Brussow family

Clark Co. and other places

In 1881, Amelia Brussow married Jacob Klein of Beaver in Clark Co., Wis. They lived and died there. Three generations later, some of the Kleins still had a knowledge of  the Brussow family and one was still in contact with a descendent in Freeport Illinois. That was the impetus for this research, incomplete as it is.

Origins

The Brussows came from north of Berlin in Brandenburg Province of Germany, near the Oder River and the Polish border. Glogan, Potzlow and Strehlow are towns often mentioned. They came to America in 3 contingents. A brother and sister came in 1873. The main contingent and their parents came in 1877. The eldest married daughter came with her husband and family in 1880. The Brussow, Schmidt and Schollett families must have been connected some way in Germany. They immigrated together and married. There was another  Brussow family in Dane Co., Wis. No Connection with them was ever established.

Frederich Carl Brussow born in Glogan, Brandenberg Province abt.1816. and most likely died in Freeport before 1880.

He married Maria Christine Brussow abt.1845.

Christina was born in Potzlow, Brandenberg Province January 18, 1819 and died in Loyal in 1899.

These parents and most of the family arrived in New York Oct. 22, 1877.  Frederich called himself Chistus when he got off the boat. He was 61 years old.When and where he died is unknown. He was missing in 1880. Christina died in 1899 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Loyal, Wis.

The story is that they lived for a while with their daughter, Johanna, in Freeport. When Johanna’s parents arrived in 1877,  she and Frank Schollett, were in Silver Creek, outside Freeport and had children by then

The Brussow children:

Wilhelmina Brussow Schmidt 1846 to 1901. She married Carl Schmidt in Germany and came to America and Clark Co. in 1880 with her husband and 4 children. They had another daughter in Clark Co.. Carl died in1923. Both are buried in Pine Grove Cemetery.

Wilhelm Brussow 1848 to 1902. He immigrated in 1873, with sister, Johanna, Frank Schollet and a Schmidt. He was in Clark Co. in 1880 with his mother. In 1881, he married Charlotte Klaehn and had two daughters. Charlotte died in 1909. Both are buried in Pine Grove Cemetery.

Karl (Charlie) Brussow 1852 to 1933 in Tn. Loyal. He immigrated in 1877 with his parents, 3 sisters, a daughter and 5 Schollets. He married  Ida Rademacher Loyal in 1881. They had 4 children. Ida died in 1924. Charlie, Ida and most of the children are buried in Loyal Lutheran Cemetery.

There is a Klein and Rossmann family story about Charlie:

When the Brussows came in 1877, Charlie was betrothed to a Polish girl. They had a daughter, Anna, who came with the Brussows in 1877. Charlie was supposed to send for his betrothed when they got settled. Instead, he married Ida. The story goes that Charlie’s mother was not happy with Ida’s treatment of Annie, so she had Annie sent to her daughter Amelia and Jacob Klein in Tn. Beaver. Jacob wanted to adopt Annie, but the Catholic Priest refused. Annie married Adolph Rossmann. No church or public marriage record was round; thus it is unclear whether she married as a Klein or Brussow. Annie died a few months before Charlie, in 1933. Her youngest son, Robert was with his mother. Evidently she related her history to him. He passed it on to the Rossmans. Jacob Klein was evidently quite upset with the events and only a sketchy but similar picture survived in the Klein family.

Johanna Brussow Schollet 1854 to 1927 died in Detroit, Mich. In 1873, she came to America with her Brother Wilhelm and Fred Schollet, who she married in Freeport in 1874. They had 8 children between 1875 and 1902. The first 5 were born in Silver Creek, outside Freeport. The last 3  reported being born in Nebraska. One middle child was reportedly born in Canada. By 1910, they were all in Detroit. Frank died there in 1921, Johanna in 1927.

Mary  Brussow Kern  1858 to 1929 in El Reno, Oklahoma. She came to America with her parents in 1877. In 1880, she married Fred Kern in Freeport. He was a tailor and had been in America for some time and had moved around quite a bit. His grandfather, Peter Kern, was in the Gold rush in California and Kern County, Cal. was supposedly named after him.

Between 1881 and 1894, Fred and Mary  had 5 children, the first three in Freeport. In 1885, Fred took off for Oklahoma. He participated in the 1889 homesteading event in Comanche territory.

The story goes, he fell off his wagon and never got any land. He sent for Mary and they settled in El Reno Oklahoma, where he and his brother established a large tailoring business. They had 2 more children in Oklahoma. Fred died near El Reno in 1920. They evidently lived separately for some time. Both are buried in the El Reno Cemetery, as are their children.

Fredericka Brussow Stork 1860 to 1943 died in Freepoort. She came to America with her parents in 1877. She married Fred Stork in Freeport in 1880. They had 5 children between 1882 and 1891. They Lived in Silver Creek. Fred was a market gardener. He died there in 1927. She died in 1943. Fredricka’s grand daughter, Deloris Yahnke Burkhalter, of Freeport, was an informant on the Brussow family research. Deloris’ father, Herman Yahnke, and Richard Klein, son of Jacob and Amelia, were good friends.

Amelia  Brussow Klein 1862 to 1922 died in Tn of Beaver, Clark Co. She came to America with her parents in 1877. In 1881, she married Jacob Klein in Loyal, Wis. They lived in Tn. Beaver, near the Rossmann saw mill on Rock Creek and had 2 sons, Richard and Emil. They also raised Annie Brussow as their own daughter. Jacob died in 1935. Amelia was never the same after breaking her hip on a trip to Kiel to visit the Kleins there. Both he and Amelia are buried in Pine Grove Cemetery.

Sophia Brussow 1866 to 1877. She supposedly died 1877 on Shipboard, at 11 years of age.

Contributors

John Klein