August Fredrick Kunze Jr.

August was born on 14 July 1884 in Litchfield, Minnesota. He was the third son born to August and Mary Kunze. When his mother, Mary, passed away during child birth, they were living amongst the Kunze relatives in Waconia, Minnesota. He along with his two younger brothers, Frank and Albert, lived with the Nels Nelson family. This was his Mother's brothers family in Danielson, Minnesota. Grandma Etta (Annette) talks in her book about what a crazy time it was with their nine children, plus the Kunze boys and other family members that stayed with them. The house was full to the brim! August was a favorite and "loved by all." He went West to Three Forks, Montana and worked for many years on the Railroad as an Engineer.
In 1921, at the age of 36, he married Anna Mary Fairhurst who was 26. She was born and raised in Massachusetts but I don't find any other record of her after the marriage record so not sure if they were divorced or she had passed away.
In 1925, August marries Edna Louise Bellach and they have two children, Mary Louise and Charlotte Deane. I'm sure those were happy times. He must have been an outgoing likable fellow as he served Three Forks as the Mayor for a number of years.
From Grandma's book, Long Ago and Far Away, we read: " On a tragic day in June 1938, he and his wife, Louise, were shot and killed in their own front yard by his half brother, John Kunze. We in our family never learned the reason for this dreadful deed. We knew that August had been extremely kind to his father and his second family, helping them to come out to Montana and make a home there. John Kunze was sentenced to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary in Montana and died there some years ago. The two little girls were left orphans."

 

I found many newspaper articles regarding this story and Grandma's version is about correct and very sad. It must have been heartbreaking for all those involved and for the town of Three Forks. The girls were raised by a sister of Louise's, Annie "Deane" and her husband Lawrence Hankinson. It must have been a very difficult few years for the girls but they were surely loved and cared for by a large extended family on both sides. And I can only imagine how the Kunze family felt in regards to John~  epic sadness all around.  

August and his wife were remembered throughout the community as wonderful, friendly people and outstanding citizens. Such a tragedy. They were buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Three Forks.
A know a little bit regarding the two girls. Mary Louise married Spencer Fowler and lived most of their lives in Spokane, Washington and is possibly still living in Brooks, Oregon she would be about 88. Her sister, Charlotte Deane, married Stanley Collum, they lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for a few years then in Billings Montana. She died in 2013, at the age of 81. I don't know about children or grandchildren, but I suppose they have many and who knows, they might read this and send me a message so we know :) I think Mary would be so pleased with the men her boys turned out to be but saddened at the heartbreak too. But I guess that is no different than the rest of us as life is full of the good and the bad~ lessons to be learned.

Frank William Kunze

Frank was born  on June 26, 1881 in Litchfield, Minnesota. He was just 9 years old when his Mother, Mary passed away giving birth. At the time, I believe they were living in the German community of Waconia, Minnesota. The Kunze boys must have stayed with family members in Waconia and Danielson for many of their growing up years. In 1895, at the age of 14, he is living with the Herman Brandenburg family in Laketown, Minnesota. I haven't discovered the relationship between Frank and the Brandenburg's, but most likely a friend of the Kunze family. His brothers Albert and August are also living in Laketown with other families.
 I believe he stayed there until sometime in the early 1900's he moved to Three Forks, Montana where his brother August had moved, to take advantage of work on the railroad and the beginnings of a bustling new community. He is still there in 1919, when he moves to a farm owned by a relative, Heur Mulligan, in Saskatchewan, Canada. It seems that he is a bit of a drifter and trying to find his way in the world or maybe he has "wander lust". He must have only stayed a year as he is back in Montana in 1920.
In 1929, he marries Dora Marie Seivers, he is 48 she is 34. Dora is from a small town outside of Spokane, Washington named Spangle. She is one of ten children born to Ernest and Dora Seivers. After 1929, Frank and Dora live in Portland, Oregon. They have one daughter, Frances Lorraine. He works on the docks.
A rather strange finding is that in 1932, Frank is in the McNeil Island prison in Washington state for fraud. It doesn't say how long he is incarcerated, possibly about 5 years.
He passes away in Portland June 7,1950, Dora in 1988 and their daughter Frances in 1989. I don't know if Frances married but it would be nice to know "the rest of the story" of Frank William Kunze. So many unknowns with these Kunze boys....

Alexander William Kunze

Alex was the oldest son of August Kunze and Mary Nelson. He was most likely born in Danielson, Minnesota on the farm that they were renting, 26 September 1878. Her mother, Martha, who lived nearby was probably in attendance along with the local midwife, Lydia Johnson, who attended all of the births of the Nels Nelson family. It was a time of great celebration and joy! During this time, he grew up around many cousins and was close to the Nelson boys who lived on an adjacent farm. In 1885, they had moved to the "city" Litchfield where he attended school. When his mother passed away suddenly in 1888, Alex would have only been 10 years of age. I'm not sure where he went to live during the next 10+ years, as some went to live with the Nelson's and others with relatives on the Kunze side in Waconia, Minnesota. I wish I knew the details of this, maybe one of his descendants will read this and tell more. We do know that he only went to school up to the 4th grade which wasn't entirely unusual during those days, but it certainly would be a challenge to provide for a family with little eduation. But it seems that Alex worked hard on various farms, as we find him at age 22 working on the Olson farm as a farm hand and in 1906 he is living with two of his brothers in St. Paul, working as a laborer and then in 1910 he is back working on a farm in Danielson. He seems to be a bit of a wandering soul.
On 20 December 1916, he is married to a spinster that he most likely had known for many years, Rosie Danielson who had lived and grown up on a farm in Danielson. He was a distinguished 38 and she a young 25. Prior to 1920, his brother August and some other family members had moved to the hills of Three Forks, Montana. This was a rapidly growing city in the west being populated mostly by mining and railroad employees and their family. He decided to try his hand too and began working on the railroad there. It must have been hard for Rosie, after being around her family all her life, and life in a bustling new city can be overwhelming for a young country girl. But I'm sure they made the most of the situation and hopefully, enjoyed their time there. They possibly went because his father was gravely ill and passed away in 1918. During these years, everyone was trying their best to eek out a living and to get ahead. If you weren't educated, you worked in farming or did labor it seems and the RR has most always paid fairly well. But by 1930, Alex and his growing family are living back in Danielson. I'm guessing here but they most likely took over her family's farm. By this time, they had three children, Bernice, Dale and Hildar and the aged father of Rosie was also with them, Hans Danielson age 72. There were other Danielson's in the area too. Within 10 years, the old grandfather had passed away and the Alex Kunze family had moved to Litchfield. The 1930's was a difficult time for most everyone in the U.S., especially farmers. With droughts and the depression, work was not plentiful. Hopefully, the farm was sold for a profit and Alex and family came out a little bit ahead. But they didn't own the farm so most likely shared the proceeds with other Danielson family members. Their home in Litchfield was on beautiful tree lined 4th street. The house was rented. He was working in road construction and traveled extensively. Also living there are his wife, son Dale, daughter Hildar, married daughter, Bernice and her husband and son. Quite a houseful!! I know nothing of the rest of his story. I do find a little tidbit in Gramma Annette's book that I might have left out but ... it's telling and part of the story so I include it here. In the summer of 1916, Gramma's family would sell the farm in Danielson and move to Litchfield. Her parents were aging and her mother not especially well. They left some valuable items in the house to which she comments regarding, " We left on the parlor floor the lovely China lamp with the wild roses on the shade and base, also the scope and all it's pictures. How I would love to have them now! In the dining room, we left on it's shelf, the handsome marble clock. And on the kitchen shelf, the tall old clock which had chimed the hours through the years. Why did they do it? Were we not going to need clocks? Nate later rescued the kitchen clock and Vernie still treasures it. The other things are forever lost, priceless mementos. And saddest of all, we left out in the attic of the "old" house, Grandfather Andrew's old chest, the one he had made and brought across the ocean. My father planned to get this later when we were settled in our permanent home in Litchfield. But for some reason, this was never done, and one day some years later, my cousin Alexander Kunze came and wrongfully and illegally removed it from my father's premises. After Alex died in 1952, (brother) Nate and Vernie called on his wife, Rose, and asked that it be returned. She refused and Nate took not further action. So it remains in the possession of a daughter of Alex in Litchfield." So it would be fun to try and find the old chest, even to just take a glance or run a hand along the old wood. Alex would have been a grandson too and obviously was equally entitled to it. He possibly was asked by Gramma's father Nels to go and pick it up. Who knows. There is probably more to the story than she knew or we will know. So that is the story regarding Alex the oldest son of August the German and lovely Mary Nelson from Norway.

Mary Margaretha Nelson daughter of Anders and Marta Nelson

Mary Margretha Nelson was born on 13 September 1857 on the Island of Borge in the North Islands of Norway. There is no written information regarding her physical characteristics or her growing up years that I know of, but she must have been a very lovely, young woman if she looked anything like her brother, Nels and sister, Anna (Julia). They both had stunning blue eyes and she most likely did as well. She was only 11 years of age when she and her family embarked on the great adventure of living in a new land, the U.S. It was full of opportunities for those who were willing to work hard and persevere. Her father, Anders, was now crippled from a fishing expedition which must have been difficult for the entire family. I hope that he still had his sense of humor and obviously he didn’t lack for ambition since he was taking his family away from familiar surroundings, family, friends and loved ones- left behind in Borge, Norway.

When they arrived in the U. S., they lived for a time with her Aunt Ingeborg and her family the Elias Larson’s in Lake Prairie, Minnesota. They had two daughters, Martha and Sophia who were close in age and they must have been her friends during that time. There might have been a bit of a language barrier though as Mary would have known no English and these girls along with their cousins the Norman’s, had all been born and raised in Minnesota. But the Larson girls most likely knew some Norwegian and probably taught Mary English. She would have had many cousins in adjacent farms there in Lake Prairie and I’m sure it was lots of fun.

In 1869, a year after their move from Norway, her family packed up and left Lake Prairie for land in Lake Lillian. It was a few days journey of about 72 miles northwest. I’m sure there were tears shed over the friendships she had gained with cousins and family there, but there would be cousins from her father’s brother, Bryngel, that would have helped. For over a year they lived with her Uncle and family and then they moved to their own property just a short distance from them. She did have a cousin Minnie who was her same age and they must have been friends along with others in close by farms. She also would have attended school which was held in various homes and taught by an older gentleman named Mr. Pitman. He opened every morning with a reading from the Bible and a prayer. As we might remember, one of the reasons these Norse came such a far distance to live was for religious freedom from the tyranny of the state church in Norway. So this was probably a wonderful way to start out the day and not unusual in the least. The Hanson girls were also attending this school, and lived on a close farm, so most likely she was friends with Bertha who was also 13 and Sophia 15. These girls would all be sister in laws when her brother and their sister married a few years later. Later, the Hanson girls would all go to Minneapolis to work but we don’t hear if Mary did as well. She must have as life on the farm could be dull for a young girl and her older sister, Julia had lived in Minneapolis and found her husband, John there. But we find Mary or Maria as she is listed, living with her family in Lake Lillian; she is 18. The Hanson’s are living nearby.

Sometime in 1876 or 1877, she married a young man named August F. Kunze. How they met is a mystery. But they were courting in 1876 as they were signed witnesses to the marriage of my great grandparents, Nels Neilson and Paulina Hanson. He was from Saxony, Germany and about 4 years older than she. In 1880, they are living on a farm very close to her brother Nels’ farm in Danielson. These must have been good times being close to her Mother, who she was certainly close to. They have one child, Alexander William and he is 1. Prior to 1885, the family has moved to Litchfield which is a couple hour buggy ride to Danielson. She would have 3 more sons, Frank William, August Frederick and Albert Frederick.

Mary passed away in about 1888, cause unknown but possibly during childbirth or of consumption. Her mother passed away that same year.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for her husband August and four young sons. The Kunze boys frequently lived with their Uncle Nels and family in Danielson on the farm. Grandma Annette talks of them being there often and helping her father and brothers on the farm. I believe their father tried to keep his family together but having to support them all and work surely was difficult. August worked some in St. Paul in the 1890’s and in 1895 he married a spinster from New London, Minnesota named Hilma Stam. They had three children and lived in Kittson County, Minnesota, then in Three Forks, Montana by his son August and family. Mary’s husband August passed away in 1918 in Three Forks, Montana.

In the following post, I will briefly tell about the four Kunze boys.