The Family of Sophia Hedwig Prasse
Sophia was born in 1801 in Bad Meinberg, Germany. She was a tall, brown_eyed lady. Her first husband was Henry Dammeier. Sophia and Henry had one son, also named Henry. After only a year of marriage, Henry died and apparently left a substantial estate. Sophia then married a Mr. Mullering. German custom dictated that when a man married a widow with a considerable estate, he had to take the last name of the deceased husband. So, Mr. Mullering changed his name to Dammeier. This marriage brought two more children: Henrietta and Bernhardt. This husband died when the children were young. Sophia again married in 1835 to a man whose name is not known. One daughter, Mary, was brought into the world. This husband only lasted for three months of marriage before he died.
In 1838, Sophia finally found a husband that would last for a while. She married Karl Johan Bernard Boedeker. He too had to change his name to Dammeier as was the custom. Karl was the brother of Adolph Boedeker, who married Sophia's daughter, Henrietta. Sophia and Karl had two sons: Charles and Adolph. Karl was a stone mason and helped build homes in the area. He also did some of the stone work on the Salem Evangelical Church. Eventually he bought a farm on the Galena Stage Road, south of Lena, Illinois. In 1866, Sophia died, followed by her husband, Karl, in 1874. Both are buried in Lena Burial Park.
The Children of Sophia Hedwig Prasse Dammeier
Nothing much is known of Henry Dammeier except that he died and is buried near Shannon, Illinois. He had six children: Louise, Elizabeth, Henry, Mary, Mildred, and Charles. Louise married Henry Elmer of Shannon, Illinois. Louise's descendents live near Shannon and in Freeport as well as Brodhead, Wisconsin. Elizabeth was nicknamed Lizzie. She never married. Mary married Clarence Miller and lived in Metz, Iowa. Mildred married Charles Lind. Charles lived south of Newton, Iowa where his three sons and their families also lived.
Henrietta was the first child of Sophia's second marriage and was born in 1828. She married Adolph Boedeker, the brother of Sophia's fourth husband, Karl Boedeker. They had several children: Charles, Henry, Fred, Amelia, Will, Louis, Caroline, and Lydia. Adolph and Henrietta lived in Freeport, Illinois. Amelia married Frank Heyer. Henry Kemple was Caroline's husband. Lydia married Bert Lahre and lived in Rush City, Minnesota.
Bernhardt married Mary Paul and they had seven children: Caroline, Charles, Will, Mary, Frederick, Emma, and Benjamin. Charles lived in Amarillo, Texas. Mary married Jacob Orns and lived in Newton, Iowa. Mary's daughters lived in Long Beach, Washington and her son lived in Newton. Frederick also lived in Newton. Emma married a Henry Prasse, who was her second cousin. Benjamin had six sons and a daughter and lived in Huron, South Dakota.
Mary, the only child of Sophia's third marriage, lived with her mother and then her half_brother, Adolph, until her death in 1902.Charles married Sophia Deppe and they had six children: Will, Mamie, Gustauf, Martha, William, and Robert. Will, Martha, and Robert lived in Chicago.
In 1842, Adolph was born. He married Mary Barbara Albright in 1871. They must have been very compatible as they had quite a brood, fifteen in all. The children were: Charles, Martha, William, August, Henry, Elizabeth, Rufus, Marie, David, Caroline, Sarah, Hilda, Benjamin, Almyra, and Luella. August, Henry and Elizabeth all died in infancy. Sarah and Hilda died when two and four years old of diptheria. Charles lived in Sutherland, Nebraska. Martha married Avery Miley. Marie married Dennis Swaney. Caroline lived in Freeport. Almyra married Wray Love and lived in Salem, Illinois. Luella became the wife of Reverend Vernon Yeich and lived in Wapwallopen, Pennsylvania. ~ The Prasse Families in America at <prasse.org>; retrieved on January 21, 2006.
Changed name to Dammeier at time of marriage as was the custom when marrying a woman with money in Germany at that time.
Lived only three months after they were married
Lived with Adolph and Mary Dammeier in 1900 U.S. Census, Kent, Stephenson Co., Illinois
Karl Johan Bernard Boedeker Dammeier
He changed his name to Dammeier as was the custom.