52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 21 "Preservation"

KEEPSAKE ITEMS TO PRESERVE:

I have been very fortunate to have inherited many keepsake items from my parents, grandparents and even a few from great-grandparents.  These are very important to me and are items I want to preserve.  While I don't have children of my own, I am hopeful that my niece (with three young sons) or my nephew will one day continue to keep and preserve these items.

Here are some examples:

A six volume set of "The New Practical Reference Library Encyclopedia" dated 1915 which was owned by my great-grandfather, Rudolph Schulte (1869-1940).  The illustrations in these books are outstanding and they are handy reference guides to events in the world prior to 1915:

A German violin which also belonged to my great-grandfather, Rudolph Schulte (1869-1940).  Rudolph was an insurance salesman in the 1920's.  He had a client who could not pay his insurance premium so he gave Rudolph this German violin in exchange for his insurance premium.  The violin is dated from the 1850's:

A German prayer book which belonged to my great-grandmother, Bertha, nee Kramp, Kolberg (1860-1915).  She brought this book to the US when she immigrated on November 28, 1883 from Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Preußen. This area is now, in 2025, known as Tuchomko, County Bytow, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland:

My most prized possession is this cut glass mushroom lamp which belonged to my great-grandparents, Rudolph (1869-1940) and Juliane, nee Feucht (1870-1907), Schulte.  This lamp dates to the mid-1890's and was in their home throughout their marriage and later passed down in the family until I received it.  This lamp is special to me because it is the only item I have of my great-grandmother who passed away at the young age of 36:

A childhood roll top desk that was my father's (1923-1996).  I still use this desk today to hold office supplies and I have a desk lamp placed on top:

A Polish flute (or better known as a recorder) which belonged to my great-grandfather, John Kijak (1861-1945), who used this flute to call sheep while he was still living in Poland.  He immigrated to the US from Taniborz gm. Kleszczewo pow. Poznan woj. Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland) on June 19, 1882:

A photo album that belonged to my great-grandmother, Amelia, nee Schluessler, Wellhausen (1876-1963).  This type of album is frequently seen now in antique shops:

My mother's (1925-2016) cedar chest which she received for her high school graduation in 1943 from her parents.  Her parents had this cedar chest hidden in their own bedroom, covered with a quilt, for weeks before the graduation and my mother told me she never noticed anything different:

 All of these items are important to me and are all displayed in my home.  It is important to me, as a genealogist and family historian, that these items continue to be preserved.

 

A message of appreciation goes to my cousin, Ina, in Poland for the correct wording of my ancestors' Polish home villages.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 11 "Power"

MY "GRANDMA" LAMP:

Growing up I often saw a beautiful cut glass lamp displayed in the home of my paternal grandparents.  It was lovely and we were never allowed to touch it.  My grandfather, Elmer Schulte, told me the lamp had belonged to his parents (Rudolph and Juliane, nee Feucht, Schulte) and had been displayed in their home at 521 St. Aubin in Detroit when he was growing up.  His mother had loved this lamp, he said; he believed it had been a gift to them when they married in 1891.

This lamp is powered with an electrical socket from the Hubbell Lamp Company.  The lamp in a mushroom shape has 40 prisms which hang from the removable cut glass shade.  The prisms are staggered, one being long, the next shorter, the next long and so forth around the circumference of the lamp.  There are two bulbs in the lamp with pull-chains to turn them on and off.

Over the years this lamp has been passed down in my family.  After my great-grandmother, Juliane's death in January, 1907, my great-grandfather remarried and the lamp stayed in his home with his new wife.  When my great-grandfather, Rudolph, passed away in 1940 the lamp went to the home of my grandparents (Elmer and Ella, nee Wellhausen, Schulte).  My grandfather passed away in 1968 and my grandmother in 1989 at which time my aunt took possession of the lamp.

After the death of my aunt, her son had the lamp in his home.  I had a deep desire for the lamp and approached my cousin about this. He agreed that the lamp was not "his style" and he was happy to pass the lamp on to me.   I continue to display this lamp in my home.  It holds a special significance to me as I can imagine my great-grandmother lovingly caring for this very extravagant lamp for the times.

Cut glass mushroom lamp:

Hubbell lamp socket with pull chains:

A few years ago representatives from Antiques Roadshow came through my town and I took the lamp to them for appraisal.  I was pleased to learn that it continues to be a very collectible and valuable item some 100+ years after my great-grandparents had it in their home.

A little lamp history:

Since my grandfather had assumed that the cut glass mushroom lamp had been a wedding present to his parents I took him at his word.  However, when the Internet came on the scene I decided to do a little research on the Hubbell Lamp Company.

I learned that on August 11, 1896 a Bridgeport, Connecticut inventor and industrialist, Harvey Hubbell, patented a socket for incandescent lamps.  It utilized a simple on/off switch contained in the base of the light socket and was controlled by a pull chain. This is a design that remains popular to this day.  The website of the Hubbell Lamp Company shows a socket that is a perfect match for the socket (labeled as Hubbell) within my "grandma lamp" and thus dates the lamp to no earlier than August 11, 1896.  Therefore, my lamp was not a wedding gift for Rudolph and Juliane Schulte but something they either purchased or received later.

As my grandfather, Elmer, could remember the lamp in his childhood home, he could remember his mother caring for the lamp, and as he was only twelve when his mother passed away, I can safely date the appearance of the lamp in the Rudolph and Juliane Schulte home to between 1896 and 1906.

Note:  A similar cut glass lamp in a slightly different pattern recently sold at auction for $14,000!

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 10 "Siblings"

MY GRANDPARENTS AND THEIR SIBLINGS:

In my ancestral research, between the 1400's to the late 1800's, it was very common to see enormously large families with a child having perhaps 12, 14 or even a greater amount of siblings.  By the time I researched down to my grandparents' generation, families began to be much smaller.

My focus in this post is to discuss the siblings of my 4 grandparents, all of whom were born in the 1890's in Michigan.  

MY SCHULTE FAMILY:

My paternal grandfather, Elmer Meyer Schulte, was born August 4, 1894 in Detroit, Michigan to Rudolph Myer Schulte (1869-1940) and Juliane Feucht (1870-1907).  Unfortunately my grandfather was an only child as his mother died very young.

But an interesting feature that I discovered was that my grandfather had two cousins who were all born the same year as him.  My great-grandfather, Rudolph Schulte, and two of his sisters, Elizabeth and Ida Schulte, all had babies born in 1894.  These 3 cousins were as close growing up as though they were siblings as indicated by the following photo.

Left to right:  Mamie, Elmer and Evelyn in 1900:

This sweet photo shows Mamie Schulte, (1894-1958), who was born May 9, 1894 to Ida Schulte, followed by my grandfather, Elmer Schulte, (1894-1968), and then Evelyn Hauer, (1894-1988), born April 1,1894 to Elizabeth Schulte and Felix Hauer.  All 3 children were born in Detroit, Michigan. 

I can clearly remember family gatherings in the 1950's when both Mamie and Evelyn, along with their families, would be present for the festivities.  It was clear that though my grandfather had no siblings of his own, he certainly considered Mamie and Evelyn as close as siblings could be.

MY WELLHAUSEN FAMILY:

My paternal grandmother, Ella Anna Helene Wellhausen, was born November 15, 1896 in Detroit, Michigan to George William Wellhausen (1869-1938) and Emilie Auguste Christina Schluessler (1876-1963).  My grandmother had two siblings, Gertrude and George Wellhausen, Jr. as depicted in the following photos.

In 1900, Gertrude and Ella Wellhausen:

This adorable photo shows Gertrude Wellhausen, (1895-1973), who was born April 10, 1895 and my grandmother, Ella, (1896-1989), appearing in a contest for the "Dancing Darlings" of Macomb County, Michigan.  They won the contest and were featured in the local paper at that time.  Their baby brother, George, (1906-1985), had not been born at that time but he would appear in later photos with both his sisters and their mother.

May 19, 1942 with siblings Gertrude (Wellhausen) Kolberg, George Wellhausen, Jr. and Ella (Wellhausen) Schulte, with their mother Emilie (Schluessler) Wellhausen:

and in approximately 1955, the three siblings again, George, Gertrude and Ella with their mother, Emilie, looking over their shoulders:

My grandmother and her two siblings were extremely close through the years.  I even have very fond memories of my great-grandmother, the above Emilie (Schluessler) Wellhausen, as she lived until 1963 when I was 15 years old.  As a child my brother and I often had our great-grandmother Wellhausen babysitting us when our parents had an evening out.

MY KIJAK FAMILY:

My maternal grandfather, Joseph Kijak, was born August 3, 1892 in Bay City Michigan to Joannes Albert Kijak (1861-1945) and Marianna Rubis (1874-1918).  My grandfather had three sisters, Anna, Martha and Rozalie, however, I do not have any photos of them together.  In recent years I have been able to receive individual photos of my grandfather's three sisters as follow.

Joseph Kijak (1892-1960) in 1912:

and, again in 1945:

Anna Kijak (1894-1995) in 1940:

  

Martha Kijak (1896-1992) with husband Samuel Mills in 1920:

Rozalie Kijak (1898-1969) in 1915:

MY KOLBERG FAMILY:

My maternal grandmother, Ella Emma Louise Kolberg, was born August 8, 1895 in Stevensville, Michigan to August Gottlieb Kolberg (1854-1920) and Bertha Kramp (1860-1915).  My grandmother was the youngest of the six children that her parents had that lived to adulthood.  These children were Hedwig (1880-1956), Amelia (1887-1963), Kurt (1890-1935), Robert (1892-1950), Hugo (1894-1951), and my grandmother, Ella (1895-1973).

I have many photos and stories of my grandmother as I was extremely close to her.  Here are a few pictures of my grandmother and her siblings.

Robert, Ella and Hugo Kolberg in 1902:

Robert Kolberg confirmation in 1908:

Ella Kolberg confirmation in 1910:

Kurt and Edna (Filbrandt) Kolberg at their wedding on October 22, 1913:

Kolberg siblings in 1942 (brother Kurt had already passed away):

Kolberg sisters and sisters-in-law in 1945 at the 50th birthday of Ella:

The sisters-in-law, in the back row, were:  Irene (deCaussin) Kolberg, wife of Robert Kolberg, Edna (Filbrandt) Kolberg, widow of Kurt Kolberg and Gertrude (Wellhausen) Kolberg, wife of Hugo Kolberg.

The Kolberg sisters in the bottom row were:  Hedwig (Kolberg) Kuse, wife of Emil Kuse, Amelia (Kolberg) Mielke, wife of Edward Mielke and my grandmother, Ella (Kolberg) Kijak, wife of Joseph Kijak.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 8 "Migration"

MIGRATION OF MY SECOND GREAT GRANDFATHER, JOHANN JACOB FEUCHT:

I will be incorporating in 16 of my posts this year, a feature on each of  my 16 second great grandparents.  Today, on the topic of migration, I am featuring my paternal second great grandfather, Johann Jacob Feucht.

Johann Jacob Feucht, my father's great-grandfather, was the earliest of my ancestors to migrate to the US, arriving in 1857.  Throughout all of the records on him in the US, he was known simply as "Jacob" Feucht.

Jacob Feucht was born on August 12, 1826 in Tamm, Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, Germany.  He was the 5th child of Johannes Feucht (1783-1854) and Ana Barbara Meile (1789-1865).  I have been fortunate to have gained access to the actual vital records for my Feucht ancestors, however, they are not of a high enough clarity to be clearly visible on Blogger.

Map of Tamm, Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, Germany:

According to the Württemberg, Germany Emigration Index, Johann Jacob Feucht emigrated to the US as follows:

District:  Ludwigsburg

Name:  Johann Jakob Feucht

Birth Date: 12 Aug 1826

Birth Place:  Tamm

Application Date:  1857

Destination:  America

Number:  837991

Jacob settled in Detroit, Michigan and on February 20, 1859 he married Magdalena Helena Bauer (1840-1885) who was from Schwarzenbach by Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany.

In the case of Jacob and Helena Feucht, I have uncovered their marriage record in three different places in the US.  I have the marriage record from the City of Detroit, one from the State of Michigan and another (with the most vivid details) from Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit where they were married.  All of the records agree on the facts involved but an added bonus was that on the Trinity Lutheran Church record, the places of birth of Jacob and Helena were listed with precise detail down to the villages of birth.  This was an exceptional bonus allowing me to quickly write to the two villages - Tamm in Ludwigsburg, Württemberg and Schwarzenbach by Nürnberg, Bavaria from which I received documents of their births.

Jacob and Helena Feucht were blessed with 10 children as follows:

Johann Georg (1860-1860)

Anna Margarethe Elizabeth (1861-1937)

Kunigunde Margarethe Rosa (1864-1908)

Johann Conrad (1866- ?)

Karoline Margarethe Mary (1868-1869)

Christine Katharine Juliane (1870-1907)

Margarethe (1872-1936)

Helene (1875-1957)

Johann Georg (1877-1933)

Charles Henry (1881-1945)

There is a possibility that Jacob served in the Civil War based on war memorabilia and Grand Army of the Republic memorabilia that I was given by my grandfather who was a grandson of Jacob Feucht.  Upon research, some records were found of a Jacob Feucht having served in the Civil War in the years from 1861-1863 but there wasn't enough information to definitively state that this was MY Jacob Feucht.  Looking at the birth years of his children there was a 3 year gap between daughter Elizabeth (1861-1937) and daughter Kunigunde (1864-1908).  Their other 8 children seemed to appear every 2 years without fail.  This will require further research to confirm.

On census records and city directory entries, Jacob was listed alternatively as a beltmaker or a tailor.  

Jacob's wife, Helena, died on September 22, 1885 leaving him with 8 children.  Jacob died on November 25, 1892 and both are buried in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery on Mt. Elliott Avenue in Detroit in Lot 4C.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of Jacob or Helena but in 1993 I visited Germany and was able to travel to 16 of the villages of my ancestors where I was able to take photos of the villages and in some places visit the various churches.

Photos of Tamm, Germany:

With the advent of DNA research, I was pleased to receive notification from Ancestry.com of a DNA match for my brother with a person in Germany.  Upon further research and correspondence I was fortunate to connect with a wonderful and sharing gentleman with shared ancestry with my Feucht family.  Through him I was able to obtain vital records going back several generations from my Jacob Feucht as follows:

My second great-grandfather, Johann Jacob Feucht (1826-1892), son of:

Johannes Feucht (1783-1854) and Ana Barbara Meile (1789-1865).  Johannes Feucht was the son of: 

Matthaeus Feucht (1732-1791) and Christine Ade (1748-1805).  Matthaeus Feucht was the son of:

Matthaeus Feucht (1701-?) and Anna Maria Kraus (1700-?) who were my fifth great grandparents.

I am pleased with the progress I have made on tracing this line of my family.  

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 4 "Overlooked"

 OVERLOOKED:

Great-grandpa - where were you born?  

Despite over 40 years of genealogical research, I have been unable to find proof of the birthplace of my paternal great-grandfather, Rudolph Myer Schulte.  I have researched and discovered more documents and information on him than most of my other ancestors but none of the records confirm his birthplace.  This is definitely a mystery.

This is what I have been able to confirm:

Rudolph Myer Schulte was born on October 24, 1869 in Germany.  His father was Joseph Meyer Schulte, who was born in Beckum, Westfalen, Preußen in 1843 and his mother was Alvina (Alwina) Tobien (Tobian) who was born in 1848 in Pommern, Preußen.

On April 10, 1872, Joseph, Alvina and Rudolph immigrated from Hamburg, Germany to America, settling in Detroit, Michigan.  The Hamburg passenger list indicated that their place of residence at the time of departure was Goldikow, Pommern.  Recent in-depth research has shown that there is not, nor has there ever been, a village named Goldikow in Pommern.  With assistance from a cousin in Poland, whose help has been fantastic, it is believed the name of the village was actually Zoldekow which now, in Polish, is Sulikowo.  This has proven to be undoubtedly accurate with recent research I have been undertaking on the Tobien family (which will be discussed in another blog post).

At the time of arrival in America, Alvina gave birth to their second child, a daughter Elizabeth on June 28,1872.  A third child, Ida, was born on November 23, 1874.

Here is a photo of the Joseph and Alvina Schulte family in approximately 1875-1876 in Detroit:

Joseph and Alvina Schulte with Rudolph standing, Ida sitting on mother's lap and Elizabeth standing by father:

The 1880 United States census for Detroit, Michigan showed the Joseph Schulte family with Rudolph listed as having been born in "Germany" as was also listed for his parents.  This gave me no new information.

On October 7,1891 Rudolph married Julie Feucht.  Again the marriage record(s) indicated Rudolph was born in Germany.

In 1892 Rudolph joined the Detroit Fire Department, a career that would see him joining the US Navy to serve in the Spanish American War in 1898, where he served on the USS Yosemite.

Rudolph Schulte as a Detroit City Fireman:

Rudolph in the US Navy during the Spanish American War (he is with his younger brother, Theodore, in this photo):

I decided to contact the National Archives in hope of obtaining Rudolph's Spanish American War military records.  Some months later a thick package arrived in the mail for me.  In his own handwriting Rudolph had written "I was born in Germany and came to America with my parents when I was 2 years old".  

Why, oh why, couldn't he have been more specific as to where he was born - did he even know?  He was only 2 when he immigrated with  his parents and did they ever discuss where in Germany he had been born?  It was impossible to know.  Another roadblock!

The 1900 US census for Detroit, Michigan was even more confusing as it showed Rudolph being born in Michigan which, of course, was incorrect.  Did the census taker get this information from his wife, Julie?  She certainly knew her husband was born in Germany.  It would be impossible to know.  Another roadblock!

The 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940 US censuses for Detroit, Michigan all showed Rudolph Schulte as having been born in "Germany".

On January 14, 1907, Rudolph's wife, Julie, passed away.  Just 5 weeks later, Rudolph married her sister, Elizabeth Feucht, who had been widowed twice previously and had 4 children.  Again, their marriage record indicated Rudolph had been born in "Germany".

Elizabeth passed away on February 17,1937, and on March 5,1938, Rudolph married for the 3rd time to Mary Bender.  Their marriage certificate didn't shed any new light on Rudolph's birth place.

Marriage record of Rudolph Schulte and Mary Bender:

Rudolph passed away on April 1,1940 in Detroit, Michigan and was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit in the Bender Family Plot - the cemetery plot of his 3rd wife's family.  His death certificate had a bit more information regarding his place of birth listing Westphalia, Germany and his obituary stated the same.  Beckum, Westphalia, Germany was the birthplace of Rudolph's parents, grandparents, great grandparents and several earlier generations all leading to my belief that Rudolph himself had been born there.

Rudolph Schulte's death certificate and obituary:

With all my research, and the amount of documentation I had, I still had no idea and no positive proof of where my great-grandfather had been born.  I was very close to my grandfather, Rudolph's only child, and yet my grandfather told me he only knew his father had been from Germany.  Obviously families never discussed these things.  My grandfather shared with me all the military medals of his father and all the photos that my grandparents had.  In with the photos were a few of Rudolph in the Masonic fraternal organization clothing.

Rudolph Schulte as a member of the Masonic fraternal organization:

 Armed with this information I wrote to the headquarters of the Masons in Detroit.  After many back and forth letters (this was before computers), I received copies of Rudolph's application and other paperwork from his time as a member of the Masons.  In that application was, in Rudolph's own handwriting, his place of birth as Beckum, Westphalia, Germany!

At last I had confirmation that Rudolph was indeed born in the place of his Schulte ancestors.  I was ecstatic...

Until I began searching for absolute proof of this,  hopefully, with documentation from Beckum.

That has not happened despite many years of research.  While the Catholic church records of Saint Stephan Katholische Kirche are microfilmed by the LDS and Family Search, and while myself and another Schulte cousin, have thoroughly gone through the records, giving us information on our Schulte line back to the 1600's, no record of the birth of Rudolph Schulte has been found nor a marriage record of his parents.

I even hired a professional German researcher in 2021 who visited the church and viewed the vital records for Beckum and other nearby villages that were all part of the Saint Stephan Catholic Church parish.  The professional genealogist informed me there was no record of either Rudolph's birth or the marriage of his parents.  Using the assumption that Rudolph's mother could have been Evangelical (Lutheran), as the family became when they arrived in America, the professional genealogist checked the Evangelical records as well and nothing was found.

Now in 2025, I am back to square 1.  While my Schulte ancestors - from my 2nd great grandfather, Joseph Schulte, back to the 1600's were all members of the Catholic Church in Beckum, Westphalia, it is still a mystery where Rudolph was born and where his parents were married.

I love a good mystery but 40 plus years of research has frustrated me.  I'm not giving up; there is always something new to investigate and I am turning my research to Rudolph's mother, Alvina Tobien, to see if that will open up some avenues.

Despite the topic of this post being "overlooked", I feel that I have not overlooked any available records or information that has been available to me - up to this point!

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 3 "Nicknames"

WHAT NAME DO YOU USE:

In my genealogical research I have often found interesting naming patterns in specific families.  While it was common to name children after a grandparent or a sponsor, in one of my lines I found patterns that could not be linked to a specific reason.

I did learn after much research, that in the 19th century, German children were often given multiple first names, including biblical names, names of saints and old family names.  Common names for boys were Johann, Friedrich, Wilhelm, while common girls names were Anna, Maria, Elisabeth.  Typically only one of the names was used throughout the person's life.

In my paternal Feucht family this was certainly true and many times the chosen name was substituted for another of the two or three names making research very difficult.

My second great grandparents, Johann Jacob Feucht and Magdalena Helena Bauer, were both born in Germany.  Johann Feucht was born in Tamm, Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, Germany and Magdalena was born in Schwarzenbach by Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany.

They both immigrated to Detroit, Michigan at separate times, and married in Detroit on February 20,1859 at Trinity Lutheran Church. 

Ten children were born to them as follows:

 Johann Georg Feucht - born February 25,1860 and died July 25,1860.

Anna Margarethe Elizabeth Feucht - born July 12, 1861 and died February 17,1937.  She was known as Elizabeth or Liz throughout her life

Anna Margarethe Elizabeth Feucht:

Kunigunde Margarethe Rosa Feucht - born January 12,1864 and died November 11,1908.  She was known alternately as Rosa, Rose and even Kunigunde on various documents throughout her life.

Kunigunde Margarethe Rosa Feucht:

Johann Conrad Feucht - born June 29,1866 and died after November 1908. Documents over the years have noted him listed as Johann, John and Conrad.  He disappeared from records after November, 1908 and he is still a brick wall for me.

Karoline Margarethe Mary Feucht - born August 2, 1868 and died May 7,1869.  Documents in her brief life have shown her listed as Karoline and Mary.

Christine Katharine Juliane Feucht - born February 16,1870 and died January 14,1907.  This was my great-grandmother and throughout her 37 year life she was known as Julia, Julie, Juliane and Julia Anna.

Christine Katharine Juliane Feucht:

Margarethe Feucht - born July 4,1872 and died January 1,1936.  The multiple naming pattern seemed to stop with her though she was known alternately through her life as Margaret, Maggie, Meg.

Margarethe Feucht:

Helene Feucht - born March 6,1875 and died June 3, 1957. She was mainly known as Lena or Helene throughout her life.  She lived the longest of the Feucht siblings.  She was also the only one of the daughters that was actually named after her parent.

Helene Feucht:

Johann Georg Feucht - Another child given the same name as their firstborn son.  This son was born October 20,1877 and died January 7,1933.  Documents over his lifetime indicated he was using the name George.

Charles Henry Feucht - The last of the children of Jacob and Helena Feucht.  He was born January 15, 1881 and he died October 6,1945.  He used the name Charles throughout his life.  He was only 4 when his mother died and 11 when his father died.

There were 4 sons with 3 of them given the first name of their father - Johann and 1 daughter named after her mother.

Every one of the 10 children had multiple baptismal sponsors but none could be connected to any known relatives - aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc even after I was able to trace both the Feucht line back many generations in Tamm, Württemberg, Germany and trace the Bauer line back 15 generations! in villages surrounding Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany.

Despite the various names chosen for my great-grandmother and her 9 siblings, I am pleased that I have been very successful in tracing both lines of my family back in Germany and to have connected by DNA matches with 3 different "cousins" still living in various parts of Germany.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2025; Week 2 "Favorite Photo"

FAVORITE PHOTO(S):

Over the 47 years of my genealogical research I have acquired thousands of photos of ancestors from family members who have willingly allowed me to scan and return their photos to them.  Naturally there are many that I would deem "favorites" and I have chosen two such photos to feature today.  

These two photos are from both my father's side and my mother's side, they are from different countries and different periods of time but it is amazing how the two photos tie together.

Over the last several years I have had amazing success with DNA matches via the My Heritage website.  While I use the Ancestry site exclusively for my research, I ventured into My Heritage five years ago hoping to make connections with European cousins.  I had been informed that more people in Germany and Poland (my areas of interest) use My Heritage so I downloaded my family tree to My Heritage hoping to have some matches.

It took over a year but then the results started coming in with amazing DNA matches that have allowed me to grow my family lines back many generations.

One such DNA match came to me a few years ago from a young gentleman in Warsaw, Poland.  This match was on the line of my second great-grandmother, Balbina Korcz, who was my mother's great-grandmother.  I had very little information on my Korcz ancestors and was just fortunate to find US records originally that indicated her name.  In the decades since then I had never had any luck learning anything more about her.

With this DNA match though I found a correspondent who was willing to share his records and the information he had uncovered.  He turned out to be my fourth cousin, two times removed which was amazing since we actually had high numbers of shared DNA.

One of the photos he shared with me were of his second great-grandparents, Melchior Korcz and Katarzyna Neumann.  Melchior was the grand-nephew of my second great-grandmother, the above Balbina Korcz.

Melchior was born December 28, 1878 in Trzek, Poland and Katarzyna was born May 4,1877 in Ługowiny, Poland.  They were married approximately April 1,1901 in Poland.  Melchior passed away in 1952 in Swarzędz, Poland and Katarzyna passed away in 1955 also in Swarzędz, Poland.  Both are buried in the Cmentarz Parafialny w Swarzędz (Municipal cemetery in Swarzędz, Poland). Melchior was my second cousin, two times removed.  Here is a photo of the two of them taken in Poland.  I would estimate this photo was taken in the later years of their marriage.  I fell in love with this photo and the way they were posed.

Melchior and Katarzyna Korcz:

While going through my multitudes of photos I came across another one that caught my eye showing another interesting way of posing a couple.  

This photo is of my great-grandfather, Rudolph Myer Schulte, and his second wife, Elizabeth Feucht.  Rudolph was my father's grandfather.  While I never knew this great-grandfather I had enormous amounts of genealogical information on him and his three wives that I had acquired over the years from my paternal grandparents.  Rudolph's first wife, Juliana Feucht, was my great-grandmother and she unfortunately passed away at the young age of 36.  Two months after her death, Rudolph married her sister, Elizabeth, and they combined their families.

Rudolph had been born on October 24,1869 in Germany.  US records show he was born in Beckum, Westfalen, Germany but research has not found positive evidence of that (YET)!  Elizabeth Feucht was born July 12,1861 in Detroit, Michigan.  Rudolph and Elizabeth were married February 20, 1907 in Detroit.  Rudolph passed away on April 1, 1940 in Detroit and Elizabeth passed away on February 17, 1937 also in Detroit.

This photo of Rudolph and Elizabeth was taken, I believe, at Riverview Park in Detroit, Michigan in approximately 1912.  

Rudolph and Elizabeth Schulte:

What a fun experience this must have been.

These are just two of my favorite ancestral photos but I feel they are well suited to this blog post.

copyright 2025, Cheryl J. Schulte

From Whence I Came - Ella Anna Helene Wellhausen

ELLA ANNA HELENE WELLHAUSEN

Ella Anna Helene Wellhausen was my paternal grandmother, born on November 15, 1896 in Detroit, Michigan to George Wellhausen and Amelia Schluessler.  She was their second daughter and a son followed 10 years later.  While the family had originally lived in Sterling Township in Macomb County, Michigan where their first daughter was born, they had moved temporarily to Detroit to live with Amelia's sister and that is where my grandmother was born.

Interestingly, I don't know if my grandmother was even aware of being born in Detroit.  She always swore to me that she was born in Sterling Township and was baptized at St. John's Lutheran Church in Fraser, Michigan.  She sent me on a good number of wild goose chases when I began my genealogy research.  Quite by accident while researching my Feucht family and THEIR connection with Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit, I came upon the baptismal record of my grandmother showing she was indeed born in Detroit and baptized there as well.  When I informed her of this she said she was never aware of it.  She told me that she could remember her mother speaking of the brief time the family had lived in Detroit with her mother's sister but she didn't realize that she was actually born there as well.

As young girls Ella and her sister, Gertrude, took part in a dancing competition and were named the "Dancing Darlings of Macomb County".  They certainly did look darling and their sisterly relationship lasted for Gertrude's entire life with Ella assuming caregiver duties when sister Gertrude's health declined:

Ella did grow up in Sterling Township with her older sister and younger brother.  She attended St. John's Lutheran Church where she was confirmed but I have no idea where she actually went to school.  Here she is on her confirmation day:

I also do not know how she met my grandfather, Elmer Schulte. I am guessing that they met through her aunt, Helena Schluessler Herz, whose sons were friends of Elmer but I don't know that for certain.

Ella and Elmer were married on Christmas Eve, 1917 in Waco, Texas before my grandfather shipped out to the war in Europe.  Here is a wedding photo of Elmer and Ella:

When Elmer returned from WWI, several years later, they began their family life in Detroit.  Together they had three children - sons, Melbourne and Mylen (my father) and daughter, Marilyn.  Their life was rather affluent.  Both my grandparents inherited money from their parents and my grandmother never had to work outside her home.  Here are Elmer and Ella with their oldest son, Melbourne, ca 1922:

Ella raised her children, belonged to several clubs and activities with other women friends and socialized with family frequently.  She and Elmer had several very nice homes in various areas of Detroit.

Here is a photo of Elmer, Mylen and Ella Schulte ca 1942 in Detroit:

Another photo of Elmer and Ella with their oldest son, Melbourne, and daughter, Marilyn, ca 1942 at Marilyn's confirmation in Detroit:

In later years they built a home on Springer Avenue in what was East Detroit, Michigan and is now called Eastpointe.  The home is still standing today in the same pristine condition I remember it though it was unusually designed in that the living room faced the backyard with a large picture window overlooking a long balcony:

When Ella's sister, Gertrude, needed assistance due to failing health, Ella and Elmer moved back to Detroit to Gertrude's home on Engleside Drive.  While living there my grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 24, 1967:

They were living in Detroit when my grandfather passed away on January 21, 1968.  Following his death my grandmother continued to care for her sister until Gertrude had to be placed in a nursing facility.  At this time my grandmother rekindled a childhood relationship with a man who had also lost his wife.  Within a few years of my grandfather's death, my grandmother remarried to Robert Bloss who she had known since they were 5 year old children. Their marriage was short lived as Robert was not in the best of health and he passed away soon after their marriage.

Ella continued her independent life in several apartments after the death of Robert.  She maintained her own home, did her own cooking and cleaning and continued her activities with family and friends.  She lived independently until the age of 90 when her fading memory forced her to enter a nursing home.  On December 28, 1989, at the age of 93, my grandmother passed away and she is buried with my grandfather in Gethsemane Cemetery in Detroit.  Both her sister, Gertrude, and her much younger brother, George, had predeceased her.

I was fortunate to have known all four of my grandparents.  My grandmother, Ella Schulte, I knew the best as I grew up in East Detroit and she and my grandfather lived there as well.  While she was a good Christian person she was not what I would characterize as a loving grandmother.  I really think that children annoyed her.  She didn't like having children in her home and she complained royally about crumbs or disarray.  My grandfather, on the other hand, was a wonderful loving person.  Memories of my grandmother are many but they are memories more of a gruff, unsmiling person who my grandfather tried at all times to soften up.  I can remember the times he would grab her in a hug and kiss her only to have her gruffly push him away.  It was something he never minded and his humor and good nature lasted his whole life.  My grandmother's aloof, gruff ways continued through her entire life as well.

The one thing that she did do for me, though, was to initiate my love for genealogy.  I can remember in 1977 that she showed me an onyx ring with a small diamond in the center.  She told me that she had worn a diamond necklace on her wedding day in 1917 and that necklace had 3 diamonds in it.  Over the years the necklace broke and she had the 3 diamonds set in 3 different black onyx rings.  

This conversation led to questions from me about her childhood, extended family, etc. and I was off and running on research.  I was fortunate that she remembered not only her parents but her grandparents and great grandparents as well and her memory was sharp.  She did share much information with me over the years though she tempered it with quite a bit of false information that had me running down false leads.  Her comments at those times were "you don't need to know the truth" or "just let sleeping dogs lie".  Luckily I was able to discern the truth from the fiction and when confronted with my facts she would confirm my data.  I do have to give her the credit for my love of genealogy and she did give me all my grandfather's war medals as well as the medals of my great-grandfather.  She also gave me funeral home guest books, photos, cemetery deeds and burial records.  Initially she told me she was saving all these items for one of her grandsons but as none of them had any interest she did finally allow me to take possession of the memorabilia and I am grateful for that.

When all is said and done, while she was not a loving, affectionate grandmother, she was a good person and she led a very good life.  Her health was good, she had no undue financial problems and she was able to build a life that suited her.  

Today I am thinking of her on this 125th anniversary of her birth.

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte