1.The roots of the Wisconsin/Kansas/Oklahoma/Colorado/California Feistel family
It was in August 2002, when Joan Feistel Griffis, who had researched Feistel
families for many years, discovered in her archive the copy of an old German
songbook, once printed in Berlin, perhaps about 1850. She had received that
copy earlier from Edna and August Feistel of Colorado, who had kept
"the old book" from his ancestors. We do not know where this book might be
today. On its first pages, it contained some hand-written notices, first in
old German Sütterlin, later in English:
Carl Ernst Emil
geboren den 5 Mai 1849 zu Cüstrin, Died June 7, 1912
August Feistel
August Paul
geboren d. 6 Februar 1851 in Neu Lewin
Pauliene Hennriette Christiane
geboren den 30 August 1852 in Neu Lewin gestorben den 23 September 1863
Rudolph Albert
geboren den 1 Februar 1854 in Neu Lewin
August Friedrich
geboren den 3 September 1855 in Neu Lewin
Bernhard
geboren den 16 November 1857 gestorben den 14 März 1863
Emma
geboren d. 8 Februar 1860 gestorben den 12 Juny 1861 in ??
George Friedrich
geboren den 8. April 1862
George Feistel
died Nov. 30 1915
Bertha Maria
geboren den 1. August 1864, died May 15 1906
This quite exciting finding suddenly linked together branches of Feistel
families living today in California, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin,
with their places of origin in Prussia/Germany.
Cüstrin (Kuestrin, Küstrin, today Kostrzyn) was a heavy fortress on the
eastern bank of the Oder river and enclosed a Prussian garrison town at
that time [1]. After WW II, only ruins remained which belong to Poland now.
August Friedrich Feistel(1), born 7 Nov 1821 in Prussia (died 12 Nov 1881,
probably in Wisconsin) very likely married in Cuestrin Paulina Wendel(2)
(or Mendel) and had their son Carl Ernst Emil Feistel(3) born in the fortress.
Cuestrin is not too far from Silesia, we can speculate that August(1) may
belonged to or have had ancestors among the several Feistel families in the
Glatz County. (By coincidence, Horst Feistel, known today for his famous
encryption scheme, came to the US almost 100 years later from almost the same
place, namely Frankfurt/Oder)
August(1) apparently did not continue a military career but moved to the
village of Neu Lewin where between 1851 and 1855 his four more children
August Paul(4) on 6 Feb 1851, Pauliene Henriette Christiane(5) on 30 Aug 1852,
Rudolph Albert(6) on 1 Feb 1854, and August Friedrich(7) on 3 Sep 1855 were born.
Neu Lewin is located on the west bank of the Oder river, about 100 km northeast
of Berlin [2]. It was founded 1755 in the wet lowland and swamp region of
Oderbruch [3]. Land property records of that area began only 1864 and no record
of a Feistel family could recently be found by the local authorites. The church
of Neu Lewin burned down completely after the Soviet Red Army had crossed the
Oder river at the end of WW II. No church books of the years before 1945 exist
anymore, as the pastor of Neu Lewin, Pfarrer Furchert, told to Elke Plueschke,
a friend who was so kind to visit him for this purpose in summer 2004. So in fact
we have no further local traces of August(1) and his family except the old
songbook notices.
In 1857, the family moved to America with 4 children and settled in Port
Washington, Wisconsin [4], see section 2. We have no later traces of the 5th
child, August Paul (4) in America, so perhaps he died before they came to the
New World, presumably even before his brother August Friedrich (7) was born in
1855.
Four more children were born in Wisconsin, Bernhard(8) on 16 Nov. 1857, Emma(9)
on 8 Feb 1860, George Friedrich(10) on 8 Apr 1862 and Bertha Maria(11) on
1 Aug 1864. Three died very young, Emma(9) on 12 Jun 1861, Bernhard(8) on
14 Mar 1863, and Pauliene(5) on 23 Sep 1863.
From that period, the next evidence we have of the family was in Nov. 1862,
when father August (1) was arrested during the draft riots of Port Washington [5],
see section 3.
Several of August’s (1) children founded their own families in Wisconsin:
Carl (3) had a son Walter (12), born 1886. Rudolph (6) married
Josephine Ruhner (13) on 18 Apr 1879 in Port Washington [4]; his grandson
August Edwin(14) of Colorado was the one who was still keeping the old song
book like the family bible.
George (10) married Wilhemina (Minnie) Blumenberg (15) in 1886. Their daughter
Lunette Feistel (16) was researching her family roots until her death in 1989.
The family lived in Two Rivers, WI, and several of them are buried on Pioneer’s
Rest Cemetery, put on the web by Shari Milks [6], see section 4. And there is
this nice little story about George (the father, or the son?) and how he operated
a welding machine [7], see section 5.
Son August Friedrich (7), however, seemingly preferred an adventurer’s life. In
the early 1870s, he went from Wisconsin to Kanopolis, KS, the Wild West, when he
was a young man, about 20, or even younger, see section 6. Later, he married
Minnie Kreider in 1885 and became a respected citizen of Kanopolis, see sections
7 and 8. Thankfully, his family’s cemetery data from Kanopolis had been put on
the web in Spring 2002 by April Stoppel Miller, Librarian in Kanopolis, reported
in section 8. August’s (7) grandchildren Hilma and Robert Feistel became
well-known by the book “The fighting men of Oklahoma”, section 10. They continue
the long, close, and changing relationship between this family and the military,
which once began in the Cuestrin fortress in Prussia and still goes on with
relatives living today.
Various further details on the family can be found at the web pages
http://www.feistel.org/subtree/tree_wi.htm
http://www.feistel.org/subtree/state_wi.htm
http://www.feistel.org/subtree/tree_ks.htm
http://www.feistel.org/subtree/state_ks.htm
http://www.feistel.org/subtree/tree_ks.rtf
http://www.feistel.org/subtree/bertha_ks.rtf
http://www.feistel.org/subtree/state_ok.htm
http://www.feistel.org/subtree/state_ca.htm
2.Biography of Rudolph Albert Feistel (6)
Biography of Rudolph A. Feistel,
History of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, Past and Present, Vol. II
Chicago, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1912, p. 677-678
RUDOLPH A.FEISTEL
Among the representatives of foreign climes who, bidding farewell to native land
and friends and scenes they held most dear, is Rudolph A. Feistel, who with his
parents came to American shores in 1857, the father, August Feistel, having
become convinced that the new world held out superior advantages to accumulate
a competence. He was born February 1, 1854, in West Prussia, Germany, a son of
August and Paulina (Wendel) Feistel, the former of whom was born November 7, 1821.
In 1857 the father and his family, consisting of his wife and four children, on
coming to America traveled to Port Washington, Wisconsin, where the family
remained for a time, after which he removed to Sheboygan. By trade he was a
cooper, a business which he followed all his life, passing away November 12, 1881.
His wife survived her husband until the year 1905, when she passed away at the
age of eighty years. In their family were nine children, only three of them now
survive: George, residing at Two Rivers, Wisconsin; August, residing in Kansas;
and Rudolph, of this review.
After receiving a common school education in Wisconsin, Rudolph Feistel
learned the cooper's trade and shortly afterward began operating a cooperage
establishment on his own account, making a specialty of brewery barrels. In 1881
he was employed by the Schreier Brewery Company and was given charge of the
repair department of its plant, in the employ of which he still remains.
Mr. Feistel was married April 18, 1879, to Miss Josephine Ruhner, her birth
occuring near Lake Superior. She is the daughter of Franz and Carolina (Schmalinski)
Ruhner, both of whom were natives of Germany. Her father was a carpenter by trade
and was one of the early pioneers of Sheboygan county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Feistel
were born three children, as follows: Edwin, formerly a tailor of Colorado who
is now in the United States navy and who married Isabella Wilson, by whom he has
three children; August, at home; and Alfred G., deceased. In his political faith
Mr. Feistel is a democrat and has been promonent in local politics. He was elected
in 1894 as an alderman of Sheboygan and served for four consecutive terms. He was
again elected to the same office in 1900 and still again in 1908, and his extensive
public service was characterized by the same efficiency which he displays in his
business matters.
He is a member of the Lutheran church in the faith of which he was reared,
being prominent in the affairs of that denomination. He has for the past twelve
years been president of the German Aid Society, an organization which is
affiliated with the church of which he is a member. In private and in public
life he has always been found at his post, actively and efficiently performing
the duties which devolve upon him. He has given the strictest attention to his
business matters, looking after all details with faithfulness and with close
scrunity. He has long been recognized as one of the best citizens of Sheboygan
and his large circle of acquaintances without exception hold him in high esteem.
The family is well and favorably known throughout the entire community and is
one of the most respected in Sheboygan.
3.Ozaukee County Draft Riots
http://homepage.mac.com/wieganbr/riot.html
Ozaukee County Draft Riots
On November 10th 1862 there occurred in Wisconsin one of the first draft riots
in the United States.
On the morning of the 12th, the draft enrollment officer, William Pors, went to
the county courthouse to begin work. A mob appeared, dragged him out, and threw
him down the steps. He promptly fled and hid in the basement of the post office.
The mob the marched on Pors' home and several other nearby houses, wrecking and
starting small fires in them. Then the crowd paraded through town shouting,
"NO DRAFT!" while looting shops (including bars and pubs) and destroying
buildings. Threatened with the destruction of their own buildings, a number of
townspeople were persuaded to join the battle.
A cannon used for the Fourth of July salutes was seized and loaded with the only
ball in town. A defensive line was established on the water front, where the
rioters prepared to take on the US army.
And the army was on it's way. Pors had raced out of town in a horse and buggy
while the rioters were at his house. The army landed at Ulao, marched to Port
Washington and surrounded the village from the land side. The steamer then
dropped the rest of the 28th regiment at the Port Washington harbor. The cannon
was quickly abandoned and the rioters fled. Many who were too busy drinking were
captured and taken to Camp Randall in Madison. The entire battle lasted about
15 minutes and not a shot was fired.
A newspaper (Milwaukee Sentinel) account of the riots includes this interesting
quote - "appeared to belong to a class of Germans or Belgians called
Luxemburgers - not an Irishman was to be seen in the crowd." Perhaps we can
guess the nationality of the author!
Even though over five hundred people took part in the riot most were let go. A
total of 136 prisoners were captured and when they sobered up most regretted
what they had done. They were sent to Camp Randall and held for about a month,
then released. About 13 were drafted into the army and fought in the Civil War.
Among those arrested were several women who were described as being "the most
bitter and vindictive spirit." Attorney Edward G. Ryan of Milwaukee volunteered
to defend the prisoners and told the State Supreme Court that the suspension of
the writ of habeas corpus by President Lincoln was unconstitutional. The
Wisconsin judges agreed and the prisoners were freed. The decision rocked the
Lincoln administration. Edward Bates, the federal attorney general, advised
against an appeal fearing the case might be upheld. The issue was left alone
until the March 1863 Federal Conscription Act and then the federal government
took over the draft (as opposed to the state).
The main reason for the riots seems to have to do with the ability of rich men
to pay someone else to serve their terms. Also the rioters were mostly of
Catholic and of Luxemburg decent. The fact that Pors was Masonic and most of
his fellow members were left out of the draft also caused much unrest. One
also must consider the fact that many draftees were new to this country and
could not afford for the head of the household to leave for six months.
The following men were arrested in connection with the riot that occured on
November 10, 1862 in Port Washington Wisconsin. Don't miss the historical
accounts of the event (http://homepage.mac.com/wieganbr/rioters.html).
Feistel
August
released December 12, 1862
4.Manitowoc Cemetery
http://www.2manitowoc.com/89A.html
PIONEERS' REST CEMETERY
Two Rivers Township, Manitowoc Co., Wisconsin
FEISTEL:
[6-66]-George/1862-1915, ossw:
[6-66]-William/1893-1903, ossw:
[6-66]-Wilhelmine/1863-[Jan.]1937
[6-66]-[Edward (Baby)/bur. 1906]
[6-66]-[George (Baby)/bur. 1919]
[6-66]-[Linda Feistel/bur. 04-03-1981/age 89 yrs.]
[6-66]-[Willa Feistel/bur. 1901/age 9 yrs.]
[7-11]-[Baby Feistel/bur. 1919]
[7-11]-[George Feistel/bur. 1919]
see HACHMANN
HACHMANN:
[5-29]-Ferdinand/1854-1927, ossw:
[5-29]-Katherine/1861-[Jan.]1933, ossw:
[5-29]-Albert/1896-1963, ossw:
[5-29]-Gustave/1882-[Nov.]1964
[5-29]-[Child Hachmann/bur. 1893/age 3 mo.]
[5-29]-[Baby HACKMANN/bur. 1900]
see DOEHLER
[7-21]-Walter/Hachmann/1885-[Jan.]1958
[7-11]-George/FEISTEL/1888-1919,(listed in Feistel also) ossw:
[7-11]-Theodore/Hachmann/1883-[Jan.]1965, ossw:
[7-11]-Alma/1887-1968, ossw:
Edith/-1912-
5.The Welding Apparatus
http://www.2manitowoc.com/biosB.html
A. BAETZ & SON
From the Two Rivers Reporter, Saturday, June 27, 1914:
Advertisement:
CAST IRON AND OTHER METALS WELDED
We have just installed the necessary apparatus to do welding by the OxyCetylene
Welding Method. We can weld Cast Iron, Cast Steel, Mallable Iron, Aluminum,
Brass, Cooper, etc.
Broken parts of Castings made as good as new. Bring them to us and we will put
them in good condition at a reasonable price.
A. Baetz & Son
From the Two Rivers Reporter, Saturday, July 4, 1914:
DIDN'T STAND THE TEST
A severe explosion occurred at the blacksmith shop of A. Baetz & Son, Monday
that broke most of the windows in the building, ripped a big hole in the
ceiling and didn't hurt anybody.
There were three men in the room at the time. George Feistel was operating the
apparatus which is a welding machine. He turned a valve and moved back two
steps when the tank, 6 feet high, containing Oxycitilene, exploded and shot
straight upward through the ceiling. The machine had been installed to give
it a thirty days trial, but it only lasted about thirty minutes after it was
set to work. It has been returned with thanks.
6.Kanopolis Experience
In a message dated 7/13/2002 9:38:13 PM Eastern Standard Time,
BlackSheep-D-request@rootsweb.com writes:
I had previously suggested an old topic of our ancestors who traveled
West in covered wagons and the hardships and living conditions they encountered.
Does anyone want to engage that topic and share a story?
This reminds me of stories of my wife's German grand-parents, August and
Minnie Kreider) Feistel, who set up housekeeping in a hole-in-the-ground
(literally) at Kanopolis, Kansas about 1885.. I suppose August had acquired
his homestead by staking a claim (I don't have all the details) but he
certain was in no position right away to have timber hauled in to build a
house. The lived in a dug-out for a number of years before they were finally
able to build house and barn. The cellar to the eventual house adjoined the
old dug-out through a short connecting passageway..
They were married in July, '85; the first child was born in April, '86; the
next one came in March '88. Marilyn's mother was the sixth and last, born
in '95, by which time the family had moved above ground, but she was full
of the lore from her mother and the two oldest siblings, at least, so I
infer they must have lived in the ground for at least three years, and more
likely, five. Stories about life in the dugout included anecdotes about
snakes, insects, an occasional Indian scare, and the fact that it wasn't
really as cool in the ground, in summertime, as one would hope, nor altogether
warm during winter freezes. The wonder is that they survived as well as they
did.
Sometime in the 1960s, I think, we visited the old farmstead and were able to
tour the dugout. I can't provide dimensions although obviously they were
acutely space-constrained. What impressed me was the exquisite workmanship
with which the underground home was lined with stone, arched totally, overhead,
and all covered with earth and sod.. Chimney at one end; entrance at the other.
It is amazing what human talent, ingenuity and hard work can produce when
compelled by necessity.
I have the impression that this was not a particilarly unique experience in
the plains in those pioneering days.
Herb Melendy, International BlackSheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG)
7.Fort Harker
Kanopolis had an Army Fort - Fort Harker - that was active in 1866, to protect
settlers mainly from Indians. That Fort is now a Museum. My uncle, Robert,
mounted his fathers tool in a case and it is part of that display.
The title reads:
AUGUST FEISTEL 1855-1919
AUGUST FEISTEL CAME TO KANSAS FROM WISCONSIN IN THE EARLY 1870'S. AS HE WAS NOT
OLD ENOUGH TO FILE ON A LAND CLAIM, HE WORKED AS A CARPENTER AND HERDED CATTLE
WHEN THE LONG HORNS CAME TO THE RAILROADS IN ELLSWORTH. HE HOMESTEADED 3 MILES
NORTH OF TOWN AND IMPROVED IT. WHEN KANOPOLIS WAS MADE A TOWN SITE HE SOLD THE
CLAIM AND WENT INTO THE LUMBER BUSINESS. WHEN THE BOOM COLLAPSED SO DID THE
LUMBER YARD. HE WAS MAYOR OF THE TOWN IN 1890 WHEN ROYAL SALT COMPANY MINE WAS
SUNK. HE BECAME THE AREAS LEADING CONTRACTOR AND BUILDER AND ERECTED THE
STRUCTURE FOR THE CRYSTAL SALT MINE IN 1907 AND THE INDEPENDENT MINE IN 1913.
AGAIN IN 1912-1913 HE WAS MAYOR WHEN THE TOWN CONSTRUCTED A CITY WATER SYSTEM
AND AN ELECTRIC PLANT. HE WAS A LIFELONG ODD FELLOW. HE DIED APRIL 1919 AND
IS BURIED IN THE KANOPOLIS CEMETERY.
He was too young to file claim so his future father-in-law, Henry Kreider
sponsored him. (and a Kreider daughter was just right for him too).
Marilyn Melendy, 26 July 2002
8. Odd Fellows. - Ellsworth Lodge
http://www.ku.edu/carrie/kancoll/books/cutler/ellsworth/ellsworth-co-p4.html
KANSAS COLLECTION BOOKS
William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas
ELLSWORTH COUNTY, Part 4
Odd Fellows. - Ellsworth Lodge, No. 109, I. O. O. F., was organized
September 3, 1873, with six charter members. The first officers of the lodge
were: J. W. Powers, N. G.; M. Amrine, V. G.; M. C. Close, R. S.;
James Vestch, P. S.; A. J. Logback, Treas.; A. Houson, Con.; S. G. Pepper, W.;
C. E. Bell, I. G.; and Ed. Schermerhorn, O. G. For some time the lodge made
but very slow progress, and at one time its condition was such as almost to
compel a surrender of its charter. Through the activity of some of the members,
a new life was instilled into it, and it is now in a very flourishing condition,
and meets weekly in an elegantly furnished hall over the Powers Bank. The lodge
has now a membership of forty, and the present officers are: A. Flanders, N. G.;
G. A. Collett, V. G.; R. W. Carter, R. S.; N. B. McCammon, P. S.; J. Powers, Treas.;
I. E. Lloyd, Con.; T. J. Noble, W.; August Feistal, I. G.; J. P. Nunamaker, O. G.
9.Kanopolis Cemetery
http://www.ckls.org/~jswan/1Kanopolis/KanopolisCemKLM.html
Cemetery Records
Kanopolis, Kansas
E through G
Name D.O.B. D.O.D. Block Lot Plot Military Branch Plot Owner
Feistel August 1855 1919 2 1 3 August Feistel
Feistel George 10-01-1891 2 1 1 August Feistel
Feistel Harry C. 04-1886 11-07-1891 2 1 2 August Feistel
Feistel Minnie L. 1864 1942 2 1 4 August Feistel
K through M
Name D.O.B. D.O.D. Block Lot Plot Military Branch Plot Owner
Kreider Henry 1837 1910 2 1 6 August Feistel
Kreider Rachel 1838 1922 2 1 7 August Feistel
Kreider Theodore 1860 1892 2 1 5 August Feistel
These records were compiled by April Stoppel Miller from City Records,
Obituaries, Tombstone Surveys, Cemetery Records of Ellsworth County, 1940,
with assistance from Delores Merrill Young. Revised: January 2001.
Send Comments to:
April Miller
P. O. Box 294
Kanopolis, Kansas 67454-0294
Last update: 17 May 2002
10.The Fighting Men of Oklahoma
The Fighting Men of Oklahoma, Vol. 2
kindly provided by Kathy Vanchieri, Stillwater, OK.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kvanchieri/Feistel.jpg
1st Lt. HILMA E. FEISTEL
Hilma E. Feistel, N-745148, 1st Lt. Army Nurses Corps, daughter of Mr. And
Mrs. R. B. Feistel of El Reno, Okla., was born July 24, 1912 at El Reno,
graduated from Sacred Heart Academy and from nurses training at St. Anthony
Hospital at Oklahoma City. She entered the service Nov. 16, 1942, and served
with the Army Nurses Corps.
F/O ROBERT B. FEISTEL, JR.
Robert B. Feistel, Jr., F/O AAF, son of Mr. And Mrs. R. B. Feistel of El Reno,
Okla., was born Jan. 23, 1923, at El Reno, graduted from El Reno High School,
and attended Oklahoma University. He entered the service July 26, 1943, and
served with the United States Army Air Force.
11.References
[1] Panorama von Küstrin, http://www.preussenchronik.de/cache/vollbild_c15832.html
[2] http://www.wriezen.de/stadtinfo/index_mol.htm
[3] Hans-Friedrich Kniehase: Das Oderbruch. Slawische und deutsche Siedlungsgenese
seit dem hohen Mittelalter. Geostudien 15/95, Leverkusen 1995.
[4] Biography of Rudolph A. Feistel, History of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin,
Past and Present, Vol. II. Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company,
1912, p. 677-678
[5] Ozaukee County Draft Riots, http://homepage.mac.com/wieganbr/riot.html,
http://homepage.mac.com/wieganbr/rioters.html
[6] MANITOWOC COUNTY, WISCONSIN GENEALOGY - LINKING THE PRESENT WITH THE PAST,
http://www.2manitowoc.com
[7] http://www.2manitowoc.com/biosB.html
13 February 2005, Rainer Feistel, http://www.feistel.org