The Althaus Influence

Time for the Althaus Family

The matriarch of the Fritz Wanzenried branch of the family tree was Lina Althuas (1893-1981).

If there was a picture in an encyclopedia next to the expression “They broke the mold after she was born,” Lina’s picture would be it.

She and Fritz were married for fifty years before he died in 1964. She cared for her older daughter, Mathilde, an epileptic prone to grand mal seizures, until well into her 70’s when she was physically unable to continue.

Throughout her life, she made an indelible mark on everyone she touched.

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Lina was born in Basel, Biersfelden, Switzerland on October 6, 1893 to Gottfried Luduig (1850-1937) and Maria Rosina (nee Schmutz) Althaus (1863-1919).

Her father was married twice. He and his first wife, Marie Riedesel (1848- ), had ten children:

1.   Maria (1873- ). Married Frank Leutwyler (1871- )

2.   Georg (1875-1875)

3.   Louise (1876- )

4.   Georg Christian (1878-1879)

5.   Wilhemine (1880-1880)

6.   Georg Luduig (1881- ) married Wilhemine bald (1884- )

7.   Carl (1884-1906)

8.   George Heinrich (1887- )

9.   Christian (1888- )

10.   Gottfried (1890-1977). Did not marry.

There are no records regarding Marie’s death, but it is probable that, given the number of children she birthed in such a short period of time (10 in 17 years) and the number of her children who died at such a young age, she must have died shortly after giving birth to her final child in 1890.

Lina’s father remarried and with his second wife, Maria, had three more children:

1.   Lina (1893-1881)

2.   Hans (1903-1998). Married Ella Kristocrat (1908-2008).

3.   Rosalie (1905-1992). Married Hans Burkard (1898-1980) and had two children: Frank (1928- ) and Martha (1933- ).

Gottfried’s Nickname

The only person who called Gottfried by his given name was his sister, Lina. The name we grew up knowing him by was “Gotty,” although it was never reduced to writing. It’s spelling, therefore, is uncertain. Let’s stick with Gotty Generally, the only time his first name was used at all was in arguments over money. No, not disagreements over how much one owed the other. It was always over how much the other person did not owe. The family transformed turning down money from one another into an art form.

At least four of Gottfried Althaus’ children emigrated to the US:  Gottfried and his half-brother Hans in 1920, Lina in 1914, and Rosalia in 1927. There were very strong bonds between the first three. For a variety of reasons, Rosalia, who lived in Pasadena, was largely an outcast.

When Fritz and Lina Wanzenried returned to Los Angeles after marrying in 1914, the lived in and around El Monte for several years. Fred and Mathilde were both born in Los Angles; their younger sister, Rosemary, was not. 

 At the time the US Census was taken in 1920, the same year Gotty and Hans arrived in the US, they had moved to Yucaipa, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Fritz’s occupation was listed in that Census as fruit farm manager.

Gotty and Hans settled in Yucaipa after arriving, and most probably lived with the Wanzenrieds. The two would live together for quite some time. Both the 1930 and 1940 US Census shows them living in Yucaipa. By 1930, Fritz had moved his family to Riverside where he was a dairy farmer. 

The Santa Ana River, which runs through Riverside, was prone to overflow its banks flooded. A severe flood in March 1938 submerged the area, including Fritz and Lina’s dairy farm located at 10008 Magnolia Avenue. They lost everything.

Prior to the damaging flood, the family had planned to relocate. There had been flooding before. In the 1940 US Census, the Wanzenried family resides in the Beaumont enumeration district just east of Calimesa, California living in a new home their son, our Father, built for them. Not surprisingly, the home was built on a hill to safeguard against the possibility of flooding in the future.

The white-stucco, red-tile roof home is still standing.

(Look of a red dot in the middle of an open area to the east (right) of Calimesa Boulevard. You may have to magnify the screen.)

In 1953, Hans married Ella Kristocrat (1908-2008).

Next: Memories of US city boy living like a European

About Our Cousins

Numerically, there really isn’t much to the Fred Wanzenried branch of the Wanzenried family tree.

That is simply an observation, not a criticism.

After all, it's quality over quantity, right?

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Fred (1915-1996) was an only Son in a family of five. He married Margaret Ellerton (1917-1967), who was the only child to live to adulthood, in 1942.

They had five children, four of whom lived to adulthood.

Steven (1942-1942) died at childbirth.

Richard (1943-2005) had no children.

Nancy (1945- ) married Jerry Randolph (1944- ) in 1968 and they populated the branch nicely with four Sons:

1.   Greg (1972- ), who married Cameron King (1970- ) and has two daughters: Luma (1999- ) and Lola (2002- );

2.   Eric (1975- );

3.   Jonathan (1981- ), who married Brandy Kennedy (1981- ) and has three sons (Gavin (2007- ), Jace (2010- ) and Cody (2004- ) and one daughter (Evelyn (2014- ); and

4.   Matthew (1983- ).

Dave married Linda Pospisil (1949- ) in 1971 and had three sons, two of whom lived to adulthood: 

1.   Jeremy (1975-1975) died shortly after birth;

2.   Nicholas (1976- ) married Tiffany Tsumpis (1979- ); and

3.   Michael (1979- ) who married Lucy Harris (1977- ).

Kendra married Stan Shaff (1950- ) in 1972 and has two children: 

1.   Scott (1976- ) married Rosalia Murillo-Iniesta (1976- ) and has one daughter; and

2.   Kristin (1980- ), who thoroughly enjoys the company of Bryce.

For now, that’s it.

The Wanzenried namesake resides with Nicholas and Michael.

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The Fritz Wanzenried branch of the family tree includes a relatively small number in addition to the Fred Wanzenried branch.

Fritz (1884-1964) and Lina Althaus (1893-1981) had two daughters.

1.   Mathilde (1918-1995), who did not marry; and

2.   Rosemary (1920-2010) married Eugene Anderegg (1920-2011) and they had two sons: (1) James (1948- ) who married Sandra Mitchell (1947- ) and had two sons: Michael (1974- ) and Robert (1977- ), who married Shelly Jensen and has two sons; and (2) Fred (1950- ).

So, how about the Anderegg branch?

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Eugene was an only son of Ernest (1891-1974) and Mabel (nee Neale) Anderegg (1901-1955). He was born in Merced, California.

Ernest Anderegg was the oldest six children born to Joseph Andergg (1857-1940) and Babette (nee Schock) Anderegg (1868-1962), both Swiss immigrants:

1.   Ernest (1891-1974). Born in New York City and died in San Bernardino, California.

2.   Paul (1894-1942). No record of marriage. Born in Pennsylvania and died in Merced.

3.   Rose Anna (1895-1997) married Frank Ellsworth (1895-1965) and had no children. Rose was born in Pennsylvania and died in Merced; Frank was born in Kansas and died in Merced.

4.   John (1901-1994) married Marie Tillery (1912-1973) and had three children: John (1936- ); Shirley (1936-1996); and James (1939- ). John was born in Pennsylvania and died in Merced; Marie was born in Alabama and died in Merced. All of their children settled and remained in the Merced area.

5.   Joseph (1904-1982) married Anna Bosch 1907-1987) and had three sons: Raymond (1934- ); Ernest (1936- ); and Walter (1937- ). Joseph was born in New Jersey and died in Los Gatos, California; Anna was born in Switzerland and died in Merced. All of their children appear to have settled and remained in California.

6.   Eugene (1910-2004) married Albina Oletta (1920-2005). No record of children. Eugene was born in New Jersey and died in Merced; Albina was born and died in Merced.

The Anderegg family appears in records in California for the first time in Riverside in 1917, meaning the family moved after Eugene was born in 1910 and before 1917. When Ernest registered for the draft of World War I in 1918, he resided in Riverside, California. He served in the US Army from 1918 to 1919.

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It appears as though, the Anderegg family was in the midst of a move to central California when Ernest was discharged from the service in 1919. There are no records about his marriage to Mabel, who was a southern California native. Our uncle Eugene (Gene) was born in July 1920 in Merced, meaning that Ernest may have returned from the service, married Mabel (probably in Riverside) and moved to central California where Gene was born.

In the 1940 US Census, Ernest and his family resided in Highgrove, which is in southern California, with Mabel’s parents, Harry (1858-1946) and Susie (nee ____) Neale (1875- ). Harry and Susie married in 1892, had a son, Harry (1893- ) and emigrated to the US from England in 1899.

The Census forms indicates the Ernest, Mabel and Eugene lived in Merced in 1935, meaning they relocated to southern California between 1935 and 1940. Their residence in 1940 was on Mount Vernon Avenue, about 7 miles from the hillside location we so commonly associate with the Anderegg family.

Gene served in the US Army and following his discharge married Rosemary Wanzenried on August 19, 1946 in Santa Ana, California.

All of this means we have the two cousins we grew up with, Jimmy and Freddy, but also a number of once- and twice-removed cousins residing in the central valley of California.

Time for a family reunion!

The Migration of Two Families: Tabb and Ellerton

When Kenneth Met Louise

As a beginning point, I have arbitrarily selected two members of two families that would eventually merge when Louise Tabb and Kenneth Ellerton married.

The two, Edward Tabb and William Joseph Ellerton, were contemporaries in an area now known as West Virginia.

They came from and produced large families. Unintended pregnancies were the norm, as family planning had not yet evolved. And, because of the high infant mortality rate and the high incidence of women dying during shildbirth, many couples intentionally had large families in hopes that enough offspring would survive to help with the work on family farms and to care for family members, including elders who were part of an extended family.

For the period of time in question, some members of these families moved westward and settled in Kansas and Texas.

Introduction to the Tabbs and Ellertons: Virginia Origins

Edward Tabb (1780-1834) was born in Berkeley County, Virginia Colony.*(Please see endnote about Virginia and West Virginia.)

For the purposes of this post, our lineage in the Tabb branch traces from Edward through William Kemp Tabb (1819-1881), William Drew Tabb (1845-1920) and Louise Baker Tabb (1883-1937).

In 1805, Edward married Elithy Turner (1787- ), also a Berkeley County native. They were married in Berkeley County, which is in the eastern region of the state.

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The other half of this narrative, William J(oseph) Ellerton (1773-1859) was born in Virginia Colony.

In my work, our lineage traces from William through Samuel Ellerton (1808-1884), John Hite [Hight] Ellerton (1840-1907) and Kenneth Ellerton (1879-1951).

In 1796, William married Sara H Phillips (1780-1869), who was born in Virginia Colony, as well. They were married in Harrison County, West Virginia, in the north-central region of the state.

During this particular era, families still tended not move very far. That changed in the late 18^th Century as the Ohio Territory and the interior opened, largely as the result of the passage of the Northwest Ordinance by the Confederation Congress in 1787. Although their birth records are not specific, it is very, therefore, likely that both William and Sarah were born in/ near Harrison County, West Virginia.

The unions of Edward/ Elithy and William/ Sarah occurred nine years apart in what is now West Virginia, in locations just under two hundred miles apart.

Tabbs: Kentucky and Illinois

John and Elithy remained in Virginia until the late 1820’s or early 1830’s. Their first five or six children (there is a question about the number) were born in Virginia between 1807 and 1823. Their oldest child, Ruth (1807-1853), married Ambrose James Wheeler in 1828 in Caldwell County, Kentucky. And, Ruth and James’ last child, John Leland Tabb, was born in Hardin County, Kentucky in 1832, indicating the family lived in the Bluegrass State at the time of his birth.

The records for the Edward Tabb family are spotty. Suffice it to say, most family members married and remained in Kentucky for most of their lives. Two of his Daughters married men named Wheeler, who are distantly related, and had large families, most of whom also settled in the area.

John and Elithy 's fourth oldest child, William Kemp Tabb (1819-1881), married Lucinda Cornwell [Cornwall] (1819-1870), a Kentucky native, in Todd County, Kentucky.

Questions about the Tabb Lineage

Full disclosure requires a short discussion about the connection between William Kemp and his father, Edward Tabb. An authoritative website called The Tabb Family in the United States (TTF) does not recognize William Kemp as Edward Tabb’s Son. In its work, TTF indicates that Edward and Elithy had a Son named William, only its research suggests William’s middle initial was “A,” and not “K” or “Kemp.” However, TTF has been unable to locate any additional information about this individual. While I am nearly certain TTF’s William A is actually William Kemp and have been able to identify scores of records about William Kemp Tabb, I have not been able to find any documents linking him to his presumed Father, Edward Tabb. If and when I do, TTF will change its records to reflect our Tabb branch of The Tabb family in the United States. Here is an excerpt of an e-mail from George Tabb, the director of TTF: Several Tabbs from Berkeley County, Virginia moved to Kentucky during this time period.  My opinion (based on the census info I have seen along with the information you provided) is that William A. and William K. are one and the same person.  Since I have little info on William A. and the census records support William K, I suspect that William K. is his correct name.  If that is the case, you have discovered a whole new line of the Tabb family.  Let me know what records indicate that William K. is the son of Edward.  Many thanks! In its absence, I am confident that I have traced the Tabb family back to Robert Tabb, circa 1515.

They had nine children, the first eight of whom were born in Kentucky between 1841 and 1856. The youngest child, Elihu Henry Tabb (1858- ), was born in Washington County, Illinois, which is in the St. Louis area. The eighth of the nine children, Elihu’s older brother who lived about eighteen months, died in Crittenden, Kentucky in 1857, suggesting the family moved to Illinois moved to Illinois in 1857 or 1858.

William and Lucinda’s third oldest child was William Drew (1845-1895). William and Lucinda’s children tended to settle in southern Illinois, although two Sons, Dempsey and Beverley, migrated up in Kansas.

In 1870, William Drew Tabb, one of the Tabb children who remained in Illinois, married Cora A Pace (1852-1886), who was born and lived in Jefferson County, Illinois. The Pace family was a long-time, established family. Jefferson County is located in the Saint Louis area, just south and east of Washington County. They were most likely married in this area. They had two Daughters, Gertrude Pace and Louise Baker.

Louise Baker Tabb remained in the area and most likely met her future spouse, Kenneth Eugene Ellerton, while living there. For unexplained reasons, they married in Houston, Texas.

Louise had a number of relatives living in southern Illinois in 1916. Given the seemingly harsh circumstances of her upbringing, relatives would have been important sources of support.

By the time Louise met Kenneth, her Sister, Gertrude, who had realy raised her, had married. But, she remained in southern Illinois. She died in East Saint Louis in 1931, when she was 55 years old. 

 Her Aunt named Mary Elizabeth Horton (nee Tabb) (1847-1924), whose Husband died in 1880, and her Daughter, Myrtle (1867-1942), lived in Washington County. Another Aunt, Sara Ann Hoit (nee Tabb) (1851-1934) and her husband, Charles (1849-1935) lived in Jefferson County. Sara’s Son and Louise’s Cousin, Charles Waldo Hoit (1894-1969), lived in Franklin County, just south of Jefferson County.

So, how did the Ellerton family end up in southern Illinois?

Ellertons: Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Texas

William and Sarah had ten children, the first two of whom were born in Harrison County, West Virginia. The rest were born in Ohio. Based on the birth date of the third child, a Daughter named Jane (1802-1894), the family moved to Jackson County, Ohio in the late 18^th Century or beginning of the 19^th Century.

A word about the spelling of the name. Because I have not been able to definitively identify the parents of William, we start with his records. In addition to the spelling with which we are acquainted, the name is spelled variously, ‘Elerton,’ ‘Elarton,’ ‘Ellarton,’ ‘Eliton’ and ‘Elliton.’ Some of the records purported to be for William’s Father, also include a variation of the name as Allerton.

This is significant because Allerton is a name of prominent Pilgrims who arrived at Plymouth Rock in 1620. So far, I have found no connection.

The name was spelled differently even within William’s own family. Some of his children’s records are ‘Elarton,’ while others are ‘Elerton’ and ‘Ellerton.’ There is no pattern and the only explanations I can give are low-level literacy, avoiding creditors, or shabby recordkeeping.

[Records for our great-great Grandfather, Samuel, mostly show the name as either ‘Elarton’ or ‘Ellerton.’]

It should be noted that William Ellerton, after moving to Ohio, likely served as a private in Captain Jared Strong's Company of Ohio in the War of 1812. According to the book The County of Ross: A History of Ross County, Ohio, a William Ellerton was amongst its first settlers. The roster for Strong’s Company was drawn from men who lived in Ross County. On some rosters the name appears as William Elliton, while on others it is Joseph Elliton. 

William and Sarah lived in Ohio until the early 1850’s. Then, the records for these two are incomplete. Although it is not clear when they moved, the two died in the 1880’s and are buried in Henry County, Iowa. Henry County, in southeastern Iowa

Based on the Census records of some of their children, they moved west to Illinois prior to the 1850 US Census. Keeping in mind that William and Sarah’s children were born between 1797 and 1824, the records indicate the older children stayed in Ohio and the younger children moved to Illinois. Interestingly, some of the children, who remained behind in Ohio and did not make the initial move to Illinois, later moved to Henry County, Iowa, presumably to live nearer their parents.

Their fifth oldest child, Samuel Ellerton (1808-1884), moved west with them, settling in downstate Illinois (DeWitt County) in the early 1830’s.

In 1833, he married Eliza Hight (1811-1886), a Virginia native. The few records about her. These two appear in the 1850 US Census in Marion, Illinois. Marion is the county seat of Williamson County in southern Illinois, located south of Franklin County and near Jefferson County, where the Tabb family had settled.

Samuel and Eliza had four children. The two older children, Lenorah Jane (1835-1916) and Chester (1837-1862), were born in Ohio, meaning that Samuel and Eliza moved to Illinois in the late 1830’s. Their Son, John Hite [Hight] Ellerton, was born in 1840 in DeWitt County, Illinois, which is in downstate Illinois near Springfield. His younger Sister, America Emma (1845- ) was also born in Illinois.

[This downstate location is straight east of Henry County, Iowa, where Samuel’s parents, William and Sarah, would eventually settle, perhaps moving there after their children were married and settled. There are no US Census records in 1850 for these two.]

Shortly after marrying, Lenorah moved to Texas. 

Their second child, Chester was a Civil War casualty, dying on 30 August 1862.

In 1867, John Hite [Hight] Ellerton, who remained in Illinois, married Nancy Wells Dunn (1814-1911), who was born in Menard County, Illinois. Menard County is just west of DeWitt County, Illinois.

Nancy lived in Kansas when she and John married, but they settled and lived in Illinois until the mid-1870’s. Their first three children were born in DeWitt County, Illinois. As the family seemed to disintegrate, it found its way to Texas and their fourth child was born.

Kenneth Eugene Ellerton was born in Grayson County, Texas in 1879. Assuming Kenneth met Louise shortly before they married in 1916, if they met in southern Illinois, he would have been there for some reason other than to visit relatives. As nearly as I can determine, by the 1910’s, there were no longer any Ellertons or relatives in Illinois.

Similarly, from a family standpoint, I can find no reason why Louise would have been in Texas where she may have met Kenneth.

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* In 1863, a part of Virginia split away and was admitted to the United States as the State of West Virginia. Bear in mind, it was after Virginia had seceded from the United States and during the Civil War, that West Virginia was formed by seceding from a seceded state. To keep things simple, when referencing events that took place and individuals who lived and died prior to the formation of the United States let alone the creation of West Virginia, I use West Virginia, nonetheless.

Kenneth Eugene Ellerton, 1879-1951

Our maternal Grandfather, Kenneth Eugene Ellerton, was born in Denton, Texas on October 14, 1879 to John Hight Ellerton (1840-1907) and Nancy “Nannie” Wells (nee Dunn) Ellerton (1841-1911).

Judging from US Census records primary, it seems Kenneth grew up in a tumultuous and unstable household.

He was the youngest of four children:

1.   Lena Maude (1868-1931)

2.   Augusta Gertrude "Gertie" (1869-1941)

3.   George Clifton (Glifton) (1873-1944). George is the spouse of Pansy Ella McLeod (1883-1973), whom we knew as “Aunt Patsy.”

4.   Kenneth (1879-1951)

When he was born, the Ellerton family had just moved to north Texas from downstate Illinois (DeWitt County), where all of his three older siblings were born. When the Ellerton family settled in Texas, it did so in the same county as his John's sister,  Lenorah Jane Ellerton (1835-1916). In 1867, Lenorah married Ira Hatch (1819-1895), a widower with two daughters. In the 1880 US Census they were living in Grayson County, Texas.

There are records indicating Kenneth and his older Sister, Maude, were adopted out by the family to a couple named William B (1827-1888) and  Mariah (nee Stoner) (1831-1918) Little. Because the birth dates and names do not exactly match, this area warrants additional research. The likelihood of a second Kenneth Eugene Ellerton living in north Texas at the same time, however, is miniscule.

Obviously, the question is "Why?"

Adding to the mystery of Kenneth’s childhood is the destruction of the 1890 US Census records in Washington, DC in 1921.

Of note, in 1890, October 14, 1890 to be exact, our eleven years to the day after Kenneth's birth, Dwight Eisenhower was born in Denison.

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The 1896 City Directory for Denison, Texas lists Kenneth and two siblings as employees of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas , sometimes called the "Katy," Railway.

In the 1900 Census, with the exception of Kenneth’s Father, the entire Ellerton family was living in the household of his older sister Maude and her husband Charles (Verles) Hemingway (1863-1940) in Denison.

Kenneth’s Father, John, was a bit of a free spirit. In the 1890 Oklahoma Territorial Census, he lived in the territory serving as a soldier in Company F, 2^nd Illinois. Kenneth’s older Brother, George, who at the time would have been 17, lived with him. In the 1900 US Census, John lived in Jackson County, which is between Houston and Corpus Christi. He listed his marital status as “Widowed.” Note: Nancy did not die until 1911.

Relying strictly on records, it is evident that Kenneth’s parents were estranged until they died. John died in Otero, New Mexico in 1907 and is buried on Alamogordo. When Nancy died in 1911, she was living in Jackson County, Texas, the same area where John lived in 1900; she is buried in Vinland, Kansas.

Interestingly, Kenneth’s Sister, Maude, was living in Vinland with her husband when she died in 1931. She is buried in Vinland.

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In the 1900 US Census, his occupation is listed as “At School.” Between 1900 and 1902, Kenneth attended Ohio Wesleyan College in Delaware, Ohio. (There are no records that he graduated.) While attending college there, Kenneth probably lived with relatives.

At the end of the 18^th Century, Kenneth’s great grandparents, William J (1773-1859) and Sarah (nee Phillips) (1780-1869) moved their family of four from present-day Harrison County, West Virginia to Ross County, Ohio. Here they apparently farmed and had another eight children. Starting with their oldest child, John (1797-1864), the children married and tended to have large families, many of whom settled in Ohio. Those family members who did not stay in Ohio moved to Illinois in the 1830’s and 1840’s and later on to Iowa.

In 1904, Kenneth attended Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas. Here again, he probably lived with relatives. Some members of his Mother’s family moved from Illinois to the Kansas Territory in the later 1850’s and settled in and around what is now Palmyra County. His parents, John and Nancy, married in Vinland, Kansas, 8 miles north of Baldwin City.

Baldwin City is about 400 miles from Denison.

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Throughout his adult life, Kenneth was employed in a variety of clerical and sales positions.

In 1908, he lived in Bisbee, Arizona, working as an inspector for the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad.

In 1911, he lived in Phoenix, Arizona. This is noteworthy because our parents were married in Phoenix on August 19, 1941. A newspaper account of their surprise marriage included mention that a long-time friend of Margaret’s family, C J Myers, married them. It is quite possible that Kenneth befriended Mr. Myers while living in Phoenix.

Kenneth married Louise Baker Tabb (1883-1937) on September 4, 1941 in Houston, Texas.

How these two met and where and why they married in Houston are all matters of conjecture.

Here is one possibility about how they met: Kenneth’s older Sister, Gertrude was living in Denver, Colorado in 1915. Also, from 1915 to 1916, Louise was a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder. At the time, Kenneth was employed by a railroad (Union Pacific?) in Phoenix and may have been in Denver on business or visiting Gertie. (Or, Gertie may have become acquainted with Louise and introduced her to her Brother.)

Why Jackson County, Texas? Sister Maude and Brother-in-law Charles appear in the 1910 US Census in Jackson County. [Maude was the enumerator for the US Census for the area in 1910.]

Kenneth’s wife, Louise, had a miserable childhood. Her Mother, Cora (nee Pace) (1852-1886) died when Louise was only three years old. In the 1900 US Census, when she was only sixteen, she and her older Sister, Gertrude (1875-1931) lived in a boarding house in East Saint Louis, Illinois. Their father, William Tabb (1845-1895) had died five years earlier.

Louise attended (and may have graduated from) Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee. In the 1904 edition of the college yearbook, when she would have been nearly 21 years old, she is recorded as a member of the Kentucky Club.

How she would have been able to afford a college education without some type of parental assistance is worthy of additional research.

The 1906 City Directory for East Saint Louis, Illinois lists Louise as a teacher.

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 Kenneth and Louise moved to Alameda, California sometime between their wedding day and 12 May 1917, when our Mother was born in San Jose.

Bear in mind, World War I did not end until June 1918. So, when they moved, the outcome of the War was still very much in doubt. Yet, they relocated, found housing and Kenneth a job, had a child and settled in.

Why they moved to northern California is not clear, although Kenneth had a number of cousins living in the area.

Their address was 1209 Broadway, Alameda. Their home is still standing.

In 1921, they had a second Daughter, Mary Elizabeth, who died at birth, apparently just before they moved to Pasadena.

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Kenneth registered for the draft for both World Wars, in 1918 and again 1942, when he was 62.

In 11 August 1917, the Oakland Tribune, Kenneth Ellerton’s name appeared on a list of individuals in northern California who had been selected for the Second Officer Corps Reserve training camp to be held at the San Francisco Presidio. The camp appears to have been some type of training opportunity for older males exempted from the draft. In 1918, Kenneth was 38 years old.

Kenneth worked for a number of companies. When he registered for the draft in 1918, he listed his occupation as “Railway Station Inspector” in Oakland. 1920 US Census – Shipping Clerk.

In 1921, the Ellertons moved again, this time to Pasadena, California. At about the same time, Kenneth’s Sister, Gertrude, who had lived in Denver since 1902, moved to Los Angeles.

The next actual record of the Ellertons is a City Directory listing in 1923. Kenneth’s occupation: Clerk.

Their address is 958 Stevenson Avenue. Stevenson Avenue no longer exists. In the 1930 US Census, the family lives at 958 Mar Vista, meaning the name of the street changed sometime in the 1920’s. Louise died in 1937, but Kenneth appears in the 1940 US Census at the same address. He apparently lived there until he died in 1951.

Here is how the neighborhood looks now.

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Throughout the 1910’s, 1920’s and 1930’s, when they registered to vote, Kenneth registered as either as Republican or Prohibition Party and Louise for the obverse. They rarely registered for the same party in the same year, choosing instead to alternate their registrations; and, they NEVER registered Democratic.

Louise died on March 28, 1937. Kenneth was 57. Occupation: Solicitor.

In 1941, Gertrude, who moved back to Denver in the late 1920’s and then returned to Los Angeles in 1935, died.

When he registered for the draft in 1942 he listed his employer as The Constance Hotel, Pasadena.

In 1944, his Brother, George, a patient at the Naval Hospital in Corona California, died.

At that moment, with the exception of a very distant Ellerton (actually Elarton) relatives living in Los Angeles and his Daughter, our Mother, starting family and living 40 miles way in Chino, Kenneth was alone.

Employment records indicate he worked in the defense industry during World War II.

The 3 December 1947 edition of the Dixon (Illinois) Evening Telegraph ran an article explaining that Kenneth Ellerton of Pasadena, California unsuccessfully tried to persuade the Pasadena City Council to adopt an ordinance “prohibiting wedding ceremonies after 10 p.m.  . . . Ellerton’s argument: Late weddings are noisy and seriously interfere with the sleep of people not celebrating the event.” Note: This article ran in newspapers throughout California and across the country. Sounds like a USA Today story.

Kenneth died on October 18, 1951.

Kenneth, Louise and his sister Gertrude are buried side-by-side-side at the Valhalla Pierce Brothers Memorial Garden in Burbank, California.

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There is a pervasiveness sadness overlaying the letters and numbers in the records of Kenneth’s life. 

As a matter of sheer speculation, based on their tendencies to register to vote as members of the Prohibition Party, it is very possible that alcohol played a part in the fragmentation of their families. I also recall several instances where our Mother displayed rage and over what she regarded as alcohol abuse.

There were strong feelings about the excesses of alcohol and its impact on families in the run-up to Prohibition, roughly the early 1890’s to the approval of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919. This period coincides with the formative years of Kenneth’s and Louise’s lives. Many advocates supported prohibition out of principle, whether they were affected directly or not. Others were driven by more personal, devastating experiences. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent chronicles the damaging excesses of alcohol.

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Kenneth survived turbulent a childhood.

He was most likely a protective and proud husband and parent, and an unassuming, reserved individual. I recall reading a short letter he sent our Mother shortly after I was born. At a time when one might expect a letter of joy, the tone of the letter was stilted, formal and a bit strained, as though he wasn’t certain exactly what to say.

Next: The Migration of the Ellerton and Tabb Families from West Virginia

Fritz Wanzenried, 1884-1964)

Our paternal Grandfather, Fritz Wanzenried, was born in Oberdiessbach, Bowyl, Switzerland on February 2, 1884 to Christian (1846-1919) and Rosa (nee Voegeli) Wanzenried (1853-1925).

There are records suggesting his given name was Friedrich, making Fritz a nickname. For the sake of this story, we'll use Fritz. 

He was one of the middle children in a family of eight: 

1. Heidi (1877- )

2. Rosa (1879- )
3. Emma (1880- )
4. Christian 1881-1914)
5. Fritz (1884-1964)
6. Ida (1889- ) - twin
7. Mina (1889-1984) - twin
8. Anna Mathilde (1890-1958)

He was raised in a rural setting (probably on a small farm) where he learned how to butcher and tend orchards. Like many Europeans, he longed for more opportunities. America beckoned. 

At the age of 27 years, he boarded a ship named Kronprinz Wilhelm in Cherbourg, France in October 1911, arriving at Ellis Island, New York where he passed through immigration on October 31, 1911. Occupation: Butcher. 

After successfully navigating the entry requirements, Fritz traveled to Wellsville, New York, the destination he had included on his immigration documents. 

Why he went to Wellsville in southwestern New York state is a matter of conjecture. It is very likely that he went there to stay with a cousin named Ida Reuning (nee Voegeli). Ida was the Daughter of Johann Voegeli (1837-1908), an older Brother of Rosa, Fritz's Mother. 

Ida married Ernest J Reuning (1869-1925) in 1895 and emigrated to the United States shortly after marrying. Initially, they settled in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, where the first three of five of their children were born. Based on the birth of their third child, Margaret in June 1899 in Pennsylvania, and the 1900 US Census indicating they resided in New York, they moved to the Wellsville, New York in the waning days of the 19th Century. (Their fourth child, Frederick, was born in New York in 1902.) 

The 1910 US Census show the Reunings in New York State. That means they were living in Wellsville in 1911, the year Fritz arrived. (A survey of the US  and New York State Census information, both before and after Fritz’s arrival, suggests other Swiss immigrants stayed in the Reuning household. Names of Swiss-German origin are listed on one Census, but not listed on the next.) 

Fritz departed the Reuning way station in 1912 and travelled by train to southern California. 

His first job in Los Angeles was a dishwasher at a large hotel. Later in life, he was able to recount in vivid detail how rats, which infested the premises, ran across both soiled and just-washed dishes. 

Some time in 1913 or 1914 he returned to Switzerland and married Lina Althaus (1893-1981) on July 7, 1914.

Two things are worth noting. (1) Fritz's older Brother, Christian, died on January 25, 1914, just over a month shy of his 33rd birthday. (2) It is not clear where Fritz and Lina were married. (Kendra provided me with am image of the bride and groom.) 

They returned to the United States in 1914 on a ship named La Lorraine. When he passed through Ellis Island a second time, Fritz's name is recorded as Franz Wanzenreid.  

They settled in Santa Monica, California. 

On March 18, 1915, Lina gave birth to their first child, Fred (Fritz).

Mathilde, their second child, was born on January 16, 1918. 

Fritz registered for the draft for World War I on September 12, 1918. He recorded his address as 9123 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles. 

Fritz's Father, Christian Wanzenried (1846-1919) died on June 8, 1919. 

On February 9, 1920, the US Census records the Wanzenried family as living in Yucaipa, California. (The address is not legible.) Fritz's occupation is listed as a fruit farm manager. 

Rosemary, Fritz and Lina's last child, was born on July 21, 1920.  

Fritz's Mother, Rosa died on November 23, 1925.

Next installment: Kenneth Ellerton

And, So It Begins

Wanzenried. 

"That's a different name." 

"What nationality?"

It's Swiss-German. 

"And, how do you pronounce it?"

And, so it goes. 

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The name really is easy to pronounce after once hearing its proper pronunciation.

The first attempts, however, are predictable

There are any number of words beginning with "wa" where the most common pronunciation of the "a" is like the "a" in "walk" or "wander." In the Harriet Harrison scheme of phonetics, it would be ,"short 'a,' ah."

It's hard to identify an actual word beginning with "wa" where the pronunciation resembles the first attempt by the uninitiated to pronounce Wanzenried. Think of the sound of the "a" in the word 'wand' or the sounds of a wailing baby, "wha, wha, wha."

Next, the combination of the letter "n" and letter "z" seemingly has always been a barrier. The only family member I ever heard depart from the conventional pronunciation was our Brother, Richard. He had a tendency to pronounce it 'wanz en ried,' placing the emphasis on 'wanz,' almost like the word 'once.' 

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Once the pronunciation hurdle is cleared, it's on to the spelling.

For those of us honored to carry the name, it's a lifetime of spelling it, at least once every day. 

Yes, there is only one correct spelling but dozens of variations. 

Even after having been admonished since the second grade that "i" always comes before "e" except after "c," the most common misspelling is Wanzenreid.

Then, inevitably, an "n" is dropped, resulting in Wazenreid and Wanzereid.

There are others, but, we'll leave that exercise to others. 

The point is that we have the name.

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This is a story about the Wanzenried Family and how life unfolded to bring its members together and others into existence. 

Many of us know a tiny bit about our ancestors, and, most of that knowledge is on the Wanzenried side. There are fascinating twists and turns in the lives of others that brought together the Voegili’s, the Tabbs, the Galli’s, the Paces, the Schmutz’s, the Dunns.

Many of these family names have died out. In fact, the Wanzenried name in our branch is doomed unless Nick and Tiffany have a child and include Wanzenried somewhere in the child's name. The name remains mildly common elsewhere.

Despite the gloomy prospect of our name disappearing, we still have dozens of relatives roaming around in Kansas, Oregon, Virginia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, most with different last names. 

So, as a way of connecting with them, let’s begin with our Grandfathers, Friedrich and Kenneth