Looking for Charles Franke (b. 1864) and Mary Elizabeth Ronke (1865-1959). They lived in the Chicago area. They had 3 children: Henry (Edna), Barbara (Clifford Cozens) and Emilie (Ernest Dammann).

Thanks
Suzanne

Suzanne,

Charles (Carl) Franke is my half great grand uncle. I know that Barbara and Clifford Cozens were related to me (my grandparents used to visit them in Chicago). Your post solves the mystery for me how they are related.

Charles was born in Washington County Wisconsin in about 1864. He was on 1870 and 1880 census in the household of Gottlieb Franke, his father. Check those out on Ancestry.

In 1870 he is Carl age 6. His mother, Charlotte somebody, died before 1867, when Gottlieb remarried a younger Charlotte Waechter, a widow. The first Charlotte immigrated with Gottlieb and some older siblings in 1854. They were from Wintzingerode, Saxony, Prussia. Then it seems that in 1870, Gottlieb was again a widower. There is a 23 year old Charlotte on that census, but that is probably his oldest daughter, who also went by the name Mary or Maria.

In 1880, Carl is 16 and Gottlieb has new wife, Johanna Gedke, who he married in 1871. She had five more children with Gottlieb. (My great grandmother was one of them, Elizabeth Franke b. 1873 who married Henry Angermeyer who she met in Chicago).

I have been very interested in this family, and did not know who Carl married or about his children. I would love to see his marriage certificate to help sort out the multiple wives.

Gottlieb Franke is the son of Andreas Gottfried Franke and Charlotte (another Charlotte) Hohnstein, who also immigrated to Washington County Wisconsin from Wintzingerode, Germany.

There is a lot more. Hope this helps.

Katie

Katie,
Thanks for the info. It helps me to look in another direction.

I was glad to have helped you. Unfortunately, I don't know all that much about this family. I am related to them through Mary Ronke, my great grandaunt.

What I do know is this:
Mary was born in November of 1865 in Princeton, WI. Her parents were Andrew Ronke and Marianna Flemming (both came from Prussia but married in WI). She had 13 siblings. Most of the sisters went to Chicago and most of the brothers went to South Dakota. Mary and Charles (Carl) were married about 1890. I think Charles may have died before 1936 (Mrs. Mary Franke was mentioned in her brother's obit and not Mrs. Charles Franke).

A cousin had some old photos that we were trying to identify. Some of them were from Chicago studios, so we assume that they were of the sisters or their families.

Suzanne