1898 MEHLOW

1)   Matthes MEHLOW, III., 15, of Drachhausen

 

After his confirmation at age 14, his mother, Caroline SCHLODDER MEHLOW, decided he was old enough to go America, especially since he would be going to her brother’s house.

 

Matthes Enterd the US in New York City, through Ellis Island, May 21, 1898 on the "Pretoria" having left Hamburg on the May 8.  With $2 in his pocket, he went to HOLTON, KS to visit his Uncle Fred SCHLODDER, who immigrated 7 years earlier and married Caroline BUBNER.

 

Matthes lived in his uncle’s barn for 6 years, until he was 22, saving money to send back to Germany. He saved enough for Heinrich (Henry) of McCallsburg, Iowa and Wilhelm (William) to get here before the war broke out and then no more were allow to leave Germany. All three brothers served in WWI.

 

Matthes felt very bad that he was not able to earn enough money to get his whole family to the US. In 1914, he moved to IOWA, moving first near FORT MADISON in LEE COUNTY.

 

2)   Marie Elizabeth KOCH, b 1885, daughter of Wend Caroline MUSCHICK Koch

 

He married Marie KOCH of SAINT ANTHONY in 1916; the following year they moved to a farm west of ZEARING, where they started farming & had 5 children:

 

1)      Ralph MEHLOW, b 1916 who died in infancy.

2)      Clarence Henry MEHLOW, b. 1918, Married Margarete Rahfeldt

3)      Lucy Carolyn MEHLOW, b 1919,  who passed away at the age of seven.

4)      Eugene MEHLOW, b. 1922, married Betty Henry

5)      Edward MEHLOW, b 1929, married Shirley Dannen

Matt would not teach German or Wend to any of his children. He said he came to America, had freedom & needed to speak only English, “Our language.” Ironically, earlier Wends came specifically to preserve Wendish.

 

 

1909

MEHLOW

1)   William MEHLOW, 19, blacksmith, of  Drachhausen

2)   Heinrich MEHLOW, immigrated separately, date unknown

 

William came from Hamburg, Germany, through Ellis Island, on the ship “President Lincoln,” April 29, 1909. He went first to HOLDEN, KS; the home of his Uncle, Gottfried SCHLODDER & where older brother Matt was still living. William had served an apprenticeship and was already a blacksmith.

 

William got the funds to travel from his older brother, Mathew MEHLOW had come to America in 1898 @ 15 going to live with the same SCHLODDER relatives near Topeka, KS; where he worked for them to earn enough money to send back to Germany to bring one brother at a time to America.

 

The first letter Mathew sent with money was to be for Christian or maybe Fredrick; but the much younger brother, William, received the mail first, took the money (more or less stealing it), bought his ticket to USA, and left. He brought with him a hymnal in German, which was a gift from his older brother Friedrich, so there must not have been hard feelings about his going first. 

 

William married Freda Remenschneider and they farmed 1/2 mile north west of McCallsburg; and lived there till they retired, they had no children,

 

 

Henry was the only other brother Mathew was able to get out before WWI. Henry MEHLOW  married Blanche Miller; like William and Freda, they had no children.

 

He was a professional baker/chef in a large hotel in Chicago, Des Moines, & then became rural mail carrier in McCallsburg, until he retired. For Christmas, Thanksgiving and also birthdays, Henry supplied the MEHLOW family most beautifully decorated cakes.

 

The 3 MEHLOW brothers served in the US Army during WW I. Henry and Matt were  cooks.                                  

Revised 4 Aug 2007