Arens & Burbach Family History  

Dear Family

The following Historical information on our Arens and Burbach ancestors was compiled and written by Sister Mary Ann Burbach, who is a First Cousin Twice Removed from myself. Her sources are mention in the section titled "A Note To The Readers".

Also all the photos of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Wormbach, Germany were taken by Mike Grobbel in the spring of 2000, and are used with his permision. Mike, who lives near Detroit MI, also has ancestors from the Wormbach Westfalen area of Germany. To view these and additional photos at his web site, along with his comments on Wormbach, and this church, visit this web site: Mike's Wormbach Photos. Also see Mike's maps of the Wormbach, Saurland area of Germany; and his Home page.

To see how our ancestors, who are mentioned in the essay below, fit on our Family Tree please see the Kathol Family Tree.

Also see the following pictures:
Picture of Wilhelm I Arens and Theresa Peitz Arens
Family picture of Theresa Arens Burbach and Louis Burbach

THE ARENS FAMILY HISTORY A Note to the Readers The Church in Wormbach, Germany, throughout the centuries. The Wilhelm I Arens Genealogy Historical Background A NOTE TO THE READERS During the past decade the search for "roots" has greatly increasedin our country. Reflections during 1980, "the year of the family", promptedthe research and work of compiling this ARENS GENEALOGY. Research for this project was done in numerous Catholic churches, rectories and cemeteries in Cedar County, Nebraska, in Detroit, Michigan, and in Westfalen, Germany. Most recent of all, Sr. Leora Marie and I visited the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Wormbach, Germany in 1984. It was a very thrilling and unforgettable experience to be in the very church in which our grandmother, Theresa Arens Burbach, had been baptized and had spent many hours in prayer before her coming to America in 1869, at the age of eighteen. As children we listened to her stories about Germany, the trip to America, and then the coming to Cedar County. We certainly never dreamed of ever seeing Westfalen, Germany, of which she spoke so frequently. While visiting on the parish premises of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Wormbach, Germany, we spoke with the pastor, Rev. Reperich. That visit was an informative one and since then Father Reperich has sent an annual: interesting and informative letter at Christmas time. It was Fr. Reperich who directed me to the Cologne Cathedral Archives for authentic information about the Arentz/Arens family history. Now it is my joy to share it with you! The cooperation of many relatives has helped to make this project a reality. First of all I want to specifically mention that Father Cyril Burbach had obtained much of the Arens genealogy before his death on February 1, 1982. I was able to secure all the information he had gathered and then added information to complete this work which he had begun. To list all the contributors of information would be impossible but I do want to mention that Mrs. Raymond Thunker was a big help to me by securing much of the"fill in" information. Before listing the descendants of the Wilhelm I Arens family, I will include the history of the Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Wormbach, Germany, because it is in this present church building that all of the children of Wilhelm Arens were baptized. I regret, if by oversight or human frailty any errors appear on these pages; great effort was made to have authentic and accurate information. My hope is that this book will help increase love and joy in many families who go through its pages. Some of you will want to add information about births, weddings, and deaths since 1981, and then will continue to add information in the future as it develops. The book itself is printed in this format so that this can easily be done, Pictures too, could easily be inserted. I am confident that you will join me in this prayer: Teach us Lord, the sanctity of human love, show us the value of family life, of mutual love and respect, help us live in peace with all people that we may share your kingdom of peace and joy for all eternity. GOD LOVE YOU! Sister Mary Ann Burbach, C.PP.S. Congregation of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus O'Fallon, Missouri, USA THE CHURCH IN WORMBACH, GERMANY The First Church To try to ascertain the time when Christianity was first introduced in the Upper Sauerland of Westfalen of Germany would only be a conjecture. Many observers have expressed the idea that Christian Missionaries may already have been active there in the 8th century, possibly on the old Heiden Street (also called Romer strasse) since people of Cologne moved into this land of a thousand mountains. According to ancient tradition, the first church of Wormbach stood near the fountain originally named "Pastors Bubbling Eddy", since it flowed very near the old rectory. There are possibilities that some remnants of this first chapel could be discovered. The chapel was built of wood on a foundation of quarried stones. To determine the situation of this first Christian Sanctuary, one must keep in mind that it may have been preceded by a Cult Station of Worship since the Germanic tribes had many such places where they worshipped their gods, and for these holy places they selected groves or thickets. The present Oak Forest south of the parish church could very well be a vestige of those ancient holy places, forests and fountains of worship. It was a custom of Christian Missionaries to establish their sanctuaries on the very spot where the false gods had previously been worshipped. Tradition has always maintained that in this first Christian Church St. Boniface or one of his companions celebrated Holy Mass. The Second and Third Church During the extensive work of remodeling and renovation in 1955-1956 it was discovered that under the present parish church, parts of two other foundations of former church buildings were still existing. The first of these discoveries revealed that the first church building dates back to the year 850 A.D. The second church building, judging from a section of the foundation built for a tower, was presumably built around the year 1000 A.D. The purpose to erect a church at this particular place could have been to gain a deep firm foundation lower in the ground, because the meadow-land around the rectory was very damp and muggy. The Fourth Church photo by Mike Grobbel The fourth church which is the present church, dates from 1225 A.D,according to some men of expertise. Judging from the building, it was modeled after many churches in Westfalen of this era, which were copied from the late Romanesque pattern,, The length of the body of the church is approximately eighteen meters, the width fourteen meters, and the nave is divided into three sections with cross-beams. The church has a choir loft; to the westend is a prominent tower approximately thirty-six meters. The cupola of the tower has an affinity to the towers of Everberg and Hallenberg; it was built by the same master builder, Anton Hesse of Hallenberg in 1730. Characteristic of the exterior construction are the low gutters as compared to the high church roof which extends all the way to the choir wall and along the ridge of the belfry, The windows are of an arched style. The cross-beam or arch by the west portal has a clover leaf pattern design. On the south and north side one can detect under the plaster coating, remnants of the ancient Romanesque style portals. The Interior of the Church The nave of the church is divided into four sections by four columns tapering down to smaller pillars which are prominently constructed Though the architecture of the church is in unusual harmony, one notices a slight derangement by the forward moving deep organ pit and choir area. Interesting are the strange globular knobs on the capitals of the pillars, and only after the removal of many layers of paint could it be proven that these knobs represented flower buds. photo by Mike Grobbel Very conspicuous is the frescoing of the church. The original painting was again exposed 1955-1956 after eight to ten layers of lime-white-wash were removed. Noteworthy above all are the twelve signs of the Zodiac, in the center of the vault, an unusual appearance in European art. There are groups of four signs each, arranged around a drawing of a keystone. In the field of the choir the coping stone is surrounded by a drawing of the sun,, the moon, and the stars. Grouped around this are the four signs: fish, Capricorn, aqualrius and the rams. The second field shows a keystone in which is portrayed an unidentifiable figure of a saint, which in turn is surrounded by the signs: crab, twins, taurus and lion. In the closing third field is a representation of justice, a figure robed in a middle aged garment,, crowned like a queen, holding by a thread in one hand the Zodiac sign of a scale and in the other a spear, which is encircled by the signs: virgo, archer, scorpion and gen. weight, By the sign of the virgin an inscription can be detected, which originally may have been painted at each of the Zodiac groups, as a sort of monthly poem or lyric possibly dating back as far as Bede the Venerable, 735 A.D. The purpose of the motif used by these artists of the middle ages is clear. Their intention was to have the dome of the church symbolize the vault of heaven or the firmament. One may rightly presume that the composition of these drawings can rightly be attributed to the influence of the monks of the Benedictine Monastery of Grafschaft, which is only a little more than an hour distant. The parish church in Wormbach has always had a close relationship with this monastery. Already when the founding charter was established through Archbishop Armo II of Cologne in the year 1072, the parish of Wormbach was the first to be mentioned for an affiliation to the monastery. In the apse of the church are significant remnants of ancient Romanesque frescoes which can be recognized only in the upper section, and portrays the last judgment, In the top section above the high altar is an open frame where Christ is seated as judge in a radiance of light; this part is clearly visible. The complete artistic scheme can be attributed to the mid-thirteenth century. The Inner Architecture photo by Mike Grobbel The inner architecture is almost exclusively baroque. Worthy of notice is the high altar, a 1759 creation of the great Johann Wilhelm Zinn. The throne above the tabernacle is a product of the twentieth century. Of great artistic design and in part exceptionally moving are the figures representing Peter and Paul (Originally Peter was the patron of the church but sometime in the middle ages the name of Paul was added,,) In the side niches are figures of St.. Boniface and St. Walburgis, In the upper part of the framework behind the altar we see John of Nepomuk and Francis Xavier. The painted crucifixion group in the center of the altar was done by the artist Steckerof Schmallenberge. The Pulpit photo by Mike Grobbel This pulpit which is one of the so-called Grabsch after Baroque style, was constructed in 1710. It is ornamental in Its rich embellishment of pictorial decor. It portrays the four Latin Church Fathers, Gregory the Great, Augustine, Jerome and Ambrose, It also has niches where we see the four evangelists. The Organ photo by Mike Grobbel The Baroque Organ which contains pipes that were manufactured before the year 1450, and belong to the oldest know pipes in Westfalen, was presumably from the monastery in Grabschaft, In the year 1700 this organ was assembled from these ancient materials. At the present time it contains twenty registers, approximately 1338 pipes, and sounds forth an unusual tone of melodic beauty. Other Inside Furnishings of Note Remarkable is the confessional in the right nave. Judging from an inscriptionin the middle section. It is a creation of the year 1694. The doors seem to be a supplement of a later period, Above the side altar in the left-hand nave we see a beautiful statue of Mary from Baroque times The mensa of this altar, and also the main altar in the sanctuary, seemingly date back to the year 1759. The church bells are a product of the eighteenth century. The Cemetery of Wormbach photo by Mike Grobbel This is one of the most famous cemeteries of all of Westfalen and it definitely is one of the most ancient. There are no written documents of its age and expansion, so what we know of it comes by way of oral tradition. It is said that the dead were brought here from great distances in former times. There were even special roadways for the transportation of these corpses to the Wormbach cemetery. One can still recognize some of the stations along this so-called road of the dead which led from Soest to Wormbachas also one from Totenohl (today named Gleierbruck) which leads through the Gleier valley to the Landenbecker road of the dead. It is to be conjectured that we are dealing here with an ancient custom which dates far back into the Germanic history, and was perhaps a custom as far back as early Christian times. In any event the Wormbach cemetery was of far greater dimension than it is today, Judging from bone findings it seems to have extended as far as under the Oak trees to the south of the church. In spite of its age one does not find old tombstones. one interesting grave of 1884 has a tablet of slate with a numeral dial and bears the, Inscription: "One of the twelve is yours, but this one is mine,"(an arrow points at 2:30 o'clock). Very beautiful is the cemetery cross, produced by the Berlin sculptor, Josef Dorls. It is near the southern entrance of the church. Above all, one is impressed by the centuries-old Linden trees which surround the whole area in a large circle. The Sts. Peter and Paul church in Wormbach is the most outstanding architectural church as well as the oldest parish church of this area of Westfalen, known as Sauerland. WILHELM I ARENS GENEALOGY Rotgers Arentz, born in 1748, was a shepherd as a young man. On September 8, 1783 he married Anna Catherine Schulte in St. Cyriakus Church in Berghausen, Germany. Anna Catherine had been baptized in this church on June 29, 1763; she was the daughter of Heinrich and Anna Catherine Schulte. Rotgers and Anna Catherine Arentz had two children: Anna Maria Elizabeth and Johannes Herman. Anna Maria Elizabeth was baptized on May 11, 1784 in Berghausen, Germany; Her sponsors were Maria Elizabeth Wiese and Peter Knoche, At the age of 27 she married Josephus Schweinsberg. Johannes Herman was born on November 1, 1797, and was baptized on November 10, 1797, in St. Cyriakus Church in Berghausen. Anton Hochstein and Helena Schulte were his Baptismal sponsors. Both children were born in the home of their parents in "Little"Kuckelheim, Germany. (Little Kuckelheim is so called in order to distinguish it from Kuckelheim, Germany, which is near Eslohe, Germany). Prior to the wedding of Johannes Herman Arentz, his father had died on September 7,1814, at Niederberndorf and was buried from St. Cyriakus Church in Berghausen, Germany. Johannes Herman Arentz changed the name of Arentz to Arens. At the age of 23 he married Maria Theresa Beste. Maria Theresa was the daughter of Herman Beste and Gertrude (Henneman) Beste. Her date of birth was September 1, 1802; her marriage to Johannes Herman Arens took place in Sts. Peterand Paul Church in Wormbach, Germany, on June 3, 1821. Rev. Silberg was the officiating priest and the witnesses who signed the wedding record were Frank Brinckmann, sexton at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, and August Grake. The mother of Johannes Herman Arens died approximately three years later on April 6, 1824. To Johannes Herman Arens and Maria Theresa Beste were born nine children: Maria Theresa and Maria Eva, Anton, Wilhelm, Franz Anton, Johann Franz, Maria Catherine, Maria Theresa, and Odilia. The children were born in Werntrop, Germany, a small town near Wormbach, Germany. Before beginning the story of Wilhem I Arens (fourth child of Johannes Herman and Maria Theresa Arens) a few words will be said about each of the nine children of Johannes Herman and Maria Theresa Arens, The oldest children, Maria Theresa and Maria Eva were twins. They were born on January2, 1822, and died as infants. The third child, Anton, was born on December 21, 1822, and died on February 12, 1823. Wilhelm was the fourth child; he was born on June 27, 1824. Later in life he married Theresa Peitz. His descendants will be listed in this book. Franz Anton was the fifth child of this union. He was born on February 2, 1827; he died in November, 1865. Oral tradition has it that he died in a copper mine in Michigan. The next child, Johann Franz, was born on December 18, 1830; he married Maria Koester who died on August 29, 1873. Thereafter Johann Franz married Louise Fehling who had been born on February 2, 1841; she died in 1927 in Bow Valley, Nebraska. Johann Franz had preceded her in death on February 12, 1891. The seventh child, Maria Catherine, was born on March 22, 1834; no record of a marriage or death could be located in Germany. The eighth child, Maria Theresa, was born on October 25, 1837. Later in life she married Johannes Kramer on November 24, 1861. She spent her life in Germany. The ninth and last child of the family, Odilia, was born on November 28, 1840, On June 21, 1866, Odilia married Frank A. Thoene in Detroit, Michigan. She died on March 6, 1911, in Bow Valley, Nebraska. Her husband, Frank A. Thoene,was born on Nov 22, 1834; he died on March 23, 1912. Their son, Henry Thoene, lived from September 21, 1879 until November 28, 1948. He married Mary Bonertz Sudbeck who lived from July 30, 1883 until December 11, 1965. They had four children: Theodore Thoene, born March 26, 1918, and married Marilyn Roha; Melvin Thoene, born July 29, 1919, and married Alma Pinkelman; Odilia Thoene, born May 21, 1921, and married Clifford Blair; and Cyril Thoene born September 30, 1922, remained single and was killed during WorldWar II on July 18, 1942. With this background of the grandparents, parents, and the brothers and sisters of Wilhelm I Arens, we shall now consider in greater detail the story of the life and descendants of Wilhelm I Arens. Wilhem I Arens, fourth child of Johannes Herman Arens and Theresa (Beste) Arens, was born in Werntrop, Germany, which is in Westfalen, Germany, on June 27, 1824. He was baptized in the Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Wormbach, Germany, on June 28, 1824, On November 28, 1850, Wilhelm I Arens married Theresa (Peitz) Arens in Wormbach, Westfalen, Germany. Theresa (Peitz) Arens was the daughter of Johannes Peitz and Anna Maria Koch. Johannes Peitz, son of Franz Anton Peitz and Maria Catherine (Hellerman) Peitz, was born on March 8, 1794 in the town of Bremscheid, Westfalen,Germany, on August 20, 1813, he married Anna Maria Koch who had been born on December 24, 1791, in Lochtrop, Westfalen, Germany. Anna Maria Koch was the daughter of Adam Koch and Mary Theresa (Albers) Koch. The marriage of Johannes Peitz and Anna Maria Koch took place in the Catholic Church in Eslohe, Westfalen Germany on August 20, 1813,. To this union of Johannes Peitz and Anna Maria Koch, were born eight children (All were born in Lochtrop, Westfalen, Germany; they were baptized in Eslohe, Germany) John FerdinandPeitz, born on May 4, 1814, married Gertrude Gaeobs on August 12, 1852; John Peter Peitz, born December, 1815, married Mary Elizabeth Koester onOctober 11, 1845; Anna Maria Peitz was born on June 29, 1818; Maria Lucia Peitz was born on May 11, 1820; Peter Anton Peitz, born on May 31, 1822, married Maria Elizabeth Deimel on July 3, 1860, in Eslohe, Germany; Theresa Peitz, born on June 18, 1824, married Wilhelm I Arens on November 28, 1850, in Wormbach, Westfalen, Germany, Fritz Peitz, born September 17, 1826, married Maria Anna Gmohl on November 26, 1861, in Eslohe, Germany; Maria Frances Peitz, born on June 26, 1836, died on September 18, 1836, was buried in Eslohe on September 20, 1836. To the union of Wilhelm I Arens and Theresa Peitz were born eight children: Maria Theresa (Theresa), Frederick Wilhelm (Wilhelm. II), Johannes (J.F.Arens, known as Frank Arens), George (died in infancy). Maria Catherine(Mary), Franz Joseph (Joseph), Maria Elizabeth (Elizabeth), and Maria Mathilda(Mathilda), All children of the Wilhelm I Arens family were baptized in the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Wormbach, Westfalen, Germany. That church still stands erect today In 1984. The house in which Wilhelm I Arens and Theresa (Peitz) Arens and their children lived when in Werntrop Westfalen, Germany, before coming to America had become the property of Wilhelm I at the time of the death of his father, Johannes Herman Arens, in 1846. Wilhelm's father died on May 21, 1846, and his mother died on September 4, 1850. (This was shortly before the wedding of Wilhelm). Both parents of Wilhelm were buried in the cemetery of Sts. Peter and Paul in Wormbach, Germany. Basically, the Arens house which had been built in 1812 remains the same now in 1984 as when the Arens family lived there. The roof of the building was damaged somewhat during World War II; the repair of it changed the appearance only slightly. The barn is still connected to the house.The stone door sill of the wide door, very much worn by the wagon loads of grain that were hauled into the barn, still remains. In the yard there stands a shrine of our Blessed Mother; into its stone is engraved, "BUILT BY WILHEM ARENS". After approximately nineteen years of married life in Germany, Wilhelm I Arens and Theresa (Peitz) Arens decided to come to America in 1869. They sold the Arens home and the various tracts of land on March 9, 1669, to Willibald Ross. The house to date is in the ownership of the direct descendants of Willibald Ross, the purchaser of their property, and the house is taken care of very well by the Ross family descendants. The Wilhelm I Arens family came to America through the port at Detroit,Michigan. They arrived there in May, 1869. Wilhelm immediately made plans for his family's temporary stay in Detroit, Michigan, and then traveled onward to Nebraska. His youngest sister, Odilia (Mrs. Frank Thoere), lived in Detroit and so accommodations for the family were made with their help. Odilia had married Frank Thoene in Detroit on June 21, 1806. Prior to the time of the arrival of the Wilhem I Arens family, groups of immigrants from Westfalen, Germany, had left the Detroit area and had settled in Cedar County, Nebraska. This group included Joseph and Frank Hochstein who, after working in the copper mines in northern Michigan, left Michigan for Boone, Iowa; then in the mid 1860's they joined a group that had originally come from Westfalen, Germany and were on their way to Nebraska. That group included Werner Marx, John Paireil, Frank Stoppert, Conrad Wiesner, Frank Hager, Joseph Kaiser and John Henschen. Wilhelm I Arens left Detroit for Nebraska in May, 1869. Shortly after arriving in Nebraska he took up a homestead about four miles west of the present Bow Valley village. Within two months he had preparations for his family's coming to Nebraska completed, and so the Wilhelm I Arens family was sent for. All members of the family came to Sioux City, Iowa, except Mary (the fifth child in the family) who remained in Detroit to continue her educational preparation for First Holy Communion; she stayed with the Frank Thoene family until her reception of that sacrament. Mrs. Wilhelm Arens and the other children were met in Sioux City, Iowa, a small village with a few stores, by Wilhelm I Arens, who had driven there with a team of oxen. The WiIhelm I Arens family traveled together from Sioux City to Bow Valley, Nebraska where they made their new home. In the fall of 1869, several months after they had settled in Bow Valley, Nebraska, the Arens family were terribly frightened by a band of Omaha Indians who stopped on the Arens farm when on their route to the Santee Reservations where they went to hunt and trap during the winter. The bucks rode the ponies and the squaws walked. The only article of clothing any of them wore was a blanket around the body; the children didn't even wear blankets. These Indians wanted something to eat. There were about two hundred Indians in the group so the Arens family was afraid to refuse. They gave them all the bread and smoked pork they had in the house. The Indians then sat down in a circle in the yard and feasted… cutting the pork into pieces and passing it around one to another. After their appetites were satisfied, they moved on. The Arens' family was relieved to see them go. In 1872, the Arens children attended the first school in the Bow Valley area, That school, a log structure, was one mile east of the Present school building. The children walked there to attend class. The first term was three months in length. On August 10, 1874, Wilhelm I Arens officially became a citizen of the United States. During 1875 the home, crops, and the very lives of the early settlers were endangered by the prairie fire of that year. However, their faith in God never wavered, and they were always ready to start over in spite of disasters. Sioux City, Iowa, was the nearest market place at that time. It required a week's time to make the round trip when it was necessary to secure provisions. Later when a railroad came to Vermillion, that town became the market place. Then, later on, Yankton, South Dakota,, was the nearest town, Corn and oats were hauled to Yankton (no bridge), and sold for a shilling a bushel. It took two days to make the trip thirteen miles across country, staying overnight at Savis Strahmts in Green Island. Supper,lodging and breakfast, plus feed for the oxen, cost the traveler fifty cents. For a load of corn and oats the owner received between four and five dollars. Dressed hogs sold for $2.25 a hundredweight, wheat sold at thirty cents a bushel; and eggs were sold for three cents a dozen. In theearly 1880's the building of Hartington was begun. Thereafter it was no longer necessary to go so far to market. One of the biggest challenges these pioneers faced was the fulfillment of religious obligations. They experienced a constant urge to satisfy their souls longing to worship God in a parish church. However, between the arrival of the first settlers in 1864 and the completion of the first church in 1875, they often had to content themselves with private devotions at home. Whenever possible, they traveled to St. Helena for Holy Mass. It was, in the St. Helena Church, now known as a chapel on the St., Helena Cemetery, that the oldest daughter of Wilhelm I Arens, Theresa Arens, married Louis Burbach on May 9, 1872. This was the third wedding to take place in that church. (Louis Burbach had come to Nebraska in 1868 several months after the death of his mother, Mrs. Gertrude Marx Burbach, to be with his uncle Werner Marx. The Burbachs had come from Esch, Germany, which is in Westfalen,Germany, and had settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area in 1850). In 1873 when plans to build a larger frame church in St. Helena were about to materialize, settlers along the Bow Creek considered this to be too great a distance to travel by means that were available to them. Consequently, a committee of three: William I Arens, John Tiggis and Conrad Wiesner started a movement to erect Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Bow Valley. These three promoters and other enthusiastic workers in the Bow Valley area began work on the first church in Bow Valley. That church was located north of the present church building. Its size was 36 feet by 90 feet; the estimated cost was approximately $4000. The inside furnishings, the altar and the pews were made by Wilhelm I Arens. The present Sts. Peter and Paul Church was built largely by men of the next generation -- the generation of Louis Burbach and Theresa Arens Burbach. This was done In 1901.

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