| email from Art Lautenbach 2 Oct 2002
re: family connections to Mary Zelhofer/Zellhofer of Door County WI.
I realized that I do have the 1910 Census information of Door County
WI in a binder and I could figure out who Mary Zelhoffer's parents were.
Anyway in the 1910 Census the Zelhofer name is spelled Zellhofer. So the
connection between our two families may be closer then we realize. The
Zelhofers presently living in Door County use only one "L".
There is a Frank Zellhofer (age 79) and his wife Thressa (age 72).
There also is a John Zellhofer (age 67) and his wife Thressa (age 64). I
believe Frank and John are brothers. It is possible they were Uncle and
Nephew. Frank and Thressa apparently are living with their son Frank
(age 40) and his wife Francis (age 32) and their children. John and
Thressa still have two children (one daughter also named Thressa) in
there 20's living at home yet in 1910.
Mary Zelhofer Lautenbach is listed as being 38 years old in 1910. The
last name is misspelled as Lautenbock. Also Mary's sister Theresia
Niemeyer (age 30) is listed as married to Jacob Niemeyer (age 37). I was
never sure if Theresia Niemeyer was a Zelhofer or Lautenbach, but she
had to be a Zelhofer because she is not listed as a child of Gustav and
Carolina Lautenbach. When I seen the listing of Gustav and Caroline's
children on the website, I knew this listing was correct. I never knew
Theresia Niemeyer, but her daughter Josephine LaPlant and her husband,
William, are both still living at the age of 92. I knew several others
of Theresia's children whom passed away in the past 10 years, after they
lived long lives. When I was a child my great uncles would talk about
their Aunt Theresia Niemeyer and they always called her their Aunt Crazy
Niemeyer. Why? I do not know. Even to this day in the West Jacksonport
Area of Door County, if you mention Crazy Niemeyer, they all know who
you are talking about and the old timers have a story to tell about her.
There also is a Lizzie Niemeyer (age 32) married to Frank Niemeyer (age
40). I believe Lizzie also was a sister to Mary and Theresia. I knew
Lizzie's sons Frankie and Johnny very well. Johnny died about 20 years
ago and Frankie died in 1996. Lizzie's husband Frank died in a barn fire
in 1910, shortly before Frankie was born. He was trying to rescue the
horses. Lizzie never remarried, but her two sons remained unmarried and
took care of her on their small farm. This whole group of people are
buried in the church yard of St Michael's Catholic Church overlooking
Lake Michigan in Jacksonport.
Getting back to Mary Zelhofer, I believe Frank was her father because
she named two of her children Frank. The first Frank who died shortly
after birth, and my grandfather who was born in 1904 and died in 1957.
Also my middle name is Frank and I have a first cousin named Frank. For
some reason they liked to keep the name Frank alive.
This Census information is from the Towns of Jacksonport and Egg
Harbor. The West Jacksonport Area bordered Egg Harbor to the South and
East. The 1920 Census data has been transcribed but due to problems with
the storage of the microfiche, most of the data for the Town of
Jacksonport was untranscribable. All of the data for the area where the
Lautenbachs, Zelhofers, Niemeyers, Mosgallers, Mistlebauers and
Felhofers lived is missing. What made the 1920 Census data valuable is
the fact they recorded the language spoken by the individual and their
birthplace. Gustav Lautenbach (a widower) was living with one of his
sons in the Town of Egg Harbor in 1920. He lists his birthplace as
Saxony/Weimer Germany. But since there is not any transcribable data on
my great grand parents Charles and Mary Zelhofer Lautenbach or any of
the other Zelhofer families, we do not have their place of birth or
native language available to us. When the 1930 Census gets released in 8
years, hopefully much information on these families will be available.
I hope this information is useful to you and helps in your search for
the family connections. I think there is a common ancestor for our
respective branches of the family.
Ron
I had never heard that my great grandmother had a previous marriage,
but I had heard that the Lautenbachs and Zelhofers had left PA about
1883 (some say they left in 1886) to come to Door County because family
members had lost their lives in several coal mining accidents. They
figured if they stayed in PA, they all would eventually be killed. My
great grandmother would have been about 12 or 13 years old in 1883. I
believe my great grandmother's maiden name was truly Zelhofer. Karl
though may have been her brother, uncle, or other close relative who
also was married to a woman named Mary.
Mary's oldest daughter, Emma, lost her first husband, John Mosgaller,
at a young age. She had one child from this first marriage and many,
many children (12, 13, 14???) from her second marriage to Merton
Anderson.
I have never heard of the Zelhofer family in Door County naming any
of their children Karl though. My great grandmother named my grandfather
Frank Leo Lautenbach after two of her children that died as infants. If
she had lost a brother at a young age, my guess is she would have named
one of her sons after him. The Mistlebauers though liked to use the
"Karl" name.
I'm sorry I can't be of much help on this one.
Sincerely,
Art
eMail fro Art Lautenbach Nov 2002:
Hello Ron
Thanks for this e-mail. This information is my great grandmother's
family.
I was looking over this e-mail from Doris Rich you sent to me on
10/11/2002. I believe the information you were looking for in the e-mail
I answered last night about a Mary Zelhofer married to a Karl Zelhofer
whom died young in a PA coal mining accident is contained here. Karl
Zelhofer, born in 1859, died in 1894, was married to Mary Kohl. It
appears his father, Franz Zelhofer was married twice. Karl was from his
first marriage and my great grandmother Mary Zelhofer Lautenbach was
from his second marriage.
I knew many of the children listed below of Teresa and Jacob
Neimeyer. Josephine Neimeyer LaPlant and her husband, William, are the
only ones I know for sure are still living at the age of 92 each - they
are pretty tough people (tight also). Billy (William) was a little,
dried-up, old man 30 years ago, and it is hard to believe he is still
living! I moved away from Door County in 1993, so I do not know what
type of mental health they are in now. I could get their address for
you. I think they still live on their farm. If they are still mentally
fit, they would have alot of information. They lost their only son,
Leon, in 1968 at the age of sixteen in a drowning accident. They do have
several daughters living.
Charlie Neimeyer and his brother Leonard were bachelors that lived
together on their family homestead. Charlie used to cut my hair when I
was a boy in the 1960's. I barely remember Leonard - he died sometime in
the mid-1960's. Charlie died only 5 to 7 years ago - he was in his 90's.
I will always remember Charlie spitting his tobacco juice into a coffee
can set on the kitchen floor as he was cutting my hair - it was pretty
gross for a child to look into!! He always had a BIG, BIG wad of Bigger
Hair tobacco in his mouth. He always looked like he had a mouth full of
you know what and the juice was alway dribbling down his chin. Most
likely why he was a bachelor.
Jacob may still be living also - either he or his wife passed away in
the last couple of years - I cannot remember which.
I think you are going to find out the Zelhofers, with the different
spellings of the name, are all one big family! I hope to get some time
this winter to fill in information on the people below. I am in the
process of adding a new bathroom to our home (dust churned up by tearing
out the plaster and lathes in the room we are turning into a bathroom
almost ended me up in divorce court) and with working a full time and a
half job (salaried position), I do not have much free time to dig into
this. If nothing else this will be a retirement project some day.
Sincerely,
Art
eMail from Doris Rich 8 February 2002, subject
Thereso Zelopher
Ron, this is the information I have so far:
Generation #l
Franz Zelhofer Spouse: Anna Maria Rafetseder B & D dates unknown
Generation #2
Franz Zelhofer - B. 27 June l83l at Klein Pertholz 9 Austria
D. 09 August l9l3 at Jacksonport, Wi.
Mother: Annna Maria Rafetseder
Father: Franz Zelhofer
Married Franziska Lidl 06 March l856 - B. l7 Sept. l835 @ Klein Pertholz
5, Austria
Three children:
- l. Karl Zelhofer B.l5 July l859 at Klein Pertholz l2 Austria
Married Mary Kohl l0 March l884
D. January l894
- Leopold Zelhofer B. 04 Sept l86l
- Josephine Zelhofer Married to a Mr. Kreutzer
Marriage #2
Spouse: Teresa Winman daughter of Joseph Winman B. 08 Sept l844
Seven Children:
- Frank Zelhofer Spouse Franzisca Mistlebauer
- Mary Zelhofer Spouse Charles Lautenach
- Walburga (Flora) Zelhofer Spouse Charles Felhofer & John McGee
- Elizabeth Louisa Zelhofer Spouse Frank Neimeyer
- Teresa Zelhofer Spouse Jacob Neimeyer (MY GRANDPARENTS)
- Joseph Zelhofer - Died at 7 years of age
- Hannah Zelhofer Spouse Joseph Geisler
Generation #3
Theresa Zelhofer B. l7 May l880 D. 20 Sept l935
Spouse Jacob Neimeyer B. 03 Sept l872 D. 20 Sept. l935
Thirteen children:
- Louise Neimeyer spouse Arthur Mattie
- Mary Ann Neimeyer spouse Arthur LaPlant/Raymond Verg (My Parents)
- William Neimeyer spouse Pauline Annen
- Leonard Neimeyer Single
- Charles Neimeyer Single
- Anne Neimeyer spouse James Lyman/Ernest Eicher
- Josephine Neimeyer spouse William LaPlant
- John Neimeyer spouse Helen Fasbender
- Theresa Neimeyer spouse Elmer Lindquist
- Hannah Neimeyer spouse Joseph Mosgaller
- Jacob Neimeyer spouse Betty
- Leo Neimeyer spouse Julia Jorns
- Margaret Neimeyer spouse John Reichhart
This is as far as I go on the Zelhofer's. Except I do have
reference to some of the Great Uncles & Aunts |
