Charles A. F. Ziemer
CHARLES A. F. ZIEMER, born
in Pomerania September 5, 1876, was the son of Martin Gottllieb Ziemer and Caroline
Bonow. Charles was about the age of 5 when his family made the harrowing
voyage that brought them to America in 1881. Raised on the South
Side of Chicago, Charles worked as an accounting and shipping clerk for
the railroad. He married Louise Bruns at Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran
Church at 49th and Dearborn on September 21, 1901? They had two sons:
Martin Frederick, who became a physician; and Elmer, a dentist. The family
lived for many years in the neighborhood on South Shields Avenue near Martin
G. and Caroline Ziemer, and many of the Bonow family as well. Louise
ran a local grocery/deli on the first floor of an apartment building where
several of the family members also lived. Around 1954, at the age
of 79 years, Charles wrote this narrative of the family history as he knew
it:
The Family Chronicle of Charles A. F. Ziemer relates important information
for family research, on the Ziemer as well as Bonow families. Charles refers
to Frederick Bonow as Ferdinand, and his grandmother Louise's maiden name
is given as Krucko. (Alternate spellings may include Kruecko/Krueckow/Kruecke,
with or without an umlaut).
Charles A. F. Ziemer in his chronicle relates information
about the burial places of family members. His parents and the Frederick
Bonows are buried at Oakwoods Cemetery in Chicago, where Charles as oldest
brother oversaw placement of the family monument, and lovingly tended the
graves each spring for years. Charles himself, I have been told,
was instrumental in the creation of Bethania Cemetery in Justice, Illinois,
where he and many other family members rest. Another name associated with
Bethania is Priebe. Charles's chronicle explains his in-law relationship
with the Priebe family, and relates other facts about his wife's family:
FRANK and FROH from Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Hammond, Indiana; BRUNS; and
PRIEBE of Chicago.
Note: The above-mentioned Frank Ziemer would be the author's paternal
grandfather.
CHARLES A. F. ZIEMER was by all accounts
a kind, gentle, and generous man, deeply religious, and dedicated to his
family. His last home was at 8201 S. Carpenter St., Chicago. He did
much to help the extended family during his lifetime. He died on August
11, 1954 - not long after penning the chronicle which even today helps
us to know our family's history.
Grateful acknowledgment is given to Charles O. Ziemer
of Burr Ridge, Illinois
for providing much of the information given here,
including the Charles A. F. Ziemer narrative.
POMERANIAN ROOTS
*
ZIEMERS OF CHICAGO *
ZIEMER'S TREE