Christian Friedrich Konrad Junkermeier I
Christian "Chris" Friedrich Konrad Junkermeier I was born November 15, 1814 at Stemmen 58, son of Johann Konrad and Maria Elisabeth (Bierbaum) Wiethaupt, Junkermeier. Christian was the inheritor of Stemmen 58. He was a farmer.
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First marriage
Christian married April 25, 1841 Wilhelmine Henriette Lennier, born September 23, 1820 at Bentorf 28. Wilhelmine’s parents were Peter Geerke-Lennier (born Apr. 10, 1775 at Elsdorf in Hannover; he was a street cleaner; died Sept. 16, 1849 at Bentorf 28) and Anna Sophie Ilsebein Lennier (born Nov. 4, 1784 at Bentorf; died Jan. 21, 1828 at Bentorf 28). Wilhelmine’s father was born a Geerke, but he took the Lennier family name upon his marriage to Anna Sophie Lennier. Wilhelmine’s maternal grandparents were Johann Heinrich Lennier (born at Bentorf, baptized Nov. 26, 1752; married Dec. 8, 1782) and his wife Anna Ilsebein (Diekmann) Lennier (born at Bronsen, baptized Nov. 3, 1752). As in all of the generations of the Junkermeier family in Germany, Christian and Wilhelmine were members of the Evangelical Reformed Church at Varenholz. Wilhelmine died Sept. 1, 1848 at Stemmen 58.
Children
Christian and Wilhelmine had two children, born at Stemmen 58 (1-2):
- Christian Friedrich Konrad Junkermeier II, born Feb. 9, 1943.
- August Heinrich Junkermeier, born Mar. 26, 1846.
Second marriage
After Wilhelmine's death in 1848, Christian married July 29, 1849 Henriette Sophie Louise Söfker, born July 21, 1821 at Stemmen, daughter of Hermann and Louise Söfker of Stemmen. Christian’s second wife died Mar. 15, 1861 at Stemmen 58.
Children
Christian and Henriette had three children, who also were born at Stemmen 58 (3-5):
- Konrad Hermann (“Herman”) Junkermeier, born Jan. 26, 1852.
- Eleonore Louise (“Louisa”) Junkermeier, born Apr. 6, 1854.
- Friedrich Wilhelm (“William”) Junkermeier, born Jan. 16, 1857.
Journey to America
Christian came to the United States in 1874, accompanied by his youngest son, William. A letter dated October 1, 1875 at the Storm Lake, Iowa post office for Christian (Storm Lake Pilot, v. 5, no. 51, Oct. 6, 1875) confirms this. On November 1, 1875, there were letters at the same post office for Christian and for his son Herman (Storm Lake Pilot, v. 6, no. 3, Nov. 3, 1875). They had come there the previous spring and by June, 1875, Herman had bought 160 acres in Hayes township, Buena Vista County, 4 miles south of Storm Lake. On Jan. 1, 1876, there was a letter at the Storm Lake post office for Christian’s son William, and another letter there for William on May 1, 1877. The area from which Christian and four of his five children came, and the area to which they came, are connected with the Lippe settlement in Wisconsin.
Christian’s son, Herman, came to the U.S. in 1868, when he was 16, settling first at the Sheboygan, Wisconsin settlement, then going with Christian to Sac County, Iowa, at least by 1875, when Herman bought 160 acres in the neighboring Hayes township of Buena Vista County. Christian’s daughter, Louisa, and the neighbors from Stemmen with whom she came to this country about 1869 (the Homeiers) immigrated to the settlement at Sheboygan, where she worked in the Mission House of the Reformed Church. In 1875, Louisa married, and she and her husband bought and moved onto their farm in Hayes township, Buena Vista County, next to the farm of her brother Herman, and thus also neighboring the settlement in Eden township, Sac County. Buena Vista County was the home of August and his family, after a one-year stop in the Illinois settlement. When Christian came to this country, he lived in the home of Louisa on sections 32 and 33 of Hayes township, Buena Vista County, Iowa.
Death
On February 2, 1884, Christian fell from a load of hay at the farm of his son Herman, suffered a brain concussion, “and after lying unconscious three days he passed over the dark river” (Storm Lake Pilot, Thursday, Feb. 7, 1884, under Hayes township news). The death record also says he was a farmer and a widower. The funeral services were Feb. 6, at 10:30 am. He was buried in the cemetery of the Immanuel Reformed Church, Eden township, Sac County, where he was a member. Although his tombstone gives his age at the time of his death as 73, he actually was 69 years old when he died.Christian’s will was probated Mar. 19, 1884. It states that Christian had already given to his sons August and Christian what he wanted them to have. He left his daughter Louisa $5.00; the residue of his estate was to be divided between is other two sons, Herman and William, who also were appointed executors of the will.
The white marble stone marking Christian’s grave in the back row of the cemetery next to the Immanual Reformed Church bears the following inscription in German (the spelling is left as inscribed):
| “ | Hier ruhet in Gott Christian Junkermeier gest. den 2. Feb. 1884 im Alter von 73 Jahren 3 Monat. und 19 Tagen Ach, ich habe sie erblicket, alle diese Herlichkeit. Jetzt werd’ ich schön geschmücket mit dem weissen Himelskleid und der goldnen Ehrenkrone stehe ich vor Gottes Throne u. sehe solche Freude an die kein Ende nehmen kann. |
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The following is an English translation:
| “ | Here rests in God Christian Junkermeier died the 2nd of Feb. 1884 at the age of 73 years 3 months and 19 days Oh, I have seen it, all this splendor. Now I have been adorned beautifully with the white robe of Heaven and the golden crown of honor; I stand before God’s throne and see such joy, to which there can be no end. |
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