Gerhard Wellman was born on August 16, 1857 in Besten by Ankum, Germany. Gerhard is Walt’s great grandfather.

Gerhard’s parents were Johann and Catharina Heil Wellman. He was the fifth child born to the union.

Gerhard served in the Prussian army in 1878 and 1879. You can see his discharge paper in this post. He came to the United States in 1884. I have a date of August 30, but I am not sure if that is the day he left Germany or the day he arrived. He arrived in New Orleans and came to the West Point area. His brother Bernard had arrived the year before.

Gerhard Wellman married Maria Catharina Kruempelmann on January 26, 1886 in West Point, Iowa. They were married at St Mary’s Church. They had 6 children, although one, Franzizcus, died at age 4. Maria died in 1904.

Gerhard was a farmer and was known for his horses. You can read some of Georgie’s (his grandaughter, Walt’s Mom) memories in this post.

Gerhard and his children in 1905. His daughter Elizabeth is Walt’s grandmother.

Gerhard Wellman died on March 12, 1927.

There are several posts about Gerhard and his family on the blog.