Fifth Generation

91. Wilhelmine Caroline FRIESKE was born on 15 October 1816 in Posen Province, Preussen (Prussia).^38,84,85,86 (Her name was listed as "Carline Jashkewits" in the Marriage Registration Record of her daughter, "Juliann Wilhelmine," but her given name is believed to have been "Caroline.")

(This is a map of Kreis Kolmar in southern Province Posen, Prussia, where Aschenforth and Jankendorf were located. It is near where the present city of Poznan, Poland is located.) She was christened on 23 October 1816 in Jankendorf, Kreis Kolmar, Posen Province, Preussen (Prussia).³⁸ She died on 18 January 1844 at the age of 27 in Posen Province, Preussen (Prussia).^38,87 Wilhelmine has Ancestral File Number GCDX-53T.⁸⁸

Wilhelmine Caroline FRIESKE and Gottfried "Godfred" JASKIEWICZ (*) were married on 10 September 1837 in Jankendorf, Kreis Kolmar, Posen Province, Preussen (Prussia).^38,87 Caroline had three children and died at a young age in Prussia. Her husband later married her younger sister Christine and they emigrated to America four years after their marriage. Gottfried "Godfred" JASKIEWICZ (*)⁴¹, son of Jacob JASKIEWICZ and Anna Christina DREWS, was born on 6 February 1811 in Jankendorf, Kreis Kolmar, Posen Province, Preussen (Prussia).^{21,24,38,40,85,87,89,90,91,92,93} (This is a picture of the Kewit family plot grave marker.)

His birthdate is listed as 6 February 1811 and his birthplace as Jankendorf in Prussian church records, and as 11 March 1811 in Aschenforth in the FamilySearch.org and MyHeritage.com websites.

His given name was spelled "Gottfried" in the baptism record of his son Herman. Translated into English, Gottfried is "peaceful God."

He was listed as "Gotfried Jaskiewitz" on the passenger manifest for his family's emigration to America in 1855. His surname is spelled as "Yeskewitz" in some family records, as "Jaskewitz" in others, and it was spelled "Jashkevits" in the Marriage Registration Record for his daughter, Wilhelmine. The surname "Jaskiewicz" was fairly common at the time in Prussia, and it still is in present-day Poland, so it is likely to originally have had that spelling.

From "The History of Jankendorf and Ashenforth" by Odiene (Dean) Zellmer, August 2005:

"The Village of Jankendorf, Posen, about 25 miles north of Poznan, Poland, (actually 33) was founded in 1627 by two brothers, Daniel and Christoph Janke, hence the name Jankendorf. (Jankendorf is now named Sokolowo Budzynskie in Chodziez county, Poland.)

It is suspected that our ancestral families from Germany lived in Jankendorf since 1650 and up to the tragic end of January 1945, when the German residents abandoned the village and fled to Germany as the Russian army approached on their drive to connect with Allied Forces in Germany.

The Thirty Years War in Europe raged from 1618 to 1648. Ancestors for some of us probably lived with outbreak of the war in Westphalia in the very center of the war zone. The Polish King made an offer for German residents to settle in an undeveloped area of Poland that was war free. Since Poland was a Roman Catholic country, it was undoubtedly not for religious reasons that our ancestors resettled into the Polish territory since they were predominantly Protestant, but rather one of war and poverty. Communication between the people of Germany somehow functioned in spite of the various dialects and they must have heard about the King's offer. On arrival in their new home they cleared the land, built houses and farm buildings, and started a new life. In a short time, the village of Jankendorf became the richest farming community in the surrounding area.

The residents built their homes around two large ponds in the center of the village, with farm buildings behind the homes forming an enclosed barnyard. Their farmlands were located to the rear of the barns outside the village proper, which was rather customary in Europe. Their homes and ponds provided a community activity center in a closely-knit community of residents, most of whom were related by marriage. This close relationship occurred because of the language barriers as well as the inability to travel any great distances to meet other people. Most of the young people were members of the same church and attended the same school. The Germans employed Polish workers as their farmhands.

The first wood frame Protestant Evangelical church was built in 1745 and burned in 1775, so the documents of baptisms, marriages, and burials were destroyed, making it impossible to establish accurate ancestry prior to that time. Another frame Evangelical church was built in the center of the village. The village cemetery was a walled enclosure next to the church and school. In later years, a second cemetery was located on the perimeter of the village.

The second wood church building was replaced with a new brick building in 1851. Two church buildings were designed for their congregations at the same time--the Protestant one in Jankendorf and a smaller Roman Catholic one in Budzin a few miles away. The same architect designed both but somehow the blueprints were reversed so Budzin received the larger church. In the meantime, the people in Jankendorf purchased bells for their new church tower. However, since they now received the smaller church building, the tower could not hold the bells. A "Bell Cage" was built at ground level near the church and cemetery in the village center as the home for the new bells. The bells were rung whenever there was a church service. Today the bell cage is in a museum near the city of Poznan. The Jankendorf church served the Protestant populations of surrounding communities for more than 200 years.

The existing Jankendorf church records beginning in 1781 are difficult to read since they are written in an old German script that is actually Plattdeutsch, or Low German. The common German spoken there was Plattdeutsch. Secondly, there was no organized method of recording since each pastor kept the records in a ledger which was hand drawn and done as that pastor considered necessary. Some records are paragraphs while others are in columns. The village residents were a closely-knit group so each gave their children the same names as those of friends or relatives. Consequently there are numerous Johann Gottlieb Zellmers, but they are of different parentage. The families were large to provide for surviving heirs, since disease was prevalent and death was common. Some years there were 50 or 60 funerals, as epidemics such as cholera took their toll. Families of 15 children might only have 3 or 4 survivors. 'Christian' names of Johann, Anna, Christian, and Wilhelm were common, and frequently four or five in the same family would have the same first 'Christian' name such as Johann. If one of the earlier born children died, that name was given to another child born later. They usually were addressed by their second or 'call' name, but many times the records show either name used at different times. Consequently, a name such as Johann Daniel Zellmer used Daniel as the 'call' name, not Johann. Adding to this confusion was the German custom to show gender in the last name so there is Koerth (masculine) and Koertin (feminine). Sometimes the pastors wrote the names as they heard them, not as they were spelled.

The burial records show the ages of the deceased. Some of the entries after 1781 show ages in the nineties and one at 100. These people would have been born in the late 1600's. They all lived in Jankendorf at the time of their deaths, but the records do not show their parentage or places of birth.

Aschenforth was a community a few miles east of Jankendorf. Forest land separated it from Jankendorf but farm land was developed along with homes by some residents of Jankendorf who owned some of the wooded acreage. This took place because the homes in Jankendorf became too close as the village population grew and there was an increasing danger of fires. On March 12, 1818, a fire destroyed the buildings of one of the resident families. That same month a village plan was drawn by the Royal Agriculture Master in Postollitz, Posen, showing properties and their owners as well as the community facilities such as the church, school and cemetery. Later plans were drawn in 1875 and 1939 when German residents owned 5,400 acres of land and Polish residents owned 840 acres. Between 1818 and 1939 a major change in ownership took place where residents now lived close to their land away from the village center. Jankendorf was a village with an Evangelical church, large grade school, dairy, guesthouses, and other business establishments. The cemetery was in a walled enclosure near the church and next to the schoolhouse. The residents of Aschenforth attended the Evangelical church and school in Jankendorf.

Limited land was available for the younger generation as the village population grew. Good news arrived in the mid-1840's from the New World when pictures from Wisconsin lured immigrants from Germany, Poland, Norway and Switzerland. The farming regions of Wisconsin portrayed the richly diverse landscapes that the region had to offer. Many young residents of Jankendorf took advantage of this opportunity, relocating to start a new life in the New World. Johann Daniel Zellmer from Jankendorf and his wife Caroline from Aschenforth were two of these young people who came to America in 1854. Johann Daniel in 1862 was one of the original organizers and a trustee of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ridgeville, Wisconsin. Many names of members of St. John such as Utke are familiar names that appear in the records of the Evangelical church in Jankendorf.

On January 21, 1945, near the end of World War II, the Russian Army was nearing Jankendorf on its drive to meet the Western Allies in Berlin and end the war. Prior to this, some German soldiers returning from the Russian front took refuge in the barns of the Germans in Jankendorf. As the Russians drove forward, the Polish farm laborers for the German farmers revealed that the soldiers were in their barns. All of them were shot by the Russians. At that point it was feared that any German remaining would receive like treatment as the Russian armies approached. There was little choice except to abandon the village and flee to the homeland in Germany. After 300 years of German occupancy, Jankendorf now became a Polish occupied village. No one of German heritage lives there. Today the cemeteries of the ancestors have been destroyed, the Evangelical church is now a Roman Catholic church and the homes and farmlands are owned and occupied by Polish residents. The school where many of the ancestors were educated and many of their homes still remain. The Province of Posen no longer exists but is part of the territory of Poland as agreed to in peace treaties. The village of Jankendorf has been renamed Sokolowa Budzynskie."

(Much of this history was provided by two Germany residents whose families lived in Jankendorf up to the time it was abandoned at the end of World War II when their families fled to East Germany. All of their possessions were left behind. Other parts of this history are the result of viewing Microfilms taken of the Jankendorf church records by the Mormon Church and on file in its Genealogy Library in Salt Lake City.)

Prussia was a member state of the German Confederation from 1815 to 1866, and from 1848 until 1849 it was part of the short-lived German Empire. After the Prussian-Austrian War it became the leading member state of the North German Confederation in 1867. It was a leading force in the creation of the German Empire in 1871, of which it became a state.

In 1895 the population of Aschenforth was approximately 200 and the population of Jankendorf was approximately 700. Both villages were located in Budsin Standesamt (civil registration district), Kreis Kolmar, in the Posen Province of the German Empire.

Today, the former Prussia is part of the Federal Republic of Germany, with significant parts of its territory located in Poland and small pieces of territory incorporated into Lithuania, Russia and the Czech Republic. He was christened on 10 February 1811 in Budsin, Kreis Kolmar, Posen Province, Preussen (Prussia).³⁸ He emigrated on 26 June 1855 from Aschenforth, Kreis Kolmar, Posen Province, Preussen (Prussia).^{19,25,91,94,95,96,97} Gottfried Jaskiewicz, his wife and their three oldest children sailed from Bremen on the ship "D Havahgan" (or "D.h. Waetjen" on CastleGarden.org) and arrived in New York City on 26 June 1855. His occupation was listed as "Shoemaker."

The passenger manifest lists the following members of his family (actual spellings): Gotfried Jaskiewitz, age 45; Christine, 34; Louise, 15; Wilhelmine, 12; and August, 2. Listed ahead of them on the manifest was August Frieske, age 17, occupation Farmer; he may have been a brother of Christine. The ship contained 404 passengers and arrived at the harbor in New York City.

The family first located in Lebanon Township in Dodge County, and then moved to Ridgeville Township. Some time after moving there, the family name was changed to Kewit.

In the 1860 Census, he was listed as "Godfrey Cevode;" in 1870, he was listed as "Godfred Kewitt;" and in 1880, he was listed as "Godfred Kewitz." A newspaper article about his wife's death listed their surname as "Kevit."

He and his family were some of the first pioneers that settled in Ridgeville Township, which was named by Captain Welsch in 1853. Between 1856 and 1880 Godfred was a farmer in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.^19,98 Bureau of Land Management records show that Norman Dewey had purchased from the U.S. Government two parcels of public land on June 15, 1855. One was a 55.7-acre piece in W1/2NW of Section 7, Township 16 North, Range 1 West in Wilton, and the second was a 40-acre piece in NESE of Section 12, Township 16 North, Range 2 West in Ridgeville. The pieces adjoined each other across the Ridgeville-Wilton township line, and were just southeast of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ridgeville. Gary Griggs has certified copies of the Patents, which were issued with the signature (stamped) of President Franklin Pierce.

The sections were sold to Gottfried Jaskewitz sometime after he arrived in Ridgeville Township in the late 1850's, and he developed the adjoining sections into farmland. The section in Ridgeville adjoined a 20-acre parcel that was then part of the farm owned by August Pergande, later by Harold and Doris (Pergande) Waege, then by their son, Bill Waege, and then by Bill's son, Jamie.
He appeared in the census in 1860 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.⁶⁶ His name was listed as "Godfrey Cevode" and his household consisted of Gottfried, age 50, "Farmer," born in Prussia; his wife "Christine," age 50, born in Prussia; their son, "A" (August), age 8, born in Prussia; and their daughter, "Rosalthe," age 7, born in Wisconsin.

The reason for the Census enumerator spelling his surname as "Cevode" is not known. "Rosalthe" may have been "Adelia," although their ages were not the same.

His household was next to that of Norman E. Dewey, from whom he had purchased his farmland. He was Lutheran in 1862 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.^77,99,100 The Kewit family was one of the twenty-five organizers of St. John's Lutheran Church in Ridgeville in 1862. He was a charter member and one of the first trustees of the church. He was listed in the Church Register as member number 2 of the first 100 members. (His surname was spelled "Kewitt" in the church records.)

The members met in a log cabin until 1872. A wood frame church was built first and it was then replaced by a brick church in 1900. (Lumbering was a big business in Ridgeville as the land was being cleared for farmland.)

From The History of Monroe County, dated 1912, Page 543ff, re the history of St. John's Lutheran, regarding the first Lutheran presence in the area: "The earliest settlers of this portion of Monroe county, formerly called 'Dividing Ridge,' were Lutheran peasants from Jefferson county (WI). In 1855 Gottlieb Gnewikow, William Albrecht, Ferdinand Vincenz, Carl Fuerbringer and Henry Vieth appeared on the ground. Daniel Zellmer, Gottfried Kewitt, Michael Zielke, Daniel Raedel and Louis Matthes followed during the subsequent year. But it was not until the arrival of Mr. William Waegner in September, 1860, that efforts were made to gather the scattered Lutherans into a congregation."

The remainder of the article gives the history of St. John's and how it founded other congregations in the area. Their pastors came from the Pomerania and Brandenburg areas of Prussia.
Godfred on 20 January 1870 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.⁷⁷ He served as a baptism sponsor with Friedrich Gnewikow (the husband of his daughter Minnie) and Louise Grutsch, geb. Jaskewitz (his daughter), at the baptism of Wilhelm Arthur Frieske, son of Ludwig Frieske and Henriette (Unknown). He appeared in the census in August 1870 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁵ His household consisted of "Godfrey," age 59; "Christiane," 45; August, 17; Adelia, 15; Frederick, 9; and Herman, 6. He lived next to Friedrich August Pergander's family. He appeared in the census in 1875 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁰¹ His household consisted of 3 men and 1 woman. (He was listed as "Gottfrid Kevitts.") Godfred appeared in the census in June 1880 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁹ His household consisted of Godfred "Kewitz," age 70, occupation "Farmer;" his wife, Christina, age 60; and their sons, Frederick, age 18; and Herman, age 16. He signed a will on 20 April 1881 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁰² Will of Gottfried Jaskewitz: In the name of our Lord, Amen.  I Gottfried Jaskewitz of the Town of Wilton, County of Monroe, & State of Wisconsin 71 years of age living of sound mind and sunemtrance (?) hereby declare this my last will and testament as follows:
 
        I.           I give and bequeath to my wife Justine after all my legal debts are paid all my Real estate and Personal Property viz the West half of the North West ¼ quarter of Section (7) Seven Township No. (16) Sixteen North of Range One West and the North East ¼ quarter of the South East ¼ quarter of Section (12) twelve Township (16) Sixteen North of Range (2) West recorded in Volume 15 pages (424) 1864.  Also all Personal Property as horses, cows, sheep, hogs, wagons and so forth.
 
       II.           I give and bequeath to my son or child Herman after my wife Justine have died all my real estate and personal property mentioned in paragraph I One Excepting III.

     III.           I further give and bequeath to my children Wilhelmine after my wife Justine have died to Wilhelmine the sum of One Hundred dollars $100.00 to Louise the sum of Twenty five dollars $25.00 to August the sum of one Hundred dollars $100.00 already paid to Otillie the sum of One Hundred dollars $100.00.
 
And I further declare that my wife Justine shall be the executor of this my last will and testament whereof I have this 20 day of April set my hand and seal in the year of our Lord A.D. 1881.
                                                                                                     Gottfried Jaskewitz
 
Witness
Ludwig Friske                                     Fred Noth
Fred Noth                                                            Justice of the Peace                               He died on 22 April 1881 at the age of 70 in Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.^{19,24,38,42,77,87,103} The date of his death is listed as 22 April 1880 in the St. John's Lutheran Church burial records and on his gravestone marker. The church records lists his date of burial as 24 April 1880. However, he was living (with his age listed as 70) during the 1880 Census, which was conducted June 3rd and 4th, 1880. So, he must have died and was buried in 1881.

The Petition for the distribution of his estate that was filed by his son Herman lists Gottfried's date of death as "on or about the 18th day of April, 1881." It is believed to have been the 22nd because he signed his Will on April 20th. Godfred was buried on 24 April 1881 in Ridgeville Township, Monroe County, WI.^21,24,87 in the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery. He had his estate probated on 21 May 1881 in Sparta, Sparta Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁰⁴ According to the Petition for distribution of Gottfried's estate that was filed by his son Herman, Gottfried's will was filed "on the 21st day of May, 1881." But the newspaper article below and his will were not probated until 1901. Apparently the family waited until after Gottfried's widow died to finalize the estate.

Herman's probate court petition reads as follows: "In the matter of the estate of Gottfried Jaskevtz (sic--wrong spelling throughout), deceased, Your petitioner respectfully shows to the court That he is the youngest son of said Gottfried Jaskevts deceased and residuary legatee by the terms of the last will and testament of said Gottfried Jaskevtz, That said Gottfried Jaskevtz died testate on or about the 18th day of April 1881, That the last will and testament of said Gottfried Jaskevts was duly filed in this court on the 21st day of May, 1881, duly admitted to Probate and proven and established as the last will and testament of said Gottfried Jaskevtz and recorded in Volume 6--on page 559, That order to hear claims and notice to creditors was duly made by the court and published as required by law as recorded in Volume 9 on page 236 on the 5th date of July, A.D. 1881, and that no claims were filed against said ...; That by the terms of the last will and testament of said Gottfried Jaskevtz, Justine Jaskevtz the wife of said Gottfried Jaskevtz was appointed executor of the last will and testament, said Justine Jaskevtz duly qualified as such executor and accepted the trust therein imposed, That by the terms of the said last will and testament the real-estate here-in-after described and all personal property are bequeathed to the wife, Justine, during her life; That to Herman Jaskevtz, your petitioner was bequeathed all the real estate and personal property bequeathed to Justine, after the death of said Justine. To his daughter Willimane was bequeathed the sum of one-hundred-dollars; To his daughter Louise was bequeathed the sum of twenty five dollars; To his son August was bequeathed the sum of twenty five dollars already paid; To his daughter Otillie was bequeathed the sum of $100; That all of the said legatees were to be paid after the death of the wife, Justine, petitioner is known ..... That all of the said legatees have been paid by your petitioner. That the Widow Justine departed this life on or about the 15th day of Feb. A.D. 1900. That during the life of the said Justine Jaskevtz, she had the use, control and possession of the personal property and real estate hereinafter described devised for her use; That the inventory duly filed with the court and described the personal property and fixes the value thereof; That said inventory fully describes and fixes the value of the real estate devised by said Gottfried Jaskevtz; That Willimena married Fred Gnewskow (sic) and is now residing at Wilton, Monroe County, Wisconsin; That Louise married John Grutsch who resided at Tomah, Wisconsin, that Louise died intestate in 1881 without living issue; That Otillie married August Arndt and is now living at Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1013 Plymouth Ave. North; That August Jaskevtz not living in the town of Ridgeville in the County of Monroe and state of Wisconsin; That the real estate devised to your petitioner is situated in the county of Monroe and state of Wisconsin, described as follows, to-wit: The W1/2 of the N.W. 1/4 of Section seven (7) township sixteen (16), Range one (1) west. The N.E. 1/4 of the S.E. 1/4 of Section twelve (12), Township sixteen (16) range two (2) west. That all of said legatees or their legal representatives have accepted and received the legacies devised to them by said Gottfried Jaskevtz; That no final amount of said executor was ever made or filed and that the said estate has never been assigned to the parties entitled thereto; That the petitioner is known and ... Herman Kewit and the name Kewit is the family name and that said estate may be assigned to Herman Kewit; Wherefore you petitioner prays that the personal property and the real estate described herein and the said will, be by the order of the court assigned to Hermin Kewit ... terms of the last will and testament of Gottfried Jaskevtz deceased, and for such other and further order and relief as to the court may be deemed just and equitable. Herman Jaskevtz being duly sworn on oath says that he is the person making the foregoing petition. That he has heard the same read and knows the contents thereof and that the same is true to his own knowledge. (Signed) Herman Jaskewitz. (Dated) 7th of June A.D. 1901."

Newspaper article: "Application for Distribution. State of Wisconsin, in County Court for Monroe County, in Probate. Notice is hereby given that at the December term of the County Court to be held in and for said county at the court house in the city of Sparta in said county on the first Tuesday of December, A. D. 1901, the following matter will be heard and considered:

The application of Herman Jaskewitz for the distribution of the estate of Gottfried Jaskewitz, late of the town of Ridgeville, Monroe County, Wisconsin deceased, according to the terms and provisions of the last will and testament of the said Gottfried Jaskewitz deceased.

It is further ordered that notice of the pending of said application and of the time and place of hearing the same be published at least three successive weeks before the day fixed for such hearing in the Tomah Herald, a newspaper published at the city of Tomah in said county, and that the last paid edition be within ten days from the time of hearing and petition. R. B. McCoy, County Judge. Dated, Sparta, Oct., 1901. First publication Oct. 31."

Will: "County Court, in Probate, Monroe County, Wisconsin. In the matter of the estate of Gottfied Jaskewitz, deceased, Judgement allowing final account and assigning property. The application of Herman Jaskewitz residuary legatee of the estate of Gottfied Jaskewitz, deceased, for the distribution and assignment of said estate to such persons as are by law entitled thereto coming on to be heard at this term, and it appearing that due notice of the time and place of hearing had been given as required by law and by an order of this court made herein on the first day of October A.D. 1901, P.C. Spalding appearing for the petitioner and after hearing all the proofs and evidence, the court finds That Gottfried Jaskewitz died testate and left him surviving, Justine Jaskewitz, his widow; Willimane Genekow, a daughter; August Jaskewitz, a son; Louisa Grutch, a daughter; Otillie Arndt, a daughter; and Herman Jaskewitz, a son.

That Justine, the widow, died on or about the 18th day of April A.D. 1900; That Louisa Grutch died intestate without living issue in 1881; That during the life time of Justine, the widow, she had the use and control of the real estate and personal property devised to her use by the last will and testament of said Jaskewitz, deceased; That by the last will of said Gottfried Jaskewitz duly proven and established in this court

To Willimene Genekow was devised the sum of one hundred dollars;
To Otillie Arndt was devised the sum of one hundred dollars;
To Louisa Grutch was devised the sum of twenty five dollars.

That said Gottfried Jaskewitz died seized of the following described real estate, to-wit;
The west 1/2 of the N.W. 1/4 of Section seven (7), Township sixteen (16) North Range one (1) West. The N.E. 1/4 of the S.E. 1/4 of Section twelve (12), township sixteen (16) North range two West in Monroe County, Wisconsin;

That said legatees to-wit: Wilimene Genekow (sic), Otillie Arndt, Louisa Grutch and August Jaskewitz have received and accepted the legacies left to them by the said Gottfried Jaskewitz, deceased;

That the personal property returned by general inventory into this court, amounts to the sum of four hundred and seventy-eight dollars and that the same be and is hereby assigned to Herman Jaskewitz.

It is further ordered and adjudged that the real estate aforesaid be and the same is hereby assigned to Herman Jaskewitz, residuary legatee by the terms of the last will and testament of Gottfried Jaskewitz, deceased.

Dated Sparta, Wisconsin, December 3rd, A.D. 1901. By the court, R. B. McCleary, County Judge."

He has Ancestral File Number GCDX-GFS.⁸⁸ Origin of Jaskiewicz: "Polish (Jaśkiewicz): patronymic from Jasiek, a pet form of Jan."

Wilhelmine Caroline FRIESKE and Gottfried "Godfred" JASKIEWICZ (*) had the following children: