Another new surname folder had to be made for today’s post. And that surname belongs to today’s birthday girl. Her name was Maria Mull, and she was born on August 20, 1850. That means today would be her 175th birthday. She was the daughter of Ludolph and Metta (Tamke) Mull. Maria was born in Bergstedt, Germany, and I am able to display her German baptism record.

Maria came to America in 1872 aboard the ship, Main. I was not sure if the Maria Mull on the passenger list shown below was the right person, but then I noticed a Tamke family not far above Maria on this list. Claus Tamke was Maria’s uncle, so I am pretty sure this is really the ship on which Maria made the voyage across the Atlantic.

Maria managed to find a husband who lived in Perry County, but I do not know how that happened. The two of them were from cities that were about 60 miles apart in Germany. Let’s take a look at the man that Maria would marry.

Friedrich Mahnken was born on December 27, 1847, the son of Hilmer and Katherine (Wichern) Mahnken. Friedrich was baptized at the parish in Scheeßel, Germany, and we can also view his German baptism record.

Friedrich came to America aboard the ship, Carl, in 1866. We can see him on that ship’s passenger list pictured below. His surname is spelled Mahnke on this list. Quite a few passengers on that voyage on the Carl ended up settling in Perry County.

The biggest mystery in this story is when and where Friedrich Mahnken married Maria Mull. I spent quite a bit of time trying to locate a marriage document for this couple, but failed. The best I can say is that these two must have had their wedding sometime between 1872 when Maria arrived in America, and 1875, when this pair had their first child. We find the Mahnken’s in the 1880 census living in the Salem Township. This pair had two children according to our German Family Tree, and both of them had been born prior to this census. Also, both of their children were baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Farrar.

Because we cannot view the 1890 census, the next one in which we can see Friedrich and Maria is the one taken in 1900. If you recall, the 1900 census pages from the Salem Township are often difficult to read. Below is the entry for the Mahnken’s. Both of their children were still living with their parents, and both of them were in their 20’s.

The final census in which we find Friedrich and Maria is the one taken in 1910. At the age of 62, Friedrich was still a farmer, with help from his son, John.

Maria Mahnken died in 1912 at the age of 61. Her death certificate below says she was having issues with both her stomach and her trachea.

Friedrich Mahnken died two years later in 1914 at the age of 66. I failed to find a death certificate for him, but his death record in the books of Salem, Farrar, says that he died of cholera. An obituary for Friedrich was published in the Perry County Republican. I think his age at death is wrong in this obituary. Also, this is about the only place where we get a hint about when he was married. It says he was married about 40 years before 1914, which would mean he got married in 1874.

Friedrich and Maria Mahnken are each buried in the Salem Lutheran Cemetery in Farrar.

A previous post was written about their two children titled, Just the Two of Them. This Mahnken pair did not have a huge family, but they joined plenty of other Mahnken’s who settled in and near Farrar.