The following is quoted from a book on the Kaeding family written by yours truly.
You got it from your father
It was all he had to give
So its yours to use and cherish
For as long as you may live.
If you lost the watch he gave you
It can always be replaced;
But a black mark on your name
Can never be erased.
It was clear the day you took it
And a worthy name to bear-
When he got it from his father
There was no dishonor there.
So make sure you guard it wisely
After all is said and done.
You'll be glad the name is spotless
When you give it to your son.
(from a plaque given to my son at his high school graduation)
My interest in genealogy came suddenly. During a visit to my parent's home during 1986, I was reading through their copy of Yvonne Steckel's THE KAEDING FAMILY. I began to think about how all of these people's lives overlapped in times and places to make the society we now live in. Our ancestors didn't have it easy, I saw, and each generation had its challenges. History shows us what has happened in the past on a very large scale, genealogical biographies can tell the "rest of the story."
The more I read and studied Mrs. Steckel's book, the more I saw that a genealogy is a living thing in itself - open to additions on both ends of the story. The core of this work came from THE KAEDING FAMILY with more information added as I could find it.
Much of this material came from published resources. Another large share has come from a few individuals. The rest has come from personal communications with members of the family. Already published material and some of the larger contributions are listed in the references. My special thanks for the help some of you have given I noted in the Acknowledgements that follow. In places, you will see your exact words here in print but not necessarily in quotation marks. Using quotation marks seemed very difficult to do with the large number of sources and would have made the biographies much harder to read.
Sometimes, I was bold in what I wrote, at other times, very timid. When I read some of the material submitted, I thought that changing one word might lead to a mis-interpretation of what you were trying to say. Then I timidly used what you sent word for word. At other times, the meanings were so clear and flowed so well with other material. Then I boldly re-wrote the story. I hope, in those cases, that I got it right. In any case, I am really not the author. I am an editor of information and stories that you sent or that you relayed to me, you - the family.
The modern age comes into this work. My records are all kept on a personal computer where they are individually at my fingertips with a press of a button. Adding a new name is as easy as typing in the data, assigning the correct code and entering it. The computer then sorts the new entry into its proper place in less than a few seconds. The multiple indexes at the back are a product of the computer's ability to resort the data into a different order almost instantaneously. I have yet to see the computer make a mistake in handling all of this information - but I have made mistakes in data entry. Some, I have found and corrected. Others, some of you have found for me and passed the corrected material back to me. I'm sure some errors still exist. I sincerely appreciate it when you do correct them and send them back.
The biographical section of this edition is organized in
genealogical order. I limited entries to direct blood descendants
of Johann Käding and his wife (Eva) and to spouses of blood
descendants. I then assigned a code to each entry in order of
their birth and you will see this code next to each name. Each
additional letter on the code indicates another generation, so
that;
(A) is Johann Käding,
(AA) is Mikael Käding,
(AAA) is Frederick Käding,
(AAB) is Wilhelmine Käding,
etc.
Spouses have the same code as their husband or wife with a number after it. Where their is more than one spouse, the first has the number "1" and the second has the number "2," etc.
That's right, Johann is still the earliest Käding I have found! I have been looking, primarily through the records of the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have also researched the volumes in the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research in Houston, Texas. Still I have had no luck. The problem lies in that we don't know for sure where Mikael Käding was born and grew up. We don't know his exact date and route of emigration into the United States. I received some new information recently that may provide the leads needed to find our ancestral home in Europe. Some more time at the libraries will tell. In the text, you'll see what I have been told so far and how I think our ancestors came to America.
I have not printed any pictures although I have received a few. Mrs. Steckel did such a wonderful job of printing pictures and documents from our history, I didn't think it needed to be done again. I strongly encourage any of you with an interest in this work to read and study her book. Also, I suggest reading for yourself some of the published references I have cited. They also contain pictures of life and times in our past. Some of you have sent pictures to me. I have kept them all in my files and will return any that you have asked me to return. They have helped with my understanding and I do appreciate receiving them. I do have planned an extensive set of graphic genealogical diagrams that I will include in the next edition of this work. They are so far from being finished and several of you have been asking when this work would be available. So, I felt that I could wait no longer to print what I have. I will let those of you who receive this edition know when the diagrams are complete and make them available separately if you want them at that time.
I called this work A KAEDING (KÄDING) GENEALOGY. The title shows two of the possible spellings of our ancestral name. "Käding" is actually written with an umlaut, or "ä". Other spellings are also possible, as shown by one genealogical reference, i.e.,
"The surname Kaeding is a comparatively rare name, and it appears to be locational in origin. Our research indicates that it can be associated with the Germans, meaning, 'one who came from Kehdingten.'
Knowing that different spellings of the same original surname are a common occurrence, it is not surprising that dictionaries of surnames indicate probable spelling variations of the Kaeding surname to be Keding, Kehding and KÄDING."
Mikael Käding's marriage record, published in Mrs. Steckel's book, shows the Kaeding name written with the "ä". This document was written in March of 1875 and probably represents the spelling used in Europe. Note that in Webster's dictionary, the German "ä" translates into English as "ae". So the present form of the name is a direct alphabetic translation. The form "Kaeding" was in use by February of 1886. It shows up on Louise Kaeding's death certificate (copy in Mrs. Steckel's book) at that time. Mikael Kaeding's death certificate has both his first and his last name misspelled, showing "Michel" and "Keading." I have used the form "KÄDING" for the first three generations, beginning with Johann. I used the form "Kaeding" for everyone beyond the third generation. If someone in the family has used the name spelling differently, I apologize for not having it correct.
Since this work is to include all blood descendants, many other names crop up as time passes. Each woman who marries, adds another surname to the blood line. In times past, it was common to only trace male ancestry. In today's society of equal rights, that would be a dangerous custom to follow. So all of the added surnames to the bloodline are included. Spouses' maiden names are documented as well. The good family names added to our heritage in this way are listed in one of the appendixes so you can see how many and diverse they are. Doing library searches with so many surnames to examine becomes increasingly difficult. If any of you are working on the genealogies for one of these surnames, I would appreciate a letter. We can help each other where we overlap.
After the biographies, there are several indexes. These provide a way to cross reference our siblings and ancestors in various ways. You will be able to look up who else in the family is in your generation (your cousins). You can find out who else was born in your locale. Or, you can determine who has a birth year or birth day in common with you. The last index is an alphabetical list of all of the biographical entries, by last name and first name. You can use this index to look for a particular person in the genealogy.
There are blanks forms I have used to gather and catalog family data included. Please, remove or copy them to make additions and revisions for this genealogy. I would very much like to hear from each of you with recollections of times past from your parents and grand parents, new additions to the young generations in the family and notes on addresses, activities and hobbies that you are interested in.
I hope you enjoy reading this material as much as I have
enjoyed preparing it.
Albert Kaeding June, 1990
Ormond Beach, Florida 32174
e-mail - [email protected]
In the middle of the nineteenth century, the face of Europe was considerably different than it is today. Prussia occupied a significant portion of eastern Europe. These territories consisted of Germanic states that were some of the remains of the Holy Roman Empire. During the dark ages, they had grown up from feudal estates among German speaking peoples. These provinces included Berlin, Brandenberg, East Prussia, Hannover, Hesse-Nassau, Hollenzollern, Pomerania, Rhine Province, Saxony, Schleswig-Holstien, Upper and Lower Silesia, and Westphalia. Also included was an administrative division of Grezmark Posen-Westpreussen, which is probably the ancestral home of the Käding Family. To understand life and times there, we need to go back a little further in history.
In the thirteenth century, The Order of Teutonic Knights, frustrated in their crusades to the Holy Land, decided to Christianize the Baltic regions east of the Holy Roman Empire. The original Prussians were the inhabitants of this region but they resisted the Teutonic Knights and were nearly exterminated. This region and its people began the Prussian name. Looking at an old map of Europe, you will see that this region is actually north and east of present day Poland.
As time passed, there were frequent wars among the various German peoples, trying to establish unifying central government. With time, they achieved success with the growth of Austria, Hungary and Prussia. Poland also became involved when her neighbors arbitrarily divided off or partitioned large areas of Polish territory for their own use and protection. It was in one of these partitionings that the Posen (Poznan) region came under Prussian influence.
Johann Käding was probably born about 1790-1795, somewhere in the Posen region. Frederick William III was the king of Prussia. By the time Johann was a teen, Prussia had gone to war with Napoleon's France. Prussia lost, with her armies being humiliated by the French in 1806. A period of social reform then began in Prussia. The class system was revamped. Burghers acquired landed estates and the peasants were liberated.
The Käding family may not have been affected much by these changes. Reforms bypassed people in the outlying territories. The Posen region was an administrative territory, an area that had been taken from Poland. The Germanic people who lived in Posen were above the serfs in the class system. The Kädings may have been trustees for one of the land estates or they may have been townsmen of the region. Most likely, they were trustees or caretakers of some land for a local noble. They seem to have had a farming background when they arrived in America.
Further reforms were underway in Prussia. Rule through a cabinet of ministers replaced the personal regime of the monarch. Representative institutions on the local, provincial and central level were began. Only the cities implemented self-government at first. The army reorganized to require universal service instead of the previous mercenary system. The officer corps began admitting commoners. Johann may have been caught up in this universal military service. All the schools were also reorganized during this period, but it is unlikely that Johann benefited. Very few, and only the upper classes, attended school. The new University of Berlin raised the Prussian capital to a center of German intellectual life for the first time.
Johann sailed to America, probably about 1810-1813. He was probably a merchant seaman, maybe fulfilling his military obligation. It was here that he met and married Eva, an Indian Princess. Johann took Eva, the first American KÄDING, back to Posen with him. There, at home, Mikael was born in 1814. Prussia was again at war with France. This time, allied with Russia, Prussia was successful and defeated Napoleon. In the treaties that followed, Prussia had to give up some of her Polish territory but she retained Danzig and the corridor region which included the Province of Posen. After the Napolionic period, many of the social reforms started in Europe were discarded. Freedoms that the lower classes had tasted were revoked. Prussia remained a bureaucratic and absolutistic state even after the smaller states of Germany had introduced constitutions.
Posen was part of South Prussia from 1793 to 1807. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Prussia regained that part of Poland. Prussia called this area the "Grand Duchy of Posen." Since 1850 Provinz Posen was the core territory of historical Greater Poland. Revolutions broke out in the German states in 1848-1849 but the Prussian State survived almost unchanged. By this time, Frederick, Wilhelmine, Henrietta, Louise and Augusta had been born.
The Germanic states and her peoples were struggling with the concepts of freedom and a voice in government for the citizens during this time. All of Europe was watching the United States and its amazing constitution that offered freedom and equality to all. This was a new concept and its ideals were spreading across Europe with varying degrees of resistance from the governments in power. Prussia was vacillating, but Russia and Austria persuaded her to limit these changes as much as possible. The industrial revolution was now also underway and the changes it brought were felt all over the world. New wealth was created in parts of Prussia, but Posen, a rural, agricultural area, probably felt little of this change.
Prussia was also on the eve of war again, in the 1850's. Mikael KÄDING decided to leave home, family, and friends and move to America before this happened. Otto Von Bismarck was counseling for creation of a strong, unified Germany. Bismarck was successful, through several wars up until 1871, and the German Empire emerged.
As a historical footnote, Posen continued to change hands on into the twentieth century. All the province of Posen was ceded to Poland in 1920 except the counties of Fraustadt, Meseritz and Schwerin (Warthe). They were added to Grenzmark (Border Territory) Posen-West Prussia. In 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, Reichsgau (administrative district) Posen was formed. Reichsgau Posen consisted of the ceded territory and several counties of "Congress Poland." This area was later named Reichsgau Wartheland. The counties of Wirsitz and Bromberg were added to "Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia". So, at the time of Mikael's departure, Posen was Prussian even though it was Polish earlier in history and again later.
Mikael's oldest son, Frederick, was the first. He came over ahead of the family, probably to find land and a place for a new home. Frederick arrived in Wisconsin in about 1855, when he was about 18 years old. He was robbed and put ashore by an unscrupulous ship's company when he arrived here. Somehow, he made it across half of the United States to the open territory of Wisconsin. Frederick Käding, along with Christopher Zimmerman, Jim and Richard Horrel, George Randall, J.M. Shong, Joseph Linderthaler, Daniel Zempel, and Daniel Muenchow, are listed as Fall Creek's earliest settlers. Daniel Muenchow's daughter, Emelia, married Herman Thiel, Louise (Käding) Thiel's son. From her obituary (1952), Emelia's sister, Amalia was born in Princeton, Wisconsin in 1859 and moved to Fall Creek with her parents two years later. This indicates that the Muenchow family settled in Fall Creek in 1861.
Wisconsin had joined the union about seven years earlier. Land was still virgin and available in the Fall Creek area. Eau Claire County formally organized on October 6, 1856. The town of Fall Creek was not surveyed and platted until July of 1857. The first school in Lincoln Township was also built in 1867. German speaking settlers began to arrive, with Frederick among them.
Some time after Frederick's arrival, the rest of his family emigrated. Mikael, his bride - Rosina, and their six children left Posen for America. The children traveling with them were Wilhelmine, Henrietta, Louise, Augusta, Johann and Emalee. They sailed from the European continent on a sailing ship arriving in the new world fifteen weeks later. Their ship sailed up the St. Laurence River and shipwrecked near Quebec loosing all of their possessions. They stayed on an island near Quebec for two weeks awaiting another ship to take them off. From Quebec, they went by boat and train to Princeton, Wisconsin were they first settled. This may have been in the summer of 1856. Princeton is in Green Lake County, about 100 miles inland from Milwaukee. There may have been rail connections between the two towns and the KÄDING family may very well have entered the United States at Milwaukee.
Mikael and his family seem to have settled for a while in the Princeton area. They may have been there from 1856 until about 1864, when Mikael bought a farm near Fall Creek. Wilhelmine married William Roesler in Princeton on February 28, 1859. William and Wilhelmine left Princeton for Minnesota sometime between then and September of 1860. They got as far as Fall Creek, where they stopped to await the birth of their first son, Julius. Could the Mikael KÄDING family moved at about the same time?
After the family arrived in the Fall Creek area and had settled, it continued to grow. By the late 1800's, several members of the family were ready to move again. Most of Frederick KÄDING's children moved away from Fall Creek. Some went to the Penn, North Dakota area, some to The Kramer, North Dakota area and some to Churchbridge, Saskatchewan in Canada.
Albert Kaeding (AAAI) moved to the Penn, North Dakota area in 1897-1898. Ten years earlier in 1888, the town was Laurens but English railroad officials renamed it Penn. He moved with his young family and, his goods and livestock, in a railroad car. There was no depot then, it was built in 1900. When they arrived in the Penn area, Albert built a sod hut on the prairie. He built it about 1/2 mile north of the railroad tracks, about two miles west of Penn. Here, he and his wife (Helena Kaeding, AAFD) spent their first winter. Albert's brother Julius (AAAB) also moved to the Penn area and began farming south of Penn. Another brother, Frederich (AAAE) moved to Kramer, North Dakota and was there in 1905. He continued to move, living in Kalispell, Montana for awhile and finally settling in Penn where he owned and operated a store. Frank Kaeding (AAAG) also settled in Penn. Although his arrival date is uncertain, he was there before 1908, when he made a car trip to Churchbridge, Saskatchewan with Helena Kaeding and her sons. Eleanore Kaeding (AAAH) married John Garbe and they moved to the Churchbridge area. Pauline Kaeding married John Shultz and together they went to Leeds, North Dakota, where John started one of the earliest car dealerships in the area. Mary Kaeding (AAAL) also married and moved. She married William Mehls and they moved to Churchbridge. Clara Kaeding married Dr. Rodgers and they settled in Cody, Wyoming.
This story, of moving westward, repeated in many of the other Kaeding families. These moves took place near the turn of the century and the families that moved were headed for the frontier, in the spirit of American settlement. In each case, the courage of being among the first on a new land must have created severe hardships. The Kaedings who settled in the Churchbridge area figured prominently in the early politics and history of Churchbridge. The family also became intimately involved in government, schools, church and community affairs.
My family has also moved many times and over great distances. We have experienced some of the trauma of leaving family and friends far behind. What it must have been like for our ancestors to step out into the unknown and to make the voyage across an ocean. They did this without the benefit of modern road, rail and air transportation. Just think, they didn't have telephone or air mail to carry messages back and forth over the miles!
JOHANN KÄDING (A). Johann was born in Prussia and he married Eva. Johann is the earliest traceable ancestor of the Kaeding lineage to date. Johann was probably born about 1790-1795. His trip to the United States as a merchant sailor probably took place about 1810-1812.[18]
EVA (A1). Eva may have been born in the United States. The following legend indicates that Eva's father may have been the Chief of the Yellowfoot Indians. Eva married Johann KÄDING. Nothing more is known of either Eva or of Johann.
"There's German in me, and some Indian, too, but thank goodness, the Indian is way back on my mother's (AAHB) father's (AAH) side. Yes, my great, great grandmother (A1) was the daughter of the chief of the Yellowfoot Indian tribe. Maybe if you were a young sailor (A) with ambition, you'd want her for your wife too.
"Once a young German sailor placed as his goal, America. He became a determined German. He worked his way over on a German passenger boat to America. In America, he and his comrades fell in love with, and so they stayed. They were young men, and like all men they craved adventure. Bravely, they started west, to see if they couldn't discover something explorers had missed.
"In Michigan, they met with the Yellowfoot Indians, eventually the chief, and finally, the daughter of the chief. The chief did not get along with the sailors so well at first, but to oblige his daughter he managed to agree with them fairly well. Why this certain sailor picked this certain maiden for his wife was just some work of Fate, Luck, or Providence. They were married by the chief, and two years later, he took her back to his native land. They had three sons and six daughters. The mother wished to return to America, but though she never did, she told her children of its wonders, and they, too became determined to see it."
The above quote is from the Rozella Vogler (AAHBE) autobiography, supplied by Mrs. Charlotte Gust and it refers to Johann and Eva KÄDING. This author added the genealogical cross-references and they refer to the individuals noted in this book. Rozella's story indicates that Mikael had two brothers and six sisters. [19]
MIKAEL KÄDING, SR. (AA). Mikael was born in Prussia on 15 May 1814. Mikael's father is Johann Käding, Sr. and his mother is Eva. Mikael married Rosina Muenchow in 1836, at the age of 22, and they continued to live in Prussia for the next 15 years. The KÄDINGs had 7 children born to them in Prussia before they emigrated. Mikael and his family probably emigrated to the United States during the period of 1853-1856. All known members of the family arrived in America during this period. (See the Wilhelmiene Käding, AAB, entry for additional information on the Mikael Käding family's emigration.) Mikael and his family reached the Princeton, Wisconsin area, probably in 1855. Wilhelmiene's biography indicates that he bought a small farm near Princeton. Although family tradition indicates that the family was settled in Fall Creek by March of 1856 when Mikael, Jr. was born, they may have still been in the Princeton area. Sometime between 1855 and 1864, the Mikael Käding's moved to Fall Creek and settled there. Mikael was registered on the 1864, Town of Lincoln, Personal Property Assessment Rolls. The US Land Office Entry Book showing original ownership of lands granted by the government shows 2 - 40 acre tracts in the name of Mikael Käding, one dated June 1, 1874 and the other July 27, 1885. This indicates that Mikael first bought his Fall Creek farm in those years.
Mikael seems to have served as Fall Creek's first dentist as there is reference to his pulling teeth. Mikael Käding, Sr. died on 26 June 1900 at Lincoln, Wisconsin. He was buried on June 28, 1900 in the Fall Creek Cemetery beside Louise (Ritz) Käding. St. James Trinity Church records in Fall Creek recorded Mikael's death. His death is also recorded with the Registrar of Deeds in the Eau Claire County Court House in Volume 3 of Deaths on page 72. (Ref 1, 17) [20]
ROSINA MUENCHOW (AA1). Rosina was born in Prussia on 11 November 1813 and married Mikael KÄDING, Sr. in 1836. Rosina is probably related to Daniel and Emilia Muenchow. Rosina and Mikael's children are Frederick, Wilhelmiene, Henrietta, Louise, Augusta, Johann, Emalee & Mikael, Jr. After their marriage, Rosina and Mikael lived in Prussia for the next fifteen years. Their first seven children were born while they lived there. The family settled in Fall Creek by the time Mikael, Jr was born in March of 1856. Rosina Muenchow died 23 July 1874 at Fall Creek, Wisconsin. St. Jacob's Lutheran Church records Rosina's death. She is not listed among the names of the Kädings buried in the Fall Creek Cemetery, so it is not known for sure where she is buried. (One source lists her as having been buried at the St. John's Cemetery in Fall Creek.) (Ref 1, 17) [21]
LOUISE RITZ (AA2). Louise was born in Prussia on 15 April 1883. Louise's father is Christoph Ritz and her mother is Rosina. She immigrated to the United States in 1872 with her husband, Adolph (Rick) Radatz and their son, Fred Radatz. After her husband's death, Louise married Mikael. Louise and Mikael Käding, Sr. were married on 19 March 1875 at Lincoln, Wisconsin. The Reverend W. Julius Friedried conducted the ceremony in his home. Henrietta Geske and the minister's wife, Pauline Friedried, served as witnesses to the ceremony. Their marriage is recorded with St. John's Lutheran Church in Fall Creek. It is also recorded with the Registrar of Deeds in the Eau Claire County Court House in Volume 3, Marriages, page 115. Louise Ritz died 4 February 1886 at Fall Creek, Wisconsin of hepatitis and was buried in the St. James Trinity Church cemetery in Fall Creek. The Reverend Carl Baumbach signed her death certificate. It is recorded with the Registrar of Deeds in the Eau Claire County Court House in Volume I of Deaths on page 72. (Ref 17) [29]
FREDERICK W. KÄDING (AAA). Frederick was born in the Posen Province of Prussia on 25 May 1837 and he married Henrietta Puhl in 1862. Frederick died 5 September 1895 at Fall Creek, Wisconsin. (See Chapter 2: The Frederick W. Käding Family.) [1]
WILHELMIENE KÄDING (AAB). Wilhelmiene was born in Posen Province, Prussia on 10 March 1840. She married Wilhelm Roesler on February 28, 1859. Wilhelmine died on October 28, 1859. (See Chapter 3: The Wilhelmiene Käding Family.) [22]
HENRIETTA KÄDING (AAC). Henrietta was born in Posen Province, Prussia in 1842. She married Frederick Geske. (See Chapter 4: The Henrietta Käding Family.) [23]
LOUISE KÄDING (AAD). Louise was born in Posen Province, Prussia in 1844. She married August Sigmund Thiel on August 8, 1865. Louise KÄDING died 7 December 1913 at Kramer, North Dakota. (See Chapter 5: The Louise Käding Family.) [24]
AUGUSTA JUSTINA KÄDING (AAE). Augusta was born in Posen Province, Prussia on 17 August 1846. Augusta Justina Käding died August 1883 at Fall Creek, Wisconsin. (See Chapter 6: The Augusta Justina Käding Family.) [25]
JOHANN RUDOLPH KÄDING (AAF). Johann was born in Posen Province, Prussia on 8 May 1850. Johann Rudolph Käding died 5 February 1918 at Fall Creek, Wisconsin. (See Chapter 7: The Johann Rudolph Käding Family.) [26]
EMALEE KÄDING (AAG). Emalee was born in Posen Province, Prussia on 29 September 1851. It is possible that she died in the 1870 diphtheria epidemic. Emalee's birth has been recorded in the St. Johns Lutheran Church records in Fall Creek even though she was most likely born in Prussia. Emalee Käding died in 1870 at Fall Creek, Wisconsin. [27]
MIKAEL KÄDING, JR. (AAH). Mikael Jr. was born in Wisconsin on 3 March 1856. He died on 16 May 1923. (See Chapter 8: The Mikael Käding, Jr. Family.) [28]
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