Christian Heinrich Arfman
Christian was born on Dienstag, September dreizehn, von das jahr eintausend achthundert sechsunddreissig (Tuesday, the 13th day of September, 1836), according to his death certificate filled out by his son Lee. Of course this was in English as Lee could not speak German, according to oral family history. His parents had not taught him. When Christian came to America, he insisted on leaving Germany behind.
The 1900 census states he was born in November, 1836. One is forced to wonder why, if this is him, why the 1900 census was more accurate than the date provided by his son who had lived with him for over 20 years. Certainly Lee knew his birthday?
Dr Claas Nendel in early 2008 posted a link to some newly digitized German data and believes this is our Christian Heinrich Arfman. Dr Nendel writes that it was not uncommon, at even this time, for people to be unsure of their birthdates.
This page presents some of the strong evidence that these Meyenburg Arfmans are indeed our Christian (and his siblings) who came to the United States.
This additional information shows the church to be Evangelical. Although unlikely, is this Christian's sister? There is also a Meta Arftmann who traveled on the LINA (list 54-1092) and arrived 17 Aug 1854. Perhaps this is her? Interesting that the above record states "Getauft" on November 27, 1836. The translation for this is baptized or christened. Christian could well have been born in September and baptized in November, although there is the 12 November date to be considered...
Is it possible that Christian referred on one or more occasions to the day he stepped on the ship bound for America as his "birth day" and that Lee combined this with the year 1836 when filling out the death certificate?
Again from FTM CD #267 we learn that in 1866 an Eimer Arfman immigrated from "Meienberg" on the HERMANN, which arrived 10 Sept 1866 (list 54-1092 is on film #271). It is nearly certain that this is our Christian Heinrich's first cousin, son of Gerhard Arfmann. This Gerhard is brother of Christian Ortgies Arfmann - our Christian's father. This would seem to solidify the other overwhelming evidence presented and it is hard to ignore the possibility that, like many other emigrants, Christian wrote back about the success he experienced in America. It would appear that Eymer (him in 1870 New York census?) was as enamored of the USA as was Christian as he also became naturalized and abandoned any loyalty to Germany in 1878.
This latest data would explain why Lee did not know his father's parents. Christian, himself, did not know them. His father died in 1841 and his mother in 1844. By the time Christian was 8 years old, he had lost both of his parents. Where did Christian live? Who did he call family? None of his 5 children shared known familial names with anyone from the Meyenburg Christian's family above.
Regardless, the evidence seems compelling that Christian Heinrich Arfmann has been found in Germany, at last. The date fits for his birth, the name, while not unusual, is certainly not widespread, even in 2011, and the date for Heinrich's emigration to the United States from Meyenburg fits known data better than previous theories* as to his origins.
The census records of his early years in the U.S. say that he came from Hanover Germany. He most likely came from the town of Meyenburg or, possibly, Osterholz-Scharmbeck each just to the Northwest of Bremen.1
New information From Family Tree Maker's CD #267, (compiled of source material from National Archives microfilm number M237 - list 1070 is from film #132) states Heinrich was from Meyenburg, about 28 miles Northwest of Scharmbeck. There may also be possible ties to the village of Buschhausen, part of the parish of Scharmbeck. It is from Bremen that he set out for America aboard the ship HERDER in September of 1853. The ship arrived in New York, with the 17 year old Heinrich Arfmann aboard on a Thursday, the 20th of October, 1853. Since Castle Garden, the first immigrant "processing facility", was not established until two years later, it is doubtful whether an orderly arrival awaited the young man. He probably thought about his voyage to this new land and the reasons that he had come. It appears Herder made more trips from Bremen to Australia than she did to America. She is described in several sources as a Barque. It is possible that the inside of the ship did not look much different from this from slightly later Columbia - http:Christian Christian www.deutsche-auswanderer-datenbank.deChristian index.php?id=117 (1 March 2008).
Christian left the kingdom of Hanover. In 1864 this Kingdom of Hanover became part of the Kingdom of Prussia, then it was called the province of Hanover and since 1871 there was an empire called Germany. According to the Hanover custom, the eldest son would get the farm and all else with it, while the latter sons would be left to find their own way through life.
Perhaps Christian felt that he had no chance
of making a decent living in Osterholz-Scharmbeck due to a relatively high
population. He left for the bustling city-state of Bremen, one
of the two German centers for the emigration of German people by the sea.
Saying goodbye to family and friends, Christian set off to
find his destiny.
A page describing
early Northern Germany life and times
It is difficult to say whether Christian had
a three-week voyage west, or one nearly twice as long. The steam engine was just
coming into general use but it looks as if Herder was not equipped with the device
which freed a ship from the whims of mother nature's winds. The trip couldn't
have been fun. Christian was one of 214 men, women and children packed into the
small ship. The ship captains were in the business to make money, not care for
passenger comfort. When Christian finally did set foot in America, he was
probably confronted with the same thievery and corruption on the docks of New York that
he had endured on the piers of Bremen so far away.
Actual Herder passenger manifest images from Ancestry.com 1 2 3 4 5
Two pages of more HERDER trips to Australia: 1 - (probably references above Herder trip to Australia) 2 - descriptive of some damage she took
From FTM CD # 355, we confirm that Heinrich traveled in steerage, to stay in the USA. His manifest # was 00007631. J F Vonhagen is indeed the captain. Heinrich was one of over 650, 000 Germans to come to the USA between 1850 and 1854.
Another page on
representative ships of the Barque type.
A contemporary (6 years earlier) account of travel to America
As Christian stood on the docks of the
bustling New York pier, it is easy to see him looking around and wondering if
his decision to leave all that he knew behind him was the correct one. Here in
America he knew no one, while back in the little village of Osterholz-Scharmbeck, his family went all the way back to an inscription on a
beam of the farm that would descend through Martin's daughter which indicated
that the Arfman clan had been in the region since 1628 definitely, and earlier
most likely. He was not to know of the trick that history would play on him
(the inheritance through a daughter of his brother, while he got nothing
because he was a later son), but undoubtedly he knew of the antiquity of the
family. He probably knew of some of the rumors which hinted that the Arfman
name wasn't even German, but originated to the north in what we today know as a
small island off the eastern coast of Sweden (though owned by Finland, the
people of A-land speak Swedish to this day). Most likely the original Arffmann
families emigrated to Germany during the many wars which raged in the area
during the late 1500's and early 1600's.
Interesting record of a Henry Arfman of approximately the right birth year and location (still in New York) in 1855 entering (and deserting) the U.S. Army unknown if this is OUR Henry as there was another Henry Arfman in America (New York, in fact) some years later in the 1880 census.
Christian appears in the 1860, Garden Plain,
Whiteside County, IL census
with Andrew J. Lockhart’s family as Arfman, Henry, 23M
from Germany, a Farm laborer,
[Correction - not proven, this man may be Henry Ashmore from Germany (as indexed
by Ancestry.com) on
clearer image-
03 Feb 07, (although this is certainly an 'F' in his name, not an 'h'), therefore we do not know definitively where Henry was in 1860!] and one has to wonder just where he met Mary, as
this was only 5 months prior to his wedding. Mary, as she was to be known in
later years, had come over from
Holstein
Germany (probably through the second major German emigration port of Hamburg).
Her obituary says that she came over with her parents in 1858, but the
above-mentioned indicates that this is likely not the case. The obituary was
also wrong in Americanizing Mary's maiden name to "Sherman". Did she
get "processed" in through
Castle garden?
Ancestry.com lists a Henry Ashmore in 1850, 1870, and 1880 all in Jo Daviess County Illinois, a short distance North from Fulton, born about 1842-3 in Illinois to English parents. The site does not index him in Illinois (other than Whiteside County) in 1860. I do not believe this is the same man, regardless. Is it possible Christian fell in with the two New York natives also in Lockhart's home and accompanied them to Illinois?
We are on firm ground when we state that Christian managed to find his way to the city of Fulton, Whiteside County, Illinois. Here, on 8 November, 1860, he was married to Maria M. Scheeman by the "minister of the gospel" Z.S. Kellogg, according to the marriage certificate obtained from Whiteside county 133 years later pt1 pt2. New Information from an 1877 Whiteside County History (page 120) indicates that this man was a pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church beginning in 1858 in Albany. This seems to add validity to the 1860 Christian Arfman census record below as Albany is immediately West of Garden Plain township. Kellogg is reported to have been extremely lucky to have avoided more extensive loss in the storm of 1860.
Marea (name spelling according to the certificate) had been born in April of 1837 and had showed up on the 2nd day of June 1860 in the home of H. Hetsner, a fifty year old day laborer from Holstein. Pt1 pt2 As she appears as a servant, it is possible that she came over with two brothers and a sister under indentured servitude. In return for Mr. Hetsner paying for her passage to the US, she would work for him upon arrival to pay off her debt. Her siblings likewise were thus obligated. It could be that Mr. Hetsner was a friend of her parents, but since her brothers are both day laborers and she and her sister Christina are both servants, this is unlikely. Map of Illinois counties.
As evidenced from the hundreds of Arfman
families that Ken and Josina Arfman noticed in the Lutheran Church in
Osterholz-Scharmbeck in Johann Arfman's time, the Lutheran church was well
established. It was a faith that some of Christian Heinrich and Mary Arfman's children
were to practice (as evidenced by Lee Afman's Lutheran Hymnal book which
descended within the family), but whether Christian and Mary considered
themselves Evangelical Episcopalians,
Methodists, or Lutherans remains unknown.
Oral family history has long indicated a
relation of some sort between one of Mary's brothers and a
"Marcellus", who "lived across the river in Iowa and ran a
dry-goods store".3 This most likely refers to Mary's sister
Christina marrying a Marcellus man who lived with the Hetsner household in the
1860 census
pt1
pt2. The older census images were difficult to read, but looks to be F. E. Marcellus,
24 years old (thus born around 1836), born in New York, he was a grocer whose
personal estate was valued at 150 1860 dollars.
On Sunday, the first day of September, 1861, Mary gave birth to Christian Heinrich (known thereafter as Charles Henry, or just Henry). She next gave birth to Theodore on June 29th, 1863. Both children were born during the tumultuous years of America's civil war. It never came close to Whiteside county, however, and no evidence exists to date that any of the Arfman family was affected by it.
C H Arfman on May 1st, 1864 in U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 > Illinois > District 3; Annual Lists; 1862-64
In 1865, (Ancestry.com version appears to be valid) Christian still lived in Fulton city, Illinois with Mary, the two boys and a man about Christian's age. It is possible that this man was one of Mary's two brothers (F.B. or Ottive Shieman according to the likely misspelled 1860 census). Coincidentally, This area of Illinois is as far west as you can get and is separated from Clinton, Iowa by a river. It is here most likely that the Marcellus relatives of Mary's lived. On April 16th, 1868, Dora Arfman was born. On October 27th of the same year, Christian made the 60 mile trip east to Morrison city to get naturalized. Since he was qualified for citizenship several years before, one wonders at his "sudden" motivation. A possible answer is that one month later, in November of 1868, an immensely popular republican war hero named Ulysses S. Grant was elected 18th president of the United States of America, replacing the veteran battler Andrew Johnson. It isn't hard to visualize Christian with his wife and three kids, having been in the area at least 8 years (as per the requirements) burning with pride in Grant and wanting to help him get elected. Nat'l papers pt1 Nat'l pt2 Nat'l pt3 Christian's copy There is an Emil Westphal in the 1880 census in Morrison, Whiteside Co., IL, on Clinton Street.
Original of 1865
state census * (no
economic data) *
top of namesChristian ages page
*
top of economic data
page
Westphal, Emil M 52 M Saloonkeeper HN HN HN (Holstein)
Paulina F 36 M Wife SH SH SH (Sleswig)
and family. 1870 census returns showing Emil as saloonkeeper as well
There was, in 1860, a John Johnson (represented for some reason, interestingly, twice in two days - 1 2) within 5 pages of households of Andrew Lockhart's location. Elisha Lockhart, well-known temperance leader and probable relation to Andrew, lived nearby, as well. It is quite possible that this is the John D Johnson who attests to knowing Christian in the 1868 naturalization paperwork. This would seem to add further weight to the difficult-to-read 1860 census location for Christian. It would also seem to indicate that his life running a saloon would have been difficult from Garden Plains and may indicate another reason (along with Mary's family ties) for the move North to Fulton.
During the end of July, 1870, a census taker again visited the Arfman household. Christian's profession is listed as saloon owner. The other man present during the census five years earlier had moved out and only Christian's family remained. What must life running a saloon have been like? How long did he run it? Certainly from the May, 1864 tax record to the 1872 advertisement below, we now know. How did he get started? When he first got to the US, perhaps he had gained some employment in saloons as he made his way west. Surely when he arrived he had listed his occupation as farmer. As no oral tradition had survived of Christian's saloon years, one is inclined to think that they might not have lasted all that long. Original (darker) 1870 image
C H Arfman running Saloon and Billiard hall (larger) in this 1872 Fulton Township, Whiteside County land ownership atlas
Fred Arfman was born on the 6th of July 18744
, presumably still in Whiteside county. Two years later, on the 25th of April,
1876 ( a Tuesday, coincidentally, the same as Christian's birth day) Lee Albert
Arfman5 was born, the baby of the family and the last child Mary was
to have.
There is still some confusion as to where exactly the Arfman clan lived between Lee's birth and the 1885 Iowa state census and from that until his subsequent re-appearance in 1895 in Ames, Iowa (and later that same year in Butler, Missouri). A lookup in the 1890 tax lists of Whiteside County Illinois duplicates the unsuccessful results of the 1880 census returns. It is possible that the family moved during the 1880 census taking and was missed by each location's returns.
Christian Arfman and family enumerated with George and Catherine Haffner (half Christian's age) in 1885 Clinton Township, Sac County, Iowa State census returns! * Information about census
Interestingly, a 1914 Sac County Iowa history (Hart, pp 232-233) states that a majority of the residents of Clinton township came from Clinton County Iowa. This may lend support to the assertion above that Clinton County Iowa may have been the home of the "across the river" kin Mary (Arfman) Arnold referred to. It may also shed light on possible motives for Christian's move so far west. Clinton township was formed in 1874 and it appears that the population remained fairly constant from 1880-1910 at approx 500.
1935 Map of Clinton Township, Sac County. Section 32 is visible in lower right of map. Mary Chandler now owns the 40 acres of land that our Christian owned 50 years earlier. The McGeochy family still owns the land they had in 1885, and some to the south of Mrs Chandlers', as well.
This is the last we see of Christian and his family until the graduation (picture is also a link to huge picture!) of Lee A. Arfman from the Iowa Agricultural College in Ames, Story County, Iowa (in the center of the state, away from known family in the Western part of Iowa) on the 13th of November, 1894.6 It is uncertain at this point whether Christian went with his whole family to Ames or whether Lee went by himself. That Dora, Henry Jr., and Theodore all settled and lived their remaining lives in various portions of Iowa suggests that the family did indeed spend some time there. Lee was a bit over 18 1Christian 2 years old when he completed the tuition-less curriculum. 1993 reply to query about the college.
Lee Arfman's agriculture course was, according to the graduation certificate which was passed down through the generations within the family, a year long. According to the obituary of C.H. Arfman7, Christian, Mary, and probably only Fred and Lee (the others were old enough to be starting their own families by now, Theodore and Henry both getting married in 1897 and 1898, respectively) moved south to Bates county Missouri in 1895, where Christian and Mary were to live for the rest of their lives. The gold watch that was stolen from Lee Arfman's son James in the late 1970's was a gift from Christian to his son on his 21st birthday. The watch was a beautiful heirloom, by all accounts and it is regrettable that a thief ended it's time with the Arfman family.
Other articles on Lee's College 1 2 3 4 - The professors of IAC were prolific authors and scientists (as the last article and at least a portion of a book on animals available on Googlebooks proves). Interestingly, Lee's Englishbook which descended within the family is copyrighted in 1890, and may well have been used to help Lee prepare for the entrance requirements mentioned in the history.
From pictures taken about 5 years after their arrival in Bates county (and handed down within the family), we can say with certainty what both Christian Heinrich and Mary Arfman looked like around this time. Christian was a stocky man who probably weighed around 180 pounds or so. He was probably about 5' 8" in height. He was starting to get some grey hair in his otherwise light brown hair. His eyes were dark and he had been growing a mustache and beard for some time. The beard being the only rather unkempt thing (as was the custom of the times) about him, Christian looks much like his son Lee and grandson James will look in their later years. His hair is parted on the left and is kept fairly short. He looks more like a distinguished businessman than a busy farmer. His wife Mary looks to be more German than he, although this is impossible, of course. Her dark brown hair is parted in the middle in an unusual style. She too seems to keep her hair short. Like her husband, she too is a stocky person, and it is difficult with her garment to identify much more. Her eyes seem to be a grey or hazel color, though, of course, this is difficult to tell with the black and white photo available. Both the picture of Christian and that of his wife show no background, and it is likely that they went to a studio to get these pictures specially done. Based on the quality of the pictures and the format of the pictures (Mary's is cut off with a white fog-like substance just below her chest, Christian's is not cut off at all), it is possible that these pictures were not taken at the same time. Where Christian had his taken is unclear. Mary's portrait has the inscription "De Hart" and "Moran, Kans" on the bottom, explaining where hers was taken.
Interestingly, on March 9, 1897, Dora Arfman traveled back from Crawford County Iowa with Henry Dreeson to get married in Bates County, Missouri. This was probably to allow her family to participate in the wedding. So the family's move to Bates was certainly before this date. Dora's family in 1900 Sac County Iowa federal census
Lee Arfman was still living with his parents in 1900. Christian's occupation is once more recorded as a farmer.
Fred lives nearby. He married Bertha, a German lady about his age, probably just before arrival in Bates county, and Christian soon had the first grandchild with the Arfman name, Charley Arfman, born in June of 1896. Fred's family lived a little North of Butler and Christian's lived a little Northeast of Butler. Years later, Christian's granddaughter Mary related how Fred and Bertha would switch to German if they did not want the children to understand what they were saying. Fred, it appears, did learn German, but whether through his wife or his parents is not known.
Most likely they all lived happy and peacefully until the 19th of February, 1907. Mary Scheeman Arfman, after a long illness, finally passed on. She was two months shy of her 70th birthday. Lee Arfman took care of all the arrangements, much as he would 5 1Christian 2 years later when his father would pass away. The deed to the cemetery plot at Oak Hill cemetery in Butler was written the day after she died. It couldn't have been easy on any of them. Mary's obituary. Mary's will pt1 Mary's will pt2 Mary's will pt3
On the 23rd of April, 1908, 14 months, 4 days
later (a suitable mourning period by most standards),
Christian married a
second time to Ellen M. Laskey. He had lived too long with a woman to be able
to go any longer without one. As it was her second marriage too (probably
her and her first husband's license), she probably
felt the same. They both needed each other.
In the 1910 census Lee had moved to Charlotte next to his brother Fred, away from Christian's home in Mt Pleasant township, Bates County Missouri. Likely he thought there was no place for him in the home of his father and his step-mother. The 1910 census is also significant in that we finally see the shift from Christian Heinrich to Charles Henry, how his name is related down through the oral family history. On October 2nd, 1912, Charles Henry Arfman joined his first wife in death. The death certificate says 4pm from alcoholism, which apparently had started a couple of years prior to Mary's death. Perhaps in an effort to deal with her illness? A contributing factor was listed as old age. Possibly, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and he passed it on to Fred, Lee and Dora. There was some fear at one point that this debilitating disease made it down to Christian's grandchildren, but this, thankfully, proved to be inaccurate. It is significant to note that before the disease of Alzheimer had been discovered, many of the symptoms would merely be diagnosed as old age, as they were in Christian's case. Christian was 76 when he died and had seen a lot. From the steam engine to internal electricity, telephones, and airplanes. He'd witnessed the obliteration of the Indian from most of the eastern United States (though there is no evidence that he cared of such things). Christian was a tough man who had endured a long life. Christian's obituary. - Funeral costs from the Bates County Family History Center
Some Arfman entries in a Bates County Cemeteries book - date for Mary's birth confirmed with original work. Death dates very wrong however, Ancestry.com mangled the dates from Joyce Christiansen's work.
* Information
from John M. Arfman, 33 Reynolds Road, Glen Cove, N.Y. 11542, post-dated May
14th, 1987, and the letter from Josina and Kenneth Arfman, RR 1 Box 73, Pound
Ridge, N.Y. 10576, dated October 1st 1992.
3. Numerous
conversations with Christian's granddaughter Mary (Arfman) Arnold.
* The birthdates of
the children of Christian and Mary are gleaned from
a scrap of paper in the handwriting
of Lena Coley
Arfman which were passed on from Pansy (Pam) Groves Arfman early on in this
research.
* Lee A. Arfman's
death certificate was filled out by his daughter Mary (see reference #3 above)
as Albert Lee Arfman, and Lee's son James Lee Arfman's birth certificate shows
the name as Lee Arthur Arfman. The errors on these two documents may be
attributed to the confusion of each event. The oral history of the family has
never wavered that Lee Albert Arfman was the correct name.
Lee and Lena marriage application
Lee and Lena
Arfman marriage certificate (says license)
Picture of Lee and Lena on their wedding
day - family tradition says they met through
"letters to the lovelorn" the newspaper personals of their day.
Lee Albert and Lena Rivers (Coley) Arfman tombstone
Lee A Arfman's WW1 registration (front) Lee A Arfman's WW1 registration (back)
Lee and Lena in 1920 Blue Township, Precinct 16, Jackson county Missouri federal census
Lee and Lena in 1930 Butler (Mt Pleasant township), Bates county Missouri federal census
Lee Albert Arfman's death certificate (notice certificate erroneously states Albert Lee Arfman) - Funeral costs from the Bates County Family History Center
Lena R (Coley) Arfman Elliot's Death Certificate
From Brenton Wood on the Arfman Genforum recently came this (Thank you
Brenton!!):
More information from LDS film 1433425 -
Marriages, O'Brien County, IA
Marriage at Baker Twp on Jan 18, 1887 Licence No 396
Christian H Arfman Jr, 26, white, American, farmer of Baker Twp
Parents: C H Arfman and Mary Halsner (or Habner?)
and
Mary Ann Ostrom, 18, white, born Wisconsin
Parents: John P Ostrom and Fanny E Payne
Witnesses: Christ. W Kern and Dora Arfman
Mary Ann
died in 1894 and C.H. remarried:
Marriage at Primghar on March 23, 1898, Licence No 605
Christian H Arfman, 37, white, born Fulton Illinois, butcher of Paullina
Parents: Christian H Arfman and Mary Hatchner(?)
and
Florence May England, 23, white, born Sweetwater Illinois, of Spencer Iowa
Parents: Asa Francis England and Margaret Ewing*
Witnesses: Ethel England and Mrs Alice England
*see IGI Film 1760941
…….. and that's my contribution to Arfman genealogy.
Brenton Wood
Adelaide
South Australia
I have re-checked the handwriting on the Iowa
records, with the benefit of your comments. For the first marriage, the best
translation is Hatsner. For the second, I'll stick with Hatchner.
Although I don't have all the facts, possible scenarios for Mary's dual surname
could be:
1. Mary was born to Mrs Hetsner before her marriage to Mr Hetsner i.e. child of
a previous marriage.
2. Mary was a child of an unmarried Hestner daughter, but used her father's
surname on official documents.
3. Mary was adopted or fostered by the Hetsners.
Either way, she was apparently known as a Hetsner, but her legal name was
Scheeman - a fact apparently not known to her son when he was married.
By the way, the second marriage Licence No. in my previous posting should be
1605, not 605.
Brenton
From LDS Film 1436255 Births in O'Brien
County, Iowa:
Howard ARFMAN born 26Christian 7Christian 1899. Parents C H Arfman & Florence England
Brenton
Arfman entries in Sac County Iowa 1895 state census from Ancestry.com - Earl and Pearl were children of Christian Heinrich II's first wife. He had since remarried Florence and would have son Howard in 4 years.
31 Mar 11! Theodore Georg Arfman married a sister of Dora's husband Henry Dreesen! The record gives another interpretation of Mary Arfman's maiden name, Schinmann.
Henry Dreesen, his sister Emma, and parents immediately after 1883 or 1884 entry into the USA in 1885 Westside township, Crawford County, Iowa state census
Dora's family in 1900 Sac County Iowa federal census
Dreessen family (with Earl and Pearl) in 1905 Levey township, Sac County, Iowa state census
Earl and Pearl marriage data from new LDS site
Dreessen family (with Earl and Pearl) in 1905 Levey township, Sac County, Iowa state census
Dora's family in 1910 Levey township, Sac County Iowa federal census
Dora's family in 1915 Levey township, Sac County Iowa federal census
Dora's family in 1920 Denison City, Dennison Township Crawford County Iowa federal census - 1 2 3 4.
Henry and Dora Dreesen in 1925 Denison Township Crawford County Iowa State Census 1 2 3 - It s interesting that Dora knows her mother's maiden name but does not know her parents married in Illinois. Also the name she provides matches her parents' marriage certificate, but differs from brother Christian Henry Arfman's marriage certificate for his parents. Note her other brother Theodore does not give any data for his mother's maiden name. We assume from her obituary that her son Lee knew her maiden name, unlike that of his father.
Henry and Dora Dreesen in 1930 Crawford County Iowa Federal Census - Interesting that a Dora Dreesen married to a Henry Dreesen in Dallas TX in 1920 and 1930 only 3 yrs difference in age! Our Dora must have married Henry Dreesen between 1895 state census and 1899 birth of her first child Esther.
Christian Heinrich Arfman II (Henry) in 1900 Obrien co Iowa federal census - unlocated in 1920 or 1930 census.
Henry and family in 1905 Primghar Township, O'brien County Iowa State census returns
1915 Iowa state census returns of Edwin Johnson, Florence Johnson, Howard Arfman, Mary Arfman, Clifford Arfman, and Claud Arfman
Funeral costs of Christian Arfman, brother of Lee and Fred - from the Bates County Family History Center
Florence, renamed, as "daughter" with children of Henry Arfman in 1920 Burleene Township, Todd County Minnesota Federal census returns - She probably remarried this man and the census taker considered her a daughter (age difference?)
Fred Arfman in the 1900 Bates co Mo. Federal census
Fred and Bertha Arfman in Bates county Mo in 1910 federal census
Fred and Bertha's son Charley's WW1 service
Fred and Bertha Arfman in Bates county Mo in 1920 federal census
Fred and Bertha in 1930 census Charlotte township, Bates Co Missouri federal census
Theodore Arfman family in Sac co Iowa in 1900 federal census
Theodore and family in 1905 Wall Lake Township Sac County Iowa State census returns
Theodore Arfman family in Sac co Iowa in 1910 federal census
Theodore Afman in 1915 Wall Lake Township Sac County Iowa State census returns (abstract)
Theodore Arfman and family living on 1st street of Wall Lake town, Levey township, Sac Co, Iowa in 3 Jan. 1920 federal census: A B
Theodore Arfman and family in 1925 Wall Lake Township Sac County Iowa State census returns 1 2 3
| Theodor Orfman | |
| Death Date: | 1926 |
|---|---|
| Page #: | 76 |
| Birth Date: | 1863 |
| Cemetery: | Odebolt |
| Level Info: | Sac County, Iowa Cemetery Records |
Some email regarding Theodore's son Walter (who in turn had a son Theodore…)
Copy of an external page relating to Walter Arfman's family
SSDI has our Walter thus: WALTER ARFMAN 12 Dec 1900 Apr 1978 92399 (Yucaipa, San Bernardino, CA) (none specified) 481-07-8433 [issued in]Iowa
Calif death records say: ARFMAN WALTER WILLIAM 12Christian 12Christian 1901 M IOWA SAN BERNARDINO 04Christian 25Christian 1978 481-07-8433 77 yrs
Walter Arfman memorial from his funeral - Inside Cover
From
EAST
LAWN CEMETERY, SHELDON, O'BRIEN COUNTY, IOWA
Floyd Twp., section 32, Northwest quarter, East Ninth Street
Recorded by Greater Sioux County & Northwest IA Genealogical Societies
transcribing was started 2 July 1983 and completed August 1984
http:Christian Christian sites.rootsweb.comChristian
~iaobrienChristian ELawn.htm
comes:
ARFMAN, Mary A. — b 4 Nov 1869 d 3 Mar 1894; ss John P Ostrom wife of C H
Arfman
ARFMAN, Maud — b d 20 Nov 1887; dau of Henry and Mary
OSTROM, John P. — b 31 Jan 1828 d 8 July 1902; ss Mary A. Arfman
From an Aug ’01 trip to Library of Congress in Washington DC comes the information that Cemeteries of Bates Co Missouri mentions Mary Wife of CH Arfman 9 Apr 1837 – 20 Feb 1907 as well as a CN Arfman and a Chester Arfman, along with our other Arfman data above.
* Previous theories speculated that perhaps Christian was related to the extensive Arfmann ancestry uncovered by Ken and Josina Arfman during their one of their trips to Osterholz-Sharmbeck, Germany. This page captures some of their research which seems to NOT be connected to the Arfman data submitted by Dr Nendel (or to other Arfman immigrants to the USA) at this time.
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