Frieda Roxson

Frieda married Carl A. Johnson on 2 Sep 1960 in San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. Carl was born on 10 May 1925 in Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He was born John Henry Hills, and changed his name to George John Roxson. Art Peck shows that he was born in Texas, whereas the California Death records has his place of birth as Missouri, and his mother's maiden name as KRAPF. His World War II draft registration also listed him as George John ROXSON, with his birthplace shown as Kennett, MO. He was a resident of Colusa, Califorina at that time, and employed by F. C. Stolte Co of Marysville.

John left home when he was 24, working in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Kansas, Idaho, Washington and Montana.

He crossed into Mexico at Nogales, Arizona in 1917 to avoid Military Service. This is when he changed his name. He chose Roxson based on the nickname he had given sister Annie, Roxyann. He wrote his mother in 1920, saying he planned to visit her soon. After the Mexican Revolution, he was unable to harvest his crops, and had no money. He never wrote back, and his parents thought him dead.

The family moved to California in 1925. They farmed in the foothills, eventually settling in Upper Lake.

After his wife died, John made his home with his eldest son, Fred.

After admitting to his children his true identity, he visited his sister Beckie in Arkansas and sister Annie in Kansas City in 1973. They were his only surving family. They were reunited after a 60 year seperation.

(Research):

Census Listings:

1930 Census
California, Kern County, Delano City
Enumerated April 2-4, 1930
ED 15-3 SD 14 Sheet 3A Stamped 16
Treemount Street
56-58
Roxson, George J Head R 10 M W 34 M 22 CanadaEng Canada Canada English Year of Immigration 1923 Alien Laborer Ranch Work
Roxson, Isidra Wf F Mex 34 M 14 Mex Mex Mex Spanish Year of Immigration 1923 Alien Housewife
Roxson, FedericoSon M Mex 7 S Mexico CanadaEng Mex Spanish Year of Immigration 1923 Al
Roxson, Camillo Son M MEx 3 6/12 S California CanadaEng Mex
Roxson, Freida Dtr F Mex 1 7/12 S California CanadaEng Mex
Roxson, Georgina Dtr F Mex 2/12 S California CanadaEng Mex

George married Isidra Josefina Ordundo on 2 Feb 1920 in El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico. Isidra was born on 15 Mar 1894 in Chinobampo, El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico; died on 5 Nov 1968 in Upper Lake, Lake County, California. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Her mother's maiden name was shown as VALDEZ on the California Death Index.

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)