Happy Birthday Great Uncle John Trautner!

John Trautner was born on April 18, 1885 in Lake Henry, Minnesota. He is the 2nd great uncle of Walt’s sister-in-law.

John Trautner was 6th child born to George and Maria Gangl Trautner. Their oldest son is the great-grandfather of our sister-in-law. George and Maria came to the United States in 1875, and their first son was born in Austria. The family lived in Minnesota for many years, where the family had a farm. In the late 1880’s they moved to South Dakota, where their youngest child was born.

On November 17, 1908, John Trautner married Elizabeth Burján, the daughter of Ferenc and Teréz Gulyás Burján. Elizabeth was born in Austria and arrived in the United States in 1904.

The family lived in Marshall County, South Dakota for many years. The 1910 census finds the young couple living with John’s parents on the family farm. George and Maria are retired, and John and Elizabeth have their first born child. Clarence.

John and Elizabeth went on to have 6 more children. In this photo from 1946, we see six children. Daughter Mathilda died in 1942.

The 1950 census finds them living on the farm. Son Adelbert and his wife Lottie and their two children are living on the farm with them. Around 1951, John and Elizabeth retired from farming and moved into the town of Eden, South Dakota. They lived there for the rest of their lives. John Trautner died on February 11, 1961. Elizabeth died on August 6, 1980.