Heinrich Henry Wellman was born on October 20, 1889 in Aslage by Ankum Germany to Herman and Mary Brinker Wellman. Henry Wellman is Walt’s 1st cousin twice removed.
Henry Wellman was the 5th of six children born to Herman and Mary. I wrote about his sister Catherine here. The family traveled to the United States in 1897. The came on the ship Dresden from Bremen to Baltimore, Maryland, arriving August 18. The listing is not very clear, by the family is about the middle of the page.
Henry and his family traveled to southeastern Iowa to join his uncles. Gerhard (Walt’s great grandfather) had come over in 1884 and Bernard in 1883. Herman and his family took up residence in West Point Township where Herman was a farmer.
By 1920, the family was in Pleasant Ridge Township. Henry was running the family farm. Herman and Mary were living on the farm.
On October 22, 1924, Henry married Bertha Wiggenjost at St. Mary’s Church in Fort Madison, Iowa. They took up residence at the farm. I find it interesting to see that the marriage certificate has Henry’s place of birth as St. Paul, Iowa.
By 1930, Henry and Birdie (as Bertha was known) had 3 children. One daughter, Clara, died in infancy. They had three more children in the 1930’s.
Through the 1940s, they continued to live on the farm. The 1950 census shows their 3 youngest children still at home.
Henry Wellman died on February 9, 1976.
JimFreitag
I lived in Pleasantridge. Went to Burr-Oak school as a 2nd grader in 1958-9. My at who passed in 2022, was Deloris Wellman Freitag.