The 1930s and ‘40s

Articles from Waterloo and Fredericksburg newspapers during the 1930s & '40s reported on various visits of Landau family (including a July 1931 visit by cousins from Dixon, IL), card parties, birthdays, bridal showers, and weddings. 

Besides those happy times, the family gathered for several sad occasions.  On July 23, 1938, Vera’s eldest son, Glenn, jr., died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.  He was 19 years old.

There was a scare when Jerome’s 18 year old son, Carl, was struck by a speeding car on June 15, 1941.  The Courier reported the next day that he was “dying of injuries.”  However, Carl survived crushed ribs, leg and arm.  Several articles over the next six months reported on his recovery. 

And then tragedy struck again on December 31, 1943, when Everett’s six year old daughter, Ruth, died when struck by a truck in front of their home on Washington St., Waterloo.

DOCUMENTS:

• Waterloo and Fredericksburg newspaper articles.  Contact me for specifics.

1930 Census

In the 1930 census Katherine (Koehler Landau) and Charles Champlin are found on Oaklawn Street in Waterloo, along with her youngest two children, Frank and Mata.

Henry Landau was still living and working in Cedar Rapids.

All of the older Landau children were married and starting their own families. 

• Vera and Glen Ladwig & 3 children - in Fredericksburg Twp., Chickasaw Co., IA
• Jerome and Emily & 3 children - Dike, Grundy Co., IA

The following had homes in Waterloo:

• Everett and Helen & their oldest 2 daughters
• Clarence and Erna & daughter Gloria
• Wilbert and Garnet & daughter Beverly
• John and Luverna
• Carl and Marion

DOCUMENTS:

• 1930 Federal Census for the following Iowa counties:  Black Hawk, Chickasaw, Grundy, and Linn

1925 Census, a Marriage, and a Sale

In the 1925 Iowa State Census Henry W. LANDAU was living on South 7^th Street (SE? or SW?) in Cedar Rapids, IA, as a Roomer in the household of Edward Stoddard.

Katherine LANDAU was living on Franklin Street in Waterloo, along with children:  Wilbert, John, Carl, Frank, and Mata.  Also in the household were Clarence and his wife Erna.

On July 23, 1925, Katherine (Katie) married Charles W. CHAMPLIN.  (He died in 1935.)

The following blurb about a Sherriff’s Sale was in the November 6, 1925, Waterloo Evening Reporter:

DOCUMENTS:

• 1925 Iowa State Census - Black Hawk County
• 1925 Iowa State Census - Linn County
• Katherine’s obituary listed marriage dates to both Henry Landau & Charles Champlin
• Sherriff's Sale Notice - Waterloo Evening Courier, Nov. 6, 1925

The Divorce

On Wednesday, February 6, 1924, Katherine (Katie) filed for divorce from Henry.

DOCUMENT:

• Feb 7, 1924, notice in The Evening Courier and Reporter, Waterloo, IA, page 4, column 6.

DOCUMENT NEEDED:

• Divorce decree, etc. from Black Hawk County, Iowa.  NOTE:  I checked, but was told that the records were among those lost in the 2008 Cedar River flood.

1920 Farming near Fredericksburg

The Henry & Katherina (Katie) LANDAU family was living near Fredericksburg, Chickasaw County, Iowa, during the 1920 census.  The enumeration was on Jan 13, 1920.

Fredericksburg Twp., family #33

Henry W. - owns property - 49 - married - b. in IL; parents b. in Ger. - stock farmer

Katherina - 41 - married - b. in Ger.; parents b. in Ger.

Clarence - 18 - b. IA

Wilbert A. - 14 - b. IA

John W. - 12 - b. IA

Carl O. - 10 - b. IA

Frank S. - 8 - b. IA

Mata I. - 5 - b. IA

Fredericksburg Twp., family # 26

Ladwig, Glen A. - 28

Vera - 23

Glen A. - 1 month

I have not found Everett in the 1920 census…even after trying numerous spelling variations and including all states. 

However, in 1920, Jerome LANDAN, 22 years old, was a hired hand on the farm of Miles Arnold which was located in Grant Twp., Grundy County, IA.

DOCUMENTS:

• 1920 Federal Census - Grant Twp., Grundy County, Iowa
• 1920 Federal Census - Fredericksburg Twp., Chickasaw County, Iowa

How’s that spelled again?

In the “olden days” the census was taken by enumerators who went door to door.  Questions were asked about individuals in the household.  Unfortunately none of the census records over the decades have indicated who it was that supplied the answers. Some errors occurred when the person giving the answers guessed. 

Another problem with handwritten records is that while some enumerators had lovely handwriting, many had worse penmanship than mine. So when the census records are transcribed into books or online databases, it can be difficult to decipher the data.

For example, if we search in ancestry dot com in the 1915 Iowa State Census, the only LANDAUs found are living in Floyd County.  {More on them in another post.}  However, Henry, Katie and their nine children were enumerated in R 3, Waterloo, Black Hawk County, but the indexer(s) at ancestry dot com transcribed the handwritten records as:

W. H. Landaw - 44 - Farmer - earnings in 1914: $1500 - born in IL - Lutheran - parents both born in Germany

Cristana Landen - 37 - born in Germany - Lutheran - parents both born in Germany

Vera E. Landaw - 18 - b. in IL - 10 years of common school, two years of college

Jerome V. Landaw - 17 - b. in IL - 10 years of common school - earnings in 1914: $250

Everett F. Landen - 15 - b. in IA - 10 years of common school

Clarence A. Landan - 13 - b. in IA - 7 years of common school

Willart A. Landan - 10 - b. in IA - 4 years of common school

John H. Lindem - 8 = b. in IA - cannot decipher # of years in school

Carl O. Landan - 6 -  b. in IA - 1 year of common school

Frank S. Landen - 4 - b. in IA

Mata T. Landaw - 3 months - b. in IA

Also - I’m quite sure the Katie A. Landan - 45 - b. in IL - a nurse - living in Iowa 11 years, is Henry’s sister as mentioned in the previous post.  She was living at 718 Franklin St., Waterloo.  Same address as in 1910.

Many thanks to my sister LuDene for finding the family in the 1915 Iowa State census!

DOCUMENTS:

• 1915 Iowa State Census cards

1910 in Bennington Township - and Henry's sister?

By the time of the 1910 Federal Census, the Landau family had moved to the other side of Waterloo to Bennington Twp.

Henry W.  - 40 - a farmer - can read & write
Katherine - 33 - year of immigration: 1890; can read and write
Vera E. -  14 - attending school
Jerome V. - 12 - attending school
Everett F. - 10 - attending school
Clarence A. - 8 - attending school
Wilbert A. - 5
John W. - 4
Carl O. -  1

While searching the 1910 census, I found what  appears to be Henry's sister:

Landau, Katie - 43, a private nurse - b. in Illinois, parents b. in Germany, in the household of 89 year old Hiram Champlin.

Henry had a sister Katie, same age, who never married, also born in Illinois, and then there's the Champlin connection.  Although I don't have proof, I think it is strong circumstantial evidence that nurse Katie was indeed Henry's sister.

DOCUMENTS:

• 1910 Federal Census - Bennington Twp., Black Hawk County, IA
• 1910 Federal Census - East Waterloo, Black Hawk County, IA

1905 in Eagle Township

In the 1905 Iowa State Census, the family lived in Eagle Twp., Black Hawk County.  This census only lists the names and post office address (which was Waterloo.)

H. W. Landau
Katy Landau
Vera Landau
Jerome Landau
Everett Landau
Clarence Landau
Wilbert Landau

I have not checked to see if Henry owned a farm in Eagle Township.  My guess is that since they moved frequently in the early years of their marriage, he rented.

DOCUMENT:

• Iowa State Census - 1905 Eagle Twp., Black Hawk County

Who was Christopher Spellman?

Henry & Katherine (Koehler) Landau's eldest two children (Vera and Jerome) were born in Lee County, Illinois.  Their third child, Everett, was born in Decatur County, Iowa, in 1899.

They are found in the 1900 census in Garden Grove Township, Decatur County, Iowa.

Also in the household is a 12 year old Christopher Spellman - with the notation in the Relationship column:  "Expect to adopt."   Not much information is given for Christopher - born 1888 (month & date unknown), he was born in New York, but no information about his parents.  He was attending school.

By 1905, the Landaus had moved to Eagle Township, Black Hawk County, Iowa, but Christopher was not in the household.   Did he die?  Run away?  Was he adopted by another family? He was 17 by then, maybe he moved west.

Just curious about what happened to this (I assume) Orphan Train boy.

DOCUMENTS:

• Federal Census - 1900 Decatur County, IA 
• Iowa State Census - 1905 Black Hawk County

DOCUMENTS NEEDED:

• Anything about Christopher Spellman after 1905.  However, I am not pursuing this. 

Henry and Katherine's Children

The following children were born to Henry & Katherine Landau:

1. Vera Esther - b. Jan. 22, 1896, in Amboy, Lee County, Illinois; d. Mar. 22, 1994, in Fredericksburg, Chickasaw County, Iowa.  Buried:  Rose Hill Cemetery, Fredericksburg.  Vera married Glen A. Ladwig, and had three children:  Glenn, Jr., Robert, and Florence.

2. Jerome Vernon - b. July 5, 1897, in Amboy, Lee County, Illinois; d. Mar. 4, 1975, in Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County, Iowa.  Buried:  Greenwood Cemetery, Cedar Falls.  Jerome married Emily Posekany, and had three children:  Carl, Irene, and Leroy.

3. Everett Floyd - b. May 21, 1899, in Decatur County, Iowa; d. Nov. 16, 1964, in - Black Hawk County, Iowa.  Everett married Helen Norton, and had six children:  Evelyn, Florence, Ray, Donald, Shirley, and Ruth.

4. Clarence Arthur - b. May 28, 1901, in Decatur County, Iowa; d. Jun 26, 1956, in Long Beach, California.  Clarence (Cal) married Erna Kelling, and had two children:  Gloria and Arthur.

5. Wilbert Andrew - b. August 12, 1904, in Eagle Twp., Black Hawk County, Iowa; d. Nov. 25, 1980, in Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County, Iowa.  Buried: Garden of Memories, Waterloo.  Wilbert (Bill) married Garnet Dill, and had one child: Beverly.

6. John William - b. Mar. 25, 1906, in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa; d. Feb. 25, 1964, in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa.  Buried:  Elmwood Cemetery, Waterloo.  John (Jack) married Luverna Nelson, and had one child:  Gene Elwyn.

7. Carl Osro- b. Jun 15, 1908, in --- Iowa; d. Jul 8, 1986, in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa.  Buried:  Garden of Memories, Waterloo.  Carl (Doc) married Marion Miller, and had two children:  Kathleen Mae and Robert C.

8. Frank Stuart - b. Jun. 5, 1910, in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa; d. Dec. 21, 1958, in Waterloo.  Buried: Greenwood Cemetery, Cedar Falls.  Frank married 1) Ruth Morganson... divorced; and 2) Lorna Coburn.  No children.

9. Mata Irene - b. Oct. 25, 1914, in --- Iowa; d. Mar. 29, 2008, in New Hampton, Chickasaw County, Iowa.  Buried: Rose Hill Cemetery, Fredericksburg.  Mata married Everett Steege, and had four children:  Max, Evan, Joann, and Mary Ann.

DOCUMENTS:

• Census records from Iowa:  1900, 1905, 1910. 1915. 1920, 1925, 1930 (and for my grandparents & mother in 1940.)
• Death certificate for Wilbert
• Obituaries, funeral cards, information from relatives for the rest.