Willenbring Family History 

 Partly Written by Grandchildren of Frank Arnold Willenbring

Some time in the later part of the seventeenth century or the early part of the eighteenth, HERMAN HENRY WILLENBRING (called Hamm Henich) worked for a family named Macher, in Steinfeld, Germany where he was born.  This Macher property was not in any too good circumstances financially, since Herr Macher was in poor health and could not take care of the place properly.

No long after HERMAN HENRY WILLENBRING came to this place, the door latch was out of order and they thought they would have to get a carpenter to repair it.  However HEMM HENICH (as HERMAN HENRY WILLENBRING was called) thought he could do that - even though he was only about 16 or 17 years of age – and so he did.  Later other things went wrong and he fixed them.  After that he was called FIXER.

Later the Macher place picked up and was doing fine and HAMM HENICH was the leading Man on the place even though only 18 years old, or thereabouts.  Then Herr Macher died and before he passed away he asked his wife to keep HAMM HENICH on the place since he was responsible for the well being of the whole property.

After awhile the young men of the vicinity came around and wanted to marry this Mrs. Macher but she refused them.  Then the talk got around that it was not proper that HAMM HENICH stay there as long as Mrs. Macher was not married and not so very old either.  So, in order to see what could be done, she went to the parish priest and asked his advice.  He told her that he would marry them under the condition that they would not share the same bed until HAMM HENRICH was of age. So they were married.  To this union was born: Arnold, FRANK JOSEPH, Gertrude, Karl and Hermann Henry.

FRANK JOSEPH worked at Steinfeld and in Holland, and learned the Cooper trade (Barrel Making) and made barrels to ship meat and fish to the other parts of the world.  The barrel maker, in those days, had to guarantee that the goods put into the barrels would not spoil of the voyage, and so he had to go along and tend to the barrels until they were received in good condition at the destination.

On one of these voyages, FRANK JOSEPH decided that he would stay in America.  He was married, by then and had a family of three boys and one girl: Henry Frank Arnold, JOSEPH and Elizabeth.

JOSEPH came to America in the spring or 1844 and worked for a man named Heying, in what is now Iowa.  There he rented a place and was preparing to have his family come over as soon as possible.  In late summer they left Germany and as the case then, the sailboat had bad winds and the voyage took a long time to get across.  When the family arrived in Iowa, FRANK JOSEPH had died and was buried just a week before the family got there.  Frank Arnold was then 14 and so had to work to help support the family.  (Frank Arnold was born 9/10/1932).

JOSEPH (Born January 14, 1836) married SUSAN KLOSTERMAN (Born September 14, 1845) in Dyersville, Iowa.  (Her brother Hy Klosterman, was a Civil War Soldier).  They had nine children (first two born in Iowa so probably moved to Minnesota about 1870.  The children: Frank, Mary, Anna, Gertrude, Josephine, HENRY, Father Joseph, Benedict and John.

HENRY married ELIZABETH BACKES in 1902 – Probably in Farming, Minn.  They had eight children (first two born in Minn.) (Moved to farm near Foxholm, NorthDakota. around 1906).  The children: Leona, Hilda, Aloin, Raymond, Rose, Della, Clarence and Richard.  Mother Elizabeth died in 1918 from childbirth.  In 1919 HENRY then married LORRETTA AHMAN and they had twelve children: Bernice, Louella, Marjorie, Arland, Lemors, Delores, Robert, (Twins) Marlene and Darlene, Donald, Beverly and Kay.

Willenbring family tree from 17^th Century

HERMAN HENRY WILLENBRING: (Late 17^th Century)

-         Born in Steinfeld Germany 

-         Called Hamm Henrich

-         Worked for Herr Macher

-         Nick name – FIXER

-         Wife: Widow Macher

-         Children: Arnold, Frank Joseph, Gertrude; Karl and Herman Henry

FRANK JOSEPH WILLENBRING:  (birth & death dates unknown)

·        Worked at Steinfeld and Holland

·        Learned the Cooper trade (barrel making)

·        Made barrels to ship meat and fish around the world.

·        Traveled to America to tend the goods to ensure the contents of the barrels were delivered to its destination in good condition.

·        Decided to settle at Iowa U.S.A. in spring of 1844.

·        Wife: no information

·        Children: Henry, Frank Arnold, Joseph and Elizabeth

·        Died and was buried a week before his wife and children reached America.

·        Frank Arnold was 14 or so at the time and had to work to help support the family.

JOSEPH WILLENBRING: (January 14, 1836 – December 31, 1922)

o       Joseph was born at Westfahln, Germany

o       Moved to Minnesota about 1870

o       Died at Richmond, Minn.

o       Married Susan Klosterman (September 26, 1845 - June 18, 1924) (her brother was a civil War Soldier)

o       Children (first two were born in Iowa) Frank, Mary Anna, Gertrude, Josephine, Henry, Father Joseph, Benedict and John.

MARY WILLENBRING:  (March 16, 1868 – January 23, 1895)

o       Married Bernard Ramler (November 14, 1858 – November 15, 1943)

o       Mary died of childbirth when Frank was born

o       Children:  Joseph, Anna, Henry, Rose, Anton, Frank 

ANTON RAMLER: (February 28, 1893 – August 12, 1979)

·        Married Clara Busch (September 30, 1895 – March 15, 1973) on Jan 25, 1921

·        Clara died of pneumonia & stroke.

·        Children: Virgil, Alvin, Rita, Urban, Laura, Valerie, Raymond, Mary 

·        Anton died of fluid on his lungs.