Hans Lewerenz emigrated to the USA in 1885

Question

I have a genealogical question for friends in the US.
My 3rd great-grandfather, Johann Christian Lewerenz, had 7 children, 3 of them emigrated to America:

• Hans Friedrich (*12 Jan 1850 in Oering, emigration 1 May 1882, + 27 May 1891 Cook County Illinois); in Germany he was called Fritz, in the USA Frederik and Fred
• Henriette Margaretha (* 28 Sep 1842 Oering, emigrated as widow Teegen 14 Oct 1883, arrived in New York 29 Oct 1883, married in West Kewaunee, Wisconsin Carl Popp and died there 21 Dec 1914); she was called in Germany and the USA Henriette
• Johann Hinrich (* 10 Jun 1854 Oering, emigrated with his wife Margaretha nee Wrage 30 Apr 1885 and arrived in New York 18 May 1885), he was called Hans

I couldn't find Hans and his wife Margaretha in the USA; I think he lived near his brother in Illionois or near his sister in Wisconsin.

Is it possible that our American friends may find their death?

Answer 1

Well, I have bad news Dieter. I looked all around for Hans and he is conflated in some family trees. I found a record of his death in Newspapers.com. Then I found the death index and they gave the wrong wife. So, I thought I was wrong. But then I saw some probate record and the administrator was Margaretha as expected, if she was the widow.

Apparently, he used the name Henry Lewerentz and lived in Illinois. He died 1 March 1912 by suicide. He was a truck farmer (not sure what a truck farmer is - I have a mental picture of a junkyard with trucks) and hung himself in the barn. Give me a few minutes to gather the sources and links so you can see what you think.

Comments

Clipping from Chicago Tribune - Newspapers.com

You can paste this into his profile if this is the correct source:

''Chicago Tribune'' (Chicago, Illinois); digital images, ''Newspapers.com'' ({{Newspapers.com|110502478}} : accessed 1 October 2022); citing Saturday, 2 March 1912, pg. 3, col. 5.

I'm not sure if clippings are viewable without a subscription or not. 

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https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/45144?token=pP5LFnmRDjCxsL%2FUc75lVCrgPsMSbTNH393KaFlTR4Q%3D

That is the sharing link to the Ancestry.com source for the Administration Letters. When I read the image, the administration was granted to Margaretha Lewerenz (no relationship given).

• Name: Henry Lewerenz
• Probate Date: Mar 1912
• Probate Place: Cook, Illinois, USA
• Inferred Death Date: 1912
• Inferred Death Place: Illinois, USA
• Item Description: Record of Grants of Administration, Book 26-27, 1912; Book 28, 1912-1913.

Source Citation:

Illinois County, District and Probate Courts. Record of Grants of Administration, 1877-1922; Author: Illinois. Probate Court (Cook County); Probate Place: Cook, Illinois. Accessed on ''Ancestry.com'', 1 October 2022.

** View {{Ancestry Record|9048|522811}} (requires subscription)

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I read another newspaper article that said the estate was settled about a year later in 1913. There may be more records, but it is after midnight here, so I can dig further in the morning. There were several other Henrys in the area. Another family, headed by Carl Lewerenz were far more prominent, so they hogged up the newsprint.

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Does the sharing link Lucy gave namely

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/45144?token=pP5LFnmRDjCxsL%2FUc75lVCrgPsMSbTNH393KaFlTR4Q%3D

allow zoom in on the image for anyone? It doesn't for me, leaving the image completely illegible. This may be another example of a problem with Ancestry's new sharing link format.

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Thank you very much Lucy.

I tried to download the sharing link; it was not possible with my German subscription. Could you please download it and send to may mail address. Thank you very much.

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I also found a brief reference to Henry's death in a Polish language newspaper, Dziennik Chicagoski, March 2, 1912, page 10, bottom of column 2, at Chronicling America:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045747/1912-03-02/ed-1/seq-10/

He also appears to have a Find A Grave page, but without a gravestone picture: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182730524/henry-lewerenz

Also, there is a Cook County death source for him at Family Search, but no image is provided:

http://"Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2M7-VC9W : 8 March 2018), Henry Lewerenz, 01 Mar 1912; citing Maine, Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference 20366, record number , Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 1,287,623.

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Jim/Dieter,

The Ancestry sharing link that Lucy provided didn't work for me either. Try this one ..

https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/30614366?h=bc0409

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Thanks Rick. Your link (in the old style) does allow me to click to zoom.

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I don't see a truck farmer answer--probably not important.  It's as simple as a small farmer who sells (trucks) his produce to a local market to sell.
Usually sets up a table at the back of his truck with most of his product still on the truck.  As a kid in the old days these guys were sometimes called huckster's.  They drove their trucks up and down city streets to sell directly to residents.  I worked for one onf them walking up and down the street yelling Strawberries, Strawberries, 50¢ etc.

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I found them in the 1910 US Census by going page-by-page. They were enumerated as Leverenz or someone wrote a note, Leveseng.

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Rick, how are you getting that sharing link? I haven't gotten a proper one in days!

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I used the Build Sharing URL option in Rob Pavey's WikiTree Sourcer browser extension for Firefox. There is also a Build Sharing Template option there.

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Again, many, many thanks Lucy, Colleen and Rick. This has allowed me to fill in another gap in my family research. Now only his wife is missing in that family.
Thank you, Michael; you never stop learning. These types of farmers used to exist in our area and are springing up again today because people want to buy fresh stuff directly from the farmer and because the farmer cuts out all the middleman trade so he has more money left over than with the middleman, although he usually sells it cheaper than in the store. So a win-win situation for the farmer and the consumer.

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Yes, Lucy, that happens sometimes. Lewerenz is often written as Leverenz or Lewerentz. Leveseng is certainly a reading error. Is the Census data available on Familysearch?

Answer 2

I may have found his naturalization record: "Illinois, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1998", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGRX-YHZG : 29 August 2019), John Leweranz, 1890.

Sorry I realize now he went by Henry. I found a profile for him on FS: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/LTGG-28C

It shows mainly info about his and his wife's death.

Comments

This is unfortunately the wrong one; the immigration was in 1873, but should be in 1885

Answer 3

Also found another passenger list on Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/51696?token=FlFrOOIbdUC0HSP0WLhFJYYegZ63C165cWwLm7e2L1g%3D

And a 1910 Census: "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKHV-YD7 : accessed 2 October 2022), Henry Leverenz, Maine Township, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 47, sheet , family , NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll ; FHL microfilm .

Comments

Thank you Marcia, that is the right person.

Here you can see how a name changes; baptismal name: Johann Hinrich; call name in Germany: Hans; call name in USA: Henry

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Yes! It's also confusing because there were several with the same name living in different states here. I went by his place of birth, wife and children's names. That helped.

Answer 4

I found a death index for Margaretha.

• Name: Margaret Levernez (someone mistakenly added Margaret Rohge, an obvious mis-transcription)
• Birth Date: 26 Nov 1853
• Birth Place: Stobaren, Germany
• Death Date: 12 May 1926
• Death Place; Park Ridge, Cook, Illinois
• Burial Date: 15 May 1926
• Burial Place: Town of Maine
• Death Age: 72
• Occupation: Housewife
• Race: White
• Marital Status: W
• Gender: Female
• Residence: 14y in City 42y in USA
• Father Name: Rohge (again, mis-transcription)
• Father Birth Place: Germany
• Mother Birth Place: Germany
• Spouse Name: Henry Leverenz
• FHL Film Number: 1613440

'''Death''': "Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947", database, {{Ancestry Record|2542|755320}} (accessed 3 October 2022), Margaret Leverenz death 12 May 1926 (born 26 Nov 1853), daughter of ? Wrage, in Park Ridge, Cook, Illinois; citing FHL Film Number: 1613440.

Comments

Leverenz - August Leverenz, beloved Father of Alfred, August, and Rudolph, fond brother of Martha Grandt, Bertha Brinker, Dora Detlefsen, and Fred Leverenz. Service monday, 2 p. m., at chapel, 5764 Higgins avenue. Interment Union Ridge. Palisade 2141.

''Chicago Tribune'' (Chicago, Illinois); digital images, ''Newspapers.com'' ({{Newspapers.com|110654733 : accessed 3 October 2022); citing Friday, 1 February 1946, pg. 16, col. 7.

"Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947", database, {{Ancestry Record|2542|288446}} (accessed 3 October 2022), August Leverenz death 30 Jan 1946 (born 31 May 1882), son of Henry Leverenz & Margaret Wraggie, in Chicago, Cook, Illinois; citing FHL Film Number: 1985094.

Name:	August Leverenz
Birth Date:	31 May 1882
Birth Place:	Germany
Death Date:	30 Jan 1946
Death Place:	Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Burial Date:	4 Feb 1946
Burial Place:	Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Cemetery Name:	Union Ridge
Death Age:	63
Occupation:	Gardener, Florist
Race:	White
Marital Status:	W
Gender:	Male
Residence:	Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Father Name:	Henry Leverenz
Father Birth Place:	Urden, Germany
Mother Name:	Margaret Wraggie
Mother Birth Place:	Urden, Germany
Spouse Name:	Bertha
FHL Film Number:	1985094

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Again Thank you very much, Lucy. The birth date of Margaretha is correct, her birth location was Stuvenborn, but if a German speak it and an American Heard and wrote it, it could be written as Stobaren.

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I figured you would know what they meant. Is there any other information you want me to look for?

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A sister of an ancestor of my wife migrated to the USA as widow. Her name was Catharina Margaretha Bock, nee Hamer. In the USA she was called Katheran Bock. At the moment I have only this form her: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/95264308/katheran-bock#

Is it possible to find more about her life in the USA?

Answer 5

My Great Grandfather was Hans Friedrich Lewerenz (U.S. spelling Leverenz 1850-1891).  Many times I have researched these records of the Lewerenz and Leverenz family names as so many names and dates are similar to those in my family tree.  So it is with much appreciation to many of you that were able to fill in missing information and confirm my findings.

The questioned "Johann Hinrich Lewerenz (1853-?) did immigrate to USA in 1885 under the name Hans Lewerenz (age 30), with wife Margaretha (31), children Dora (6 to marry John Detlefsen), Martha (4 to marry John Grandt), August (3 to marry Bertha Grandt), and Bertha (infant to marry Louis Brinker).  

Son Fred H Leverenz was born in Cook County in 1894 to Henry Leverenz and Margaretha nee Wraga.

The 1910 U.S. Census shows Henry Leverenz (56) married 30 years living in Town of Maine, Cook County, Illinois with wife Margaretha (57) the mother of 8 children , 5 living), and son Fred 15.  This is found on Sheet 17 of census.  (Had to laugh at the definition of a truck farmer as this was what my Grandfather Hamer did for a living on his farm just down the road (Sheet 15) from the Leverenz Family in 1910.)

Cook County, Illinois death records record Henry Lewerenz died Mary 1, 1912.  Apparently there is no grave marker in the Town of Maine Cemetery in Park Ridge, Illinois (1886-1912).  This I want to check out with cemetery as it appears Henry's wife listed as Margaret Lorenz (1852-1912 is buried in Block 102, Lot 1 which is same area my other confusing Hamer family is also buried.

Again thank you to all who contributed to Dieter's question.

Comments

Hi Bonnie, nice to meet you on WikiTree. With Hans /Henry Lewerenz I have found all 3 siblings of Christopher Hinrich Lewerenz, who migrated to the USA. The next will be the Hamer and Poggensee family

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Thanks again Bonnie, I found it on FindAGrave.: https://de.findagrave.com/memorial/242446751/margaret-lorenz