TROGE, Gustav and Elizabeth

ROEHR, FREIHOLTZ, KNOFT, LESCH, DIETERICH, MULLER

Posted By: K. L. Kittleson
Date: 8/3/2010 at 00:06:08

Gustav and Elizabeth Troge

Gustav Troge was born in the province of Pommern, Germany, on March 24, 1850 to the Frederick Troge family. His father was born December 20, 1819 and died June 8, 1891. His mother, Gustina Knoft, was born November 22, 1819 and died November 22, 1894. Both parents are buried at St. John's Calvary Cemetery.

Gustav came to America as a child with his parents in the 1840's. Other children included: Herman, who died in Arlington Heights, Virginia; William died in Mitchell County; August died in Floyd County; Fred also died in Floyd County; Martin died in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Louise (Lesch); Matilda (Mrs. Herman Dieterich); and Marie (Mrs. Herb Muller). They farmed in southeast Mitchell County. The Troge's, along with the Dieterich's and Hartwig's, were founders of St. Johns Lutheran Church in the early 1870's. The church is located six miles southwest of Osage.

Elizabeth Freiholtz was born August 4, 1858 in Germany. Her father had come to America and later wrote to Germany for the rest of the family to come. Either the death of the mother or a close relative left only little Elizabeth to come. Before leaving, a string with a tag was put around her neck with directions where she was to go in America. Her father later remarried and she had a half sister, Rose (Clark)

Elizabeth's obituary states that her mother died when Elizabeth was born and she lived with an uncle. She came to the U.S. with her uncle and family, who lived in Charles City.

I have not been able to find the marriage date of Gustav and Elizabeth, it may have been in 1876 or 1877. According to Elizabeth's obituary, they were married in Charles City. Their children included: Lena Emelia, born December 16, 1878; Emma Matilda, born May 20, 1880; Charles Henry, born March 20, 1882; Albert William, born November 25, 1883; Clara Amelia, born June 9, 1885; and Minnie Augusta, born March 5, 1887. These six children were born in Mitchell County. Sometime between 1887 and 1889 the county line between Mitchell and Floyd Counties was changed, the Troge farm becoming part of Floyd County. The last children were born after this change, thus were Floyd County births even though being born on the same farm as the older children. The younger six children were: Bertha Marqureta, born February 28, 1889; Wilhelm Edward, born June 25, 1891; Dorothea Louise, born May 30, 189; Vera Renata, born August 2, 1897; Anna Rosella, born May 27, 1900, and Agnes Easter, born December 12, 1902.

The farm home was on the south side of the road. It was a small house and the story is told that the girls slept crossways on the few beds so all could lay down. One time the children had a big dog and when outside he was with them constantly. One day some of the girls were to take a basket of eggs to the nearby town to sell. The dog wanted to go along. With a rope tied around his neck he was tied to the leg of an old table. About a mile from home the girls heard a dog barking and looking back, they saw a cloud of dust coming across the fields; it was the dog with the table dragging behind him.

With the death of Elizabeth's father she inherited a large sum of money. Gustav and Elizabeth used it to build a large home on the north side of the road.

The Troge family was known for it's neatness in appearance in self as well as in home and around the farm. I remember going with my parents to visit or to a Troge Reunion; how clean everything looked, even the lawn and in and around the buildings. In the fields the fences, the oats and corn shocks, the trees planted along the grove, everything looked as if it had been lined up by a surveyors instrument or a laser beam.

Gustav Troge died April 21, 1909. Elizabeth Freiholtz Troge died May 17, 1936. They are buried at St. John's Cemetery six miles south of Osage. The history of the twelve Troge children is written elsewhere in this book.

My thanks to Marvel and Erva Lesch for information they gave me to help me write this history of my Troge grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

by Alvin (Dale) Roehr

[Source: "Mitchell County History", published 1989, pg 444 and 445.]

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