|
| |
"George" - George Leonhart Zellhoefer
|
| George was born 1 April 1818 in Arnsbach, Rhine Bavaria,
Germany, immigrating to the USA in 1846 with his mother "MrsGJZ"
(for now), "Sister3", two young woman named Anna and Charlotte
(that name might be Christina!), his younger brother Mike, and younger
sister Christina. They landed in New York and shortly set out for
Rome, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, reaching there in late September.
By the time the ship ported, George and Anna were betrothed, and in
November 1846 they were married in a twin service with his brother
Leonhart and the above ?Charlotte?. It must have been
traumatic that Anna, and George's mother, and George's sister as well, all
succumbed to a cholera epidemic and died within the next 2-3 months, all
being buried in unmarked graves in the Riverview West cemetary just south
of Rome.
|
| George, like other family members in Rome, soon acquired
land to clear and to farm. Land cost only $1.25 per acre patented
from the federal government, and there are reports that he and other
family members bought and resold numerous acreage parcels. It's not
hard to imagine that more money was made from resales than from farming,
isn't it? !! |
| By November 1848 George's fortunes had risen considerably,
and he managed to find a new bride from a considerably more aristocratic
family. He married Johanne Christiana Fredericka TARSCH
("Fredericka"), and in due course 9 children arrived of that
union, their later descendants now disbursed largely to Iowa and
California, and including a doctor, several lawyers, an engineer, and one
might suppose many more professional-level people. |
| From the GGZ source autobiography we learn that George
became an evangelist circuit rider, and was away from their Rome homestead
for several length periods, preaching at revivals in Iowa, among other
places. It seems interesting that he is not mentioned as either
preacher or founder of the log Evangelical United Brethern Church built
near Rome in 1853, nor the brick replacement built in 1868 (source: "Sullivan
- Town 6 North"). |
| ed: attach tree here |
|
Something to fix, or to add? eMail RonKZ - thank you!
|
|
