Henningsen

HENNINGSEN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/21/2010 at 22:39:29

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Henningsen Family
By Carmen Klein

In 1906 Mrs Henriette Henningsen, the widow of Johann Henningsen, living on the island of Amrun off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, put the first two of her five children, put the first two of her five children aboard ship bound for America. Margaret 18, and Gerret 16, arrived in the Moville area in April at the home of William Hercher, a second cousin. The two children worked for their relative for almost a year.

Margaret met and married William Kant, brother-in-law of William Hercher. Many people befriended the two youngsters, but there were also those who took advantage of their youth and inexperience. In the words of Mrs Kant 94, who still lives in Crosby, Minnesota. They had four children, Louise, Anna, William and Effie Mae.

While still in Iowa, Margaret and Willie and her brother, Gerret, were able to help their sister, Anna, come to the United States. Gerret worked for the farmers in the area and soon was able to start farming himself. Two families in particular befriended Gerret. Mr & Mrs Chris Beard and their daughter and husband, Tom & Edith Rolfe farm southwest of Moville. Garret married Alice Sharp of Lawton. They had two sons, James and Clifford.

Anna Henningsen married John McDermott of Moville and they also farmed in the Moville and Lawton areas. For a time they operated a café in Lawton before returning to the farm in the Anthon and Oto areas. Their children were Leonard, John B, Jr, Mary Ann, Raymond and Richard. Three children were lost in infancy.

The third daughter of Henriette Augusta remained in Germany. She had married a Navy man, Corneleus Martinen. He perished in the First World War His wife died during a diphtheria outbreak that swept through the small island soon after. They left two small children, Helmuth 4, and Thea 2, to be raised by their Grandmother Henningsen.

The youngest of the five, Johanne, had also married a navy man, Carl Empen. When the war ended they dreamed of coming to be United States. Carl came first to his brother-in-law’s home south of Lawton. Two years later he was able to send for his wife, Johanne, and their small daughter, Carmen. They lived in the Lawton area and with the help of some good friends, Roy McElrath of Moville, and Robert Bappe of Lawton was soon able to establish themselves on a farm.

It wasn’t until 1938 that Henriette Henningsen would again see the children she had sent to America. She spent nine months visiting the country of her children, getting acquainted with her many grandchildren. During the summer of 1939 she returned to Germany and soon after World War II began. She and her two grandchildren survived the war as did all the grandchildren involved in the war on the side of the United States.

Margaret and William’s four children gave them any grandchildren. Their three daughters married Minnesota men and established homes in the Deerwood, Crosby area. Their son, William, lives in California. William Sr died in 1948.

After working for many years with Livestock Commission firms at the Sioux City Stockyards, Garret and his second wife, Ruth retired to Chehalis, Washington in 1952. Gerret’s two sons grew up in Lawton. James married Gwendolyn Earlywine of Onawa. They had four children, James, Robert, Kathy (died in infancy 1952) and Patricia. James taught school in the Lawton and Sioux City school systems. At the time of his retirement in 1980, he was Business Education Coordinator. Their children, Jim and Patti and families live in California. Robert and family live in Nevada. Clifford married Betty Jury of Burke, South Dakota. They and two sons, Kim and Tad, living in Rapid City, South Dakota several years before moving to Dillon, Montana. Clifford was connected with the banking industry. He retired in 1979. Betty, an English teacher, is also retired.

John and Anna McDermott farmed in the Anthon-Oto area until Anna’s death in 1936. John and his children lived in Oto until they had all finished school. Then all but one son, John, migrated to California. John, Jr, joined the Navy and married a Virginia girl, Ann Gibb. When she died in 1979 John returned to Iowa and a year later married Helen Fedderson Savage and lives in Sioux City. His two children, Wayne and Joan, remain in Virginia with their families.

Carl and Johanne Empen farmed in the Lawton area until a year before his death in 1950. Johanne lives in Lawton. Their daughter, Carmen, married Oskar Klein of Ponca, Nebraska. They have two sons, Carl and Eric. Oskar built many houses in the area and also served Lawton as its Mayor for eight years in the 1960’s. He is now retired. Carmen works part-time for the local telephone company where she has been for nearly twenty years. One son, Carl, lives in Omaha with his wife and daughter. Eric lives at home and works in Lawton.