The German-American Family of Johann Klesen (1857–1933)
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Maria Besse/Nathalie Besse/ Thomas Besse/Johannes Naumann The German-American Family of Johann Klesen (1857–1933) Verein für Heimatgeschichte Thalexweiler e.V. Historischer Verein zur Erforschung des Schaumberger Landes – Tholey e.V. Maria Besse/Nathalie Besse/Thomas Besse/Johannes Naumann: The German-American Family of Johann Klesen (1857–1933) Maria Besse/Nathalie Besse/ Thomas Besse/Johannes Naumann The German-American Family of Johann Klesen (1857–1933) Authors: Professor Dr. Maria Besse, Dr. Nathalie Besse, Thomas Besse, and Johannes Naumann Publisher and Marketing: Verein für Heimatgeschichte Thalexweiler (Historical Society Thalexweiler) Thomas Besse Tannenweg 21 D-66292 Riegelsberg, Saarland/Germany [email protected] http://www.besse.de and Historischer Verein zur Erforschung des Schaum- berger Landes (Historical Society Tholey) Theulegium Museum Rathausplatz 6 D-66636 Tholey, Saarland/Germany Internet: www.theulegium.de Book design, composition and photographic works: Thomas Besse, Riegelsberg/Germany Copyright © 2017 by Thomas Besse All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior permission in writing of the authors. Print: Publishing company Pirrot Saarbrücken, Trierer Straße 7, 66125 Saar- brücken-Dudweiler/Germany (http://www.pirrot.de) ISBN 978-3-937436-60-9 Saarbrücken/Germany 2017 Contents Page Foreword ....................................................................................................................... 6 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7 Family origin in Binsfeld (Weiswampach, Canton Diekirch, Luxembourg) ............... 7 Paternal Ancestral Chart of the Paternal Ancestors ................................................ 9 Interpretation of the Family Name KLESEN .............................................................. 12 2 Generation 1 in Binsfeld (Luxemburg) and Scheuern (Saarland) ...................... 15 2.1 Sheppard Adam CLESEN in Binsfeld (Generation 1) ..................................... 15 2.2 CLESEN Houses in Binsfeld ............................................................................... 22 2.3 Cartwright and Mayor Tillmann HOFFMANN in Scheuern (Generation 1) ..... 26 3 Tholey-Scheuern (Germany, Saarland) ................................................................... 29 3.1 Carpenter and Mayor Jacob CLESEN in Scheuern (Generation 2) ............... 29 3.2 Children of Jacob CLESEN and Agnes HOFFMANN (Generation 3) .............. 50 3.3 Blacksmith and Miner Johannes KLESEN in Scheuern (Generation 3) ............. 67 3.4 Children of Johannes KLESEN (Generation 4) ................................................ 81 3.5 Tailor and Farmer Kasimir KLESEN in Scheuern (Generation 4) ................. 100 3.6 Shoemaker and Linen Weaver Michael KLESEN in Scheuern (Generation 5) . .. 110 4 Lebach-Dörsdorf (Germany, Saarland) ................................................................... 115 4.1 Shoemaker Matthias KLESEN in Dörsdorf (Generation 5) .............................. 115 4.2 Coal Miner Josef KLESEN in Dörsdorf (Generation 6) ................................... 121 5 Immigration to America ............................................................................................. 126 5.1 Johann KLESEN and Anna SCHMITT in Chicago, Illinois, USA .................... 126 5.2 Catharina KLESEN and Peter PUHL in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanian, USA .... 130 5.3 Jacob and Nikolas AMES in Potosi, Wisconsin, USA .................................... 131 5.4 Angela KLESEN in Picada Café, Brazil ............................................................ 136 6 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 137 7 Directories and Registers ........................................................................................... 138 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... 138 Sources ........................................................................................................................... 139 Literature ....................................................................................................................... 140 Register of Names of People ........................................................................................ 143 Register of Names of Places ........................................................................................ 146 Illustration Credits and Sources ................................................................................. 148 Foreword The tracing of family named and the search for ancestors has always been a very popular pastime. Already in the Middle Ages, aristocrats tried to organize family tree charts of their ancestors. Unfortunately, in Germany genealogical research fell into disrepute during the Third Reich of the National Socialism (Nazi) regime. Only recently can be seen an increasing interest in literary studies on genealogy and the research of ancestors. The growing number of members in genealogical associations and historical societies illustrates this. The authors have scrutinized their own family history and its many historical themes several times. This family history book focuses on the surname Klesen, which is especially common in the German Saarland region. Our research into the carpenter Jacob KLESEN and his parents, all from Binsfeld in Luxembourg, found that the first documented instance of this surname occurred in Scheuern in the Saarland. A study about the baroque altars ascribed to his craftsmanship will be published separately. We want to thank Günter KLESEN, Lebach-Dörsdorf, deceased, and Herbert KLESEN, Sulzbach, who had already researched much of the Klesen genealogical tree. The results of their research have been included into this study. We also want to thank the Tholey historical association for their publishing of the German version of this study and the Bohnental historical society for helping to locate the Klesen houses in Scheuern and in the Bohnental area as well as for having clarified numerous questions about the family. We wish to thank Dr. phil. Nathalie Katharina Besse, Saarland/Germany, and Jim Carpenter, California/USA, for their help in translating this family chronicle. Prof. Dr. Maria Besse, Dr. Nathalie Besse, Johannes Naumann, Thomas Besse, Frater Wendelinus, Benedictine abbey Riegelsberg/Germany Tholey/Germany 2017 Chapter 1 7 1 Introduction Family origin in Binsfeld (Weiswampach, canton Diekirch, Luxembourg) The name KLESEN is originally a Luxembourgian family name from the village of Binsfeld (see figures 1 and 2) in the commune of Weis- wampach, canton Diekirch, which is located in the Luxembourg Ar- dennes and is about 87 miles away from the Saarland village Tholey- Scheuern, where many of the KLE- SEN families live today. The region is also called the “Ösling” (Oes- ling). The “Ösling“ region is in the north of the Grand Duchy of Lux- embourg, and covers about 33% of the land area. It includes the can- Figure 1. Binsfeld, twon of Weiswampach, Luxem- tons Diekirch, Clerf, Diekirch, Re- bourg dingen, Vianden and Wiltz. The first documentation of Binsfeld, called Bënzelt in the local dialect, dates back to 770 in the Latin language: It was named “Benutzfelt“, situated between the regions “centina Belslango“ and “vasta Ardinna“. Charlemagne (Charles the Great), King of the Franks, gave back a forest in Binsfeld to the palsgrave Chrodoin and his descendants. In this document two variant names appear: Benezvelt and Benutzfelt. The variant Binuzfelt was mentioned in another document in 844. The place name can be derived from the Old High German word binuz for the plant rush,1 called in the Ösling dia- lect Jinken2. Today, this plant is still found in the meadows surrounding the village.3 Figure 2. Binsfeld (Bënzelt), Weiswampach, Luxembourg, village entrance, main road 1 See Meyers p. 73 noting that lots of field names with the same linguistic stem exist in Luxembourg. 2 See Jenk (WDW-DVD 4). 3 See BIHOB 1981, p. 30. 8 Binsfeld, commune of Weiswampach The census of fireplaces in 1531, which was created as a tax list, made mention of 14 households in Binsfeld, including the following households that can be traced to the surname KLESEN: Metzen Claisz, Elsen Claisz and Claisen Johann.1 According to the census of fireplaces in 1541, there were the Klesen-related names of Claesenn Claus, Elsen Claus, Cluß Johann and Titzen Claus in Binszffelt.2 The parish register of the church in Hol- ler (see figure 3 with Baroque altars) also notes the name CLESEN in Binsfeld in 1702. In 1742, Nicolaus CLESEN is mentioned as a Catholic priest who reads the early mass (Primissarius) in Binsfeld and can be con- nected to Elsen Nicolas.3 Nicolaus CLESEN, vicar in binseldt, personally signed the last will of Friedrich Elsen as witness.4 The Ösling (see figure 4) was largely spared from the Thirty Years’ War (1618– 1648), since soldiers only moved into winter quarters in the town of Marnach. The coun- try did not suffer under the long war as did the present Saarland. Therefore, the reset- tlement of the north Saarland area after the Figure 3. Baroque high altar in the war was primarily undertaken by craftsmen, church of Holler teachers and priests from Luxembourg. It was assumed previously that Jacob KLESEN had emigrated from Binsfeld in the Eifel District (zip code 54518)