The Record of My Ancestry The Buettell Family Book of Origins, Private and Personal, With Historical Notes, Coats of Arms, and Photographs Compiled by Roger Bross Buettell Ellsworth, Maine The Record of My Ancestry This record had its beginning on April 20, 1950 when I wrote a letter to Headquarters, American Military Government, Berlin, Germany, asking for help in establishing contact with living members of the Büttel and Weiss families in Urphar, Germany. At that time my father’s two sisters, “Aunt Kate and Aunt Emma,” were still living, and were in their eighties. They had given me the names and dates to use in my letter. They were very proud of their German lineage, and whenever I visited them, they talked with me about their family’s history, as they had learned it from their parents. I listened, and I was interested, and sensing my interest, they gave me, in the years just before they died, all the family history they had, and such heirlooms as the Family Bible, and a photograph of the mill in Urphar. The military authorities answered my letter, suggesting that I write directly to the town officials of Urphar. This I did, and my letter came into the hands of the Town Clerk, Friedrich Flegler. He immediately recognized the names of my grandparents, who had been the godparents of his own grandfather. He promptly put me in touch with Pfarrer (Pastor) Traugott Mayer of Bettingen, a neighboring village, with whom I made an arrangement to trace the Büttel ancestry, with collateral lines, in the church records of that area, as far back as these records existed. Through him I also made a similar arrangement with Pfarrer Paul Pirner of Hasloch, for the Weiss ancestry, since that family originated in Hasloch. The Weiss lineage, however, was never traced farther back than 1688, due to an injury which Pfarrer Pirner sustained, and which compelled him to terminate our arrangement, which was not renewed. On February 12, 1951, I was able to write to the “Aunties” that I had detailed Büttel genealogy back to Hanss Jörg Büttel, born in 1651, and that I had a portion of the Weiss genealogy. However, they never saw these genealogies. At about this time, I also attempted to learn something about the Bross lineage. Two of Joseph Bross’s children were still living; my mother and Uncle Rob. But Mother’s memory had been impaired by a slight stroke she suffered in 1947 and Uncle Rob, who died June 9, 1951, was already too ill to contribute anything. So nothing was learned from them that was not already known. In April of 1951 I made an arrangement, upon the recommendation of the American Consul in Vienna, with Dr. Hanns Jäger-Sunstenau, a genealogist of that city, to search for information on Joseph Bross (von Brosechek) and his parentage. After nine months, Dr. Jäger wrote me, on January 25, 1952, that he had gone as far as he could and had found nothing, and I therefore accepted his termination of our arrangement. After this, nothing more was done on our genealogy until 1961. On June 21, 1961, we visited North Brookfield, Massachusetts to see Miriam’s grandfather’s old home on Cushing Street, which had been the home of Jonathon Edwards Porter, father of his second wife. On July 18, 1961, we visited Boxford, Massachusetts, and found the grave of Nancy Weston Gammell, Miriam’s grandmother, which we had never seen. On that day also, we visited with Miss Winnifrid Parkhurst, church historian of Rev. Sereno Dwight Gammell’s church in Boxford, from whom we secured a copy of the church history, and who showed us her own book, like this one. From that time on, our interest in the history of our families was revived and almost immediately became our chief hobby. We purchased this book on August 8, 1961. On the basis of subsequent research, the results of which are shown on Pages 38 and 39, Miriam filed, on December 18, 1961, her application for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. She became a member on February 1, 1962. During the summer of 1962 our research was centered principally upon the ancestry of Susan Ware (Mayhew) Chapman Gammell, who was Miriam’s great-grandmother. As a result of this research, we learned (1) that, through her, Miriam is descended from Thomas Mayhew (1593-1682), first Governor and Proprietor of Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands; (2) that Zaccheus Mayhew, this Susan’s father, lived in his later years and died (and presumably is buried) in Nobleborough, Maine. Most of our American research has been done through the New England Historic Genealogical Society of Boston, in which I applied for membership on August 6, 1962, and became an Annual Member on October 3, 1962. The Society has my ancestral biographical data. At this writing the following are still unsolved: the parentage of David Brainerd Weston, Sarah J. Dickson, Alexander Larkin, Joshua Davis, and Miriam Morgan. The date of death and place of burial of Zaccheus Mayhew (1759- ) in Nobleborough have also not been discovered. November 29, 1962. Roger B. Buettell Büttels in Urphar The little village of Urphar is nestled in a bend of the River Main in a peaceful, rolling countryside of small farms, near Wertheim, Germany, in what was, until 1918, the Grand Duchy of Baden. Except during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), the population of the village has never been less than 300, nor more than 400. The Büttel family is one of the oldest in Urphar. The earliest recorded Büttel name is found in Ref. 3, Page 183, where Hans Büttel is named, the date of entry being September 5, 1486. Ref. 4/1923, Page 63, states that House No. 52, which is the old Büttel farmhouse, has a window-stone of the year 1595. In 1961, the family name was still in existence there, and since there were then young Büttel boys in the village, there was every prospect that the name would be perpetuated. Before 1100, there were no family names in Germany. As the population increased, they became necessary, and were derived from the occupation of the owner. The name Büttel, in the Middle Ages, meant bailiff or beadle, but is no longer used. The original spelling was Bietel, which undoubtedly had the same meaning. To quote Pfarrer Mayer, “Before 1700, nobody is written Büttel, and after 1700 nobody is written Bietel.” Such changes in spelling were common. When Grandfather came to the United States, he used ue for the troublesome ü. Forty years later, when Buettell Brothers Company was incorporated, in 1892, the final l was added, and the accent placed on the last syllable, for ease of pronunciation. Church records (ref. 2) and published history (ref. 4) establish clearly that the Büttels were, in general, farmers, and that they participated actively in the affairs of their community. In 1510, Hans Büttel (not recorded in this book) was head of the town government. Nothing is known of the occupations of Hanss Jörg Büttel, or Paulus, his son. However, about 1640, Konrad Büttel, who may have been the father or an uncle of Hanss Jörg, was innkeeper of the inn, “zur Rose,” which dates from before 1600. Kaspar was a town councilman, as was also his son, Johannes. Johannes had also been a school teacher. Johann Peter was a farmer and a town councilman. His son, Wolfgang, was also a farmer. My grandfather, Christopher Michael, is shown in the marriage records to have been a farmer. Christoph Michael Büttel, who was probably an uncle of my grandfather, and for whom my grandfather may have been named, was Mayor of Urphar from 1833 to 1846. Above the entrance of the Town Hall (built in 1839) appears this inscription in the stonework: “Christoph Michael Büttel, School House and Town Hall, 1839.” Between the years of 1848 and 1871 a considerable number of the people of Urphar emigrated to the United States and to Australia. Among those who came to the United States were my grandparents. The last recorded emigrant to Australia in Ref. 3 is Susanna Büttel. Then, in February of 1962, I located this Susanna’s son, George A. Buettel (she married a relative) living in Randwick, New South Wales, Australia, and then about 70 years old. He is married, but has no children. However, he has “3 brothers and 2 sisters still living in various parts of Queensland…and quite a large number of nieces and nephews.” For the story of my grandparents’ years in Urphar, before coming to the United States, see elsewhere in this narrative. They left Urphar with their infant son, Michael on June 2, 1852, crossing the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, and arriving in New York on August 2. The came directly to Chicago, but did not like it there, and went west to Muscatine, Iowa, where they lived for a year. In 1853, having been told that Grandfather could find work in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, they left Muscatine for that city by Mississippi River steamer. They were obliged to land at Dubuque, Iowa for repairs to the steamer, and while waiting for these repairs to be made, they decided to stay there. Grandfather soon became interested in lead mining, Dubuque being the center of the mining industry in that region. The Dubuque City Directory of 1865 lists him as a miner, residing north of Mineral Street. There was also a brick manufacturing plant in Dubuque, and my father often told me that Grandfather worked there. It is likely that his mining activities were carried on mostly in the winter months, and that he worked at the brick plant during the warmer months of the year. Grandfather became a naturalized American citizen as soon as the law would permit. He was drafted for service in the Civil War, but was rejected because of his short stature and light weight. At some time prior to 1884, probably about 1875, Grandfather built the brick house at 431 West Locust Street, which became the family home. At this writing (1963), it is still standing, is occupied, and is in good condition. A.C. Buettell My father attended the Dubuque public schools, graduating from the Fifth Ward School, later the Audubon School, and attending High School for two years. He went to work in 1877, at 16, as a matter of family necessity, his first job being with a bakery. The following summer, in 1878, he found work more to his liking as a clerk for H.B. Glover Company of Dubuque, and assistant credit man. In 1892, he left Glover to join his brothers E.A. and W.A. in the formation of Buettell Brothers Company, Wholesale Stationers. He was Secretary and Treasurer until 1928, when he became President and Treasurer to succeed E.A. upon the latter’s death, holding the position until his own death. His hobbies were gardening and fishing. In his later years, he became deeply interested in the work of the Boy Scouts, and for seventeen years prior to his death he was a member of the Dubuque Executive Council. He was awarded the Silver Beaver posthumously for his work in behalf of the Scouts. He was also active in the Rotary Club and in the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce; and was a faithful member of the Independent German Presbyterian Church and, later, of Westminster Presbyterian Church. The family home of my boyhood was at 417 (now 667) West Locust Street, which my father built in 1895 on a lot which he bought from my Grandfather, next to Grandfather’s house. In 1923, Father built, at 55 South Grandview Avenue, what Mother had always hoped for-“a house on the hill.” It was roomy and comfortable, in a beautiful location. It was in this home that Father died, suddenly, of a heart attack on May 7, 1934. Father gave his best efforts unsparingly to his business but he also found time for his family. On many a summer morning, I got up with him before daylight, so as to be fishing at some favorite spot on the Mississippi River at sunrise. He could throw a baseball harder than any of my playmates. Each July 4th, he entertained his family and relatives-indeed, the whole neighborhood-with an elaborate display of fireworks. He especially enjoyed picnics with his family in any of the beautiful spots near Dubuque. To them, his death was a severe blow. Florence E. Buettell My sister, Florence, was mentally retarded, and never lived a normal life. She lived, instead, in a world all her own, but it was a happy and unspoiled world, with no evidence, at any time, of distress or depression. Her correct birth date is November 13, 1901, which is found in my Mother’s handwriting in the old family Bible. As a child, she went to the Beginners’ Class at the Jackson School, which was taught by our Aunt Emma and where we all started. While a pupil at Jackson, a Miss Hannah Hagerty started a class for mentally retarded children at Prescott School and she agreed to take Florence into the class. However, she did not stay in that class very long, as Miss Hagerty felt that she was making no improvement and, thus, ended her formal schooling. Her life was spent almost entirely within the boundaries of the family homestead and she joined only in such family activities as picnics and automobile rides, in which she could share with a minimum of physical effort. Even these activities became limited in later years, due to her difficulty in moving about freely and normally. When Aunt Kate and Aunt Emma died, they left a trust fund, the income from which was to be used for Florence’s care and support. The Dubuque Probate Court named Dorothy as Guardian of her estate and Nathan as Trustee of this fund. At such times as Florence could not be cared for at home, she was taken, usually for only limited periods of time, to Our Lady of Lourdes Convalescent Home, on 17th Street, at the head of Iowa Street, in Dubuque. This was formerly a Catholic convent, which had retained its original name. On June 24, 1966, Dorothy suffered an apoplectic stroke. On June 27th, to relieve Nathan as much as possible of the entire household cares which fell upon him, Florence was taken to the Lourdes Home, where she remained. Dorothy recovered completely, but during the first week in May 1968, while she and Nathan were in Philadelphia for our 50th wedding anniversary celebration, Florence suffered a severe stroke, much worse than several previous “blackouts” she had had while still at home. She never fully recovered from this stroke, and her general physical condition steadily deteriorated, and her mental condition, as well. She was taken sick just before Christmas of 1968 with a respiratory ailment, which suddenly became double pneumonia about New Year’s Eve. On January 3, 1969, at about 8 p.m., Nathan telephoned to say that she had died at about 6:15 that evening. She was buried in Linwood Cemetery in a morning service on January 6. I did not attend the funeral because of extreme weather conditions during the preceding two days—below-zero temperatures, a severe sleet-and-snow storm, and badly crippled air travel. It was one of the most difficult decisions so my life, and the most distressing. Dorothy E. Buettell died June 30, 1986 in Bethany Home, Dubuque, Iowa and was interred in Linwood Cemetery, Dubuque. Roger Bross Buettell I was born at 508 Chestnut Street in Dubuque, Iowa, in the front second-floor room at the left. My birth certificate shows that I was born a Buettel, not a Buettell. I attended the public schools of Dubuque, and my first teacher was my Aunt Emma, who taught beginners in the Jackson School on West Locust Street. Father and Mother also wanted me to have a musical education and enrolled me in the Dubuque Academy of Music in September 1900. I graduated on May 17, 1907, having completed the course on the piano. I graduated from Dubuque High School on June 18, 1908, one of the high ten in my class of 88. For the following year I worked as cashier of Boldt’s Confectionery to earn money toward my first year in college. I entered the University of Wisconsin in September 1909 and graduated on June 18, 1913 with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. At Wisconsin, in September of 1911, I became a charter member of the Lambda Psi Chapter of Zeta Psi fraternity and was head of the Chapter in the first semester of my senior year. My first job, starting in July of 1913, was that of field engineer for the Leonard construction Company of Chicago, on the Soo Freight Terminal at 12th and Canal Streets. In January of 1914, at the urging of several fellow members of Zeta Psi, who had located in Cleveland, I left Chicago for Cleveland, where I joined the Crowell-Lundoff-Little Company, building contractors, as a designing engineer, later becoming an estimator. When I joined them, they were building the Cleveland Museum of Art. I left their employ in August 1917 to enter the Army and returned to their employ in March 1919, after World War I. In 1915, I joined the Singers Club of Cleveland, and, in the summer of 1916, I attended their annual picnic, held on a Saturday on the lakeshore about 10 miles east of Cleveland. At the end of the day, Ernest Hart, also a member, who lived at Villa Beach, invited me to ride back with him, and the be his guest over Sunday. I accepted, and that evening, as we reached Villa Beach, we met Miriam and Ethel Carr, her aunt. Ernest introduced me. They also lived at Villa Beach, and we were together the next day. From then on, things moved rapidly, and Miriam and I became engaged by Thanksgiving. Several years later, Ethel married Ernest. In July 1920, I joined the Sam W. Emerson Company, building contractors, as an estimating engineer, but left their employ in January 1921 at the importunities of my father, to join him in his business in Dubuque, as Sales Manager of Buettell Brothers Company, and later to become, as he hoped, his heir and successor. But, while we enjoyed living in Dubuque, and made many fine friends, relations within the company were not harmonious, and grew steadily more difficult, so that in April 1926, I returned to Cleveland and to the field of engineering and building construction, as Assistant purchasing Engineer for the Lundoff-Bicknell Company (previously Crowell-Lundoff-Little), who built such structures as St. Luke’s Hospital, the Ohio Bell Telephone building, the Main Post Office, and portions of the Union Terminal Buildings, all in Cleveland; the Palmolive Building in Chicago; and the North Dakota State Capitol Building in Bismarck. In 1929, I was made Purchasing Engineer, and in 1931, Secretary of this company. I continued in these capacities until the dissolution of the company in 1940. I then made a brief connection with Republic Steel Corporation of Cleveland, as Construction Engineer on their Harvard Road 96” continuous strip mill, until January 1941, when I became associated with Atlas Powder Company (now Atlas Chemical Industries) of Wilmington, Delaware, as Director of Purchases at the Ravenna (Ohio) Ordnance Plant, which they operated for the government during World War II. I remained on this plant, though continuing to live in Cleveland, until July 1943, when I moved permanently to Atlas’ Main Office in Wilmington to become Assistant Purchasing Agent and Manager of the Government Contracts Division. I held this position until my retirement on August 1, 1955. After I moved to Maine upon retiring, I held an instructorship (part-time) in the College of Technology at the University of Maine, Orono, Maine, from February 1, 1956 to June 30, 1958. During this time, I became a co-author of the college engineering textbook, “Engineering Materials,” published in 1958 by Pitman Publishing Corporation of New York City. Since about 1945, but principally since my retirement, I have written a number of anthems, for church choirs, several of which have been published by Lorenz Publishing Company of Dayton, Ohio. My other hobbies have been stamp collecting, bird study, fishing, and now (1963), genealogy. Johann Christoph Michael Buettell and Maria Dorothea Weiss Family tradition has always clung to the story of the romance between the daughter (Grandmother) of the wealthy miller (Philipp Jakob Weiss, 1800-1850), and the humble laborer (Grandfather), who worked in her father’s mill. Since his marriage certificate shows him to have been a farmer, it is likely that Grandfather worked in the mill after the harvest season was over, or that he became acquainted with Grandmother during visits to the mill for the processing of his grain. At any rate, a romance did develop, to which Herr Weiss objected strenuously because of the wide difference in circumstances which separated these lovers. His misgivings may have quieted down during Grandfather’s six years; compulsory service in the Army; but at the end of that service, the romance continued unabated. Herr Weiss thereupon threatened to disinherit this daughter if she married Grandfather, but his threat must have served only to unite them in their determination, for they were married in 1850. Herr Weiss had died about two and a half months before the wedding, but without relenting, as his threat was carried out to the letter. They were married May 2, 1850, in the old church in Urphar, which dates from the 9th or 10th century. Their first child, a daughter, died in infancy and was buried in Urphar. Their second child was a son, named for his father. He came with them to America. It was a tearful parting when they left Urphar in 1852 and, thereafter, all contact with their family and friends was lost. The Mill at Urphar The following paragraphs are a free translation of portions of pages 65, 67, and 68 of the 1923 installment of the “History of Urphar,” by Gustav Rammel, which is Ref. 4, page 6. “In the beginning of the 14th century, there was already a mill on the site of the present mill. The building as it stands today, however, dates only from the year 1818. In that year the old mill passed into the possession of the town miller of Wertheim, Andrew Ditter, Jr., who acquired it for 4500 florins (Rhinish silver guldens). He had the building torn down and a new two-story structure erected, of solid stone, which included living quarters and an overshot wheel with two sets of millstones and one set of finishing stones. The resulting value of the mill, with its barn, stable, and surrounding pasturage and gardens, came to 7000 florins. In the year 1825, Ditter, who had also become involved in expanding this eater supply, had to give up the mill because of excessive debts. Even in 1820, it had been subject to foreclosure and sale at auction, but that could then have been accomplished only through united action of all the creditors. “In 1827, the merchant Langguth from Wertheim wanted to buy the mill and make a forge shop out of it, but the princely permission was not granted. Then a miller, Gerhardt, followed as lessee. From him, in 1828, on June 19, the miller, Philipp Jakob Weiss, who came from the Bartelsmill near Hasloch, took over the mill, including all appurtenances. The purchase price was 2000 florins. As master of his trade, Weiss enjoyed great respect, and after 1838, he also acted at times as an expert judge in the annual mill contest at the princely mill at Bronnbach. There, it should be mentioned, various cereals were milled into meal or flour, and thereby, the price of flour, bran, and waste was calculated in accordance with the newly adopted Baden weights and measures. “The father of Philipp Jakob Weiss, the old miller of the Hasloch Bartelsmill, spent the evening of his life in Urphar, and died in 1834. Miller Philipp Jakob Weiss, in 1843, converted half of the corn rent payable to the princely government in money (10 florins, 30 kronen) and redeemed certain mortgages outstanding on the mill. He enlarged the establishment by the installation of a distillery (with distillery kettle and condenser) and purchased a vibrating screen for the mill; this equipment is no longer in existence. When the mill passed on to the son of the same name in the year 1856 (the father had died in 1850 , and the mother in 1856), the appraisal of the mill was 7500 florins. In the year 1853, by payment of the whole remaining mill mortgage of 1620 florins to the princely state government (810 florins each to the Evangelical and Catholic lines), the mill became the independently free property of the Weiss family. “Philipp Jakob Weiss, the younger, an esteemed and widely respected man, died in May of 1883 and left the mill to his son-in-law, Georg Wiessner (mayor since 1894), who during the course of the years, by extensive alterations and modern improvements, expanded the mill and enlarged the whole installation with structures to effect economy (barn, silo, motorhouse). In 1893, the mill, because of water shortages recurring frequently over centuries, was converted to a steam-driven mill. In 1903, the mill was again expanded, and a machine driven by gas motors were installed. Two motors are operated for running the mill and for generating the electricity.” In May of 1959, my first cousin, Marc A. Buettell, of Sycamore, Illinois, made a business trip to Germany and took with him his wife, Lena. Before they left, I supplied them with all of my original correspondence with our relatives in Urphar-the Wiessners, the Fleglers, and Susanna Diehm. They spent the weekend of May 16th and 17th in Urphar, meeting these people and getting acquainted with them and taking pictures. The Wiessners use the living quarters in the mill, and Marc and Lena stayed with them there and had a most delightful visit. They found that Georg Wiessner, the present owner of the mill, is a grandson of the Georg referred to previously as the son-in-law of Philipp Jakob Weiss who died in 1883. The present Georg has three sons and a daughter, the latter married. The mill is prosperous and flourishing. In July of 1959, after their return, they received a letter from Eugene Wiessner, one of the sons, telling them that his father , Georg Wiessner, had died on June 6 from a liver ailment after only three days’ illness, and with no previous warning. Marc and Lena made another visit to Urphar on May 13th and 14th, 1961, but at that time, there was apparently no indication that the business of the mill was to be discontinued. However, during the ensuing months, the family of Georg Wiessner must have decided not to continue its operation for, on February 28th of 1962, Friedrich Flegler wrote me as follows: “Unfortunately, great changes are taking place at the mill at present. The old business of the beautiful mill is gone and at present a lot of apartments are being built in. The Mill of Urphar is something of the past.” From the Wiessners themselves I have so far (February 14, 1963) had no word. Weiss Family of Hasloch The origins of the Weiss family go back at least as far, perhaps further, than those of the Büttel family. In the oldest records, the name is spelled variously-Weyss, Weysse, Weyse, or Weise. In Ref. 3, page 18 entry no. 30, a reference is made to the lands (in Hasloch) of Johann Weyse, the date of entry being December 2, 1354. In entry no. 303, dated February 8, 1459, he is again named. In entry no. 316, dated April 10, 1465, Johann Weyse is referred to as the Pfarrer (parson) in Sachsenhausen, near Wertheim. Entry no. 382, dated November 8, 1489, mentions a Hans Weyss of Hasloch. Since entries nos. 30 and 382, the first and the last of the above show members of the family to be living in Hasloch, it is reasonable to assume that their residence there was continuous between the dates of these entries. Similarly, it is reasonable to conclude that their residence in Hasloch was continuous between 1489 and the birth of 1688 of Nicolaus. We may say, therefore, that the Weiss family lived in Hasloch continuously since 1354. Nathan Buettell My brother, Nathan, attended the public schools of Dubuque, graduating from Dubuque High School on June 19, 1913. (In 1963, he was chairman of the 50th reunion of his high school class.) He worked for Buettell Brothers Co. as city salesman until January, 1917 and in February of 1917 entered the University of Wisconsin and completed one semester in its Business Administration course. He was initiated into Zeta Psi fraternity in May of 1917. In the following summer, he joined the Army. He returned to Wisconsin in September 1919 and completed two years of credits by attending summer school in 1920, but did not return in September of that year. Instead, he joined Buettell Brothers Co. as Warehouse Superintendent, later becoming salesman, buyer, and secretary. After Father’s death, he was President and Treasurer of the company, and alternated the Presidency with his cousin, John. In 1947, he also became Chairman of the Board. Liquidation of the company was begun in January 1950 and completed in June 1951. The building, which stands at 847-851 Central Avenue, was sold in May 1953. He was associated with Newhouse Paper Co. from June 1951 to September 1952 and with Dubuque Container Corporation, a subsidiary of St. Regis Paper Co., from July 1953 until September 1, 1961, when he retired. He joined the American Legion, Dubuque Post No. 6 in 1919 and has held the offices of Post Commander, County Commander, and District Commander. He served one 3-year enlistment as Duty Sergeant in Co. A of the Iowa National Guard, 1921 to 1924. He enlisted in the Iowa State Guard December 23, 1941 as a private in Co. K, 2nd Regiment, for stateside duty, becoming Sergeant in March 1942, Captain in August 1942, and Major (2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment) in August 1945. He was placed on the inactive reserve on September 18, 1946. He is a charter member of Veterans of World War I, Dubuque County Barracks 1254. M.C. Buettell All of our family were very fond of “Uncle Mike,” a quiet, mild-mannered, warm-hearted man, whose life was spent in the ministry. He was educated in the public schools of Dubuque, Iowa and completed the theological course in the German Presbyterian Seminary in Dubuque, which was founded in 1852 in the basement of the “Old Blue Church” at 17th and Iowa Streets and which is now the University of Dubuque. He then completed his ministerial training at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey, from which he was graduated in 1876. He held pastorates at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; Freeport, Illinois; Granville, Wisconsin; Zalmona Church, Ludlow Township, Allamakee County, Iowa for eleven years; and at Menno, South Dakota, where he was in charge of five churches for nineteen years. He retired in 1925 and spent his remaining years in Waukon, Iowa. His children were: 1) Emma, born August 6, 1879, in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; died June 27, 1956, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She married John Krieger, a farmer, and they had eight children. 2) Flora, born April 29, 1881, in Freeport, Illinois; died January 3, 1936 in Ludlow Township, Allamakee County, Iowa. She married Paul Hager, a farmer, and they had five children-a son, Nathan, is now (1963) still living with his family on the Hager farm in Ludlow Township. 3) Ruth, born March 13, 1883 in Granville, Wisconsin; died May 11, 1955 in Waukon, Iowa. She married George Herman, a farmer and they had five children. 4) Theodore, born February 14, 1885 in Granville, Wisconsin; died October 14, 1918 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He married Lena Hansmeier. They had no children. 5) Ida, born April 22, 1887 in Granville, Wisconsin; died June 22, 1961 in Perry, Iowa. She married Harry Wolters, and they had three children. 6) Ernest David (Ernest David died October 27, 1985 and is interred in Waukon, Iowa.) and 7) Paul Edwin have three sons between them and are the only ones from this family in their generation to carry on the family name. 8) Lois, born November 2, 1898 in Ludlow Township, Iowa. She married Edward Groezinger of Waukon, Iowa. They have no children. E.A. Buettell As children, we called Father’s twin brother, “Uncle Ed.” As grownups, he was “E.A.” to us, as well as to all his business associates and friends. He was the debonair member of the family. When he went to church on Sunday, he always wore gloves, except in summer. I never saw him in what we would call “work clothes,” even when he went fishing (his one outdoor hobby), he was well-dressed. He attended the public schools of Dubuque, and then worked as a clerk in the retail stationery store of Harger and Blish, on Main Street. When Buettell Brothers Company was formed, in 1892, he became its President, and served in that capacity until his death. Each year, usually in February and March, he went to New York City to buy for the following Christmas season. These annual trips were the highlight of his business career. He was interested in civic affairs, but not active in them to the same extent as my father. He was a member of the Dubuque chamber of Commerce, and attended the Congregational Church at 10th and Locust Streets. His older son, Andrew, attended the Dubuque public schools, and studied accounting at the University of Michigan, then was employed by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in Akron, Ohio. In World War I, he was classified 4F, but enlisted in the Army and was mustered in on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. He was stationed at Goodyear on government cost work, and remained with them for a time after his discharge. He then joined the accounting firm of C.G. Rausch in Akron, with whom he was associated for over thirty years before retiring following a heart attack. John, the younger son, also attended the Dubuque public schools, then served with Buettell Brothers Co. as assistant to his father until the latter’s death. Following the death of A.C. in 1934, he shared the management of the company with Nathan until its dissolution in 1951. He then became associated with various mercantile organizations in Dubuque. W.A. Buettell Father’s younger brother was “Uncle Will”-“W.A.” to his business friends, of whom there were many. To all of us in his close relationship, he was an exemplar whom we all respected. Whenever the pastor (Reverend Kudobe) of our little German Presbyterian Church was unable to occupy the pulpit, it was Uncle Will, as Senior Elder, who conducted the services and preached the sermon. He was later an Elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church for several years. He attended the public schools of Dubuque, and then entered the employ of H.B. Glover Co. of Dubuque, clothing manufacturers, who were also Father’s employers. In this company, he rose to the position of factory superintendent. He resigned from that position to become Vice President of the newly-organized firm of Buettell Brothers Company in 1892, an office he held until his death. He was active in civic work, was a member of the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce and, from 1927 until his death, was a member of the Dubuque Rotary Club. He also rose to prominence in the work of the national Wholesale Stationers Association, serving that body as President, from March 1, 1927 through February 28, 1928. His children, all born in Dubuque, were: 1) Lucille, born on January 31, 1892; died on February 8, 1892. 2) Samuel Eckhard, born on October 13, 1893; died on September 28, 1949 in South Bend, Indiana. He married a) Nancy Harris, by whom he had a son, William, an invalid, now deceased; b) Edna Reese, by who he had a son, Robert. Robert Buettell was born September 5, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois. His father and mother were divorced in Chicago on January 31, 1931 and he remained with his mother. After living in Chicago until 1935, and then in Marengo, Illinois, they moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where his mother died in 1954. Robert holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern California and (in March 1964) was an industrial engineer, employed by North American Aviation in Downey, California. He is married and has a son, Bruce John, born May 31, 1960 in Los Angeles; c) Sylvia Uhlmann, by whom he had a daughter, Barbara, now Mrs. Richard Simon. 3) Amos Ethan, born on July 28, 1896; died by electrocution on July 25, 1921 at the plant of the General Electric Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 4) Miriam Louise, born on April 24, 1900, married Clifton Jackson Ecklund. (Clifton Ecklund died in Florida, September 10, 1975 and his ashes are buried in Linwood Cemetery, Dubuque, Iowa.) They have one child, a daughter, Nancy, who is Mrs. Gerald Payne, and who has (1963) a son, Paul, born in 1962. 5) Marc Adrian, who is Vice President and General Manager of Ideal Industries, Inc. of Sycamore, Illinois, manufacturers of electrical specialties. References 1. The Buettell Family Bible 2.The Buettell and Weiss Genealogies, consisting of certified extracts from the church records of Urphar and Hasloch. Privately bound. 3.Wertheimer Regesten, 1276-1499, by Wilhelm Engel, published by the Wertheim Historical Society, 1959. 4.Urphar am Main, by Gustav Rammel, as contained in the 1922, 1923, and 1924 yearbooks of the Wertheim Historical Society. Privately bound. Transcribed by Teran Buettell from a photocopy of the original record on 3 January 2017. This record may be freely shared for genealogical purposes but may not be used by any person or entity for profit or gain of any kind. All rights reserved.