John T. Ungewitter (1832 - 1915)

Born Jul 1832 in Deutscher Bund

Husband of Emily Abigail (Bryan) Ungewitter — married 5 May 1854 in Amador, California

Descendants

Died 21 Jan 1915 at age 82 in Sonoma County, California

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Biography

John Ungewitter was a Californian.

Research Note

The parents for John Ungewitter are unknown. No birth record that has been found that show his parents, birth date or birth location. John's name is found as John T. Ungewitter and Frederic Ungewitter.

Early Life

John Ungewitter migrated from Germany to United States.

The 1910 U.S. census record states that John Ungewitter was born in July of 1832 in Germany^[1] His grave headstone and other years census records list his birth as about 1830 in Germany.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Immigration

The 1910 U.S. Census lists John's arrival in America as 1853.^[1]

In the California Voter Registration rolls of 1867, 1892 and 1898, John lists his naturalization status as being when he was a minor when he was naturalized by his father's naturalization.^[7][8][9]

Two obituaries were written when John died in 1915. One states that he came to America as a boy^[10] and the other states he was a young man.^[11]

This puts the 1853 arrival date in question as John was born about 1830 or in 1832 and would have not been a minor in 1853. The only record located so far that could be a candidate for John's father is a "Fr'zka Ungewitter" that arrived in New York in 1849. He was born about 1794 in Germany. This could be a bad transcription of Frederic and could be John's father.^[12] More research is needed to make any connection to our John Ungewitter.

California Settler

John arrived in California before 1855 when he marries Emily Abigail Bryan on May 5, 1855 in Drytown, Amador county.^[13] Drytown was a gold mining town in northern Amador County The gold started to peter out by 1857 and when a fire destroyed most of the town that year, most of its inhabitants packed up and moved to more successful mines elsewhere in the county.^[14]

Main Street in Drytown.

Family

John and Emily married on May 5, 1855 in Drytown.^[15][16]

John and Emily had the following children all born in California except Mary^[2][3]:

Mary E. b. about 1853 (she is listed as being born in 1853 in Illinois. John and Emily married in 1855 in California. She could be Emily's child from a previous marriage).

Sarah b. about 1856

Leonora b. about 1858

William Preston b. about 1859

John b. about 1861

Henry b, about 1863

Later Years in Sonoma County

By 1860 John was a farmer living in Sonoma county.^[2] In 1877, J. Ungewitter is shown on the land ownership map north of Guerneville in Sonoma County.^[17]

1877 Map.

Like the other nearby towns in the Russian River Valley, Guerneville was settled as a logging town. In 1860, R. B. Lunsford dropped anchor on the banks of the Russian River on what was known as Big Bottom. At that time, visitors could take in a hollow tree stump in which twenty horses could stand and watch felled trees floating in great numbers down the Russian River from Guerneville to the new mills downstream at Monte Rio, Duncans Mills and Cazadero. Guerneville came to be known as "Stumptown."^[18]

Guerneville.

The first voter registrations in California took place in 1866 following the Registry Act, an effort to prevent voter fraud that called for “the registration of the citizens of the State, and for the enrollment in the several election districts of all the legal voters thereof, and for the prevention and punishment of frauds affecting the elective franchise.” An 1872 law required counties to publish an index or alphabetical listing of all registered voters every two years. John was living near Guerneville when he registered.

Guerneville 1875.

From these registers it is learned that John was a native of Germany born about 1830. He had a dark complexion and was about 5 feet 6 inches tall with dark hair and hazel colored eyes. He worked as a farmer and as a teamster. ^{[7][19][20][8][9]}

Death & Legacy

John died on January 21, 1915^[21] at the home of his son Henry.^[10][11]

"Death of a Pioneer"^[10]

"John Ungewitter, a pioneer of this county and father of John Ungewitter of Cazadero, died in Guerneville yesterday. He had resided in Sonoma county for the past fifty years and came to this country from Germany when a boy. He was a native of Germany and was aged 85 years. He is survived also by a daughter-in-law, Mrs. H. Ungewitter of Geyserville."

"Aged Resident is Dead"^[11]

John T. Ungewitter, who for fifty years has been a resident of Guerneville, and who is known in this city and throughout the county, died at his home Thursday. The late Mr. Ungewitter was aged 85 years and was born in Germany. He came west to California when a young man. He resided in various cities in the state, later going to Guerneville where he passed into rest.

He is survived by a son John Ungewitter of Cazadero, and a daughter-in-law, Mrs. H. W. Ungewitter of Guerneville. He also left a number of grandchildren. The deceased has relatives in this city."

John is buried in Redwood Memorial Gardens in lot 152 ~ 05 in Guerneville.^[6][22]

Residence & Timeline

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVG1-J7L : accessed 5 May 2018), John F Ungewitter in household of Henry W Ungewitter, Redwood, Sonoma, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 151, sheet 4A, family 8, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 109; FHL microfilm 1,374,122.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDK8-1C5 : 13 December 2017), Jno Undewidder, 1860.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "United States Census, 1870", [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7163) Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1870; Census Place: Mendocino, Sonoma, California; Roll: M593_91; Page: 301B; Family History Library Film: 545590;

   Name: John Ungewelter

   Age in 1870: 40

   Birth Year: abt 1830

   Birthplace: Prussia

   Dwelling Number: 246

   Home in 1870: Mendocino, Sonoma, California

   Race: White

   Gender: Male

   Occupation: Teamster

   Father of Foreign Birth: Y

   Mother of Foreign Birth: Y

   Male Citizen over 21: Y

   Personal Estate Value: 500

   Inferred Children: Sarah Ungewelter; William Ungewelter; John Ungewelter; Henry Ungewelter.

4. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6PL-YMM : 22 August 2017), John T Underwilter, Redwood, Sonoma, California, United States; citing enumeration district ED 130, sheet 214A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0084; FHL microfilm 1,254,084.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9GR-G92 : accessed 5 May 2018), John H F Ungewilth in household of Henry W Ungewilth, Redwood Township, Sonoma, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 168, sheet 13A, family 334, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,114.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 05 May 2018), memorial page for Frederic T Ungewitter (1830–21 Jan 1915), Find A Grave Memorial no. 15532836, citing Redwood Memorial Gardens, Guerneville, Sonoma County, California, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave (contributor 8) . Headstone
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Great Register of Sonoma County. Great Register Years: 1867. "California, Voter Registers, 1866-1898." Ancestry.com Browse Collection, Sonoma County. Accessed May 05, 2018. https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2221. Great Registers, 1866–1898. Microfilm, 185 rolls. California State Library, Sacramento, California. #2938 Ungewitter, John*. Age 37. Country of Nativity: Germany. Farmer. Mendocino. March 14, 1867. *A minor when his father was naturalized. pg. 69 image 68.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Great Register of Sonoma County. Great Register Years: 1892. "California, Voter Registers, 1866-1898." Ancestry.com Browse Collection, Sonoma County. Accessed May 05, 2018. https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2221. Great Registers, 1866–1898. Microfilm, 185 rolls. California State Library, Sacramento, California. #8361 Ungewitter, John. Age 62. 5' 6", Dark complexion, Hazel eyes, gray hair, Country of Nativity: Germany; Farmer. East Redwood. Naturalized by Father's Naturalization. Sep 6, 1892. pg. 158, image 318.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Great Register of Sonoma County. Great Register Years: 1898. "California, Voter Registers, 1866-1898." Ancestry.com Browse Collection, Sonoma County. Accessed May 05, 2018. https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2221. Great Registers, 1866–1898. Microfilm, 185 rolls. California State Library, Sacramento, California. #5783 Ungewitter, John. Age 66; 5' 6", Dark complexion, Hazel eyes, gray hair, Country of Nativity: Germany; Farmer in Redwood West. Naturalized by Naturalization of Father. July 9, 1896. pg. 119, image 103.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} "Death of a Pioneer." The Petaluma Argus-Courier, Petaluma, California. Accessed May 5, 2018. https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=6927338. 22 Jan 1915, Fri, Page 5.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} "Aged Resident is Dead." Petaluma Daily Morning Courier, Petaluma, California. Accessed May 5, 2018 https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=19835965 23 Jan 1915, Sat., Page 5
12. ↑ Zimmerman, Gary J., and Marion Wolfert. German Immigrants: Lists of Passengers Bound from Bremen to New York, 1847-1854, with Places of Origin. Baltimore: Clearfield, 2006. pg. 159 Citing arrival of Fr'zka Ungewitter in 1849.
13. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8FS-LLJ : 10 December 2017), J Unjginder and Emily A Bryan, 05 May 1855; citing Amador, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 1,605,099.
14. ↑ "Drytown." Drytown | Amador Council of Tourism. January 01, 2014. Accessed May 05, 2018. Drytown
15. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8F3-CH1 : 10 December 2017), John Unjginder and Emily A Bryan, 05 May 1855; citing Amador, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 1,605,099.
16. ↑ "California County Marriages, 1843-1918," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24W-L5QY : 8 December 2017), John Unjginder and Emily Abigail Bryan, 05 May 1855; citing, Amador, California, United States, reference ID p7, California State Archives, Sacramento and Napa Valley Genealogical Society, Napa; FHL microfilm 1,302,976.
17. ↑ Historical Atlas Map of Sonoma County, California. Oakland: Thos. H. Thompson & Co, Oakland, California, 1877. Accessed 5 May 2018. Archive.org
18. ↑ "Russian River History." Russian River Getaways. Accessed May 06, 2018. https://www.russianrivergetaways.com/things-to-do/history
19. ↑ Great Register of Sonoma County. Great Register Years: 1879. "California, Voter Registers, 1866-1898." Ancestry.com Browse Collection, Sonoma County. Accessed May 05, 2018. https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2221. Great Registers, 1866–1898. Microfilm, 185 rolls. California State Library, Sacramento, California. #7352 Ungewitter, John. Age 52 Country of Nativity: Germany. Teamster. Redwood. Sep 22, 1879. pg. 86. image 300.
20. ↑ Great Register of Sonoma County. Great Register Years: 1886. "California, Voter Registers, 1866-1898." Ancestry.com Browse Collection, Sonoma County. Accessed May 05, 2018. https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2221. Great Registers, 1866–1898. Microfilm, 185 rolls. California State Library, Sacramento, California. #7616 Ungewitter, John. Age 58. Country of Nativity: Germany. Teamster. Redwood. Sep 8, 1888. pg. 88. image 394
21. ↑ "California Death Index, 1905-1939," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKSM-7MHG : 8 November 2017), Fredric T Nugewitter, 1915; citing 3482, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento; FHL microfilm 1,686,046.
22. ↑ Smith, Peggy. "Guerneville Pioneer CemeteryAKA Redwood Memorial Gardens." Redwood Memorial Gardens. Accessed May 06, 2018. http://www.uscemeteryproj.com/california/sonoma/redwoodm/uvredwoodm.htm.