, 1837, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia, the sixth of eight children born to Joannes Hermann and Anna Maria Elisabeth (Reimann) Schaefer (5/1.3.3.6.5). He married Theresia Crescentia Wink on October 19, 1865, in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. She was born on Oct 15, 1849 in Wuertemburg to Mr. and Mrs. Anton Wink.

Johann Franz "Frank" and Theresia Crescentia (Wink) Schaefer had the following children:

• John Konrad Schaefer, born February 8, 1868, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He married Barbara T. Weiss on July 2, 1912, in Roscoe, Minnesota. She was born on May 18, 1891, to Joseph George and Theresia (Halbauer) Weiss in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. John Konrad Schaefer died on April 27, 1938, in Richmond, Stearns County, Minnesota. Barbara T. (Weiss) Schaefer died on June 14, 1982, in Litchfield, Minnesota.
• Angeline (Engel) Schaefer, born January 7, 1870, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. She married Peter Joseph Ludwig in April 1896. He was born on November 6, 1869, to Peter and Catherine (Rothstein) Ludwig in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. Angeline (Engel) (Schaefer) Ludwig died after 1923. Peter Joseph Ludwig died after 1950.
• Anna Barbara Schaefer, born October 13, 1871, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. She died circa 1898 in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota.
• Henry Schaefer, born January 23, 1874, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He married Elizabeth Niewind. She was born in March 1882 to Bernard and Theresa (Leyendecker) Niewind. Henry Schaefer died on January 6, 1908, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. Elizabeth (Niewind) Schaefer died after 1946.
• Theresia Schaefer, born October 16, 1875, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. She died on June 17, 1900, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota.
• Peter Schaefer, born August 12, 1877, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He died on September 3, 1877, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota.
• Anton Schaefer, born circa 1879. He died in November 1931.
• Katharina (Anna C.) Schaefer, born May 12, 1880, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. She died on February 4, 1902, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota.
• Anna Maria Schaefer, born August 30, 1882, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. She died on November 7, 1897, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota.
• Frank Schaefer, Jr., born October 3, 1884, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He married Theresia Niewind. She was born on Aug 10, 1878, to Bernard and Theresa (Leyendecker) Niewind. Frank Schaefer, Jr., died on November 5, 1928, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. Theresia (Niewind) Schaefer died on April 7, 1927, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota.
• Peter Frank Schaefer, born March 19, 1886, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He died on July 23, 1903, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota.
• Nicholas Schaefer, born January 31, 1888, in Munson Township, Stearns County, Minnesota. He married Anne E.Weiss circa 1915 in Stearns County, Minnesota. She was born on November 9, 1895, to Joseph George and Theresia (Halbauer) Weiss in Stearns County, Minnesota. Anne E. (Weiss) Schaefer died on July 15, 1982. Nicholas Schaefer died on December 6, 1986.

Theresia Crescentia (Wink) Schaefer died on Jan 30, 1902, in Roscoe, Minnesota. Johann Franz "Frank" Schaefer died on October 13, 1915, in Roscoe, Minnesota.

Johann Wilhelmus Reimann was born November 20, 1835, in Hegensdorf, Westfalen, Prussia. He was the third of four children born to Joannes Franciscus Theodorus and Angela Maria (Honneböhl) Reimann (the fourth of ten children born to Joannes Franciscus Theodorus Reimann). He married Josephine Rüther.

Born to Johann Wilhelmus and Josephine (Rüther) Reimann were the following children, both born at Hegensdorf:

• Joannes Reimann, born November 15, 1869. He died on June 17, 1883, in Hegensdorf.
• Friderich Reimann, born December 25, 1871.

Sources. The information compiled here traces the Gerken lineage from 1711 through 1874, the time period for which records from the Catholic Church in Hegensdorf are available on microfilm from the Church of Latter Day Saints, and appears here courtesy of fellow genealogist and Gerken relation Tom Steichen, who spent hours poring over the LDS microfilmed records and gleaning information about the Gerken family. Previously I had received some of this same information via an uncle from some distant German relatives. I sent Tom that information, which he was able to use for reference as he searched through the Hegensdorf church records. Discrepancies between that information and Tom's findings of the church records are noted. Most such discrepancies are minor and may be the result of church records versus town records or histories and the manner in which they were kept or written, the latter being less reliable for records of yesteryear. Because of this, Tom's transcription of the church records is given the most weight, and discrepancies are placed in parentheses with a question mark. The information from the Hegensdorf church records has been supplemented on this page at times with information from other sources, especially as concerns those from Hegensdorf who emigrated to the United States. These sources include obituaries, town histories, and emigration and immigration lists.

Tom Steichen originally contacted me because he had discovered that some of his ancestors, the Hermann Schaefer family, along with the Casper Schaefer family, had emigrated to the United States with the Michael Ostwald family, who were Herman Gerken's relatives (Herman Gerken being my great-great-grandfather). Steichen later learned that his own ancestry included Gerkens, and the connection between us was found, and it turned out that the Schaefers and Ostwalds were second cousins making the journey to America together. The Ostwalds settled at New Vienna, Iowa, where the Herman Gerken family had settled, and the Schaefers moved on to Stearns County, Minnesota, one of the places German Catholics were being encouraged to settle as they passed through New Vienna at the time. The last ancestors we hold in common are Franz and Anna Maria (Schmidt) Gerken, who were married in 1734 in Hegensdorf, and Tom and I, it turned out, are sixth cousins.

You are encouraged to contact Tom Steichen (e-mail address at right) if you have questions or further information to share about members of the Schaefer family who emigrated to Stearns County, Minnesota, their descendants, or any other offshoots of the Joanne Georg and Maria Elisabeth (Wördehoff) Gerken branch of the family tree. As always, continue to contact me (see below) with any information or questions you have about the Gerken family history.

T.L.

© 1999-2007 Tom Larson P.O. Box 141 Peosta, IA 52068-0141 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tdlarson/gerken/ancestor.htm Last revised September 30, 2007.