Descendants of Gottlieb and Katherine (Stoeszel) Fingerlin

1894-1999

A printed 1913 Public School Souvenir Memories (end of school year) pamphlet for WHITE OAK PUBLIC SCHOOL, District 187, Melrose Township, Adams Co., IL, lists the following:

Directors’ Henry VOLLRATH,
President; Gottlieb FINGERLIN;
John VOLLRATH, Clerk and Alfred R. MILLER, Teacher.

Pupils listed were Emma FINGERLIN, Carl FINGERLIN, Marie FINGERLIN, Pauline FINGERLIN, Elmer VOLLRATH, Harvey VOLLRATH, Ida VOLLRATH, Irma VOLLRATH, Wilbur VOLLRATH, Grace VOLLRATH, Isabel EHRHARDT, Nora HOCKGRABER, Edna MEYER, Nora MEYER and Margaret MEYER. On the last page is “And now farewell! the day declines, The sun is on the wane, The shadows fall, the curtain drops, We break our school days chain.”

WHITE OAK SCHOOL was about 1 1/2 miles north of the 182 acre FINGERLIN farm through which Burton Creek (earlier plat maps show it as South Fork, Mill Creek) flowed or about 3 miles east of St. Anthony’s Church. These were children of the Gottlieb FINGERLIN, Henry and John VOLLRATH, A. HOCHGRABER/HOCKGRABER, E. MEYER and/or J.B. MEYER and J. EHRHARDT families which lived and farmed in that area.

My grandfather, Gottlieb FINGERLIN, b. November 27, 1871, Brombach, Heidelburg, Baden, Germany came from Germany via June 02, 1894 to Adams Co., IL. His father, Friedrich “Fritz” FINGERLIN, b. October 15, 1841, Germany, d, March 13, 1934, Melrose Township, mother, Elisabeth, b. 1845, Germany, d. early 1900s, Melrose Township and brother Christian FINGERLIN, b. February 29, 1876, Bromback, Baden, Wiesental, Germany, March 04, 1959, Melrose Township, arrived at Ellis Island, NY on May 31, 1897 and came to Adams Co., IL.

Gottlieb married Katherine Elizabeth STOESZEL, b. November 23, 1868, Gilmer Township, on March 1, 1897 in Columbus, Adams Co., IL. She was the daughter of Henry William STOESZEL & Anna Gertrude ERDMAN, of near Columbus, IL. Seven children where born of this union, four of which are named above attending the school. Other children were Louise FINGERLIN (my mother, who started in the same school that fall), Fred FINGERLIN and William FINGERLIN. After Gottlieb passed away August 24, 1944, William & Cecilia FINGERLIN purchased the farm, March 30, 1945.

1. Emma FINGERLIN, b. September 24, 1898, Melrose Township, Adams, IL, d. April 1995, Placerville, El Dorado, CA, m. Robert J. SANDOR, b. March 11, 1900, Quincy, IL, d. February 20, 1992, Placerville, El Dorado, CA, abt. 1923, in Quincy, Adams, IL.
2. Marie FINGERLIN, b. October 29, 1900, Melrose Township, Adams, IL, d.
   August 06, 1949, Melrose Township, Adams, IL.
3. Pauline “Polli” E. FINGERLIN, b. October 10, 1902, Melrose Township, Adams, IL, d. November 19, 1994, Chicago, Cook, IL, m. (1) Irving CARPENTER, abt. 1930, (2) Robert KLECKNER, abt. 1970.
4. Carl FINGERLIN, b. October 03, 1904, Melrose Township, Adams, IL, d. February 06, 1999, Quincy, Adams, IL.
5. Louise FINGERLIN, b. May 20, 1907, Melrose Township, Adams, IL, d. January 17, 1988, The Woodlands, Montgomery, TX, m. Robert Franklin SLOCUM, b. October 18, 1906, Quincy, Adams, IL, d. June 15, 1966, Quincy, Adams, IL in October 19, 1929 in Pittsfield, Pike, IL. Robert was the son of Charles B. SLOCUM & Grace WOOLMS of Quincy, Adams, IL.
6. Fred FINGERLIN, b. January 11, 1910, Melrose Township, Adams, IL, d. January 11, 1984, m. Inez BERG, abt. July 1938, in Minneapolis, Ramsey, MN.
7. William FINGERLIN, b. November 13, 1912, Melrose Township, Adams, IL, d. October 09, 1976, Quincy, Adams, IL, m. Cecelia MILLER, February 18, 1939 in Clayton, St. Louis, MO. Cecilia was the daughter of William Frederick MILLER and Carolina L. SCHUTTE of Quincy, Adams, IL. William was a Melrose Township Supervisor in the 1960s & 1970s.

Don Slocum – Texas, would appreciate any information on these names.  Researching – SLOCUM, HOUGHTON, BOUDE, WOOLMS, PHELPS, FLETCHER, TARR, FINGERLIN, STOESZEL, ERDMAN.

Fingerlin history provided by Don Slocum.