December 20th is the birthday anniversary of Wilhelmine "Minnie" Korth Oelrich, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Korth. Minnie was the matriarch of a large, prominent farm family in Spencer, Wisconsin. Her husband was Frank Oelrich, son of Gustav and Emilie Ernstine Schwantes Oelrich. The Oelrichs and their Korth, Schwantes, Neumann, and Oelrich branches populated many of the farms that spread in all directions around the small Village of Spencer.Minnie and Frank Oelrich farmed a beautiful stretch of land to the east of Spencer. Their farmstead had a large, handsome barn and lovely home. It became a compound of three farms, located in close proximity, run by their children. Their family included seven children: Lillian, Eleanor, Elmer, Wilmer, Marian, Ted, and Bonnie. As the Oelrich family grew, their family celebrations became amazing events.
The Boock - Oelrich Connection:
Although the Minnie and Frank Oelrich families were established in Spencer for generations, Marian met young Norbert Boock, pretty much a newcomer to Spencer, and they fell in love. Norbert, who lived in Minneapolis, was visiting his parents, Emma and Arthur Boock, in Spencer.
Art was the cashier of the Spencer State Bank; actually, this was the second time the Boocks lived in Spencer, because in 1908, as newlyweds, Art and Emma came to Spencer, where Arthur founded the bank. The three Boock children: Norbert (1909), Gertrude (1912), and Esther (1914) were born in Spencer. However, shortly after Esther was born, the Boock family moved back to New Ulm, where Art headed the Farmer's and Merchant's Bank, a business interest of Emma's father, Fred Aufderheide.
In 1930, there was an opportunity for Art to return to Spencer; Norbert was in college at the University of Minnesota and Gertrude attended Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm.
But both Norbert and Gertrude spent some of their vacations in Spencer, where they met many friends. Basically, that's how Norbert met Marian.
On April 3, 1937, Marian Oelrich married Norbert Frederick Boock, son of Arthur Lincoln Boock (born in New Ulm, 1881) and Emma Aufderheide Boock (born in New Ulm, 1884). Art Boock was the son of Christian Friederich Boock and Wilhelmine Plath Boock, German immigrants who settled in New Ulm.[Photo: Norbert and Marian Oelrich Boock with their attendants Ted Oelrich, Gertrude Boock, and Bonnie Oelrich, flowergirl, after the reception at the Oelrich home.]
Norbert and Marian began their married life in Minneapolis; their daughter Marilyn Jane was born there on July 21, 1938. Gertrude and Carl were about to be married in August. Since Marian and Norbert were in the wedding party, perhaps this is the occasion for the Oelrich gathering at the Boock house, in the photo below.
[l - r: Emma and Arthur Boock, Minnie Oelrich, Marian Oelrich Boock with Marilyn, Frank Oelrich, Eleanor Oelrich, Norbert Boock, Lillian Oelrich, Bonnie Oelrich, Carl Graupner. Perhaps Carl's betrothed, Gertrude Boock, is taking the photograph. Photo: Summer 1939]
In addition to Marilyn, the Boock family grew with the arrival of David Frederick, born on July 20, 1942, in Minneapolis, and Gerald Allen, born on October 13, 1948 in Marshfield, Wisconsin, after the Norbert Boocks had moved back to Spencer, where Norbert worked in the bank.
This photo shows both the Norbert Boock family and the Carl Graupner family in the summer of 1948, just as significant changes were underway. Actually, the Graupner family is about to return to their current home in Burlington, when the early morning photo was taken.
Norbert and Marian built their new home in Spencer, in 1948, just in time for Jerry to start his young live there. Carl and Gertrude would move their family to Spencer from Burlington in December of 1948, to begin farming there. [Photo: Jim Graupner with Gertrude Boock Graupner, Uncle George Gieseke behind, Norbert Boock with son David, Marilyn Boock with John Graupner, Arthur Boock, Emma Boock with Philip Graupner, Cathryn Graupner being held by Marian Oelrich Boock with Ken Graupner in front with the jump rope.
The Oelrich farm is still farmed by Oelrichs, but the Boocks and Graupners live elsewhere.
Jim Graupner
1 comment:
Thanks, Jim G for writing the Boock/Oelrich connection. Marian Oelrich was working for the Charles Haslows, in Spencer, and so she was included in the "town kids" gatherings. Mom and Dad said they met at a swimming party and Marian, 102 pounds, wore a girdle under her swim suit! I still have Norbert's wool,chest covering swim suit from those days. Frank Oelrich was able to support his large family on that farm, so that during the '30's his children were able to keep their own earned money, did not have to send a portion of their checks back to their parents, unusual for those times.
The two families would have known each other from their Trinity Lutheran connections. Thirty years later, into the '60's Emma Boock and Minnie Oelrich still called each other "Mrs. Boock & Mrs. Oelrich".
Post a Comment