More Family History Update Elizabeth and Theodore Buxkemper (pp. 19-21) actually had ten children. The child identified as Ida (Isabella) on page 20 is not the same as Ida (Isabella) on page 151. The Buxkempers had two daughters, both named Ida. Ida Catherine was born Oct. 24, 1858, and died April 13, 1862, at age 3. She was listed as age 2 in the 1860 census. Then Isabella Ida was born about 1861 and died Sept. 15, 1871, at age 10. Between the two Idas was a son named Frank (or Franz) William, born Dec. 5, 1860, and died March 25, 1861, at age three months. We have learned, primarily from family letters that Elizabeth and Bernhard Matthiesen (pp. 205-206) had two other children that died in infancy. A baby girl was born Dec. 1, 1891, and died Dec. 5, 1891. A son, Edward, was born and died in late 1892. Frank G. Hoelscher’s (pp. 291-292) first wife, Wilhelmina (Minnie) Moeller was born July 3 or 13, 1859, and died Feb. 15, 1897. Their baby son, Heinrich Joseph, was born Jan. 29, 1897, and died Feb. 15, 1897, the same day as the mother. They are buried together at Westphalia. Also buried by Minnie is the daughter, Mary, born Dec. 5, 1885, and died Jan. 7, 1899, at age 13. So, Frank and Minnie had nine children. Frank married Josephine Hincemann on Nov. 16, 1897. Undoubtedly, there are other previously “unknowns” to be discovered. That is what makes family history research so interesting.
We’re Not the Only Ones From time to time, we hear of Hoelschers, but we can’t find them in our Family Book. That is probably because they belong to a “different” Hoelscher family. We find that Hoelscher is a fairly common name in the northwestern part of Germany. And, that there are other Hoelscher families in the U.S., especially in the Midwestern states. We have corresponded with some of their family researchers, both in the U.S. and in Germany, but thus far none has been able to establish kinship to our family’s ancestors.
Who is Bill Hoelscher? His name and picture appear frequently in Texas newspapers, particularly in the San Antonio area, since he is the head of Fiesta Texas, the Opryland (now Six Flags’) theme park scheduled to open in spring 1992 between San Antonio and Boerne. To answer everyone’s question: he is not a descendant of our Anton Hoelscher; that is why you can’t find him in our book. As far as we know, the Hoelscher named on the memorial at Pearl Harbor is not from our family, either.
Library of Congress Entry Our 1978 Family Book was submitted to the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. The Library of Congress card number is 79-126250. You might want to write that on the back of the title page.
Relatives in Germany We previously understood that there were no Hoelscher relatives in Germany. Now, we have found one! He is Heinrich Hoelscher, of Ludinghausen, near Olfen. He is a descendant of Anton Sr.’s first cousin, and he learned of us because of newspaper articles in his area about our family and our Olfen in Texas. He is continuing to research records in Germany. For some time, we have been aware of Buxkemper relatives in Germany. Over the years, Emma Helpert (p. 35) has been in contact with Josef and Maria Buxkemper, who live on a farm outside Olfen. They and their son, Heinrich, visited in Texas in 1989. Also living just outside Olfen is the Neumann Family, descended from the brother of Elizabeth Bruse, wife of Anton Hoelscher, Jr. In and around the city of Munster are various relatives from the Matthiesen family, including Annemarie Lucking, now of Drensteinfurt. She was instrumental in obtaining the preliminary records of our family in Germany.