Pearce, Steffen & Sparks Families: 1 Reunion, 4 Cemeteries, 2 States

What is the best kind of vacation for a genealogist? 

A vacation that combines a visit with a good friend, meeting a newly-found cousin, a quite-altered family reunion and genealogically-related traipsing through four cemeteries in Iowa and Illinois...Priceless!!!

The Clam Man in
Muscatine, Iowa 

Reunion was next door to this
 house that had belonged to our
 great-great-great grandfather. 

 

 

Crossing Mississippi River
after meeting
newly- found cousin

                                              

It all started over a year ago, when I visited my cousins in northern Illinois for visits and to gather family history information. As I was talking to these cousins about some of our half-cousins, I realized they seemed very unsure of whom I was referring.

So, I started planning a Pearce family reunion for July 2020. Never had organized a family reunion from scratch before, but I felt confident in my abilities. I had this, I could do this!! I mean...what could go wrong?! 😀😉

We were all in for quite the surprise when COVID-19 altered life throughout the world. It stopped all of us in our tracks for several months, before we started to venture out again.

Although our crowd of 100+ had dwindled down to 9, we choose to go forward with the reunion, only with some changes. Masks, social distancing and hand sanitizer were now as much a part of the plan as the visiting and talk of family history.

After the reunion, we all paid
 respects to our Pearce ancestors
at the Pearce Cemetery,
Oswego, Illinois

The hubby and I spent the week before the reunion in Muscatine, Iowa, visiting a good friend of ours. Much time was spent along the Mississippi River, visiting local sites and cemeteries.

First cemetery was in Muscatine itself. I had no ancestors that had ever lived in Muscatine. However, I had recently discovered that my 4x-great grandfather's brother, Green Sparks, had moved to Muscatine at some point, and was buried there in the Greenwood Cemetery, along with his wife and two daughters.

Alas, this is one of those fruitless searches that turns up no stones or grave markers of any kind. The cemetery office has records that show they are buried here in this section, but we found nothing there. 

Greenwood Cemetery:  burial place of Green Sparks, Susan (Hunt) Sparks and two daughters.

A day trip up to Dubuque County to the small towns of New Vienna and Luxemburg where my maternal grandmother was born and raised. Some of her ancestors had arrived here in the 1830's, and her great-grandfather is actually mentioned in a Wikipedia article regarding St. Boniface Church in New Vienna, Iowa.

St. Boniface Catholic Church.
(Photo Credit: Eileen Moore)

If you would like to learn more about this church, I have provided the link here. However, below, you will find the section that mentions my 3rd great-grandfather, (Wilhelm) William Steffen, Sr.

"The church was 64 by 100 feet (30 m) with 22-foot (6.7 m)-high walls. A local resident, William Steffen Sr., was sent with two teams of horses to get three bells for the church. He arrived back in New Vienna just before Easter; the bells were raised in time to chime for the first time on Easter Sunday. This second structure was used until 1887."

The following three photos are three generations of my maternal grandmother, Mathilda (Steffen) Pearce, from her great-grandfather to her grandparents.

William Steffen, Sr., my
maternal grandmother's
 great-grandfather

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Her grandparents, Theodore &
Maria K. (Bonenkamp) Steffen

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And her parents, Frank W. and
Josephine (Schulte) Steffen

Within a five-mile radius, I was able to visit two cemeteries (St. Boniface Catholic Church and Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church) in two very small towns that was the final resting place of most of my grandmother's siblings, ancestors, cousins and extended family back to the first immigrants from Germany.

Without time to consult my family history papers for specific ancestors, I took photos of all headstones bearing the following surnames:  Steffen, Schulte, Trenkamp, Bohnenkamp and Sudmeier. As I sort through my photos and paperwork in the near future, I will certainly be including more posts about the Steffen line, I am sure.

As I thought about all of those ancestors I had just visited, it made me realize how much I missed two that were not to be found in either cemetery. My Grandma (Tilly) Pearce and her baby sister, Alice Morganegg. 

In her 20's, my grandma had left her home in Luxemburg, Iowa and traveled to Kendall County, Illinois...with Aunt Alice eventually finding her way there, also.

Why, and When? What made these two young ladies set out for northeastern Illinois in the 1930's or so? I have not discovered the answer to this question yet, but I have not given up just yet! Lol

The Steffen sisters: Catherine,
 Alice, Mathilda, Florence

Newly-found cousin and ancestors, Illinois and Iowa, a reunion and 4 cemeteries...and a relaxing visit with a good friend! All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better vacation!

Through Her Eyes Thursday: Mathilda Steffen Pearce

**Disclaimer ~ Having technical difficulties as you are starting your blog post is never a good thing! There is not much that can be done when the internet is down.

So, although this is a "Through Her Eyes Thursday" post, it is being brought to on Friday, February 14th (AKA Valentine's Day). Today, I would like to show some love to this lovely lady, my maternal grandmother,  Mathilda (Tillie) Steffen Pearce.

Mathilda C. Steffen

Growing Up on a Iowa Farm

She was born Mathilda C. Steffen on May 10, 1910 in Luxemburg, Dubuque County, Iowa. Although she was named Mathilda, she was just "Tillie" to all who knew and loved her.

As one of the oldest daughters in a large family growing up in the early 1920's, Tillie spent much of her childhood helping to care for her younger siblings. As was common with girls in those days, she was taken out of school after the 8th grade to help her mother.

Love and Family

In her late 20's, Tillie would travel to the outskirts of the Chicago area with her younger sister, Alice. There, in Kendall County, both Tillie and Alice would find husbands and start raising families.

Tillie met and married Gerald H. Pearce on 24 November 1937. Gerald had been a widower with a grown daughter named Elnora, and a couple of grandchildren. 

Gerald and Mathilda Pearce

Gerald and Tillie would also have two children of their own. My mother, Kathleen, and uncle, James, joined the family in 1938 and 1943.

My Grandma "Tillie" & my mom, Kathy,
on Mom's First Communion.

Cooking and Kitchens

Grandma was a wonderful cook, and was well-known in Yorkville for her kitchen skills. According to my mother, she catered many meals during her lifetime. At one point, she also was a kitchen manager in a local restaurant, also.

Grandma Tillie

 

At home, in the kitchen

She was ahead of her time in many ways, also. Throughout the 1950's, it was not that common for married women to be working outside the home. Grandma did much of the catering while married to my grandfather. 

And she continued working after his death in 1959. My mother and uncle were only 21 and 17 at the time. My mom would be married within 1 1/2 years and move 300 miles away to  southeastern Indiana.

As a widow at 49 years old, she had to become quite independent in taking care of herself and her home.

She would also drive herself and her sister, Alice, on car trips back to Iowa to visit their siblings. They took several of these car trips until their health eventually prevented them.

Grandma with three of her sisters.
L-R:  Catherine, Alice, Tillie and Florence

When house maintenance became too much in later years, my grandmother sold her house and moved herself into a senior citizen home. Here, she really enjoyed visiting with her friends, playing bingo and cards...and even taking a trip out to Vegas!

She cherished her family and her grandchildren. My Uncle Jim stayed in the Kendall County area, and he would visit Grandma often with his two kids. My family lived in southeastern Indiana, and many trips were made back and forth to see each other.

My Memories

She loved playing games with us children! I couldn't even recall how many times Yahtzee or a deck of cards were already setting on the dining room table awaiting her arrival!

Mathilda (Tillie) Steffen Pearce passed away on August 27, 1991. I have so many fantastic memories of this wonderful woman! I was only 21 years old when she passed away, and hadn't even begun to realize all that she had taught me.

Almost thirty years later, I may have forgotten the little bit of her childhood German she taught me. But, I remember everything else! Be strong. Take care of yourself. Cherish your family. Have fun!

These last photos are of the Grandma Pearce that I treasure. This is how I will remember her always.

Tillie Pearce

Grandma Pearce and
Grandma Schrader

My mom, Kathy Schrader and
Grandma Pearce