Descendants of Detlef Geerdts II still live in Manitowoc / Two Rivers, Wisconsin. He was the younger brother of my g-g-grandfather Heinrich N. Geerdts. Birth, death & marriage certificates would be helpful.

Heinrich's wife was Maria Weidt, Vogt or Wiedt. She and Heinrich lived in Sheboygan, but both died in Milwaukee. Any naturalization papers or immigration information on any of the Geerdts or Weidt families in Manitowoc, Sheboygan, or Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is appreciated.

My great-grandfather, Gustav Geerdts, was born (supposedly) in Wandsbek or Wandsbeck, Germany (I always assumed this was the one near Hamburg). From there he moved to Sheboygan/Manitowac, Wisconsin, USA, and from there to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Recently I discovered that his father, Heinrich Geerdts, also moved to Wisconsin, and that Heinrich's younger brother, Detliv or Detlef Geerdts II also moved to Wisconsin, and had a farm near Manitowac/Two Rivers on Lake Michigan (current site of the Two Rivers Nuclear Power Plant).

Now the interesting part: On Detlef II's (or Detliv) death record (I think) it says his father was Detlef (or Detliv) Geerdts (father of Heinrich, also), AND that Detlef II was born in Neukirchen, Germany on 30 April, 1857.

So the GEERDTS generations are as follows:
Detlef Heinrich GEERDTS, born in Germany, 13 Jan., 1815, married Sophia Charlotte SPECHT, born in Germany about the same time. He died: 22nd May, 1871 (probably in Germany). Her death date is unknown, as is their marriage date (except it's probably between 1835 - 1845). They had:
1) Heinrich (or Heinrick) N. GEERDTS, born 8 Sept. 1846, we always assumed it was in Wandsbek near Hamburg, BUT there is a Wandsbek near Oldenburg, which Neukirchen is also near. He married Maria C. WEIDT (birthplace unknown) (or VOGT) some time before 1874. Family rumor has it that he was a German army officer who hit another officer and had to leave the country. They had:
a: Gustav Martin Carl Geerdts (born 5 Feb 1874, listed as Wandsbek) (married Bertha STARKE in Wisconsin)
b: Max Geerdts (born 20 Feb 1875, lived 2 weeks, died in March, 1875)
c. Hans H. (John) Geerdts, (born 1 Sept., 1876, also in Wandsbek). Married Susan Johanna KOMMERS
d. Wanda Geerdts (born 6 March 1881)(died 11 Feb 1882)

2) Detliv or Detlef Heinrich GEERDTS II, born 30 April 1857 in Neukirchen, Germany. Got married in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA on 20 November, 1881 to Anna Margrette JANZEN.

Heinrich's son Gustav married Bertha STARKE. She had a brother, Otto STARKE, who evidently died in Wisconsin. Did he have a family? Where did he die? We have no information.

Bertha had a good friend, sister or half-sister, Pauline Kassner or Kastner, who was married to Theodore Kastner of Medford, Taylor County, Wisconsin. They had a farm there in the 1890's, but no mention is made of them after that.

Bertha's brother Fritz Starke and his wife Mathilde lived in Rockton, Wisconsin, during the same time period, but no further mention is made of them.
In one of their letters, dated 1897, it talks about Fritz doing something with the Postal Service (a wagon driver), and that within 3 years the railroad would come through town and all their contracts would be bought out, so they expected to leave town about then (approximately 1900). See more information here on this page where it has more cemetary and 1900 census information. See the letters here.

Bertha's brother Ernst STARKE was a butcher in Kiel, Germany until about 1924, when the family lost track of them. A daughter is believed to have married a PETERSEN or PETERSON and still lived in Kiel in the 1990s, but would not answer phone calls or letters.

The Kuhns family came to Milwaukee in the mid-1800s, but from where?

My Grandfather George KUHNS had many brothers and sisters, but through the years we have lost track of all of their children and grandchildren. They may have the last names of KUHNS, KUNTZ, PETERS, GUNDLACH.

Ole Kristian KARLSEN (Carlson) first settled in Washburn, Wisconsin, then moved to Alderson, Alberta, Canada. Several of his children and grand-children live in Alberta; his oldest daughter Anne's grandchildren live mostly in the Washburn area, and I am the oldest son of his oldest son's only daughter.

John "Muley" CARLSON (aka Johan KARLSEN), the older brother of my great-grandfather Ole Kristian Carlson, (Ole Kristian KARLSEN) came from Norway to Wisconsin to Alberta, married Olina, and finally settled in Sunnyside near Marysville, Washington. He passed away about 1924. Marysville is on the tidewater area at the north edge of the Snohomish river delta. Sunnyside, now a suburban housing area, is located about four miles south and east of Marysville on a hill overlooking the Snohomish river delta. At one time it was a farming area and had its own school.
His children lived in the Seattle area, but most of his descendants have lost contact with us.
Update Jan 22, 02! (I guess I should read my e-mails!) John had three daughters: one born in born 1905, one born in 1909, and one born in 1913. I am now in touch with the daughter of John's youngest daughter!

Ole Anthinius MORTENSEN and Peter Kristian MORTENSEN were 2 brothers of my great-grandmother Marie MORTENSDATTER. They may have changed their last names to STAMSVIK. Ole Anthinus Mortensen born 04141872, supposedly lived by the Pacific Coast.

 Petter Kristian Mortensen, born 02011864, came to America in 1891. Peter's wife was Marianne LARSEN He went to America with his daughters: 1. Lene Emilda MORTENSEN or PEDERSEN, born 09091886

2. Anna Elisa MORTENSEN or PEDERSEN, born 06051883, who married Albert JOHNSON.

Astrid Charlotte KRISTENSEN born 05/13/1896: A relative (niece?) of my great-grandmother Marie MORTENSDATTER CARLSON; according to relatives in Norway, she went to Duluth, Minnesota, so probably ended up in Washburn with the rest of the family, probably with her uncle Peter Kristian MORTENSEN (STAMSVIK).

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Nachtigal or Nachtigall / Korth or Kohrt

If you have any information on any of these people or their children, where they lived, or vital records from that area, please e-mail me at [email protected] OR [email protected]