Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Full Circle 163

This Full Circle began when I reached out on Find A Grave to Mary a relative.

Will H Fergus Falls ant Number 2970

Photo Number 2970  Will and Ricka Hensch

Mary shared some info:

Hi Connie,

What a great idea for a blog! Thanks for getting in touch with me.

I see that this was found in Fergus Falls. Interesting. My maiden name is Hensch and William (Henry) Hensch and his wife Fredericka Katherine Ziemann (who would be my great uncle and great aunt) resided in Blue Earth county where my great grandfather, William Friedrich Hensch is buried. I have no photos of those Hensch’s, so if this is he, that is a great find!

So there is more to this mystery. It is very interesting that the picture came from Fergus Falls when it was taken in Lake Crystal, where their family lived. There was another Hensch family outside of Fergus Falls and my father always told me they were a distant relation, but I was never able to find out how they were related to us. My dad was born in 1907 and lived in Sanborn MN.

I have attached a copy of William and Fredericka’s marriage certificate, and yes, it was in 1902. Was their name written on the back of the photo? And is there any way I could get that original?

I’ll keep my eye on your blog and please let me know if you turn up any other Hensch’s.

Mary

!cid_DF7EBCB1-75B5-4A78-8BAE-7107884A4263@hsd1_mn_comcast

I wrote back:

Hi Mary yes the photo is marked Will Hensch on the back.  I am most happy to mail you the photo!  Please email me your address.  I will get it ready to mail.  I usually go to the Post Office on Mondays so I will mail it then.   Since they were married in 1902, the photographer was in  Lake Crystal and Amboy in 1902...I am almost certain this must be them. I see they ended up in Kansas??

Any info you have about them would be appreciated...something I could share with my readers in a Full Circle post would be wonderful!  Connie

I would be happy to reimburse you for any cost of acquiring and sending this photo! Also, just curious, did you find this photo at a particular antique store in Fergus yourself or did someone give it to you? Again, I would be interested in knowing how this photo got to Fergus. And could you share with me what the name of that antique store is? I grew up in Fergus Falls and there was another Hensch family west of Fergus that my dad always told me were distant relations, but I was never able to solve how they fit into “our” Hensch family. Thanks so much.

I have reached out to a distant cousin, who is the grandson of William Hensch to see what information he might have, but in the meantime, here are a few details that I have about that family to share with your readers:

William Henry Hensch was born 9 Apr 1871 in Niederlandin, Brandenburg, Germany. When he was 14 years old (1885), he came to the United States with his entire family (parents William and Louisa Hensch, and siblings Augusta, Charles (my grandfather), Herman, Louisa, and Minnie) on the ship “Weser." They settled initially in Washington County, MN, and later moved to southern Minnesota to Blue Earth County. William married Fredericka Katherine Ziemann in 1902 and they moved to Kansas. He worked for the railroad and was also a carpenter. They had four sons, Arthur, Edward, Reinhard, and Willie, who died as an infant. William and Fredericka (nickname “Ricka”) spent most of their years in Wichita, KS. William died in 1947 and Fredericka in 1951. They are buried in the Wichita Park Cemetery (findagrave memorials 43284157 and 43284158.)

Blessings,

Mary 

I wrote back that I purchased the photo in an antique shop in Fergus Falls Minnesota, either the shop downtown or the one out on the Interstate!

I got a nice card in the mail from Mary, I am always happy to return photos to family.

Thanks for stopping by.

4 comments:

  1. How exciting to bring another old photo Full Circle. I always find these so interesting.

    Since my grandmother’s family lived in Fergus Falls in 1880s and 1890s, I always watch to see if you come across a photo of the Turk family. But in the meantime, It’s just fun to see the old photos.

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  2. Very cool story! I hope she figures out how she is related to the other Hensch family some day.

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  3. Wow...almost a year without a Full Circle and then boom! Two in a row! Hope that means there will be more to come. Always love to hear a photo made its way back home.

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Hi, Thanks for the comments, your input on these old photos is appreciated! English only please! All comments will be moderated! Connie