5 Heinrich Friedrich Wettig(503), son of Johann Heinrich and Catherina Marie Dorothea (Sprengel) Wettig, was born 25 Oct 1836 in Basse, and married 17 May 1869 in Basse, Sophie Dorothea Wilhelmine Mesenbrink(502), daughter of Vollmeier Johann Heinrich and Wilhelmina Catherine Marie (Lüssenhop) Mesenbrink, who was born 27 Jan 1846, in Basse. Heinrich Friedrich Wettig, like his father, was a bricklayer and builder. He died in Basse. Sophie Dorothea Wilhelmine (Messenbrink) (Wettig) Kathmann died in 1914 in Wine Hill Precinct, Randolph County, Illinois, USA. Wilhelmine was also married to Henry Kathmann in southern Illinois.
When Wilhelmina Messinbrink, at age 17, and Heinrich Friedrich Wettig, at age 27, were young and in love, their marriage was opposed by the Messinbrink family, probably because of the difference in economic status of the two families. The Messinbrink family owned and operated a Dairy Farm, evidently in the Basse area, near Neustadt am Rübenberge. Heinrich Wettig was probably from a history of tagelöhners (day workers and skilled artisans) and members of the military forces of the various armies of the time. Heinrich Friedrich and Wilhelmina had a son, Wilhelm Heinrich Christian, on 9 June 1863. A second child, Carolina (Lena), was born in 1867. Two years later, on May 17, 1869, Wilhelmina and Heinrich Friedrich were married in Basse. It is suspected that the Messinbrink family had relented by this time and accepted the inevitable.
Five more children were born: Alvina, 1872; Hermine, 1877; Heinrich, 1881; Hermann, 1882; and Otto, 1885. Heinrich officially adopted this first born son, Wilhelm Heinrich Christian, who had been living under the Messinbrink name, but the daughter, Carolina, retained the Messenbrink name.
The story is that Wilhelmina decided in the late 1880s, to take her three youngest sons to the United States to protect them from conscription at age 14, into the growing armies of Kaiser Wilhelm. Their daughter, Carolina (Messenbrink) had earlier emigrated to southern Illinois, and sent back such good reports about the area that Wilhelmina followed her there. She arrived in Southern Illinois at some time before 1890. Heinrich Friedrich, for some unknown reason did not emigrate with Wilhelmina. He remained in Basse with Wilhelm Heinrich Christian, the first born son, and the daughter, Alvina.
There is speculation that Wilhelm Heinrich Christian, now in his late 20s, may have been working at the Messenbrink dairy farm. In southern Illinois, Wilhelmina met Henry Kathmann, a widower, who had a young son, George, by his first marriage. The relationship of Henry and Wilhelmina is unknown up to the time that Wilhelmina decided to return to Germany to obtain a divorce from Heinrich Friedrich. There are several stories about this return to Germany and I hope that any reader who has information will send it to me so that I can verify what really happened.
Wilhelmina returned to Southern Illinois, married Mr. Kathmann in 1892, and lived until 1914, to see her family grow in that area through her sons Hermann and Otto, and her daughter, Wilhelmina Hermine, who married Mr. Kathmann's son George and later married John Vieregge. Wilhelmina and Henry Kathmann had no children.
6
Wilhelm Heinrich Christian Wettig(1094), son of Heinrich Friedrich and Sophie Dorothea Wilhelmine (Mesenbrink) Wettig, was born at precisely noon on 9 Jun 1863 in Basse near Neustadt, and married Emilie Prinzhorn(1099) who was born 27 Mar 1865 in nearby Otternhagen. Wilhelm Heinrich Christian died 1 Nov. 1925 in Otternhagen. Emilie died 28 Apr 1925 in Otternhagen. Wilhelm Heinrich Christian was baptized in the parish on June 21 1863. Both parents were there. The witnesses included Leibzüchter Heinrich Lüssenhopp of Evensen and Vollmeier Christian Oberhau of Basse who were probably members of the family of the mother.
Emilie Prinzhorn's family owned the property addressed as Number 22 Otternhagen, evidently a very sizable farm in that time period. After their marriage. she and Wilhelm Heinrich Christian Wettig lived on the Prinzhorn farm. We have a copy of Emilie's Will which gives all of the details of the bequests for her husband of annual supplies of food, access to the farm, the home and buildings, the use of carts and wagons, and even the annual supply of clothing to be made for him in the event of her death. We have a close up photo of Wilhelm and Emilie with daughter, Ella, and son, Heinrich, and two horses in the courtyard of the farm. Oh yes, there is a dog there too! The succession of the ownership of the farm is not clear in this portion of the Will, and my translation of the old German, using a computer translation program, may not be adequate to determine the meaning. Meanwhile, Wilhelm Heinrich Christian was very successful in running the Wettig/Prinzhorn Farm.
Another speculation is that the Messenbrink farm also became a part of the Wettig farm sometime near 1890. It would be good to look through some of the business records of the turn of the century to find the location and succession of these farms and their net worth and product.
7 Ella Wettig(1102), no further information available at this time. Ella died before 1991. She married Fritz Rusche. They had two children Manfred and Gertrude. Both of them died before 1991.
- 8 Manfred Rusche(1174), no further information available
- 8 Gertrude Rusche(1175), no further information available
7 Erna Wettig(1103), no further information available at this time. Erna married Karl Kass. Both died before 1991. They had 2 sons, Karl & Alfred, who died during World War II. Conversation with Guenter Wettig: "After Karl passed away Erna married her childhood sweetheart, his name was Pass. He was a widower. They were in their 70's then. She had a little bit of real estate in der Kniestrate (Kneestreet) in Hannover and my sister Mechtild(1112) inherited that from her. At that time she was the closest to Erna who was like a second mother to her. Erna was still grieving from the loss of her son, Karl."
- 8 Karl Kass, Jr.(1167), died in WW II. No further information.
- 8 Alfred Kass(1168), died in WW II. No further information.
7 Wilhelm Wettig(1104), no further information available at this time. Wilhelm was the first born son of Wilhelm Heinrich Christian and Emilie (Prinzhorn) Wettig. Willi died in an accident in 1945, just at the end of World War II while crossing the Leine River in a makeshift ferry boat. Stories of Willi abound, but none of these have corroborating information. I would welcome information from all sources to help in putting this story together.
8 Willi Wettig(1169), no further information. Letter from Guenter(1109): Willi was a sea captain. I remember seeing him shortly after World War II, but our family had no contact with his family.
8 Elizabeth Wettig(1170), no further information, although Moni Wettig (1113) is in touch and visits with Lisbeth. We hope that Elizabeth will provide information to us which may make our genealogy more complete. Elizabeth still lives in the Neustadt am Rübenberge area.
7 Heinrich Wettig(1106), b.2 Feb 1899 d.23 Feb 1985, married Martha Hagemann(1107) b 17 Sep 1904, on 6 Sep 1931 at St. Marien, Hannover, Germany. They had 6 Children, all born in Hannover. Heinrich was a street car operator for many years in Hannover before opening a "fish-store." Heinrich dies in Hannover 23 Feb 1985 and Martha died on 10 Jan 1994 Heinrich was the second born son of Wilhelm and Emilie (Prinzhorn) Wettig. As the second born son he knew that he was not in line to inherit the family farm. It was tradition that this would go to the first born son, in this case, to Willi, Heinrich planned in the early days to enter the military forces as many of the Wettigs had done before him. We don't yet know what happened to these plans, but the story is that Heinrich spent his early years in the study of Agronomy and may have worked on the family farm. We know very little about the farm. It may have been the Prinzhorn Farm at Number 22, Otternhagen, or it may have been the Messenbrink farm, or both.
8 Heinrich Wettig (1108) born 30 May 1932, in Hannover, Germany, married Rose Marie Kuettner (1114). They had 2 children.
8 Günter Wettig (1109) born 8 June 1935 in Hannover, Germany. Married Almuth Janssen ( 1214) born 18 Feb 1940 in Burhafe, Germany. They have 4 children.
8 Helmut Wettig (1110) born 17 Jul 1938 in Hannover, Germany married Johanna Barnitski (1213) born on 26 Jul 1938 in Silesaia, Germany.
8 Marianne Wettig (1111) born 14 Dec 1939 in Hannover, Germany. Married Manfred Maring (1201) born on 11 Jul 1935 in Hannover, Germany. They have 2 children.
8 Mechtild Wettig (1112) born 7 Feb 1945 in Sebexen, Germany. Married Rolf Bartsch (1193). Also married Rainer Kroschinski (1199) born on 30 Dec 1950 in Grindon, Germany. There were 3 children of these marriages.
8 Monika Wettig (1113) born in Hannover 1949.
7 Else Wettig(1105), no further information available at this time.
6
Carolina Wettig(1095), daughter of Heinrich Friedrich Wettig and Sophie Dorothea Wilhelmine (Mesenbrink) Wettig, was born in 1867. She retained the family name, Messenbrink, and was the first of this family to emigrate to southern Illinois in the United States of America during the 1880s. She married Henry Pestor(1129) who was born 1859, in southern Illinois. Henry had a 300 Acre farm in Murphysville, IL. Their six children have been prominent and successful members of the southern Illinois community through the years. Descendants of the Pestor family still live in the area.
Alvina
Wettig(1096), daughter of Heinrich Friedrich and Sophie Dorothea
Wilhelmine (Mesenbrink) Wettig, was born 1872 in Basse, and married
Ludwig Stünkel(1136). They had six children.
Wilhelmine
Hermine Wettig(506) was the youngest daughter of Heinrich Friedrich
and Wilhelmina (Messenbrink) Wettig. She was born in 1877, about
10 or 12 years before emigration with her mother to southern
Illinois. She married George Kathmann, the son of her stepfather,
in 1894. In 1910, she married John Vieregge. There were eight
children born to these two marriages from 1895 to 1919. All of
the children assumed the Vieregge name. We do not know what happened
to George Kathmann. John owned a farm near Chester.
7 Marie Vieregge
(1126) Born 3 Feb 1919 in Illinois.
Bertha and Herman
had four children, Irene, Rosella, Rudolph and Erna.
Irene
Sophie Hermine Wilhelmina Wettig (493) was born in Sparta, Randolph
County, Illinois on June 7, 1908. She married Millard Edward
Wolf (1093) in St. Louis County on June 12, 1926. He was born
20 Sep 1903 and died 20 Oct 1970 in St. Louis. They had two children.
Rosella
Wettig (491) married William Berktold (1091), They had two children
Erna Wettig (402) married Ray Grothman in 1926. They
had one son.
Rudolph
Wettig (488) born 26 Dec 1902 married Adele Wolf (489) born 1907.
