Guenther Castle Sketch 1826, Wikipedia

Guenther History in Germany

The Günther Castle:

In 1690, the land was purchased for the sum of 5700 guilders , acquired by Frankfurt innkeeper Johann Jacob Günther, a wealthy businessman who made his fortune as a military supplier in the Thirty Years’ War. He built the Günthersburg , a small moated castle with a moat and drawbridge. It seems that the venture was ill advised and Johann went broke. The castle was sold and became a park.

Geutner Family Surname

GÜNTHER. G GENDER: Masculine. USAGE: German, Germanic Mythology. PRONOUNCED: GUYN-ter.

From the Germanic name Gundahar, derived from the elementsgund “war” and hari “army, warrior”. This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century Burgundian king. He appears in the Germanic saga the ‘Nibelungenlied’, which has him married to the Icelandic queen Brünhild.

VARIANTS: Günter, Gunter, Gunther (German), Gundahar (Germanic Mythology).

Johann Valentin Günther (1768- 1840) and Dorothea Wörner(1789- 1872)

Charles Guenther was born 24 SEP 1820 in Bergen, Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany, an only child. He was the son of Valentin(1768- 1840) and Dorothea(1789- 1872) Guenther. There is no American record of the date of his birth. German records show he was an only child. His family is one of the oldest families on record in Frankfort. He is related to the Guenther castle family and of distinguished lineage. 

Charles (Karl birth name) Philipp Guenther(1820-1900)

He was baptized in the Lutheran church, probably as a baby. At the age of nine Charles had what he describes as a conversion experience. At age 15 he was confirmed in the Lutheran church, meaning he acknowledged his infant baptism. Later he would ascribe to an adult baptism, dismissing the idea of an infant being eligible for baptism.

His young life is centered around God. As he grows he witnesses the religious persecution in Hesse-Cassel, Germany. For the rest of his life there is no record of him referring to his natural family in Germany, although his mother came to live with him in America.. Perhaps there was a major break in his religious convictions from his German family as he embraced the anabaptist movement (also known as German Baptists and the Brethren Church). 

Charles Migrates to America in 1838

Like many other Germans, Charles, at age 19, jumped at the opportunity to head to America. Charles P. Guenther was a man of faith. He came to America looking for a place where he could exercise freedom of religion. His life echoes down through the generations of the Guenthers. 

On May 8th, 1838 at Bremen Harbor, Charles boarded the ship “Matador” and sailed to America. In the early days people didn’t typically travel alone and the group Charles went to America with was from a small farming village of Dorndiel, Germany. Dorndiel is just south of Frankfurt near Darmstadt. Throughout his life Charles would say he was from Frankfurt.For five years he was employed by a wealthy New York family in Poughkeepsie. 

Thirty nine days later he landed in New York.

Charles  proceeded up the Hudson River to Pough Keepsie where he worked several years in a grist mill. He may have had to work in payment for his trip over. At 19 Charles would have been a hard worker, as was typical of early immigrants. 

As his life plays out Charles shows his skill at farming and his ability to adapt from one religious group to another. He became a learned minister in a church. During this time he carried on occasional correspondence with his parents and through them with the Emmel’s, all of whom were much interested in America. It was through his correspondence that the Emmel’s were induced to come to America. His Father died in 1840  in Germany and his mother to came over to live with him in the early 1860s. The 1870 census  reveals that his mother Dorothea lived with him in Lena, Illinois, where she died in the early 1870s. 

Charles Marries Mary Emmel(1821-1900  ) in 1845

Maria (Mary) Emmel was born in Seckbach, Germany. She was the second born of ten children. In 1842, at age 21, she travelled with her family to America. In 1845 Mary Emmel married Charles Guenther in Buffalo, New York, September 28, 1845. It was here their first child, Emma(1845- 1920), was born on April 20, 1845. They may have moved to Buffalo for Mary to have the baby. But these dates are all questionable and nothing can be certain here. 

Emma

Born in Buffalo, NY, in 1845, Emma married Jacob Butterbaugh in 1863 in Illinois. He was a farmer and a minister of the Dunkard Church (German Baptist). They had three children: Elnora, Elkana and Alma. They moved to Iowa where they divorced, with church approval, in the late 1880s. Emma then married Judge Manander Spurlock and lived in Chicago. When Manander got old and became sickly he moved in with his family and Emma moved west to Tacoma, Washington, to be near her son Elkana and his family. She died there in an institution for the mentally ill about 1920. 

Alleghany, Pennsylvania, 1847

In 1847 Charles moved his family to Alleghany, Pennsylvania. By now he had become an active member in the Church of the Brethren. Charles occupation was a farmer, and added to that he would become a pastor in the Brethren church.

Elizabeth

On June 20 Elizabeth Rosanna(1847- 1931) was born. 

Elizabeth was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1847. While living in Lena, Stephenson county, Illinois she fell in love with John Bowers and they were married on March 13, 1866 Both John L. and his wife Elizabeth took very active interest in church work and followed the BRETHREN church. They had nine children, Mary Jane, Emma Elnora, Edward Aaron, Ida Rose, Clara Ann, Arthur Stephen, Lillian Elizabeth, Bird LaPearle, and John Elmer. In the spring of 1882 they moved Westward to Reinbeck, Iowa, and settled on a farm about seven miles from town. Two years later they moved to a farm one half mile south of Reinbeck. In 1887-88 they moved into Reinbeck, Iowa, and here John began a business career in lumber and grain. Ten years later he disposed of Reinbeck interests and moved to Janesville, Bremer county, Iowa, and again in 1900 to Cedar Falls, Black Hawk county, Iowa. Here her father lived with her family after her mother’s death. The last  move was from Cedar Falls to Spokane, Spokane county, Washington, in 1904. Elizabeth lived a happy life with John and children, and died in Spokane In 1931.

Charles Phillip

On February 24, 1849, Charles Philliip(1849- 1929) was born. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1849, Charles had a farm in 1870 in West Point, Illinois with his brother John.  They took in their sister Amelia. Charles had left the brethren church. In 1882 he moved with his dad and family to Iowa and settled in Waterloo. In 1889 at the age of 40 he married Augusta Jacobs, age 20. They were married in an Evangelical Lutheran church in nearby Jones county. In Waterloo, Charles took in his sister Mary. Charles was a farmer who began investing in real estate. In 1922 He and his wife, whom he called Gussie, moved to Denver where he was very successful in Real Estate. Charles and Gussie had no children. He died in 1929 at the age of 80 and is buried in Denver.

Amelia

In 1851 Amelia Ameda(1851- 1925) was born on February 12, in Butler County.

Amelia was born in Bath, Pennsylvania in 1851. She moved with her family to West Point, Illinois. In 1872 she married John Damert. Amelia and John had two girls, Lillia and Laura. Amelia and John divorced in the late 1870s. She and her daughters moved to Iowa in 1882 with the Charles Guenther family. In 1887 Amelia married Prentice Bowman. Prentice was a successful bank vice president. They had two children, John and Neva. Amelia was in the Women’s Relief Corps. In 1902 Prentice died and Amelia moved to L.A. to be near her children. In 1925 Amelia died and is buried in Iowa.

Lena, Illinois, 1853

In 1853 Charles and Mary moved with their church members to Lena, Illinois, the same year the railroad came. Lena was noted for farming and timber. Charles’ father died in 1865 and his mother joined them in Lena. In 1856 they had John Aaron(1856- 1940) on July 16. The following year in 1857 they had Mary Emily(Molly)(1857- 1933).

John Aaron

John was born in Lena, Illinois in 1856. At the age of 24 he lived with his father Charles and helped him on his farm. John moved with the Charles Guenther family to Iowa in 1882. In Reinbeck, Illinois, he married Annie Morley in 1886. They had two children, Mabel and Willoughby. In 1910 he moved to McDonald County, Missouri. John was an active member of the church. His wife Annie died in 1926. In 1929 John married Elaine Jackson. John had a business interest in horticulture in Minnesota and Missouri. He died at the age of 85 and chose to be buried in Illinois.

Mary(Molly)

Molly was born in Lena, Illinois in 1857. She never married and became a music teacher. The church her parents were attending split and one of the issues was music. In a church split, her father chose to go with the ‘Progressive’ Brethren Church which allowed music. She moved with the family to Iowa and lived in Waterloo with her brother Charles. She later moved to Spokane, Washington, where she lived with Elizabeth after her husband John died in 1917. Molly is listed in the Spokane city directory as teaching piano and vocal. She taught music in public school. Molly died in 1933 in Spokane, Washintton. She was 76.

Charles Ordained, 1859

Charles became an ordained minister of the German Baptist Brethren Church in 1859. They were also known as the Church of the Brethren. 

Death of Three Babies, 1860- 1863: Hemmala, Paulina, Carolina

In 1860 Hemmala was born on July 5 and died the next day. Mary had the opportunity to hold little Hemmala in her loving arms. In 1862 Paulina was born on May 9 and died the following year on June 9, 1863. The very next year of 1863 Carolina was born and died the same year.

The Yellow Creek Meeting House

Charles and his family attended Yellow Creek Meeting House at this time.

Waddam’s Church, 1864

Charles then transferred down to the Waddam’s Grove Church, a sister church to Yellow Creek. Charles’ family was living in West Point, Illinois, and the Waddam’s Grove Church was closer. He had a small farm and became a minister in the church in 1864, the Church of the Brethren. 

Church Resolution of 1881

In 1881 the Brethren church passed a resolution that changed things for Charles. Rather than embracing the resolution, which included no musical instruments, he left the conservative branch of the church and joined the Progressive group. His family was growing up and he had difficulties with some of his children in unhappy marriages. His wife Mary loved music and he saw the church resolution as overly restrictive and too intrusive into the lives of his family. His wife left the church a year before he did. She did not leave God but left a church which she felt no longer followed after God. Charles must have struggled to keep his family intact. His book of instructions didn’t include how to deal with a wife with convictions like Mary.

In 1882 Charles left his troubles behind and headed for Iowa. Family was told Illinois was too cold but… Iowa? The truth was closer to Charles’ deep devotion to serving God and he could no longer be a member of a church that he felt was wrong. He must have softened himself to keep his family together. Charles was an ordained ministered and noted for his speaking ability.  His daughter Elizabeth won his favor with her devotion to serving. His son Sam left God and worried him.

Reinhart, Iowa, 1882

In 1882 Charles moved his family to Reinhart, Iowa. Another German community with a Brethren church. Their eldest daughter Emma lived here. 

LaPorte City, Iowa, 1886

In 1886 Charles purchased 320 acres in La Porte City, where he built a beautiful home for his family. In 1891 he attended the annual Brethren meeting in B.C., Canada. He had only two children at home, Molly, and Sam. How he managed to come up with the money to build a nice home is unknown. As he aged Charles felt God calling him back into the ministry.

Waterloo, Iowa, 1893 

Charles packed up again in 1893 and came to roost in Waterloo, Iowa. 

By 1859 Charles confirms his commitment to America by gaining citizenship. It is not likely that he ever had any serious plans of returning to Germany although many did. America was not a paradise for everyone who came. Life had to be carved out of the circumstances at hand, and often those circumstances were a struggle between life and death. Only the strong really made it. 

Biographical sketches from the German Baptist Church (Brethren Church in Waddam’s Grove in Illinois and Stephenson County in Illinois:

In 1893 Charles rented out his farm, which was just north of LaPorte City, and moved to Waterloo where he was a minister in the Progressive Brethren Church. Charles and his wife took in his son John and his children. John’s family had mostly left the Brethren Church and Charles never held that against them. Like him, they were seeking God. 

Charles’ son Sam took over the farm.

Charles Pleads with Prodigal Son Sam

When his son Sam strayed from God Charles pleaded with him to seek God. 

Charles’ letter to his son Samuel:

Dear Samuel Guenther, 

“Our son, we are all well at present. Your letter came to us and it made us feel good to hear from you, especially to hear about your getting along so well selling nursery stuff and your health. We hope that you will be the best you know how. Anyway, fear God and do right to everybody and do your self put your trust in God and not have no doubt in your mind about the word which is: Jesus Christ has promised to be with us day by day. Last week we were with Henry ***, our good neighbors ***Charly came up to us and offered us some money, gave me $30 and mother $30.

“Stayed over night with ***, he came home the same day, that is the 20th of May 1894. We have set the day to take the train, the 18th of June , Monday afternoon, 5:52 and are going to Saint Jo. ***Leave St. Jo, 8:30 , arrive in Valley Falls at 10 on the Santa Fe Railroad.”

Charles signs off letter to Samuel

Death of Mary and Charles, 1900

In 1900 Mary Emmel died. Charles followed her that same year while living with his daughter Elizabeth Bowers in Cedar Falls, Iowa. They are buried side by side in Elm Wood Cemetery, Waterloo, Iowa. Charles’ and his wife’s headstones are very simple and reflect his humble life’s work of serving God.

Charles’ Grave in Waterloo, Iowa

The Ghost and the Tinker:

Now here is a story that I have from our father(John E. Guenther) who had it from his father. Old Berchion knew the story, too, but she always rolled her eyes when she talked about it. So, here is the story:

“After the family of CP and Mary Emmel moved into their home in Freeport, Indiana, which they thought was the coldest place on earth, they would hear screaming at night. They all slept upstairs, at least those who were still home at the time and they would hear running down the hallway, and then a scream and a thud, and then more of a bump, bump bump as whatever it was went down the stairs. It was terrifying. 

“Often when those living at home were outside, they would notice a tinker come up to the house, the door would open, they thought it was their mother letting them in the house, and so they would go there to see what the man had to sell and what he planned to repair, but when they asked their mother, she said, there was no tinker and nobody had ever come into the house. Well, it turned out that the people who had the house before them had lured a tinker into the house and had murdered him, took all of his goods, and disposed of the body, but the spirit stayed and lived on. Those people had to leave the house and so sold the place cheap to get away. One of the reasons and maybe it was the main reason for leaving Freeport was to get away from the ghost. The next people had to burn the house down.

“Geraldine Guenther’s  take on that story was that it was simply rats and an overactive imagination. One thing is for sure, the Samuel Guenther family was sure superstitious. You all know the story about when Sam and his son John were driving like crazy across the desert in Washington to be at the bedside of Aunt Elizabeth when the car backfired and died and then started up again and Grandpa Sam said, ‘No sense in hurrying, that was Elizabeth and she just let us know that she has died.’ Sure enough, that was about the time she had died all right.” As told by Ronald B, Guenther.

This story is shot full of holes for sure, a story passed on and embellished immensely, but it reveals the superstition that was prevalent in the Sam Guenther family. Superstition exists to this day with some of Sam’s descendants.

Mary Emmel(1821- 1900)

Mary Emmel was born February 28, 1821 in Frankfort-on-the-Maine, Germany or Hesse. She was born in Alsace – Loraine, Feb 26, 8121), and was one of eight children. Her brothers were Jacobs, John and Conrad, and her sisters were Susan, Margaret, Eve, and Clara. The family all came to America when Mary was 21 years of age. Her parents were hotel keepers in Germany, by means of which they had accumulated much wealth. Through unwise investments their losses were heavy, but Mary’s father still possessed enough capital to purchase a farm in America, which was near Landcastle, Pennsylvania. Mary Emmel’s mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Kappes. The Kappes’s came to Frankfort, Germany shortly after German possession of Alsace-Lorraine. 

Johannes Emmel(1797- 1855)

Johannes Emmel(1797- 1855) Married Suzanna Elizabeth Knappes(1797- 1866) in about 1818 in Germany, probably in Frankfurt. Elizabeth was a very active woman and a tireless worker. Together with her husband they raised a large family of 10 children. 

Mary Emmel Comes to America, 1842

Mary was born in Seckbach, Germany. Maria (Mary)(Micah) Emmel went by Micah from birth until entering the United States with her parents and 9 siblings in 1842, when she began going by Mary. They had left Germany from Bremen Harbor and came through Baltimore, Maryland. Her youngest sister Clara (1842- 1907) was born on the ship over,  a testament to the stamina of Elizabeth. We might assume that their passage was in steerage, where conditions were horrendous and the death rate high. 

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 1843

Mary, with her family, took up residence in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1843. Mary was gifted in music and became a music teacher.

Buffalo, New York, 1845

By 1845 the family had moved to Buffalo, New York, where Mary met and married Charles Guenther. Mary’s obit demonstrates that she was a true Christian to the end. Her husband’s letter to their son Sam showed loving concern. His parents admonished him not to return to their church but to turn toward God. After having had three babies die only to have Sam live could have had some influence on how Mary raised Sam. Sam appears spoiled and self centered, even to the point of being mean. Mary had taught him how to play the violin which served to calm him his whole life. Mary, by teaching her daughter Molly how to play musical instruments, instilled in the Guenther family a love for music that has never left the family.

Mary’s Brother Conrad

Mary’s brother Conrad(1827- 1897) was a minister and his descendants are buried in Oregon City, Oregon. 

Mary Emmel dies, 1900

Mary was born in Germany in 1821. She crossed the Atlantic in 1842. Together with Charles they began the family trek West across the North American continent, finding their end in iowa. Mary died in 1900 in Waterloo. She is buried there in Elmwood Cemetery, in section K. Her life was full of trials and change, but she lived it to the fullest, having buried three babies and spanned many miles on the face of the earth. Don’t ever think that life was easy for these people, but it is what they knew and they did not think it was harder than the generation before. It just was.

 Mary Emmel’s Grave in Waterloo, Iowa

Samuel Emmel Guenther(1867-1943)

Sam was born in Lena, Illinois in 1867. He was the youngest in a family of seven children, four girls and three boys. Just prior to Sam’s birth three girls had died shortly after birth, so there was a ten year gap between him and the next youngest child, Molly. Samuel was the baby of the family, and by all accounts, stayed that way. His parents, Charles and Mary, were very concerned about his inability to stick with any endeavor and was a noted opportunist. At age 15 Sam moved to Waterloo, Iowa with his parents. 

Sam’s Childhood

Sam had four older sisters that surely helped their mother care for him. Sam’s brothers assisted their father on the family farm. Along with his siblings, his parents saw to it that they all had good educations and Sam was well educated. This was something that the German community in which they lived valued highly. German was the spoken language. Sam’s parents, Charles Sr. and Mary, were first generation immigrants and were able to pick up some English but leaned on the children for assistance. Over time many asked Sam to help them to read and write English and in the years to come, he often wrote and read letters for people who not only spoke little or no English but also were illiterate. 

Growing up, Sam was given violin lessons by his mother and according to John, Sam’s son, he became an excellent violinist. The church itself did not allow musical instruments during their services, although a capella singing was cultivated. After finishing his high school education, Sam was supposedly offered a position at West Point, but this has never been confirmed. During those years, the academies at West Point and Annapolis were considered among the best institutions of higher learning in the country and Sam wanted to go, as the story would have it. That was impossible, of course, due to the anti military philosophy of the Brethren. Nevertheless, Sam had the letter of acceptance framed and for years it hung on the wall of the living room wherever they were living.  Sam’s son John and daughter Bircheon both remembered that very well. Sam was proud of that, but was the document authentic? Or was it another of Sam’s schemes? Instead of the military academy, he was apprenticed to a nursery and outdoor landscape school in Illinois.

Iowa Mystery

There is a mystery surrounding Sam in Waterloo. There are two graves in the Elmwood graveyard that he bought and in the graves were laid a Mrs. Guenther and a child. Sam’s relationship to this woman, whoever she was, is unclear. Was she Sam’s first wife? Had he married her? 

Sam Marries Alice Stead, 1902

When his dad died Sam inherited, or some say confiscated, the farm in LaPorte City. His sister, Molly, was so upset that she took him to court. Sam was a shyster. In 1902 he married  Alice Stead. They had three children: Berchion, Noma and John.

Sam’s Brick Business

Sam either hired on or bought into the brick business with Alice Stead’s family. Sam was the salesman, an excellent salesman, but known to be dishonest. A dispute between Alice’s brothers and Sam arose. Sam felt that the brothers were cheating him and in an effort to “have it out” with them, he accused them of cheating and one of them pulled out a gun and shot him, reportedly between the eyes. The bullet must have had an upward trajectory, for it glanced off. The children all remembered the story and the reason Sam moved his family to the Guenther farm in La Porte City. The business then broke up. Sam at this time was living on the farm. 

Sam was very much a German nationalist and the entry of the US into WWI was hard on him. His children remembered his building a big fire in the yard and burning his German books and the German flag. Nevertheless, he remained a stout German to the end. Whatever he buried is believed to be there to this day.

Sam Farming

Ronald B. Guenther on Sam’s farming approach:

“Aunt Berchion said this was the farmhouse in LaPorte City that they had when they were young. Grandpa Guenther was a strange farmer, too. Every morning, he would get up, dress in a suit, during the season when the crops were growing, crops here meant corn and other vegetables, but chiefly corn, give the workers their orders for the day and then head into town. She never said which town, but  I would think it was probably Waterloo, at the time I assumed it was LaPorte City.  Sam would conduct his business, and in the afternoon, come home, study Swedenborg for a couple of hours, have supper, and then head out to go over the farm and see what needed to be done the next day. That would take some time. According to old Berchion, he never got his hands dirty. Then he would go to bed and repeat the process the next day.”

Sam Studies Swedenborg

Sam himself began to immerse himself in the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. He later bought the entire works of Swedenborg, had them bound in leather, and immersed himself in the philosophical and theological aspects of his work.

Alice Heart Problem

In 1918 Alice was diagnosed with a heart ailment and the doctor prescribed travel, a common recommendation when a doctor was at a loss on how to treat a patient. Let somebody else deal with it. Sam sold the La Porte City farm, reportedly in excess of $50,000, and lived off the proceeds, traveling, until he died. 

Sam Heads West, 1918

In 1918 the family headed West in their 1917 seven passenger chandler, a stylish ride for Sam and his new found money from the sale of the farm. Alice’s brother George did the driving.  Sam ended up in Coos Bay, Oregon and they stayed there the school year. It was there that Berchion met her future husband, Cliff Perry, and the Guenther and Perry families became very close during that time. It is not known when or where they sold the car, Sam never learned to drive, nor did he ever seem to have any inclination to learn. First, it was either George or Arch who drove and then it was Berchion and after that it was son John and then it was the train.

Back to Iowa, 1920

The family took the train back to Iowa somewhere around 1920 and it took at least several days, the ride was long. John went to school in Iowa.

Sam in South America, 1921

In 1901 Sam is listed as a travel agent. He knew how to travel. He traveled with a number of other German and German-Americans to seek his fortune in Peru. They took a river boat, a paddle wheeler to New Orleans and there Sam took the ship to Peru.  The records show that he was gone seven months, but the children remember it as being much longer. 

Sam lost the 10,000 acres of land he’d purchased while in Peru due to lack of development and taxes. The Puruvian government sent a check for $1 and took the land. Sam was unsuccessful in business and farming. His one big score in life was scamming his siblings out of the family farm.

A notable feature about the trip to Peru is that Sam and the party contracted mountain sickness, probably due to ascending in elevation too quickly. When Sam was able, he abandoned the sick party and headed for home.

Alice and the children stayed in Louisiana, in Hammond with Bernard Stead’s family, the son of the oldest brother of Alice. None of the children talked about that time. They went to school there in Louisiana. There is an impression that they had rented their own place, but they may have stayed with Frank Stead’s son because they had no money. They would have gotten to know some second cousins there, but none of them, not even Berchion, ever mentioned them. What they said was that some time after being there, presumably after the school year was out, the family ran out of money and had to make it back to Iowa where they stayed with one of Alice’s brothers and went to school there.

But Alice was in failing health, she needed help. They had heard nothing from Sam since he left for South America. After returning he told of his adventures there, and supposedly he had contracted mountain fever. John believed it, Berchion did not believe it, Noma never committed  whether she believed it or not. At any rate, they did not see him for anywhere from one to two years; to the children it was a long, long time. Records show he returned to the U.S. after being gone 6 months. So, one day at supper time, in walked Sam and told them that he had bought ten thousand acres of land in Northeast Peru and they were going to settle there. 

Sam Hits the Road Again

Shiftless Sam hit the road again, the children bounced from one school to another. Alice continued in decline. Sam bought a movie theater in Cheney, Washington, the Rose Theater. It ran silent films and for the movie, they got player piano rolls and during the intermissions and before and afterwards, Berchion, Noma and John would play together or sing. 

Sam in Pinos Altos, New Mexico

Based on Sam’s mining interests, Sam went down to Pinos Altos, New Mexico. He had convinced a group of potential investors to go with him based on some bogus map.

Sam got a job of making a rock garden in what was going to be the great new area of the Southwest. It never panned out, but he did build the rock garden. Alice was obviously in such bad shape that it was decided that Berchion and Noma would take care of her while Sam and John and the rest of the group went  to the mountains to come back millionaires. What John remembered was he was given the job of carrying in a big Dutch oven in which to cook stew while the rest of them dug up all that gold that did not exist. Sam was swindled again.  Well, they were in there for a couple of weeks, there was no gold, the map was a fraud and the summer was ending. 

The family headed back to Cheney and the meager theater business. But life was not normal. Shortly after the first of the year, Alice was hospitalized. In those days, children were not allowed to see their parents under these circumstances. She died, it is hard to know of what. Her death certificate lists many reasons. From her old pictures of that era, it appears that she was having severe thyroid problems. John never got over it and the last time John’s son Ron talked to Noma, which was about two months before she died, she herself said, “They did not even let us say goodbye.” Perhaps this event in John’s life is why he never really grew up emotionally. He remained a boy his entire life, a boy of maybe 13, his age when his mother died. John must have felt very alone and at the mercy of his father Sam, who was growing ever meaner and more aggressive.

Alice’s Death, 1925

Alice passed away in 1925 in Cheney, Washington, where Alice and Sam are both buried. After Alice died, Sam’s disposition and anger grew, often venting it on his children. Sam had long abandoned the heritage of Christian belief that his parents had tried to impart on him.

Sam and His Mining Stock

At one point it can be verified in a letter that he tried to sell bogus gold mine stocks to his daughter Berchion. Some believe that Sam really believed in his gold stock. Some of the stock is still in the family, worthless, but the certificate reads $150,000.

Sam’s Death, 1843

Sam’s children John, Berchion, and Noma had their inheritance from Sam: 7 cents, an Elgin watch with gold chain, a violin with the case, 7 keys, 2 pocket knives, 2 pair of glasses, 1 overcoat, 2 suitcases, and some letters and papers.

Sum Total of Sam’s Life upon Death

Sam died in 1843 and his children were anxious to get him in the ground. They made no inquiry as to any money accounts or land holdings Sam may have had. Sam was dead.

Sam and Alice’s Children

Sam and Alice had 3 children: Berchion, Noma, and John. Two sons died in infancy, Charles in 1904, and Robert in 1909.

Berchion(1907- 1983)

Berchion Alice Guenther(1907-1983) was born August 11, 1907, on the Iowa farm. In 1928, at the age of 21, Berchion let her beau Cliff Perry know that he better high tail it on up to Washington to marry her or else… 

Sam had become increasingly more angry and abusive after Alice’s death. Berchion and Cliff in 1928 moved to Clark County, Washington. They had Donald in 1930 and Marlene in 1934. Cliff died and Berchion married Tom. Tom died and Berchion married Francis Skinner. If it is to be wondered how Berchion landed so many husbands she said it was because she was such a good lover. And she could cook!

Aunt Berchion had a stroke in 1983 and went into a coma for a few days before she died. Each day while she lay there in a coma her nephew Ed Guenther would bring Francis in to see her, as he could not drive anymore. Each day Ed would read Psalm 23. Maybe the fifth night or so Ed dreamed that Berchion was being escorted to heaven as an infant. He was awakened out of the dream when the phone rang. The phone call was from a hospital nurse calling to tell Ed that she had just died. It was something like 3 o’clock in the morning.

Noma Elisabeth Guenther(1910-1992)

Noma Elisabeth Guenther  was born in Iowa, it is believed on the farm just outside of LaPorte City. She Married Lester Davidson in 1929, in hopes of escaping Sam’s abusive behavior. Some say she jumped out the frying pan into the fire with Lester.

She died in a nursing home in Beaverton, Oregon. She is buried next to her Lester Davidson(1901-1989), in the Sunset Graveyard just south of Coos Bay. Noma was a lovely woman and all loved her. 

Noma was the middle sister. The last Christmas in her brother John’s life, mercifully for Noma, Lester being dead 2 years, the family celebrated at Ann Guenther Messrle’s ranch and Noma was there. She said it was the best Christmas that she ever celebrated and the food was the best ever. She said, “Don’t tell me the old Christmas dinners were better than this. Those old gals couldn’t cook. They couldn’t follow a recipe so they always flubbed up.” 

Sam’s Progeny

It is of particular note that three of Sam’s children appear to have taken on the Christian faith late in life. Was this a carry over from Charles and Mary, or was it something that Alice instilled in them? 

John Emmel Guenther(1912-1991)

John’s Childhood

John Emmel Guenther was raised by Samuel Guenther, a staunch supporter of Germany. John himself had leanings to Germany.

He had a vivid memory of the time when he was five and the US entered WWI. His father was a strong supporter of Germany, had flown the German flag, had numerous German books, and they all had to be put away. He remembered digging a huge hole and burying the books and German flag at night. 

On the farm John said he could hear the corn growing at night as it made various noises.

His father had started giving him violin lessons at that early age, and the two daughters, Berchion and Noma, were taking piano lessons. Berchion, the older of the two, also learned to play the violin. His father could tell early that he had a gift for music and had decided early that  music would be a good career and that he should study in Germany. In fact, he even had a music school in mind in Leipzig. 

Sam wanted the children to learn German and was rigorous about teaching them German. In the end, Berchion did learn German and retained it all her life. Noma did not remember any German at all. John could count to twenty and knew a couple of nursery rhymes and a couple of songs and a few phrases, but really could not speak German.

John could not remember attending the same school twice as his father Sam kept them moving, using his inheritance to fund his adventures.

They got to Spokane, the year was 1918, June, WWI was reaching its critical phase. They reached the home of Sam’s sister, Elizabeth. She was apparently delighted to see them. She had been separated from family for quite a few years. She got a big meal together and they all sat down to dinner. John remembered reaching out and grabbing a big potato and putting it into his mouth. Aunt Elizabeth saw it and frowned good and proper so he did not swallow it but held it in his mouth and he said it burned his mouth. Aunt Elizabeth had to say grace, and then pray, and then thank God for their coming, and then ask for God’s help in their endeavors and on and on. John said the praying took a half an hour at least and the food got cold. During that time, Sam fell asleep, which irked Elizabeth. But Elizabeth was her father’s daughter and so was a leading member of the Brethren out there in Spokane. So, they stayed in Spokane for several days, maybe even a couple of weeks, who knows. During that time, Sam looked around for possible business opportunities and then decided to move on. 

They kept driving. As was usually the case, they drove and drove, never stopping but when they hit Marshfield, Oregon. It was Labor Day, school was starting the next day, and Alice put her foot down. The children had to go to school. So, John went to the first grade in Marshfield. Berchion was in the sixth grade and Noma was in the fourth. Berchion met her future husband, Clifford Perry, at that time. 

After Grandma Alice died in 1925, the children all said that Sam went all to pieces. They finished the school year in Cheney and either that summer or the following summer, they moved to Marcus, Washington. The three of them were always a bit vague on the length of times. At any rate, they moved up there. There was never any more talk of pop’s going to a music school in Germany. But the home situation must have been awful. There were two meals a day, breakfast which consisted of oatmeal, and then stew at night and it was up to the children to get their own lunch. If for some reason there was no stew at night, there was another dose of oatmeal  followed by oatmeal the next morning. 

John was a sophomore in Coos Bay and excelled at sports. Sports became his obsession. Later, he would try to live out his own dreams through his sons in sports.He made a lifelong friend there, Fred Owens. After two years, Sam showed up from his travels and said they were  heading back to Marcus. Noma stayed and married Lester Davidson. John and Sam headed back up to Marcus. John played basketball and tennis,but summers were involved in traveling, checking out gold mines, and that sort of thing, and then Sam decided to head back to South America after John graduated. Prohibition was over by this time but the Great Depression was in full swing. The unemployment rate was upwards of 25%, but Sam had his money in a solid bank in Waterloo, one that survived the depression. 

John Meets Geraldine Delsman(1916-2012)

Sam and John decided to stop by Coos Bay and say goodbye forever to Sams daughters, both of whom were married and each had a child, Berchion was pregnant. The year was 1934 and Sam had only a couple of years left in which to start developing his property in Peru. In the midst of the depression, a barter economy had partially arisen and the Davidsons traded clams and fish for beef and other services. In the Coos Bay area at one of these trades was Wilda Delsman and her daughter Geraldine Clara. The Delsmans were trading beef. It was here John met Geraldine Delsman.

John Courts Geraldine, 1935

Geraldine had an unspoken commitment to a neighboring farm boy, but John swept her off her feet. He was dashing and adventuresome, not your local dull boy. The courtship lasted about nine months and they were married. Grandpa Sam opposed the marriage vigorously. John was his driver. But there was no stopping it.

They had 14 children, Geraldine’s dream. 

John’s Paradise

Geraldine required John to settle down. They bought a country home in Glasgow with acreage. For a time they had a garden and chickens, but John hated anything to do with farming. He turned the property into a sports paradise. There was a small golf course, tennis, a swimming pool, and more. John and Geraldine seemed to have found their dream home, but inside John there lurked the demons of his father. Anger flared and abuse was regular. In all that the citizenry of North Bend declared him citizen of the year twice, not knowing his secret life.

Their children were as follows:

Ronald Bernard Guenther(1937-  ) married Mary Ann Megale and they had 3 daughters: Lisa, Christine, and Karin. Ron got his doctorate degree in mathematics and taught many years at OSU in Corvallis. He also worked in research projects there. He has many papers published world wide. Ron loves tennis and gardening. Music was big in his family and all 3 of his daughters got doctorate degrees. Somehow, Ron passed his brains on.

Robert John Anthony Guenther(1939-2001) married Angelina Snigaroff(1941-2014) and they had 5 children: Robert Jr., Edith, John, Sharon, and Rachel. Bob Sr. was an adventurer and on one of his big shebangs in Alaska he met Angie, truly his other half. It was in Alaska where they finally found their niche, in Kenai. Bob loved to hunt and fish, a true outdoorsman. He operated cranes for many years and ended up teaching safety in crane operation around the world. Bob loved gardening.

Louise Alice Guenther(1942-  ) married William Lucero(1939-  ) and they had 6 children: Kathleen(1961-  ), Bill Jr.(1962-  ), Steve(1963-  ), Mike(1965-  ), John(1966-  ), and Laura(1970-  ). Louise excels in quilting as a form of art. Her family became hunters and fishermen, taking after the ancestors. Sports has played a big part in her clan. If you want to catch a good game, you likely will find her progeny in one in North Bend, Oregon. Louise loves to watch things grow, she loves the garden.

Dolores Ann Guenther(1944-  ) married Dan Crowell and they had 7 children: Carrie(1967-  ), Jane(1970-  ), Dan(1971-  ), Amy(1973-  ), Heidi(1974-  ), David(1976-  ), Steve(1978-  ), Kristin(1982-  ), and Molly.  Dory graduated from the U of O with a degree in German, as might be expected from a descendant of Charles P. Guenther. Later Dory married Kenneth Shawyer. Dory, growing up as a country girl, loves the outdoors.

Phyllis Marie Guenther(1946-  ) married Wendell Messner(1944-  ) and they had 5 children: Eric(1967-  ), Heidi(1968-  ), Clint(1972-  ), Jesse(1975-  ), and Ben(1977-  ). Phyllis did a great service for the family in caring for her elderly mother for many years. Her work in the hospital helped prepare her for this. She specializes in loving her grandchildren. Her gardens are beautiful.

Richard Joseph Guenther(1948-  ) married Ingrid and they had 5 children: Klaus, Minka, Hans, Josef, and Elka. Rich served our country in the Army. He was stationed in Alaska during the VietNam War. He can be found on the Honor Wall for our veterans. Rich spent many years living in Germany, fighting for the rights of home schoolers. He is like one the ancestors on the Oregon Trail, only it is not just going west anymore, it is here and there.

Ann Marie Guenther(1949-  ) married David Messerle and they had 3 children: Jeff, Stephanie, and Joshua. She graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Home Economics, suitable for a rancher’s wife. Ann married into the Messerle farming/ranching/logging conglomerate in Coos Bay, Oregon. She became a true farmer’s wife, cooking and gardening, the works. She hopes the children will carry on the business. Ann opened her home to many family gatherings over the years. She has a gift for caregiving. She is an outdoors woman like ancestors of old.

Angela Mary Guenther(1949-  ) married Jim Morrison(1946-  ). She graduated from Oregon State University in 1975 with a BS in microbiology. She is very proud to be a Great Great Aunt. Anjo is an aunt first, golfer second. They had no children, but Anjo loves her nieces and nephews and she loves gardening. Her dream retirement with Jim in the big RV has been realized. They play the pickleball tour, always very active.

John Henry Guenther(1951- 2004) married Cyndi Knox and they had 3 children: Jennifer, Jason, and Joe. John excelled in mathematics, as ran in the family. He got a degree in mathematics and utilized it in his career choices. He was a salesman after the order of his father and grandfather. John loved sports of all kinds and he loved gardening. He realized his dream when he found Cyndi, a fellow teacher at the time. He liked to hunt and fish. He always tried to help people out. John made friends easily and kept them. He could also cook. He showed brother Don how to make waffles one day. Seems Don wasn’t whipping the eggs correctly. As he lay dying in bed his son Joe made him his last meal, a Dutch Baby pancake.

Donald Stephen Guenther(1952-  ) married Cathy Nelson and they had 3 children: Cami, Brie, and Nic. Don graduated from Oregon State University with a double degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, all in 4 years, later getting his Masters in Business. He has worked and traveled around the world, even walking on the Great Wall of China.

 Like his ancestors he has an adventurous spirit. Don, along with brothers Bob and Ed, loves to work in wood and carpentry. Don also loves gardening. The green thumb of the farming ancestors lives on. After divorcing, Don teamed up with a wonderful Korean/American girl, Kyung. Together they live to see another day.

Edward Frederick Guenther(1953-  ) married Deborah Griep(1956-  ) and they had 4 children: Jereme Edward(1984-  ), Rebekah Dorthea(1985-  ), Crystal Ann(1987-  ), and Rachel Mary(1991-  ). Ed was a bit of a drifter until one day a cute girl named Debbie set him on his heels. Ed worked as a teacher in a Christian school for many years, working at a pottery business along side it. In his later years he developed a carpentry business. Ed worked in pottery for many years and enjoys it in retirement. The clay seems to be passed down from the ancestral Steads. His greatest joy is to be with his children and grandchildren. All his children became proficient on the violin, something that runs deep in the family. 

David Charles Guenther(1955- 1995) married Louise Worth and they had 2 sons: Joshua David and Timothy Edward. Dave found his niche in art. He excelled in oil painting, but his career was in pottery. He started up a little pottery shop on Sherman Street in North Bend, Oregon. Later he moved his business to McMinnville, closer to the Portland market. It was in McMinnville that he met and fell in love with Louise. Dave loved gardening, loved growing fruit trees and berries. Dave, along with brothers Bob and John, was an excellent fisherman.

Marjorie Ann Guenther(1956-  ) married Jim McClellan and they had 2 daughters: Stephanie and Katie. She got her degree in Education in 1979 at Oregon State University. She taught for several years before going into management. She was gifted as a manager. Her brothers remember her baking skills growing up. Margy loves to golf. Her gardens are beautiful. In retirement she spends as much time as possible with her grandchildren.

Mary Joann Guenther(1956-  ) married John Running and they had two children: Michelle and Zane. Mary pursued education and got a degree in Psychology. She is an adventurer like her for-bearers. Mary loves the outdoors and gardening. She bought 40 acres on a lake in Tennessee where she has realized her life dreams for herself and her family. She loves her grandchildren. She is a builder and finish carpenter in her own right, having built and rebuilt numerous houses. As is typical in the clan, Mary loves to entertain.

The Early Years

Margy and Mary on the Family Dodge Wagon, 1958

The 1930’s saw the beginning of the John and Geraldine Guenther family, children being born and the co-mingling of ancestral blood running deep. Geraldine always said that family was everything. The great Depression ended and 1940’s was accompanied by WWII. More children were born. The Old Place in Glasgow was purchased. Farming and chickens were soon abandoned in favor of a play paradise. The 1950’s brought still more children. The post war economy was exploding. There in Glasgow, Oregon, on the bay, could be heard sounds of children playing, laughing, and screaming. 

‘Olly olly oxen free’ echoed through the fields and forests surrounding the house. Run and Go hide and seek, Blind Man’s Bluff, and Crack the Whip were ongoing games. “Ready or not here I come”, Red Rover Red Rover…”, “Where you from?”, and on and on. Clothes were few, money was tight, but there was family. And there was love. The children were bonded by the millennials of ancestral blood. Their hopes and dreams were not unlike those of their ancestors that went before: live, love, and family. The successes are celebrated, the failures endured. The grandchildren carry on the ancestral dreams. There is land to be had, frontiers to be conquered, and love to be won. All these things are to be treasured. Family is to be valued. 

56. Front row: Davy, Margy, Mary, Eddy 2nd row: Anjo, Annie, Donny, Johnny 3rd row: John Sr., Gerladine, Richy Back row: Dory, Phiddy, Bobby, Ronny, Louise, 1959

If you ever find yourself near the Old Place in Glasgow, though it is torn down and replaced by a trailer park, listen carefully and you just might hear the echoes of children romping over the hills..

Post note:

Elisabetha Guenther:

Upon further research Charles “Karl” Guenther was found to have an older sister, Elisabetha, born in 1815. Elisabetha married Peter Koller in Germany. Charles’ mother Dorothea came over from Germany with Elisabetha’s family in 1852. The Koller’s settled in Stephenson County, Illinois, next to C.P.’s family.  In 1854 when Elisabetha died, Dorothea moved in with her son Charles’ family.

Bibliography:

The Atlas of Black Hawk County: Iowa, Pub. by Iowa Pub. Co.; M. Huebinger, D.E., manager; Copyright 1910 by Iowa Pub.  to Black Hawk County, Iowa, 1910, page 182: http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/atlases/id/3459

Waddans Grove Church: http://genealogytrails.com/ill/stephenson/churchwaddam2.html*

Genealogy Trails, Illinois; Stephenson County Churches, Illinois; Chapter 2: Waddams Grove Church of the Brethren: 

Iowa Guenther farm, Atlas of Black Hawk County, Iowa,1910, page 176: http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/atlases/id/345912. Charles’ signature: Guenther family records

Pleasant Valley Farm in Black Hawk: pg. 176,  Atlas of Black Hawk County: Iowa, Pub. by Iowa Pub. Co.; M. Huebinger, D.E., manager; Copyright 1910 by Iowa Pub. : http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/atlases/id/3459*

Genealogy Trails, Illinois; Stephenson County Churches, Illinois; Chapter 2: Waddams Grove Church of the Brethren: http://genealogytrails.com/ill/stephenson/churchwaddam2.html

Fulwider, Addison L., A.M.; History of Stephenson County, Illinois; University of Illinois Library; Vol.I; The S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., Chicago, 1910:  http://archive.org/stream/historyofstephenv1fulw/historyofstephenv1fulw_djvu.txt

Wini Caudell and contributors, copyright 2008/2009, Illinois Ancestors; Waddam’s Township: http://www.illinoisancestors.org/stephenson/waddamstwnshpbiolist.html