Oelke, Henry 1844-1888

OELKE, WILRUTH

Posted By: Judy Moyna (email)
Date: 1/18/2011 at 16:56:05

Henry Oelke St., Postmaster in Farmersburg at this time. He is a wealthy merchant. Born in Hanover, Germany, Sept. 10, 1844. Father William Oelke born there on Feb. 26, 1818. Carpenter by trade, then went to farming. William married Elizabeth Wilruth born in Hanover in 1817. They immigrated to America in 1851 locating on Section 16 in Farmersburg Twp. After six or seven months they went to Read Twp. where they lived seven or eight years. Then they moved back to Farmersburg Twp. purchasing a farm in Sec. 28 where they lived. It was a wild, uncultivated piece of prairie land when they bought it. In 1869 they settled in Garnavillo Twp. on a piece of improved property and lived there until about 1880 when he moved to the town of Garnavillo where he lived until his death which occurred on August 15, 1888. He is buried in Garnavillo Cemetery.

~1888 Newspaper article from Marian Beimfohr’s files, August 15, 1888 Death of W. H. Oelke