Casper Koch and decendents Biography

Оруулсан

Casper Koch, who in the early part of the 1850’s fled his homeland Germany, and settled in Monroe County, Illinois. His wife, Louisa nee Hamken, and their two year old daughter, Rachel, accompanied him on this voyage. Their first place of residence was in Columbia Illinois, while at the same time Casper lived with a farmer and worked as a farm laborer in the nearby town of New Hanover. He built a house and homesteaded a forty acre plot of ground on the New Hanover Road. 'Two boys were born to them in Columbia, Illinois The first, Heinrich, born in 1857 and Casper D., 23 Feb 1860. Casper’s first wife, Louisa, died 9 Sep 1867. On her tombstone, written in German, is, Louisa, wife of Casper Koch. The following year Casper remarried Maria Felke of New Hanover, Illinois. On 7 Feb 1868 their only child was born, George, who later became my grandfather. Casper died 2 Apr 1872. One year later his oldest son, Heinrich died. Rachel also passed away during this time span. Although their causes of death are unknown, Monroe County was experiencing a typhoid epidemic at this time. The family is buried in the Zoar United Church of Christ Cemetery in New Hanover, Illinois. Maria remarried Herman Fleer. The family continued farming the forty acre farm until the two boys matured and began farms of their own. Later Maria sold the 40 acre farm and died 16 June 1915. Casper D., married 12 May 1885 Louisa Dammann. They resided on his 200 acre farm in Ames, Randolph County, Illinois where he developed the first Hereford breed of cattle in the Red Bud area. His marriage produced 7 children. They are Amos, Elmer, Vilas, Elanor, Anna, Lulu, and Julia. Casper D. died 19 Mar 1926 and is buried with his wife at St. Peter’s Evangelical Cemetery, Red Bud, Illinois. George married 11 Apr 1899 Maria Rudolf of New Hanover, Illinois. He fathered three sons Jacob, George, and Michael. In the Fall of 1900 when their first son Jacob was four months old and Maria’s daughter, Katherine was a year and a half old, they used a railroad box car to transport themselves and their possessions to Ziegler, Randolph County, Illinois. After a few years the family returned to New Hanover, Illinois where George died 8 Aug 1909 of typhoid pneumonia. The following year, Maria married Frank Folmer and settled in Dupo, Illinois. Here the three boys grew up, married and had families of their own. Jacob, my father, born 6 June 1900, married 6 Oct 1920 Emily Janson, a daughter of Valentine and Mary Anson nee Frierdich of Columbia, Illinois. They resided 51 years in E. St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois. Jacob retired from the Missouri Pacific Railroad in Dupo, Illinois in 1965. I was born 28 Jan 1924 and my sister, Marlene, 13 Mar 1926. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War 2, I married, 28 Aug 1948 Elizabeth M. Houlihan. She was a first generation American, whose parents, David and Margret Houlihan nee Sullivan migrated to the U.S. from Ballybunion, and Glenbeigh, Kerry, Ireland respectively. We built our first home at 7015 West "B" St., Belleville, Illinois and reared a family of five, namely, Ronald, Elaine, Joanne, Karen, and Paula. Before our children married we moved to 32 Rosehaven where we presently reside. As a 40 year member of the International Association of Machinists, I am a Tool room Machinist by trade.

by Donald Koch