Karl Buuck
Privacy Level: Open (White)

Karl Friedrich Buuck (1800 - 1872)

Karl Friedrich Buuck
Born in Windheim, Prussiamap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married [date unknown] [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died at age 71 in Friedheim, Adams County, Indianamap
Problems/Questions Profile managers: David Ressler private message [send private message] and Ryan Flanders private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 1 May 2011
This page has been accessed 606 times.

Contents

Biography

The following are excerpts from the book "The Buuck Family in America", by Gale C. Buuck and Marvin L. Buuck, 1986. "When Karl Friedrich Buuck (KFB) sold his farm and emigrated to America in 1836, Windheim was a part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Interestingly, his tombstone at Friedheim, Adams County, Indiana does not show this; but on the marble tombstone of his son Dietrich Buuck (2nd Gen. KFB) appear the words 'Windheim, Konigreich Preuszen.' Dietrich was two years old when he accompanied his parents and three sisters, Charlotte, Sophia and Louise on the long journey to the frontier of Adams County, Indiana, USA."

Why They Left

"On the surface one would question why Karl Friedrich Buuck and family would leave the comparative comfort and well-being of their homes and profitable farms at Windheim for the rigors and wilderness of northeastern Indiana. Had not the Buucks prospered in Germany? The answer is, Yes. The average farm is ten to forty acres. When their grandfather Anton Heinrich Buuck (1750-1800) had married Anna Marie Ilsabe Meyer (1742-1824), he very wisely married the 'Erbtochter'--the only hcild and inheritor of her parnts' farm. This doubled the acreage of the Buuck holdings. One day's labor and wage in Germany, the German farmer learned, was equivalent in worth to an acre in America fit to grow corn. The land-hungry German understood only with difficulty that the sum he paid as annual rental would, in America, purchase complete title to a farm twice as large as his farm in Germany. If he were already a landholder, he was dazzled with the prospect that he could sell his land and tools, pay out two-thirds of his proceeds to transport his family to America, and still have enough left to buy four times as much land as he originally owned. That is exactly what the Buucks did!"

The Trip Across

The book "The Buuck Family in America" states that KFB and family came in through the port of Baltimore. "The writer's grandfather, Gustave Buuck (3rd Gen. KFB) knew his grandmother Margarethe (Kleinschmidt) Buuck. Gustave was 16 when his grandmother died in 1887. He remembered her saying that they had landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1836. He told the writer this fact in 1936 when the writer was a high school student." However, records show that the Buuck family came to New York in 1836 on the ship "Sophie".[1] "The Buucks sold their pew for what amounted to three dollars according to the Windheim records."

They Arrive And Proceed West

After arriving in America, the Buuck family proceeded west to Fort Wayne, Indiana. "The population of Fort Wayne in 1836 was approximately 1500. The soil around Fort Wayne was fertile and heavily wooded. When the Buucks arrived, the canal from Toledo westward to Fort Wayne was becoming a reality and this gave them the assurance that their crops could be marketed and that manufactured goods from the east could be received. It was in this hectic growth climate that KFB and family arrived in Fort Wayne in September, 1836. So without hesitation and 'sight unseen' he purchased 240 acres at $1.25 per acre--almost a half section of land-- on September 14, 1836. (Allen County General Land Office Record Vol. 28, p. 457) His desire for land would go undiminished. June 11, 1839 he would purchase 40 acres of $100 from his neighbor, Christian Kleinschmidt, and another 40 acres for $100 from his neighbor, Conrad Reinking, and another 40 acres for $50 from Ludwig Gaetze (or Kaase). By 1839 his total acreage was 360."

Friedheim

"Since it was September and still warm weather, it was most important that Herr Buuck claim his land, build a log cabin for his family and get 'settled in' before cold weather. So we see KFB proceeding southward from Fort Wayne on a wagon loaded down with tools and essentials, pulled by two strong horses, following the St. Marys River, and crossing it at the Bluffton Road area and then to the Winchester Road. The trip by wagon would take about four hours in order to reach his newly acquired land, a distance of 17 miles, located in the northwest corner of Adams County. Since he bought his land 'sight unseen', Herr Buuck was anxious to see it, although he already was convinced of the richness of soil which lay underneath. He found that he had been fortunate in more ways than one, for a creek flowedin front of his property andthroughit. Thus he had a supply of water until such time as a well could be dug. That creek is still there today. Herr Buuck selected the northwest corner of his property to build his log cabin. It was at the summit or high point of the land which sloped gradually down to the road and creek. By 1850 the log cabin would give way to the frame house which presently occupies the site. The biggest task for Herr Buuck would be the clearing of the land in order to sow wheat, corn, and other crops. Those early years must have been painstaking and laborious for the Buucks and other settlers nearby, which comprised the Friedheim settlement. A letter received by the pastor of the old church in Windheim dated 1838 indicated that 'the Buucks were doing well in America.'"

The Church

This text is from the Friedheim Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church 125th Anniversary booklet of 1963:

"It was in the year of 1836 that the family of Friedrich Buuck arrived in Fort Wayne and purchased a tract of land, sight unseen, about 16 miles southeast of Fort Wayne in the northwest corner of Adams County. Upon this tract of land the Buuck family built the first log cabin in the area. Soon other families began to arrive and thus was formed a small settlement which later was given the name of Friedheim. In June of 1837 a young pastor from Fort Wayne, Jesse Hoover, found out about this small settlement of German Lutherans. Making the trip either on foot or on horseback, Pastor Hoover began paying regular visits to conduct services in the homes of the settlers. On February 25, 1838, this small group met to organize a congregation, the first rural congregation in Adams County. At this meeting six candidates were nominated and two weeks later, on March 11, the first election of officers was held. The first officers of the congregation were Friedrich Buuck, elder, and Christian Fuhrman and Heinrich Loeffler, deacons. The charter members of the congregation, 26 adults and 30 children, were as follows:

Fuhrman, Christian, wife Barbara, and children Philip, Jacob, Barbara, Christian, Charley, Henry, Davie.

Gebel, Adam, wife Sophia, and children Charlotte, Dorothy.

Kiefer, George and wife Katherina.

Repper, Ludwig, wife Sophia, and child Ludwig.

Muesing, Christian, wife Christina, and children Christian, Christina, Louise, Sophia, Frederick, Ellenora, Marie.

Stoppenhagen, Ernst.

Buuck, Friedrich, wife Margaretha, and children Charlotte, Sophia, Louisa, Dietrich, Helena.

Loeffler, Heinrich and wife Margareta.

Kleinschmidt, Christian, wife Elisabeth, and children Christian, Carolina, Sophia.

Reinking, Conrad Frederic, wife Maria, and children Eliza, Conrad, Aernhardina, Augusta, Sophia, Helena.

Kaaze, Louis and wife.

Conrad, George, wife Frederica, and children William, Frederic. [2]

"With such an auspicious beginning the Buucks and their fellow settlers were assured of the spiritual education and worship for themselves and their descendants and thus the link, which had been broken when they left the old life and church in Windheim, was reestablished. Approximately two years after his advent in Fort Wayne, Pastor Hoover died before he reached his prime. Fortunately at about this time a young candidate for the ministry by the name of Friedrich Wyneken arrrived in Baltimore from Germany. When he read about the death of Pastor Hoover in the 'Lutherische Kirchenzeitung' wherein the congregation in Fort Wayne had requested the services of a pastor, he immediately departed for Fort Wayne. Wyneken married Maria Sophia Wilhelmine Buuck (2nd Gen. KFB), the second oldest daughter of Karl Friedrich Buuck. In conclusion we reiterate that the founding of the church at Friedheim was a most important step for Karl Friedrich Buuck and his family."

The following excerpt is from the Indiana German Heritage Society Spring 2018 Newsletter regarding the Wyneken House built by Karl Buuck:

"When Karl Buuck, Pastor Wyneken’s father-in-law, built the house for the Wyneken family in 1858, it was an exceptional home for its time, at a time when many in the area were still living in log homes. One interesting feature was that the Wyneken House was situated on a brick basement, or more properly a cellar."

"Upon Wyneken's arrival in Adams County, he asked where he might find any Lutherans in the area. He was directed to a house of Karl Buuck. Buuck is considered to be the first settler in the area, having arrived years before Wyneken. After deciding that Wyneken was legitimate and not one of the charlatans known to roam around, Karl took Wyneken under his wings and helped provide for him."

"Karl Buuck had built Wyneken a small log cabin near Friedheim, that he could call home when he was in the area and not on the trail somewhere. It didn’t even have a window, and he had to open the door for light, but he considered it some of his happiest times."

"In 1850, Wyneken was elected as the second President of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and served until 1864. In 1850 however, the drums were beginning to sound leading up to the Civil War and he decided that St. Louis may not be the best place to be, a decision was made to move the headquarters in 1858. This is where the Wyneken House comes into the story. Wyneken’s father-in-law was wealthy by this time, and he offered to build a new home for Wyneken and Sophie in their beloved Adams County. But this was not just any house. At a time when many were still living in log homes, the house that Karl Buuck built for the Wyneken family could easily pass for many rural Indiana farm homes today. Unusual for the period, the house was titled in Sophie’s name. We believe this is because of Wyneken’s well known habit of giving his things away. This way Buuck would know that his daughter and grandchildren would always have their home."

Down On The Farm

"Ernst Dietrich Buuck, brother of Karl Friedrich emigrated in 1841 and in 1845 yearned to own his own land. Thus on December 22, 1845, four years after his arrival at Friedheim, KFB sold 40 acres of his land to his brother EDB for $50. In 1861 Ernst sold the land back to his brother for $800, an increase 16 times what it sold for in 1845. The years rolled by and the Buuck farms in America prospered."

Death

"Karl Friedrich Buuck died in 1872. He is buried in the church cemetery at Friedheim, Adams County, Indiana. Karl Friedrich Buuck's widow Margarethe (Kleinschmidt) Buuck survived him by 15 years. She died in 1887."[3]

Sources

  1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-RSSX-Z9?cc=1849782&wc=MX62-LM9%3A165727801 : 26 November 2014), 031 - 26 Jul 1836-14 Oct 1836 > image 122 of 888; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
  2. Friedheim Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church 125th Anniversary booklet of 1963 http://www.zionfriedheim.org/zionhistorysd.htm
  3. "The Buuck Family In America, Gale C. Buuck and Marvin L. Buuck, 1986"

Aknowledgements

  • This person was created through the import of Dave Ressler Family Tree.GED on 01 May 2011. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability.




Is Karl your ancestor? Please don't go away!
 star icon Login to collaborate or comment, or
 star icon contact private message private message a profile manager, or
 star icon ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Karl by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Karl:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.

B  >  Buuck  >  Karl Friedrich Buuck