| Notes |
- _P_CCINFO 2-14330
Rabeler Family written by Adele Wurdeman Cahlander in 1967.
Peter Friedrich Rabeler had been operating Vollhof #14 in Stelle, Germany, since before his marriage to Margarethe Putensen in 1869. Also, since 1874, he had been Gemeindevorsteher (mayor) of Stelle. However, he was intrigued by stories of America from friends who had gone there, and he decided he would like to see what it was like.
In 1882, he and his family took the long voyage by ship and by railroad to Nebraska, U.S.A. After staying at first a short while with his sister Minne and her husband Henry Wilckens, he rented a house for the winter. The following summer he bought a section of the prairie land in Stanton County near Leigh, Nebraska. Since there were no buildings there, he immediately began the construction of a farm house and buildings, in addition to planting trees and preparing the soil.
In 1885, he returned to Germany with his family, to put his affairs in order and dispose of his property there. By 1807, he was ready to make the final move away from his homeland to settle permanently in America.
This period of change was not without its tragedies. Baby Alex I caught the summer flu and died shortly after their first arrival here in 1882, at the age of 6 months. Pauline was then born here, but on their return, Josephine was born but also died in Germany before they left, at the age of 20 months. Alex II was born after their final move to America.
Friedrich and his wife made one later visit to Germany in 1900.
Although three of the children born to Margarethe Rabeler died as infants, there were seven who grew up to be the Rabeler family in America - three brothers and four sisters. From eldest to youngest they were:
Fred, Alwine, Marie, Henry, Frieda, Pauline and Alex.
They grew up in the farming community near Leigh, Nebraska, with many of their activities centered around the life of the Lutheran church at Loseke Creek.
In 1896, when Marie was 20 and Alwine was 22, the two sisters returned to Germany for a visit. Most of the time they stayed with their Grandma Putensen in Toppenstedt. (Marie lived with her Aunt Minne for a number of months as a child.) They also often stayed in Stelle with the Tangermanns, in Westrgellarson with Aunt Karoline Putensen Menke and in Goeenstorf with the Petersens. Except when they were in Stelle, they usually went to the big church in Salzhausen. The sat up high in the side balcony, because that was where Aunt Minne Putensen Petersen liked to be.
They seemed to have no trouble in getting from place to place. At times they went by Omnibus, a public vehicle drawn by horses. They also often were given rides in the nice coaches owned by their relatives, also drawn by horses. There were many social affairs in which they were included. At Christmas there were special festivities and preparations. They enjoyed watching the special holiday baking in the great brick oven at the Petersens in Goedenstorf.
Since the sisters found that there was more dancing among the young people there than they had been accustomed to, Marie and Alwine enjoyed the opportunity to practice dancing with their young cousins, Heinrich and Fritz Putensen, in the "Dielo" (the large center area of the barn). The boys were only 13 and 11 years old, but they had a lot of fun. There were many happy times and although they had arrived in August, 1896, they did not leave Germany until ten months later in May, 1897.
Marie was the first of the Rabeler sisters and brothers to be married. She became Mrs. Edward Wurdeman on February 22, 1898. Sime of them had some extra schooling and all were married by 1910 except Alex, who married in 1915. When Henry married in 1910, the Rabeler Parents (Friedrich and Margarethe) turned their farm over to him and moved to a new house in Leigh. Friedrich was a Director of the First National Bank of Leigh, while Ed Wurdeman's father was a Director of the Maple Valley State Bank of Leigh. While most of the Rabeler Sisters and Brothers settled down on farms in the area, Fred went into the banking business. Some time later, Marie's husband also went into banking and they moved off the farm, living first in Leigh and later in Columbus. Alex also worked in the bank for a while before going into farming.
1n 1908, although the Sisters were already married, the original Rabeler family gathered together for the family portrait shown below. (The upper portrait shows the Rabeler parents on their 25th Anniversary in 1894).
As the years rolled on, the number of Rabeler descendents increases. There were frequent large family get-togethers, with the Leigh church pastor and his family always included. While most of the Rabelers remained in the Leigh community, or in near-by Columbus, during the early twenties, Marie and Ed Wurdeman moved with their family to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he developed a business with electric music machines; and some time later, Henry and Alex moved to upper New York state to build up a dairy and Jersey cattle-breeding business there. (Henry in 1936, Alex in 1939)
The years rolled by, to 1966. It had been sixty-five years since the Rabeler parents had visited Germany, in 1900 - and seventy years since the Rabeler sisters had gone over in the fall of 1896. In the meantime, not one of the many Rabeler descendents had paid a visit to the Rabeler home places, in Germany. Marie had kept up a contact through correspondence, however.
Then suddenly things started to happen. Marie's grandson, David A. Cahlander, was asked to present a scientific paper in Rome and also to do some work with computers in Aachen, Germany at the Technical Institute. In the fall of 1966, he and his wife Marjorie, stopped briefly in Stelle. After receiving a heart-warming reception from Frau Henny Mencke and her daughter Ilse, they hiked around the church and the old Rabeler home, now owned by Marie's cousin's son, Heinrich Flugge. Dave took pictures for his Grandma, trying to select something she might recognize.
Many things happened that winter, but they were as nothing compared to the BIG EVENT. On June 13, 1967, at the age of ninety-one years, Marie Rabeler Wurdeman stepped on an airplane bound for Germany, which she had not seen for seventy years. She was accompanied by her daughter, Adele Wurdeman Cahlander.
They were met in the Hamburg airport by Frau Henny Mencke and her son, Otto Mencke. The warmth and hospitality with which they were received was indeed thrilling. About half the time they stayed at the home of Frau Mencke, and the other half at the home of Cousin Karl Petersen. They were present to help cousin Fritz Putensen celebrate his 82nd birthday. Various family parties were arranged so that most of the relatives could be met. Some old familiar sights were revisited, and many new ones were explored. They enjoyed the homes, the food (especially the delicious "Eerdbeern Torte"), the gardens, the churches, the country-side, the shopping, - but most of all, the people. Marie and cousin Fritz laughed over their reminiscences, especially about how they had practiced dancing on the "Diele".
Marie thoroughly enjoyed it all. She conversed in German with ease. Her German relatives were filled with amazement at her obvious good health and vigor, her upright bearing and her mental alertness.
On July 3rd, Marie and her daughter Adele boarded the plane to return to America. The pictures, the memories and the letters received since then have continued to make the trip seem worthwhile.[ColfaxDeutschlandPlatte.FBK.FTW]
Rabeler Family written by Adele Wurdeman Cahlander in 1967.
Peter Friedrich Rabeler had been operating Vollhof #14 in Stelle, Germany, since before his marriage to Margarethe Putensen in 1869. Also, since 1874, he had been Gemeindevorsteher (mayor) of Stelle. However, he was intrigued by stories of America from friends who had gone there, and he decided he would like to see what it was like.
In 1882, he and his family took the long voyage by ship and by railroad to Nebraska, U.S.A. After staying at first a short while with his sister Minne and her husband Henry Wilckens, he rented a house for the winter. The following summer he bought a section of the prairie land in Stanton County near Leigh, Nebraska. Since there were no buildings there, he immediately began the construction of a farm house and buildings, in addition to planting trees and preparing the soil.
In 1885, he returned to Germany with his family, to put his affairs in order and dispose of his property there. By 1807, he was ready to make the final move away from his homeland to settle permanently in America.
This period of change was not without its tragedies. Baby Alex I caught the summer flu and died shortly after their first arrival here in 1882, at the age of 6 months. Pauline was then born here, but on their return, Josephine was born but also died in Germany before they left, at the age of 20 months. Alex II was born after their final move to America.
Friedrich and his wife made one later visit to Germany in 1900.
Although three of the children born to Margarethe Rabeler died as infants, there were seven who grew up to be the Rabeler family in America - three brothers and four sisters. From eldest to youngest they were:
Fred, Alwine, Marie, Henry, Frieda, Pauline and Alex.
They grew up in the farming community near Leigh, Nebraska, with many of their activities centered around the life of the Lutheran church at Loseke Creek.
In 1896, when Marie was 20 and Alwine was 22, the two sisters returned to Germany for a visit. Most of the time they stayed with their Grandma Putensen in Toppenstedt. (Marie lived with her Aunt Minne for a number of months as a child.) They also often stayed in Stelle with the Tangermanns, in Westrgellarson with Aunt Karoline Putensen Menke and in Goeenstorf with the Petersens. Except when they were in Stelle, they usually went to the big church in Salzhausen. The sat up high in the side balcony, because that was where Aunt Minne Putensen Petersen liked to be.
They seemed to have no trouble in getting from place to place. At times they went by Omnibus, a public vehicle drawn by horses. They also often were given rides in the nice coaches owned by their relatives, also drawn by horses. There were many social affairs in which they were included. At Christmas there were special festivities and preparations. They enjoyed watching the special holiday baking in the great brick oven at the Petersens in Goedenstorf.
Since the sisters found that there was more dancing among the young people there than they had been accustomed to, Marie and Alwine enjoyed the opportunity to practice dancing with their young cousins, Heinrich and Fritz Putensen, in the "Dielo" (the large center area of the barn). The boys were only 13 and 11 years old, but they had a lot of fun. There were many happy times and although they had arrived in August, 1896, they did not leave Germany until ten months later in May, 1897.
Marie was the first of the Rabeler sisters and brothers to be married. She became Mrs. Edward Wurdeman on February 22, 1898. Sime of them had some extra schooling and all were married by 1910 except Alex, who married in 1915. When Henry married in 1910, the Rabeler Parents (Friedrich and Margarethe) turned their farm over to him and moved to a new house in Leigh. Friedrich was a Director of the First National Bank of Leigh, while Ed Wurdeman's father was a Director of the Maple Valley State Bank of Leigh. While most of the Rabeler Sisters and Brothers settled down on farms in the area, Fred went into the banking business. Some time later, Marie's husband also went into banking and they moved off the farm, living first in Leigh and later in Columbus. Alex also worked in the bank for a while before going into farming.
1n 1908, although the Sisters were already married, the original Rabeler family gathered together for the family portrait shown below. (The upper portrait shows the Rabeler parents on their 25th Anniversary in 1894).
As the years rolled on, the number of Rabeler descendents increases. There were frequent large family get-togethers, with the Leigh church pastor and his family always included. While most of the Rabelers remained in the Leigh community, or in near-by Columbus, during the early twenties, Marie and Ed Wurdeman moved with their family to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he developed a business with electric music machines; and some time later, Henry and Alex moved to upper New York state to build up a dairy and Jersey cattle-breeding business there. (Henry in 1936, Alex in 1939)
The years rolled by, to 1966. It had been sixty-five years since the Rabeler parents had visited Germany, in 1900 - and seventy years since the Rabeler sisters had gone over in the fall of 1896. In the meantime, not one of the many Rabeler descendents had paid a visit to the Rabeler home places, in Germany. Marie had kept up a contact through correspondence, however.
Then suddenly things started to happen. Marie's grandson, David A. Cahlander, was asked to present a scientific paper in Rome and also to do some work with computers in Aachen, Germany at the Technical Institute. In the fall of 1966, he and his wife Marjorie, stopped briefly in Stelle. After receiving a heart-warming reception from Frau Henny Mencke and her daughter Ilse, they hiked around the church and the old Rabeler home, now owned by Marie's cousin's son, Heinrich Flugge. Dave took pictures for his Grandma, trying to select something she might recognize.
Many things happened that winter, but they were as nothing compared to the BIG EVENT. On June 13, 1967, at the age of ninety-one years, Marie Rabeler Wurdeman stepped on an airplane bound for Germany, which she had not seen for seventy years. She was accompanied by her daughter, Adele Wurdeman Cahlander.
They were met in the Hamburg airport by Frau Henny Mencke and her son, Otto Mencke. The warmth and hospitality with which they were received was indeed thrilling. About half the time they stayed at the home of Frau Mencke, and the other half at the home of Cousin Karl Petersen. They were present to help cousin Fritz Putensen celebrate his 82nd birthday. Various family parties were arranged so that most of the relatives could be met. Some old familiar sights were revisited, and many new ones were explored. They enjoyed the homes, the food (especially the delicious "Eerdbeern Torte"), the gardens, the churches, the country-side, the shopping, - but most of all, the people. Marie and cousin Fritz laughed over their reminiscences, especially about how they had practiced dancing on the "Diele".
Marie thoroughly enjoyed it all. She conversed in German with ease. Her German relatives were filled with amazement at her obvious good health and vigor, her upright bearing and her mental alertness.
On July 3rd, Marie and her daughter Adele boarded the plane to return to America. The pictures, the memories and the letters received since then have continued to make the trip seem worthwhile.
Original individual @I3067@ (@MS_WURDEMANLEGACYG0@) merged with @I10883@ (@MS_WURDEMANNGM.GED1@)
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1841 - 1926 (84 years)