Gentzkow: William Edward

This blog post is the third and final week examining the births, baptisms and beginnings of the three American Gentzkow brothers. Their parents, Julius August Emil “George Edward” von Gentzkow (1826-1904) and Sophia Schultz (1830-1897) settled in Minneiska, Minnesota in the mid 1860s.

When we have all-Gentzkow reunions, we divide up into groups:

• The George Group: descendants of George Gentzkow (1854-1939) and his wife Christina Kohler (1856-1918)
• The Julius Group: descendants of J.C. Gentzkow (1856-1932) and his wife Matilda Dittrich (186x -1908)
• The William Group: descendants of Bill Gentzkow (1862-1934) and his wife Clara Schneider (1868-1961)

These three men were the only Gentzkow offspring to live to adulthood and have children. (Their sister, Kate had no children. Four other Gentzkow siblings died young.)

When I wrote the American Gentzkow history in 2000,¹Blees, Karrie L.N. Descendants of George Edward von Gentzkow of Minneiska, Minnesota: a history of the Gentzkow family in America.” North St. Paul MN: Sewing for the Harvest, 2000. There are no more copies available for purchase. Several copies were donated to libraries. I compiled the best available resources at that time. Now, with the explosion of genealogical information available on the Internet and with the assistance of cousins in Europe, we have much better sources and more complete information.

Gathering currently available sources, I have updated information from that earlier volume. For each of the brothers, there is documented proof of their birthdates and birth locations.

I have, for many years, promised to write a second volume of Gentzkow history. A physical volume is not in the near future. For now, I will present my research on this blog one chapter at a time.

Where was William born?

Even though Wisconsin law required counties to register birth, marriage and death events starting in 1852, the law was not strictly enforced until roughly 1880. There is no civil birth record for William.

According to his newspaper obituary,²“William Gentzkow of Minneiska Succumbs.” Wabasha County (MN) Herald-Standard, 15 Apr 1934, page 1, col 4. William was born in Buffalo City, Wisconsin.

Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Gemeinde

Fortunately for us family historians, an early church book of the Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Gemeinde [German Evangelical Lutheran Congregation] of Buffalo, Wisconsin exists. The Genealogy Society of Utah microfilmed the original records at the Area Research Center, University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 1980.³Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Gemeinde (Buffalo City, Wisconsin). Kirchenbuch, 1860-1895. FHL film #1295654.

The German Evangelical Lutheran Church at Buffalo City formed a congregation in 1858. In 1860, they erected a church which was later moved to a city lot.⁴Kessinger, L., History of Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Buffalo WI: L. Kessinger, 1888, pages 466-467. This book documents pastoral acts beginning on the 1st of April 1860.

Baptism

21. Julius Gentkow und dessen Ehefrau Sophie Schulz [taufen] ließen
am 7ten September 1862 ihr Kind dasselbe geboren am 1sten
April 1862 es erhielt die Vornamen Wilhelm Eduard. Die paten Dorothea
Sommerfeld, Johanna Feffer

21. Julius Gentkow and his wife Sophie Schulz baptized on September 7, 1862 their child, the same born on April 1, 1862, he received the first names Wilhelm Eduard. The godparents: Dorothea Sommerfeld, Johanna Feffer

The sponsors are likely these two ladies that resided in Buffalo City, Wisconsin:

• Johanna née Handwerck, wife of Jacob Frederich Pfeffer
• Doretta née Weir, wife of William Sommerfeld/Summerfield

Move to Minnesota

From the above obituary, we know that William moved with his family across the Mississippi River while still a “young lad.” The 1865 Minnesota Census⁵1865 Minnesota Census, Wabasha County, Minneiska Village, page 3, Family #23, Gansgow [sic], Julius household. lists Willie in the household of his parents on 1 June 1865. So, the family moved to the Minnesota side of the River by the time he was 3.

What other aspects of William’s life should be researched?

SOURCES

• 1
  Blees, Karrie L.N. Descendants of George Edward von Gentzkow of Minneiska, Minnesota: a history of the Gentzkow family in America.” North St. Paul MN: Sewing for the Harvest, 2000. There are no more copies available for purchase. Several copies were donated to libraries.
• 2
  “William Gentzkow of Minneiska Succumbs.” Wabasha County (MN) Herald-Standard, 15 Apr 1934, page 1, col 4.
• 3
  Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Gemeinde (Buffalo City, Wisconsin). Kirchenbuch, 1860-1895. FHL film #1295654.
• 4
  Kessinger, L., History of Buffalo County, Wisconsin. Buffalo WI: L. Kessinger, 1888, pages 466-467.
• 5
  1865 Minnesota Census, Wabasha County, Minneiska Village, page 3, Family #23, Gansgow [sic], Julius household.