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THE
ARENS/ARNS FAMILIES |
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THE
ARENS/ARNS FAMILIES |
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Verla Arns (wife of. Earl Arns) of Fullerton, California, a
descendent of
William Arns (see below) has
provided an Arns family history. The family is quite large and has been traced
back to about 1600. The surname was originally spelled Arens but
was anglicized to Arns on coming to America.
Portions of the following material were taken from her research and from
various family members and cousins. The Arenses lived in Grossenmarpe, and later Brakelsiek, in the small German principality of Lippe or Lippe-Detmold which is about 100 miles southwest of Hannover. Brakelsiek is the same village where the Schrodermeier family lived. Although William Arns' obituary states that he was born in Braelsiek, I have viewed the parish records for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brakelsiek but could not confirm any of the Arens family there. However, the records were very difficult to read and I may have missed them. Four brothers immigrated to the United States: William Arens and two half brothers, twins Heinrich and Christian, came in 1858 in order to avoid conscription into the army. They settled first in Milwaukee, Wisconsin before going to Bremer County, Iowa. In 1867, another brother, Friedrich August Arens immigrated to Bremer County. My direct
ancestors are shown in bold type. Generations are shown in
colors. |
| I. Johann Heinrich Arens, 1600 - ???? and Spouse the author's g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-grandparents, had two documented children: Simon Ludwig
Arens - see below |
| II. Simon Ludwig Arens, 1626 - 1711
and Ilsabe Wegener the author's g-g-g-g-g-g-g-grandparents, had four documented children: Anna Elizabeth
Arens (1661 - 1736) |
| III. Johann Arens, 1666 - 1721
and Anna Margaretha Woermann, 1664 - ???? the author's g-g-g-g-g-g-grandparents, had three documented children: Johann Jost Heinrich
Arens (1694 - ) |
| IV. Johann Heinrich Arens, 1708 - 1783 and Anna Marie
Hoeners, 1712 - ???? the author's g-g-g-g-g-grandparents, married 1770 and they had seven documented children: Johann
Hermann Arens (1736 - ) |
| V. Franz Heinrich Arens, 1743, the
author's g-g-g-g-grandfather married (1) Anna Catharina
Beermann, (2) Anna Ilsabe Leseman, and (3)
Luise Brueggenmann.
With the latter he had three documented children:
Franz
Heinrich Arens (1797 - ) see below |
|
VII. Johann Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Arns, 1838 - 1905 and Wilhelmina Witte, 1832 - 1908 a.k.a. William Arns (the authors g-g-grandfather) immigrated
in1858 with twin half brothers Heinrich (a.k.a. Henry), and Christian, in
order to escape conscription into the army. A third brother,
Friedrich August, immigrated in 1867. According to Verla Arns'
Family History, William's mother was Sophia Goekemier. However, his
Civil War Burial Record lists his mother as Catharina Racker (sic).
I have not resolved this conflict. He married Wilhelmina (Minnie) Witte in 1858. She
had come to
America on the same ship as William with her daughter
Amelia (Molly) and she was eight months pregnant when she married William. They had four children while in
Milwaukee and five in Bremer County, Iowa: William enlisted on February 20, 1864 and was assigned to Company H, 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army Regulars on April 1 at Newport Barracks, Kentucky, the Regimental Headquarters. Due to the inclement weather, he spent about six weeks in the hospital where he was told he had heart disease. It appears he remained at Newport Barracks for about a year. Newport Barracks was the 13th Regimental Headquarters under command of General William Tecumseh Sherman, although he, and the rest of the 1st Battalion, was in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia fighting Rebs. The Regimental Headquarters was moved from Newport Barracks, May 10, 1865, to Camp Dennison, Ohio, across the Ohio River near Cincinnati. The 1st Battalion was transferred to Nashville, Tennessee on April 1, 1864 where it remained until July, 1865. The War was over on July 9, 1865. On July 1st, it left Nashville for St. Louis; then to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on August 24. During November, 1865, the Regimental Headquarters was also moved to Fort Leavenworth. At this point, William would have traveled from Camp Dennison to Fort Leavenworth, where Company H joined the others of the 1st Battalion, and proceeded up the Missouri River to establish a military post north of the Black Hills. But on arriving at Fort Sully, Dakota Territory, on April 27, 1866 they re-embarked under orders to establish a new post at or near Fort Benton, Montana Territory, under Captain Webb. They arrived at the mouth of the Judith River to establish Camp Cooke on May 19, 1866. Fort Benton was an old trading fort sold to the Army in 1865, to protect the freight and mail being carried from Fort Benton to Helena over the old Mullan Military Wagon Road (by then called Montana's Benton Road). Company H didn't remain in Benton, but rather moved upriver about 8 miles past the great falls of the Missouri to eight log buildings, the site St. Peter's Mission that had just been abandoned by the Jesuits. This post on a bend in the Missouri River near today's Ulm, Montana, became known during the winter of 1866-67 as Camp Webb. [Source: Ken Robison, Historian, Overholser Historical Research Center, Fort Benton, MT] While in Montana, William contracted scurvy. He was discharged on February 20, 1867 at Fort Benton. It does not appear that William saw any action in the Civil War and I do not know that he saw any fighting with the Indians either. He missed a large battle with 2500 Sioux and Crow Indians at Camp Cooke on May 17, 1868 which occurred after he was discharged. The hostiles surrounded and attacked the post for about six hours until they were driven off. The garrison at this time consisted of Companies B and H, 13th Infantry, under the command of Major Clinton. On March 4, 1891, William applied for an Invalid Pension because of neuralgia, heart disease, rheumatism and loss of teeth, a result of scurvy. His initial physical states "that in the summer of 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee, being exposed to inclement weather, he became sick and was sent to an hospital in Newport, Kentucky where he was under treatment for about 6 weeks and was told that he had heart disease. He says that he pretty well recovered at the time, but for the last 2 years a little exercise or excitement will set his heart fluttering and he loses all his strength, which incapacitates him for ordinary manual labor. He further states that about two years ago he suffered la Grippe and since then has been troubled with intense neuralgia on the left side of his face on account of which he cannot expose his face to the least cold or dampness without exciting these neuralgic pains, he suffers once in a while flashes of pain on the right side of his face. Says that he has been troubled at times with pains in his back, shoulders and arms and since he had la Grippe he has suffered pain in the right hip, shooting down one thigh with cramps in the right calf, shooting in the sole of the right foot, cramps of right toes, that he suffers pain in the right groin, shooting down the inside of the thigh to the knee (obturator nerve). Says he is lame in right leg, usually uses a cane and that every step hurts his hip with now and then intervals of freedom from pain. In 1866 in Montana he incurred scurvy resulting in disease of his teeth. Says that the last 4 or 5 years he suffered pain in the small of his back which seems to come around his body to the front part of his abdomen, that his urine varies in color and quantity, passes at times free, at times only drop by drop." The doctor concluded that he had no heart disease or rheumatism but that the whole of his disabilities were due to neuralgia, and that he was entitled to a pension. In 1893 and again in 1902 he applied for increases in his pension. It was recommended that he receive $12 per month. After his return from Montana, William and his brothers moved their families to Bremer County, Iowa where he farmed 160 acres in Warren Township. They appear in the 1880 US Census. The 1900 US Census , as well as an Arns' family Bible, lists Henrietta (1887) as a daughter. If she really is their child she must have been a surprise as she is 12 years younger than Simon and her mother would have been 55 years old at the time. Perhaps she is an adopted daughter of some relative. William served as a Warren Township Trustee from 1877 to 1881. He died in1905 and is buried in the Warren Evangelical Association Church Cemetery. After his death in 1905 (obituary), William’s widow Minnie (age 75) applied for a pension in
1907 based on her husband’s military service. I don’t know if she ever received
one or not but she died in 1908 and is buried in the Warren Evangelical
Association Church cemetery. |
| VIII.
Christian William Arns, 1859-1930
and Pauline Schroedermeier, 1861 - 1915 the author’s great grandparents, married in 1882 (four children):
|
| Ernest Frederick
Arns (1883 - 1970) see below They appeared in the 1900 US Census of Washington Township, Bremer County where he is farming. Sometime before 1910 he moved his family to Waterloo, Black Hawk County where he is found in the 1910 US Census living just two doors away from his son Ernest (the author’s grandfather) and his family. Also, Christian's mother-in-law Minnie Eichmann Witte is living with him. He’s listed as a renderer at a packing house (Rath Packing Company). He was also a tour guide there. Pauline died in 1915 and Christian married Emma Scheppele in 1919. In the 1920 US Census, Christian and Emma are found living with their son George and his family in Waterloo, Iowa. Clarence relocated to Los Angeles, California where he died, but no other records can be found. Logan relocated to Seattle, Washington but the only records found are the 1910 US Census where he is living in a boarding house, and a WWI draft card. Perhaps he was killed in the war - no one knows. |
| IX. Ernest Frederick Arns, 1883-1970
and Anna Marie Fox, 1885 - 1973 |
|
 |
Ernest Arns married
Anna Fox (the author’s
grandparents) in 1907 and resided in Waterloo. He worked as a grocery store
salesman and as a guide for Rath Packing Company. He and Anna had two daughters:
Irene
Marion Arns (1908 - 1997), the author’s mother) married Fred
Bade |
