Yesterday’s blog post told the story of a man who made numerous moves during his life. Today’s tale will include a move, but only one of them. A whole family eventually made the same move, thus causing the family surname to disappear from this area.

I will highlight 2 members of the family of Friedrich and Josephine (Martin) Frede in this post. There were 2 sisters who never married. I find their similar stories interesting, and the older of the 2 sisters is today’s birthday girl. Clara Wilhelmine Frede was born on March 8, 1894, making today her 130th birthday. Clara was one of 8 children born to the Frede couple between the years 1892-1911. All of these children were baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. The other sister who will be a major character in this post was Elsa Frede, who was born on January 31, 1899. We can view the baptism records of each of these sisters below, beginning with Clara’s.

Next is the record for Elsa. I find it interesting that two of her sponsors, a Fiehler and a Fiedler, add a few more “F” surnames to this post.

Clara and Elsa are each found in their first census entry in 1900. There were 4 children in the household by then. Clara was 6 years old, and Elsa was just 1. Their father was a wagon maker in the Shawnee Township.

Most of the Frede family can be found in the same location in 1910. Five children were living with their parents, including Elsa at the age of 11.

However, Clara is not found in the above entry. This is the only census entry in which I did not find these sisters living together. Clara, at the age of 16, was a servant in the Lappian household in Jackson, Missouri.

The first evidence I located that may have precipitated this family’s later move is found in the World War I draft registration form for one of the sons, Martin Frede (who carried his mother’s maiden name as his first name). He was living in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and working for the Wabash Railroad.

When the 1920 census was taken we still find the Frede family living in the Shawnee Township, and Martin Frede is included in that household. Martin was working as a station agent for the railroad, and his father was still a wagon maker. Clara was back living with her parents.

In 1921, Martin Frede was in Ft. Wayne getting married, and as near as I can tell, he never returned to Missouri. By the way, Martin Frede married a woman by the name of Lydia Freese, so another surname beginning with “F” entered this family. Then, at some point during the 1920’s, Fred Frede moved his family to Ft. Wayne. The only Frede who remained in Missouri was Hulda Frede, who by that time had married Benjamin Hemmann. When the 1930 census was taken, we find the Frede’s living in Ft. Wayne. At the age of 70, Fred had no occupation, but all of the remaining children in his household had jobs. Even the 2 daughters, Clara and Elsa, now in their 30’s, were part of the work force. Each of them is called an assembler in an electric factory.

I happen to think that Fred and Josephine chose to follow their son, Martin, to Ft. Wayne. I think Fred realized that a wagon maker’s business was diminishing with the advent of automobiles and trucks. Plus, he was getting up there in years. And he may have figured that his children might have had an easier time finding work in a larger city.

The 1940 census lists Clara Frede as the head of the household. Clara and Elsa are described as metal builders of electric appliances.

At this point, let me say that the factory at which Clara and Elsa worked was the General Electric Company. A large plant for that corporation had been built in Ft. Wayne.

When World War II broke out during the 1940’s, I have to think that many of the young men working at General Electric would have been called into military service. During that time, Rosie the Riveter, who has been described as an “allegorical cultural icon” was used to promote the addition of women to the American workforce to assist in the war effort. I suspect that General Electric was also involved in making equipment to be used by the military during that war. In the case of Clara and Elsa Frede, they had been working at this factory for quite some time prior to the war.

In the last census we can view in 1950, we no longer find Fred Frede because he died in 1943. Just 3 females remained in this household, Josephine, the mother, and her two single daughters, both in their 50’s. Clara and Elsa are called small motor workers.

Elsa Frede died in 1977 at the age of 78. Since they lived in Indiana, we can view her Indiana death certificate. It says she died at the Lutheran Home in Ft. Wayne. ASHD is given as her cause of death. I am guessing that may have meant arteriolosclerosis heart disease. This is one of the documents that confirms that Elsa worked for G.E. as an assembler.

Clara Frede almost lived 100 years. She died in 1992 at the age of 98, also at the Lutheran Home. Her Indiana death certificate is pictured below. Wilmer Frede, the youngest of the Frede siblings, is listed as the informant on this form.

An obituary for Clara is found on Findagrave.com.

Clara and Elsa Frede, along with several others from the Frede family, are buried in the Greenlawn Cemetery in Ft. Wayne.

Now, you know some of the history of the Frede family which once was found in this region. You have found that the Frede’s fled to become fellow Ft. Wayne residents, leaving this area free of Frede’s.