Wolterman Genealogy - Week 13

As recorded in the records of Holy Cross Parish in Hegensdorf, Westphalia, Germany, Johannes Conradus Woerdehoff (AKA Conrad) was born 6 December 1810. He was the oldest child of Johannes and Anna Maria (Ruether) Woerdehoff. The Woerdehoffs of Wesphalia were farmers, not landowners. That fact most likely contributed to Conrad’s later decision to emigrate to America, though he was the only one in his family to leave Germany.

St. Birgitta, Weiberg

He married Catharina Margaretha Wübbeke (whose name also may be shown as Wibbeke)) on 18 November 1843 at St. Birgitta in Weiberg, Westphalia. He was 33 and Margaretha, as she was known, was 22.

Their first 5 children were born in Germany: Johann Wilhelm in 1844; Aloysius Louis in 1848; Elizabeth in 1851; Mary in 1853; and Herman Conrad in 1855.

On 13 April 1857, a travel pass from the Royal Prussian government was issued to Conrad, granting permission for him and his family to emigrate to the United States. The pass indicated that Conrad was 5’6” in height with blackish hair and blue eyes, and was only valid for 40 days. The Woerdehoff family of 7 sailed from Bremerhaven aboard the sailing packet Ernestine the latter part of April 1857. There were 309 passengers on board the ship, which arrived in New Orleans on 17 June 1857.

Ernestine sailing vessel

The Ernestine began its life as the U.S. ship Columbus, built in New York in 1834. These boats were called packets because their original purpose was for shipping mail and freight. In 1847, the Columbus was purchased by a Bremen firm, which renamed her the Ernestine.

Ernestine passenger list

While the passenger list showed that the final destination of the Woerdehoffs was St. Louis, the family instead continued traveling up the Mississippi River to Dubuque. Many German immigrants entered the United States through the port of New Orleans and traveled by boat on this same route because they had heard of German settlements in Iowa, with the additional attraction of Catholic churches being built there.

possible photo of Conrad ~1860

Conrad purchased 40 acres of virgin land from the U.S. government in July of 1857. It was located in Section 9 of Bremen Township, Delaware County, Iowa. He built a log home and planted crops, gradually increasing his holdings to 120 acres.

While the family became some of the first members of St. Boniface Church in New Vienna, they joined St. Francis Xavier Parish in Dyersville when that church was completed in 1862. They worshipped at St. Francis until Saints Peter and Paul parish was constructed in Petersburg in 1868.

Margaretha and Conrad had 5 more children who were born on the family farm: Margaretha in 1858; Anton in 1860; Bernadine in 1860 (Anton and Bernadine were twins); Catherine (whom I wrote about in Week 12) in 1862; and Henry in 1866.

Conrad and Margaretha's children 

Conrad died of pneumonia on 1 May 1870 at the age of 60. He is reportedly buried at St. Francis Cemetery in Dyersville, though there is no tombstone for him. Quite probably there was no money to purchase a stone. His widow, with 9 children still at home, managed to keep the farm and even pay off the mortgage. Margaretha died on 7 March 1893 at the age of 72. She is buried in the cemetery at Saints Peter and Paul.

Margaretha Wübbeke Woerdehoff

Wolterman Genealogy - Week 12

In the first 11 weeks of this year I have written about what I know of the Wolterman and Determan families. Next I will cover Frank Conrad Wolterman’s mother and her family.

Catherine Woerdehoff, my husband’s paternal great-grandmother, was born 8 June 1862 in the area that was later to be called Petersburg, Delaware County, Iowa. She was the 9th of 10 children born to Johannes Conradus and Catharina Margaretha (Wübbeke) Determan.

The farm where the family lived was located in Bremen Township. It is always interesting to me to see the German roots of the early settlers reflected in the naming of geographic areas. In 1864, Bremen Township had 95 dwellings with a total population of nearly 550 people. The Woerdehoff land is indicated by the red outline and arrow on the map below.

Conrad Woerdehoff land 1869

As the post office was not established until 7 March 1874, Petersburg did not technically exist when Catherine was born. Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church and school were also completed in 1874, and by 1877 there were 50 pupils and just one teacher! Prior to 1874, the settlers attended religious services at Louvain and then at Dyersville.

Catherine (also called Katie) was just 7 years old when her father died in 1870. Her family continued to live on the farm, however. The 1880 census indicates that she was still residing in Bremen Township, Delaware County. Sometime shortly after that, she left Petersburg to join one of her siblings in western Iowa. Her brother Aloysious and sister Mary both lived in Carroll County Iowa by 1880.

On 6 February 1883 at the age of 20 Catherine married Gerhard (George) Wolterman in Breda, Carroll County, Iowa. Together they raised 13 children on their farm. George and Catherine’s story was covered in Week 2, which can be found here.

Catherine and George Wolterman

Catherine died in Breda of cardiovascular disease on 15 August 1935. She was 73 years old, and was buried alongside George (who had died in 1921) at Saint Bernards Cemetery in Breda.