Court Records: Probate

February 26, 2022 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

We find our ancestors in a variety of court records such as; wills, probate, criminal and civil cases, divorces, and naturalization records to name as few. Through the years, I have found several court records that have helped me establish a relationship, and some that have given me a glimpse into my ancestor’s life.

One such court record is the probate file for my 2nd great-grandfather, John Desens. I was looking for proof that he was my 2nd great-grandfather. I was pretty sure I had the right person, but needed positive proof and I did find it in the probate file.

Above it states that Carl Desens who resides at 111 Washington Street, Forest Park, Illinois is the son of John Desens, the deceased. Carl Desens is my great-grandfather.¹ This was the proof that I needed for my family tree.

Also, it states in the probate file that John Desens suffered a violent death.² I already knew about the circumstances of his death by newspaper accounts and a court transcript of criminal case against his neighbor.³

States John Desens died a violent deateh

What I did not know was that his neighbor, Fred Zell tried suing John Desens’ estate for $5000 because he was permanently disabled from the fight he had with John Desens’. But John’s estate counter sued and below is the statement from the probate file that gives the reason they are suing Fred Zell.⁴

Description of John Desens violent death

Above is a description of what Fred Zell did to John Desens. Since it may be hard to read I am going to transcribe that part. “Fred Zell did at said time and place unlawfully, willfully, wrongfully, and feloniously assault, strike, beat, bruise, cut, stab, kick, choke, throw down to ground with great violence and while so down cut, kick choke, stab, beat and bruise the said John Desens and put him greatly in fear of his life. That therefore the said John Desens (now deceased) was made sick, sore, bruised and disabled from attending to his business and to care for himself in any manner what ever from the 26th day of June A.D. 1907 to the time of his death.” John’s estate tried to sue Fred for $5,900. It was settled with John’s estate paying Fred $1.00.⁵ In the criminal case against Fred Zell for killing John Desens it was found that there was not enough evidence to convict Fred.⁶

In this probate file was the legal description of his farm and a list of all his belongings. The legal description helped me find John’s Farm. The list of belongings gave me a glimpse into his life.⁷

I have other wills and probate files that help me understand my ancestors life and their surroundings as well as prove heirs.

Week 8 Courting 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks.

___________________________________________

¹Probate file for John Desens filed in the McIntyre Library at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 103 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

²Ibid.

³Criminal file for Fred Zell, Clerk of the Court, 517 Court Street, Room 405, Neillsville, Wisconsin 54456. Sent by Elizabeth Frost, Deputy Clerk to Abigail Grunst

⁴Probate file for John Desens filed in the McIntyre Library at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 103 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

⁵Ibid.

⁶Criminal file for Fred Zell, Clerk of the Court, 517 Court Street, Room 405, Neillsville, Wisconsin 54456. Sent by Elizabeth Frost, Deputy Clerk to Abigail Grunst

⁷Probate file for John Desens filed in the McIntyre Library at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 103 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

In search of Henrietta

January 12, 2019January 12, 2019 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

52Ancestors in 52 Weeks topic this week is Challenge

One of my biggest challenges has been trying to find my 2^nd great-grandmother, Heneretti. My great-grandfather, Carl Desen’s, death certificate listed his parents as John Desens and Heneretti Gressiers.[1] I found John living in Clark County Wisconsin around 1900.[2] He owned a farm and was killed by his neighbor in 1907.[3] His son, Herman Desens owned the farm next to John, and Herman was accidently killed by a gunshot wound to the chest in 1901.[4] The United Church of Christ East Cemetery Index lists Herman’s parents as John Desens and Henrietta.[5] I do not find Heneretti with them in Clark County Wisconsin. My assumption is that she died prior to John buying the farm since she cannot be found in Wisconsin. I do not know where John lived before buying the farm in Wisconsin, however, I assume it to be Illinois, since all his children lived in Illinois. I searched different spellings of first and surnames that I could think of such as Henrietta, Henrietti, Heneretti, Henriette, Gressier, Gressiers, Gressens, and many more variations. All the searches resulted in a dead-end. Sometimes I feel I am getting close only to find out that it is someone else with the same name or similar name. I found a Henrietta Desens living in Michigan married to a John Desens and they had a son Carl. When I first saw this I thought it was my great-grandfather’s parents, but the Carl Desens in Michigan had a different birth date then my great-grandfather. Once I found my 2^nd great-grandfather, John, in Wisconsin, I knew that the John and Henrietta living in Michigan were not my 2^nd great- grandparents. I have wondered if Heneretti was a middle name that she used, and records have her first name. But without more information about Heneretti, it is like looking for a needle in haystack. I will continue to search for Heneretti and hoping one day to finally break this brick wall.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Standard Certificate of Death, State of Illinois, Cook County, Forest Park, Registration Dist. 3104, Registered no. 1050. Health Department Record, City of Chicago.

[2] Grantor Index Book, Clark County Wisconsin 1905 1/2 – 1911 ½ Vol 8, page 117, notes from mortgage: Paid off September 26, 1900. Filed at Clark County Courthouse, Recorder of Deeds, 517 Court Street, Room 303, Neillsville, Wisconsin 54456.

[3] Neillsville times(Neillsville, Clark County, Wis) July 11, 1907.

[4] Wisconsin, Clark, Greenwood, Greenwood Gleaner, 25 October 1901.

[5] United Church of Christ East Cemetery Index(formerly the German Immanuel Evangelical & Reformed Church) Warner Township, Clark County, WI, Compiled by Stan and Janet Schwarze.

Conflict?

October 22, 2018 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 3 Comments

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks topic is Conflict.

In my 2^nd great-grandfather, John Desens, probate file, I found what might be a conflict. It looks like John’s son-in-law, Albert Triebes, put in a claim for $75.00 for attending to the burial of John Desens and traveling from Forest Park, Illinois to Greenwood, Wisconsin and back. His claimed was denied. [1]

john desens estae

Albert Triebes then wrote a letter to the administrator. Here is a transcript of that letter.

Forest Park, Ill

July 17 – 08

Dear Sir,

I have rec’d your registered letters. You say my claim is not legal, and the heirs do not want to allow me for the claim. Let the court decide it. Even if it will be an additional expense, I do not like to see them have their own way. For my part they can keep it all.

Yours Resp,

Alb. Trebes

91 Marengo St.

Forest Park, Ill [2]

007707854_01080

007707854_01081

It sounds to me like there was a little conflict here. My father never mentioned his cousins from this side of his family. I heard the name Triebes and that they were somehow related to my father’s family, but nobody seemed to know how they were related. My Godfather, Lou Schultz, gave me a lot of information on my father’s family too, and he never mentioned them either. This happened many years before my father or Lou were born so they may never have met any of them or even been told about this side of the family. So it is very likely there was some conflict here.

Why was John’s son-in-law taking care of the burial and not his son, Carl, my great-grandfather? Maybe there was conflict between Carl and his father John.

________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Author: Wisconsin. County Court (Clark County); Probate Place: Clark, Wisconsin. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Wisconsin, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1987 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2015.Original data: Wisconsin County, District and Probate Courts.

[2] Ibid.

#10 Carl Desens

October 6, 2018October 6, 2018 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 2 Comments

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks topic this week is 10 — “Ten.” Ten what? Someone who had 10 children? Someone with 10 letters in their name? Someone who was in the 10th Infantry? Someone who was born in October? #10 on your ancestor chart? (That would be your paternal grandmother’s father, if you number it the standard way.) How are you going to interpret this week’s theme?

I chose my great-grandfather, Carl Desens, number 10 on my ancestor chart.

img161 (2)_LI

Carl Desens was born on the 14 December 1859 in Berlin, Germany to Johann Desens and Henrietta Gressier.[1] Carl married Augusta Gabbei [2] around 1882 in Germany. [3] Augusta was born 28 January 1859 in Berlin, Germany.[4] They had a total of eight children.[5] The oldest Emma born around 1884 followed by Bertha and Mina all born in Germany. Children Louise, William, Henry, Anna, and Helen were all born in Illinois, USA.[6] Carl and Augusta arrived in the United States on April 28, 1888 in Baltimore, Maryland aboard the ship Main along with their daughters, Emma, Berta and Mina. [7] Carl and Augusta settled in Forest Park, Illinois in 1891.[8] It is unknown at this time where Carl and Augusta resided between their arrival in 1888 and 1891. On the 5 April 1895 Carl became a United States naturalized citizen. [9] Carl worked for Public Service Company as a stationary Fireman.[10] Carl and Augusta attended St. Paul Lutheran Church and St. John’s Lutheran Church both in Forest Park, Illinois[11] Carl had a brother, Herman,[12] and sisters, Augusta and Johanna.[13] Carl died on 8 January 1921 of Uremia and Chronic Interstitial Nephritis.[14] Augusta died on 7 July 1925 of Chronic Interstitial Nephritis and Hypertension[15] Both Carl and Augusta are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.[16] I have no family stories that were handed down about Carl and Augusta. I did notice that they both died of Chronic Interstitial Nephritis.[17] [18] My grandmother, Helen Desens also died of Uremia and Chronic Nephritis.[19] My father said many times that kidney problems ran in his mother’s family and his mother and all her sister’s died young. I don’t know if her sisters had the same problem, but it is interesting that her parents died of the same thing. I did run across a newspaper story about Carl’s father John Desens, who was killed by a neighbor in Clark County, Wisconsin[20]. I wrote a separate story about John since there was so much information about the case. I also ran across another newspaper article about Herman Desens, Carl’s brother, accidentally shooting himself in the chest.[21] When I interviewed my dad back in 1979, he said there were some relatives that were killed by Indians in Wisconsin. I think the family story was changed from one being killed by a neighbor and one shooting himself, to being killed by Indians. . Unfortunately, my father never told me any other family stories. He was a young child when both his grandparents died, so he probably didn’t remember them. It is too bad that family stories for this side of the family seem to have been lost. So far, I have been unable to find information on Carl’s mother Henrietta Gressiers. I have not found any pictures of Carl, but did find one of Augusta Desens with my dad around 1922 or 1923.

On the 1900 census there is a Dorothea Zoschke living with the Desens.[22] She is listed as Carl’s mother-in-law which makes her Augusta’s mother.[23] She is listed on the census as 72 years old and a widow.[24] Since her last name is different from Augusta’s maiden name, Gabbei, Dorothea must have remarried. I have been unable to find a marriage for Dorothea. I did find a Dorothea Gabbei on ship records. She arrived the 27 May 1890 in the Port of New York aboard the ship Elbe, and according to the ship’s record she is 64 years old in 1890[25] near the same age as Dorothea Zoschke. I also found that she died on 23 June 1901 of Alltersschwache (decrepit, old age, infirm, senile), and she was buried in Concordia Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois on June 23, 1901.[26] I am 90% sure that Dorothea Gabbei on the ships record and Dorothea Zoschke are one and the same. If they are the same that means Dorothea got married after arriving in the United States. I hope someday to be able to find the answers about Dorothea.

___________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Standard Certificate of Death, State of Illinois, Cook County, Forest Park, Registration Dist. 3104, Registered no. 1050. Health Department Record, City of Chicago.

[2] Marriage license and return. Illinois, DuPage, Wheaton, Illinois State Board of Health, County Clerk’s Office

[3] Year: 1900; Census Place: Proviso, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 294; Page: 53A; Enumeration District: 1182; FHL microfilm: 1240294

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

[4] Standard Certificate of Death, State of Illinois, Cook County, Oak Park, Registration Dist. 4318, Registered No. 395, County Clerks Record.

[5] Year: 1900; Census Place: Proviso, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 294; Page: 53A; Enumeration District: 1182; FHL microfilm: 1240294

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ancestry.com. Baltimore Passenger Lists 1820 – 1948 [database on-line]. Provo, UT. USA: Generations Network, Inc. 2006. Original Data: Baltimore, Maryland. Passenger Lists of Vessels arriving at Baltimore, Maryland , 1821-1891. Micropublication M255. RG036 Rolls # 1-50. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[8] Abstracted by Ellen Cannon, 8138 Kostner Ave., Skokie, IL 60076 from the book Forest Park Welcomes you to its 100^th Birthday Party, 1856-1956, Pg. 47. McHenry Public Library, Illinois, Cook, 977.3, Local History.

[9] Cook County Circuit Court, Naturalization records 1895 -1896 Vol 58 – 59, LDS roll 1024, 610, R58, Pg 57, April 8, 1895.

[10] Standard Certificate of Death, State of Illinois, Cook County, Forest Park, Registration Dist. 3104, Registered no. 1050. Health Department Record, City of Chicago.

[11] St John Lutheran Church, Forest Park, Illinois and St, Paul Lutheran Church Congregational Books.

[12] United Church of Christ East Cemetery Index (formerly German Immanuel & Reformed Church), Warner Township, Clark County, Wisconsin

[13] Probate Case Files, Ca. 1873-1917, and Beginning With File No. 2699, Ca. 1900-1917, 1918 General Probate Index; Author: Wisconsin. County Court (Clark County); Probate Place: Clark, Wisconsin. Wisconsin Historical Society, Eau Clair, Wisconsin.

[14] Standard Certificate of Death, State of Illinois, Cook County, Forest Park, Registration Dist. 3104, Registered no. 1050. Health Department Record, City of Chicago.

[15] Standard Certificate of Death, State of Illinois, Cook County, Forest Park, Registration Dist. 3104, Registered no. 1050. Health Department Record, City of Chicago.

[16] Cemetery Records: Woodlawn Cemetery, 7600 West Cermak Road, Forest Park, Illinois. Woodland Section, Part 4, Lot 711 Graves 4 & 5.

[17] Standard Certificate of Death, State of Illinois, Cook County, Forest Park, Registration Dist. 3104, Registered no. 1050. Health Department Record, City of Chicago.

[18] Standard Certificate of Death, State of Illinois, Cook County, Oak Park, Registration Dist. 4318, Registered No. 395, County Clerks Record.

[19] Certificate of Death, Registration Dist. 231, No. # 22743, State of Illinois, County of DuPage, City of Elmhurst, County Clerk’s Office

[20] Marshfield Times, 17 July 1907

[21] Greenwood Gleaner, 25 October 1901. Http://wvls.lib.wi.us/ClarkCounty/ckrj/data/obits3/3.htm

[22] Year: 1900; Census Place: Proviso, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 294; Page: 53A; Enumeration District: 1182; FHL microfilm: 1240294

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Year: 1890; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 549; Line: 12; List Number: 732

Source Information: Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897. Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls. NAI: 6256867. Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36. National Archives at Washington, D.C.

[26] Ancestry.com. U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.

On the Farm

September 29, 2018 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks theme this week is on the farm.

I only have three ancestors that farmed and I have already written about all three. However in previous posts I wrote more about their lives and very little about their farms. Today, I will focus on John Desens my 2nd great grandfather’s farm. John owned a farm near Greenwood, Clark, Wisconsin.[1] A few years ago I made a trip to the court house in Neillsville, Clark, Wisconsin to research John. At that time I did not have paper proof that he was my 2nd great-grandfather and that was the purpose of the trip. I was searching for his probate file, land records, and the criminal file for the neighbor who killed him. I didn’t get everything I wanted that day, but I was able to search the Grantor and Grantee books. I knew his death date so I started with the Grantor books for 1907 and found the sale of the farm in Sept of 1907. I did not recognize the name of the man who purchased it. Next I wanted to see the title and get a legal description. So I copied down the information of the book and page number the title should be in. The clerk took me to the basement of the court house where they kept the books. The book shelves were covered with plastic tarps. She pulls a tarp back, pulls out the book and opens to the page. I was able to write down the legal description. Then next to that title was one for his son. I wrote down that legal description too. It appeared that they each owned 40 acres next to one another. The clerk asked me if I would like to know where the farms were today. She anticipated my next question! We went back upstairs to look at the current plot book. By the legal description we were able to find the farms and the roads that they are on today.

The legal description of John’s farm read: NE quarter of Sec 6 Township 26 range 2W of the fourth Principle (40 acres).[2] Farm today is located at SE corner of Rock Creek Road and Resewood Road from the current plat book.

Satellite View of John’s Farm today. Google Earth Photo.

The legal description of Herman’s (John’s son) read: NW quarter Sec 6 Range 2W of fourth principle (40 acres).[3]

Grantor Index, Clark County Wisconsin 1905 1/2 – 1911 ½ Vol 8, page 117, notes from mortgage: Paid off September 26, 1900. [4]

Herman died in 1901 and John inherited his son’s 40 acres.[5]

According to John’s probate file when he died in 1907 his equity included the following:[6]

1 grey house

80 acres of land

1 boy horse

36 chickens

1 cook stove and pipe

1 shovel

1 spade

1 buck saw

1 screw driver

1 inch chisel

2 sacks of flour

2 tin pails

2 Axes

1 Plow

1 harness

1 trowel

1 lantern

4 chairs

1 oil can

1 bob sled

1 wood splitter

½ acre of grown peas

1 ½ acre of rye

3 ½ acres of oats

1 acre of potatoes

2 acres of grass

7 bushels of oats

1 clock

I could not make out the hand writing for some items on the list. The grand total came to $1356.81.

It looks like John was a poor farmer. From what I can tell he had only been farming in Wisconsin for about 8 or 9 years at the time of his death.[7] He was 74 years old when he died.[8] It must have been hard for him to farm by himself in his late 60’s and early 70’s. Perhaps when he and his son bought their farms, he thought his son could do a lot of the heavy work, unfortunately his son, Herman died in 1901 at age 30.[9]

After finding the location of the farm, my husband and I drove out see it and here are some pictures of the way it looks today.

John’s Farm from the corner of Resewood Road and Rock Creek Road, Clark County, Wisconsin.

The farm was sold to Edwin H. Wood in September 1907.[10]

I did find proof that John Desens was my 2^nd great-grandfather in his probate file.[11]

___________________________________________

[1] Grantor Index Book, Clark County Wisconsin 1905 1/2 – 1911 ½ Vol 8, page 117, notes from mortgage: Paid off September 26, 1900. Filed at Clark County Courthouse, Recorder of Deeds, 517 Court Street, Room 303, Neillsville, Wisconsin 54456.

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ancestry.com. Wisconsin, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1987 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2015. Original data: Wisconsin County, District and Probate Courts.

[6] Probate file for John Desens filed in the McIntyre Library at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 103 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701

[7] Ibid.

[8] Death Record of John Desens, Pre -1907 Wisconsin Death Record County Clark, Volume # 01 Page # 438. Filed at the State Historical Archives of Wisconsin, Miroforms room, 816 State Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

[9] Clark Co., Wis. Internet Library Home Page

[10] Grantor Index Book, Clark County Wisconsin 1905 1/2 – 1911 ½ Vol 8, page 117, notes from mortgage: Paid off September 26, 1900. Filed at Clark County Courthouse, Recorder of Deeds, 517 Court Street, Room 303, Neillsville, Wisconsin 54456.

[11] Probate file for John Desens filed in the McIntyre Library at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 103 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701

Unusual Sources

September 23, 2018September 23, 2018 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks topic this week is unusual sources. The usual sources are birth, marriage, death records, census, obituaries, wills, military, cemetery, church records, etc. I have used all of those and I find the newspaper archives especially helpful in adding color to my ancestor’s lives. I have thought about this quite a bit this week racking my brain for sources other than the ones I just mentioned. I even looked through my files online and paper to refresh my memory of unusual sources I have used over the years.

Here is what I came up with.

I remembered hearing about my grandmother’s Aunt Emma who married an

Doc Orsinger

old doctor. I heard he was quite a character, and my grandmother just couldn’t understand why her aunt married him. So while researching Emma, I came across information about the old doctor that created more questions. After finishing my research on Emma, I decided to research her husband, Dr. Orsinger. I found that he had been fighting with the State of Illinois over licensing. Illinois started to require licenses for doctors in 1877. The State didn’t recognize the university he graduated from and apparently the doctor could not pass the state exam, so he was refused a license. He practiced anyway without one for over 30 years, sometimes fighting with the State. He also did abortions which were illegal at that time. A couple of his patient’s died from the abortions, so he was charged with their deaths. Here are some of the sources I used to research the doctor.

Chicago: Its history and Its Builders https://books.google.com/books?
Injunction secured by Dr. Orsinger.” The Medical News: A Weekly Journal of Medical Science Vol 83, No 1, Saturday, July 4. 1903, (New York) Pg. 274.
“Fined for Illegal practice.” Journal of the American Medical Association – Medical News Vol 44, April 1, 1905. Pg. 104
“Dr. F. L. Orsinger Makes New Move in Fight for License. Physician Refused Permit to Practice after Failing in Examinations.” Bulletin. Vol 6 Numbers 1-5 January-May 1910.
Krieder, M.D., George N., editor. “Dr. Fred L. Orsinger.” Illinois Medical Journal: the official organ of the Illinois State Medical Society Vol 18, July to Dec 1910. Pg. 262.
Website: Cemeteryofchoice https://cemeteryofchoice.wikispaces.com/Minnie%20Schofield
Chicago Police Department Homicide Records 1870 – 1930. Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Ronald Williams Library, Northwestern University, 5500 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, Il 60625-4699
Chicago Livestock World, 14 March 1917.
Sandvick C. Enforcing Medical Licensing in Illinois: 1877-1890.The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. 2009;82(2):67-74.

If you would like to read more about the doctor click here Is there a Doctor in the Family?

Another unusual source was used when I researched my 2^nd Great-Grandfather, John Desens, who was killed by his neighbor, Fred Zell. I had read a newspaper account of the incident that said Fred Zell would be charged with John Desens’ death. I could not find any newspaper article that said what happened to Fred Zell. I sent to Clark County, Wisconsin for Fred Zell’s Criminal file.

Here is the citation for it:

Criminal file for Fred Zell, Clerk of the Court, 517 Court Street, Room 405, Neillsville, Wisconsin 54456. Sent by Elizabeth Frost, Deputy Clerk to Abigail Grunst

The criminal file contained 21 pages of testimony from the officer who found John laying in his yard on that June day, and there appeared to pages missing. When reading it, I felt like I was listening to John tell his story. Fred Zell’s side of the story was missing. In the end Fred Zell was not charged because of lack of evidence. If you would like to read more about John Desens click here John Desens Killed by Neighbor and Where there is a will

All of the sources used in these two stories, did not give me birth, death dates, or family names that I did not already know. What it did do was provide me with a look into their lives. I did get the marriage date of Emma Reinhardt to Dr. Fred Orsinger in the book Chicago: Its history and its builders.

It pays to look everywhere for information and leave no stone unturned when doing genealogy.

WWII B-17 Navigator shares my Birthday.

September 15, 2018 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / Leave a comment

2 Lt. Earl E. Triebes (Back row center) Photo taken 1 February 1945

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks topic this week is closest to your birthday. Which relative has the birthday closest to yours? Many genealogy programs will let you run a birthday or calendar report so you can identify who it is.

The Person in my family tree that shares my birthday is Earl Triebes. Earl is my 2^nd cousin once removed. Earl was born to Richard Triebes and Martha Buehler on March 13, 1925 in Forest Park, Illinois.[1] Earl’s Paternal Grandmother was Augusta Desens.[2] Augusta was the sister of my great-grandfather Carl Desens.[3] Carl and Augusta’s father was John Desens[4] who I have written about in previous posts. I hope this explains my relationship to Earl Triebes.

I never knew Earl, in fact, I did know of his existence until a couple of years ago. One of the things that I do is trace my collateral lines down to present day. So when tracing Augusta Desens Triebes’ (my great-grandfather’s sister) line down is when I found Earl. In researching Earl, I found that he was in the Army Air Force during World War II.[5] Here is a transcript of a newspaper article dated 2 June 1944:

A-C Earl Triebes at San Antonio.

San Antionio

May 23, 1944

Dear Mr. Walker:

I am another of the Forest Park Fellows in service. Since this is my first letter, I better tell you something about my training up till the present time.

To begin with I was called into the service July 1943, and sent to Miami Beach for two months of basic training. During the month of September, I was sent to Albion College in Albion, Mich. Here I studied such subjects as physics, trigonometry, map reading, history and English. We also received training at a neighboring town Marshall, Mich. After completion of my college course I was transferred to the classification center at San Antonio, Texas. Upon completion of the tests I was classified Navigator and stared pre-flight on the 29^th of February. I finished pre-flight on the 29^th of April. We were all set to leave for our next phase of training but all the schools were filled up, so we just laid around and waited. Confidentially, we still are waiting but before the week is over we will be at our next base.

Well Mr. Walker, there’s not much more that I can tell you except that I would like very much if you sent me the Review and Forest Parker. Thank you.

A/C Earl E.Triebes [6]

The next newspaper article I found was dated October 12, 1944 and included a picture of Earl. Here is a partial transcript of that article:

Earl E. Triebes is Graduate of Aerial School.

Ellington Field, Texas, Oct 12 – From the center of navigation training has just gone another big class of aerial observers, skilled in the latest methods of military course plotting, taught at this installation of Army Air Forces Training command.

At their graduation members received silver wings as navigators and bars as second lieutenant or flight officers.

Here I am skipping a couple of paragraphs because they list awards given to members of this class and athletes. Earl is not mentioned in these paragraphs.

Members of the class included: Lt. Earl E. Triebes, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard I. Triebes, 516 Des Plaines Ave., Forest Park.[7]

The third and final article I found was dated November 15 1945. Here is the transcript:

Lt. Earl E. Triebes is Discharged

Santa Ana, Calif – 2^nd Lt. Earl E. Triebes son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard I. Triebes, 516 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, Ill., was honorably discharged today from (unreadable) base maintained by the Army Air Force.

Lt. Triebes is a veteran of 28 months of service in the Army Air Forces. He served in the European Theater of Operations as a B-17 navigator with the 8^th Air Force on 15 combat missions.

The AAF has awarded him the (unreadable) Medal with one cluster and the European Theater ribbon with two battle stars.

Brigadier General Arthur E. Easterbrook of the SAAAB declared:

“The fact that a man has served honorably with the AAF make him among the cream of the crop. We think many of tomorrow’s leaders will spring from the outstanding young men who have made up the victorious Army Air Force.”[8]

Here is a summary of Earl’s WWII Missions:

2Lt Earl E. Triebes (N) – Flew on 4 missions with 2Lt Leach (315, 317, 318, 322) and one mission with another Pilot (331). Became a Lead Crew Navigator: Flew two missions with a Deputy Lead Crew (338, 342) and eight missions with a Lead Crew (324, 328, 344, 348, 352, 354, 351, 358). Completed 15 combat missions on 11 April 1945 (Mission 358). [9]

Earl married Fern Alice Susal (date unknown).[10] Fern Alice passed away on 1 September 1958 in Oak Park, Illinois.[11] There is no mention of children in her obituary.[12] Earl later married again, and I believe he had two children with his second wife.[13] Earl passed away on 3 February 2001 in Wheaton, DuPage, Illinois.[14]

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[1] Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.

[2] Augusta Triebes Obiatuary, Forest Park, Illinois, The Revie and Forest Parker, 23 May 1946, Page 1.

[3] Probate file for John Desens filed in the McIntyre Library at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 103 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Forest Park, Illinois, The Review and Forest Parker, 2 June 1944. Page 5.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Forest Park, Illinois, The Review and Forest Parker, 12 October 1944, Page 1.

[8] Forest Park, Illinois, The Review and Forest Parker, 15 November 1945, Page 7.

[9] From Website: http://www.303rdbg.com/358leach.html

[10] Obituary for Fern Alice Triebes, Forest Park, Illinois, The Forest Park Review, 4 September 1958, Page 13.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Found names associated with Earl Triebes in various public records data base. They may be a second wife and children. I choose to keep these names private as they may still be living and I do not have their permission to publish their names.

[14] Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.

Family Legends

August 17, 2018August 17, 2018 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 4 Comments

Napoleon

This weeks 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks topic is Family Legends. My family has several, but not one makes a very long story. So I have decided to list a few here.

Family Legends:

We are related to Napoleon. First of all I don’t know why anyone would want to admit that they were related to Napoleon. I’ve traced that line back to the early 1700’s and I can find no relation to Napoleon. This story came from my maternal grandmother about her mother’s family. My mother asked one of my grandmother’s aunts. The Aunt said that she had never heard that story, however she had heard that someone had fought in the Napoleonic Wars. My father used to joke that he believed it because my grandmother and mother were like dictators. I believe the aunt was right and my grandmother was wrong.
My 2^nd great-grandfather was a captain in the German Army in the 1870’s when he deserted the German Army and came to the United States. Of course if you are running away from the German Army you bring your pregnant wife and your 1½ year old little girl along with you. I believe he left Germany because he belonged to a religious faith that was pacifist, and wanted to avoid conscription into the German Army.
My grandmother also believed that she was part Native American. How she ever came to this conclusion, I have no idea. Her mother was born in Germany and her father in the US born to a father born in England and a mother born in Canada to parents who came from Scotland. She had this information, so where does the Native American heritage come in to the equation? I don’t think it does at all. She might have wished it to be so because she admired the Native American’s. DNA to the rescue, my DNA shows no Native American Ancestry.
My grandmother said that her grandmother’s maiden name was Fischer, she came from Canada, and she was related to the people who owned the Fischer Body Company that make the Auto bodies for Chevrolet. Remember the famous tag “Body by Fischer” displayed on the door still plate? Fischer Body Company was started by Fred and Charles Fischer of Detroit Michigan in 1908.[1] In 1913 they became so successful they expanded their company into Canada, setting up a plant in Walkerville Ontario.[2] The only part true is that her grandmother was from Canada. Her Grandmother’s maiden name was Frazier not Fischer. Another story that was not true.
My father had told me that we had some ancestors who were killed by Indian’s in Wisconsin. I was able to debunk this story. John Desens owned a farm in Clark County Wisconsin and was killed by his neighbor. John’s son, Herman, accidentally shot himself and died. I wrote about both of these incidents in previous blogs. See Where there is a will and Misfortune . The truth is they were killed, but not by Indians.

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[1] Wikipedia Website at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_Body

[2] Ibid.

Misfortune

March 24, 2018 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 2 Comments

John and Herman Desens farm on left side of road as it looks today.

Misfortune seems to have followed John Desens around. About six years before he was killed by his neighbor, Fred Zell, his son, Herman, was killed when he accidently shot himself.

The latest victim of careless handling of guns is Herman Desens, a man about thirty years of age who lived with his father across from Fred Zell’s place west of town (Greenwood, Clark Co). Friday evening, Oct. 18, 1901 as the two were about to leave the clearing where they had been working, the young man went after his shot gun, which he had left nearby standing against a log. He seized the gun by the muzzle and drew it toward him, and in doing so the hammer cocked, discharging the load of one barrel into his breast. The father hearing the shot, looked up, but noticing his son standing thought nothing of the shot and stooped to his work, when he heard his son give an exclamation and saw him start for the house. The man only went a few yards when he dropped to the ground dead. The funeral occurred at the cemetery on the West Side Sunday afternoon. Deceased, with his father, came to Greenwood about two years ago and have lived together on their small clearing.[1]

Another account is from Marshfield Times October 25, 1901.

img138 (2)

Family story was they were killed by Indians. It looks like the family stories were wrong.

[1] From website: http://www.wiclarkcountyhistory.org/warner/history/Pioneers/indexY.htm

Where there is a will

March 7, 2018 / Gail Grunst Genealogy / 2 Comments

John Desens Probabe (2)

Unfortunately, not everyone leaves a will. A few of my ancestors had wills, but the majority did not. Most did not have wills because they had nothing of value. When a person dies without a will it is called intestate. If they own real estate or enough valuables and do not leave a will, their estate will go through probate court. An administrator will be appointed by the court to settle the estate. If they die leaving a will it is called testate and an executor is named in the will to carry out the provisions in the will.

There were no surprises in the wills I have found so far. But I had one ancestor, John Desens, that died intestate and his farm and personal property went through probate. I wanted to find a will to prove that he was my great-great grandfather. I was 95% sure that he was my ancestor through circumstantial evidence, but I had no documents to prove it. Instead of a will I found a probate file, and sent for it from McIntyre Library at the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire. When the probate file arrived, I was thrilled to fine the proof I needed. In the probate file there is a notarized letter from each heir that they are the son or daughter of John Desens, and they also name their brother and sisters in the letters. My great grandfather, Carl Desens, is the son of John Desens.[1] This probate file has a lot of pages, and I couldn’t read some of them because they were copied from microfilm. Now the files have been digitized, and I found the entire probate file online at Ancestry.com and much easier to read. I just recently read the whole document. Sometimes you find interesting tidbits in probate files, and I found a winner in this one. I have already written about John Desens, but at the time I did not have all the information. To recap a little, John Desens was killed by his neighbor Fred Zell. It seems that Fred Zell tried to sue the estate for $5000 in damages done to his hand during the fight. The administrator of the John Desens estate counter sues Fred Zell for $5900. Here is a transcript of three interesting pages in the probate file. I highlighted in red the most interesting part.

State of Wisconsin Clark County County Court

In the matter of the estate of John Desens deceased late of the town of Eaton Clark County

Now comes C.H. Clute as administrator of the Estate of John Desens deceased by R. F. Kornitz his attorney and files this his objection to the allowance of the claims or any part thereof of Fred Zell filed against said estate in said Court on the 20^th day of December A.D. 1900 for assault and battery to the damages five thousand dollars for the reason that the said Fred Zell did not prior to the death of said John Desens and does not now have any claim or lien and against said John Desens or otherwise in any manner whatsoever. And by the way of a claim or cause of action and counter claim to the pretended claim of Fred Zell against the estate of John Desens deceased filed on the 20^th day of December 1907 in the County Court for Clark County aforesaid which is here in before objected to the said C. H. Clute as administrator of said estate and for the use and benefit of said estate by R. F. Kornitz his attorney alleges that C. H. Clute is duly appointed administrator of said estate and is now acting as such administrator of the estate of said John Desens deceased, and that he is prosecuting this claim for and in behalf of said estate and for its benefit and use. That heretofore to wit on the 26 day of June A.D. 1907 at the town of Eaton in said county upon information and belief the said administrator alleges that the said Fred Zell did at said time and place unlawfully, willfully, wrongfully and feloniously assault, strike, beat, bruise, cut, stab, kick, choke, throw down to the ground with great violence and while so down choke, stab, beat, and bruise the said John Desens and threatened to kill the said John Desens and put him greatly in fear of his life. That therefore and thereby the said John Desens was made sick, sore, lame, and disabled from attending to his business and to care for himself in any manner whatsoever from said 26^th day of June A.D. 1907 to the time of his death thereafter. That his estate is liable and will be obliged to pay for medical attendance, nursing, medicines, food, and care caused by said unlawful assault to the damage of his said estate in the sum of five thousand nine hundred dollars. That this counter claim or course of action grew out of the same pretend tort and at the same time and place the pretend Claim of said Fred Zell is made against the estate herein.

Wherefore the said C.H. Clute as administrator and for the use and benefit of said estate demands judgement against the claimant Fred Zell that he take nothing by his claim and that the estate have judgement against said Fred Zell for the sum of five thousand nine hundred dollars damages and the costs and disbursements herein.[2]

R. F. Kornitz

Attorney for C. H. Clute as administrator

for the estate of John Desens deceased

The part I was really interested in is where he describes how John Desens was beaten and stabbed by Fred Zell. Click here to read the entire story of John Desens Killed by Neighbor.

This was last weeks topic for 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks. I am a little late in posting due to illness.

[1] Probate Case Files, Ca. 1873-1917, and Beginning with File No. 2699, Ca. 1900-1917, 1918 General Probate Index; Author: Wisconsin. County Court (Clark County); Probate Place: Clark, Wisconsin.

[2] Ibid.

Family Tales from Gail

My pastime is past time

John Desens

Court Records: Probate

In search of Henrietta

Conflict?

#10 Carl Desens

On the Farm

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Unusual Sources

WWII B-17 Navigator shares my Birthday.

Family Legends

Misfortune

Where there is a will

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