Maria Fischer Muller with 36 of 42 Grandchildren

74 year old Anna Fischer Muller with 36 of her 42 grandchildren. 1939 August at the Muller Family Farm on Wood Road in Mount Pleasant Wisconsin (house still standing in August 2024).

The names included with the photo are:

TOP ROW: Marie Funk, Joe Funk, Willie Funk, Bernie Miller, Hubert Braun, Lucille Miller, Ed Braun holding Jerry Braun, Norman Miller, Celia Braun holding Donald Braun.

MIDDLE ROW: Franklin Braun, Richard Miller, Rita Mueller, Bev Weyre, Clarence Cramer holding Kathleen Cramer, Robert Funk holding Raymond Funk, Theresa Funk, Gladys Miller, Frank Miller, Geri Miller, Evelyn Braun, Rose Weyres, Rose Funk

FRONT ROW: I'm Weyres, Rita Funk, Joyce Miller, RoseElla Mueller, Gramma Anna Fischer Muller, Ruth Funk behind John Miller, Mary Cramer, Jean Miller, Joanne Braun (sitting)

NOT PRESENT: John, Frances, Maria Braun, Delores Miller. NOT BORN YET: Larry & Sand Miller.

 

The family of Frank and Maria Fischer Mueller.

This photo was taken about 1908-1909 (based on the appearance of the youngest child, Norbert)

Front Row L-R, Gertrude (Weyres) 1903-1967, Rose C 1909-1924 (TB), Maria Fisher Muller 1865-1953, Norbert Michael (1911-1979), Frank Mueller 1855-1927), Joseph Michael 1906-1974

Back Row L-R, Anna (Mueller) 1899-1927, Mary Helen (Funk) 1895-1985, Peter Michael 1893-1976, Frank Jacob 1891-1960, Catherine "Kate" (Braun) 1890-1968, Clara (Braun) 1897-1989, Barbara (Cramer) 1901-1985.

Further details of Frank, Maria, Pete and Joe

Franz "Frank" Mueller b 2/1/1855 (Ormont, Daun, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany) - d 10/19/1927 (Mount Pleasant, Racine, WI). This Frank was the son of Frank "Franz" "Franciscus Josephus" Muller b 11/21/1826 (Ormont Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany) - d 5/29/1903 (Kenosha, Wisconsin).

Maria Fischer b 8/22/1865 (Arnbruck, Regen, Bayern (Bavaria), Germany) - d 1/9/1953 (Mary Funk's Home, Mt Pleasant, Racine, WI). Maria was the daughter of Franz Fischer b 4/1/1833 (Köstritz Durstenth Reuss Jungers Limer, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Deutschland) - d aft 1900 and Elisabeth Reindl 1/15/1833 (Bakowa, Banat, Romania) - d Bakowa, Banat, Romania.

In photo, last boy on front row right is Joseph "Joe" Miller b 3/15/1906 (Mt Pleasant, Racine, WI) - d 1/13/1974 (home, Mt Pleasant, Racine, WI). Joe and his wife, Barbara Lichter Miller, moved in and helped raise the daughters of Pete & Elizabeth Muller after Elizabeth di(ed.

In photo, the last boy on the back row right is Peter Michael Muller b 11/2/1893 (Mt Pleasant, Racine, WI) - d 2/13/1976 (Racine, WI). Pete was the father of Rita and Rose Ella Muller.

 Rhonda Lafever Hahn 1958-2023

My cousin, Rhonda Sue Lafever, was born 29 May 1958 to Roosevelt "Rook" and Martha Ann Ramsey Lafever. According to my notes she was born in Putnam County, TN though I remember their family living in Michigan in my earliest childhood. She joined the family as the youngest, following two older brothers - Ricky and Donny.  

Rhonda lived in Michigan in her early childhood then moved to TN. Initially the family lived on property from the original Charlie & Alta Ramsey farm. Ball games in the field with cousins were a common summer event. Later they built a house on Bunker Hill Road nearer their Lafever grandparents, Beecher & Bertha. 

Rhonda had two sons of whom she was very proud - Kenny Nathan Lafever 1977 and Joseph Brian McMorrow 1982-2006. She also loved her grandchildren, including Destiny. Grandson Joseph Kaleb McMorrow lived with Rhonda and husband John Hahn.

Rhonda was baptized at Brindleys Chapel as an adult and fought a tough health battle for several years. Her memorial service was held on June 9, 2024 at Brindleys Chapel with Michael Madden officiating, planned by neice Jennifer Lafever Vinson.  Burial was at Lafever Cemetery in White County, TN.

Stan Madden, Appalachian Poet

(Volume 1 of Stan's poetry is available on Amazon in Kindle eBook or Paperback form)

Stan Madden near his Dizney KY home

Stan Madden, Appalachian Kentucky Poet, was born Sunday, April 7, 1935 deep in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky in Harlan County, in a little coal mining community known as Dizney.  His life ranged from being an awarded author to being bed-bound with a severe handicap for decades but through it all, he wrote, penning poems and short stories which shared accounts of life in Appalachia, love, patriotism, God and general reflections. 

Although the mountains can be beautiful in the springtime and it was only two weeks before Easter when he was born, all was not well. The Depression raged across America. Stan was born during the “Bloody Harlan” years – a time when men died in too frequent coal mine accidents, tuberculosis, influenza, gunfights and violence related to unionization efforts by miners. Stan’s paternal grandparents died in a flu epidemic and left 8 children, ranging from about 3 to 14. His other grandfather died in a gunfight in front of the family home. His grandmother contracted TB and survived but was badly affected by the disease.  

            

Levi Thomas & Lige Madden, Stan's parents

Life was hard in Harlan County and while the coal was making a few men rich, most were barely able to support their families and shortened their lives with black lung from time in the underground mine tunnels with limited ventilation. Yet, there were times of joy with fiddles playing, singing, church services or for some, moonshine made in their own hidden still (distillery).

Stan was the youngest child of eight. he had grey eyes and brown hair and early photos show a slender young man.  Perhaps it was natural that he was considered to be a bit “spoiled” since the two children before him had both died in infancy and he was the final child of the family. Stan was afflicted early in life with severe physical issues. One relative remembered that he was working in the apple orchard during a very hot summer and seemed to suffer a heat stroke. The doctor advised he should go to a Spa for therapy but that didn’t happen. Like many young people of the time, Stan enjoyed riding horses. Cars were a rarity in Harlan County at that time and the only way to get from place to place was your own feet or a horse!  Stan’s physical afflictions may well have contributed to his bigger-than-normal wish to have horses nearby as walking would have been difficult at times.

Stan Madden

His 6’2” frame eventually shrank to about 5’10” with the degenerative effects of disease.  Other family members remember that he was badly handicapped with rheumatoid arthritis (then known as crippling arthritis). He drank a lot to mask the pain but for the last 25 years of his life he was sober and committed to a Christian life.  Much of his life he had very limited mobility and was often unable to leave his bed.

His writing gave him a voice and he earned some recognition which was encouraging for a poor, crippled man from a remote mountain coal camp.  Stan’s short story about a dog won the National Enquirer story of the year.  The National Enquirer ran a story about him, and he had bags and bags of mail delivered from readers who wanted to contact him – it was estimated that he received over 26,000 letters. This was a huge show of love for Stan who led a fairly isolated life due to illness. He was excited to be awarded a 1992 Golden Poet Trophy at The World of Poetry; this award was presented to many amateur poets but he really valued it. In 1995 He won First Prize award at the Legacies contest. These recognitions were among the high points of his life and made him feel he was making a difference through his writing. His poetry resonates with his love for God, country and the mountains. Some writings give voice to his despair over seeing the world mostly through a window but, at the same time, showing much greater insight than you would expect for a handicapped man who rarely left Kentucky and spent most of his life in the deep mountains or confined to a room.

Stan was always fairly dependent on family members who loved and assisted him. For some years he had a wife to whom he devoted many of his poems during that period. His sister Dorothy and her family were his primary caretakers for many years.  He passed away at the age of 67 and was buried in Harlan County in the Dizney Church of God Cemetery by his mom and dad – a wish he had expressed in his poetry.  

Stan’s legacy, his memories, are reflected in his writings. We are publishing them so that his voice remains, and it is our hope that some readers will enjoy a glimpse into the musings of the Appalachian poet in years to come.

(Volume 1 of Stan's poetry is available on Amazon in Kindle eBook or Paperback form)

Elizabeth M Hartmann Mueller  (1894-1938)

Elizabeth “Betty” Hartmann was born in Chicago on Wednesday, March 14, 1894 to 36 year old John J Hartmann and 32 year old Catherine M Meyer Hartmann. She was the 2^nd of 5 children and the middle daughter. Her parents were both born to German immigrant families.   St. Patricks day was 3 days after her birth – this holiday was celebrated even then in Chicago with a parade.  She is listed in some census as Lizzie though the family typically referred to her as Betty. Her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Kecheison Meyer, was born in Hannover, Stadt Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany and died in Chicago just one month after Betty's birth. S

1900 Census Chicago Ward 4

We often think of people marrying very young in the late 1800s and early 1900s but that was not always the case.  When Peter and Elizabeth married June 14, 1924 in Chicago, IL they were both 30 years of age. In fact, this was not unusual among midwestern Catholic families where the family stayed together longer, often working large farms. Her parents were 29 and 25 when they married, his were 34 and 24.  

In 1900 (census above) Betty was attending school at age 6 while her father was noted as a teamster (wagon driver, later to be truck drivers). According to Teamster.org in 1900 the typical teamster worked 12-18 hours a day, seven days a week for an average wage of $2 per day. A teamster was expected only to haul his load, but also to assume liability for bad accounts and lost or damaged merchandise. Within a year of the census, in 1901 a group of teamsters formed the Teamsters Union right there in Chicago.

We find her 10 years later in the 1910 census as a stenographer in an office. Generally a stenographer indicated a clerical worker, typist or secretary at that time although the word stenographer is also used for court recorders. At the 1920 census her occupation was indicated as “Mail order house – office.” Interestingly, Sears Roebuck had a big business at that time selling Craftsman style homes via mail order. Sears Roebuck did originate in Chicago (remember the Sears Tower?). We haven’t yet confirmed which company she worked with in 1920, but that’s a possibility.  Census records indicate that she lived with her parents until her marriage. We don't know a lot about Betty's childhood but daughter Rose Ella tells about going back to the family home on Cicero in Chicago and having fun with grandparents, aunts and cousins. 

In Chicago in 1924 at the age of 30 she married Peter Michael Mueller (1893-1976), who was just a few months older. Peter lived in Racine County, Wisconsin with his family who were also first generation German immigrants.  His parents were Frank “Franz” and Maria Fischer Mueller.  Peter is listed as farmer, farm hand, Manager-Implement Shop, business owner and fireman during his life.

Elizabeth had two children, lovely daughters. Rita arrived in 1929 followed by Rose Ella in 1931. They had moved to Sturtevant, a village near Peter’s family farm in Mount Pleasant. Peter was a business man and fireman. The family was active in their church, St. Sebastian’s where generations of their family would continue.  She had heart issues and passed away when her girls were just 9 and 7 years old. At the time of her death she was living in Sturtevant, Wisconsin in a white frame house downtown. She was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery near generations of the Mueller family.

Peter’s brother, Joe Miller and wife Barb, became a big part of the family with Aunt Barb providing lots of maternal care and guidance for the girls through the years. Rita and Rose Ella each had large loving families (8 and 5 children, respectively) and we are sure that Elizabeth would have been proud of her beautiful daughters and their influence on so many lives with laughter and love.

Heinrich Carl Harmann 1860-1933 (Jeff's Great Grandfather)

Heinrich (Henry) Carl Harmann was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 18, 1860 to blacksmith/farmer Heinrich Harmann (1824-1886) and Albertina Dobratz (1832-1900).  His father was born 1824 in Mecklenburg (Germany) and his mother was from Prussia (Germany).   Heinrich (Henry) was one of five known children, with two sisters, Augusta Rose and Martha; and two brothers, Frank and Edward.

Henry and Eliza married on Tuesday, February 15, 1887 (See the photo), the day after Valentine's Day (yes, it was celebrated then)!  Their marriage lasted over 40 years (when Eliza died) and they had eleven children: Henry Jacob, Meta Martha, Lilian Albertina, Flora, Paul, William, Clarence, Norman David, Cora Lorraine, Arthur (Jeff's grandfather) and his twin sister, Rose.

The 1870 and 1880 census reports show Henry living in Wauwatosa, WI with his parents.  Following his 1887 wedding to Eliza, we find him in the 1900 census in Racine, Wisconsin and in 1905 his residence is specifically listed as Mount Pleasant, where some of his ancestors still reside in 2014.  His 1910 residence was on Union Grove Road in Mount Pleasant.  In 1930 his residence is listed as Sturtevant.

The following information is from notes provided by Betty Luebke and it is not clear whether this is referring to our Henry or his son, Henry Jacob, born 1888.  Henry worked as a farmer and also as President of the Corliss State Bank.  Henry Harmann was president.  (Corliss is part of the area now known as Sturtevant, WI).  In 1835 Ives Grove was a small part of the wilderness in the northwest territory now the southeastern part of Wisconsin.  In this area were many wild animals.  Native American tribes, the Sac and the Fox, cleared the land in small areas so the land was generally heavily wooded.  In 1845 Mr. Royal Beach moved to Ives Grove from Massachusetts and bought a farm west of Ives Groves which he sold to Mr. Harmann. (this is from a book of area history and was noted years ago - if anyone has the book name/author/etc please let me know so I can add that info).

Henry passed away March 19, 1933 in Wisconsin and was buried in Graceland Cemetery.

Verna Madden (1923-2014)

earliest known photo of Verna,
with her dad George Madden ca 1927

Verna Madden was born on November 9, 1923 to 18 year old Dora Thomas Madden and 26 year old George W. Madden, their first child.  Verna lived primarily in Kentucky and briefly in Michigan during her 90 years.  "Monkey" was her nickname among many of her nieces and nephews.  Verna's outstanding traits included her humor, kindness, wisdom, and love of God.  She was an accomplished seamstress and has sewn many quilts for her family, working with her Aunt Callie and others.  She was such a blessing in my life.

Verna was married at a young age to Paris Charles, Jr. but they separated early.  She was single until her later years when she was briefly married to Mr. Troglen of the Harlan area.  Though Verna's only two children were lost to miscarriages, she served as an additional mother to many of her siblings' children.  Ruth

One of the many quilts
Verna made 

and Fay's children and grandchildren lived in the same neighborhood on Bill's Creek (Dizney, Harlan County, Kentucky) much of their life and share many wonderful stories of how Verna was there for them and they were certainly a great blessing to her.  Ed and Ewell's children lived further away but cherished the visits, phone calls or sweet cards from Aunt Verna during the years.  As long as she lived in the old family homeplace on Bill's Creek, extended family was welcomed back with open arms and, as long as she was able, she would always cook the guests' favorite foods or have their favorite drinks ready.

It was a real treat when Verna came to visit us in Tennessee, usually accompanied by Ruth or Fay.  When brother Ed passed away, Verna was so broken hearted.  She spent many years caring for elderly or sick people in the community.  She would help those struggling financially or in other ways as much as she could.  She was faithful to pray for others and I believe that God blessed me and many others through her prayers over the years.

Verna had a great memory right up until the end - able to recall things from throughout her life with great clarity.  Our family tree research was greatly helped through her memories, photos and tales.  She would surprise me from time to time with a new "old" photo that she had found in her green trunk!

Verna loved the Lord and would share sweet testimonies of how God had blessed her life, even through hard times.  She was faithful to the Lord and to the little church on the hill behind her house, a Pentecostal church.  She would never speak ill of others religious beliefs.  She shared with me during an August 2013 visit a story of how she was lying in bed, praying one night and asking God if He could really love her, when she heard Him speak to her.  When she was telling this story, I turned on my phone recorder and got the last little bit - it is included below and I hope when family and friends hear it, they will be able to remember her sweet voice telling you that she loves you and reassuring you of God's love, too!  When she was in the hospital a few weeks before her death, she told me that she was praying and reached up to heaven and she saw Jesus reaching down to her and telling her that He was with her.

When Verna turned 80 we had a big birthday party and started counting off to the 90th birthday party.  She was often in severe pain from arthritis and osteoporosis (degenerative discs, etc.) and had some heart issues but when she would talk about being ready to 'go home' to heaven, we would remind her that she had a 90th birthday party to attend.  She helped us with the planning of that 90th birthday party which was held on November 2, 2013 and it was such a blessing for many family and friends to be with her on that special day, sharing their love.  Here are some links related to that last birthday party with her.

1) The collection of 90 years of photos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmj2s9AFqyQ
2) The various photos from the 90th birthday party:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWpZrOiMAEU

A few months after her 90th birthday, Verna fell and broke her hip.  She went through surgery and rehab but had complications and began failing and passed away February 10, 2014 in Kingsport, TN at the hospital, with family at her bedside.  Her funeral service was at Locust Grove Baptist Church and she was laid to rest on the hill behind her house, near her parents and grandparents.  

Verna and her great-niece,
Elizabeth Harmann Lisic

Lauren Smith (great niece), Verna, sister Ruth Smith,
great nieces Veronica Shackleford Carlson
 and WhitleyShackleford Blair