Back in 2016, the first year of this blog, I wrote a story about a pair of orphans from this area who managed to marry each other titled, Orphan Marries Orphan. That pair of orphans with the surnames of Voerster and von Roenn, migrated to the state of Arkansas. Today, you will read the story of the brother of one of those orphans. And yes, that means, he became an orphan early in his life also. You will discover that he, too, migrated to Arkansas. I will begin today with that orphan boy.

Heinrich Johannes von Roenn was born on March 17, 1863, the son of Johann and Martha (Tiedemann) von Roenn. Children in this family would take the “von” off of their name later in their lives. Also, the original spelling of this name was likely Ronn with an umlaut. All of the children born to these parents were baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Henry’s baptism record is shown below.

The last of the Roenn children was born in 1868 and baptized in Altenburg, but when a Missouri state census was taken for Cape Girardeau County that same year, we find the Roenn’s living in that county.

It is a mystery to me that when the 1870 census was taken, that we find all 6 of the Roenn children not living with their parents. They are all listed in a household including two men named Charles Schweitzer and William Siebert, both of them called farm hands.

On the previous census page in that year’s census, we find their parents, John and Martha, living in a household by themselves.

John Roenn died in 1871, and his wife, Martha, died in 1875, thus leaving all 6 of the Roenn children as orphans. In an 1876 Missouri state census, we find Henry Roenn living with Peter and Mary Weinberg in Cape Girardeau County. Henry was also confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells in 1876.

I was unable to locate Henry in the 1880 census. Since he would get married prior to the next census we can view in 1900, we will now take a look at the woman who would become his first wife. Her name was Susan Ecker, who was born on December 20, 1861. Susan was the daughter of Johann and Anna (Peissel) Ecker. When the 1870 census was taken, she was 9 years old. Her father was a farmer in Dongola, Illinois.

Next, we find Susan living in Jonesboro, Illinois when the 1880 census was taken. She was said to be 17 years old, but she was closer to 19.

Henry Roenn married Susan Ecker on August 20, 1891. The Illinois marriage license below says that Henry was from New Wells and Susan was from Springville.

I would think this wedding took place at the Kornthal Lutheran Church near Jonesboro, except I have no evidence that there was ever a Rev. Kohlmeier who served at that congregation. We have 3 different binders in our research library that include information and some church records. Although the records for 1891 weddings were not found, I did find reference to the fact that an Ecker married a Peissel in 1856 at that congregation. These 2 were not Susan’s parents, but I do think this is evidence that there were Ecker’s and Peissel’s who were members of the Kornthal church at one time. I also think Susan may have been baptized at that congregation, but I was unable to find her baptism record in those binders either.

We can also view another Illinois marriage record for Henry and Susan.

The map shown below shows several locations that have been mentioned about the Ecker family, along with the location of the Kornthal church.

Family Search lists 3 children born to Henry and Susan. Two of those children were baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells. However, by the time of the 1900 census, we find the Roenn’s living in Ulm, Arkansas. I think their second child died soon after birth. Then, another child who was born in1897, is shown to have been born in Arkansas in this entry. Henry was called a carpenter.

Susan Roenn died in 1901 at the age of 39. She is buried in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Ulm. Her name is spelled without the “e” on her gravestone.

Henry would marry again, and we can find his second bride in our German Family Tree. Her name was Magdalena Winter, who was born on August 18, 1864, so that qualifies her to be today’s birthday girl. She would be 161 years old if she was alive today. Magdalena was the daughter of Friedrich and Christiana (Jahn) Winter. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg. Her baptism record can be seen here.

Magdalena is found in the 1870 census at the age of 6. Her father was a laborer living in Altenburg.

In the 1880 census, Magdalena was a teenager. This time, her father was called a farmer.

We have to wait until 1900 to find Magdalena listed in another census entry. Her mother had died in 1884, so we find her father as a widower in this image. He was called a carpenter. Magdalena was 35 years old and the only child living with her father.

Henry Renn came back to Altenburg to get married. He and Magdalena Winter were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg on August 17, 1902. That would have been the day before Magdalena’s 38th birthday. The church marriage record for this event is pictured here.

I am also able to display this couple’s Missouri marriage license.

Henry and Magdalena had no additional children. I was not able to find the Roenn’s in the 1910 census, but I have reason to believe Henry took his new bride back to Ulm, Arkansas. In the 1920 census, we find this couple with no children in their household. Henry was the proprietor of a restaurant in Ulm.

The 1930 census for Ulm, Arkansas was submitted in April of that year. Henry and Magdalena not only had an empty nest, but with both of them in their 60’s, neither one had an occupation.

Henry Roenn died in July of 1930 at the age of 67. I found this record for Henry in an Arkansas death index.

Henry is buried in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Ulm, but Findagrave.com does not have a gravestone photo for him.

After her husband’s death, Magdalena must have moved back to Missouri. She was not there long before she died in October of 1930. She likely had moved back to live with her brother, Paul Winter, who lived in Fruitland. Both Magdalena and Paul are given a Fruitland address on her death certificate below.

Magdalena Roenn is buried in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Pocahontas.

Henry Roenn likely moved to Ulm, Arkansas at about the same time his sister, Katherine, had moved there after she married another Henry…Henry Voerster. Those 2 were the two orphans who got married and ended up in Arkansas. Now, several stories have been told on this blog about folks found in our German Family Tree who spent time in Ulm and were members of Zion Lutheran Church.

Other than the Voerster and Roenn names that made their way into Ulm, we know that a Hadler from Perry County spent some time there. His story was told in the post, Tracking the Elusive Hadlers. I would not qualify Ulm, Arkansas to be a Perry County “suburb” yet, but if I keep finding folks from our German Family Tree that ended up there, I may have to do so.