The 1850s

Establishing Their New Home

Hermann Heinrich “Henry” Ehlmann (1816) was the older brother to our direct ancestor, Hermann Gerhard (1819).

On the 1850 Missouri Census for St. Charles County, City of St. Charles:

Henry Eilmannn, age 34, Tailor
Anna Eilmann, age 28
Deterich, age 6 (Hermann Dietrich, b. 1844, D. Nov. 27, 1862)
Harmon, age 4
Henry, 9/12.
All but nine-month-old Henry were born in Germany.

Hermann Heinrich (1816) married Anna Maria Elisabeth Barklage on May 20, 1843.

They had the following children:

• J. Herman Diedrich (1845)
• Johann Hermann Heinrich Dec. 23, 1849
• Hermann Bernard Christian Sept. 28, 1851
• Johann Hermann Wilhelm June 2, 1853, married Anna Charlotte Maria Schurmann
• Anna Margaretha Elise Oct. 1, 1854
• Anna Maria Julia Mar. 21, 1858
• Anna Katharina Apr. 9, 1862

In 1852 St. Charles Township census, individual family members were not named and only the head of household and age ranges were given. Diedrich Ehlmann is listed as one male 21-45 years of age and one female over 45 years of age. This older woman would have to be Catherina, his mother, who died later that year.

Of the children of Gerhard Hermann and Catharina Molan Ehlmann, I’ve found no evidence of Hermann Wilhelm Bernard born in 1827 and he doesn’t appear with the rest of the family in the immigration records. Although it hasn’t been proven, it appears he may have died prior to the family immigrating.

Catharina in Mobile.
An obituary written in the Thursday, September 7, 1916, St. Charles Banner News titled “Herman Ehlmnn Pioneer Resident Has Passed Away” states that Hermann (who would be the Hermann listed on the November 18, 1847 ship manifest) was born in Westphalia, Germany but came to this county when about 21 years old. He first located at Mobile and later at St. Charles…”

When I was unable to locate Catherina on the 1850 Missouri census, I decided to try both Louisiana and Alabama. I was able to locate a 68-year-old Catherina Altmann in Mobile, Alabama living with possibly her daughter, Catherine (Catherine Adelheid ) age 26  and her husband Jas (James) Rasmussen from Denmark and their children Henry and Peter, both age 3, both born in Alabama. Information from a descendant of James Rasmussen is that he later changed his name to Robertson in 1851. I ran into Steve Ehlmann (now our County Executive) one day at the library when we were both doing research and I told him of the obituary of Herman Ehlmann and the connection to Alabama where I found Catherina Ehlmann. He said he recalled his family traveling to Alabama to visit relatives but he didn’t know that we had any relatives in Alabama. This would lend credence to this Catherine Ehlmann being our great, great, great grandmother.

Hermann Dietrich (1827) married Anna Maria Bekebrede on Sept. 20, 1850 in St. Charles.

Catherine died on September 28, 1852, and is buried in the old section of Immanuel Lutheran’s cemetery.

November 3, 1857, Herman Eilmann, age 16 arrived on the Steamship Albert

…To be Continued…