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Addendum to the Pinter Family History Book

The

Pinter/Wunder/Weissenburger/Croissant

Connections

By Ken Pinter

August 2008

Updated August 2010

This addendum will show some of the interrelationships between the families mentioned

in the title.

The Early Wunders

Johann Michael Wunder was reportedly born in Edenkoben, Bavaria, Germany, on 30

September 1789. His occupation was Master Shoemaker. He often went by the name

Michael Wunder.

Records from Germany indicate that that his daughter Anna Margaret was born in

Hornungsreuth, Neudrossenfeld, Germany. Edenkoben and Hornungsreuth are about

straight-line 150 miles apart from each other. There are some records that suggest she

was born in Hornungareit, Bavaria, Germany. So far, Hornungareit cannot be found on a

German map. We will assume for now that Michael Wunder may have migrated from

Edenkoben to Hornungsreuth before Anna Margaret was born. When the Wunder family

migrated to America, then listed Hornungsreuth as their home.

On unknown date, Johann married Anna Maria Margaretha Kalbin (or Kolbin) of

Munchburg, Germany. Münchberg is about 20 straight-line miles to the northeast of

Hornungsreuth.

The International and Passenger Records at ancestry.com contain an entry record for the

Michael Wunder family. They arrived in New York from Bremen, Germany, on 12

October 1839, on the ship Emma. Michael was 50 years old and listed as a shoemaker.

The first name listed under Michael’s and thus believed to be the wife’s name, was

Barbara Wunder, age 56. This conflicts with the name Anna Maria Margareth Wunder

mentioned earlier. It is not known if this is a different wife than the mother of his children

or the same woman with possibly another middle name.

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Michael and his wife were traveling with 4 children, per the passenger list:

Nicholas, age 22

Margareth, age 18

Adam, age 15

Margareth, age 11

The condition of the ship manifest was poor, but it is definite that the names above are

the names in the manifest, including the two Margareth’s. It is not known if there are

other children who may have travelled separately or at a different time to America.

1840 Census

A Michael Wunder was found in the 1840 census but since this census lists only the head

of household and the the number of male and females in the family, it is difficult to tell if

this is the family we are researching.

1850 Census

No records of a Michael Wunder or Adam or Nicholas Wunder family has been has been

found in the 1850 census. This is puzzling, but perhaps there is a name spelling problem.

1860 Census

The Adam Wunder family is recorded in the 1860 Census. Michael is 72, a widower, and

is living with his son Adam, a farmer in Westfield Township.

1870 Census

In 1870, Michael is 81 and still lives with his son Adam.

1880 Census

Michael is not listed in this census.

Michael died on Christmas day, 25 December 1879, and is buried in the COH cemetery.

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Here, then, is a chart of the Johann Michael Wunder family:

Name Born Born in Died Married Date

Johan

Michael

Wunder

9/30/1789 Edenkoben? 12/25/1879

Anna Maria

Margaretha

Kalbin (or

Barbara)

~1783 Münchberg,

Germany

Nicholas ~1817 Germany

Margareth ~1821 Germany

Adam 11/15/1824 Germany Elizabeth

Weisenberger

11/26/1848

Anna

Margaretha

10/22/1827 Germany ~1909 William

Croisant

10/24/1846

(or 1844)

Two Wunder children are of interest because they have connections to the Pinter family.

1. One child was Adam Wunder. He was born in 15 November 1824 in Germany.

Adam’s daughter Julia married Henry Pinter.

2. The other child was Anna Margaretha Wunder. She was born 22 October 1827 in

Hornungsreuth, Bavaria, Germany.

Anna married William Croisant and one child, Justina, married Jacob Pinter

Adam Wunder

Adam Wunder was born in Bavaria, Germany on 15 November 1824. The actual location

was probably Hornungsreuth, Neudrossenfeld, the same as his sister as indicated below.

He entered the US in 1839, as mentioned above, with his father Michael and was

naturalized on 14 March 1859. He died 18 July 1885.

None of the Wunder family could be found in the 1850 census anywhere in the US. This

presents a problem since we know they entered the US in1839.

On 26 November 1848 Adam married Elizabeth Weissenburger in Bureau County.

Elizabeth was born April 1829 in Bavaria. She had arrived just one year earlier, on 8

November 1847, from her homeland in Germany. She died in July 1911.

Elizabeth is believed to have arrived in New Orleans (ship Taglioni) with other

Weissenbergers from the port of La Havre, France, on November 8, 1847. On the

Taglioni manifest, 18 Weissenbergers are listed:

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1. George (39) and Eva (39) Weissenberger and 6 children, ages 11 through 9

months

2. Catharine Weissenberger (23), by herself

3. Valentine (31) and Conrad (27) Weissenberger

4. Bernhard (48) and Elizabeth (30) Weissenberger and 5 others aged 21 through 9

months, including Elizabeth (21) and Elizabeth (18)

Elizabeth (18) is listed with the Bernhard Weissenberger family. She is 18 years old, born

in 1829. It is possible she is Bernhard’s daughter but she can’t be his wife’s daughter

(wives are listed second in the list just after the husband) due to the age. The manifest

makes it impossible to decide who is Elizabeth’s parents.

Elizabeth (18) is most likely the woman who married Adam Wunder in Bureau County.

Here is the complete Adam Wunder family:

Name Born Born in Died Married

Adam Wunder 11/15/1824 Germany 7/18/1885 11/26/1848

Elizabeth Weissenberger 4/1829 Germany 7/1911

Adolph 10/14/1849 Margaret Disque

Adam 6/8/1851 Rachael Shanke

Juliana 7/30/1855 2/15/1936 Henry Pinter

Maria (Mary) Elizabeth 6/30/1857 Phillip Doll

G.Kunsbrick

AdamLerch

Emma Katharine (Katie) 5/20/1859 George Goering

Johann 4/13/1861 7/22/1935 Catherine Hoffert

Louisa Mathilda 6/26/1864 Henry Eckhoff

Henry August 9/2/1866 6/2/1923 Did not marry

Frederick William (George) 12/15/1868 1/2/1946 Rose Lankow

George William????? 12/15/1868

Wilhelm (died age 4) ~2/1870 1877???

Elizabeth 11/25/1873 8/25/1947 Herman Schmelzer

Family notes:

The 1870 and 1880 US Census show twins for Adam and Elizabeth. These census’ show

Frederick and George Wunder, both one year old in 1870 and 11 years old in

1880.

In 1880, Adolph had lost his wife but had a son Adam and was living with his parents

Adam and Elizabeth. Later he and his son moved to Oregon with his mother and

other siblings after Adam died in 1885.

Elizabeth (mother) died in Oregon.

Adam Jr married Rachael Shanke in Oregon.

Katherine and George Goeing later moved to Nebraska.

John and Catherine moved to South Dakota and later moved back to Bureau Co.

Adam Sr was a charter member of St. John’s Lutheran Church (COH).

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Juliana married Henry Pinter in 1874.

Henry August died in Oregon. He never married.

George William died in Oregon.

Frederick married and died in Oregon

Elizabeth married in Oregon, died in Washington State.

Elizabeth’s and William’s dates are based on census data and are in conflict with other

researchers data.

Williams death date is undetermined (1877 is suspect).

Al together, Elizabeth and her children Adolph, Adam Jr., Henry, George, Frederick, and

Elizabeth moved to Oregon after 1885.

Anna Margaretha Wunder

Johann and Anna Maria’s other child of interest to the Pinter family is Anna Margaretha

Wunder. She was born 22 October 1827 in Hornungsreuth, Neudrossenfeld, Bavaria. She

died 31 December 1891 (or 1909 – this date probably correct).

On 14 October 1844 she married George William Croissant in Hennepin, Putnam

County, Illinois. George was born 4 November 1819 in Edenkoben, Bavaria, Germany.

He immigrated to the US in 1841. His first stop was Hennepin, IL but ultimately he found

his way to Bureau County. He died 10 March 1898.

George and Anna Margaretha had 10 children (eight of whom survived to adulthood), as

follows:

George Wilhelm

Elizabeth

Anna Maria Margaretha

Phillip Jacob

John Lewis

Anna Katherine

Justina Barbara

John

Johann George (died age 2 weeks)

Child, unknown name

Justina Barbara married Jacob Pinter in 1878.

Hornungsreuth, Neudrossenfeld, Bavaria, Germany

Today, Neudrossenfeld is a municipality in the administrative region of Upper Franconia,

district of Kulmback, in Bavaria, Germany. This municipality is comprised of 46

boroughs, two of which are named Hornungsreuth and Neudrossenfeld. They are in the

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extreme northeast corner of Bavaria, about 200 miles north of Munich, and not too far

from the border with the Czech Republic.

The Early Weissenburgers

According to the publication titled “Die Auswanderung nach Noramerika aus dem

Regienrungsbezirk Oberbayern in den Jahren 1846-1852”, by Friedrich Blendinger, there

are two Weissenberger families and two single Weissenbergers who left Bavaria to

immigrate to America between 1846 and 1852. There a total of 18 Weissenbergers on the

ship that docked in New York in 1847:

1. George and Eva Weissenberger and family, from Weissenfeld, Parsdorf,

Ebersberg

2. Katherine Weissenberger (single), from Baldham, Parsdorf, Ebersberg

3. Elizabeth Weissenberger (single), Aitersteinering, Forstinning, Ebersberg

4. Leonhard (or Bernhard) and Elizabeth Weissenberger and family, from

Aitersteinering, Forstinning, Ebersberg

George Weissenburger was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1808. In 1835 he married Eva

Hahn presumably in Bavaria. Eva was born in Germany in 1810, perhaps August 28. In

1847 they both immigrated to the United States, landing in New Orleans on 8 November

1847 along with their six children (per the International and Passenger Records and the

Blendinger list). They first lived in Bureau County but later the family moved to Putnam

County. In 1857, the family moved back to Bureau County, Westfield Tsp. for awhile and

then to Hall Tsp. After the move to Hall Tsp, Eva died in 1862 at the age of 52. Later

George moved to LaSalle County in about 1894 and died in 1896/8 at the age of about

80.

George and Eva had 7 children as follows:

Conrad

Katherine

Eva

George

Valentin

Louis

John H. (apparently the only child born in the US)

George and Katherine were born in Ebersberg, Oberbayern, Germany so one could

assume that this was the home land of this family for an unknown period of time prior to

their departure for America. Ebersberg is the seat of the district of Ebersberg in the

administrative region of Upper Bavaria in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the far

southeast corner of Bavaria, not too far from Austria.

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There is no connection between the George Weissenberger family and the Pinters except

that it is likely that son Conrad Weissenburger was a witness to the naturalization of

Heinrich Pinter, and probably visa versa.

It is not known if Elizabeth and George Weissenburger as described above were brother

and sister.

Elizabeth Weissenburger was born in Bavaria, Germany in April 1829. In November

1847 she immigrated to the United States, quite possibly on her own since she is listed

separately in the Blendinger list. On 26 November 1848 she married Adam Wunder as

noted above. She July, 1911. From this marriage, Juliana Wunder was born, and she

married Henry Pinter.

There is an interesting possible link between Elizabeth and the Leonhard Weissenberger

family that was described in the section above on Adam Wunder.

Leonhard (or Bernhard) and his family so far is not traceable to the Pinter family except

for the possible connection mentioned above in the Wunder section..In fact, this family

could not be identified in either the 1850 or 1860 census. This family included:

Leonhard

Elizabeth

George

Katharina

Valentine

Elisabeth

The Early Croissants

The Croissant family was written about in the Pinter History book, chapter 6, so that

information will not be duplicated here, but rather simply reviewed.

Wilhelm (William) Corissant has his roots in the Alsace-Loraine region of France as far

back as 1570. In the 1600’s, however, they migrated to Germany, specifically

Edenkoben.

Wilhelm was born 4 November 1819 in Edenkoben. At the age of 22, in about 1841,

William came to the US. He came in through New Orleans and migrated to Hennepin

where he met and married Anna Margaretha Wunder, sister of Adam Wunder as noted

above. They then moved to Hollowayville to farm.

Wilhelm was a part of the group that formed the Deutsch Protestant Evangelical Church

in Hollowayville .

Wilhelm and Anna had nine children, one of which was Justina Barbara. Justina married

Jacob Pinter in 1874.

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Wilhelm died in 1898 and Anna Margaretha died in 1909.

Edenkoben

Today, Edenkoben is a municipality the district of Südliche Weinstraße in the German

state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located in the southwest part of the country

not too far from France.

Other Families Connected to the Pinters

For many reasons, families in this time were very close to each other. For one thing, they

needed to help each other as they began to make a living farming the Illinois prairies. For

another, society then was not very mobile. In addition, they were a collection of people

living in a foreign land. They depended on each other for moral, spiritual, and physical

support. Finally, many came from the same regions of their native lands, mostly

Germany.

For these reasons, the following names plus those listed above have many ties to each

other, mostly through marriage:

Doll Genzlinger

Goering Hahn

Hassler Helm

Hoffert Husser

Lang Leyes

May Merkel

Morgan Nickel

Rauh Schlund

Searl Walter

…and others

Why Did They Come?

The four families discussed above came to the United States from Europe, particularly

Germany. For that matter, many of the families mentioned in the previous section of this

addendum also came from Europe, mostly from Germany, but some may have come from

other countries.

Various stories have been written describing conditions in Europe in the 19

th

century that

could explain the migration. Some of these theories include a quest for religious and

other social freedoms, cheaper and more productive lands, and political unrest. All of

these factors came into play at one time or another.

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An article appeared in The News Tribune, a local Bureau County newspaper, in 1998.

The article described the work of Art Ladenburger, a German, a teacher, and a former

Mendota, IL resident. He studied why Germans who settled in Perkins Grove, IL,

migrated to Illinois. Here were some of his conclusions:

1. Local German laws defining the disposition of land upon

death were limiting considering that the average individual

farm size in Germany was 10 acres. The lure of large tracts

of fertile land in Illinois (80-120 acres and more) was

attractive to these German farmers. They associated land

holdings with wealth.

2. Local German marriage laws were full of red tape and

restrictions. America had no such restrictions.

3. Many farms in Eastern Germany were quite large and

people worked these farms as peasants. As the owners

began to provide less and less of what the workers needed,

they began to look at America as a way out of their

predicament.

4. People who did make it to the US would come back to

their homelands and describe very desirable conditions in

America. Soon, many of their friends would follow them

back to America.

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Upper Bavaria

Miscellaneous Maps of Germany

Hornungsreuth Edenkoben

Aitersteinering

Forstinning

Weissenfeld

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Edenkoben

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Hornungsreuth/Neudrossenfeld and Münchberg

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Aitersteinering and Forstinning

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Hornungsreuth/Neudrossenfeld and Münchberg