August Warkentin

The following should not be used as a Genealogical Source Guide but as a suggestion and study guide on the Warkentin (Warkentine) and associated families. Deanna West - researcher - see contact information link at bottom of page.

Megan Bluhm is studying this family and can be reached at megan@megalo-media.com

We are basically concerning ourselves with the Warkentin' ancestors that were once in LaPorte county. We find a Friedrich Warkentin buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Michigan City Indiana. Alongside him is his wife Augusta "Frau Von F. Warkentin". We have some dates and names but are hesitant to name them without the proper documentation. I highly suspect that this Friedrich is the son of August by his first marriage to Carolina Lampka (unproven) as are August, and daughters Louise Caroline born about 1838 and Fredericke (born March of 1833). These are at least some of the children from August' first marriage.

August Warkentin and his second wife, Dorothee Sophie Marie Eichelberg had several children. We know that of these children the following were born: Heinrich Friedrich, Edward Ludwig, Hermine "Minnie", and Henriette Fredericke Sophia Warkentin.

They Came In Ships

In researching this group, I found the following ships and arrival dates for the listed individuals. Please note the spelling of the last name.

Friedr. Warkentin age 37, male, arrived from Marseilles on the Johanna Elise on 9/12/1853 destination US.
Louise Warkensin age 25, female, arrived from Marseilles on the Howard on 9/4/1857 destination MI
Friedericke Warkensin, 19, female, arrived from Marseilles on the Howard on 9/4/1857 destination MI

Auguste Warkentine age 21, female, arrived from Marseilles on the Suwa on 11/25/1857 destination US.(Have not connected her to this family.

H. Warkentin age 20, male, arrived from Marseilles on the Deutschland on 8/11/1864 destination US

August Warkentin, age 74, male, arrived from Hamburg on the Germania on 11/4/1867

Eduard, age 22, male, arrived from Hamburg on the Germania on 11/4/1867

Warkentin, Henriette, 7, child, arrived from Hamburg on the Germania on 11/4/1867

Warkentin, Hermine, age 15, child (female), arrived from Hamburg on the Germania on 11/4/1867

Perhaps noting the Declarations of Intentions (Those that wanted to become and did become USA citizens might help us sort this out.)

Declarations of Intentions (abstracts from) Laporte Co., IN

There is also a ship manifest (Ship is Johanna Elise) date of arrival Sep 12 1853, that matches Friedrich's date of birth.

It shows Friedrich as 37 years of age, a male, occupation, Laborer, Country, Germany. Port of Embarkation: Marseilles and the Captain's name is H. D. Trautman. Mode of travel for young Friedrich is Steerage. I strongly believe that he preceded the others in arriving in the US. However, he states he arrived in October of 1854.

August's second wife died around the time of the last daughter's birth.
August's ship, Germania, arrived in New York from Hamburg, November 4, 1867. August appears to be 74 years of age on the ship's registry. Edward appears as 22, Henriette 7 and Hermine 15. It was not uncommon to not have the dates of Declaration of Intention dates match exactly with the ships arrival dates. See Guide To Immigration located at http://home.att.net/~arnielang/ship08.html    

View the paragraph that states:
"Note, that the content of the Declaration of Intention forms varied from one county to another and from one court to another, resulting in a significant percentage of the first papers created before 1906 containing only some of this information. Also, remember that the information on these documents may not be exact, but this information can be valuable in locating your ancestor on the passenger lists. Probably the stated port of arrival is correct, but if you fail to find your ancestor on the passenger list for the exact date of arrival as stated on the Declaration of Intentions, search the lists for a few months before and after that date."

August Sr. arrived here with Edward, Hermine and Henrietta in 1867 but never appears on the 1870 US census taken in July of 1870 because he dies April 1, 1870. See Greenwood Cemetery Records, Michigan City, Indiana. Also see Greenwood Cemetery for many of these ancestors and their son's and daughter's with their families laid to rest at Greenwood Cemetery in Michigan City, Indiana.

Marriages

St. John's Church of Christ, Michigan City, IN and County WPA Marriage Records

1.Weddings = Church 22 Nov 1856 Friedrich Warkentin & Sophia Schwartz (County WPA shows Warrentine, Frederick )

2. Wedding - Church - 25 Feb 1858 Wilhelm Brinkmann & Louisa Warkentin

3. Wedding - Church - 22 Nov 1860 August Warkentin & Sophia Lembke (County WPA shows Wankton & Sanka?

4. Wedding - Church - 6 Jan 1861 Friedricka Warkentin & August C. Voigt (Correct spelling is Voight)

5. Wedding - Church - 3 Nov 1867 Heinrich Warkentin & Louise Ebert

6. Wedding - Church - 25 Jul 1868 Friedrich Warkentin & Maria Matthias

7. Wedding - Church - 15 Sep 1872 Maria (geb. Matthias) Warkentin & Wilhelm Timm

8. Wedding - Church - 19 Feb 1873 Eduard Warkentin & Ida Lehmke

9. Wedding - Church - 19 May 1877 Henrietta Warkentien & Carl Haury County WPA rec. shows being spelled as Charles Hauray & Hattie Warkintin . They appear on the Cook County census until their deaths.

10. Wedding - Chicago, Cook Co, IL Warkentine, Fredrick m. Reed, Dell J. 20/May 1973 - This individual may not be related to this group.

11. Wedding - Chicago, Cook Co., IL Warkentine, Minnie m. John Steven 12 Jan 1880. Her given name was Hermine.

Census Records

1860 census for LaPorte County shows the following:

August Warkentin Jr, living with another family in Michigan City Indiana, name is misspelled as Warring.

It shows him as being 30 years old and working as a clerk and living with another family in Michigan City Indiana. On November 22, 1860 he marries Sophia Lembke in St. John's Church, Michigan City, Indiana.

Further discussion on the last 4 children of August Sr.:

1. Henry August born August 27, 1842 married Louise Ebert on November 3, 1867 at St. John's Church of Christ, Michigan City, Indiana. They had the following children.

a. Emma Warkentin was born June 1870. She married August C. Heitschmidt born Jan 1864 in Illinois.

They had Leon E. December 1890 and died April 2, 1911 at the age of 20.
They had Ella Mathilde born 6 Aug 1888.
     August died 01/27/1936 27 Jan 1936 and Emma died 3 Oct 1938. Both are buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

b. Dora Warkentin Twin to Caroline (Cora) was born 25 Nov 1871 married Fred Krueger 13 Sep 1893.
He was born 20 Aug 1866 in Pommern - Germany. Both buried Greenwood Cemetery.

c. Caroline (Cora) ( Twin to Dora) was born 25 Nov 1871 unmarried died at 68 years of age on 11/23/1940.

d. Annie Warkentine b. 11 Nov 1873 m. James Walter Davis 16 June 1897 in LaPorte County, IN. She died 18 May 1944 and he 3 Feb 1939 in Brownsville, TX. Burial for both at Greenwood.

e. George Warkentin b. 24 Nov 1876 m. Anna Schaal He died 3 Aug 1939

f. Otto Warkentin b. 10 Mar 1879 and died 25 Aug 1941

g. Hattie b. June 1881 m. Henry Koelln 4 Dec 1902

h. Edward b. May 1884 and Dec 1901

i. Henry F. b. 1890 and died 1965

2. Edward L Warkentin b. Jan 2, 1845 in Germany m. Ida Lehmke<sic> 19 Feb 1873 and had two children, one of which survived to adulthood. Nellie was born October 1878 - further information unknown at this time. See Greenwood for burial on Edward and wife Ida.

3. Hermine (Minnie) Warkentin b. Aug 1852 m. John Steven 12 Jan 1880 in Cook County, Illinois. Lived in Miami County in 1880 . By 1900 moved to Red Willow County, Nebraska in Willow Grove Township and had one son born in Nebraska, 30 March 1891. Ralph was their only child. He served in WW I Branch S.A.T.C. and had enlisted in Denver Colorado. Minnie and John moved to Denver, Denver, Colorado, where they can be found in the 1910 census. John died there in Denver 16 Feb 1911 and body was shipped

back to Michigan City and Greenwood for burial. 1920 Minnie is widowed and with her son. They are living in Los Angeles CA, she is 69 years old. Minnie died at the age of 75 on 24 Dec 1925 and her body was brought back to Greenwood also. Son, Ralph lived in Los Angeles and died 17 Dec 1969.

4. Henriette Warkentin born also in Germany in 5 May 1856 and married Charles Carl Haury 19 May 1877
in LaPorte County, IN per WPA records. They had 8 children which they raised in Cook County, Illinois. Anna Elizabeth, Adeline Louise (Adelheit ref 1900 census), Hugy Alfred, Walter Adolph, Geroge Edward, Emily (Amalie) Henriette, Clarence Daniel and Florence Margarethe.

Henriette died 15 Aug 1936 and is buried in Oakridge Cemetery, Hillside, Cook Co., IL. Charles was born 20 March 1854 in Froschauerhof, Pfalz, Bavaria per Fred Haury ged com file. Charles died 9 Jan 1919 in Chicago and is buried in same cemetery as Henriette.

Sources used for this study and introduction of the Warkentin (Warkentine) families connect to LaPorte County were:

1. 1960 Census reports.

2. Germans to America documentation

3. St. John's Baptism, Marriage and death record collection of Megan Bluhm

4. Collection of Humer White Mortuary files by Megan Bluhm

5. WPA marriage records for LaPorte County.

6. Illinois Marriage records up to and including 1900

7. 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 various census reports pertaining to families listed above and on file with Web master

8. Greenwood Cemetery files.

9. Declarations of Intentions (abstracts from) LaPorte Co., IN collection of Megan Bluhm

10. Obituaries supplied by Megan Bluhm