"My Huck Antecedents" by Glenn L. Sitzman, part II

OSTWALD AND MARGARET (WEIGAND) KINDSVATER

Information about Margaret (Weigand) Kindsvater is minimal. She was born at Huck on 18 April 1835 and died on a farm near Weatherford, Oklahoma Territory, on 16 February 1900, at age 64 yr., 10 mo., and 29 days. These dates are engraved on the one tombstone that serves for three graves: hers, Ostwald's, and that of the wife of their nephew George Phillip Kindsvater, Louise (Weingard) Kindsvater, who died near Weatherford on 24 July 1906. The name Louise is misspelled "Lowes" on the tombstone, which was paid for by George Phillip Kindsvater, the Sauers, and the Schafers.

Margaret Weigand's father was a school teacher, but where he was born I have not yet learned. More than likely he was born at Huck, but documentation is so far lacking. She may have married Ostwald Kindsvater about Christmas 1855. I base this speculation on two factors: First, many marriages occurred at Christmas, and then their first child was born the next Christmas.

Ostwald Kindsvater was born at Huck on 26 December 1836 and died at the home of his daughter Anna Marie Sauer near Weatherford, Oklahoma, on 30 August 1913 at age 76. In Russia Ostwald worked as a harness maker and shoe cobbler. His father was a tailor. Of course he also farmed, but having no sons that survived childhood, he was alloted very little land for farming. His oldest daughter, Anna Marie, married Nikolaus Sauer and moved to Norka. His second daughter; Elizabeth Anna, married Henry Andrew Schleining of Norka. Henry apparently moved into the Kindsvater household, as men often did when the father-in-law had no adult sons. Probably Ostwald's living came primarily from harness-;making and shoe cobbling.

Ostwald married young, 18 or 19 apparently, and fathered six children: (1) Anna Marie (Annie), 22 Dec 1856-23 July 1940; (2) Ostwald, 1858; (3) Conrad, 1860-1862; (4) Elizabeth Anna (Lizzie), 12 Aug 1863-30 Jan 1929; (5) Marie Elizabeth (Marieeliz or Marilis), 14 Apr 1866-3 Dec 1934; (6) John, 1868-1873.

In 1890 Ostwald emigrated to America with wife Margaret, youngest daughter marie Elizabeth, and five year old grandson George Kindsvater, son of daughter Elizabeth Anna. They travelled on the S. S. America, Bremen to New York, and landed at Baltimore, MD, on 12 March 1890. On the ship's manifest Ostwald is given the English spelling "Oswald", age 53, farmer, Russia. The family name is spelled "Kinsfater", but more about spelling another time in another article. Margaret's name appears as "Marie", age 54, and Marie Elizabeth's appears as "Elise", age 22, and the grandson's name has the German spelling "Georg", age 4. The manifest gives their destination as Ohio. Though their destination may have been Ohio, they ended up at Lincoln, Nebraska, where Marie Elizabeth met and married Adam Johannes Schafer before the year ended. A second error regarding age appears on the manifest: Marie Elizabeth was almost 24.

Though the newlyweds soon moved to Denver, Ostwald and Margaret remained in Lincoln, where Ostwald was listed in the "Lincoln City Directory" for the years 1893-1895 as Oswald Kinsfader, laborer, and with the address as 446 J Street. My mother said he may have driven a dray wagon, as he did later in Denver.

Marie Elizabeth and Adam Johannes, with infant daughter Katherine, returned to Lincoln, where daughter Amalia was born 18 April 1894. When the Schafers decided they liked Denver better, after all, and returned, Ostwald and Margaret went with them. In Denver Marie Elizabeth worked in the home

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of a doctor as a domestic, Adam Johannes worked in the Globe Silver Smeltry, Ostwald drove a dray wagon, and Margaret cared for the little Schafers.

The next move for Ostwald and Margaret was to Oklahoma Territory, where they filed a homestead claim on 80 acres. They probably went to Oklahoma in 1899. I base this speculation on my mother's information that her grandma cared for her when she was born in November 1898, plus the fact that Margaret died in Oklahoma Territory in February 1900. More than likely they lived in a dugout on their claim, where Margaret died on 16 February 1900. Later that year Ostwald was enumerated in the U. S. Cenus of 1900 as the father-in-law of Nikolaus Sauer. The enumerator recorded Ostwald's name in this strange way, "Actooloy Kinsfelther (or Knosfelther), b. 1837, Russia, widower, farmer, could not speak English."

After Margaret died, Ostwald was very lonely; but, instead of having some of the Sauer grandchildren to stay with him on his claim, he spent a lot of time at the home of his daughter Anna Marie Sauer. On a particular night when the homestead law required Ostwald to be on his land to validate his claim, Ostwald spent the night with the Sauers; and a man who had been watching for just such a chance jumped the claim and took it away from him.

After losing his homestead, Ostwald lived with either the Sauer or the Schafer family. He died in the Sauer home near Weatherford on 30 Aug 1913, at age 76 years, 8 months, and 3 days. After a funeral in the Sauer home, he was buried in the Weatherford cemetery beside his wife and niece on 1 Sept 1913. He had been attended by Dr. J. J. Williams, who recorded the cause of death as "epilepsy." However, Ostwald had not been given to seizures, and my mother was of the opinion that her grandfather died of a kidney problem. When I asked a doctor practicing today about that attribution of epilepsy, the doctor told me that around the turn of the century doctors sometimes attributed death to epilepsy when the cause was totally unrelated. Funeral services were conducted by Nikolaus Sauer and Heinrich Kissler. The funeral director was Charlie Penn, and the casket cost $40.00. This information was obtained from the archives of the Lockstone Funeral Home at Weatherford, OK.

Regarding Ostwald's death, my Aunt Raye Hughes wrote in a letter of 15 Sep 1975, "The only thing I remember my mother telling me of her father's death, she said Aunt Annie told her that she noticed he looked 'peaked' that morning and she told Uncle Nick she didn't think that Grandpa should pump the water for the cattle, but Uncle Nick thought differently, and he collapsed at the pump."

There is no known photograph of Ostwald or Margaret Kindsvater. My mother told me that at various times when the Schafers or Sauers were having family photographs made they begged him to join them in the photograph, but he adamantly refused, calling photographs "work of the devil." Though she had no description to give me of her grandmother, my mother did remember her grandfather enough to give me some idea of what he looked like, as did Aunt Raye. He was not a large man. His hair was blond with a reddish cast; it never got very grey, and he had an abundance of hair till the end of his life. His eyes were grey with flecks of brown. He wore a thin beard, trimmed, with no mustache. My aunttold me on October 1, 1983, in a phone conversation that she and Grandma Schafer always thought her Grandpa Kindsvater "looked a little like George Washington." In a letter of June 15, 1975, my mother wrote me, "Grandpa was quite healthy. He died with all his teeth and didn't need glasses to read with until he was past 70 years, and still had lots of hair."

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A bit of misinformation has been disseminated that Ostwald Kindsvater was called "Oscar". My mother told me that her grandpa was very proud of the name Ostwald (Oswald in English). It may be that some descendants who lacked access to records vaguely remembered that his name was "Os-something" and decided on "Oscar". There is, however, considerable documentation that establishes that his name was Ostwald; and nowhere have I seen or heard from any reliable source that his name was "Oscar". Let me adduce the evidence I have collected regarding his name:

1. S.S. America passenger list, Baltimore, 12 March 1890: Oswald Kinsfater.

2. First German Congregational Church, Lincoln, NE, marriage register, 7 Dec 1890 (marriage of daughter Marie Elizabeth): Joh. Ostwald Kindsvater. This is the only instance I have seen in which Johann was cited as a part of his name. Unfortunately, neither his passport nor his listing in a Huck census has been available. But it is clear from the other citations that he did not use Johann.

3. "Lincoln City Directory" (Nebraska), 1893-1895: Oswald Kinsfader.

4. U.S. Census for 1900 (Oklahoma): enumerated as the father‑in‑law of Nikolaus Sauer: his name garbled, other information correct: Actooloy Kinsfelther (or Knosfelther).

5. Zion German Congregational Church, Weatherford, OK, list of founding members, 1903: Ostwald Kindsvater (Church Book, I:5).

In the genealogy section of the Church Book (II:181) he is listed as Ostwald (Oscar) Kinsfather. This misnomer apparently comes by way of the Mormon Church genealogical service (in this case a genealogical dis-service).

6. Death certificate (Oklahoma, 1913): Ostwald Kinsfather.

7. Lockstone Funeral Home, Weatherford, OK (records): Oswald Kinsfather.

8. Tombstone on grave in the city cemetery, Weatherford, OK: Ostwald Kinsfather.

With these citations I submit that, though a distant branch of his family may have referred to him as "Oscar", that name or nickname was never attached to my grandmother's father during his lifetime.

TO BE CONTINUED

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