The Fleckenstein family is listed as having applied for a homestead in the Matanuska Valley in 1915. The patriarch of that family was Joseph Bernard Fleckenstein born (of German parents) about 1870 in Iowa. His wife appears on the various census records as both Marie A. and Nettie. On the 1910 U. S. Census, she appears as Nettie M. Fleckenstein. She was born about 1868 in California. The 1910 census record says that her marriage to Joseph was her second marriage and that Joseph and Nettie had been married 17 years on that census.
Below is a compilation of Fleckenstein information that I've extracted from the U. S. Census records as well as the Herning diaries:
1900 U. S. Census Hydesville, Humboldt Co., California
Joseph
(Bernard) Fleckenstein 30 b. Iowa father b. Germany
mother b. Germany
Marie
(Antionette) Fleckenstein 32 b. California
father b. Illinois mother b. Georgia
William
Fleckenstein age 9 b. California son
John
Fleckenstein age 7 b. California son
Christopher
Fleckenstein age 9 b. California
Frank
Fleckenstein age 3 b. California…………..see 1920 below
Sharon
Fleckenstein age 2 b. California
Lawrence
Fleckenstein 1 month b. California
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1910
U. S. Census Eureka, Humboldt Co., California
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein age 40 b. Iowa
married 17 years
Nettie
Fleckenstein age 42 b. California married 17 years
(this is 2nd marriage for Nettie)
William
Fleckenstein age 19
John
Fleckenstein age 17
Christopher
Fleckenstein 15
Frank
Fleckenstein 12........murdered at Westward, Alaska 1925 (hit over head
by Indian)
Sharon
Fleckenstein 11........married Maxine Crocker...and Florence Strigga Edlund
Lawrence
Fleckenstein 10...........married Helen ______ of Finland
Ellen
Catherine Fleckenstein 7.………married Floyd Dewey Smith
Eva
Marie Fleckenstein 6 ……….married George Stanley Herning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1920
U. S. Census taken between Knik and Wasilla
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein age 53 Farmer
Marie
Fleckenstein age 52
Ellen
Cathryn Fleckenstein age 17
Eva
Marie Fleckenstein age 15
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1930
U. S. Census taken in Kanakanak (Old Dillingham)
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein age 60 Head U. S. Deputy
Marshal
Maria
Fleckenstein age 63 wife
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Notes
from Herning diaries:
Fleckenstein
proved up on his homestead 11/18/1919 (working for railroad)
Fleckenstein
boys bought sawmill from Forty Mile Miller (O. C. Miller)
Chris
Fleckenstein running Road Commission Cat at Moose Creek 1922
Chris
Fleckenstein Cat hauling at Baxter Coal Mine 1923
Chris
Fleckenstein overhauling Alaska Engineering Commission Cats and trucks
1923
Chris
Fleckenstein sold his homestead to Jim Kennedy in 1946
Joseph
B. Fleckenstein in Wasilla for visit, heading to Bristol Bay 1924
Sharon
Fleckenstein and Maxine Crocker married after 11 day courtship
Wasilla’s FIRST wedding 1924
Sharon
Fleckenstein's 2nd marriage was to Florence Strigga Edlund 1938
Eva
Fleckenstein married Stanley Herning 1926
Ellen
Fleckenstein married Floyd Smith 1926 in Fairbanks then they left for Chatanika
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
1920
U. S. Census taken on railroad route from mile 236 north to Dead
Horse
Sharon
Fleckenstein age 21 Head of household
Christopher
Fleckenstein age 25 brother
1920
U. S. Census taken on railroad route from Willow Creek to Montana Creek
Frank
J. Fleckenstein age 22 b. California
Notes from Herning Diaries first mention Frank Fleckenstein as being elected to the school board of Wasilla’s 1st school in 1917. He also did the concrete work under the original Herning (later Teeland) store in Wasilla as well as a lot of the carpentry work on the building. In 1918, he left to go to the Army. Herning’s notes also say Frank Fleckenstein was clubbed to death by a Native in Dillingham in 1925. He is buried in the Anchorage Memorial Cemetery in the Pioneer section. His headstone reads, born 6/1/1898 died 5/1/1925.
WWI
Draft Registration for Sharon Fleckenstein age 19:
Gave
Wasilla as Sharon's permanent address, nearest relative listed as Nettie
Fleckenstein,
occupation
as miner at Willow Creek Mining District. Birthdate given January
2, 1899.
1930
U. S. Census Knik Road near Wasilla, Alaska
Sharon
D. Fleckenstein age 30 b. California
occupation Fur Farmer
Maxine**
(Crocker) Fleckenstein age 22 wife b. Minnesota
Frederick
Crocker age 75 Father-in-law b. New York
Owns own ranch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**
Maxine is buried in the Anchorage Memorial Cemetery in the Pioneer section,
her headstone reads
born
7/17/1906 died 7/4/1932.
I
was told she drowned (in the Little Susitna River) in a car accident on
the road to Hatcher Pass.
Sharon's
second wife was Florence Strigga Edlund (m. 9/17/1938)They are buried in
the Wasilla Cemetery. Their headstones give the following dates:
Sharon 1895-1959 Florence 1905-1985
1930
U. S. Census for Anchorage
Lawrence
Fleckenstein age 29 b. California (died 1978 Soldotna)
Helen
Fleckenstein age 30 b. Finland (came to USA 1915)
(died 1980 Soldotna)
Myrtle
Fleckenstein age 14 b. Pennsylvania
Joseph
Bernard Fleckenstein buried at Anchorage Memorial Cemetery in the Pioneer
section. His headstone reads
born
1/18/1870 died 3/23/1948. His wife Marie is also buried there, her
headstone reads born 3/24/1897 died 10/20/1946. He is listed among the
original 1915 homesteaders of the Matanuska Valley.
FLOYD
DEWEY SMITH b. 2/22/1898 in Absarokee, Montana came to Alaska before 1930.
He worked at a variety of jobs including gold mining, trapping, operating
a store at Kanakanak (Old Dillingham) and he owned a gas station in Wasilla.
Floyd was the son of Theodore Monroe Smith and he grandson of James Monroe
Smith (see below). Floyd married Ellen Catherine Fleckenstein, daughter
of Joseph Bernard Fleckenstein and Marie Antionette Dionne in 1926.
Ellen
was born in 1902 in Yreka, Siskiyou Co., California and died 5/15/1973
in Wasilla, Alaska. Floyd Smith died 6/16/1979 in Wasilla, Alaska.
1930
U. S. Census for Kanakanak (Old Dillingham) (see Smith info below)
Floyd
Smith age 37 born Oregon* occupation Trapper in fur business
Ellen
(Fleckenstein) Smith age 27 b. California
Marvin
F. Smith age 2 years 5 months b. Alaska
Marie
Smith age 11 months b. Alaska
FLOYD DEWEY SIMITH's
PARENTS WERE:
Theodore
Monroe Smith b. 1850 Kent, Michigan and Julia Knoth.
Their children were:
Charles Agustus Smth b. 1877
Palouse, Whitman Co., Washington died 1958 Sand Point, Idaho
Elbert Hazen Smth b. 1885
"
"
"
Walter Monroe Smith b. 1886
"
"
"
died 1950 Eugene, Oregon
Ethel L. Smith b. 1888
Spokane, Washington
Lenn James Smith b. 1890
Palouse, Whitman Co., Washington died 1944 Monmouth, Oregon
Vernon J. Smith b. 1892
"
"
"
died 1896
Mabel Lorenda Smith b. 1894
"
"
"
died 1958 Redmond, Oregon
Floyd Dewey Smith
b. 1898 Absarokee, Montana
died 1979 Wasilla, Alaska
Lyle Theodore Smith
b. 1902 Lamonte, Oregon
died 1985 Redmond, Oregon
Marvin Loren Smith b.
"
"
died 1979 Eugene, Oregon
The father of Theodore
Monroe Smith was James Monroe Smith b.
1815 in New York d. 1889 Nye, Stillwater, MT
James
Monroe Smith and Lorinda Burton Smith's children were:
Francis
M. Smith b. 1843 Michigan
Stanford
Hess Smith b. 1846 Michigan
Theodore
Monroe Smith b. 1850 Michigan
Elizabeth
J. Smith b. 1850 Minnesota
Isabella
Smith b. 1855 Minnesota
Wilbur
F. Smith b. 1858 Minnesota