Corrections and Additions to East Friesland Immigrants to Golden

Corrections and Additions to East Friesland Immigrants to Golden

I saw the list of Ost Friesland (Germany) immigrants who settled in Adams County, IL, and noted a couple of errors, viz: Miller, Schone.

Gerd Fokken Miller (Mueller) and wife Gesche  (Flesner) Miller came to America in 1852. They and their family are on the passenger list for the ship “Zaretan” which departed Bremen in the summer of 1852 and arrived in New York City on September 16, 1852. (The list on web site says they arrived in 1863 but the 1852 ship’s list and 1860 census for Adams County proves otherwise; they lived and farmed north of Clayton. A son, Dirk, served in Company I, 84th Illinois Volunteers and was killed in the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee, being killed the first day of that battle, Dec. 31, 1862.

Schone — The web page also mentions John Borchert “Schonme”. This is actually John Borchert Schone (not to be confused with Schoene, which is a different family). John Borchert Schone’s obituary clearly states that as a young man he came to America with his parents, Borchert Jansen Schone and Gretje (Gronewald) Schone in 1865. In Germany they lived in the vicinity of Wrisse (NOT Holtrop as noted with the question mark), near Aurich, Ost Friesland. As a young man John Borchert Schone helped build the ship docks at Wilhelmshaven. Borchert, Gretje and son John are on the passenger list of the paddle-wheel steamer “Atlantic” which departed Bremen on September 10, 1865 and arrived New York City on November 2, 1865 (JBS’s obit says they arrived Nov. 12, but actual ships manifest says Nov. 2.) They settled north of Keokuk Junction (Golden).

Although not yet proven, it seems that the “William B. Schoon” mentioned as helping to build the Gronewald windmill in 1865 is a brother to John Borchert Schone, having gone to America earlier. (JBS’s obit mentions a brother and sister but only states that he (JBS) came to America with his parents, as reflected on the “Atlantic’s” passenger list.

Finally, a note onRudolph and Trientje (Kruse) Taute. They did come to America in 1868 from Holtrop.  Rudolph served in the Hannovarian army during the Austro-Prussian war of 1866. I have a photograph of him in uniform upon which my grandmother, Trientje “Tina” (Taute) Schone had written: “Father in Germany.” I understand that Rudolph and Trientje Taute were briefly in Nebraska before coming to the Golden region.

Anyway, these are my forebears on my mother’s side of the family and I thought I’d bring a couple of discrepancies to light.

Cleve Barkley
Loraine, IL
March 6, 2016