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.

Family History for the Descendants of Henry Landau and Katherine Koehler

Henry William Landau was born on March 8, 1870, in Lee County, Illinois, to Wilhelm Landau and Margaretha (Martha) Elizabeth Moeller.*

Katherine Koehler* was born on March 20, 1877, in what is now Germany, to Fred A. Koehler, Sr. and (I'm assuming his wife at the time of arrival in America), Anna Margaretha Suessmann*.  I don't have any documentation yet about Katherine's mother.

Henry and Katie were married  on July 11, 1894, in Lee Center, Lee County, Illinois.


* Please Note:  Keep an open mind in regard to spelling.  On some documents Koehler is spelled Kahler, Moeller could be Mo[umlaut]ller, and Suessmann: Su[umlaut]ssmann, etc.

I will use Koehler as the standard as that is what appears to be the name the clerk used on Fred, Sr's naturalization papers.

DOCUMENTS:

• Marriage certificate. signed by Rev. J. P. Dickerman, Amboy, IL.  Witnessed by Etta Kahler and W. A. Blaine.
• Fred A. Koehler (Kahler)'s naturalization document & arrival (ship's) record.  More on these later.

DOCUMENTS NEEDED:

• Death certificates for both of them.