This branch of the Austrian Hesch family is descended from Johann Hesch and his wife Marya (Schlinz) Hesch, who came to America from Oberschlagles, Bohemia with three sons: Paul, Mathias, and Anton. +++Johann & Marya settled in Buffalo County, Wisconsin but moved to Pierz, Mn in about 1885. .+++Mathias settled in Waumandee, Wisconsin and moved to Pierz in 1911. +++Anton never married but farmed with his dad in Agram Township, where he died in 1911.+++And Paul, my great grandfather, settled five miles away, in Buckman, Minnesota. He died there in 1900.

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Monday, April 23, 2012

The Gerhard & Marie Terhaar Family ca. 1899

I'm still amazed at how faithfully these old photos copied when they were reduced for the Pictorial Atlases, and how well they scan and enlarge now, more than 100 years later.  This pic was smaller than a deck of cards in the books, but we can see hands on shoulders, buttons, folds and trim on clothing, and definitely physical traits passed along from Gerhard and Marie. Wow!

Once again, I don't know of any Hesch links to this family, but the name is certainly familiar.  We've posted about the two youngest boys before--John because he was a banker and ball player in Buckman when he grew up, and Ferdinand because Larry found a photo of him in Life Magazine in 1947.
Here's the family as listed in the 1895 Minnesota State Census:
Looks like the oldest daughter had already left home in 1895, but she came home for the portrait (10 kids on the census but 11 in the pic).
The census says Gerhart was 48 and  Mary was 40.  The kids at home then were Anna, 18, Heinrich, 17, Barbara, 15, Margaretha, 12, Adelhart, 11, Elizabetha, 9, Nickolaus, 7, Mary, 6, John, 4, and Ferdinand, 1.
Added later:  From the Pierz Journal, published in two separate issues in August of 1909:
(Unrelated: See the family just above Terhaars on the census?  Looks like BEDNAR was sometimes written as BETNAR.  It's just interesting ☺ )

4 comments:

  1. That's my grandpa Nicholas John Terhaar standing on the left (middle row, between Elizabeth and his little brother John. Great photo!

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    1. Cool! Can you name the others? We can guess, by height and apparent age, but you could save us the trouble ☺ Did you see the ball team pic?
      http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f-b1kosQgXU/T05tCKtqwaI/AAAAAAAAHRg/QPJ_lgFBuIg/s1600/1923-25+Buckman+baseball+team.jpg
      (Thanks for commenting)
      Marlys

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    2. Top, 2nd from right, Anna Zimmerman, then Henry, then Barbara Fleckenstein, the Margaret Hortch, the Sister Adeline. Maria was pregnant in this photo with what would have been their last child, but she lost the baby.

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  2. Theresa Kapsner, top left; Mary Kunza right bottom; Lizzie Mamer between her mom and Mary; John Terhaar standing far left, in front of my grandpa Nick; Ferdinand Terhaar is the little boy in the middle; the other four girls all look so much alike, I'll have to get back to you on them! :)

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