Are They the Same: Julius & George?

All Gentzkow cousins in America trace their lineage to a couple that lived in Minneiska, Minnesota from 1865 until the end of their lives. That couple was George Edward Gentzkow (182?-1904) and his wife Magdalena Sophia Schultz (1830-1897).

The 1826 baptism of Julius August Emil, son of Julie von Gentzkow, provides lot and LOTS of family history. Is this the document to connect the American family back to Germany? Today’s blog post presents many other documents to help answer this research question:

Are Julius August Emil (born to Julie von Gentzkow)
and
George Edward Gentzkow (who died in Minneiska, MN)
the same person?

In the world of genealogy, there should be no guessing. The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) exists to provide the minimums for a genealogist’s work to be considered credible. In this post, I will present:

1. My “reasonably exhaustive research” (that’s the exact phrase in the GPS).
2. Provide source citations for each statement of fact.
3. Correlate and interpret the evidence.
4. Resolve any contradictory evidence.
5. Provide a conclusion based on the strongest evidence.

Marriage

Julius and Sophia married November 25, 1850 at the Jakobikirche in Rostock.¹Ancestry.com. Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1519-1969 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Julius Gentzkow and Magdalena Schultz married November 25, 1850.

The Groom is an Oeconom (a steward) in the town of Vogelsang. His mother is listed as Julie von Gentzkow of Jatzke, geboren von Gentzkow (maiden name is also von Gentzkow). No ages are listed for the Bride and Groom. Neither the Bride’s nor the Groom’s fathers are listed in this record. So, this marriage record connects the groom to his mother (identical to the baptism) and the groom to the bride, but is this man the same person as “George Edward”?

Immigration

Aug. Gentzkow (30), his wife Sophia (26), their son Georg (age 3) and infant Julius (10 months) arrived in New York on July 16, 1857.²Year: 1857; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Line: 10; List Number: 848. Ship Hammonia, arrival 16 July 1857, Aug Gentzkow line #328. The American ship record lists his occupation as farmer. The Hamburg departure record lists his occupation as Landmann (farmer).³Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934, 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 011 B, Ship Hammonia, departed June 30, 1857, Aug. Gentzkow, page 596, line 11.

This New York arrival record fits with the above marriage, although the wife’s maiden name is not given. Also, the age of Aug. [August] Gentzkow corresponds with the 1826 baptism record; he would have been 30 years old in June of 1857. August was one of Julius’ baptism names. But, is August the same person as “George Edward”? Is Sophia, the wife, Sophia Schultz? Are the two children in this immigration record George Gentzkow (1854-1939), the riverboat captain, and Julius “J.C.” Gentzkow (1856-1932), the Minneiska Boat Store owner?

Naturalization – Citizenship

March 1, 1959 in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, Julius Gentzkow declared his intention to be naturalized.⁴Buffalo County (Alma) WI Naturalization Intentions Book 1, page 73. Five years later, he became a U.S. Citizen. The record above is a photograph of the original Circuit Court record book.⁵Wisconsin Circuit Court (Buffalo County), Petitions for Naturalization Book 2, page 37.

At this same time, Julius Ginzkey also lived in Buffalo County and sought citizenship. But they are clearly different men; Ginzkey came from the Austrian Empire.⁶Buffalo County (Alma) WI Naturalization Intentions Book 1, page 151.

This citizenship record could logically be from an immigrant who arrived in New York in 1857. Julius Gentzkow renounced his allegiance to the Duke of Oldenburg; Julius’ birthplace of Bosau was a part of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg.

Birth Records of Children

The children’s births follow the relocations of Julius and Sophia/George and Sophia from Rostock, to Poppenbüttel, to Buffalo County, Wisconsin, to Minneiska, Minnesota.

The first two sons, born in Germany, are linked to the ancestral family of von Gentzkow through their baptism witnesses. Georg (b. 1854) has his father and paternal grandmother listed as second witness. Julius (b. 1856) has two of his father’s half-brothers as witnesses.

Real Estate Transactions

More than twenty years ago, I researched real estate transactions of the Gentzkow family in Wabasha County, Minnesota. The above record is the one of earliest land deals that I found: George Gentzkow and his wife Sophia sold property in the spring of 1875.¹⁴Wabasha Co MN Deed Book 12, page 487. When the son, George, bought and sold land, he presented himself as “George H. Gentzkow.”¹⁵Wabasha Co MN Deed Book 28, page 111.

There are no Wabasha County, Minnesota land transactions for a person named Julius or August Gentzkow. To date, neither Julius or George Gentzkow are found in Buffalo County, Wisconsin deed records.

Census Records

Census records are a family historian’s friend. However, use caution! Remember that the census was not created to be a genealogical record; the census was taken to count people. Most mistakes in census records are human error. Few census record mistakes are due to deliberate misinformation.

The census records provide snapshots of the Gentzkow family at regular intervals. Sophia is consistently listed as wife/second in the household. Also, the two eldest sons, George (b. 1854) and Julius (b, 1856), are enumerated with their father and mother through the 1875 census. Therefore, we can be certain that this is the same family in Buffalo County, Wisconsin and in Wabasha County, Minnesota.

Newspaper Obituaries

Mrs. George Gentzkow, Sr. died July 10, 1897. There is no record of George Gentzkow marrying a second time, so we know that this is Sophia (Schultz). The Winona (MN) Daily Republican published the obituary below.²⁴Neighborhood News: Obituary for Mrs. George Gentzkow, Sr. Winona (MN) Daily Republican. July 15, 1897. page 4, column 4. Her date of birth is given and her birth location is stated as Rostock which confirms her identity. The obituary gives a marriage date of 1849 (off by one year). Another incorrect date: immigration; it is likely that the writer was not privy to that exact information. And “She was the mother of eight children. Four have gone before her; the rest are residents of this place.”

G. E. [George Edward] Gentzkow died February 16, 1904. His obituary in the Wabasha (MN) Standard gives his birth date as September 18, 1822.²⁵Obituary G. E. Gentzkow. Wabasha (MN) Standard, February 25, 19104, page 1. “He was the happy father of eight children, four boys and four girls. Three sons and one daughter survive him, George H. of Portland, Ore., Julius C. and William E. and Katherine of Minneiska.”

The large gravestone at Evergreen Cemetery in Minneiska, Wabasha County, Minnesota is engraved:

GENTZKOW
Sophia von Gentzkow
1830-1897
Geo. von Gentzkow
1820-1904

Correlating the Evidence

Julius August Emil was born September 18, 1826; his mother attested and provided a statement for this date in the correction of the Bosau Church Record. The above obituary for G. E. Gentzkow lists his birth as September 18, 1822. His grave is marked 1820. And the death record for George Edward Gentzkow gives his birthdate as September 18, 1824.²⁶Wabasha County MN Death Book C, page 120, Minneiska Deaths 1904.

The birthday given for both Julius August Emil and George Edward is September 18th. Various birth years are found in the American record, but most are within a few years.

The most credible document, prepared closest to his birth, is the baptism record. Therefore, he was born on September 18, 1826 in Bosau, Oldenburg.

Are Julius August Emil (born to Julie von Gentzkow)
and
George Edward Gentzkow (who died in Minneiska, MN)
the same person?

Reasons to believe that Julius and George are the same person:

1. There are no other men named Julius or George Gentzkow living in the same places, at the same times and of the same age as the Julius/George in question.
2. Both men married a woman named Sophia Schultz. See the 1850 marriage document. Also see the obituary for Mrs. George Gentzkow Sr. They remained married until her death 1897.
3. Between the 1870 U.S. and 1875 Minnesota Census reports, the first name of the head of the Gentzkow household changed from Julius to George. Because the two eldest sons are also enumerated in this family on these two censuses, we confidently assert that Julius began calling himself George sometime in that 5-year time span.
4. The obituaries for both Sophia (Mrs. George) and G.E. (George) Gentzkow state that they were the parents of eight children. Four surviving children are mentioned, by name, in their father’s obituary in 1904. Three of the four surviving children had their birth-father listed as Julius (see chart above).
5. The first-named, surviving child of G.E. Gentzkow is George H. of Portland, Ore. On George H. Gentzkow’s death certificate,²⁷Oregon Death Certificate. George H. Gentzkow, died 27 Sep 1939. and on his baptism record (see above), his father’s name is Julius Gentzkow. In the 1904 obituary, his father is G.E. [George Edward] Gentzkow.
6. The second-named, surviving child of G.E. Gentzkow is Julius C. of Minneiska, MN. On Julius Conrad Gentzkow’s death certificate, his father’s name is George Gentzkow,²⁸Minnesota Death Certificate, Julius Conrad Gentzkow MN-1932-15477. and his baptism record lists his father as Julius.
7. The third-named, surviving child of G.E. Gentzkow is William E. of Minneiska, MN. On William E. Gentzkow’s death certificate, his father’s name is Geo. Gentzkow,²⁹Minnesota Death Certificate, William E. Gentzkow MN-1934-16397. and his baptism record lists his father as Julius.

Reasons to believe that Julius and George are not the same person:

1. The names Julius and George are not similar. We cannot presume that Julius and George are the same person based solely on the fact that their surname (albeit highly unusual) is the same.
2. There is no document produced during Julius/George’s lifetime that indicates a name-change or an also-known-as.
3. In neither Buffalo County, Wisconsin nor Wabasha County, Minnesota, are there deed records of Julius Gentzkow purchasing a piece of property and later George Gentzkow selling the exact piece of property.

Now, to answer the research question. After looking at LOTS of data, it is reasonable to state that, YES

Julius August Emil (born to Julie von Gentzkow)
and
George Edward Gentzkow (who died in Minneiska, MN)
are the same person.

Portrait of George Edward Gentzkow³⁰Photograph of George Edward Gentzkow owned by Bernard Gentzkow (1913-2003), Stroud Studio, Hastings, MN. Copy given to Karrie Blees.

What to Research Next?

von Gentzkow Wappen (coat of arms)
The name Gentzkow
Historic villages of the ancestral family von Gentzkow
More baptism records