January 2017 News for Descendants of Johann Christopher Windemuth B
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January 2017 News for descendants of Johann Christopher Windemuth b. 1676 Windemuth Family Newsletter Related Family Names: Windemuth*Wintamote*Wintamute*Wintemute*Wintermote*Wintermute*Wintermuth Nancy Lane Washington D.C. Debutante 4th Great Granddaughter of Georg Philip Windemuth Nancy Lane grew up in Washington D.C. when President Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were in office. Her father Franklin Knight Lane, was a commissioner and then Chairmen of the Interstate Commerce Commission. He was then appointed as the 26th Secretary of the Interior by President Wilson. Nancy was born on January 4, 1903 to Anna Clair Wintermute and Franklin Knight Lane, in Los Angeles, California. Her older bother Franklin Knight Lane Jr. was born April 5, 1896 in San Francisco, California. Nancy’s father, Franklin Knight Lane, was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Is- land in 1864 and her mother Anna Clair Wintermute born in Ontario, Canada in 1870. Her parent’s were married in Tacoma Washington in 1893 where Franklin Lane was Nancy Lane editor and part owner of the Tacoma Newspaper. Franklin and Anna early life was in Washington D.C. 1918 San Francisco where Franklin was practicing law with is bother. He became San Fran- cisco’s District Attorney and also ran for Governor of California 1902, but lost. Continued on Page 3 Inside this issue: Coming Soon Welcome to Cape Breton 2 Nancy Lane 3 Windemuth Family Reunion Nancy Lane 4 Reunion Registration 5 ****July 10-13, 2017**** Reunion Itinerary 6 This is a great opportunity to renew friendships Heritage Books and 7 With cousins and meet new ones Officers Missing Members 8 Registration forms Life Members 9 are on page 5 and 6 Membership Payments © 2016 Windemuth Family Organization Windemuth Family Newsletter Page 2 January 2017 Welcome to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia by Norma (Wintermute) Marchant Once you arrive in Cape Breton, you will see the phrase, “Ciad Mille Failte!” on signage throughout the island. This is an im- portant message to visitors. It is in the Gaelic language and translated it means, “100,000 Welcomes!” My husband, Bill, and I look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful island, which has been our chosen home for the past 26 years. The earliest occupants on the island that today is called, Cape Breton Island, were members of the Mi’kmaq Nation. The Mi’kmaq were nomadic people, moving from place to place hunting, fishing and gathering. The name Baddeck is thought to come from a Mi’kmaq term Ebedeck which means “place with an island nearby”. The first European settlers arrived on the island early in the 17th century. They were French and were attracted here by the fish that swarmed in the waters off of the coast. It is thought that Portuguese and French fishermen were sailing to Canada’s east coast regularly to fish in the summer months long before Columbus arrived in the New World. The French soon realized that the island occupied a strategic location at the mouth of the St Lawrence River, the easiest northerly route to the interior of the North American continent. To guard the entrance to the St. Lawrence, the fortified city of Louisbourg began to be developed in 1713. It was situated on the shores of an excellent harbour and its purpose was to provide a base for the French fleet and to protect French fishermen along the coast from the English who had settled the east coast further south. Louisbourg eventually became the largest fortified city in North America. However, near constant war with England resulted in the fortress finally surrendering to the English in 1758, after a lengthy siege. Cape Breton Island thus became the property of the English crown. Fortress Louisbourg was eventually demolished and re- mained a rubble heap until 1961 when the Canadian government began to reconstruct parts of the long gone city. Today the site is a National Park with reconstruction of about 1/3 of the original town and it is well worth a visit. Baddeck‘s earliest European settler was James Duffus who settled here, on Mutton Island, in 1819. James and his wife conducted a mercantile business from the island until his death in 1833. William Kidston arrived in Baddeck two years later to assist the widow Duffus in conducting trade from the island, and one year later he and the widow Duffus were wed. Shortly after the wed- ding, the island was renamed Kidston Island. In the mid to late 1800’s, there were people from the highlands of Scotland who were forced to leave their homeland. Many came to Cape Breton, bringing with them their culture and music. The Gaelic language, although not now commonly used, is alive and well here in Cape Breton, thanks in no small part to the Gaelic College which will be part of our road tour next July. The greeting “Ciamar a tha sibh?” (How are you?) and response “ Tha mi glé mhath.” (I'm very well) are often still heard on our sidewalks. Baddeck grew as the commercial and political centre for the farmers and fishermen who were moving in to settle the surround- ing area. By 1870, the population of the village was near 1800, almost twice as many as live year-round in the village today. The history of Baddeck would not be complete without mention of Alexander Graham Bell, who was born in Scotland, emigrated to Brantford, Ontario as a young man with his parents, and went on to fame as inventor of the telephone. He, too, chose Cape Bre- ton as his home and was a part time resident of Baddeck from 1885 until his death in 1922. His life and work is honoured at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site which will also be featured in our road tour. Our village, once dependent on shipbuilding, mercantilism, and agriculture, is now a more tranquil place with the economy dependent on tourism. Thousands of visitors come each year to enjoy the natural beauty of the area, and the hospitality of the island. We look forward to your visit here for the Windemuth reunion in 2017. To learn more about the community of Baddeck, go to www.ourbaddeck.com If you have any questions about Cape Breton, please email me - [email protected] If you have questions about the reunion, please contact my sister, Donna, at [email protected] Windemuth Family Newsletter January 2017 Page 3 Anna Clair (Wintermute) Lane, 1913 Franklin, Anna, Franklin Jr. Lane, 1902 Secretary Franklin Lane Continued from Page 1 Franklin Lane was named to the Interstate Commerce Commission in De- cember 1905 by Theodore Roosevelt, but before his appointment San Fran- cisco suffered a severe earthquake on April 18, 1906. Appointed by the Mayor to the Committee of Fifty to deal the aftermath, he personally fought the fires and helped save the Western Addition. Shortly afterwards Nancy’s family moved to Washington D.C. and on July 2, 1906 her father was sworn in as a commissioner of the ICC. Her father’s political career continued upward, becoming Chairman of the ICC in January 1913 and then appointed by the newly elected President Wilson as Secretary of the Interior in March 1913. Franklin helped establish the U.S. National Parks, along with other cabinet members who urged for the American intervention in the war. Anna Clair (Wintermute) Lane was the supportive wife and mother to Nancy and Franklin Jr. as they grew up in our nations capital. Being the wife of a cabinet member, she associated with the elite of Washington as well as her children. Nancy also assisted her father at the office and in May 1913, she interceded for the visiting Indians. In a Washington Times Newspaper article, dated May 13, 1913, titled “Pretty Nancy Lane, White Pocahontas”. Passing cen- turies have made conditions exactly reversed, Pocahontas interceded with her father and his powerful tribe for a handful of white men, now Miss Lane white maiden, is interceding with the powerful white chiefs for the better protection of a few red men. Nancy and President Wilson’s voices were Nancy Lane, The Call Newspaper, San Francisco, May 1913 recorded by phonograph for a message to the Indians. Continued on Page 4 Windemuth Family Newsletter Page 4 January 2017 Continued from Page 3 In May, 1914 President Wilson’s youngest daughter, Eleanor Randolph Wilson, mar- ried William Gibbs McAdoo, who at that time was Secretary of State. Nancy Lane was one of two flower girls, and she preceded Eleanor and President Wilson down the aisle. On October 29, 1919 Nancy and her bother Franklin Jr. were seen at the St. Marks Café with Prince Leopold of England. The Prince had sprung a ruse while din- ning at the home of Secretary of State Lansing, he complained of feeling ill and re- tired only to show up at the café later. Nancy Lane married Philip Christopher Kauffmann on April 20 1920. Philip’s father, Victor Kauffmann was part owner and was the first president of the Washington Star Newspaper in D.C. They had one child, Franklin Lane Kauffmann, born July 24, 1921 and died May 24, 1988. They separated a few years later and she and her mother moved back to California. Flower girls Nancy Lane and Sallie Franklin Lane remained as Secretary of the Interior until he resigned in February McAdoo at President Wilsons youngest daughters wedding, May 7, 1914 1920. Under his administration our National Parks were created, he helped guide the nation during World War I and opened his home to veterans convalescing from the war. Franklin died on May 18 1921 in Roch- ester, MN., following surgery and heart failure.