I see from the previous three posts, that I am just sounding like a broken record. That, I guess, is what you come up with when all you have are census records, military records and bits and pieces from city directories to make up a life story. Those all help in putting together a timeline of a person's life but there is so much more to a person's life! I don't know if this is really of any worth to anyone but I guess since Albert's is the last and final Kunze brother, I will finish. Maybe someone someday will find this and it will be just what they were looking for in their Genealogy quest. Albert was the youngest Kunze, even though I believe Grandma said another one had that honor. He was the least known by Grandma's family, probably because he stayed with relatives in Waconia, Minnesota after the death of his Mother, Mary Nelson Kunze. Anywho, Albert was born on 25 April, 1886 in Danielson Township, Minnesota. I'm sure he was welcomed with loving arms by his young, hard working parents and his three older brothers and many friends and surrounding relatives~ every baby is such a gift. About 1887, the family moved to the Waconia area in Minnesota.
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| Lake Waconia, Minnesota |
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| Waconia, Minnesota |
Just a little note about Waconia~ it is a beautiful small city on the banks of Lake Waconia. It is known for being one of the best places in America to raise a family. The land is very fertile and rich, with farms and vineyards dotting the landscape. It is located about 35 miles southwest of Minneapolis, which today makes for a "bedroom" community to the Twin Cities. With farming opportunities and many of the Kunze family taking up claims there in the 1880's, I can imagine Albert's father thought this would be a good place to raise his boys and make a living. Farming is anything but easy, especially back in those pioneer days. But Albert along with his brothers learned to work hard and most likely play hard too. There was the lake to play on and in winter time it would freeze over and ice skating might have been a fun activity. Most of the early settlers in Waconia were farmers coming to America from Germany, Sweden and other European countries to take part in the Homestead Act. It was a dream come true for many of these weary travelers; land of their own meant freedom from the tyranny of some of the leaders of their home countries and especially freedom of religion. So I can imagine that is what August Kunze planned for his growing family of boys. It appears that Albert stayed in Waconia until he's about 15 or 16. His father had remarried in 1895, and moved to Red River, Minnesota which is in the far northern part of Minnesota bordering Canada. At this time, Albert was living with his aunt and uncle in Waconia maybe because he didn't approve of his Father's choice of new wife or was settled in his own life. He was 13 and we know how teens can be. During the early 1900's, he is living in the Twin Cities area. Traversing back and forth between Minneapolis and St. Paul. He obviously is an industrious worker and one with varied talents. His brothers Alex and Frank are both living there too and for some of that time, he lives with them in various flats. He works as a laborer, a gardener and of all things, an embalmer! He is at this time of 1910, age 24.
As all able bodied young men during that time, he served as a private during WWI; Mar 1918-Mar 1919. He then moved west, probably with the encouragement of his brother August who had been living in Montana and saw the opportunities for his brothers to work on the railroad there. But Albert had another place in mind and a little more ambition I guess. Shortly after returning from the war, he meets and marries the lovely Hazel Willoughby from Iowa, in Salt Lake City, Utah. A few months later, they are living in Big Piney, Wyoming and he is the owner and operator of a hotel. Enterprising! I guess he got tired of the bitterly cold winters in Wyoming~ who wouldn't! And moves to the beautiful town of Montebello, California and works as a barber/owner.
One note, I don't know if Albert had any children. There are none listed in either of the 1920 or 1930 census which I always find a bit sad. But it seems that Albert was an entrepreneur of sorts, as after the untimely death of his wife Hazel in 1935, he opens a restaurant in Los Angeles and remarries a gal named Fern, last name unknown. Interestingly, in 1942, he is living on a farm in Wisconsin. I am totally guessing here, but Fern apparently was from Wisconsin so she might have inherited the farm upon the death of parents, who knows??!! At any rate, Albert goes back to spend the rest of his days in Los Angeles and dies at the age of 68, on 18 November 1954. He is buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery.
So this ends the brief stories about the Kunze boys. To me, their stories are similar to a vast amount of other young men growing up in the late 1800's and early 1900's. They learned to work hard and take advantage of opportunities that arose in various parts of the country. I do hope they somehow stayed in touch over the years, as they all lived and died in different states and cities. Did they get together on occasion? I hope so, and I'm sure the reunions were amazing! How I wish I had pictures of them, that would be the icing on the cake!
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