Rena Irene Hills

Notes:

After her younger son went away to school, Rena went to work altering ladies clothing. She was head of alterations at the Cornith Square store of Harzfelds, and exclusive ladies wear chain, from 1967 until her retirement in 1983.

Rena married Edward Arthur Peck on 28 Aug 1937 in Missouri. Edward was born on 10 Dec 1913 in Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas; died on 13 Jan 2005 in Raymore, Cass County, Missouri. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Art and Rena were married in Kansas City, Missouri. Their children were James Arthur and Eugene Sanford Peck.

Notes:

Jim grew up in Texas as his family moved from place to place, living a year of so at one location then traveling to the next. When he was around 18 years old his family moved to a 20 acre farm in Poinsett County, Arkansas, near Harrisburg. He worked on the farm, picked cotton, worked for the railroad and at a stave mill. In 1917, he purchased the 20 acre home place. In 1925, he sold out and moved to Kansas City, Kansas. He worked at the Columbia Steel Tank company until he lost his job during the depression. He did odd jobs until World War II, working at gas stations and later had a confectionary stand. During the war, he was head press operator at J&L Steel Barrel Company, where he continued employment through his retirement in 1955. He final years were spent at his home at 32nd and Delevan.

(Research):

Census Listings:

1930 Census
Kansas, Wyandotte County, Kansas City
Enumerated April 16, 1930
ED 105-89 SD 6 Sheet 26A Stamped 97
Reynolds Avenue
917-408-432
Hills, James Head M W 45 m 26 Tx NY Wis Columbus Steel ??? Co
Hills, May Wf F W 38 m 18 Ark Ark Miss Labor Garment Factory
Hills, Lena Dtr F W 18 S Ark Tx Ark
Hills, Rena Dtr F W 14 S Ark Tx Ark
Hills, Dorothy Dtr F W 8 S Ark Tx Ark

James married Mary Frances Mahan on 10 Dec 1910 in Harrisburg, Poinsett County, Arkansas. Mary was born on 28 Jul 1892 in Harrisburg, Poinsett County, Arkansas; died on 24 Aug 1970 in Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

His right arm was crippled due to being improperly set as a boy. He worked for a while as a teacher and as a house painter.

Henry married Mary Magdalena Krapf on 11 Oct 1873 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. Mary (daughter of Johann Friedrich "Frederick" Krapf and Maria Dorothea "Dorothy" Benkelman) was born on 18 Nov 1854 in Greenfield, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; died on 24 Mar 1934 in Pasadena, Harris County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Art Peck writes that Mary was the oldest in a large poor family, and early on went to work for others. She married Henry Hills when she was just 18, and didn't learn until years later that he was nineteen years older than she. He was a house painter when they met in Cass City. Due to Henry's poor health, they moved to the warmer climate of Texas. They moved about, and in 1902, they settled on a farm in Poinsett County, Arkansas. Henry died here, and Mary lived with various children throughout her remaining years. Her final years were spent with daughter Belle in Pasadena, Texas.

Notes:

John Frederick Krapf was on the same ship to America as Dorothea Benkelman. He had been orphaned as a boy, and bound out to others until he came of age. Truman Krapf, his great-grandson of Hornersville, Missouri has a picture of John and Dorothea taken upon their arrival in America. They were married shortly thereafter. They first lived in Wisconsin, and later moved to a farm in Cass City.

Fred and Louisa were charter members of the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Cass City.

Art Peck shows that Fred Krapf remarried after Dorothea, to Christiana Weinhardt, and that they were the parents of Christian Frederick, Mary Caroline, Daisy Theresa, Mary Magdeline and Louisa Roceny KRAPF.

Bonnie Petee abstracted the following regarding the Evangelical Association from "The History of Tuscola County, Biographical Sketches and Illustrations," H. R. Page Co., Chicago, 1883. "A class of this church which is commonly known as the German Methodist, was organized in the town of Elkland about the year 1866, by the Rev. Stephen Henne in connection with the Sebewaing mission. The class numbered about fifteen members. It has had regular services from that time to the present, and a regular succession of pastors. Services being held in the school-house, one mile north and one-half mile east of Cass City. In the latter part of 1882, a formal organization was effected at Cass City, and steps taken for the construction of a house of worship, which is now in course of construction. The earnest zeal of the members and their individual labors and contributions of material have reduced the estimated cost of the building to about $1,500. The pastor of the church at the present time is the Rev. B. F. Wade, who resides on his farm in the town of Elkland. The membership is about fifty. There is a preaching every second Sunday; prayer-meeting and Sunday-school every Sabbath. The trustees of the church are, John Benkelman, Fred Krapf, Oscar Sencner, Levi Muntz and Adam Benkelman."

(Research):
Census Information:

1860 Census
Wisconsin, Milwaukee County, Greenfield, Post Office Root Creek
Enumerated 18 Jun 1860
275-262
Frederick Krapf 32 M W Farmhand $300 $100 Wertenberg
Doretha Krapf 34 F W Wife Wertenberg
Maria Krapf 5 F W Wisc
Rosina Krapf 4 F W Wisc
William Krapf 2 M W Wisc

1870 Census
Michigan, Tuscola County, Elkland, P.O. Elkland
Enumerated 22 July 1870
Page 8
63-63
Krapf, Gottlieb & Caroline
64-64
Krapf, Frederick 42 M W Farmer $1200 $300 Ger Wirtemberg
Krapf, Doretha 44 F W Keeping House Ger Wirtemberg
Krapf, Roseanna 14 F At Home Wisc
Krapf, William 11 M W At School Wisc
Krapf, John 9 M W Wisc
Krapf, Matilda 7 F W Mich
Krapf, Louisa 5 F W Mich
Krapf, Emanuel 2 M Mich

1880 Census
Household: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace

Frederick KRAPF Self M Male W 51 WERTENBURG Farmer WERTENBURG WERTENBURG

Mary D. KRAPF Wife M Female W 53 WERTENBURG Keeping House WERTENBURG WERTENBURG

Rosa KRAPF Dau S Female W 24 WI Without Occupation WERTENBURG WERTENBURG

John KRAPF Son S Male W 19 WI Farmer WERTENBURG WERTENBURG

Emanuel KRAPF Son S Male W 12 MI At School WERTENBURG WERTENBURG

Adeline KRAPF Dau S Female W 9 MI At School WERTENBURG WERTENBURG

Source Information: Census Place Elkland, Tuscola, Michigan Family History Library Film 1254607
NA Film Number T9-0607
Page Number 93A

1900 Census
Nebraska, Phelps County, Rookfalls Twp
Enumerated 22 and 23 Jun 1900 by John R. Gainsforth
SD 5 ED 150 Sheet 8B (Bottom) and Sheet 9A, Stamped 109A (Bottom)
149-149
Krapf, Frederick Hd W M W M Dec 1839 (sic) 60 M 11 Germany Germany Germany 1870 30 N Farmer
Krapf, Christina Wf W F Feb 1859 41 M 11 5/5 Germany Germany Germany 1899 21
Krapf, Fredrick C Son W M Nov 1889 10 S Michigan Germany Germany Farm Laborer
Krapf, Mary C Dtr W F July 1891 8 S Nebraska Germany Germany At School
Krapf, Daisy Dtr W F Apr 1893 7 S Nebraska Germany Germany At School
Krapf, Mary M Dtr W F Jun 1895 4 S Neb Germany Germany
Krapf, Rosina L Dtr F July 1899 11/12 S Nebraska Germany Germany

Johann married Maria Dorothea "Dorothy" Benkelman about 1853. Maria (daughter of Johann Leonhard Benkelmann and Maria Dorothea St?hle) was born on 13 Jul 1826 in Schneiderhof, Waldhausen Parish, Welzheim, Jagstkreis, W?rttemberg, Germany; died on 5 Jan 1888 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In her 1981 unpublished manuscript, BonnieMargaret Jacobs pointed out that as the eldest daughter Maria Dorothea would have been responsible for helping her mother with both the bulk of the household chores, as well as caring for her younger siblings. And with her father dying when she was just 22, she would have had to postpone any plans for marriage she might have had to continue to help her mother care for their large family. (p. 135).

BonnieMargaret noted that Dorothea, along with her mother and three of her sisters, were the last of the family to leave their family home. Eldest brother Friedrich was married, well established, and raising his own family in the area. All the other brothers and sisters had already emigrated to the United States. Only Leonhards widow and four of her daughters remained. German Parish records show that they "ausgewandert nach Amerika" (left for America) in 1853.

They left the parish in September, 1853, with just 300 florins to see them to New York; George St?hle warrented any unknown debts.

BonnieMargeret also noted a mystery she uncovered in examining the records: "in addition to the widowed mother and four daughters, there was a fifth member of the party, 'the child Johann Friedrich Benkelmann, born April 2, 1851, the son of the single Maria Dorothea.' However, if the child had actually been the son of the younger Dorothea, he would have been recorded on the familienregister page of the Benkelmann family, but he was not. We can only conclude that the women smuggled the two year old child out of Germany for friends or kin, and that if he survived, delivered him to relatives in America. Who that child may really have been, and what happened to him, are secrets the women kept to themselves." (p. 82)

On the Oberant Welzheim Emmigrants list, 1818-1891, She is listed as Maria Dorothea, g. d. 13t. Juli 1826 ledig, and travelling in a party headed by her mother, Maria Dorothea, the widow of Johann Leonhard Benkelmann, a farmer of Schneiderhof. The child accompanying her was listed as "sowid: deren Enkel Johann Friedrich Benkelmann g. d. 2t. April 1851 Sohn der ledigen Maria Dorothea, [blank line] s?mtl. eve. Conf."

BonnieMargaret's full source citation was: Staatsarchiv Ludwigsburg, "Verzeichnis der Auswanderung aus dem Oberamt Welzheim 1818-1891" F 214 B?schel 91 Fortlaufende Number 42 [or possibly 47] ).

On board the ship to America was Johann Friedrich Krapf, from a village a few milies from the Schneiderhof. He and Dorothea married immediately after their arrival in th United States, taking her two youngest sisters to family in New York, and then setting off together for Wisconsin. Sister Catharine Benkelmann accompanied them. Dorothea and Friedrich farmed in Greenfield township, just west of Milwaukee. (p. 136).

Seometime in the early 1860s, after two of her sisters and her brother Adam moved to Cass City, Michigan, Dorothea and Friedrich moved there as well. (p. 137)