The Claus Heinrich Dohrn family
arrived in the United States in 1880. There were 10 members of this family that
made the crossing to the United States. The first two, Detlef and Wilhelm (Dave
and William) arrived on board the ship “Silesia” from Hamburg to New York on
May 5, 1880. Their dad and mom (Claus and Wiebke) came over with three of their
children (Anna, Peter and Emma) on board the “Herder” from Hamburg and Havre
Germany on September 1,1880. I do not know what ship the other three children
(Minnie, Dora and Herman) came over on. It is interesting to note that Claus
was 58 years old when he made this journey. He must have been
a very brave man and must have cared a great deal about his family to have made
this journey so late in life.
the marriages of the children of Claus
and Wiebke.
Detlef
Dohrn - Anna Catherine Ingwers
married- September 12, 1885
Wilhemina “Minnie” Dohrn — William Dierks
married- 1866 in Germany
Dora Dohrn — Claus Feldt date of marriage unknown
Anna Dohrn —James H Gripp
married- September 13,1884
Emma Dohrn — John H Ingwers
married- November 30, 1892
William Dohrn - Lizzie Kroeger
married- May 1, 1886
Herman Dohrn — Georgine Quade
married- October 3, 1885
Peter Henry Dohm - Johanna Nave
married- April 2, 1890
The one daughter whose marriage date
I do not know, Dora, may have been married in Germany and came over from Germany
with her husband.
Detlefs wife, Anna Ingwers Dohrn and
the husband of Emma, John Ingwers were sister and brother.
Claus Dohrn died in 1899 on July 5,
1899 of Bright’s disease. At
that time, all of his family lived in Moline except for Dora and Anna. Dora
Feldt lived in Chicago and Anna Gripp lived in Exira, Iowa. Wiebke Katrina
Dohrn later moved in with her daughter Emma Dohrn Ingwers and is listed in
the 1900 census as a resident of the same household. Wiebke Katrina Holst
Dohrn died in 1919 and is buried with her husband at Riverside Cemetery in
Moline, Illinois.
At least three members of the Dohrn
family worked for the Moline Wagon Company in the early 1880’s. Later, William
and Dave Dohrn both worked for street car companies. Dave belonged to the
Motorman and Conductors Union and is listed as a motorman in the 1901 Stone’s
Moline Directory. The association of the Dohrn’s to transportation continues
through to the present time. A son to Herman, Charles started the Dohrn Transfer
Company in 1921. This company is still in operation (as of 2003) and is now
headed by Gary Dohrn the grandson to Charles Dohrn.
Another occupation the Dohrn family
found rewarding was in the grocery store business. Peter Henry ran a grocery
store for some 40 years in Moline. Dave Dohrn also was in the grocery business
for a short time.
A summary of the first generation of the Dohrn’s:
1) Wilhemina
“Minnie” and William Dierks
(Lived in Moline. Minnie died in 1916. Minnie and William are buried at Rock River View Cemetery in Moline, Illinois.
William Dierks
was in the grocery business.)
Children: Henry, Anna and Frank.
2) Dora
and Claus Feldt
(Lived in Chicago. It appears that
Dora died January 13, 1933 and is buried in Waldheim Cemetery, Chicago)
Children: Claus, Charles, William, Fred)
3) William
Lawrence Dohrn
Children: George, Stella, William,
Minnie, Herbert, Marguirete.
(William lost his wife Lizzie to “heart trouble in 1912. Later, William’s 14 year old daughter Marguerite, died from
rheumatic
heart disease in 1917)
4) Claus
Herman Dohrn
Children: Anna, Charles, Clara.
(Anna married a Mr. Brandt. Charles married a Pearl Bloom and Clara married Arthur Lorenzen. Arthur Lorenzen worked
with Charles in the Dohrn Transfer Company. Herman and his wife Georgine lived with Anna In 1920. It appears that
Anna’s husband had either died by 1920 or Anna and her husband had divorced, since Anna is listed as a landlady in the
1920 Federal Census. A son to Charles, Wayne Dohrn, ran the Dohm transfer company for a time. Today (2003),
Wayne’s son
Gary runs the family business.
5) Deltef
and Anna Dohrn:
Children: John, Margaret, Lillian, Arthur.
(Margaret died at the age of six, the infant son, Arthur, died soon after birth. John Dohrn married Frances Bicknell in 1917.
John
and Frances had three children: Bernice, Lucille, and Evelyn)
Deltif and Anna are Jeff’s maternal great grand parents. To see more
on Anna’s relatives see the Ingwers descendants.
6) Anna
and James Gripp.
Children: Amanda, Minnie, Lizzie,
George, and Henry. Henry died as a child of diptheria
(Anna and James lived in Audubon County
Iowa. They had a farm there.)
7) Peter
Henry Dohrn
Children: Edward, Chester, Helen, George,
Infant son.
(Peter operated a grocery store for
about 40 years. He died at Lutheran Hospital in 1956)
8) Emma and John Ingwers
Children: Alfred, Alma, Lillian, Mary,
and Alice.
(Emma’s mother resided with her family.)
The Ingwers family and Dohrn family
were closely related, having one brother and one sister marrying a brother
and sister from the opposite family. Anna Catherine Ingwers married Deltif
“David” Dohrn on September 12, 1885 in Moline, Illinois. Then Anna’s brother,
John H Ingwers, married Deltif’s sister, Emma Dohrn on November 30, 1892 in
Rock Island County, Illinois. The parents of Anna Ingwers and John H Ingwers
were John F Ingwers and Margareta Ingwers. I do not know the maiden name of
Margareta. Mrs. Margareta Ingwers is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Moline,
Illinois near the resting place of her son, John H Ingwers and his family.
John H Ingwers died on May 5, 1933. He had worked as a custodian for Moline
High School.
John H Ingwers and his wife Emma had
six children: Alfred, Alma, Lillian, Mary, Alice, and Edna. Mary and Edna died
as infants. Alfred married a woman whose 1st name was Ruth. Alfred
died in February 1978. Alma Ingwers
died in 1957. Lillian died on January 4, 1970 and is buried at Riverside
Cemetery. She worked as a book keeper for Western Union. Alice Ingwers married
a Lloyd Foster and her date of death is unknown. Emma Dohrn Ingwers was born in
1871 in Verden, Germany and she died on February 24, 1942 in Moline. In 1900,
Emma’s mother Wiebke Katrina Dohrn, lived with her and her family in Moline,
Illinois.
Anna Catherine Ingwers Dohrn, sister
to John H Ingwers and wife of Deltif “David” Dohrn, died on April 5, 1936 in
Moline. This couple had four children: John Henry, Lillian, Margaret, and
Arthur. Arthur died in infancy and Margaret died at the age of 6 years old.
Anna Catherine Ingwers Dorhn was Jeff’s maternal great grandmother. More information on the Dohrn family can be
found in the Dohrn history.
Descendants of John F Ingwers:
1) John F Ingwers
+Mrs Margareta [-?-] Ingwers
2) John H Ingwers
+ Emma Dorhn
3) Alfred Ingwers
3) Alma Ingwers
3) Lillian Ingwers
3) Mary A Ingwers
3) Alice Ingwers
3) Edna Ingwers
2) Anna Catherine Ingwers
+ Deltif “David” Fredrick Dohrn
3) John Henry Dohrn
3) Lillian Dohrn
3) Arthur Dohrn
3) Margaret Dohrn
2) Unknown male Ingwers
2) Unknown male Ingwers
There are several Bicknell families
with old histories living in the United States. The most prominent is the
Zachary Bicknell family from Weymouth, Massachusetts.
It is interesting that the Maurice
Eugene Young family has Bicknell’s on both the maternal and the paternal side
of the family.
Paternal Side:
On the paternal side, there is a
Harriet Bicknell who married a Solomon West in Utica,New York on July 11,1843.
Harriet Bicknell is the great-great grandmother to Maurice Eugene Young.
Harriet was born in Pennsylvania in 1821. Harriet’s father was Baxter Bicknell
(of Wayne County Pennsylvania) and her grandfather was Walter Bicknell. Walter
Bicknell’s father was Japhet Bicknell, a 5th generation Bicknell. Japhet’s
ancester was a Zachary Bicknell (of Weymouth, Massachusetts), who came to the
United
States with his wife, Agnes and his
son, John in 1635. The Bicknells have a long history. It is believed that
the Bicknells can be traced all the way back to 664 A.D. to a Lord Amalbert
de Pavilly of France. To see more about the Solomon West- Harriett Bicknell
family see the writeup on the West
family.
Maternal Side:
The earliest Bicknell relative on
the maternal side of the Maurice Eugene Young’s family I can find is Edwin
Bicknell. Edwin is the great grandfather to Bernice Dohrn Young (wife of
Maurice Eugene Young). Edwin was born about 1819. Edwin and Anna Cooney married
in Elgin, Illinois in Kane County on August 4, 1863. According to census
records, Edwin was born in Pennsylvania as were his parents. I do not know the
names of Edwin’s parents; however during the 1820 Federal Census there were
only two Bicknell families enumerated in Pennsylvania. The head of one family
was John Bicknell and he and his family lived in Lancaster County. The other
Bicknell lived in Wayne County in the Mt Pleasant Township. His name was Baxter
Bicknell (father of Harriett Bicknell West).
Anna Cooney was born in Ireland and
her original destination to the United States was Elgin. She worked as a maid.
Edwin worked as a moulder for several years. At least two of Edwin’s
sons also worked as moulders, Edward and George. In later years, Edwin and
Anna did not seem to get along together. On 5/22/1891 in the Rock Island Argus,
there is a mention of divorce cases involving Strohmer and Bicknell. In January
1892, separate maintenance is listed in the Rock Island Co. Chancery Book
#11 page 480 which involved Ann Bicknell vs. “Elwin” Bicknell. Edwin died
on July 4,1893 in Moline and is buried in Riverside Cemetery by the lagoon.
He has no headstone. His daughter Elizabeth is buried next to him. It appears
that the name “Catherine” is at the top of Elizabeth’s headstone”.
The names of Edwin’s and Anna’s children
with their birth dates and dates of deaths are listed as follows:
Edward
Bicknell: born-
1865 died -?
George Bicknell: born-
1866 died -?
Charles Bicknell:
born —February 25,1870 died—
April 25, 1941
Elizabeth Bicknell Kirkman: born-
February 22,1872 died — April 24,
1911
Emily Bicknell Newlan: born
— 1875
died — April 8,1961
Thomas Bicknell: born
— January 8,1878 died — February
24,1906
When Edwin died there was no St Mary’s
Cemetery, so he was buried at Riverside Cemetery. Thomas must have been a
good Catholic and was buried in consecrated ground. Elizabeth Bicknell, one
of Edwin’s and Ann’s daughters is listed in the 1900 census. Of interest is
the fact that Elizabeth Bicknell Kirkman and her husband lived with their
daughter Catherine Bicknell. The parents last names are listed as Kirkman
and the daughter’s name is listed as Bicknell. According to the birth date
listed, Elizabeth must have been about 17 years old when she had her daughter.
I do not know if Elizabeth was married when Catherine was born. In the 1900
census Elizabeth and Michael are listed as having been married for 2 years.
Elizabeth and Michael divorced on October 30, 1907. Elizabeth accused Michael
of calling her “vile and indecent names and struck her”. In the 1908 Davenport
City Directory, Michael’s wife’s name is listed as Bessie C. Kirkman. Michael
worked as a “time keeper” in 1900 and later as a bartender and as a manager
of several different hotels in the 1900’s. He died July 19,1945. When Elizabeth
committed suicide in 1911, the Catholic Church may have denied burial at St
Mary’s Cemetery, so she was buried next to her father at Riverside. Elizabeth’s
grave does have a gravestone. At the time of Elizabeth’s suicide, Catherine
Bicknell was in a convent (school). After her mother’s death Catherine went
to Peoria and stayed with some friends. Recently some family members stated
that they thought Catherine later moved to Washington State.
Charles Bicknell, son of Edwin, married
Frances Maurer on December 2, 1891.
Charles and Frances lived in the same
house as Edwin and Ann Bicknell. That house has been gone for several years
now, one of John Deere’s Company’s buildings now occupy the site. Charles
died in 1941 and Frances died June 17,1955.
The children of Charles and Frances
Bicknell as as follows:
George
Bicknell: born- May
16,1889
died — April 15,1991
Fred Bicknell born
— March 27,1893 died
- May 15,1973
Frances Bicknell Dohrn born —
December 4.1894 died
— September 1974
Arthur Bicknell born
— 1897
died — October 1969
Edwin Bicknell born
December 9, 1901 died
—April 30,1997
Charles Bicknell born-
November 17.1903 died-
August 28,1968
Alice Bicknell Koenig born-
December 16,1906 died-
October 22,1998
Fred Bicknell had worked for a time
as director of Wendt Brothers funeral home. He had graduated from the Worsham
College of Mortuary and Science. He later worked at the Rock Island Arsenal.
Fred and his wife. Lillian Dahlheim Bicknell had two daughters.
Frances Bicknell married a John Henry
Dohrn in 1917. The couple had daughters: Bernice, Lucille. and Evelyn. Frances
is buried with her husband in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bernice is Jeff’s mother.
Arthur Bicknell married a Gladys Hughes.
They had four children. Arthur died in 1969 and is buried with his wife and
his brother in law at Moline Memorial Park.
Edwin Bicknell lived a long and distinguished
career. Among his many achievements was the manufacturer of the Schindler
Gastroscope. Even though Edwin never married, Edwin was a family man who often
visited his brothers and sisters and their children. On April 30, 1997 Edwin
Bicknell died in Silvis, Illinois and is buried at the National Cemetery,
Rock Island Arsenal.
Charles Bicknell married in 1932 in
Iowa City. Charles and his wife had only one son who died at an early age.
Gerald Bicknell died from appendicitis. Later in life Charles had some
difficult health problems. He took his own life in 1968.
Alice Bicknell married a Richard F
Koenig April 16,1927 in Moline, Illinois. This couple had three children. Alice died in 1998 and is buried with her husband
at Moline Memorial Park Cemetery.
Frances Maurer immigrated from Austria-Hungary
as a child. Frances’ brother, Joseph, lived in
Frances Maurer is one of Jeff’s maternal
great grandmothers. Frances died on June 17, 1955 and is buried next to her
husband Charles Bicknell at Moline Memorial Park Cemetery.
Early picture of Frances Maurer Picture taken on Frances Maurer's 76th