HISTORY: Browns, Sugar Creek and Riggs Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Marilu Thurman Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ________________________________________________________ NOTE: For more information on Clinton County, Iowa Please visit the Clinton County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/clinton/ ________________________________________________________ Browns, Sugar Creek and Riggs Waterford Township, Clinton County, Iowa Compiled by Lorraine Houghton and Marilu Thurman, April 2005 The whole file with a more complete history on some of the families and the pictures and maps are available on CD and in printed copy. They can be ordered from Marilu for $8.00 each. My email address is Marilu1030@aol.com. Please put Browns History File in the subject line so I do not delete the email. History of the Early Settlers in Browns 4 The Ahlers Family 4 The Arkenberg Family 5 The Assenmacher Family 5 The Banowetz Families 5 The Boehmer Family 6 The Bormann Family 7 The Brinkman Family 8 The Brown Family 8 The Burken Family 9 The Buthala Families 10 The Derganz Family 10 The Determan Family 10 The Elsner Family 12 The Fier Family 14 The Franzen Family 14 The Frett Families 15 The Fuegen Family 15 The German Family 16 The Gollobitch Families 16 The Grossman Family 16 The Herwath Family 16 The Jaklitsch Family 17 The Kerwin Family 17 The Lamseroth Family 17 The Lamuth Families 17 The Messerich Family 18 The Neuhaus Family 18 The Nurre Family 19 The Perion Family 20 The Peschel Family 21 The Powers Family 22 The Proost Family 22 The Reiff Family 22 The Reuter Family 23 The Roling Family 24 The Roschitsch Family 24 The Rose Family 24 The Ross Family 24 The Skalla Family 25 The Skoff Family 25 The Sterbenz Families 26 The Sterk Family 27 The Strutzel Families 28 The Stuckel Family 28 The Teshak Families 29 The Timmer Family 30 The Trenkamp Family 30 The Underberg Families 31 The Zeiser Family 31 Reasons for Emigrating 32 St. Joseph's Parish in Sugar Creek, Iowa 33 Gottschee (The old country) 34 Gottscheers come to Browns 35 Old Browns 36 Understanding the Language in Browns 36 The Railroad in Browns 37 New Browns 38 Riggs, Iowa 40 Sugar Creek Industries 41 Directions to Browns, Riggs and Sugar Creek 42 Photographs and Plat Maps 42 History of the Early Settlers in Browns We have gathered information about the area near Browns and New Browns, Iowa in Waterford Township, Clinton County, and Fairfield Township, Jackson County, and the families who settled in this area between 1850 and 1925. The LDS Library has microfilms of Tschernembl Parish in Gottschee, Austria, which was later part of Yugoslavia, and now is part of Slovenia. Several of the Sugar Creek families came from this area. The microfilms for this area are numbered 1416538 through 1416563. Marilu Thurman is continually researching these records. We have also searched census records, plat maps and other historical documents. Marilu is a descendant of the Peschel and Underberg families. Lorraine is a descendant of the Banowetz, Boehmer, Burken, Franzen, and Reuter families. We would like to thank everyone who has helped in any way to make this possible. We have tried to be accurate, but if you find something incorrect, please contact Lorraine at lahoughton@aol.com, or Marilu at Marilu1030@aol.com. If you are a descendant of any of these families and would like to add more information to your family histories, we encourage you to get in contact with either Marilu or Lorraine. We want to preserve all of the family history we can. Many family members contributed information. In some cases, these family members wrote the entire story. This "History of the Early Settlers in Browns" would not be possible without the help of many people. Contributors are: Art Banowetz, Della Banowetz, Dolores Banowetz, Ray Banowetz, Rita Banowetz, Robert Banowetz, Virgil Banowetz, Marie Bormann, Elizabeth Burger, Lucy Chapman, Arlene Considine, Jean Detterman, Joe Detterman, Veronica Detterman, Duane Fuegen, Lorraine Houghton, Catherine Kilburg, Jean Kilburg, Marge Light, Donna McAleer, Ambrose Roling, Adrian Roling, Donna Roling, Dorothy Roling, Irene Rose, Marie Salutz-Conery, Lucille Schoel, Bob Skoff, Ed Skoff, Karen Skoff, Marilu Thurman, Donna Timmer, Jim Timmer, Bernard Trenkamp, Betty Weinschenk, Sister Bertha Zeiser and many more friends and relatives who were willing to share their thoughts. The Ahlers Family John Ahlers is shown as living in Browns in the 1892 Farmer's Directory of Clinton County. John Ahlers married Catherine Brown Underberg, after the death of her husband, Bernard Underberg. Catherine was the daughter of Bernard Brown. John and Catherine had a daughter named Agnes. Agnes married Frank Zeiser, after the death of his first wife, Loretta Fier. Carolina Ahlers, John's sister, married Henry Trenkamp. Their children were Mary Ann, who married Henry Franzen; Henry Herman, who married Christina Banowetz; Mary Katherine (Kate), who married John Bormann. The Arkenberg Family Barney Arkenberg was born about 1827 in Oldenburg, Germany. Barney's wife, Mary was born about 1838 in Hanover, Germany. According to the 1880 census, Barney and Mary had the following children: Barbara, Caroline, Ellen, Henry and Mary. According to the 1925 Farmer's Directory of Waterford Township, Henry Arkenberg is listed with his wife Kathryn Brinkman. Their children were Evelyn; Marie, who married Matthew Assenmacher; Robert, who married Marie Teshak, and Barbara. Henry Arkenberg was born about 1829 in Oldenburg, Germany and died in 1898. His wife, Barbara Bormann, was born about 1834 in Prussia and died in 1911. The Arkenberg's farmed in the Browns area, according to the 1880 census. Their children were Mary, Agnes, Eva, who married Joseph Engler, August, Joseph, Helena, John and Barbara. The Assenmacher Family Nicholas Assenmacher was born about 1819 in Cruezberg, Prussia. His wife, Mary, also of Prussia was born about 1835. They are listed as living near Riggs in 1880, and are listed as farmers, along with their adult children. Their children were Clemens, born in 1850; Herman, born in 1854; Lena, born in 1861, and Mathias, born in 1863, all born in Cruezberg, Prussia. Herman married Kathryn Fehring and moved to Missouri. Lena married Anthony Simmons and lived in Nebraska. Clemens married Veronica Burken, daughter of William and Lizzie Burken. They had five children. The Banowetz Families Michael Banowetz was born Sept 28, 1817 in Roschizhverh #1, Austria to Josef and Maria Schwab Banovz. Michael Banowetz married Gertrude Stonitsch (Americanized - Stanitsch) on Feb 11, 1847. Gertrude was born in Strassenberg, Austria, on May 21, 1816. We believe Michael moved from his birthplace to the birthplace of Gertrude when they married. The men often moved to the woman's home, when they were not the oldest male in the family. Strassenberg was very close to Maierle, and sometimes called Maierleberg. Michael and Gertrude immigrated to America about 1871 with their two sons, Mathias and John Banowetz. Note: Marilu Thurman, a researcher of the LDS records from Austria has given us the above information. John Banowetz married Margaretha Nick (Nik) in July of 1874. They moved to a small farm of 40 acres at Browns, Iowa. John and Margaretha were the parents of: George, John B., Mary, Joseph H., Matthew O., Katherine Viola, Michael W. Frank E., and Margaretha M. By 1884 the John Banowetz family had moved to Labette County, Kansas and in 1920 Maggie was living in Coffeeville. This is in the southeast corner of Kansas, just north of Tulsa, OK. Mathias Banowetz married Katherine (Kate) Franzen. Mathias and Katherine were the parents of: Michael Banowetz married Wilhelmina (Minnie) Reuter. They had 15 children. Christina Banowetz married Henry Herman Trenkamp. They had 19 children. William Banowetz married Madyalena (Lena) Zeiser. They had 5 children. Mary Banowetz married Antone Derganz. They had 4 children. Katherine Banowetz married Peter Reuter. They had 14 children. Lena Banowetz married John Reuter. They had 4 children. Elizabeth Banowetz married Alvin Rose. They had 2 children. Theresa Banowetz married John Dunn. They had 4 children. Anna Banowetz married Orie McCloy. They had 9 children. Josephine Banowetz married Leo Fuegen. They had 7 children. Joseph Banowetz married Pauline Teshak. They had 6 children. Eva Banowetz married Frank Luskey. Frank passed away after 2 years of marriage. They had no children. Eva married Anton Baresh after Frank died. They adopted 2 children. John Banowetz was born with Down's Syndrome and never married. Margaret Banowetz married Francis Koch. They had 7 children. The Boehmer Family Johannes Boehmer was born in Helmern, Germany on Nov. 15, 1811. He married Eva Marie Ernst of Helmern on September 19, 1837. They immigrated to the USA on a sailing ship from Helmern (of Helmers) on 5/8/1854 to New Orleans after sailing for 7 weeks. In 1860 they were living in Prairie Springs Township, Jackson County, Iowa. By 1870 they were living in Fairfield Township, Jackson County, Iowa. Johann died in 1902 and Eva died in 1876. They are buried at Sugar Creek. The Boehmer children were: Antone, born about 1838, married Helen Byer; Theresa, born 1839, married Joseph Linnenberg; Carolina Christina, born 1840, married William Franzen Ludwig Frantz born 1843 Ferdinandine Louse born 1845 Ludowika Maria, born 1849 Mary, born about 1850, married Henry Hank; August Heinrich, Sr., born about 1851, married Katherine Grossman Louis, born 1853, married Elizabeth Guard, moved to Parkston SD William, born about 1856, married Angilina Silverdine; John, married Elizabeth Pllevdez. August Boehmer, who married Katherine Grossman, bought the Henry Nurre estate and in 1909, homesteaded in Parkston, South Dakota along with 12 of their children. The remaining three living children, John, Louis, and Mathias Boehmer stayed in Iowa. The Henry Nurre estate was passed to their son, John and grandchildren Alvi and Mildred. John Boehmer married Caroline Kimman and had the eight children Louis Boehmer married Anna Teshak and had five children Mathias Boehmer married Lena Rose. The Bormann Family Mathias Bormann and his wife, Helena (Lena) and children came to the USA, from Prussia, sometime before 1860. Their daughter, Eva, married Alois Neuhaus in 1859, so we assume they were here by then. According to the 1860 census of Waterford Township, they were living in the Browns area at that time. Matt died in 1879, Lena died in 1892 and both are buried at Sugar Creek. Their children were: Eva; who married Alois Neuhaus in 1859, was born in 1832 and died in 1899. Their children are listed in the Neuhaus story. Barbara; who married Henry Arkenberg, was born in 1834 and died in 1911. Their children are listed in the Arkenberg story. August; who married Barbara Henle, was born in 1837 and died in 1907. August was a farmer in Waterford Township. Their children were: Mathias, born about 1866, married Margaret Engler in 1888. Eve, born about 1868; Barbara, born about 1868; Lena, born about 1869; Caroline, born about 1873; and married John Frett; (See Frett story for children) Henry, born about 1875 and died about1918; John, born about 1877, and died about 1952, married Kate Trenkamp; (See below) August Michael, born about 1882, and died about 1929, married Agnes Hemfling. They had one daughter Genevieve who married Leo Wagemester. Eva; was born about 1839 and died in 1925, and married Joseph Brinkman. Their children are listed in the Brinkman story. Helena; who was born about 1840; Jacob; was born about 1841 and died in 1903, and married Mary Caroline Determan, daughter of Benedict Determan. They lived in Lyons, Iowa. Catherine; was born about 1844 and died in 1917 and married Joseph Determan, son of Bernard Clemens Determan. Their children are in the Determan story. John; was born about 1848 and died about 1935 and married Catherine Determan, daughter of John Henry Determan. In 1870, 1880, 1885 and 1895 census they were in Waterford Township, but by 1900 John was living in Preston, Jackson County. In the 1885 census in Waterford, John was running a saloon. Their children were: Helena, born about 1869 and died 1871; Henry Mathias, born about 1872 and died about 1872; Mary, born about 1873 and died in 1950; Helena, born about 1875 and died about 1879; John, born about 1877 and died in 1947; August, born about 1880 and died about 1945. Joseph, born about 1882 and died about 1934; Catherine, born about 1884 and died about 1973; Theresa, born about 1886 and died about 1933; Elizabeth, born about 1889 and died about 1890; Benedict, born about 1891 and died about 1952; Clara, born about 1895 and died about 1981. John Bormann, a son of August and Barbara Bormann, who was born in 1877 married Mary Katherine (Kate) Trenkamp, who was born in 1885 in Lyons, Iowa. They had thirteen children: The Brinkman Family Joseph Brinkman was born about 1827 in Hanover, Germany. His wife, Eva Bormann, was born about 1839 in Prussia. According to the census records, the Brinkman's had these children: Adolph, who married Elizabeth; Barbara, who married Henry Manemann; Jacob, John, Helena, Eva, Henry, Catherine, who married Henry Arkenberg; Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth. The Brown Family According to the Charlotte Record of May 14, 1908, Browns was named after Bernard Brown, Sr. born approximately 1822, and a native of Germany, who arrived here about 1848. He and his wife, Josephine, owned a large farm, and he was considered the founder of the town, since he erected the first building in Browns. He spent the greater part of his life in Browns. Some say Bernard Brown ran a hotel and dining room here at one time. We have not verified this. At one time, Brown, Sr. owned a brewery, which was destroyed by fire many years ago, and was never rebuilt. In all the census records Bernard Brown, Sr. was a farmer. The 1874 Clinton County Atlas of Waterford Township shows Barney Brown, Jr. as a "Dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries, Boots, Shoes, and Hardware; also Postmaster, Browns' Station, Sec. 4". By 1880 Bernard Brown, Jr. had moved to Kniest Township, Carroll County, Iowa. Some of the Underberg family also moved to Kniest Township. Brown also owned property in Fairfield Township, Jackson County, just north of Browns, according to the 1878 plat map. Bernard and Josephine had the following children: Bernard, born 1847 in Prussia; Mary, born 1849; William, born 1851; Catherine, born 1853; and Eva, born 1858. The last four were born in Iowa. Bernard Brown, Jr. married Barbara and they had the following children: Bernard, Helen, Josephine, Lorenz, Michael, Mary, Frank and John. In the 1900 census they were living in Carroll Twp, Carroll Co, Iowa. Catherine married Bernard Underberg and their family is in the Underberg history. According to the Charlotte Record of May 14, 1908, Bernard Brown died at the age of 86, and had two children survive him; a son, Bernard Brown, Jr., who lived in western Iowa, and a daughter, Mrs. John (Catherine) Ahlers of Browns. (Catherine was married to Bernard Underberg, and upon his death, married John Ahlers). Three children preceded him in death. They were Mary, William and Eva. The following old friends and neighbors acted as pall bearers; Mike Reuter, Barney Timmer, William Franzen, August Boehmer, John Powers, and Martin Skoff. Funeral services and burial were in the Sugar Creek church and cemetery. The Burken Family William Burken and Lizzie Cossman were both born in Rhineland, Germany. William came to America in 1854, at the age of 27, from Antwerp, Belgium to New York aboard the Dorette. He settled near Browns in 1872 on a farm of 210 acres in Waterford Twp, Clinton County, Iowa. William and Lizzie Burken were the parents of four children all born in Germany: John Burken who married Katherine Berding. Their children were: William, who married Anna Jost; Elizabeth, who married George Roling; Francis; Henry, who married Elizabeth Wagemaster; Bernard; Josephine, who married Bernard Empen; Leona; John Joseph; Edward, who married Arletta Lovell; Victor, who married Martha Feller; Clara who died as an infant and Catherine. Veronica Burken, who married Clements Assenmacher, with five children: Matthew, who married Marie Arkenburg; Elizabeth; Mary, who married John Herwath; Lena and Katherine. Note: Mary and Elizabeth were twins. Minnie Burken, who married Bernard Timmer. Their children were: Joseph J, Jacob, who married Viola Geronzin; Matthew, who married Marie Christof, Bernard, who married Gertrude Luedtke; William, who married Clara Luedtke; John; Sylvester; Teresa, who married Walt Gorman; Anne, who married Edward Mullaley Elizabeth, who married John E. Elsner and Helen. Mary Burken, who married Michael Reuter, They had the following nine children: Elizabeth Reuter, who married Jacob Lehnertz; Wilhelmina Reuter, who married Michael Banowetz; Peter Reuter, who married Katherine Banowetz; John Reuter, married Lena Banowetz; Veronica Reuter, who married August Frett; Catherine Reuter, joined the convent as Sister Laurentia; Mary (Mayme)Reuter who married William Keiffer; William Reuter, who married Catherine Diederick and after her death, Ludwina Franzen Luskey and Joseph Reuter, who married Nellie Norton, and after her death, married Martha Munseh. The Buthala Families Michael Buthala was born in 1828 in Gric #12, Gottschee, Austria. His wife, Mary Stonitsch, was born about 1834, in Strassenberg, Gottschee, Austria. We believe Mary was a cousin to Gertrude Stonitsch, the wife of Michael Banowetz. According to the 1880 census and plat maps, the Michael Buthala family lived near Browns, Iowa. They had the following children: Catherine, born about 1863 in Austria, and Annie, born about 1870 in Iowa. They immigrated to Browns between 1863 and 1870. Joseph Buthala was born in 1818 in Gric #10, Gottschee, Austria. It is a good probability that Joseph and Michael are cousins, to what degree, I don't know. Joseph's wife Catherine Sietz was born in Underpaka #10 in 1820. They had seven children all born in Austria: Catherine, Joseph, John, Jacob, Michael, Mathias, and Frank. Joseph, Jr. and John were the first to come to America, we are unsure of the date. The twins Michael and Mathias came in July 1874. Next came Joseph, Sr. and Frank in April 1875, and the last was Catherine and Jacob in June 1878. Daughter Catherine married John Herwath in Austria about 1865 and census records say they came to America about 1882. It is believed they came separately. Catherine's sister Mary Sietz also came to Sugar Creek. She remained single and in 1900 was living with Joseph, Jr. There also was another Joseph Sietz with the family in the mid 1880's; however we are not sure how he as related. The 1900 census records say Catherine and John Herwath had two children: one was John who married Mary Assenmacher, daughter of Clemens; and we do not know who the other child was. Joseph, John and Jacob did not marry. Michael married Barbara Teshak, daughter of George and Barbara Teshak. Barbara died in 1905 and Michael in 1907. Barbara's parents raised their son, Edward. Mathias married Mary Gard and they moved to Union County, South Dakota. Frank married Alice Gard, Mary's sister and they too moved to Union County, South Dakota. Joseph, Sr. died in 1890 and Catherine in 1884. They, the children that stayed in Sugar Creek, and Michael are buried in the Sugar Creek Cemetery. In 1894 John Buthala had a farm just west of Browns. John died about 1905, and in 1905 John's land was divided between his brothers, Joseph and Jacob Buthala., according to the 1905 plat maps. In the 1925 plat map this same land belonged to John Herwath, Jr. and his wife, Mary. The Derganz Family Antone Derganz came from Austria. He was born in 1891 and died in 1978. Antone J. Derganz married Mary Banowetz in 1915 in Sugar Creek. They had four children. The Determan Family Several Determan brothers and sisters immigrated around 1845 to the United States, from Lengerich, Kreis Lingen, Hanover, Germany. The families first settled around Galena, Illinois and then moved to Clinton County, Iowa. From the census records of 1850, 1860 and 1870 it is apparent that the Determan family all lived on farms next to or close to each other in Clinton County. John Henry, Bernard Clement and Benedict Richard are all in Clinton County in the 1850 census. The old Determan settlement was northwest of old "Lyons" in Hampshire Township. Josie Krogman, a Determan descendant, wrote the following paragraph. "The Determan Settlement was an acre of land that Clemens Determan donated for a Catholic German school to be a branch of St. Boniface church, where German and religion had to be taught. All around the community there were Determan's or people related to the Determans. They built a school first and hired a man teacher first, as I heard, then female teachers, but they had to teach German. Then they built a dance hall, a saloon and a shed for the horses and held 3 or 4 dances in the summer to pay for teachers. I taught school there for three years (1915 - 1918) and shortly after that it went back to the owner of that farm, which my father- in-law bought from George Determan, which was one of Clemens sons." John Henry Determan, born in 1804, married Catherine Eilerman in Germany in 1831. Catherine must have died shortly after this date, as John Henry married Maria Anna Kimmann. According to family records provided by a family member, John Henry Determan was known locally as "Butcher Henry" because "he could butcher hogs faster than anyone else in the area. He also acted as a midwife at times." Can you imagine such a combination of talents, but those were the pioneer days. John and Maria's daughter Catherine married John Borman, a son of Mathias and Helena Bormann. Bernard "Clemens" Determan, born in 1815, married Maria Anna Sander in 1841 in Lengerich. In 1845 they immigrated to America with their two children, Johann Joseph (Joseph J.) (see more information below) and Johann "Clemens" and settled in Galena, Illinois. Two more children were born there. About 1849 they moved to the Determan Settlement, where eight more children were born. Maria died January 1, 1860, about 2 weeks after the birth of her youngest son, Steven Bernhard "Barney", on December 15, 1859. At that time, Maria's brother and his daughter, also named Maria Anna Sander, were working in the Determan home. "Clemens" soon married his wife's niece, Maria Anna Sander. With the second wife, he had ten more children, for a total of 22 children, three of which died in infancy. Joseph J. Determan, the son of Bernard "Clemens" was born August 9, 1841 in Germany. He immigrated with his parents in 1845. Joseph Determan settled in the Sugar Creek area, east of the church, and was the only one of nineteen children to remain in Clinton County. His wife, Catherine Bormann, daughter of Mathias and Helena Bormann, was born about 1845 in Prussia. Their children were Ellen, who married Frank Jost; Mathias, who married Ella Kerwin, and after her death married Carolina Droste (more information below); Barbara, who married Joe Jost; Mary Ann, who married Pete Neu; Eva, who married Charles Franke; Elisabeth, who married John Franke; Catherine, who married Frank Cash; John Joseph, who married Marie Mertens (more information below); and Ann, who married Frank Spain. Ellen, the oldest, was born about 1866, we believe they would have settled in Browns around that time. Mathias Determan, born in 1868, was married to Ella Kerwin and had a son, Edward who married Loretta Spain. Mathias' wife, Ella, died and he was later married to Carolina Droste. Matt lived in a house on the north side of 110th street, at the top of the hill, east of the Sugar Creek church. They lived in one of the Gordon Van Tine mail order, precut houses. This two story house, with a front porch is still there. They had seven children. John Joseph Determan, born in 1882, married Marie Mertens. They had four children. The John Determan family lived on a farm between Matt Determan's property and the Sugar Creek church. Benedict "Dict" Determan, born in 1829, married Christina Engelcamp, and lived in the Determan Settlement. Their daughter Mary "Caroline" married Jake Bormann, a son of Mathias and Helena Bormann; Benedict "Dict" Determan died at the age of 39 years. After his death, his wife Christina married John Joseph (Sneador Joe) Determan, a son of Bernard Hinrich Determan, who was a brother of her deceased husband. The Elsner Family The earliest documents on this family have not yet been searched via LDS records. I have recorded the information available from the Jackson County museum and through the recollections of my mother, Irene Teshak Rose, and my grandmother Minnie Elsner Teshak and other Elsner grandchildren. Further information was found in census records. Sometime around 1850, four children of Joseph and Theresia Elsner from Bolkenhain, Silesia (Schlesien), Prussia (now Poland) came to rural Maquoketa, a place called Pin Oak. They were Charles, (more detail in the following paragraph); Frank, born in Germany in 1833; William E. (Ernst), and a sister Mary. Ernst was born about 1839, married Elizabeth Willard on 5/15/1866 in Jackson County, and was a saloon keeper in Maquoketa. Ernst and Elizabeth, as of the 1880 census had the following children: Charles, Ernst A, Rosa, Norman and Otto. Charles, born about 1828 in Germany. Charles, a Civil War Veteran, built a home in Maquoketa prior to 1861 at 318 Eliza Street. Charles' sister, Mary moved into town with him, to work as a seamstress for the "well to do folks of the city". Charles married Mariana Reis. According to the 1880 census, Charles children were all born in Iowa, and they were: Frank (b. 1855), Augustas (b.1858, August - more detail in following paragraph) and Mary (b. 1860). August Elsner married Francisca Deppe of Springbrook, Jackson County, Iowa. They lived north of Springbrook in a limestone house. Her dad was Caspar Deppe, born in l8l6 in Prussia. Her mother, Josephine Altfilisch was born in Germany in l833. August and Francisca were to have eight children. Their children were: Mary (Wilhelmina - known as Minnie), John, August (Gus), Josie, Clarence Charles (Charlie), Louis George, William (Willie), and Mary Magdalena (Marie). This narrative tells about these children who were left without a parent at an early age and of the connection of some of these children to Browns, Iowa. August Elsner died at the age of 41. August had gone to the doctor in Maquoketa complaining of a severe pain. The doctor said he had a ruptured appendix, and August died right there in the office. His wife, Frances, was seven months with child, Marie, in her womb. Frances had a most difficult time for months ahead of the birth. Francis was to lose her life in the birthing of Marie. Now there were eight children left without parents. The four youngest Elsner children including the baby, Marie; Willie (age 1); Louie (age 2) and Charlie (age 5) were taken to Maquoketa to live at the home of their grandmother, Mrs. Charles (Mariana Reis) Elsner. Charles' sister, Mary, was also living in this house. Mary and Mariana took care of Marie and the three boys. Mary Elsner, in addition to helping care for the children, was a seamstress, sewing clothes for the Maquoketa Opera House cast. Mariana's father owned the Reis Opera House. The two older sons of August and Frances Elsner, August, Jr. Elsner (age l3), and John Elsner (age l5), went to live with and help their uncle, Lawrence Deppe, on his farm. The oldest sister, Minnie Elsner, who was already "working out" as a "hired girl" at the time of the death of her parents, continued her job for about two years until her marriage to Martin Teshak Jr. of Sugar Creek. After Martin and Minnie's marriage, Minnie's brothers, August and John Elsner moved in with them. So Minnie, now l9 years of age, and two years after the death of her parents, and newly wed to Martin, started her married life with Martin in their first home in Fairfield Township with an instant family. A short time later, Minnie's grandparents and great aunt, Mary did not have room for the three smaller boys, Willie, Louie and Charlie, because there were three sewing women boarding with her. The three boys then joined Martin and Minnie and the two teenage boys. Josie Elsner had gone to live with the Religious Sisters in Bellevue at the time of the death of Frances Elsner, the wife of August. Josie remained with them, serving all the sisters and priests in Bellevue for her entire lifetime. She would get one week off a year to visit her sister, Minnie, at the Teshak farm. Martin and Minnie Teshak eventually had their own four girls, in addition to the Elsner children. The whole group would walk to the one room school house together. The teacher could not understand why some of the children had Elsner names and some had Teshak names. John Lawrence Elsner was born Nov. 11, 1884. John Elsner worked for families around Sugar Creek. John married Elizabeth A. Timmer. They raised their family of eleven children in the Sugar Creek area. August Elsner also worked for families around Sugar Creek, and eventually married Barbara Jacklovitch, of Browns. Barbara had a sister named Theresa (Sister Stanislaus) and a brother Matthew Jacklovitch, who worked at a Boehmer farm at some time. At times, Theresa lived with August and Barbara. August and Barbara had five children. Charles Elsner married Lena Franzen, daughter of Louie Franzen and Mary Zeiser, and had at least three children. William (Willie) Elsner went to study at the Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, Iowa, and earned his degree as a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine. He practiced in Wisconsin, but worked in the construction trade to supplement his income, during the depression. He married a "Genevieve" from Springbrook and had a son. Willie, while working on a bridge in Madison, Wisconsin, lost his footing and fell to his death. Marie Elsner also studied at the Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, Iowa, and earned her degree as a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine. Marie practiced a little in Wisconsin and for many years in Maquoketa. Marie and her brother Louie remained unmarried. Minnie Teshak, as written previously, had married Martin Teshak from Browns. They had five children. The Fier Family Anton Fier emigrated from Suhor, Austria. Later this was part of Yugoslavia, and now Slovenia. He married Mary Perion in Sugar Creek, Iowa. They settled in the Riggs area, located about a mile southwest of Browns. They had the following children: Loretta, who married Frank Zeiser; Adeline, who married Frank Boehmer and settled in South Dakota; Leo; who married Clara Holdgrafer; Edward who married Lena Holdgrafer; Raymond, who married Margaret Bondick; Veronica, who married Ben Determan and Francis, who married Inga Christensen. When the railroad was no longer in use, the Riggs depot was loaded on a flatbed and hauled to the Fier farm, where it was used by Frances Fier as a cattle shed. The Riggs School is still standing, but has not been in use for some time. The Franzen Family William Franzen of Furstenau, Hanover, Germany married Katherine _________, who was born in 1806 and died in 1873, as Sugar Creek Cemetery records indicate. We have not found the marriage record of William and Katherine, but Katherine's tombstone in Sugar Creek indicates she was the wife of William. The 1860 census of Fairfield Township, Jackson County, shows William Francis (Franzen) age 24 from Hanover, living with Catherine Francis (Franzen) age 57 also from Hanover. Also living with them were Fred and Sophia Schmedika. The 1870 Fairfield Township, Jackson County census shows Catherine living with William and Christina. William, Sr. must have passed on before 1860. The 1880 census shows Sophia and Fred Schmedika as neighbors of the Franzen's. At this point we don't know of the other children in the family, but William Franzen, born in Furstenau on March 31, 1835 immigrated with his parents, who we believe are William and Katherine. The Franzen family immigrated to America in 1854. William Franzen (1835) worked in the lead mines near Galena, Illinois until 1859, when he moved to the area near Browns in Jackson County. He married Christina Boehmer, daughter of Johannes and Eva Ernst Boehmer who had emigrated from Helmern, Germany. The marriage date in the Ray Banowetz records is October 25, 1859. Christina Boehmer is shown in the 1860 Prairie Springs Township, Jackson County census, as living with her father John Bymer (Boehmer) age 46, her mother Mary (age 45), Anton (age 22), Therese (age 19), Christine (age 18) name? (age 10), August (age 9), Louis (age 7), and William (age 5). Christine is shown as being eighteen years of age on that 1860 census. William Franzen received his citizenship papers 12/20/1859 in Bellevue, Jackson County, Iowa. It appears that the Franzen family first moved to Browns, then William married Christina Boehmer, and after that, the rest of the Boehmer family moved to Browns. He farmed in the Browns area for 25 years, and upon retiring from farming, moved into Browns where he had a large apple orchard and garden. After the death of his wife, William lived with one of his sons for fourteen years. William Franzen, according to family records raised Mary Boehmer, who met and married a Bell "Morris." The children of William Franzen and Christina Boehmer were: Joseph, who married Elizabeth Plendle; John, Katherine, who married Mathias Banowetz, Mary, who married Nickolas Schaltz (Schultz); Louis, who married Mary Zeiser, William, who married Anne Zeiser and Henry, who married Mary A. Trenkamp. After Henry Nurre donated the ground to the church, William Franzen helped with the business of church affairs, in order to get a church built for Sunday worship. Before the church was built, William led the church service with the "Rosary" at the home of Henry Nurre. At first, a priest from Clinton, Iowa would only come to Browns once a month. The Frett Families William Frett married Elisabeth ____________, both were from Oltenhausen, Germany. Their children were William, Elizabeth, John, Peter, and Nicholas. The 1892 Farmer's Directory of Clinton County shows both John Frett and William Frett with a Brown's address. The Frett home is directly south of the original Louis Boehmer home. The Frett home was off to the west of 320th Avenue, a short distance south of the intersection with 100th Street. John Frett married Caroline Bormann. They had the following children: August, who married Veronica Reuter; Mathew, who married Florence Reis; Nick, who married Anna Schreiber; Barbara, who married Thomas Lochner; Joseph, who married Bernadette Engler; Mike, Bernard, who married Elizabeth Reuter; Frank, who married Amelia Nissen, Victor, who married Annabelle Scheckel and a son John that died in 1915. The Fuegen Family John and Mary Fuegen and 9 children came to the United States in 1887 from France. One more child was born in the United States. Their children were: Emil, Frank, John (died as a child), Ida, Charles, Mary Ann, Catherine, John, Joseph, Magdelena (died as a child), Louise and Rose. Their oldest son Emil Fuegen married Josephine Underberg, the daughter of Bernard Underberg and Catherine Brown. Their children were: Leo (see next paragraph) Arnold, who married Dorothy Wieska; Edmund, who married Helen Catherine Herwath; Valeria; Hilda, who married Errol Shanklin; Aloysius; Wilbert, who married Edna Quick and Coleta, who married Lysle Hartley. Leo Fuegen married Josephine Banowetz. He was the only Fuegen to stay around Sugar Creek. Leo and Josephine had seven children. Their daughter Mary Ann Fuegen married John Sterbenz. (Children in the Sterbenz history.) The German Family Mathias German was born about 1828 in Austria. He married Catherine Persha, born about 1834 in Austria, on Nov 1, 1871, probably in Sugar Creek. According to the 1880 census they had the following children, all born in Iowa: Catherine, Mary, and Anna. The Gollobitch Families In the 1870 census there were 3 Gollobitch men in Waterford Township. John and Jacob were brothers, and maybe Matt. They were all from Austria. John was the oldest, born about 1833. He married Rosa, also from Austria. In the 1870 census his mother and brother Jacob were also living with him. By 1880 John and Rosa had moved to Shelby County, Iowa, where there were also people from Gottschee, Austria living. Jacob Gollobitch was born about 1839 and was a farmer. He married Annie Adams, born about 1847 in Austria, in 1872, probably in Sugar Creek. Their children were born in Iowa and they are as follows, according to census records: Mary, Jacob, John, Joseph, Mathias and Peter. Mathias Gollobitch was born about 1848 and was in the merchandise business. He married Mary Ann Pinter, born about 1856 in Austria. Their children were, according to the census records: Annie, Mathias, Mary, John and Rosa. In 1882 Matt was the postmaster in Riggs and owned a general store. The Grossman Family Katherine Grossman married August Heinrich Boehmer, Sr. William Boehmer married Angelica Silverdine, and farmed east of Sugar Creek. Their children were: Louis; Adolph; Gertrude, who married Frank Grossman; Florence and Rudolph. John Grossman married Anna Frett. The Herwath Family John Herwath, born in 1845 married Catherina Buthala in Austria about 1865. Catherine, born in 1841, was the daughter of Joseph and Catherine Buthala. Census records indicate they came to America about 1882. They had a son, John, who married Mary (Mame) Assenmacher. Their children were Marie C, who married Francis Driscoll; Veronica Elizabeth, who married Wilford Skoff; Joseph Clem, born in 1916, who married Isabelle Richmond and Rosemary, who married Verl Skoff. Joseph Herwath, born about 1853, married Annie Sterbenz April 9, 1888 in Sugar Creek. In 1900 they were living in Fairfield Township. Annie was born about 1858 and died in 1902 leaving Joseph with several small children to care for. Their children were: Anna, Mary, John, Barbara, Katie and probably Helen. Barbara married Bernard Rickerl in 1915 in South Dakota. Helen Catherine Herwath married Edmund Fuegen, the son of Emil Fuegen and Josephine Underberg. They lived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Jaklitsch Family George Jaklitsch was born in Austria about 1845. He married Margaret _______, born about 1845 in Austria. According to the census records, their children were born in Iowa and are as follows: John, Michael, George, Theresa, Mathias and Francis. Three sons, George, John and Mathias died in September and October of 1885 and are buried at Sugar Creek. The Kerwin Family James Kerwin was born in Ireland about 1844. He was a carpenter. His wife, Julia _______, was born about 1848 in Ireland. According to the 1880 census, their children, all born in Iowa, were: Jane, Francis, Ellen, and George. The Lamseroth Family John Lamseroth, was born about 1830 in Austria. He married Mary ________, also born about 1850 in Austria. According to the 1880 census, their children were born in Iowa, as follows: John, Joseph, and Mary. The Lamuth Families George Lamuth was one of the first of the Gottscheers to come to Sugar Creek. One census record says he came here in 1859, but I have not found him in the 1860 census and I searched both Waterford Township and Fairfield Township. He was naturalized in 1864. George was born in Gric #14, Austria, and his mother was a Peschel. George married Catherine Vogrin in Clinton County and their first son, John, was born about 1865. George, Jr. was born about 1873, daughter Catherine about 1868, Mary was born about 1874, and Anne about 1884. Mary married Andrew Peschel about 1894. They raised their family at Sugar Creek and are buried there. It appears Mary was the only one of the children to marry. John, George and Anne continued living with their parents and I don't think they ever married. Catherine apparently died young, or if she married, I don't know to whom. George Sr. and his wife, Catherine, were still alive in the 1920 census, I don't know their death dates. The only remnant of the George Lamuth farm is a water pump in the field on the north side of 110th Street, just a little east of the intersection with 320th Avenue. The pump is located between the 1st and 2nd house on the north side of the road. George's brother John also lived in Waterford Township. He was a farmer near Riggs. John came here about 1865, also from Gric #14. John was married twice, both times before he immigrated. He and his first wife had 2 daughters. Anna died young, and Mary married Joseph Blute and they lived at Pierson, Iowa. John married Mary Styer in Gottschee, and they had 7 children. Sons John and Matt lived in Algona, Iowa. Mary married Marcus Bluth and they moved to Grey Eagle, MN. Anna married Joseph Peschel and they moved to Grey Eagle, MN. 3 children died young. John Sr. died about 1891 is buried at Sugar Creek. His wife remarried and moved to Gillette, Illinois and that is where she is buried. The 1892 Farmers directory lists George as a farmer in the Brown's area and John as a farmer near Riggs. 1905 Directory of Farmers and Landowners shows George, George Jr., and John (Lamoth) Lamuth with a Brown's address. The Messerich Family John (Janiz) Messerich was born in Crnomelj # 52, Austria (Slovenia now). He married Appolonia Maurin February 24, 1868 in Loka #8. Appolonia Maurin was born in Loka #8, Austria to George Maurin and Anna Loser. According to the 1880 census in Waterford Township, they were the parents of Mary, born about 1871 in Austria, and John, born about 1877 in Iowa and Joseph, born about 1879 in Iowa. John and Appolonia immigrated to the Browns area about 1873. After the death of John Messerich, Appolonia married Martin Teshak, Sr. Mary Messerich married Martin Jacklovitch about 1890. Mary and Martin Jacklovitch had the following children; Barbara, who married August Elsner; Mathias and Theresa who became a religious nun. John Messerich married Carrie Yoerger and had the following children, Wilford, who married Lydia ______; Herbert, who married Laura Scheckel; Irene, who married Francis Pieffer; and Laura, who married John Ties. Joseph Messerich married Anna Pluth, daughter of Maria Peschel and Martin Pluth. In the 1910 census they were living in Waterford Township and their children were Raymond, Edmond, Marjorie and Genevive. The Neuhaus Family Alois Neuhaus married Eva Bormann in Clinton County about 1859. I have not found them in the 1860 census as of yet, but in 1870 they were living in Waterford Township. Alois died in 1894 and Eva in 1899 and they are buried at Sugar Creek. They had the following children. Helena, born in 1860, died in 1954, married John Engler. Margaret, born about 1862 and died in 1867. Eva, born about 1864 and died in 1870 Barbara, born about 1869 Marianna, born about 1870 and died about 1872 Joseph, born about 1872, married Lena; John, born about 1873, married Kathryn; Mathias, born about 1878 d. as a baby? Barbara, Joseph and John are the only children listed in the 1885 census. In the 1895 census Joseph and John are listed, but Barbara could have been married by then. Helena married John Engler. Their first child was born in 1879. In the 1880 census they are living in Sugar Creek and 3 of their children went to school there from 1895-1897. It is possible some of the children lived with Helena's mother as 2 were listed in the 1895 state census with Eva Neuhaus. In 1900 John and Helena are living in 7th Ward in Clinton. They had the following children: Helen, Eva, Aloysius, Paul, Jacob, John, Mathias, Margaret, Catherine and Frank. Joseph Neuhaus married Lena. In the 1910 census they were living in 7th Ward in Clinton, Iowa and in the 1920 census they were living in Bellevue, Jackson County, Iowa. They had no children. John Neuhaus married Kathryn. In the 1910 and 1920 census they were living in the 7th Ward, Clinton, Iowa. They had the following children: Genevieve, Aloysius, Bernice, Marcella, and Margaret. I think Aloysius and his family moved to Arizona. I suspect that Alois' mother was an Underberg, but not directly related to John and Barney Underberg at Sugar Creek. I have emigration information for a John and Gertrude Underberg Neuhaus from the same area in Germany as my Underbergs. They also immigrated in 1844, the same time frame as my Underbergs and I think went to the same area in Wisconsin first. They had a daughter Marianna, and son Alois, and his age matches Alois at Sugar Creek. There is a John Neuhaus buried at Sugar Creek next to Alois and Eva, who is the same age as this John. Gertrude apparently died before they came to Sugar Creek. Also in the 1895 census there was a Mary Ann Neuhaus living with Eva, the same as age Alois' sister. Alois and Eva Neuhaus also named one of their children Mary Ann. I am hoping someone down the road will read this and have some answers for me. The Nurre Family From the St. Joseph's Church-Sugar Creek-1855-1890 One of the early settlers in Browns was John Bernard "Henry" Nurre. He was born September 28, 1814, and immigrated from Oldenburg, Germany in 1841. After a 3 month, perilous trip on a sailboat, he landed in America and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. Although educated as a teacher, the pioneer spirit and the desire to own land, had Nurre travel to and settle in Browns, Waterford Township, Clinton County, Iowa. After some time, he journeyed back to Cincinnati to marry Mary Fehring, the daughter of Lucas Fehring from Hanover, Germany. and bring her back to the land he loved. Henry and Mary Nurre had three children, Catherine (Reiff), Stephen and Joseph Gerhard Nurre. Henry Nurre was a successful landowner, and kept acquiring land from the government for $1.25 per acre. Nurre also owned land in Fairfield Township, Jackson County, which adjoins Waterford Township about ˝ mile north of Browns. After clearing the timberland, Nurre was able to sell the land for $45.00 an acre. Nurre built a 10-room limestone house, which still stands on property to the north of Old Browns. Later that land was owned by the August, John, and Alvi Boehmer, Alvi's sister, Mildred (Wanzek) and their children. During the summer of 1855, Mary Fehring Nurre, sick with typhoid fever, convinced her husband, Henry, to donate 40 acres of ground to the people of this community, upon which was to be erected a parish church, school and cemetery, which was called St. Joseph's parish in Sugar Creek, Iowa. Mary, herself, selected the spot at the top of the hill, a short distance south of their home. Unfortunately, the cemetery was not there when Mary died, so Henry transported her body, by ox team and wagon, on a three-day trip, to Galena, IL, to be buried in St. Michael's cemetery. Henry Nurre was married three times during his life, yet he was alone much of the time. His second wife, Anna Adelaide Wilmes, lived only three years. Later he married his third wife, Elizabeth Finke, who lived a number of years after his death. Henry Nurre's second wife is buried at Sugar Creek, and his third wife is buried at Schaller, Iowa. On March 11, 1890, at the age of 76 years, Henry Nurre was murdered in his house. He was found on the kitchen floor, dressed in his chore clothes. The only marks of violence on his body were finger marks on his throat, evidence of him being choked to death. His wife was also found in an unconscious state, in the attic above the kitchen, with her head battered and nine deep scalp wounds. She regained consciousness several weeks later, but because of her hazy memory of the gruesome tragedy, she could give no clue, whatsoever, to the mystery. The best detectives in Chicago spent several years on the case, but to this day, the murder still remains a mystery. Henry Nurre is buried in the St. Joseph's cemetery at Sugar Creek, at the entrance of the graveyard, marked by an imposing monument. Davenport Democrat - Friday evening, March 14, 1890 states as follows: "Henry Nurre was very eccentric in his habits, and the rigid economy practiced by both himself and his wife verged on penury. It was generally understood that he had a great deal of money in his house at all times, having no confidence in banks, and this is probably what incited the dastardly deed." The Perion Family Andrew Perion, Sr. was born about 1823 in Maierle #11, Gottschee, Austria. He married Mary Rom in Austria. Mary was born in Bistriz #9. Four of their children, John, Andrew, Jacob and Joseph were born in Loka #16, Austria. Why they moved to Loka, I have no idea. The Perion's came to the United States between 1867 and 1870. John married Mary Smith; Andrew married Elizabeth Carey; and Joseph married Ella Murphy. According to the 1880 census records, their other children were; Mary, who married Anton Fier; (See Fier family). Mathias, who married Mary Maurin; and Peter who married Mary Ludwig. Mathias Perion and Mary Maurin had a son, Ray, who married Winifred "Dot" Hansen. The marriage of Maggie Banowetz to Andrew Perion in 1890 is shown on the Clinton County marriage records. This was a year after Andrew, Sr.'s wife, Mary, died. The 1895 census shows that he was living in the 3rd ward in Lyons, Iowa. He was 72 at that time, and his wife Maggie (Banowetz) was 58. There were no children living with them at this time. We have no record of a Maggie Banowetz at this time. The Peschel Family There were several Peschel families in Sugar Creek, and they are very confusing. Some of them were half first cousins, and some were the next generation, and some were siblings. The Peschel families came here from Gottschee area of what was then Austria. Many other Sugar Creek settlers came here from the same area. Joseph Peschel came to the USA about 1861 and was from Bistriz #5. He served in the Civil War as a Union Soldier. After the war, he married Maria, last name unknown, and they had 2 girls. After Maria died, he married Maria Strutzel, and they had 4 children. Maria Strutzel was born in Naklo #7 and came here about 1872. After Joseph died in 1880, Maria married Josep in Cleveland, Ohio. Joseph Peschel, his first wife and 2 girls are buried at St. Joseph's at Sugar Creek. Brothers Joseph Shelko came here about 1877 and John Shelko came here about 1872. Maria, John and Joseph Peschel were the children of Joseph's brother Johan, and were born in Bistriz #5. Maria came here about 1872 and she married John Shelko. He was listed as a laborer in Waterford Township in the 1880 census. By 1900 they had moved to Clinton, Iowa. John Peschel married Annie Canda Brunskule and they also lived in Clinton, Iowa. They are all buried in Clinton, Iowa. Joseph came to the USA about 1886 and I think he married Maria Schoenfeldt in 1887. He died in 1895, and I don't know how many children they had, or if Maria remarried. Peter Peschel, another brother to Maria, John, and Joseph, lived in Kankakee, Illinois. Peter may have lived in Sugar Creek for awhile before he went to Kankakee. Franz, the son of another sister who stayed in Gottschee, lived in Ely, Minnesota. I think Franz was in Sugar Creek long enough to get his citizenship there in 1906. Brothers John and George Lamuth were 1st cousins to Joseph Peschel and came to Sugar Creek about 1860. Their mother, Catherine Peschel Lamuth, was an aunt to Joseph and they were born in Gric #14. John married Maria Styer in Austria, and they had 7 children, some of them were born in Sugar Creek. George married Catherine Vogrin, probably in Sugar Creek, and they had five children. Both men were farmers in Waterford Township. There is more about them in the Lamuth story. Andrew Peschel is the same generation as Joseph, but he is from a second marriage, so they are half first cousins. Andrew, his wife and 2 daughters came here about 1866 from Bistriz #6. At one time, Andrew operated a grocery store and was postmaster in Browns, otherwise he was a farmer. He and his wife, Mary, and several of their children moved to Todd County, Minnesota about 1902. Andrew, Jr. and his wife were farmers and stayed at Sugar Creek and are buried at Sugar Creek. Now to add to the confusion, I will list Andrew, Sr.'s children and who they married. Maria Peschel married Martin Pluth, moved to Minnesota. Their daughter Anna, married Joseph Messerich, son of John Messerich and Appolonia Maurin. Anna Peschel married John Teshack and they moved to Omaha. Andrew Peschel married Mary Lamuth, daughter of George, stayed at Sugar Creek. Children are: Frank b. 1894, Ben b. 1895, Rose b. 1897, Joseph b. 1900, Genevieve b. 1902, and Ann b. 1906. Catherine Peschel married Leo Pezdirtz and they moved to Omaha. Theresa Peschel married Joseph Stuckel, moved to Minnesota. John Paul Peschel never married, moved to Minnesota Joseph Peschel married Anna Lamuth, daughter of John, moved to Minnesota. George Peschel married Alice Grimes in Minnesota. The Powers Family John Powers was born around 1847 in Ireland. In 1870 John was living with his mother, Mary, and 4 siblings. His wife, Joanna Burke, was born about 1856 in New York, however her parents were born in Ireland. The Powers had the following children: Richard, John, William, Anna, Mary, Robert, Josephine, Marie, Loretta, Lydia, and Margaretha. In the 1880 census, John Powers' mother, Mary Powers, born about 1828 in Ireland is also living in the Powers home. A brother of John's, Matthew Powers, born about 1858 in Iowa and a brother Robert Powers, born about 1860 in Iowa, is also shown living in this household. Based on the above information, we believe the Powers family came to Browns around 1855. The Proost Family John Proost, was born about 1848 in Prussia. He was the Shoemaker in Sugar Creek, with his shop located on what was later Reuter property. This was across the road and to the southeast of the church. His wife, Mary, born about 1856 in Iowa. Their children were Christina, who married Frank Diedrich (whose family emigrated from Luxembourg); Katherine, Herman; Ben; Frank; John and Nicholas. The Reiff Family From St. Joseph's Church - Sugar Creek - 1855 - 1980 Peter Joseph Reiff was born in March in 1800 in Widdersdorff, Germany. He married Margaret Lemper in 1827 in the village of Esch where he lived until all of his ten children were born. Peter Reiff earned enough money to buy ten acres of land, which he sold later for $1000.00. It was then that Peter and Margaret Reiff came to America, landing in New York, to secure better advantages for their family, and to have their sons escape the military compulsory draft in Germany for all men between the ages of 18 and 21. After a short stay in New York, the Reiff family traveled on to Kankakee, Illinois. Later they lived in Potosi, Wisconsin, where Reiff worked in the lead mines. Eventually, they traveled to Clinton County, Waterford Township. John Reiff, their son, married Catherine Nurre, the daughter of Henry Nurre in Sugar Creek on November 13, 1868. Upon their marriage, Peter Reiff presented his son with $100 in gold, which John took to a bank and exchanged for $130.00 in currency. The lived in the Browns area when their children were born: Henry, John, Mat, Mary, Gertrude, Margaret, Peter, Elizabeth, Herman, Ann and Christine. Gertrude, Peter and Herman died as small children. In 1892, the family moved to Early, Iowa to a 400 acre farm purchased for $40.00 per acre. John Reiff died on May 23, 1913 in Hotsprings, Arkansas. Catherine lived on with her unmarried children and died in Early, Iowa on January 19, 1935. Footnote: Herman Reiff's son Joseph married Susan Underberg, daughter of John and Mary Underberg in Carroll County. The Reuter Family Michael Reuter was born in Altenahr, Rhine, Germany, November 26, 1860, the son of Peter and Catherine (Gasper) Reuter, also from Altenahr, Rhine, Germany. Peter and Catherine did not come to the United States. They were engaged in farming. They were the parents of six children, five of which remained in Germany, Rhine Province. They were: Margaret, Christine, Joseph, Katherine and Mary. The other son, Michael came to America. Michael Reuter received his education in the schools of Germany until the age of 13, at which time he assisted his father on the farm. In May, 1881, he sailed from Antwerp on the "City of New York" and after a two week voyage landed in New York. He made his way westward, to Lyons, Clinton County, Iowa where he obtained work for a week on the public road, and then worked in a sawmill for four weeks. From there he came to Waterford Township, where he secured a position on a farm, and remained there for five years. On February 2, 1886, Michael Reuter married Mary Burken, who was born in Clinton County, Iowa on Marcy 14, 1862. Mary was the daughter of William Burken and Lizzie Cossman, both natives of Germany. Michael Reuter and Mary Burken Reuter had 9 children: Elizabeth Reuter married Jacob Lehnertz, They had 3 children. Wilhelmina Reuter married Michael Banowetz. They had 15 children. Peter Reuter married Katherine Banowetz, They had 14 children. John Reuter married Lena Banowetz. They had 4 children. Veronica Reuter married August Frett, They had 14 children. Catherine Reuter became Sister Laurentia. Mary (Mayme)Reuter married William Keiffer. They had 8 children. William Reuter married Catherine Diederick. They had 3 children. He later married Ludwina Franzen Luskey. They had seven children. Joseph Reuter married Nellie Norton. He later married Martha Munseh. They had four children. The Roling Family The 1892 Farmer's Directory of Clinton County shows Catherine Roling, with the following children: Henry, Kate, Herman, George, Joe, Leo, Mamie, Lena, Loretta and Rosella and Herman Rolling with a Browns address. The 1925 directory shows Herman Roling with his wife, Agnes Soppe. They had nine children. The Roschitsch Family Michael and Mary Roschitsch came to the US from Austria. Their first 3 children were born in Austria, the rest in Iowa. Their children were, from census records: Mike, John, Mary, Joseph, Margaret, Peter and Mathew. The Rose Family The Rose family is connected through marriage to several of the families from Browns. A detailed history can be found in THE ROSE HISTORY-CONRAD, JOHN, and ALOYSIUS, and may be accessed through Arlene at arlenerose2000@yahoo.com. John and Christina Helming Rose emigrated from Helmern, Westphalen, and settled in rural Clinton County. Their children were Frank, Al, Mary, Lena, Theresa and Frances. Frank married Maggie Kisting from Highland, Wisconsin and stayed near Highland where they farmed. They had 10 children. Al Rose married Elizabeth Banowetz who died of child birth complications after the birth of the second child. Children: Evelyn Christina Rose and Joseph John. Mary Rose married Joseph Skoff. They had two children. After the death of his wife, Mary, Joseph Skoff married Anna Boehmer. After the death of his wife, Anna, Joseph married Anna Luckiesh. Lena Rose married Mathias Boehmer, son of August. They had no children. Teresa Rose married William Holdgrafer. They had nine children. Frances Rose married Anton Teshak. They had four children. The Ross Family Charles Ross and his wife, Frances Miller emigrated from Germany. At one time, they had a tavern in Old Browns. They had the following children: Peter, who died young; John, who married Dolores Cleary from the Petersville area, which is south of Riggs and southwest of Browns. John Ross and his wife lived in the white house on the hill, overlooking Old Browns. As of 2005, this house is still standing. You can see it directly to your left, as you are heading south, down the hill on 308th Avenue, just before the bottom ground where the tracks used to run, and the buildings of the village of Browns used to stand. Charles, who married Clara Portz, from the Springbrook, (Jackson County) area. They had two children. Joseph, who died young; Ferdinand "Fred", who married Mary Lena Gerlich from Bellevue. They had five children. Mary "Marie" who married Charles Wagner. They had four children. The Skalla Family There were 3 Skalla families in Sugar Creek. They were all from Austria, but I do not know how or if they are all related to each other. John Skalla was born about 1848 and he married Anna German from Austria. Anna died in 1891 and John married Agnes from Austria. John and Agnes had 4 children in the 1900 census; Annie, John, Mary and Rosy. Jacob Skalla was born about 1852 and married Annie Plutt June 18, 1873 probably in Sugar Creek. Their children from the 1880 census were: Mary, Jacob, Mathias, and Catherine. Matthias Skalla married Kate Gollobitch Dec 20, 1881 probably in Sugar Creek. In 1885 they were living in 4th ward, Lyons, Iowa, and had 2 children, Mary and John. John Gollobitch had a daughter Kate, who would have been about 15 in 1881, so she could have been the one. The Skoff Family Martin Skoff, Jr. and his wife Catherine Herwath were born in Metlika, Austria (now Slovenia) and came to America about 1881 with two children. Upon arriving in America, Martin immediately went to Jackson County, where he bought five acres of land. With hard work and careful economy, he was able to purchase an eighty acre farm in Fairfield township, Jackson County, which is north of Browns. Their children were Anton, born about 1874, who married Elizabeth Boecker; Barbara, John who died in 1903, and Joseph. Anton and Barbara were born in Austria. John and Joseph were born in Iowa. Barbara Skoff, born about 1878, married Michael Frankovitch. They had the following children: Albert, Michael, Marie, Kathryn, Ida, John and George. After the death of Michael, Barbara married John Horwath (maybe Herwath ?). They had the following children: Marie, Elizabeth, William, Edward and Genevieve. Joseph Skoff, born about 1886, married Mary Rose. They had three children. After the death of his wife, Mary, Joseph married Anna Boehmer. They had four children. After the death of his second wife, Anna, Joseph married Ann Luckiesh. The Sterbenz Families Michael Sterbenz was born about 1815 in Austria. Michael Sterbenz married Mary Persche, who was born about 1810 in Austria. They had a daughter Mary, born in Austria Jan. 14, 1841. Michael & Mary also had a son, Michael J, who was born in Austria April 10, 1839. Their son Michael J. was also married to a Mary Persche. I am not sure what relationship his wife was to his mother. Michael & Mary Persche Sterbenz also had three other children who died during a horrible cholera epidemic in Europe. This is what prompted them to sell their land & properties there & to leave their native land & move to America. Michael J. & his wife Mary had a son Michael John who was born May 10, 1864 in Austria. It is believed that Michael Sterbenz & his much younger brother Frank Sterbenz came to Browns sometime before 1860, as land records in Clinton County show evidence of that. Then I believe that Mary Sterbenz, wife of Michael and their daughter Mary, and son Michael J., and his wife Mary, along with their son Michael John came to Browns in 1865. The 1880 census shows a niece, Kate Sturbens, who was born in Iowa, about 1870, living with them as a boarder. Even though this family is shown on the 1880 census, they were one of six Gottschee families to move from Browns to an area near Olpe in Lyon County Kansas around 1880. Note: Some of the above information was from another Sterbenz book given to Marge Light by Maybelle Didde Scheetz of Topeka, Kansas. Her father was a Strutzel and her grandmother was Mary Sterbenz, a sister to Michael John Sterbenz and daughter of Michael J. Sterbenz. Frank Sterbenz, born about 1831, married Gertrude Klemper from Galena, Illinois. The property they had in Clinton Co. was sold & they moved on to Nebraska. They are buried in the Aurora Cemetery there. They had several children. George Sterbenz, who we believe is a brother of Michael and Frank, was born in 1828. He married Mary Kapsch, who was born in 1828. According to their marriage record obtained from Austria it appears that Mary was married before and was the widow of a Mr. Katze (Kotze). George came to America in May 1874, probably 8 years ahead of his wife, Mary, and their children. In the 1885 census, they were living in Waterford Township, Clinton County. By the 1895 census, they were living in Fairfield Township, Jackson County, which is directly north of Waterford Township in Clinton County. The county line is probably 1/8 mile north of Browns, Iowa. George & Mary Sterbenz had 6 children and I have their birth records from Austria. Their children were: Margaret, who married Josef Sterk; See The Sterk Family for more information. Annie, who married Joseph Herwath; (She died in 1902, leaving Joseph with several small children to care for.) See the Herwath Family for more information. George, who married Margaret Rom Cicak; (Margaret had been married to a Cicak first. We have no evidence but assume that Cicak died). It is our understanding that Margaret was a mail order bride from Michigan. George died 3 years after their marriage, so Margaret went back to Michigan to live with a sister. John, who married Mary Kotze in 1891; They had a daughter, Mary, born April 24, 1892. Mary married Matt Gregorich. His first wife, Mary, died and in 1904 John married Mary Ann Fuegen. They had 11 children. (1) Joseph married Juanita Huling. (2) Albert married Mary Raab & they lived in the state of Washington (3) Adeline (Addie) died when she was 12 years old. (4) Rose married Ernie Lehmkuhl (5) Helen, never married. (6) Michael, the father of Marge Light married Thelma Brewster & they had 10 children. (7) Marcella married Roy Beller (8) John died before he was 11 years old. (9) Veronica (Peggy) was married to Harold Kinney. (10) Florence married Howard Heister. Florence is the only child of Johns that is still living. She was 86 years old Oct. 1, 2004. (11) Ben married Alice Mills. John and Mary lived in Fairfield Township. Celia, who married Jacob Stanisha. Jacob & Celia had the following five children: Anna married Joseph Dunne; Roseanne (Rose) married Paul Beckley; Katherine (Katie) married Michael Lehnertz; Charles never married and Elizabeth married Victor Banowetz. George and Mary also had a daughter Catherine who must have stayed in Austria when the rest of the family came to America probably because she was already married to a man by the name of Rezek (Rozic). Catherine was the oldest child of George and Mary. When George, the son of George & Mary, died in 1917 Catherine Rezek was listed in that record as a sister to George, John, Margaret and Celia. We have nothing else on Catherine. We now have reason to believe Mary had another child when she was married to her first husband. The 1900 census states she had 7 children, 7 living. The 1910 census shows 7 children, 6 living. Annie died in 1902 so that would account for the one missing in the 1910 census. In 1917 when son George died no other names were listed on the probate record perhaps because Mary's oldest child would have been a half-sibling and not blood related or perhaps that child was also deceased by then. If deceased, it would have been between 1910 and 1917. Mary herself passed away in 1913. The Sterk Family The 1905 Directory of Farmers and Land Owners of Clinton County, Iowa shows Joseph Stork (Sterk), with a Browns address. Joseph Sterk was born in Austria. He married Margaret Sterbenz at Sugar Creek about 1885. Their children were: (1) Margaret (Maggie) died when she was 10 years old (2)Joseph, who moved to Coffeeville, Kansas (3) John who married Rose Gregorich, (4) Cecelia who married John Rickerl. I have been told that Cecelia had a twin sister by the name of Helen who died at birth. I myself have no proof of that. If this is true that would be child #5. (6) Bernard (Ben) married Katherine Franzen (7) Mary married Louis Underberg (8) Peter who had TB & never married (9) George, who married Marie Skoff. I have also been told there was a Catherine (who died young) but again have no proof of that. If that is the case Margaret & Josef Sterk had 10 children. If there was no twin Helen & no Catherine they for sure had 8 children. The Strutzel Families There was more than one Strutzel family in Sugar Creek, and I do not know how or if they are all related. They were all born in Austria, of course. Michael Strutzel married Catherine. Michael and Catherine were born about 1825. In the 1870 census they had two children. Catherine was born about 1858 in Austria and Joseph about 1867 in Iowa. John Strutzel married Annie Suhorepitz on Nov. 26, 1877, probably in Sugar Creek. In the census records of Waterford Township, I have found eight children. John, born about 1878; Joseph born about 1880; Frank born about 1882; Mary born about 1884; Anne, Henry, Lena and Lizzie. John is listed as a farmer in the census records. Joseph Strutzel immigrated to the US about 1874. He married Mary Sterbenz, daughter of Michael Jr. and Mary Sterbenz. They moved to Lyon County, Kansas. Joseph was a brother to Maria Strutzel that married Joseph Peschel. Joseph and his sister Maria were both born in Naklo #7. It is possible the John listed above is also a brother, but his birth date does not quite match. In the 1880 Census there was a Catherine Strutzel, widow, with 4 children, but I have not figured out who her husband was. In the cemetery index it says she was the wife of M.P. and she is about 10 years older than the Catherine listed above married to Michael. The Stuckel Family In the 1880 census there were two Stuckel families from Austria, who could be brothers. Joseph and Mary Stuckel and 2 sons lived in South Fork, Jackson County, Iowa. Their sons were John, born 1855 in Austria and Jacob born 1859 in Austria. In the 1880 census John and Mary Stuckel and 6 children lived in Waterford Township. The children were; John, Stephen born about 1872, Jacob, Joseph born about 1876 in Iowa, Mary and Elouis. In the 1900 census John Sr., age 73, was working for John Skalla. A third Stuckel, Joseph, immigrated about 1887. Joseph Stuckel, born about 1868 in Austria, married Theresa Peschel, born 1876 in Sugar creek, daughter of Andrew and Mary Peschel. Theresa and Joseph moved to Minnesota with the other Peschel and Pluth families. A fourth Stuckel, Stephen, also immigrated about 1887. I think Stephen and Joseph were brothers, but I have no proof of that. Stephen was born about 1862, and married Mary Skalla about 1893. Stephen stayed in the Sugar Creek area. In the 1910 census their children were: Loretta, Edward, Rosa, ? son, Silvester, Marcella and Vernon. The Teshak Families There were 3, maybe 4, Teshak families near Browns. George Teshak, born about 1839 and his wife Barbara immigrated about 1884. George was listed as a farmer near Riggs in the 1892 Farmers Directory. The 1900 census says George and Barbara had 10 children, 7 of them living. There were four listed in the 1900 census. In 1900 they were living in Clinton, Iowa, and then they moved to Joliet, Illinois before 1910. Some people think George and Martin were brothers but we don't know the parents of either one. Martin Teshak, Sr. born about 1836, immigrated between 1870 and 1880. Martin married Appolonia Maurin Messerich, a sister to Joseph Maurin, who moved to Kansas in 1880. Joseph and Appolonia were born in Loka, Austria, the children of George and Anna Loser Maurin. Martin and Appolonia were parents of Annie, Anton and Martin, Jr. We believe that Martin and Appolonia, upon their marriage, may have lived in the home that Appolonia shared with her first husband, John Messerich, who had passed on. This home was directly north of the Sugar Creek Church grounds, on the east side of 320th Avenue, in a wooded area. This was located in the southwest corner of Section 2, in Waterford Township. At a later date, according to family members, this home was moved further north, down the hill to the Martin Teshak farm, and later this farm was owned by Anton Teshak. After this house was in place, a "summer kitchen" with a stairway leading to the upstairs of the original Messerich house was built on to the east side of that older home. Annie Teshak married Louis Boehmer. They had five children. Anton Teshak married Frances Rose. They had four children. The Anton Teshak farm, which was previously owned by Anton's father, Martin Teshak, lies on the east side of 320th Avenue, north of the intersection with 110th street, near the base of the hill. The original old house burned down in the extreme cold of the winter in 1924. Teshak family members helped contain that fire, and they were able to save the "summer kitchen" and the stairs in that section. Immediately after the fire, the family stayed with the neighbors, Barney Timmer and Louis Boehmer. About two weeks after the fire, Mike Banowetz, who was a carpenter and Anton Teshak enclosed the open side of the "summer kitchen" for the family to live in while they were rebuilding the new house. Anton and Frances and two of their daughters, Della and Clara lived in this "summer kitchen". The other daughter, Marie stayed with the Bernard Timmer family and their son, Vern, stayed with Louis and Anne Teshak Boehmer and their family. The new house was built on the west side, adjacent to the "summer kitchen". The summer kitchen was used for many years. Recently, this "summer kitchen" was demolished to make room for a garage. Martin Teskak Jr. married Wilhelmina Elsner. After their marriage, in 1904, they lived in Fairfield Township, Jackson County in northeast corner of section 33. Martin Teshak purchased this farm from Earl Stamp, and lived there, with his family, for about seven years. From there they moved to New Hampton, Iowa, where they lived until 1917. Then they moved to Maquoketa, Iowa to a home which is now directly north of the Walmart store. They had five children. John Edward Teshak, born about 1860, immigrated about 1882. I don't know if John was related to Martin or George. John married Anna Peschel in Sugar Creek in 1886. They moved to Omaha, Nebraska. There was also a Katie Teshak, who married John Simonich in Sugar Creek in 1887. I don't know what happened to them. The Timmer Family After Bernard's death, his wife Wilhelmina remained on the farm with the family. Upon her death, John, Helen and Sylvester, who remained single, stayed on the farm. Eventually the farm was s Bernard (Barney) Timmer, born in Hanover, Germany arrived in New York in 1882, on a ship that departed from Amsterdam, Holland. He married Wilhelmina Burken at Sugar Creek. They had eleven children: Elizabeth, who married John E. Elsner; William, who married Clara Luedtke; John, Anne, who married Edward Mullaley; Bernard, who married Gertrude Luedtke; Teresa, who married Walt Gorman; Jacob, who married Viola Geronzin, Matthew, who married Marie Christof, Helen, Joseph J. and Sylvester. Bernard Timmer built an exquisite brick home in 1900. This home had seven bedrooms, and is located to the west of 320th Avenue, about 2 miles south of the intersection with 110th Street. This house is located in the bottom, where you can still see the concrete "support" that was used to support the railroad tracks, crossing the creek. Bernard Timmer, while walking on the railroad tracks from one part of the farm to the other, was killed on February 4, 1930. Bernard saw the train approaching, but did not realize there was another train coming from the opposite direction. After Bernard's death, his wife Wilhelmina remained on the farm with the family. Upon her death, John, Helen and Sylvester, who remained single, stayed on the farm. Eventually the farm was sold to John Timmer, and his brother and sister continued living there with him. The Timmer family lived in this house until 1974. The Trenkamp Family Henri John Trenkamp and his wife, Carolina Ahlers were both from Oldenberg, Germany. They immigrated prior to 1879. It appears that the Trenkamps lived in Lyons, Clinton County, Iowa in 1889 and by 1907 they had a Browns address. Their daughter, Mary Ann married at St. Joseph's Church in Sugar Creek in January 1900 or 1901, so they were probably living near Browns at that time. Henri and Carolina Ahlers Trenkamp are the parents of four children: Mary Ann, who married Henry Franzen with five children. Henry Herman, who married Christina Banowetz with 19 children. Mary Katherine (Kate), who married John Bormann with eleven children. August Franciscus with no children. The Underberg Families The Underbergs were from Raesfeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. They immigrated to the United States in 1846 and settled first near Burlington, Wisconsin. Bernard and Christina Underberg had 5 children; Gertrude, John, Henry, Christina, and Bernard. Christina, the daughter died in Germany. Christina's parents, Johan and Adeleid Albers, also came to the USA with them. The father, Bernard died in 1852 in Burlington. One son, Henry, died in Burlington in 1848 and Christina's father also died in Burlington. Gertrude was the oldest and she stayed in Burlington, when Christina, her mother, and 2 children moved to Galena, Illinois, sometime before the 1860 census. Bernard had two brothers living in Galena, Franz and William, and I suppose that is why she went there. Sometime in the early 1860's Christina Underberg, sons John and Bernard, and Adeleid Albers came to Sugar Creek. In 1868 John married Maria Kries at Sugar Creek. Maria was born in Germany and her family had settled in Sharon Township in 1862. John Underberg was listed as a farmer in the 1870 census. Three children were born at Sugar Creek, before John and Maria moved to Carroll County in 1873. Adeleid died in 1866 and is buried at St. Joseph's. Christina died in Dec 1872 and is buried at St. Joseph's. It was after Christina's death that the family moved. John and Mary are my great-grandparents. Their son Bernard was born in 1872 in Sugar Creek, and is my grandfather. Bernard married Anna Otto in Carroll County. They moved to Wilkin County, Minnesota in 1904, and that is where my father was born, and where I was born. Bernard, also known as Barney, married Catherine Brown, daughter of Bernard and Josephine, in 1874. He was a house carpenter and helped build one of the churches at Sugar Creek. They had 5 children; Bernard, Josephine, Louis, Henrich, and Maria Katherine. Bernard, Jr. and Henrich died as infants. Bernard, Sr. died before 1889, and Catherine married John Ahlers. Louis married Mary Sterk, daughter of Joseph Sterk and Margaret Sterbenz, in1921 and they had no children. Mary (known as Mae) remained single. Josephine married Emil Fuegen in 1899, and they had 8 children. Leo married Josephine Banowetz, Arnold married Dorothy Wieska. Edmund married Helen Catherine Herwath. Valeria did not marry. Hilde married Errol Shanklin. Aloysius did not marry. Wilbert married Edna Quick. Coleta married Lysle Hartley. The Zeiser Family John Zeiser was born Jan. 12, 1852 in Sadetz, Austria. He married Mary Stalzer from Bresowitz, Austria in Sugar Creek on 1/27/1876. She was born Feb 19, 1850 in Austria. John and Mary listed their occupation as farmer and housekeeper in the 1880 census. Listed are their eight children: Theresa married Bill Becker from Graettinger, Iowa. The following three children remained in Sugar Creek. Mary, who married Louis Franzen; Anna, who married Bill Franzen; Frank, who married Loretta Fier; Kate, who married William Boehmer, settled in South Dakota; Lena, who married Bill Banowetz and remained in Sugar Creek; and Lizzie, who married Adolph Mesch of Dubuque and Joe, of Maquoketa. Frank Zeiser was the depot agent in Browns. Frank Zeiser bought the "Old Browns" store from Andrew Peschel, and moved it to "New Browns" around 1942. Frank Zeiser moved his store from Old to New Browns before he had the foundation for it. So he settled it on four big jacks, one at each corner. All through that winter, when there were very strong winds, he worried and prayed (all by himself, so as not to alarm the family) that the building would be blown off the jacks. When he finally had a foundation and cellar dug and prepared by old Mr. John Ahlers, Frank, by himself, lowered the store from the jacks to the foundation, "jack by jack" and "inch by inch". Those were the days! Later, an addition was built onto this store, where the Zeiser family lived. Frank Zeiser married Loretta Fier. Loretta was the daughter of Anton Fier and Mary Perion. They had four children. After the death of Loretta Fier, Frank Zeiser married Agnes Ahlers, daughter of John and Catherine. Reasons for Emigrating There were many reasons for our ancestors to risk their lives and leave their homeland in Europe to come to the United States. There was much poverty from numerous wars, crop failures, forced enlistment, illegitimacy, inadequate medicines, along with land shortages. In some parts of Europe, the farms had been divided and subdivided among all heirs, and the farms became too small to support a family. Other European countries made a law that only the oldest son could inherit the farm. Younger sons would have to be a craftsman, such as a stone mason, carpenter, blacksmith, etc. and try to make a living in that manner. If a farmer had no sons, then, when the oldest daughter married, the husband would take the wife's name, so that the farm would remain in the family name. Some of the daughters who did not marry, could earn a living by becoming a seamstress or housekeeper, as many did when immigrating and joining the work force here. Since land could be bought for little in the United States, and jobs were plentiful, many of the young took the chance for opportunity, and boarded a sailboat and later passenger ships for America. They were on the rough seas for over 2 months, and some died during the long trip. I remember reading a story about a youth, about 10 years old, who came over with his mother. During rough seas, the mother and her trunk with all of their possessions were washed overboard. They were intending to stay with relatives in the United States, but all of the family information was in that trunk. The 10 year old boy was "adopted" by another family on the boat. Emigrant families really helped each other during those difficult times. Children born out of wedlock were shown as "illegitimate" on the birth certificate. These innocent children, as they grew to adulthood, could never own property of any kind or join a "craft" guild, in order to make a living, so they sought to immigrate to a place where they could own land or practice their craft. Many countries had compulsory military service for men, ages 18 to 21. After losing a family member in a previous war, many parents took their entire family to the United States. Many Europeans came to the United States as "indentured servants", as someone with money in the United States would pay their way, and they in turn would be obligated to work for them for a period of time. After working off this obligation, they would join other family members who had come to the United States before them. In observing the marriage patterns of males coming to the United States, it appears that many left a girlfriend behind. When there was enough money earned to support a wife, many of those girlfriends would immigrate and there would be a wedding. Then later, more of her family members would come to the United States, as there would be someone they knew here, to help get them started. Whatever the reason for our immigrant ancestor's departure, such a decision was never taken lightly. Many of our immigrants were never again able to see their homelands. Most were never able to see their family members again. Pictures and letters were exchanged from afar, however after the passing of a couple of generations, much of that stopped, creating a loss of parts of our heritage that may never be known. Our ancestor's decision to come to the New World, changed forever the future of their descendants. We enjoy the freedoms and endless opportunities, because of our ancestor's journey. We should never forget the homelands and heritage of our ancestors; we should always keep a special place in our prayers of thanks for their many sacrifices. St. Joseph's Parish in Sugar Creek, Iowa From the St. Joseph's Church Sugar Creek 1855 - 1980 Henry Nurre, himself a Catholic, had an eye for the building of a Catholic Community. He himself attracted Catholics to the community. In the early days, pioneers worshipped in their homes, with passing missionaries celebrating the Mass and administering the Sacraments. When a priest was not available to say Mass, the people gathered at the Nurre home, or some other private home to recite the rosary. These worship services were held by William Franzen, Sr., who upon his death, bequeathed $1,000.00 to the Sugar Creek church to use the interest thereon to buy candles and supplies for the church. This bequest is still used today. After the donation of the forty acres by Henry Nurre in 1855, a small frame church costing $1500.00 was erected by Sebastian Hahn, Nicholas Eckel, Bernard Underberg, and James Kirwin. A postcard indicates the name as Grus aus Sugar Creek, (Greetings from Sugar Creek) Browns Station, Iowa. A county public school was built on the church grounds, where the children could learn their basic letters and introduced to the tenets of their faith. Mr. William Wangler was the first teacher, followed by Henry Brown. Soon, with the abundance of children, a new and larger county public school was built on the site of the present rectory. By the year 1888 the St. Joseph's parish had grown so much, that the full time services of a pastor were required. Reverend Wm. B. Sassen was the first pastor to take up his residence in Sugar Creek. His first important task was to build a rectory, which he felt should be on a site near the church, so the school was moved to a spot across the road from the church grounds. Michael and Mary Burken Reuter moved to this converted schoolhouse when they left their farm, until 1916 when they built a new home to the west of this schoolhouse. The schoolhouse is no longer there, but the Reuter home still proudly stands. This is the farm across the road from the St. Joseph's Church in Sugar Creek. The rectory was built on that old school location. Unfortunately, fire destroyed that rectory. Undaunted, in 1892, Reverend Sassen directed the building of the present brick veneer rectory. In 1896, he directed the building of the present St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which still stands. At one time, there was a strong controversy about the merits of building as church on the present church grounds, or in the then flourishing Browns Station. It is believed that Sebastian Hahn was very influential in keeping the church in its present location. Eventually, Reverend Sassen and the parishioners saw the need of a more thoroughly Catholic education for the younger generation. The Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque were secured to teach in the county public school, and later in the parochial school until 1967. After the success of Reverend Sassen in building the rectory and the church, he was given a new assignment. Reverend John Haubrich was the next pastor. In 1902, with the pioneering spirit of Reverend Haubrich, a new school was built, at a cost of $6,000.00. Eventually an addition to the school was built to serve as the convent for the Sisters. This school still received support as a county public school. In 1954, county support was withdrawn from this school, but the residents of Sugar Creek supported the school until 1967 when the diocese of Davenport ordered all parochial schools with an enrollment under 100 closed. The enrollment at Sugar Creek was 54. The school building is now known as "Nurre Hall". The church grounds donation from Henry Nurre, included the land to the east of the church. That land is now rented out as farmland, but in the early 1900's, there were two large barns, located west of the church. Families would travel to church, either walking or using horses with sleds, wagons or buggies. Then they would, without unhitching horses, just guide the horses into stalls, and tie them until the church services were over. (Picture of church with barn - in Sugar Creek book) Gottschee (The old country) The Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Association (www.Gottschee.org) is the source for the following Gottschee information. Gottschee was settled in 1300 by the Carinthian Counts of Ortenburg initially with colonists from the Ortenburg estates in Carinthia and Tyrol, and by other settlers who came from Austrian and German Dioceses of Salzburg, Brixen and Freising. When the families arrived, they saw a beautiful lake which they called "God's Sea" or in German, "Gottschee." The settlers cleared the vacant and heavily forested land, and established towns and rural villages. The area of Carniola that was to become Gottschee had been a strategic part of the Holy Roman Empire since the year 800. As a result, there were a number of important fortifications in and around Gottschee. Gottschee received its municipal charter and city seal in 1471. The Gottschee ethnic and linguistic area of 331 square miles consisted of more than 180 villages organized into 31 townships and parishes. This area was populated by about 30,000 people. While these Germanic people cultivated the land, and paid taxes to the Count, they also served as a buffer from the invading Turks in the East, who had burnt their villages three previous times. They farmed and hunted midway between the Sava River and the Adriatic Sea. Although they lived among several Balkan nationalities, mostly Slavs, they maintained their Germanic traditions. Gottschee became a small Austrian duchy in 1791. Up until 1918, Gottschee was part of the Austrian - Hungarian Empire; then part of Yugoslavia and since 1991 part of Slovenia. (The country of Slovenia broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991). For the most part, throughout their over 600 year presence, the German-speaking Gottscheers lived peacefully with their Slovene neighbors. In 1941, they were relocated by the Third Reich so that the area could be given to Italy. After 1945, most Gottscheers left Slovenia altogether for new homes in Austria, Germany, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Gottscheers began to emigrate from their homeland around 1860, with most coming to the United States. The largest wave of immigrants came after World War II. As a result, there are Gottscheer societies in several U.S. and Canadian cities. As the number of English-speaking Gottscheer descendants has grown, it is the main goal of the Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Association to gather information about Gottschee, translate it into English, and assist Gottscheer descendants discover their ancestral culture, history and family records. Gottscheers come to Browns Researcher, Marilu Thurman, has been researching the Browns area, and the patterns of migration for years, and uncovered the following information. In the early 1860's, and continuing into the 1870's and 1880's, pioneer settlers from the Gottschee area in Austria, (now Slovenia) started coming to Waterford Township, Section 4, in the area known as Browns. These include the family names of Agnich, Banowetz, Bluth, Buthala, Derganz, Golobitch, Herwath, Huttar, Jacklovitch, Jaklitsch, Jerman, Konig, Kotschevar, Lamuth, Loskey, Luckiesch, Mierly, Maurin, Messeridge, Nik, Pezdirtz, Perion, Peschel, Pluth, Roschitsch, Scheiko, Sietz, Simminich, Skalla, Smerkar, Staudacher, Sterbenz, Sterk, Stier, Strutzel, Stuckel, Teshak, Vertin and Vogrin. (Some of the above spellings are incorrect, but that is how they were written in the records.) Marilu also found that the Banowetz family emigrated from Strassenberg (Strazni Vrh) which is less than a mile north of Maierle (Mayrien). Sometimes Strassenberg is referred to as a "berg" of Maierle and thus Maierleberg. They were originally from Roschizhverh (Rozic Vrh), which is less than 2 miles north of Strassenberg. The Peschel family came from Bistriz (Bistrica), which is to the west of Maierle (Mayrien). The Maurin and Perion families came from Loka. The Messeridge (Mesaric) family came from Crnomelj. The Buthala and Lamuth families were from Gric. The towns above are shown with the Austrian (German) spelling, as well as the Slovenian spelling. Some of these families only stayed in the area a short time, and moved on, but several of the names are still very familiar in the Sugar Creek area. Around 1880, six Gottschee families moved from Sugar Creek to an area near Olpe in Lyon County, Kansas. They were Andrew Peschel, Martin Pluth, John Banowetz, Joseph Strutzel, Michael Sterbenz, and Joseph Maurin. The Peschel, and Pluth, families came back to Sugar Creek. Some members of the Sterbenz family remained in Kansas and some of the Sterbenz family stayed in Browns. Joseph Strutzel and Joseph Maurine remained in Kansas with their families. John Banowetz spent two years in Lyons County, Kansas and returned to Browns for a period of time, but in 1884 moved to the Coffeeville, Kansas area. Old Browns Old Browns, located in section 4 of Waterford Township, had a post office from February 12, 1872 until June 18, 1883. According to the Charlotte Record of May 14, 1908, Browns was named after Bernard Brown, Sr. born approximately 1822, a native of Germany, who arrived here about 1848. There were about 10 families living in Old Browns. Elmer Knock, Percy Perminter and Frank Zeiser were depot agents at various times. If you are driving south, on 337th Ave, Old Browns starts at about address # 1015. Browns had a store, post office, saloon, hotel, creamery, carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, and stockyard, as well as a train depot. Frank Zeiser ran the hotel. Joe Sterk owned the carpenter shop. Mathias Banowetz ran a blacksmith shop on his farm and invented the first stalk cutter and an adjustable bearing holder. In the 1896 Clinton County Directory, Mathias Banowetz is shown as having a business of Pump Repairing, and also was shown as a Notary Public. Andrew Peschel was the postmaster and kept a general store. John Zeiser, Brown and Fitzpatrick were former merchants here. At one time, Neil ran the brewery here. The hotel was kept by Andrew Peschel. Andrew Peschel's store and the neighboring saloon were destroyed by fire in 1910 when flames from the steam engine flew out. These were later rebuilt. Understanding the Language in Browns It is interesting to hear people talk about the old days, when they had such language barriers. People came from different areas of Austria, Germany, Ireland, Poland, and Prussia. Many younger children were hired by families who spoke a different language, or the same language with a different dialect so they could not converse with each other very well. Once the children reached the age of approximately 14, they were old enough to "work out". There were so many dialects, even within the German language, and even within people who originally came from Gottschee. The people whose families had lived near the mountains spoke a different dialect from families that came from the lowlands. The people from the cities spoke a different dialect than the farmers. Thus, the high, middle and low German and many variations thereof. Some families mentioned that they did not visit some of the other Austrian families as they were "higher up" than their family was. That did not mean a social class distinction, but it meant the elevation of where their ancestors had lived. Also, as the families settled in the area and the children started learning English in school, many of the children could not understand their uncles and aunts, and other elder family members. The Railroad in Browns In 1871, the first railroad, known as the Sabula, Ackley and Dakota was built in the area going through Browns. (The 1865 plat map does not indicate any train tracks through this area, however the 1874 plat map shows the train entering Waterford Township from the Delmar Depot, through Riggs, Browns Station, Spragueville and on to Green Island. The steam locomotive was powered by the steam produced from the coal or wood heated water boiler. Since water was constantly being lost through the steam exhaust, railroad towns were built every few miles, so that the trains would be able to take on water when necessary. When the valve opens the cylinder to release its steam exhaust, the steam escapes under a great deal of pressure and makes a "choo" sound as it exits. When the train is first starting, the piston is moving very slowly, but then as the train starts rolling, the piston gains speed. The effect of this is the "Choo…..choo…..choo….choo…" that we hear when it starts moving. Many of the older residents of this area distinctly remember this sound. They also talked about how hard those train engines had to work to pull the heavy loads up the big hills, in the spring, when they were carrying the seeds for the farmers to plant. The stockyards were an important part of the railroad junction. Cattle and hogs would be herded down the country roads, with farmers, their children and their dogs blocking the farm lanes, as they guided them along to the stockyards. From there, they would be contained, until it was time to load them onto the stock cars and taken by train to the Chicago Stockyards to be sold. Many farmers would take the train, along with their stock, to the Chicago Stockyards. Farmers told about the dangers of being in Chicago. Since they were paid in cash for their stock, they were an easy target for criminals, who frequented the businesses in the area of the stockyards. New tracks were built through Old Browns around 1913, at the time of the Riggs train wreck. The old track had been built with little elevation and the creek would continually wash out the track. The new track was built on a different route and at a higher elevation, so as to avoid future train wrecks and flooding of the tracks. There had been more than one trestle accident on this track, so the new track included stronger trestles. Current residents recall their parents talking about the tracks on the Franzen farm being flooded over and washed out several times. Residents told family members what an engineering feat building this track was. A tremendous amount of manpower and ingenuity was involved. First the elevated tracks were built, with a framework of wooden trusses, with tracks leveled and attached to the top of this framework. Then sidetracks were built to meet this track. Then, with a lot of manual labor, and a steam shovel, several train cars were filled with soil from a nearby hill. This train then traveled via the sidetrack, onto the main track, approximately 20 foot in the air. Then the train cars would dump, sideways, and the dirt would fall to the existing base. This was done, day after day, until the mound of dirt met the tracks. Residents reported that when they removed the old vehicle viaduct that was under the old tracks, they found the supporting wood structure. New Browns Browns Station, located in section 3 of Waterford Township, became known as New Browns. New Browns had a post office from June 18, 1883 to April 30, 1915. After rebuilding the new tracks in 1913, the Browns station was moved about 1 1/2 miles to the east to New Browns. The depot was simply loaded on a flat car and hauled to its new location. Later this railroad was known as the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Line. This was a major help in opening this area for the transportation of residents and the shipping of produce, stock, planting seed, coal, and limestone by products to and from this area. Residents remember coal coming into Browns by the train carload. The farmers would load up their horse drawn wagons, haul it home and also haul it to the church and school for heating in the winter. St. Joseph School students remember that a coal bin had to be dug out of the ground adjacent to the school in Sugar Creek, with two to three foot diameter holes on top, so that the wagons could be backed up to unload the coal into the coal chutes and into the coal bin. At one time, there were four passenger trains passing daily. You could ride to the nearby towns, or you could ride to Chicago in 5-1/2 hours with all of the stops in between. Depot agents for New Browns were Frank Zeiser and John McGuire. After the New Browns station closed, the store/hotel and the front of the depot were moved to the Joe Banowetz farm. We don't know if they were put on skids, but somehow, with the help of horses, they were brought up a big hill and hauled about 2 miles, to the Joe Banowetz farm, where they are now located. (See back of book for photo of New Browns) According to the 1892 Farmer's Directory of Clinton County, Iowa, the following families are listed with a Browns address: John Ahlers, Barney Arkenberg, Henry Arkenberg, John Becker, Matt Banowetz, Mike Banowetz, August Bormann, John Bormann, Jos. Brinkman, Otto. Brinkman, Henry Brown, John Burkens, William Burkens, John Buthala, Joe Determan, Elizabeth Frett, John Frett, William Frett, John Harty, George King, James Kirwin, George Lamoth, Patrick Lanigan, Aloys Nichause, Hans Nurra, Andrew Peschel, John Powers, John Proost, John Puetze, Herman Rolling, Charles Ross, MJ. Roweder, Fred Shrader, Joseph Smith, Martin Teshack, and Jacob Thieson. In reviewing the 1905 Directory of Farmers and Land Owners of Clinton County, Iowa, the following families are listed with a Browns address: John Ahlers, Barbara Arkenberg, John Arkenberg, Barney Arkenberg, M. B. Banowetz, Joseph Buthala, August Boehmer, Louis Boehmer, John Boehmer, William Boehmer, Henry Bormann, John Bormann, Bernard Brown, J.D. Brown, Adolf Brinkman, Ada Brinkman, Henry Brinkman, John Burken, William Burken, Joseph Determann, Matt Determann, Frank Dedrick, Mrs. Ferring, Anton Ferring, Charles Franke, William Franzen, Henry Franzen, John Frett, Peter Frett, Mrs. Robert Fulton, Emil Fuegen, Matt Jerman, George King, George Lamoth, George Lamoth Jr, and John Lamoth, George Luckrige, Fred Mangler, Hans Miller, Andrew Peschel, John Powers, John Proost, Michael Reuter, Herman Rolling, Peter Roseman, Mrs. Schmidt, August Soenksen, Joseph Sterk, Martin Teshak, Barney Timmer, Henry Trenkamp and John Zeiser. Some landowners in Fairfield Township, Jackson County in Sections 32 through 35 called Browns their home also. Some had land in both Jackson County and Clinton County. The county line was about ˝ mile north of Browns. According to the list of residents in Fairfield Township in 1913, they are as follows: Mrs. John Ahlers, J. Buthola, Mrs. Louisa Boehmer, Louis Boehmer, N. and A. Bormann, John Bormann, Henry Franzen, Louis Franzen, William Franzen, Mary Haylock, L. F. Kukkuck, H. P. Miller, P. Peschel, A. F. Russell, H. Schlemma and Joe Skoff, William Schmadke, Fred Schmidt, G. H. Stamp, John Sterbenz, John Stocken, Barney Timmer, and Louis Wink New Browns had a creamery and wagon shop run by Joseph Sterk, who had learned the trade before he immigrated to this country. Andrew Peschel sold his Old Browns store to Frank Zeiser, who moved it to New Browns. New Browns also had a stockyard, where the cattle were kept to await shipment to Chicago. At New Browns you can see the remnants of the train tracks heading east, behind a large farm gate and utility sign, in the bottom land. The Milwaukee railroad had twin tracks in New Browns. Four passenger trains went by daily. One could ride to Chicago in about 5 ˝ hours with all of the stops in between. In 1908, a small lime kiln sprang up in the extreme east side of the New Browns. You can see it near the trees, to the east of that farm gate and utility sign. It was Reverend Haubrich who began interest in this project. He went to Chicago to get some men to start up the industry. The men agreed and a small industry was started on the Barney Timmer farm. It was called "Sugar Creek Lime and Cement Company". The officers of said company were: L. Brieske, President, J. B. Rubly, Secretary, S. Wringer, General Manager, Barney Timmer, Supt., and J. P. Haubrich, Treasurer. The limestone kiln still stands today in silent testimony to an industry which once thrived from the lime hills and cliffs in the Sugar Creek territory. It took a tremendous fire to heat the rock from the surrounding hills. When it was melted, it was sent to Chicago by way of the Milwaukee railroad, running through New Browns. Some of the stone by products were used to plaster and paint the walls in the big buildings in Chicago. According to the St. Joseph's Church Sugar Creek Book, union troubles were the cause of the failure of the small industry. The 1925 Waterford Township directory shows the following families living in the Browns area. They are the families of John and Catherine (Brown, Underberg) Ahlers, Mathias and Katherine (Franzen) Banowetz, William and Magdalena (Zeizer) Banowetz, John and Carrie (Kimman) Boehmer, Louis and Anna (Teshak) Boehmer, William and Angeline (Schanfezder) Boehmer, Mrs. Henry Bohrman, John and Cathrine (Trenkamp) Bohrman, Adolph and Elizabeth Brinkman, John and Catherine (Berding) Burken, Joseph and Marie (Mertens) Determan John and Elizabeth (Timmer) Elsner, Henry and Mary (Trenkamp) Franzen (The Spring Valley Pleasant Home Dairy Farm), John and Carline (Borman) Frett, Emil and Josephine (Underberg) Fuegen, John and Mary (Assenmacher) Herwath, William and Mary (Reuter) Kieffer, William and Josephine Koch (The Walnut Grove Dairy Farm), Mrs. Catherine Lamuth Jacob and Elizabeth (Reuter) Lehnertz, Henry and Laura Luskey, Alfred and Ella McCloy, Johanna (Burke) Powers, William Powers, Michael and Mary (Burken) Reuter, Peter and Kathrine (Banowetz) Reuter, Catherine Roling, Herman and Agnes (Soppe) Roling, Peter and Mary Rossman, Charles Schrader, Fred Schrader, Max and Ruby Schrader, Anton and Frances (Rose) Teshak, Bernard and Wilhelmina (Burken) Timmer, Henry and Christina (Banowetz) Trenkamp Note - I have included the maiden names in parenthesis when I knew the name. Riggs, Iowa Riggs Station was named after A. J. Riggs, who was a farmer and stock raiser. In 1871, the railroad station was laid out on his farm and named after him. The community grew as a result of the Sabula, Ackley and Dakota railroad building tracks through the area. The railroads opened the interior of the county and allowed the farming community easier access to worldwide markets for their produce. Riggs Station had a railroad depot, school, hotel, general store, post office (from 1872 to 1907), stockyards and a few homes, in Section 7 and 8 of Waterford Township, Clinton County. When the railroad was no longer in use, the Riggs depot was loaded on a flatbed and hauled to the Fier farm, and used as a cattle shed. The Riggs School is still standing, but has not been in use for years. The 1892 Farmer's Directory of Clinton County, Iowa shows the following families with a Riggs address: Blute, Martin, Martin Buthals, M. J. Feir, Tony German, Matt Golobritch, Mats Hansen, Mathias Hynes, E. J. Hynes, M. H. Hynes, Thomas Lamoth, James McCloy, Joseph McCloy, Robert McCloy, William Markham, E. O'Mera, Matt O'Mera, Patrick O'Mera, Thomas Riggs, A. J. Scolo, John Stanke, John Strubzel, John Teehak, George Waters, J. F. Waters, W. J. Winey, R. M. J. The 1905 Directory of Farmers and Land Owners of Clinton County, Iowa, shows the following families with a Riggs address: Clem Assenmacher, Mrs. Bawden, Mike and Gertrude Stonitsch (Stanitsch) Buthala, John Dolan, Jerry Driscol, Michael Driscol, Anton Fier, John F. Hynes, Joseph Loske, William McCloy, Joseph McCloy, Alfred McCloy, John Maloney, Patrick O'Mera, Matt O'Mera, Fred Schrader, John Skalla, Jacob Skalla, Steve Stuckle, Eliza Ward, Thomas Ward, R.M.J.Winey, and Samuel Winney. The 1925 Farmer's Directory of Waterford Township shows the following families owning land near Riggs, Iowa: Clem and Veronica (Burken) Assenmacher, John and Della Dolan, A. J. Driscoll, D. H. Driscoll, M.F. and Agnes Driscoll, N. K. Driscoll, Anton and Mary Fier , Alfred and Ella McCloy, Chris and Mary Mohr, Fred and Kathrine Schrader (Pleasant Ridge Farm), Max and Ruby Schrader, and S. S. and Mary Stuckel. If you travel on highway # 36, in Clinton County, and head north on 290th Ave., for about 7/10 of a mile, you will see a concrete abutment on the east side of the road. This supported part of the original railroad track for the Sabula Ackley and Dakota railroad. Later this railroad was called the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad. As you travel north, past the intersection with 120th Ave., to the west of the road, across the road from address # 1199, you can see the remains of Waterford Township # 5 school, built in the 1870s, sitting on top of the hill. To the north of that school, you can see the remains (only the elevated ground and the path through the trees) of the replaced railroad track, which was moved after the June 22, 1913 train derailment on a trestle at Riggs. As you travel north, at address # 1082, on the left side of the road, you can see one of the limestone quarries. The train wreck near Riggs, in 1913, changed the location of the tracks, and therefore of the Browns depot. The depot moved from the original Browns "Old Browns" east to Browns Station, which was known as "New Browns". If you continue traveling north, 290th Ave. which upon entering Jackson County, becomes Jackson County - 317th Ave., there is an intersection with Gravel Road # 12. See below for directions from Gravel Road # 12 in Jackson County to Browns and New Browns, and Sugar Creek. Sugar Creek Industries One of the first Sugar Creek industries was a Shoe Makers shop owned by John Proost. His shop was located on the site of the Wm. Reuter garden today. Another business was the Bormann Saloon, which was located at the site of the William Reuter home, which is to the southeast of the school, across the road. Around 1980, chips labeled "Bormann Saloon, good for 1 glass of beer" were found there. The early immigrants took the train to Clinton, Iowa according to their descendants, and some of them actually walked to Borman's Store in Sugar Creek. Directions to Browns, Riggs and Sugar Creek Find the following locations from Highway # 64, east of Maquoketa: Riggs, Old Browns, New Browns, and Sugar Creek. Turn south on Gravel Road # 12 (known to local residents as "The Ridge Road") which is in Jackson County. To find Riggs, turn south on 317th Avenue, which becomes 290th Ave. in Clinton County. To find "Old Browns," turn south on 337th Avenue, which becomes 308th Avenue in Clinton County. To find "New Browns, turn south on 387th Avenue, which becomes 320th Ave. in Clinton County. If you continue driving south on 320th Avenue, you will come to an intersection with 110th Street. On the east side of the intersection, you can see the St. Joseph's church, school, rectory, and grounds at Sugar Creek. Photographs and Plat Maps We have assembled a series of photographs and plat maps that will increase your understanding of this area. The pictures are in Word documents with a description and they are also separate so you can print them one at a time. The whole file with a more complete history on some of the families and the pictures and maps are available on CD and in printed copy. They can be ordered from Marilu for $8.00 each. My email address is Marilu1030@aol.com. Please put Browns History File in the subject line so I do not delete the email. The cemetery tombstone records for St. Joseph's Church at Sugar Creek, through 1972, are available at the Central Community Historical Society and Museum, 628 6th Ave., DeWitt, Iowa 52742. They have very limited hours, which usually include Monday morning and Sunday afternoons through the summer. If there are questions, you may email Ann Soenksen at asoenk@gmtel.net.