Prior Family Research
16
Helen (Kirmse) Hacker shared the following note that a man and his wife had given her and had identified himself as J E Dunn.
A Visit
Helen wrote Norma (Kirmse) Rauh a letter January 24, 1989 in which she described the situation:
Getting back to names. When we were first married a man Ernest Dunn of Advance Mo. came here. Said he stayed here with the Kirmses and called them Uncle Louis & Uncle Joe. Evidently they were his Uncles or more likely Great-Uncles. Your brother Julius went to see Ernest Dunn. Don’t know if they know (Julius or Ernest) how they are related. Ernest Dunn was an old man 15 years so may not be living.
Summary of Julius Visit
Norma (Kirmse) Rauh developed the following summary chart based on notes taken by her brother, Julius Henry Kirmse, during his visit with the Dunn family.
Transcription of Chart
Krause Family
Barbara Krause – married Julius Kirmse
Renata Krause – (sister of Barbara) married George Krause – in Hutchdorf, Germany – Family came to US when their daughter, Katherina, was 6 weeks old.The two children of Renata and George Krause were:
- Katherina – b. 11 Aug 1866 d. 1 Jan 1905; married James Proctor Dunn – b. 9 July 1864. d. 3 Sept 1929.
- Johann – b. 1863 died Hutchdorf, Germany (census here shows a girl Johanah)
Children of Katherina and James Dunn were:
- Julia
- Chloe
- Oliver
- Arthur – WWI veteran – died 10 Apr 1922
- Finch – died 5 May 1929 – wife died Feb 1971
- James Ernest b. 1898 – married Grace Bollmeger, Methodist – children died in infancy (yet his death notice shows a son Harold)
- Zeta – single, taught, school until she retired
(Information from J.E.Dunn’s. while Julius and Hildegarde visited them)
Verification Notes
A check of the above facts with available documents, shows the following:
- Renada’s death certificate has that she was born 6 April 1836 in Germany and her father was “E[J]opst Krauss”.
- In the 1870 US Census, “Renad and George Krause” have two daughters, “Hannah” age 7 and “Catherine” Age 4
- In the 1880 US Census, “Rennola and George Krouse” have two daughters, “Johanna” age 16 and “Catherina” Age 13.
- In the 1900 US Census, “Rainait Krans” has had 2 children and 1 is livIng.
- In the 1910 US Census, “Renada Krauss” has had 2 children and none are living.
- In the 1940 US Census, James E Dunn has a son, Harold Jame age 16.
- Katherina’s birth of 11 Aug 1866 and death of 01 Jan 1905 match that shown on her gravestone (See Catherine Krause Dunn Find A Grave Memorial #82752718 at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=82752718)
- Oliver’s death certificate has that his mother “Rena Krauss” was born in Germany.
- Arthur’s death certificate has that his mother “Catherine Krause” was born in Germany.
Conclusions
- While some of the fact details are not exactly correct, this visit does give further evidence that Renada (Kraus) Krauss and Barbara (Kraus) Kirmse were sisters (or half sisters).
- The information that Katherina [Catherine] was 6 months old when the George and Renada (Kraus) Krauss family came to the USA proved helpful in identifying when the Krauss family arrived and what ship they arrived on. See Chapter George and Renada (Kraus) Krauss Immigration
- What is not mentioned is that Renada and Barbara were said to have another sister who migrated to the USA and also lived in Perry County, Missouri.
Where
Ernest Dunn had to make a definite effort to visit. Advance, Missouri is about 1 1/2 hours drive from Farrar, Missouri.