USA > Illinois > Monroe County > Columbia > History of Columbia and Columbia precinct, Monroe County, Illinois, 1859-1959 and centennial celebration, Columbia, Illinois, July 3-4-5, 1959 > Part 16
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Mrs. Rueck's grandmother, Mrs. Sophia Schneider, nee Landgraf, conducted a millinery store and dress-making shop here. Mrs. Schneider was born on shipboard, on the "Bunker Hill", as her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Land- graf enme over from Germany, to locate at Burksville, li- linois, where they established a flour mill. Their children were, Frances Berkemeier, Bertha Seibert, Schanauel, Lena Keil, Ernst and Gus, who married two Irish girls from County Cork, Ireland, Louis whose wife Theresa, nee Schmidt, died recently at the age of 95. They had 8 child- ren: Louis, Edmund, Bertha, Walter, Ida, Anita, Arthur and Rudolph.
Mrs. Rueck's husband, Arthur Rueck, was the son of Henry Rueck, whose family came from St. Clair County, locating there after their arrival from Germany. He was twice married. His first wife, nee Harres, was a relative of the Sauerwein family of New Athens. His second wife was Miss Emma Niemeier of Columbia. They had three children, Arthur, Circuit Clerk and Recorder of Deeds of Monroe County and former councilman, Carl of Crestwood, vice president, Schroeder and Tremayne Sponge Co. Inc., and Elmer E., with the Quality Dairy Co. of East St. Louis.
The Niemelers were prominent in early Columbia his- tory. Mr. Niemeier came from Prussia in Germany. His wife was Catherine Kraus of Columbia. Mr. Niemeier was a trader. He was very successful and during the Civil War procured horses for the North. He bullt a beautiful home in Columbin which was torn down to make way for Co- lumbia's first subdivision, the Herman Frierdich's First subdivision.
Their children were Mrs. Emma Rueck, Mrs. Ida Kunz (Mrs. H. N. Kunz), Mrs. Bertha Heinemann, Mrs. Tillie Sodemann, Mrs. Carrie Bollinger and Charles Niemeier.
KLEIN-TUNZE FAMILIES
Daniel Klein, grandfather of Alvin Klein came here from Germany by sailboat, a voyage that lasted 90 days. He landed at New Orleans and came to St. Louis where for a time he lived on the Levee there, for St. Louis was sparsely settled then. He married Julia Kern. They located at Columbia. They had nine children, five boys and four girls. They were: Henry, Louis, Charles, William and Gus, Miss Carrie, Mrs. Elizabeth Reger, Mrs. Emma Kreckel, and Mrs. Ida Otto.
On the maternal side, Alvin's great-grandfather W. Stueck came over from Germany in 1820, one of the first Germans to make Columbia their home. His wife came with him for they were married in the Old Country. He purchased considerable land in Columbia for his name ap- pears on many old real estate transfers. One of his child- ren, Elizabeth, married John George Bidlingmeier. She died, leaving two little girls, Anna and Lulu, both under five years of age. Anna, who afterwards married Henry Klein, was raised by Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Weinel and Lulu by Mr. and Mrs. Ernst Grosse, who lived In the Gund- lach house, now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Heisler.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Klein had six children, Arthur, Alvin, Bertha, Eugene, Lulu and Roland. Henry Klein's brother, Wiliam, had four children: Theodore, Arnold, El- eanor and Frieda. Theodore and Arnold live in Columbia precinct, and Eleanor at Mobile, Alabama. Frieda died in her early youth.
Alvin married Miss Alyda Tunze, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gustav Tunze, nee Sehmdit. Mrs. Klein is the organist at the St. Paul United Church of Christ. She has been the organist for forty-five consecutive years. She is a talented musician. Both Mr. and Mrs. Klein are mem- bers of the church and active in Masonic and Eastern Star circles.
The Tunze family stems from Germany. Richard Tunze came here from Hanover on June 23, 1867. On Sep- tember 2, 1868 he married Miss Louisa Luhrig at St. Louis. They later moved to Columbia. They had ten children: Gustav, Minnle Tilton, Charles, Louis, Fred, William, fler- man, John and Louise Kean, and Mrs. Sadie Ryan of St. Louis who survives.
The Tunzes were good citizens, for Louis Tunze and Gustav Tunze both served on the Village Board. Herman Tunze's son, Raymond, was one of Columhin's outstand- ing Senulmasters, serving the time the Seout Ilut was built. Hle was also an outstanding leader of Columbia
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youth in the DeMolay organization.
The original of the sketch, Alvin Klein, served for many years as treasurer of the city and as city clerk. He is at present the assistant city clerk.
THE YOUNG-HEILIGSTEDT FAMILIES
The history of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Young's families goes back to early Columbia.
Fred Young's grandfather, Fred Koch, Sr. was a car- penter-contractor. He built the old Columbia Public School and the old City Hall and jail. He had five daughters and one son. The daughters were: Mrs. Emma Rey, Mrs. Anna Meyer, Mrs. Henrietta Sauthoff, Mrs. Johanna Kuehner and Mrs. Louisa Young, who was Mrs. George Young mother of Fred Young. The son was Fred Koch, Jr. also a carpenter-contractor. The Koch family were all heavy landowners in and around Columbia.
Fred Young married Miss Katherine Richert, whose mother was Emma Heiligstedt. The Youngs have one son, Frederick C. a director of the music department of the Dupo High School.
Mrs. Richert, then Emma Heiligstedt, married Fred Daniel Richert, son of Fred Richert of St. Louis. They had three children, Carl, Katherine and Fred, all of Columbia. Carl is City Treasurer of Columbia. Fred Jr. has worked at the railroad yards at Dupo as a clerk for the past 46 years.
The Heiligstedts came to America on a sailing vessel in 1849. Edward V. Heiligstedt was Mrs. Young's grand- father. He was born in 1825 in Strausfurt by Ehrfurt, Koenigsreich, Preusen, Germany. Before coming to America he went to Brazil, South America. Two years later he left Brazil and came to New Orleans, lived there for a time and then came to Columbia where he lived until his death. On October 17, 1852 he married Christina Wagner who had come to America with her parents in 1849 on a sailing vessel. She was born at Oberhafles, near Mann- heim, Baden, Germany in 1828. In the old country she had been engaged to Jacob Lotz, but it took 85 days to get here, communications were so uncertain that Jacob Lotz thought she had decided not to come and became engag- ed to another girl. When Christina Wagner arrived she re- fused to let Mr. Lotz break his engagement to the other girl. She and her mother went to work at the hotel here. There she met and later married Edward Heiligstedt. They had ten children, five of whom died. The living children were Charles, Mrs. William (Billy) Scheuermann, Augusta Volkert, wife of John Volkert, Mina, wife of Albert Lepp and Emma, wife of Fred Richert.
Mrs. Richert was a most interesting person. She was deeply religious and always interested in giving words of comfort to those in trouble. She was a great friend of what other Columbians termed the Yankees and because of this knew much of the history of early Columbia.
MRS. BARBARA BERGMANN
Mrs. Barbara Bergmann, widow of the late Charles Bergmann, Sr., is one of our most interesting settlers.
She was born in Columbia ninety-two years ago, in the brick cottage now owned by Clarence Eckert, on St. Paul avenue, just across the street from where she now lives with her daughter, Mrs. Frances Laub. The house is 110 years old.
Her parents were John and Barbara Mueller, nee Suda. Her husband's parents were Joseph and Frieda Berg- mann, nee Gochah. Mr. and Mrs. Bergmann lived in the beautiful rock house on the Millstadt road formerly owned by Howard Hubbel, now of St. Louis. The older Berg- manns were farmers as was Charles Bergmann, Sr.
Later he worked for the Missouri-Pacific railroad when Bixby and Dupo were just beginning to build up, as a car carpenter. Then he was transferred to De Soto, Mo., and with his family lived there.
Later they moved back to Columbia, living briefly at the Stephen Miles homestead on Eagle Prairie in the Bottom. Their daughter, Frances, now Mrs. Fred Laub, was born there.
Mrs. Bergmann's husband preceded her in death. Their living children are: Mrs. Minnie Ritter, Mrs. Frances Laub, Mrs. Barbara Riebeling, Joseph Bergmann and Thomas Bergmann. Their sons, Theodore, Charles and George preceded their mother in death. She has 28 grandchildren, 52 great grandchildren and 10 great great grandchildren.
One of her grandchildren is Warren Bergmann who recently was elected as a Columbia alderman.
Before her marriage she worked for the Jim Allen family who lived in the Bottom. There she learned to speak the fine English she uses. Her memory is excellent, and she helped the historian very much in writing this history, for she knew and remembered very well so many of the older people of Columbia and the precinct, whom others had forgotten. She is a remarkable woman, as vitally interested in the Columbia of today as she was in the early days when Columbia had many families from the South, of English extraction as citizens as well as the Germans who came here to escape the tyranny of Germany and find for themselves a home in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
MRS. LORENZ VOGT
Mrs. Lorenz Vogt, daughter of Anton and Elizabeth Vogt, nee Petri, was born on a farm near the old Booster Station in the neighborhood of historic Whiteside Station on May 29, 1873.
Mrs. Vogt's grandparents were Lenard and Margaret Petri, nee Neff. When Mrs. Vogt's grandparents came to America they first lived at Sugar Loaf in 1837 and then moved to what is now known as the Ben Weilbacher farm in 1838. The Petris were among the first Germans to settle in Columbia. They could not understand English and the English settlers could not understand them, so they pantomimed their thoughts and got along very well. When they arrived, they needed a clap-board knife to split the trees into rough planks. They borrowed one and made their first shelter, a primitive cabin, of these rough planks. Beds were also made of planks with straw for a mattress. Later they built a barn. Not a nail was used in its construction - only wooden pegs. This barn, 100 years old, was just recently razed on the property now owned by Earl, Harold and Kenneth Reichert.
Mrs. Vogt lived with her parents, Anton and Elizabeth Vogt near a spring which was near an Indian camp ground. The spring emerged from under a tree. The middle water of the spring tasted like good well water; one side tasted oily and the other side sweet. After it flowed for a distance it tasted good. Since Whiteside Station is not far away from the spring, it is safe to assume that the Whitesides and Indians met in battle there, since the Vogt family found flint bags, arrow heads and arrows and a shoulder strap leather bag with divided pockets used either by the Indians or the Whitesides. One of Mrs. Vogt's brothers swapped this priceless collection for a pocket knife, and Dr. M. G. Nixon had the collection. It is thought John Honold received this collection from Dr. Nixon.
Mrs. Vogt liked the name "Vogt" so well she married a man named Vogt, Lorenz A. Vogt who came from Burksville. Mr. Vogt was a friend of the illustrious Lemen
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family of New Design. Some of the Lemens, Lewis and James persuaded Mr. Vogt to come to teachers institute in Columbia when James Hilyard taught here. Mr. Vogt did, took the examination, passed it and "qualified" as they called it. In Columbia Mr. Vogt met Elizabeth Vogt and married her. 9 children, 18 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren blessed this union.
Mr. Vogt taught school - two years nt Goeddeltown, fourteen at Shoemaker School, eleven at Sand Bank and seven nt Columbia. Jle walked to the Sand Bank School as had a previous teacher, Miss Julia Divers. They had to wear hip boots in bad weather as the mud was knee deep in places. For $10 a month extra they started the fires at the school ench cold morning.
In 1927 Mrs. Vogt started a small grocery store which she and the children tended while Mr. Vogt taught school, her entire capital, $1500, for the building and stock. She was imbued with the true pioneer spirit, determination, grit, a good business sense, a shrewd buyer and the store became very successful. Mrs. Vogt said without her chii- dren (good children, she says) she never could have ac- complished the success which was hers.
It is now owned by Edward Vogt who recently ac- quired the store.
FRED JOHN JUENGLING. SR.
Fred John Juengling, Sr., son of Charles and Katherine Juengling was born in St. Louis 86 years ago, in 1873. His parents were born in Rheim-Bayern, a division of Germany near the Rhine river, or Bavaria as it was also called.
When Fred John, Sr. was one year old or in 1874, his parents moved to Columbia. His father, Charles Jueng- ling purchased the tavern of Ernst Grosse, known as Buck Tavern, and he served as the genial host there until 1919, when prohibition was in effect. It remained closed until 1933 when prohibition was repealed, and Fred A. Juengling, Jr. became the host from 1935 until 1954. In 1954 Charles Bergmann became the owner, and remained here until 1958 when the old tavern was razed. He built a new place a block from the old landmark.
The land was sold to the Catholic Church for play- ground space for the children of the Immaculate Con- ception school, and for possible building purposes in the future.
In this old landmark was a beautiful, massive fire- place of solid cherry, which was sold to Thomas Kut- terer for a fraction of its real value, Thomas wishing to incorporate it in his home.
The old Juengling Tavern was in the hands of the Juengling family for 85 years, and the subject of our sketch, Fred John Juengling, Sr., has been n resident of Columbia for the same length of time, he being truly a pioneer Columbia resident.
When Charles Juengling died in 1912 it was a custom of the Turners to furnish a band for the funeral corteges of Turner members, and since Mr. Juengling was a Turner le wns escorted to his final resting place in the St. Paul's Evangelical cemetery with pomp and circumstance. Turner members formed a line behind the band with cach Turner member wearing a mourning badge on his lapel. The regular Turner badge had a reverse mourning side. It was a sombre sight to see the corteges wend their way to the cemeteries, playing appropriately solemn dirges. The hearse was drawn by a tenm of coal black horses (Weinel's hearse horses, they were called), driven by Philip Eckert, father of Mrs. Clara Kilian. These beau- titul animals were accoutred with jet black plumes nod- ding decorously above their cars. People wore the deepest of mourning at that time. the mourning period being a
year long. Such were the modes of yesteryear.
The children of Fred John Juengling, Sr., are: Corinne Gildehaus of St. Louis; Fred A. Juengling, Jr., Columbia; llelen Mauer, St. Louis and Carl Juengling, assistant day superintendent of the Faistaff Brewing Co. of St. Louis. The husbands of Corinne nnd Helen both work for a rival brewery, the Anheuser-Busch establishment.
Brothers and sisters of Fred, Sr. are: Gustav, who is 84 years old, William, Mrs. Mamie Mueller, Sister Alma ( Louise Juengling) who for fifty years has been a nun at Gien Addie, Illinois.
Mr. Juengling stays with his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Juengling, Jr.
MRS. FRED HENCKLER
Mrs. Fred Henckler, a member of the Centennial Historical Committee and the Pageant Committee, was born in Columbia, the daughter of Charles J. Schneider and his wife Martha, nec Reis. On the paternal side her grandparents were Charles Schneider, and his wife, Mary, nee Schumacher. Mr. Schneider came from Germany when he was a year old. The family settled in Monroe county in 1852. His wife came from Ohlo. They conducted a furniture and undertaking establishment which later was taken over by Ed Schneider, their son, who conducted it until his death. After the death of Mrs. Schneider, nee Bertha Lotz, a nephew of Mrs. Schneider, Aiols Meyer became the owner and proprielor.
Mr. IJenekler's paternal grandparents were Carl (Charles) and Charlotte Reis, nee Schoepperketter. Mrs. Reis came from St. Louis and Mr. Rels from Germany. Hle was a well-known barber in the early days of Co- lumbia.
Mrs. Henckler's husband, Fred Henckler, was born in Columbia and attended the public school here. Ile has worked for the Missouri-Pacific for 35 years. Ile and his wife are members of St. Paul Church of Christ. He is a member of the Brotherhood, a Turner, an Odd Fellow and a member of the Ancient and Mystic Order of Samaritans.
Mr. Henekler's father was Fred Henckler, his mother, Lizzetta Henckler, nee Lotz. Mr. Henckler was post- master of Columbia. He was a blacksmith by trade. Chartes Henckler and Fred H. Henckler served as sheriffs of Monroe county; Charles in 1850 and F. H. In 1860.
Charles Henckler, Fred's great grandfather, was a native of Germany. Hle was a cabinet maker and then a Justice of the Pence. On the maternal side, Mrs. Henckler's grandparents were Jacob and Barbara Lotz, nee Kolb. On the paternal side his grandparents were Ferdinand and Louisa Henckler, nee Eckert. All were born in Germany.
Charles llenckler in 1853 was admitted to the bar. lle was n special pleader and a partner of Thomas Quick and H. C. Talbott, secretary to Wm. R. Morrison of Waterloo. Ile fought in the Mexican War and was wounded in battle. He died in 1878.
Mrs. Hlenckler's father, Charles Schneider, wns post- master of Columbia, as was her husband's father, Fred Henckler. Mrs. Henckler is a member of St. Paul Church of Christ, the Church Cholr and the Gulld. She is a Re- beknh and a member of the Eastern Stars and White Shrine.
The Fred lencklers have one son, Gene F., who is married to the former Marguerite Ludwig. They have one son. Gene.
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THE GUNDLACH FAMILY
One of the influential men of Columbia in the year 1859 was John Gundlach. He assisted in procuring the Town charter. He was a Trustee of the town the year Columbia was organized and up to 1861. He served as Trustee again from 1863 to 1867. He was chosen Mayor of the Town from 1865 to 1866 and again from 1867 to 1869. He helped to draw up the rules and regulations which were to govern Columbia through the years. The men who served at that time met in the morning, and if they did not finish their work that day met again the next day. This John Gundlach was Mrs. E. H. Gundlach's grandfather and great-grandfather of Monroe Gundlach.
John Gundlach was born in Germany in the Village of Cronberg, near Frankfort on the Main, in the Duchy of Nassau. He was born in 1825, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Gundlach, nee Schauer. His father was a farmer, a cooper, and also a brewer for the town of Cronberg. When John was 18 the family came to America, landing at New York in 1844. They found their way to Belleville where an uncle lived, bought land and began farming. In 1849 John married Anna Ehrhard, a native of the Duchy of Nassau. In 1855 he started a brewery in Belle- ville. In 1856 he came to Columbia and started a brewery here which proved successful. He had two children, Wil- liam and Anna. Anna later became the wife of Maximilian Wagner. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner were Mrs. E. H. Gund- lach's parents.
The Gundlach house built in 1857 which is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Heisler, was the home of John Gundlach and Philip Peter Gundlach, E. H. Gund- Iach's father and John Gundlach's brother. John and his family lived on one side of the beautiful house and Philip Peter and his family lived on the other side. They sold it to Ernst Grosse in 1873 and the Grosse family lived in it for many years.
Mrs. Gundlach vividly remembers this house, bustling with energy, bubbling with laughter, and noisy with the play of children. It was a spacious house, which held two families comfortably.
Later two of these children were married. Edward H. Gundlach married Emilie Wagner, daughter of Maximilian and Anna Wagner, nee Gundlach. They had three chil- dren, one of whom survives, Monroe of this city. Mrs. Gundlach's sister, Mrs. Minna Parmegiani lives in Los Angeles.
E. H. Gundlach acquired the Brewery formerly owned by John and Philip Peter Gundlach, from Mrs. Anna Wagner in 1903 and operated it until the advent of pro- hibition. After repeal E. H. Gundlach and a group of St. I.ouis men started modernizing the building, but construc- tion costs proved prohibitive and work ceased.
Then a group of Belleville men acquired it and re- organized and remodeled it, converting it to a distillery. It is known as the Columbia American Distillery. Herman Lorenz is in charge of the plant which at this time is not in operation.
E. H. Gundlach, the original owner of the Brewery, passed away, and his son Monroe has operated a filling station for many years at a site opposite the old family brewery which has been in the Gundlach family for four generations.
MRS. SYBILLA VAN LUIK
Sybilla Van Luik, nee Freitag, one of our Senior Citizens, 90 and past, reminisces for our readers.
She is as bright as a silver dollar, her mind clear, and she can still do a good day's work.
Her mother belonged to the Menner family. Her father was Ferdinand Freitag. They lived on a Menner farm.
When she was 22 they moved to Columbia to a brick house where the Grossman house is now located.
At the age of 12 she worked as a nursemaid at Joseph Stoll's, friends and neighbors of the family, as were the Wenzel Soukopfs and the Proctors.
At 14 Sybilla worked for the Henry Huchs, then the proprietor of the Star Mill. She talked of their beautiful home with marquetry oak floors and beautiful furnish- ings. They even had a fountain in the front yard, she recalls, which she had to scrub every week as well as tend the rock garden and paint the brick walk with brick paint, made from a bucket of brick dust dissolved in water and applied with a broom. All good Columbia housekeepers followed this procedure. Of course, the usual rain spoiled the effect, but you did it over again for work disturbed no one in the old days.
The Huchs were lavish entertainers, and Mrs. Van Luik recalls the evening parties the Huchs had. Later Adolph Lambrecht, an emigre from Switzerland married Miss Lena Huch. The Lambrechts were the first to have a club house in the country where they entertained often.
Sybilla attended the Sand Bank School where James McKee was the teacher.
She married George Van Luik, a steel molder. They lived in St. Louis for a while, but later moved back to Columbia. They had two children, George of Columbia and Adolph of Chicago. Mrs. Van Luik also raised a daughter of her husband by a previous marriage. She is now Mrs. Lorane Stacy of Kirkwood, Mo. Mrs. Van Luik has one sister, Mrs. Frances Fullhorst of St. Louis.
The Van Luiks came from Holland. They lived near the Turner Park. Another Dutch family were the Joseph Van Guests (pronounced Fan' gest). Mr. Van Guest was the head waiter at Koerner's at St. Louis, a world famous restaurant.
Mrs. Van Luik recalls that on February of 1879 a tornado hit Columbia. It passed through the Evangelical Cemetery, knocking down tombstones, then unroofing the Freitag house and moving a new barn built by the Klotzes, next door to Freitag's, off its base. This is about where the B. D. Middletons live. The Freitags sought refuge in a little summer kitchen in the rear of the house and were safe.
Mrs. Van Luik prizes very highly, a black silk shawl, her mother's wedding shawl. It is heavily embroidered in red flowers, and is as good as the day it was purchased 120 years ago.
She remembers when you could pick dewberries by the tubful close to Columbia.
But her most vivid recollection is of "Bilder" Joe Wise, a saintly man who sold seeds, herbs, rosaries and holy pictures at his log cabin situated on what is now Catholic Church property. Vividly she remembers the pungent scent of the 'Hamburger Brust Tea" he sold as a sure specific for colds. She also remembers a little candy and school supply house run by a Mr. and Mrs. Stark, in a little shop and home where Ferdinand Rohm now lives. It was a two-room brick house. You went down one step to the brick floored kitchen. Mr. Clark was a snuff sniffer, and this so fascinated Mrs. Van Luik that she went there often for penny candies.
Although Mrs. Van Luik recently celebrated her 90th birthday with an open house, she is hale and hearty, still a pretty little woman who wears her clothes well. She is so active that her son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. George Van Luik with whom she lives, have to be a bit stern when she elects to wash windows or do some other dangerous household chore. She is a dear little lady. May she live to reach the century mark.
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CARL A. REIS
Carl A. Reis, a member of the Historical Committee of the Centennial Association, was born in Columbia. He was the son of Louis and Anna Reis. He graduated from the Columbia school and attended business college. His wife is a graduate of the Columbia High School. On the paternal side his grandparents were Carl and Charlotte Reis, nee Schoepperketter, and on the maternal side Joseph and Josephine Schuler, all early settlers of Columbia.
He was married to Miss Hilda Habermehl, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Habermehl, nee Einwich. Mrs. Reis' maternal grandparents were Johann and Dorothea Ein- wich; her paternal grandparents, Joseph and Anna Haber- mehl. The Reis and Habermehl ancestors all came from Germany.
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