User:Ellen English

My gg grandfather, Cornelius Merman, was born in Germany in 1825 and came to the US in 1848 with his parents, brothers and sisters and settled in Jefferson Co., WI.

Here is what I know of his life - Life Events of Cornelius Merman: 1825 - b. in Rheinland Province, Germany July 5, 1848 - Arrives in the US and settles in Jefferson Co., WI

1850 Census -Resides with family in Ixonia, Jefferson Co., WI; occ: Farmer,Value: $1,800 (Father's farm)

Jul 3, 1851 - Marries Anna M. Joerris in Ixonia (family Bible) Also have a microfilm copy of a marriage of Cornelius Merman & Gratchen Jorris, Jul 14, 1851 in Jo Davies Co., IL which borders WI to the south.

1852 - Daughter Martha is born in Ixonia Apr 6, 1852 - Files Intention papers in Jefferson Co., WI

From Betsy Slagle, email Jun 27, 2000 If Cornelius didn't file his intention papers until 1852, I'm betting he was naturalized in Milwaukee. Do you suppose Peter Mermann never went through the process?

1854 - Son George is born in Ixonia

1855 - Cornelius Murmann is listed on the 1855 State Census of residing in 2nd Ward, Milwaukee, WI, 2 females & 2 males, 2 of foreign birth. (Copy obtained from Betsy Slagle) Ennumerated 3 families below him is a Carl Peschen, 4 males & 2 females all of which are foreign born. Relations?

1857 - Daughter Anna is born either in Ixonia or Milwaukee 1858 - Listed in City Directory of Milwaukee, WI; occ: Teamster 1860 Census - 1860 - Daughter Bertha is born in Milwaukee 1862 - Son Samuel is born Sheboygan, Sheboygan, Wisconsin 1864 - Daughter Clara is born in Milwaukee or Ixonia ? Bef Jan 1866 - advanced $600. as part of his inheritance

1870 Census - 5th Ward, Omaha City, Douglas, NE, Pg 558/57, Family 466 occ: Grocer (grocery store on 16th - see photo: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl) 1871 - Son Arthur is born in Omaha 1873 - Son Otto Carl is born in Omaha Jan 22, 1875 - Bought 160 acre farm in McArdle Pct. from 'someone else', so no patent. There was already a house and outbuildings on the property. (Gloria Jacoby - Letter Nov 21, 1996) Jun 1877 - receives the balance of his inheritance of $43. (according to probate records he owed the estate $125) 1878 - Found on plat map of Omaha, McArdle Pct. (copy received from Gloria Jacoby Nov 21, 1996) Map filed in the book '1913 Atlas Index - Nebraska Counties' 1880 Census - McArdle Pct, Douglas, NE, pg 410A - Ancestry Image #23 (Image mostly illegible, did not copy), Family 166/175 Cornelius Merriman, 54, b. Germany, Farming Margaret, 50, b. Germany George H., 26, b. WI Anna, 23, b. WI Bertha, 20, b. WI, Teaching School Samuel, 18, b. WI Arthur, 9, b. NE Otto, 7, b. NE

1885 Nebraska State Census Enumerator: Chas J. Ryan McArdle, Midway Borough, Douglas Co., NE, Pg 12, ED 238 Cornelis Merman, 39, b. Prussia (age is wrong) Margan, 36, b. Prussia (age is wrong) Anis (f? m?), 26, b. Wisconsin (Ann?) Beilby (f? m?), 23, b. Wisconsin (Bertha?) Ailham (f? m?), 13, b. NE (Arthur?) Otto, 11, b. NE

1888 - Listed in the Douglas County Directory; Farmers of Douglas County with their postoffice addresses, Mermann, C., Omaha Aug 25, 1890 - Makes his will and hours later commits sucide. Found the next morning by 'one of his sons'. He had hung himself in the barn. Buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Millard, Douglas Co., NE

July 18, 1894 - Daughter Martha Dipple, administrator of his estate, grants the land to Anna, Otto C., Samuel P., and Bertha L. Merman. On Sep 4, 1894, Otto C. grants his part to Samuel P., and on the same date he is granted more land from Martha. Feb 17, 1899 - Otto C. Mermann grants land to R.E. Westgate (husband of Bertha)

The 1900 Plat Map of Douglas Co. reflects these changes. Samuel P. Merman & Bertha L. Merman (Westgate) now own the 2 bottom sections of the property. Unable to make out who owns the 1 upper part that was granted to Anna Merman in 1894. Possibly the John N. Frenzer who was granted land from Samuel P. Merman on Sep 13, 1900.

Written by Samuel P. Merman, date unknown 'Father (Cornelius) worked so very hard. Mother was an invalid, but she managed things very well. We raised corn, hauled it to Omaha, got ten cents a bushel. We were compelled to use corn to burn to keep us warm and do our cooking. Had to haul our hogs to Omaha where we received three cents a pound for them. Had to use lard for everything. It served for butter on the table as we had to sell our butter to pay for groceries. We received 12 1/2 cents for butter. Later had customers who paid 25 cents. We did not have any extas. I couldn't go to school as the folks needed my help'

Colorado Land Records database at Ancestry.com (dates were NOT recorded) MERMAN (4) Ancestry.com searchs Merman Database: Denver Land Office Records, 1862-1908 Surname: MERMAN Given Name: CORNELIUS Bureau of Land Management: 6 Township/Direction: 9 / North Range/Direction: 43 / West Type: Homestead Act Book: Register of Homestead Entries, 5. vols ACT: Claim: MERMAN, SAMUEL P. - (information same as above) MERMAN, ANNA - (information same as above) MERMAN, SAMUEL P. (same piece of land) Type: Timber Culture Act Book: Register of Timber Culture Entries

Could not acquire information on these records from NARA. 'No records found' They believe that they were sales of land previously owned by private citizens, and were not transacted through the goverment.

'Memoirs of La Crosse County' published by Madison, Wisconsin Western Historical Association 1907 - Benjamin F. Bryant, Editor, pg 352 (Biography of George H. Merman) '....... and is a son of Cornelius and Margaret (Joerris) Merman, both of whom were born and reared in Germany. The father became a prosperous farmer in Jefferson county and finally removed thence to Milwaukee, where he was a general contractor until 1869, when he removed to Omaha, Neb., where he conducted a grocery store for two years, at the expiration of which time he bought a farm of 160 acres, eight miles distant from that city, and on this homestead he continued to reside until his death, which occured Aug 26, 1890. His widow passed away April 30, 1892. They became the parents of four sons and three daughters and all are living except one of the sons.' (Arthur died in 1904)

Email from Pat Henderson June 6, 00 - ' At some point in our discussion the subject of whether Cornelius was really involved in the war of 1848. FYI = Accoring to my history book, , it was March 18 1848 when Prussia was "merged into Germany." It was a brief and rather unsuccessful revolution. So it does appear feasible.'

American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Record about Cornelius MERMAN Name: Cornelius MERMAN Birth Date: 182? Birthplace: Ger, Wisconsin, Nebraska, grocer Volume: 116 Page Number: 255 Reference: LaCrosse Mems: 352 Source Information: Godfrey Memorial Library, comp. American Genealogical-Biographical Index. [database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 1999-. Original data: Godfrey Memorial Library. American Genealogical-Biographical Index. Middletown, CT: Godfrey Memorial Library, 1952-.