Geschichte der Lemkaus - History of Lemkau
Anna Margarethe Lemkau Oelrich
written by Cindi Becker-Lemkau
SHE RESTS IN GLENWOOD CITY
In a town I never knew existed, in a graveyard I've never seen, there
is a woman cradled in an unmarked grave that I have never met. I knew
her merely as Anna Oellrich.
Anna was born on September 25, 1840 to Claus Hinrich and Metta Christine Beckmann Lemkau. It is assumed her place of birth was Oederquart, the same area in Northern Germany in which her siblings were born. Her full given name was Anna Margarethe.
Not much is known about Anna's youth, but at the age of 24 and noted as a "maid of Oelrichsheil" she gave birth to a male child christened Claus Frederick Lemkau. Then six years later, on June 6, 1870 Anna married Johann Hinrich Oellrich, a widower of approximately six months and a father of three known children. From 1871 to 1878 Anna gave birth to five more children. Three of those five children died prior to their twelve birthday.
On May 4, 1888 while still in Germany, Anna buried her husband and in September of that same year, she and her two surviving children traveled sixty-six miles to Hamburg where they too began their journey to the States. Anna brought with her two trunks, one for the children, and the other for herself which along with clothing, housed a small spinning wheel. She would use that wheel until her death in 1933.
After landing in New York on September 21, 1888 the Oellrichs set out for LeSueur, perhaps knowing that Claus was there, and eventually settled in a home located not far from where he had created a new life. It's this part of the story that will forever remain a mystery, but it could be assumed that his guarded illegitimacy may have been partly to blame for what happened next. Within the same year as Anna's arrival in LeSueur, Claus quickly sold his business and moved to San Francisco where he not only set up a new shop, but would remain until his death, never returning to the Midwest, never seeing his mother again. The innocent reunion was dissolved. Anna lost her fourth child.
In 1891 Kathryn, Anna's daughter, married William Gersdorf, and settled in Glenwood City, Wisconsin. In 1907, nine years after the birth of their fourth child, Kathryn died of periodontal disease and was laid to rest in the Glenwood Cemetery. Anna then moved to Wisconsin to assist William with the children. Anna had lost her fifth child.
Fritz Wilhelm Oellrich, otherwise known as William; Anna's youngest son, was difficult to research. He had lived with Anna in LeSueur up until 1900, but then seemed to vanish. He was eventually discovered in the 1910 census living in Oregon where he was listed as single and a self employed nurseryman.
In 1922 Anna was eighty-two years old, William, Anna's former son-in-law married Rose Voelker, and her granddaughter Alma, now married, gave birth to a baby girl. For fifteen years, Anna had served as a surrogate mother to Kathryn's children, but her services were no longer needed, and it was time to move on.
Her next residence would be with the young Kamm family where she would
once again assist with childcare, and it was through correspondence with
this great granddaughter, that I was able to see Anna a bit more clearly.
As the new great granddaughter grew stronger, Anna grew more frail, and
eventually lost all vision, but even in complete darkness, she could manipulate
fiber between her aged fingers, pump the foot peddle of her wheel, and
create a thread worthy of knitting. Yet, the only way to converse with
Anna was by speaking German. Though having lived in the States for forty-five
years, she had never learned to speak nor read English. In some respects
her life was ending just as it had begun long ago in Germany. On the 15
of October 1933 Anna died in her sleep.
Anna was embalmed in the Kamm home, after which her casket was placed
in the living room where a small service took place, then onto the church.
Very few were in attendance. Her stepchildren, who had eventually immigrated
to the States, were unknown to the Kamms, and the children made no attempts
to keep aware of Anna's circumstances. It's assumed that William, the
reclusive son living in Oregon, was unaware of her fate as he too was
not present.
Her first son, Claus Lemkau of California, was an unknown entity to the
family and would not have been contacted. All her other children had died
before her. Anna's quiet journey had come to a solitary end at the age
of 93. Her passing was noted in the Thursday's edition of the Glenwood
City paper.
Glenwood City Tribune dated October 19, 1933
Mrs. Anna Oelrich, 93, of the town of Glenwood, passed away at
the home of her granddaughter, Mrs. Fred Kamm, on Sunday, Oct 15.
Mrs. Oelrich was born in Germany, Sept. 25, 1840. She came to the United
States
45 years ago. Funeral services were held Tuesday from Trinity Lutheran
Church, Rev. F.E. Lehne officiating. Internment was made in the Glenwood
City Cemetery.
The burial permit was signed, the plot prepared, the casket lowered and
entombed in the earth, but a headstone was never purchased. Her grave
was and continues to be as anonymous as her life. The only flowers that
may have ever graced her bed were those that nature gave freely. It can
only be hoped that soon her place of interment can be located and marked
as it should have been long ago.
Through Anna's first born son, Claus Frederick, we have been given custody
of the Lemkau surname. Though it is now known to have existed since 1628,
this branch will end with our daughter. But by way of modern technology
and its ability to reach to the far corners of the earth, the history
of our matriarchal surname and the family it represents will be forever
revealed.
So, in tribute to the contribution that Anna gave to my own life, it would
be a privilege to visit a place I have never seen and to stand at the
foot of her unmarked grave in honor of a life yet to be celebrated. But,
the greatest desire and privilege would be to give Anna the dignity of
a simple tablet which would merely read:
Her name was Anna Margarethe Lemkau Oellrich