Adam Wick and Sophia Maria Mohr German Immigrants in Cook County, Illinois

Adam Wick and Sophia Maria Mohr German immigrants in Cook County, Illinois

In 1848, while referring to his native Rhinelanders, Frederick Engels remarked that “The [defining] character trait of the Rhineland is [a] hatred of Prussianism.”1 Fortunately, that axiom proved not to be true for this particular immigrant couple, one of whom was born in a small village located deep in the Rhineland, and the other, born in a small village in the heart of the Prussian Empire.

Generation b-2

1. Adamb-2 Wick (Jacoba-1, ChristophA, Johann PhilippB, LorentzC, AndreasD), born on 29 October 1833 in the village of Heppenheim im Loch (now known as Gau-Heppenheim), located in the modern state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany, which was then part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.2 Adam was the son of Jacob and Elisabetha (née Ohliger) Wick.3 He died on 26 November 1913 in Blue Island, Cook, Illinois.4 He married ca. 1857, probably in Galena, Jo Daviess, Illinois, Sophia Maria Dorothea Mohr,5 the daughter of “John” Joachim Daniel Georg and Marie Elisabetha (née Wohlert) Mohr. Sophia was born 26 June 1839 in the village of Falkenhagen, located in the modern state of Brandenburg, Germany, which was then a province of the Kingdom of Prussia.6 She died on 13 December 1924 in Blue Island, Cook, Illinois.7

1 Michael Rowe, From Reich to State: The Rhineland in the Revolutionary Age, 1780–1830 (2003; reprint, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007), 286. 2 For Adam’s birthdate and location, see Germany, Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” image, Archion (https://www.archion.de : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Browse > Hessen-Nassau: Zentralarchiv der Evang. Kirche > Dekanat Alzey > Framersheim Gau-Heppenheim > Taufregister 1824-1845, Trauregister 1824-1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824-1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825-1862 > image 31; Taufen [Baptisms beginning 1824], p. 51, baptism of Adam Wick (1833). For a brief historical overview and map of the provinces of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, see Kevan M. Hansen, Map Guide to German Parish Registers: GRANDDUCHY OF HESSEN, 58 vols. to date (Orting, WA: Family Roots Publishing Co., 2004), 1:13–4 and 23. 3 Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” p. 51. 4 Illinois Department of Health, City of Chicago, certificate and record of death no. 25053, register no. 1184 (1913), Adam Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. 5 Extant Illinois marriage records were searched with negative results. See “Illinois, U.S., Marriage Index, 1860–1920,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); exact searches for Adam Wic*, Sop* Moh* and Sop* Moor* returned no relevant results. For the couple’s estimated year of marriage, see 1900 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Worth, ED 1196, p. 278 (stamped), sheet 15-A, dwelling 201 (corrected), family 232 (corrected), Adam Wick; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 295. For Adam’s residence in Jo Daviess County prior to his marriage, see 1855 Illinois state census, Jo Daviess County, population schedule, Township 28, p. 143 (penned upper left), line 11, for Adam Wick in B Vogel household, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); citing Illinois State Archive collection no. 103.008, roll 2492. For the couple’s post-marriage residence in Jo Daviess County, see 1860 U.S. Census, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, population schedule, Galena, p. 369 (penned), dwelling 413, family 441, Adam Wick; image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); citing National Archives microfilm publication M653, roll 189. 6 For Sophia’s parents and her date and place of birth, see “Germany, Prussia, Brandenburg and Posen, Church Book Duplicates, 1794–1874,” image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQQ1- WFP: accessed 6 Apr 2021), Sophia Maria Dorothea Mohr (1839); citing Christening, Falkenhagen, Falkenhagen, Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg, Preußen, Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (Brandenburg State Archives), Potsdam, DGS 2418001. For the location of Falkenhagen, see “Falkenhagen 5) Ostprignitz,” database with images, Meyers Gazetteer, (https://www.meyersgaz.org/place/10471024 : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 7 Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, standard certificate of death no. 174 (1924), Sophia Mary Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago.

Adam was likely born in the family home—a one and a half-story stone cottage located at Obergasse (Upper Street), house number 54, in the small village of Heppenheim im Loch, located on the western side of the Rhine river near the town of Alzey. His father, Jacob, was an Ackersmann (farmer), who had inherited the property from his father, Christoph, who originally purchased the property at auction on 7 November 1800 for 111 francs.9

Born well after the upheaval caused by the French Revolution and the subsequent occupation of German lands west of the Rhine river— which lasted from 1792 to 1814— Adam likely spent his childhood in relative peace and stability.10 He was the seventh child out of a total of nine children born to his parents, and their second child named Adam.11 He was almost certainly named after his deceased elder brother, who passed away at the age of five months and twenty-three days on 19 March 1829.12

8 Note: In order to differentiate between the small village of Heppenheim and a larger village with the same name, the smaller village was known as Heppenheim im Loch (Heppenheim in the Hole), and the larger village was known as Heppenheim an der Wiese (Heppenheim at the Meadow). See Hansen, Map Guide to German Parish Registers: GRANDDUCHY OF HESSEN, 1:51. For the location of the Heppenheim a/d Wiese, see Ibid., 1:59. 9 For an undated black and white photograph of Obergasse 54, see Hermann Scholl, Chronik von Gau- Heppenheim Häuser — Höfe — Heppenheimer (Alzey: Verlag Der Rheinhessischen Druckwerkstätte, 2004), 213. For the geographic location of Heppenheim, see “Gau-Heppenheim,” database with images, Meyers Gazetteer (https://www.meyersgaz.org/place/10546045 : accessed 6 Apr 2021). For Jacob’s occupation and date of purchase, see Scholl, Chronik von Gau-Heppenheim, 211. Note: The date given in the text is the original French Republican Calendar date “am 16. Brumaire des 9. Jahres der französischen Republik,” which translates to “on the 16th of Brumaire in the ninth year of the French Republic.” For the modern Gregorian calendar date, see “The Republican Calendar,” Napolean.org (https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/the-republican-calendar/ : accessed 6 Apr 2021), conversion calculator. 10 Rowe, From Reich to State: The Rhineland in the Revolutionary Age, 1780–1830, 158. 11 For Adam’s eight siblings, see Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Konfirmanden [Confirmations beginning 1825], p. 9, image 109; confirmation of Jacob Wick (1834). Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Konfirmanden [Confirmations beginning 1825], p. 12, image 111; confirmation of Margaretha Wick (1837). Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824– 1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Taufen [Baptisms beginning 1824], p. 6, image 9; baptism of Elisabetha Wick (1825). Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Taufen [Baptisms beginning 1824], p. 18, image 15; baptism of Adam Wick (1828). Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825– 1862,” Taufen [Baptisms beginning 1824], p. 29, image 20; baptism of Andreas Wick (1830). Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Taufen [Baptisms beginning 1824], p. 44, image 28; baptism of Catharina Wick (1832). Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Taufen [Baptisms beginning 1824], p. 75, image 43; baptism of Luise Wick (1837). Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Taufen [Baptisms beginning 1824], p. 90, image 51; baptism of Anna Maria Wick (1839). 12 For the practice of naming a child after a deceased sibling, see James M. Beidler, “Understanding German Language and Surnames,” Familytreemagazine, (no date given), (https://www.familytreemagazine.com/heritage/ german/understanding-german-language-and-surnames/ : accessed 6 Apr 2021) para. 35. For the elder Adam’s date of death, see Rhineland-Palatinate, Alzey-Worms, Personenstandsregister [Civil Status Register] Gau- Heppenheim, Sterben [Deaths], entry no. 17, Adam Wick, 1829; Standesamt der Verbandsgemeinde [Registry Office], Alzey-Land.

© Greg Wick 2021 Page 2 of 10 ProGen 47 - Family Narrative Adam, along with his siblings, likely attended the local elementary school which from 1828 to 1853 was non-denominational, meaning that children from all Christian faiths were taught together in the same building.13 Since by that time attendance was mandatory for children between the ages of seven and fourteen, it was there that Adam and his siblings would have studied religion, reading, writing, ciphering, the German language, and singing—likely spending over twenty-six hours a week in school, practically year-round.14

In 1838 the total population of Heppenheim consisted of 151 families, of which 685 individuals were Evangelicals, 136 were Catholics, and 15 were Mennonites. Less than ten years later—in 1847—the population of Heppenheim had decreased to 142 families.15 The population decrease was likely due to emigration caused by a combination of economic, political, and societal pressures, which were experienced the most severely by the lower and middle classes.16

In 1845 the family moved from their small cottage to a larger home located across the street at Obergasse number 52, which had been previously occupied by Adam’s uncle and likely namesake, Johann Adam Wick (b. 1804), and his family. Up until about 1800 this house, and a few neighboring properties, together formed a large farm that had been purchased in 1725 by Johann Adam and Jacob’s maternal great-grandfather, Lorenz Trapp (b. 1696 in Ensheim).17

On 23 May 1847—at fourteen years of age—Adam was confirmed in the local Evangelical church in Heppenheim during the Christian festival known in German as Pfingsten (the holy day of Pentecost).18 The church was originally constructed in 1726 as a “simple hall” with a “poorly decorated interior,” which after several renovations had become a “friendly and neat place of worship.”19

A New Beginning in America

In 1851 Adam, along with his parents, his brother Andreas, and his first cousin Philipp, all emigrated from Heppenheim to America aboard the William Tell, arriving in New York on 24 October 1851.20 According to contemporaneous newspaper accounts, the voyage lasted thirty-two days and on October 9th, “passed a large iceberg.”21 The William Tell was an American made, 1,153 ton sailing ship launched

13 Scholl, Chronik von Gau-Heppenheim, 427. 14 Henry Barnard, “Public Instruction in Hesse Darmstadt,” National Education: Systems Institutions and Statistics of Public Instruction in Different Countries, Part 1. Europe—German States, 3 vols. (New York, E. Steiger, 1872), 1: 279–300, specifically 285; digital image, Google Books (https://books.google.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 15 Scholl, Chronik von Gau-Heppenheim, 444. 16 Mack Walker, “Eighteen Forty-Eight,” German Home Towns: Community, State, and General Estate, 1648– 1817 (1971, reprint, Ithaca, New York: Cornell University, 1998), 354–404, specifically 361–2. 17 Scholl, Chronik von Gau-Heppenheim, 187–8, and 195. For the practice of naming a child after an uncle, see Beidler, “Understanding German Language and Surnames,” Familytreemagazine, para. 35. 18 Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Konfirmanden [Confirmations beginning 1825], p. 22), image 116; confirmation of Adam Wick (1847). Pentecost is held every year on the seventh Sunday after Easter. For the calendar date, see “Calendar for May 1847,” Timeanddate.com (https://www.timeanddate.com/ calendar/monthly.html?year=1847&month=5&country=1 : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 19 Scholl, Chronik von Gau-Heppenheim, 444. Author’s translation. 20 “New York Passenger Lists, 1820–1891,” image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/ 1:1:27PB-MJT : accessed 6 Apr 2021), entry for Adam Wick, age 18, arrived 24 October 1851 aboard the William Tell. For Philipp’s birth and parentage, see Gau-Heppenheim Evangelische Kirche, “Taufregister 1824–1845, Trauregister 1824–1849, Beerdigungsregister 1824–1845, Konfirmandenregister 1825–1862,” Taufen [Baptisms beginning 1824], p. 39, image 25; baptism of Philipp Wick (1831). 21 “Arrived,” New York Daily Times, 24 October 1851, p. 4, col. 6; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www. newspapers.com: accessed 15 Mar 2021).

© Greg Wick 2021 Page 3 of 10 ProGen 47 - Family Narrative in 1850, which regularly traversed a “packet line” between New York and LeHavre, France, until she caught fire shortly before midnight on 1 September 1861 under suspicious circumstances while anchored in New York harbor.22

Adam, and his family, were among the estimated 72,482 German immigrants who came to America in 1851.23 Along with the many common causes of emigration at that time period i.e., crop failures, economic depression, etc., the timing of their departure is significant as it occurred just a few years after a failed national revolution that swept through much of Europe in 1848—which all-told must have made the idea of starting over in America very appealing.24

While it is not known how long Adam stayed in New York, by 1855 he was living in Galena, Jo Daviess, Illinois, in the household of another fellow German immigrant, Balthazar Vogel. Balthazar and his brother Caspar operated a bakery in Galena during this time period, which is where Adam likely worked.25

In 1860 Adam and Sophia resided in the Galena household of Edward Hammerch, a German-speaking English teacher. By this time, Adam had worked his way up to journeyman baker, likely still working for the Vogel brothers who lived next door.26 Balthazar, and his family, were originally from the Kingdom of Württemberg and had immigrated to America in 1845.27

During this time period there was an established immigrant German community residing in Galena, which by 1840 had organized a German Benevolent Society and by 1851, had founded the German language newspaper The Galena Correspondent.”28 Adam and Sophia likely met each other in Galena, perhaps marrying in one of the two local German churches which existed there prior to 1860.29

22 For the ship details and packet line information, see Robert Greenhalgh Albion, Square Riggers on Schedule; The New York Sailing Packets to England, France, and the Cotton Ports (1938; reprint, Hamden, Conn: Archon Books, 1965), 286. For the fire, see “Terrible Fire on Shipboard,” The New York Times, 2 September 1861, p. 9, col. 5; image copy, TimesMachine (https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1861/09/02/issue.html : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 23 “Chapter B. Population Characteristics and Migration: (Series B 1–352),” PDF, Migration Policy Institute (https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/1949/compendia/hist_stats_1789-1945/hist_stats_1789-1945-chB .pdf : accessed 6 Apr 2021), 34; citing “Historical Statistics 1789–1945,” U.S. Census Bureau, Washington D.C., 1949. 24 Albert Bernhardt Faust, The German Element in the United States: With Special Reference To Its Political, Moral, Social, and Educational Influence, 2 vols. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1909), 1:585–6; digital image, Google Books (https://books.google.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 25 1855 Illinois state census, Jo Daviess County, population schedule, Township 28, p. 143 (penned upper left), line 11, for Adam Wick in B Vogel household, image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); citing Illinois State Archive collection no. 103.008, roll 2492. 26 1860 U.S. Census, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, population schedule, City of Galena, p. 369 (penned upper right), dwelling 413, family 440, Adam Wick in the household of Edward Hammerch; image, Ancestry (http://www. ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); citing National Archives microfilm publication M653, roll 95. 27 “New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1813–1963,” image, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), entry for Balthasar Vogel, age 20, arrived 26 December 1845 aboard the Superb. 28 The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, (Chicago: H.F. Kent & Co., 1878), 436, 525; digital image, Google Books (https://books.google.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 29 Ibid., 505. Note: Surviving Evangelical church records from Galena start in 1859. See “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); Congregational Records > Illinois > Galena > St. Matthew > images #657–8, Trauregister.

Adam and Sophia’s eldest known son, Charles, was born on 5 December 1860 in Chicago, Illinois.30 Adam lived there until 1869, working at different times as a laborer, baker, and saloon keeper.31 During this time period the family added a son, Johann, and three daughters, Christina, Frederika, and Dorothy.32

On 25 March 1864 tragedy struck the family when, Johann, aged one year, died in Chicago. He was buried two days later in the village of Blue Island, located about eighteen miles south of Chicago.33 On the same day Adam and Sophia witnessed the baptisms of several of Sophia’s nieces and nephews. Adam and Sophia sponsored the respective baptisms of Adam Heinrich and Sophia Dorothea, both children of Sophia’s sister Dorothy and her husband, Frantz “Frank” Flassig.34

In 1870 the family relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, where Adam worked as a baker.35 Kansas City was prospering in a booming post-Civil War economy, which may explain the family’s move from Chicago.36 In 1871 Adam worked as a foreman in a “cracker factory” called Taylor, Mills & Taylor, which likely produced a large assortment of baked goods including biscuits, cakes, and confections.37 By the next year the family had returned to Chicago, where Adam again worked as a baker.38

30 Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, standard certificate of death no. 139 (1930), Charles Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. 31 “U.S., City Directories, 1822–1995,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), entries for Adam Wick, Chicago, (1861) 367, (1862) 420 “Weick” (1864) 592, (1865) 664, (1866) 1058, (1867) 955, (1869) 947, (1872) 980, (1874) 1152, and (1875) 1042. 32 For Johann, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Mar 2021), Begräbnis (burial) for Johann Wick, Blue Island, 27 March 1864. For Christina, see "Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3Z6-N4W65F : 14 Mar 2021), Christina Gierman, 28 Mar 1917, death record. For Frederika, see "Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011," image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Mar 2021), Freda Jostes, 5 Apr 1963, death record. For Dorothy, see "California Death Index, 1940–1997," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Mar 2021), Dora E Rath, 27 May 1954, death record. 33 For Johann’s date of death and burial, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” Begräbnis (burial) for Johann Wick, Blue Island, 27 March 1864. For the distance, see Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/ : accessed 17 Mar 2021), Chicago, Illinois, to Blue Island, Illinois. 34 For the practice of naming a child after their sponsor or godparent, see Beidler, “Understanding German Language and Surnames,” Familytreemagazine, para. 35. For the children’s baptisms, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Mar 2021), baptism for Adam Heinrich Flassig and Sophie Dorothea Flassig, Blue Island, 27 March 1864. 35 1870 U.S. Census, Jackson County, Missouri, population schedule, Kansas City 2nd Ward, p. 512 (stamped), dwelling 963, family 1057, Adam Wick; image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Mar 2021); citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 782. 36 Theodore S. Case, editor, “Remarkable Progress Since the War,” History of Kansas City, Missouri: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers (1888; reprint, La Crosse, Wisconsin: Brookhaven Press, 2000), 83–113, particularly 89; digital image, Google Books (https://books.google.com : accessed 20 Mar 2021). 37 “U.S., City Directories, 1822–1995,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Mar 2021), entry for Adam Wick, Kansas City, Missouri, (1871) 252 and entry for Taylor Mills & Taylor, “Index to Advertisements,” image #20. For the description of a cracker factory, See Rheta Childe Dorr, “Give the Working- Girl a Chance,” The Hampton Magazine v. 22, no. 1, (January 1909): 67–77, especially 71; image copy, Google Books (https://books.google.com : accessed 31 Mar 2021). 38 “U.S., City Directories, 1822–1995,” entry for Adam Wick, Chicago, (1872) 980.

© Greg Wick 2021 Page 5 of 10 ProGen 47 - Family Narrative Due to the family’s temporary relocation to Kansas City in 1870, they likely avoided potential disaster when the Great Chicago Fire broke out in October 1871.39 Two years before the fire Adam, and his family, resided at 491 State St., likely above the saloon he operated there since 1867. The building was located just a few blocks away from where the fire started and was likely either torn down by firefighters while trying to keep the fire in check or was destroyed in the fire.40

After the family’s return to Chicago in 1872, Adam operated a bakery located at 424 Archer Ave., until about 1875.41 During this time period Sophia gave birth to two more children, Christian and Ida.42 While there is no way of knowing exactly what types of baked goods were sold in his bakery, a well-known German language cookbook from that time period, Henriette Davidis’ Praktisches Kochbuch (Practical Cook Book) includes recipes for all manner of Gebäck (pastries and tarts), Kuchen (cakes), Plätzchen (cookies), and Brot (breads), which may provide some insight.43

The Village of Blue Island

By 1879 the family had left Chicago again, this time settling in Blue Island. At that time the village was a bustling railroad hub and was also closer to where Sophia’s sister Dorothy and her husband, Frank, lived.44 Sophia gave birth to her eighth child there, Emilie Anna, on 27 September 1879.45 In 1880 the family resided in Worth Township where Adam worked as a laborer and his eldest son, Charles, worked for a railroad company.46

39 James W. Sheahan and George P. Upton, The Great Conflagration: Chicago: Its Past, Present, and Future, (Chicago: Union Publishing Co., 1872), 63; digital image, Google Books (https://books.google.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 40 For the family’s State Street residence from 1867–69, see “U.S., City Directories, 1822–1995,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), entries for Adam Wick, Chicago, (1867) 955 and (1869) 947. For an 1869 map of Chicago, see Guide Map of Chicago (Chicago: Rufus Blanchard, 1869); digital image, David Rumsey Map Collection (https://www.davidrumsey.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021). For the first-person account, see Sheahan and Upton, The Great Conflagration: Chicago: Its Past, Present, and Future, 79. 41 “U.S., City Directories, 1822–1995,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), entry for Adam Wick, Chicago, (1872) 980, (1874) 1152, and (1875) 1042. 42 For Christian, see “Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875–1940,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), baptism for Christian Willey Wick, Chicago, 23 November 1873. For Ida, see State of Illinois, medical certificate of death no. 1472 (1960), Ida Hauter; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. 43 Henriette Davidis, Pickled Herring and Pumpkin Pie: A Nineteenth-Century Cookbook for German Immigrants to America (Madison, WI: Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, 2003), 370–415. 44 For a description of Blue Island’s railroads, see John H Volp, The First Hundred Years: 1835–1935, Historical Review of Blue Island, Illinois (1938, reprint, Salem, MA: Higginson Book Company, 1998), 149–60. For Dorothy and Frank’s residence, see 1880 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Bremen, ED 203, p. 467 (stamped), p. 31 (penned), dwelling 267, family 269, Frank Flassig, image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 Apr 2019); citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 200. For the location of Bremen, see Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/ : accessed 14 Apr 2021), Bremen Township, Illinois, to Blue Island, Illinois. 45 For Emilie Anna’s birth, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), baptism for Emilie Anna Wick, Blue Island, 2 November 1879. 46 1880 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Village of Blue Island, Town of Worth, ED 207, p. 544 (stamped on proceeding page), p. 36 (penned), dwelling (not given), family (not given), Adam and Charles Wick, image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2019); citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 200.

© Greg Wick 2021 Page 6 of 10 ProGen 47 - Family Narrative In 1880 the township of Worth consisted of 1,038 individuals— 275 of whom were born in native German-speaking territories.47 Many of the remaining population consisted of American born first- or second-generation descendants of earlier German immigrants, whose numbers peaked between 1848 to 1860.48

The next year Sophia gave birth to their ninth and likely last child, Henry Adam, born on 29 March 1881. Henry was baptized on 16 October 1881 at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Blue Island, which had originally been built in 1865 by William Boening. Henry was christened Heinrich Adam Christian, likely named after his first cousin Henry Adam Flassig, who acted as his sponsor and had ostensibly been named after Henry’s father, Adam Wick, seventeen years earlier.49

By 1900 Adam and Sophia had purchased a two-story home located at 115 Vermont St., in Worth township, where they lived with their son Harry and an unrelated family of renters. Adam worked as a day laborer and had been unemployed for seven of the last twelve months.50 Living next door at 109 Vermont St., were the couple’s daughter Ida and her husband, Christian “Fred” Hauter.51

In 1910 Adam and Sophia were still living at 115 Vermont Street. Their widowed daughter, Freda (née Wick) Jostes, and her two children, Henry and Lillian, lived with them.52 Their daughter Ida still lived next door with her husband, Christian, and their young son, Andrew.53 Still working at the age of seventy-nine, Adam was employed as a flagman for a railroad company and had experienced no unemployment during the previous year.54

A Fatal Accident

On 26 November 1913—the day before Thanksgiving—Adam was struck by a train while walking home from work. The newspaper account of his death states that he had been employed for many years by the Grand Trunk railroad as a flagman, and “as was his custom for many years” would walk over the trestle

47 1880 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Village of Blue Island, Town of Worth, ED 207, pp. 548–58, (stamped every other page in upper right), images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2019); citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 200. (A page-by-page search revealed two hundred and seventy-five individuals who were born in German-speaking territories.) 48 Volp, The First Hundred Years: 1835–1935, 31. 49 For Henry Adam Wick’s date of birth, baptism, baptismal name and sponsor, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), baptism for Heinrich Adam Christian Wick, Blue Island, 16 October 1881. For the construction year of the church and builder, see Volp, The First Hundred Years, 199. For Henry Adam Flassig’s baptism, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), baptism for Adam Heinrich Flassig, Blue Island, 27 March 1864. 50 1900 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Worth, ED 1196, p. 278 (stamped), sheet 15-A, dwelling 201 (corrected), family 232 (corrected), Adam Wick; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2018); citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 295. 51 1900 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Worth, ED 1196, p. 278 (stamped), sheet 15-A, dwelling 202 (corrected), family 234 (corrected), Ida Hauter; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2018); citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 295. 52 1910 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Blue Island Ward 1, ED 25, p. 114 (stamped on previous page), sheet 15-A, dwelling 69, family 77, Adam Wick; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2018); citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 238. 53 1910 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Blue Island Ward 1, ED 25, p. 114 (stamped on previous page), sheet 15-A, dwelling 70, family 78, Ida Hauter; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2018); citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 238. 54 1910 U.S. census, Cook Co, Ill, Blue Island Ward 1, ED 25, p. 114 (stamped on previous page), sheet 15- A, dwell. 69, fam. 77, Adam Wick.

© Greg Wick 2021 Page 7 of 10 ProGen 47 - Family Narrative which spans a creek near Vermont street. Two bystanders noticed the oncoming train and shouted a warning that went unheeded. After being struck by the train he was thrown from the bridge and was found lying in the shallow waters of Stony creek. The police were called, and Adam was taken to St. Francis hospital where he died from his injuries about 9 o’clock that evening.55

In a bizarre coincidence, earlier that same morning a horse had gotten loose from its barn and while crossing the same bridge over Stony Creek had wedged its hooves between the railroad ties. While trying to free itself the horse ended up falling over and breaking its leg. A local policeman had noticed something moving along the tracks and after discovering the horse was able to alert the depot before a serious accident could occur. Unfortunately, he was unable to free the animal and was forced to shoot it. The newspaper account stated that the animal belonged to the local baker, Joseph Berger.56

It’s quite likely that Adam knew the crew of the passenger train that struck him, probably having stopped the same train earlier that day while working at the Broadway St., crossing, which was located just a few blocks south of Stony Creek across the Little Calumet river.57 His legacy included at least three generations of sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons, who continued to work for the Grand Trunk (Western) railroad long after his unfortunate death.58

Known children of Adamb-2 Wick and Sophia Maria Mohr were as follows:

+ 2 i. CHARLES2 ERNST WICK, born 5 December 1860, Chicago, Illinois; married Emma Boening; died 24 September 1930, Blue Island, Illinois.59 3 ii. JOHANN WICK, born 5 August 1862, Chicago, Illinois; died 25 March 1864, Chicago, Illinois.60 3 iii. CHRISTINA WICK, born 12 November 1864, Chicago, Illinois; married Charles Louis Gierman; died 28 March 1917, Chicago, Illinois.61

55 “Aged Citizen is Killed By Train,” The Blue Island Sun (Illinois), 28 Nov 1913, p. 1, c. 5; NewspaperArchive.com (https://www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 56 “Horse Falls on R. R. Bridge,” The Blue Island Sun (Illinois), 28 Nov 1913, p. 1, c. 6. 57 For the location of the Broadway St., crossing, see Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/ : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Broadway Street, Worth Township, Illinois. 58 For proof of three generations of railroad workers, see Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, standard certificate of death no. 139 (1930), Charles Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. “Car Inspector, Grand Trunk R.R.” Also, State of Illinois, medical certificate of death no. 82 (1962), Edward H. Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. “Car Foreman, Grand Trunk R.R.” Also, “IN AFRICA,” The Blue Island Sun-Standard (Illinois), 15 Mar 1945, p. 2, c. 4; NewspaperArchive.com (https://www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021). “Cpl. Wick was employed as a Valuation engineer by the Chicago & Western Indiana railroad, prior to entering the army in September, 1943.” 59 For Charles’s date of birth, death, and locations, see Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, standard certificate of death no. 139 (1930), Charles Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. For his marriage date and spouse, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Trauung (marriage) for Charles Wick and Emma Boening, Blue Island, 25 April 1883. 60 For Johann’s date of birth, death, and locations, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Begräbnis (burial) for Johann Wick, Blue Island, 27 March 1864. 61 For Christina’s date of birth, death, and locations, see "Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3Z6-N4W : 6 Apr 2021), Christina Gierman, 28 Mar 1917, death record. For her marriage date and spouse, see “Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871–1968,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7XS-BZF: 6 Apr 2021), Christine “Wicks”—Charles Giermann, 14 Apr 1883, marriage license.

© Greg Wick 2021 Page 8 of 10 ProGen 47 - Family Narrative 4 iv. FREDERICA “FREDA” WICK, born 17 February 1866, Chicago, Illinois; married John Aloysius Jostes; died 5 April 1963, Chicago, Illinois.62 5 v. DOROTHY “DORA” WICK, born 21 February 1869, Chicago, Illinois; married Henry William Rath; died 27 May 1954, San Mateo, San Mateo, California.63 6 vi. CHRISTIAN WILLEY WICK, born 14 August 1873, Chicago, Illinois;64 probably died prior to 1880 in Chicago, Illinois.65 7 vii. IDA MARY WICK, born 18 December 1874, Chicago, Illinois; married Christian Hauter; died 29 April 1960, Posen, Cook, Illinois.66 8 viii. EMILIE ANNA “AMELIA” WICK, born 27 September 1879, Blue Island, Illinois; married Arthur W. Fischer; died 19 December 1904, Chicago, Illinois.67 9 ix. HENRY ADAM WICK, born 29 March 1881, Blue Island, Illinois; married Laura Des Laurier; died March 1965, location unknown.68

62 For Frederika’s date of birth, death, and locations, see "Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011," image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Freda Jostes, 5 Apr 1963, death record. For her marriage date and spouse, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Trauung (marriage) for Johann Jostes and Frieda Wick, Blue Island, 28 April 1886. 63 For Dorothy’s date of birth, death, and locations, see "California Death Index, 1940–1997," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Dora E Rath, 27 May 1954, death record. For her marriage date and spouse, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Mar 2021), Trauung (marriage) for Heinrich W. Rath and Dorothea Wick, Blue Island, 27 August 1888. 64 For Christian’s date and place of birth, see “Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875–1940,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), baptism for Christian Willey Wick, Chicago, 23 November 1873. 65 Since the couple’s next child, Ida, was born less than two years after Christian’s birth, it is likely that he passed away in infancy. Extant Lutheran Church of America burial records were searched with negative results. See “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); exact searches for Wil* W?c*, Wil* W?k, Chr* W?c* and Chr* W?k* in Illinois returned no relevant burial results. For evidence that Christian was not alive in 1880, see 1880 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Village of Blue Island, Town of Worth, ED 207, p. 544 (stamped on proceeding page), p. 36 (penned), dwelling (not given), family (not given), Adam Wick, image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2019); citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 200. 66 For Ida’s date of birth, death, and death location, see State of Illinois, medical certificate of death no. 1472 (1960), Ida Hauter; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. For her birth location, see 1880 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Village of Blue Island, Town of Worth, ED 207, p. 544 (stamped on proceeding page), p. 36 (penned), dwelling (not given), family (not given), Adam Wick, image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2019); citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 200. For her marriage date and spouse, see “Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871–1968,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7XY-KQL: 6 Apr 2021), Ida Wick—Christian Hauter, 28 March 1894, marriage license. 67 For Emilie Anna’s date of birth and location, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), baptism for Emilie Anna Wick, Blue Island, 2 November 1879. For her marriage date and spouse, see “Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871–1968,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7WL-941 : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Amelia Wick—Arthur Fischer, 14 December 1898, marriage license. For her date of death and location, see “Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871–1998,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1: Q2MQ-C9XP : 6 Apr 2021), “Ametia” Fischer, 19 December 1904, death record. 68 For Henry Adam’s date of birth and location, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), baptism for Heinrich Adam Wick, Blue Island, 16 October 1881. For his marriage date and spouse, see “Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871–1968,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N747-TJM : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Harry A. Wick—Laura “Des Lanrier”, 24 April 1902, marriage license. For his death date,

2. Charles Ernst Wick2 (Adam b-2, Jacoba-1, ChristophA, Johann PhilippB, LorentzC, AndreasD), born on 5 December 1860 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. He was the son of Adam and Sophia Maria (née Mohr) Wick. He died on 24 September 1930 in Blue Island, Cook, Illinois.69 He married 25 April 1883 in Blue Island, Emma Boening, the daughter of “William” Wilhelm and “Mary” Maria (née Steinbach) Boening.70 Emma was born 10 July 1865 in Blue Island, and passed away there on 24 July 1930.71

Proof Summary

While no extant birth, baptismal, or bible record has been located that recorded the birth of Charles Wick, three documents created during his lifetime, and one after his death, help to identity his parents as Adam and Sophia (née Mohr) Wick.72

• Charles, born in Illinois, age nine, lived in Adam and Sophia’s household in 1870.73 • Charles, born in Illinois, age nineteen, lived in Adam and Sophia’s household and was enumerated as their son in 1880.74 • After his mother’s death in 1924, Charles, along with his siblings, published a note of thanks in the local newspaper.75 • Charles’s death certificate names his parents as Adam Wick and Sophia Mohr.76

No other conflicting information has been located that disputes the above conclusion. If new evidence were to come to light, it would likely confirm the conclusion rather than deny it.

see “U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 6 Apr 2021), entry for Henry Wick, 1965, SS no. 338-18-8986. 69 For Charles’s date of birth, death, and locations, see Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, standard certificate of death no. 139 (1930), Charles Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. 70 For Charles and Emma’s marriage record, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Trauung (marriage) for Charles Wick and Emma Boening, Blue Island, 25 April 1883. For Emma’s parents, see “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021), Taufen (baptism) for Emma Catharine Dorothea Boening, Blue Island, 17 September 1865. 71 For Emma’s date of birth, death, and locations, see Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, standard certificate of death no. 5110106 (1930), Emma Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago. 72 The state of Illinois did not require state-wide registration of births until 1916, and extant Cook County records only begin in 1872. Also, extant Jo Daviess County birth records do not begin until 1877. See Alice Eichholz, editor, Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, 3d ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 194–5. Extant Lutheran church records were searched with negative results. See “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); exact searches for Kar* W?c*, Kar* W?k*, Cha* W?c* and Cha* W?k* in Illinois returned no relevant baptismal results. 73 1870 U.S. Census, Jackson County, Missouri, population schedule, Kansas City 2nd Ward, p. 512 (stamped), dwelling 963, family 1057, Adam Wick; image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 782. 74 1880 U.S. census, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, Village of Blue Island, Town of Worth, ED 207, p. 544 (stamped on proceeding page), p. 36 (penned), dwelling (not given), family (not given), Adam Wick, image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021); citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 200. 75 “Card of Thanks,” The Blue Island Sun-Standard (Illinois), 18 Dec 1924, p. 7, c. 7; NewspaperArchive.com (https://www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 6 Apr 2021). 76 Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics, standard certificate of death no. 139 (1930), Charles Wick; Cook County Clerk’s office, Chicago.