Grafton Archives - Zalewski Family Genealogy

Centenarian Plus 0.03

Posted on 2 March 2014by Brian Zalewski

The third ancestor I chose on my 52 Ancestors challenge is my maternal great-great-grandmother, August (LUEDTKE) LAST. She holds a unique position in my ancestry as the only ancestor that I know of to have lived to at least 100 years of age. Though, she passed away 11 days (0.03 years) after her 100th birthday, but it still counts.

As the information I found notes, Augusta Johanna Wilhelmine Luedtke was born around 3 July 1863 in Storkow, Pomerania. Her parents are listed as Carl LUEDTKE and Friederike FRITZ on her marriage record. Funny thing about Storkow is that there are many villages with this name in old Pomerania, which is around modern-day northwestern Poland. There are at least 3 according to Kartenmeister. Fortunately, a lot of the church records for Pomerania are available digitally on FamilySearch. I’ve looked through a lot of them record-by-record in the vicinity of these towns with no luck, so the search continues. It’s one of those nagging brick walls that I always come back to since I feel that I’m very close.

According to census records, she emigrated to the US sometime around 1881-1882. This would make her about 18-19, so it’s hard to say if she came with her family or on her own, but I have found information on a sister living in Wisconsin, so that’s another avenue of research. This is also in that fuzzy area since the 1890 census is missing and by the time I find her in the 1900 Census, she is married and has had 11 children. Some of my next steps are to dig into Milwaukee records from this time as she was married there.

On 25 February 1883, she married Charles Carl LAST in Milwaukee. They soon settled in Grafton, Ozaukee, Wisconsin and, according to an 1892 Plat Map, they lived on a farm close to the town of Port Washington. Charles and Augusta were experts in the field of creating children as over the course of 25 years, they had 16 of them. My great-grandmother, Madora, was born in 1898. A few of them did not make it through childhood, but a lot of them went on to have full lives and create many, many cousins for me to connect with. I actually met a 3rd cousin from this family line through a match over on 23andMe and we’ve shared some information, including the first family photo I saw of this family.

Augusta’s husband died in 1926 soon after they moved out of the rural area and into a house in the City of Port Washington, right near the high school. After she had trouble getting around she moved in with some of her children, including my great-grandmother, where she was when she passed away. She lived long enough that my mom can remember things about her. Augusta passed away 11 days after her 100th birthday on 14 July 1863 and is buried with many of her family at Union Cemetery in Port Washington.

This post is 3 of 52 in the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” Challenge” begun by Amy Johnson Crow.

Weekly History

Weekly History: April 18th – 24th

Posted on 18 April 2010by Brian Zalewski

I plan on adding major events for both my family tree and my wife’s family tree from now on. That should help some of those less busy weeks. As always, you can find all of this information yourself on the Dates & Anniversaries page.

April 18th

1892 – Married – Thomas J CORRIGAN & Emma Jane FIRMENICH – Thomas and Emma are my great-great-grandparents on my father’s side. They were married at Sanborn, Ashland Co., Wisconsin. This was Thomas’ second marriage as his first wife died in about 1890. Thomas and Emma had 9 children, including my great-grandfather, Maurice CORRIGAN. Thomas passed away just before their last child, Sadie, was born in 1915. Emma later re-married 2 more times before she died in 1941.

1999 – Died – Richard ZALEWSKI – Richard is my grandfather on my father’s side. He was born 9 Dec 1921 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Joseph & Emily (TROKA) ZALEWSKI. He married my grandmother, Mary Jane CORRIGAN, on 11 Oct 1947 in Milwaukee. He passed away in Cedarburg, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin and is buried there at St. Francis-Borgia Cemetery. His death was one of the main reasons I got into genealogy in the first place.

April 19th

1678 – Born – Anna Maria LUDWIG – Anna Maria is my wife’s 8th-great-grandmother on her father’s side. She was born in Kurnbach, Baden, Germany. She married Johann Phillip NAST in 1703 and had 7 children. She passed away on 3 May 1748 at Kurnbach, Baden, Germany.

April 20th

1740 – Born – Nathaniel SHANNON – Nathaniel is my wife’s 6th-great-grandfather on her mother’s side. He was born in Portsmouth, Rockingham Co., New Hampshire to Nathaniel & Alice (FROST) SHANNON. He married Ann B CARD in February 1761. He passed away in September 1792 is Portsmouth.

1800 – Born – Antoine Joseph CALONNE – Antoine is my wife’s 4th-great-grandfather on her mother’s side. He was born in Grand-Leez, Namur, Belgium. He married Marie Eleanore Josephe ETIENNE in 1821. He passed away on 9 Dec 1870 in Grand-Leez.

1900 – Died – Charlotte STRASSMAN – Charlotte is my 3rd-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born 20 Jul 1817 in Germany. She married Johann W G LAST sometime before 1850 in Germany before emigrating in 1857. She passed away at Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin and is buried at Union Cemetery in Port Washington, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin.

April 21st

1722 – Born – ThÃ©rÃ¨se DARD – ThÃ©rÃ¨se is my 7th-great-grandmother of my father’s side. She was born at Menoux, Haute-SaÃ´ne, France. She married Pierre Francois QUINET in 1751 and had 7 children. She presumably passed away in France, as did her husband.

April 24th

1927 – Died – Johann THIELKE – Johann is my great-great-grandfather on my mother’s side. He was born 26 Oct 1843 in Schwerin, Mecklenburg, Germany. He immigrated with his family in about 1854. He married Wilomene C RATHKE in 1891 and had one child, Arthur. He passed away at Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin and is buried there at St. Paul’s Cemetery.

Surname Surname Saturday

Surname Saturday: LAST

Posted on 30 January 2010by Brian Zalewski

No, not a last name, the name LAST. You should see how difficult it is to do any sort of search on this surname. Typing in “last surname” or just “last” into search engines usually gets me a lot more than I need. Sometimes it gives me “Did you mean ‘last name’?” It’s even tough on genealogy sites like Ancestry, since some records put in “Last” if the person’s surname was unknown.

The LAST surname first shows up in my tree from my great-grandmother on my maternal side, Madora Martha Louisa LAST, who married Arthur THIELKE. Madora was one of 16 children! She was the tenth child for Charles Carl LAST and Augusta Johanna LUEDTKE, born in Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin. Charles was born in Doeringshagen, Pommerania, which is located in present day Poland. His parents were Johann W G LAST (a Civil War veteran) and Charlotte STRASSMAN. Charles has immigrated to Wisconsin with his parents in 1857 and shows up in the 1860 Census in Wisconsin.

According Ancestry’s surname information page, LAST was most common in Wisconsin in 1880. Also, they note it to mean a metonymic occupational name for a porter, from Middle High German last; German Last or Yiddish last “˜burden’, “˜load’. A porter is more than likely someone who was in charge of a door or a gate (similar to a doorman.)

There are many LASTs in this area, most of which probably descend from Augusta & Charles and their 16 children. Augusta not only had 16 children, but she lived to be 100-years-old. Now comes the part when I need to research back in Poland.

Weekly History

Weekly History: June 21st – 27th

Posted on 21 June 2009by Brian Zalewski

June 21

1891 – Married – Johann THIELKE & Wilomene C RATHKE – Johann and Minnie are my great-great-grandparents on my mother’s side. They were married in Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin. Minnie was previously married, as I found out in the census and passenger lists, to man named Frank HOLZ. I think this was Johann’s first marriage. I’m only aware of them having one child, my great-grandfather Arthur.

1931 – Born – Robert John ZALEWSKI – Robert is my great uncle on my father’s side. He was born in Milwaukee as my great-grandparent’s last child. I know I met him at some point in my life, but I don’t remember him too much. He lived in the Balitmore, MD area. He passed away a few months after my grandfather in 1999.

June 23

1809 – Born – Sophia Elizabeth STRASSMAN – Sophia is my 4th-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born in Wahmbeck, Hanover, Germany. She married Friedrich MUHM in 1844 in the state of New York. She passed away on 23 Nov 1869 at Germantown, Washington Co., Wisconsin and is buried nearby at Christ Evangelical Cemetery in the unincorporated Dhiensville, Washington Co., Wisconsin.

1873 – Born – Emma Jane FIRMENICH – Emma Jane is my great-great-grandmother on my father’s side. She was born at Wrightsown, Brown Co., Wisconsin to Mathias & Pauline FIRMENICH. She married Thomas CORRIGAN on 18 Apr 1892 and together they had 9 children. She passed away on 28 Apr 1941 in Ashland, Ashland Co., Wisconsin and is buried there at St. Agnes Cemetery.

June 24

1678 -Married – Leonard PAILLARD & Marie Louise VACHON – Leonard and Marie are my 9th-great-grandparents on my mother’s side. They were more than likely married in Quebec, Canada because my notes indicate, “June 24, 1678, he signed his marriage contract in front of the Aubert notary. He married (Marie) Louise Vachon. From this union were born eleven children, six boys and five girls.”

June 26

1929 – Died – Wilomene C (RATHKE) THIELKE – Minnie is my great-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born 1 Sep 1857 in Pommerania, Prussia. She married, her second, my great-great-grandfather on 21 Jun 1891. She passed away in Wisconsin and is buried near where I live at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin.

Weekly History

Weekly History: May 10th – 16th

Posted on 11 May 2009by Brian Zalewski

May 10

1716 – Died – Jean LaFond MONGRAIN – Jean LaFond is my 9th-great-grandfather on my mother’s side. He was born about 1646 in Trois-Rivieres, St. Maurice, Quebec, Canada. His parents had immigrated from France to this area. He married Catherine SENECAL and passed away in Batiscan, Champlain, Quebec, Canada.

May 11

1809 – Married – Phillipus Jacobus Bernardus VAN PARIJS & Anna Theresia JUNIS – Phillipus wins the award for the most “us” names. Besides that, Phillipus and Anna were married in Hoofdplaat, Zeeland, Netherlands. They are my 5th-great-grandparents on my mother’s side. They had three children: Jacobus, Anna, and Johannes.

May 12

1725 – Born – Maria TRUIJEN – Maria is my 7th-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born in Genk, Limburg, Belgium to Peter TRUIJEN and Christina WAEBEN. She married Paulus VAN CRAYBECK in about 1748. She passed away at the age of 63 in 1789.

May 14

1833 – Died – Jacoba KNUDDE – Jacoba is my 6th-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born about 1759. She married Pieter JUNIS and was passed away in Hoofdplaat, Zeeland, Netherlands.

1898 – Born – Madora Martha Louise LAST – Madora is my great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She was born in Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin to Carl F H LAST and Augusta LUEDTKE. Madora married my great-grandfather, Arthur THIELKE, in 1919. She passed away only months from my birthday on 10 Sep 1979 and is buried at St. Paul’s Cemetery in Grafton.

Cemeteries German Thielke Tombstone Tuesday

Tombstone Tuesday: Peter Thielke

Posted on 3 March 2009by Brian Zalewski

Peter THIELKE was my 3rd-great-grandfather on my mother’s side. Peter came to America with his wife Marie (maiden name unknown) sometime between 1854 and 1856. I figured this since their son Charles “Fritz” was born in 1854 in Germany and their son Herman was born in Wisconsin in 1856. Their second son, Johann, was my 2nd-great-grandfather. They settled in Grafton, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin and lived there for the rest of their lives. Peter and his wife Marie are buried at Union Cemetery in Port Washington, Ozaukee Co., Wisconsin.

[ Find-A-Grave Entry ]