Anna Marie Engel Fuhrhop Elling, Immigrant

After her husband, Johann Friedrich died in 1871, Anna Marie Engel (called Mary or Marie) continued to live with her son, Fritz, and his youngest sister, Anna. By the 1880 census, Anna was gone from the home and Fred Elling, 26, farmer, was named as Head of the Household with Mary, age 67, his mother, keeping house there. Another person was living with them - Henry Elling, age 16, laborer, born Ohio, parents born in Prussia. No relationship was stated, so I really don't know who this is.

The communion records, 1885 - 1891, of St. Paul Lutheran, Napoleon Twp. show Fritz and Marie Elling and Marie Elling taking communion there, not always on the same dates, but usually twice a year. (Fritz had married in 1884 another Marie.)

Sometime between 1880 and Mary, the immigrant's death in 1893, a case went to court to declare lunacy for Mary. The records are sealed in probate court so I couldn't look at them, but it is my speculation that Fritz was having his mother declared senile and himself named as trustee for her.

The image above shows the Death Register from the records of St. Paul Lutheran, Napoleon Twp.

The Deceased: Elling, Anna Marie Engel, the legitimate wife of Fried. Elling

Day of Death: March 24, 1893

Buried: March 28, 1893

Cause of Death: Weakness of Old Age

Age: 79y 5m 24d

"Estate": 4 children, 17 grandchildren and her Bible verse, Romans 6:23

Pastor Louis Dammann

She actually had five children, but at her death, the record states four...another support for the idea that son Henry died early at the age of 16. I believe the other children were all alive at the time of their mother's death.

Coming to Henry County

Once the Ellings were through with their processing in New York City, how did they then travel to Henry County, Ohio? I don't think it was by railroad in 1859 because I can't find where the railroad had reached Northwest Ohio by that time. It wasn't until after the Civil War that the Baltimore and Ohio (B & O) came that far west.

My best guess is that they traveled up the Hudson River - on the river or along it by land - to take the canal boat on the Erie Canal from Albany, NY to Buffalo, NY. From there, they most likely traveled on Lake Erie to Toledo and then perhaps by horse and wagon from that point. Maybe they continued their canal journey from Toledo to Napoleon on the Miami-Erie Canal. It is only speculation, but however the trip was taken, it had to be a long, tedious one with four children and baggage. 
 Their destination was probably the New Hanover settlement in Henry County. The baptism of their youngest child, Anna Maria Margareta, born August 2, 1860, is recorded in the Kirchen Buch fur New Hanover (Church Book for New Hanover.) So it is likely that they knew people already here who paved the way for them, perhaps giving them shelter and food until they could find their own place to live.

The records in the Kirchen Buch fur New Hanover have been translated and are available for researchers. The New Hanover Church later became Zion Church which later merged with St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Napoleon Township. From the introduction to the church book...

"In 1848 Henry Helberg and Dietrich Badenhop came from Germany, bringing with them the bodies of little Maria Helberg, aged 1 1/2 years, and Christian Dachenhaus, aged 17. These settlers needed a burial ground so they immediately decided to arrange for a cemetery and to build a church next to it. Among others, the well-known preacher, Rev. August Knape, served this little group. It was a group from this congregation which founded St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and when Rev. Damman was called, the congregation dissolved itself and merged with St. Paul's in Napoleon Township." (no page #)

For those who would like to experience what that canal boat ride might be like, visit the Providence Metropark at Grand Rapids, Ohio where you can take a canal boat ride with costumed historical interpreters. Going through a lock is very interesting. It is well worth the visit and something great to do while you are here for the reunion! Visit this website for details:
http://www.touring-ohio.com/northwest/toledo/providence.html

Albert Elling's family

 
First Row: L to R - Emma, Mary, Fritz, Albert
Second Row: Minnie, Ted, Harmon, Kate, Henry, Anna, Freddie

Elling Brothers - L to R: Albert, Freddie and Ted

Albert Louis Johann Elling (1888 - 1969) was the first son and second child of the nine children of Heinrich Friedrich ("Fritz") Elling and his wife Maria ("Mary") Rohrs. Albert was born in Freedom Township, as were most of his brothers and sisters.

His eldest sister, Emma Catharine Marie Anna ("Emma") was born just two years before him on June 6, 1886. She eventually married John Scheele in 1906 and died in Napoleon in 1967.

His sister, Catharina Dorothe Anna Emma ("Kate") was born just a year after him on August 25, 1889. She married Henry Buenger and lived near Hamler.

Finally a brother, Hermann Heinrich Wilhelm ("Harmon") arrived in 1891. He was married to Helen Gerken and he died in 1978.

Another brother, Heinrich Carl ("Henry") was born in 1893. He married Ida Huner and died in 1980.

A sister Anna came along in 1895. She married Ed Koppenhofer and she died in 1974.

Brother Theodore ("Ted") was born in 1898. He married Martha Krauss and lived in Delta, dying in 1975.

I was able in interview his sister Minnie once and she gave great information for family research, along with a few photos. Minna E. was born in 1900 and died in 1993. She was married to Arthur Miller and lived in Defiance.

The youngest brother was Frederick H. ("Freddie") who married Nora Prigge and died in 1987.

This post originally appeared on the Elling Family News blog 
on January 6, 2009.

Anna Elling Koppenhofer

Anna Elling was the sixth child of nine brothers and sisters. Seven years younger than our grandfather Albert, Anna was born on July 16, 1896.

In the 1920 census, Anna was 21 years old and working as a private family servant for William Campbell, a widowed lawyer in Napoleon, Ohio. William was 66 and listed as the Head of the Household which also consisted of his son Bancroft, 26, and his wife, Isabel, 18, as well as William's other son, William, 14.
 

By September 22, 1920, Anna would marry Edwin Koppenhofer.  On the same page of the 1920 census, just down the road or around the corner, lived Anna Elling's brother, Albert, and his wife Ida and children, Paul and Alma! Do you think brother Albert gave any help as a matchmaker for his sister Anna?

Anna and Edwin had four children: Madeleine, Luella, Lucille and Alton. Anna died in 1956 and and Edwin in 1972.  They are buried at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, near Okolona, Defiance County, Ohio.