CRAMME FAMILY TREE

According to our "Cramme/Cramer" cousin, one of our German "Cramme" cousins (Hans Heinrich Cramme) wrote "a book of genealogy research" on the Cramme family. As our cousin Jim writes, "Unfortunately it is written in German and my German vocabulary is limited to about 500 words or less. The book was a big help!"

Cousin Jim did provide Family Group Sheets on six generations of Cramer/Cramme ancestors. I do not have any source documentation for this information.  I am still hoping to acquire a copy of the book.

Nevertheless, below is the information included in the Family Group Sheets provided by Cousin Jim Stewart.

Rosina's parents were Friedrich and Katherina Elizabeth (Ackermann) Cramme.  Our Rosina was the oldest child of three, according to these Family Group Sheets and was born almost exactly nine months after her parents marriage. Notice that her first name is spelled differently, and we now have her middle name. Also, notice that her mother died when she was just six years old. There is no indication that her father remarried, but he would have had three very young children (6, 3 1/2, and nearly 1) and he would have only been 34 years old. It seems likely he remarried, or that their grandparents may have helped raise the children. Their family group sheet provides the following information:
Husband: Friedrich Cramme
                 Birth: 27 Sep 1806 in Haueda, Kassel, Germany
                 Death: 27 Mar 1877 in Haueda, Kassel, Germany
                 Marriage: 22 Apr 1834 in Haueda, Kassel, Germany


Wife:       Katherina Elizabeth Ackermann
                Birth: 25 Sep 1805 in Liebenau, Germany
                Death: 02 Apr 1841 in Haueda, Germany
                           Father:  Johann Heinrich Ackermann
                            Mother: Margarethe Blumenfeld

Children:
          Rosine Sophie Cramme
          Birth: 19 Jan 1835 in Haueda, Germany
          Marriage:  18 Oct 1857 in Pekin, IL to William Ritterhouse
                             [Second marriage to] Joseph Van Dorn

          John (Johannes) Cramme
          Birth: 30 Jul 1837 in Haueda, Germany
          Death: 30 Sep 1915 in Pekin, Tazewell Co., IL
          Marriage: 1865 in Pekin, IL to Anna Kleen


          Philipp August Cramme
          Birth: 20 Mar 1840 in Haueda, Germany

Rosina's father, Friedrich, was the youngest child of his parents, Johann George and Anna Maria (Scherf) Cramme. Friedrich's mother also died when he was young, although he was nearly a teenager. It also appears like he lost his father and oldest sister within a month of each other. His father was nearly 76 when he died and his sister 47. That must have been a tough time for him.  Here is the information from the Family Group Sheet for Friedrich's family.
Husband: Johann George Cramme
                  Birth: 25 Oct 1766 in Haueda, Germany
                  Death: 08 Sep 1842 in Haueda, Germany
                  Marriage: 29 Nov 1793 in Haueda, Germany

Wife:        Anna Maria Scherf
                 Birth: 05 Dec 1770 in Haueda, Germany
                 Death: 05 Jul 1819 in Haueda, Germany
                           Father: Johann Conrad Scherf
                           Mother: Marie Louise Bolte

Children:
          Anna Margaretha Cramme
          Birth: 07 May 1795 in Haueda, Germany
          Death: 09 Aug 1842 in Haueda, Germany

          Marie Henriette Cramme
          Birth: 15 Aug 1798 in Haueda, Germany
          Death: 22 Nov 1860 in Haueda, Germany

          Friedrich Cramme
          Birth: 27 Sep 1806 in Haueda, Germany
          Death: 27 Mar 1877 in Haueda, Germany

Rosina's paternal great-grandparents had a large family relative to her family and her father's family. They had seven children, four daughters and three sons, with her grandfather born right in the middle, the fourth oldest.  At least three of their children did not live past toddler age.
Husband: Georg Wilhelm Kramme
                  Birth: 1728
                  Death: 05 May 1820 in Haueda, Germany
                  Marriage: 12 Nov 1756 in Haueda, Germany

Wife:        Susanne Marie Ruddenklau
                  Birth: 1731 in Haueda, Germany
                  Death: 22 May 1797 in Haueda, Germany

Children:
         Margaretha Elisabeth Kramme
         Birth: 22 May 1758 in Haueda, Germany

         Anna Catharina Kramme
         Birth: 1760 in Haueda, Germany
         Death: 21 Mar 1763 in Haueda, Germany

         Philipp George Kramme
         Birth: 18 Jun 1763 in Haueda, Germany
         Death: 23 Aug 1764 in Haueda, Germany

         Johann George Cramme
         Birth: 25 Oct 1766 in Haueda, Germany
         Death: 08 Sep 1842 in Haueda, Germany
         Marriage: 29 Nov 1793 in Haueda, Germany

         Anna Margaretha Kramme
         Birth: 10 Jul 1770 in Haueda, Germany
         Death: 19 Jan 1826 in Haueda, Germany

         Anna Maria Kramme
         Birth: 10 Jul 1770 in Haueda, Germany
         Death: 21 May 1771 in Haueda, Germany

         Jost Henrich Kramme
         Birth: 19 Apr 1774 in Haueda, Germany

Rosina's paternal great-great-grandparents were born around the turn of the 18th century. We only know of one child, although it is highly likely more were born to Johann Henrich and Anna Elisabeth (Wolff) Kramme, especially since they were married in 1723 and Rosina's great-grandfather was born in 1728.
Husband: Johann Henrich Kramme
                  Birth: abt. 1700
                  Death: 24 Sep 1763 in Haueda, Germany
                  Marriage: 21 Jul 1723 in Haueda, Germany

Wife:        Anna Elisabeth Wolff
                  Birth: 08 Sep 1700
                  Death: 24 Jan 1772 in Haueda, Germany

Children:
         George Wilhelm Kramme
         Birth: 1728
         Death: 05 May 1820 in Haueda, Germany
         Marriage: 12 Nov 1756 in Haueda, Germany

The final generation we have any information on is Rosina's paternal great-great-great-grandparents'. The information is sketchy since we are going back into the mid-1600s and early 1700s. Wilhelm and Elisabeth (Bolton) Kramme had at least eight children. For most of them, birth dates, death dates and other facts are not known. The children were almost certainly all born in Haueda,, since Wilhelm and Elisabeth were married there, although it is not recorded in the Family Group Sheets.
Husband: Wilhelm Kramme
                  Birth: Not known
                  Death: Not known
                  Marriage: 17 Nov 1686 in Haueda, Germany

Wife:        Elisabeth Bolten
                  Birth: 1649
                  Death: Not known

Children:
        Johann Henrich Kramme
        Birth: Abt. 1700
        Death: 24 Sep 1763 in Haueda, Germany
        Marriage: 21 Jul 1723 in Haueda, Germany

        Anna Kramme
        Birth: Not known
        Death: Not known

        Friedrich Kramme
        Birth: Not known
        Death: Not known

        Johannes Kramme
        Birth: Not known
        Death: Not known

        Cunrad Kramme
        Birth: Not known
        Death: Not known

        Anna Margaretha Kramme
        Birth: Not known
        Death: Not known

        Johann Engelhard Kramme
        Birth: Not known
        Death: 19 Jan 1746 in Haueda, Germany

        Jost Christian Kramme
        Birth: 30 Jan 1707
        Death: Not known

Reading through these five generations of Cramme/Kramme families, it is impressive to note that Crammes lived in the tiny village of Haueda, Germany for at least two hundred years. According to these Family Group Sheets, there is documentation for Crammes there from, at least, 1686 to 1877. With roots that deep and a legacy like that in her hometown, it seems even more amazing that the young Rosina undertook the arduous and dangerous ordeal of immigrating to America. Was it the early loss of her mother, the smallness of her village, the lack of opportunities in  Germany, an adventurous spirit? We'll probably never know, but I probably won't stop wondering and looking for answers.
        

ROSINA'S OBITUARY

For several years, I have been searching for an obituary for Rosina Kramer Ritterhouse VanDorn. I knew when and where she died, but had never been able to find an obituary. At first I was sure it would be in my Great-Aunt Edna's papers, but we never found it. Later, I thought maybe it would be posted in Find-a-Grave by some Ritterhouse relative, but so far no luck with that. Then, as Ancestry.com added an obituary database, I thought it would surely appear. I tried many different variations to Rosina's name because I have found her name in documents, in census records, in print spelled a wide variety of ways, using a variety of first and last names. Every avenue I tried came to a dead (no pun intended) end.

Finally, while researching the last two posts, I finally located not one, but two obituaries for Rosina. Neither solves any mysteries, but they are interesting. Originally, when I first started searching for them, I hoped they would tell me where and when she immigrated. Luckily, AncestryDNA solved the "where" question, and I have pretty well narrowed down the "when".  Of course, the obituaries do raise more questions about Rosina.

I am uncertain when the original Colorado Springs obituary was printed since I haven't found access to the Colorado Springs newspaper archives yet. Of the two obituaries I've found so far, the earliest dated one was in the Marshall County News (from Marysville, Kansas) on Friday, February 20, 1931 (page 11).



There are not many details given, but even so, some of the "facts" conflict with information we already had. This obituary gives Rosina's death date as January 21st and her age at death as 97 years. According to her death certificate, she was 99 years, 9 months, and 23 days old when she died on January 31, 1931. We also learn that she lived in Blue Rapids for more than 20 years. In an earlier post, I stated that she lived in Blue Rapids with her son for 15 years, so I may need to revisit that information to determine which is correct. It also confirms that she was born in Germany, but of course, not where in Germany or when she immigrated.

 

The second obituary was printed March 19, 1931 in The Axtell (KS) Standard (page 8).

 

 

 

Rosina's gravestone in Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs

The first thing you notice is the spelling of Rosina's name -- Rozena Vandorn. Next, is her age; as you can see, she aged two years between February and March. Most of the "facts" in this obituary are what ended up on Rosina's death certificate: born April 8, 1831, name spelled "Rozena", died at her
daughter Anna's home, born in Germany. Obviously, Anna was the informant for both the death certificate and the Colorado Springs obituary.

So, naturally, instead of solving problems, the obituaries only add to the questions. For example, when was Rosina born?  Listed below are the varying dates I have collected on Rosina's birth:

           1830 (from 1900 U.S. Census)
           1831 (from death certificate, gravestone and Colorado Springs obituary)
           1833 (from 1905 KS Census, 1910 U.S. Census, 1925 KS census and Marshall Co. obituary)
           1834 (from 1860 U.S. Census)
           1835 (from 1880 U.S. Census, 1920 U.S. Census and Cramme family information)
           1837 (from 1915 KS Census)

That means Rosina was somewhere between 101 and 94 when she died.

Another interesting thing in this obituary is the statement that Rosina "came to the United States as a child". In the 1920 U.S. Census, Rosina (or her son William) reported that she immigrated in 1852. My Great-Aunt Edna told me that Rosina immigrated to New York when she was 20 years old.  I have not found a ship record to document when she arrived.  In any case, I doubt that she was what I would call "a child" when she immigrated.

Even though there are still lots of questions about Rosina's birth, death and life, I love finding bits and pieces of information to try to fit together and learn more about our maternal Ritterhouse immigrant ancestor.

 

 

 

ROSINA'S BROTHER

Despite researching for about thirty years, I was never able to track my paternal great-great-grandmother, Rosina Kramer Ritterhouse VanDorn back to her native country of Germany, until my parents and I completed AncestryDNA kits. When our results were available, I eagerly began to search through our cousin matches. It was thrilling to come across a Kramer in Tazewell County, Illinois to whom my dad and I were cousins.  He turned out to be Rosina's brother.  And, through his great-grandson, Jim Stewart, became our gateway through the brick wall that was Rosina's origins and heritage.



Haueda, Germany

Johannes Cramme was born in Haueda, Germany, on July 30 1837, to Friedrich and Katherina
(Ackermann) Cramme.  His 2 1/2 year old sister, "Rosine Sophie" was waiting for him to arrive. About three years later, Johannes' world was altered when a baby brother, Philipp August, was born in March 1840. The Cramme family lived together in the small village in south central Germany. Then, around 1852, Rosina immigrated to the United States. (She was definitely in America by 1857.)  According to Rosina's grand-daughter, my Great Aunt Edna Ritterhouse, Rosina was 20 when she journeyed to New York City where she worked as a maid before continuing her journey west to Tazewell County, Illinois where she resided in 1857. Brother Johannes followed his sister to America ten to fifteen years later, apparently in 1865 or 1866. He, too, settled in Tazewell County, Illinois.

508 Charlotte St., Pekin, Illinois

Reportedly, Johannes, who became known as John Kramer, married Anna Kleen in 1865 or 1866 (as stated in his obituaries which disagree on the year).  With Anna, John raised two children, a son John, Jr. and a daughter, Emma. The Kramers were members of the local Lutheran Church.  He was employed as a cement worker by trade. At least from 1887 through 1903, he worked for Jansen & Zoeller, local mason contractors. For the last few years of

John Kramer gravestone

his life, he was employed by Jost & Schmidgall, who were also local mason contractors.  Anna and John lived in a 1024 sq. ft. home built in 1877, located at 508 Charlotte Street, Pekin, Illinois.  In fact, John, described as "an old resident of the city," died in this house on September 30, 1915, at the age of 78. "His death was sudden, following an illness of only a day."  He had lived in Pekin for 49 years. Not surprisingly, he was buried there, in Lakeside Cemetery.

It is interesting to speculate how close brother and sister were. For several years, they both lived in the same county in Illinois, thousands of miles from their homeland. John lived in the town of Pekin while Rosina lived on farms outside of town, but probably only five or ten miles away. Rosina's husband, John William Ritterhouse, died in June of 1876, about 10 years after her brother John moved to Tazewell County. She then remarried the next year and lost that husband a few years later. Around 1890, Rosina moved west to Kansas, apparently following some of her children, and leaving her brother behind. While Rosina continued to move westward during the remainder of her life, her brother remained in Pekin, Illinois until he died in 1915. My guess is they never saw each other again once she left Tazewell County.

HAUEDA, GERMANY: ANCESTRAL HOME OF ROSINA CRAMER (CRAMME)





Entrance of Haueda
 

Nestled in the middle of Germany is the small village of Haueda, home for many generations of our "Cramme" ancestors, documented back, at least, into the 1600s. Haueda is located in the state of Hessen-Nassau, in the Cassel district. The Kreis for Haueda (similar to our counties) is Hofgeismar.




Countryside around Haueda, Germany





 







Haueda is about 200 miles southwest of Berlin and about 150 miles north of Frankfurt. Wiesbaden, Hesse's capital, is also about 150 miles away. The nearest town of any size is Warburg which lies to Haueda's east about five miles and hosts a population of about 25,000 residents. Both Warburg and Haueda lie on the banks of the Diemel River, a tributary of the Weser River.



Haueda's Half-Timbered Houses

The village of Haueda is no longer an independent municipality, but instead is a frazione (or subdivision) of the town of Liebenau.

While there are no tourist accomodations or any significant employer in the village, Haueda still boasts some picturesque half-timbered houses and a limestone quarry which is one of the most important fossil sites in Northern Hesse, Germany.


For a historical map of Haueda, click the link below and then click on "Map":

http://www.meyersgaz.org/place/10738036