JOHANNES married HAKE WILHELMINA ELIZABETH on 17 Jan 1884 in North Prairie, Washington Co., IL; Wm. Kleinschmidt officiating; Louis Hake and Elizabeth Huck wittnesses. WILHELMINA (daughter of HAKE FRIEDRICH WILHELM and HARTMANN SOPHIA CHARLOTTE) was born on 4 Nov 1864 in North Prairie, Washington Co., IL; died on 27 Feb 1941 in Centralia, Marion County, Illinois; was buried in North Prairie Cemetery, Washington County, Illinois. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Louise Peithmann (March 13, 1833 - May 27, 1873) was married March 3, 1849 to Louis Huck in Bergkirchen (Rothenuffeln) (May 14, 1827 - July 21, 1885). The second son of Colon (farmer) Heinrich Friedrich Christian Huck and Sophie Marie Elisabeth, Nee Meyer. An official entry in the church record-book a note is included to the effect that the newly married couple planned to emigrate to the U.S.A. The couple indicated that they would settle in Hoyleton Township (Washington County) in the State of Illinois. Here in the North Prairie they would devote themselves to farming. In 1853, they received a land-grant from the then, President Pierce. Up until 1880 they acquired additional acreage. They bought parcels of land of neighboring farms, as well as from the Railroad Association, the Illinois Central Railroad. The price per acre fluctuated somewhere between $4.00 per acre and $36.00 per acre. A portion of the money needed, the couple borrowed at a rate of 8-10% rate of interest. The couple had 9 children born to them in Hoyleton Township.

When Louis Huck died in 1885, he owned approximately 600 acres. The farm was divided among 5 children: Louis, Henry, Elisabeth, John and Lydia. So that each inherited pproximately 120 acres. Two of those farms are today still in possession of descendents of Louis Huck and Louise nee Peithmann.

Notes from a letter to Morris Huck from Lothar Teikemeyer of Bonn, Germany.

The woman of Louis was a Peithmann-descendant. As this she comes froma double marriage between the families Peper and Peithmann. But the marrying Pepers had different mothers. My ancestor line is from the Peper-son, who was child of anna Marie Elisabeth Wiethop (1773 - 1806), the first husband of Johann Ernst Hermann Peper, Hilferdingsen 9 (1767 - 1844). Your line, by the Peper-daughter, is from Gesine (Christiane) Louise Siebe (or Sieben) (1780 - 1845), who was married by Peper in 1807. Probably this Siebe was a daughter of Johann Gottfried Siebe (1738 - ), auf Wentrups Hof, Uffeln 56 (Tothenuffeln), called 1768 "freier Burgshof", who married some daughters around that time to some farmers in the region. The mother was - only probably again - a Volckmann. There is more known about this Siebe and also about this Volckman, but I don't know, if this is really the father of your ancestor. The Wentrup Hof was a special farm house, it was not comparable to the other farms. Originally it was the home of the Vogt, an higher adminstrator, but this function was not relevant in the late 18th century. The marriages of the other Siebe-daughters were "rich marriages".
J. E. H. Peper himself also have his riddles, as some data of this Ortssippenbuch contradict each other, So we don't know for sure, if his father was Johann Friedrich or Johann Hinrich Peper ( * 1745 - ), who was married to Ann Margaretha Peper "aus Eickhorst" (the name Peper for the woman is no error, it seems to be her birthname). Or, this contradicting data refer to two different persons, who both married a Peper-daugher "aus Eickhorst" in a common case of double marriage between Peper and Peper. About the parents of this Peper-daughters "aus Eickhorst" we don't know anything. Our ancestor Peper (Johann Hinrich or Johann Friedrich) was borne 1745 in Hilferdingsen 9 as it was the place of his son, and the son of this son, who became mine (not yours) ancestor. His father was Johann Hinrich Droste "auf Pepers Staette" (same address) (1692 - ) and Anna Margaretha Ilsabe Meyer (1712 - 1755). This Droste became heir of the Peper-household (probably in 1725, at the own marriage day), cause this marriage of an aunt with the original Peper-owner ended childless. Another son of this Droste married in 3rd marriage in the year 1800 Caroline Hohne, later woman of the invading Peithmann 1806 and therefore ancestor of our lines. At that time this son called himself Ober-Rodekopf, cause he had married before (1859) a daughter of this household (Oberster Rokop), which later became the Peithmann-household Unterlubbe 16 and was largely shown in the Peithmann-papers.
A. M. I. Meyer was really 13 years old, when she married the 33 year old Droste. Her parents are Johan Meyer auf HInrichs Meyers Staette (1678 - 1744), Kohlte 4 (Unterlubbe), and Anna Maria Kottmeyer, 1687 - 1739, and she has a lot of other ancestors, for instance this Ernst Spilker, that I already told about, and a Hinrich and a Toennies Kottmeyer, who had the role of a "Amtsuntervogt", a sort of adminstrator under these farmers.
From the Unterluebbe addresses, around 40 houses in 18th century, you find in the genealogy table the first 9 and some more, such indicating that our ancestors were "rich" farmers, who married their chldren with each other. Naturally some persons appear in double function in the genealogy table. This Ernst Spilker, I told about, is 4x my ancestor for instance, as 4 of his children did lead into my line.
Actually there is one special interest of mine. One Spilker did come from America and married an aunt of mine (after the war). Later they divorced and he left again. His 2 sons, my cousins, did grow up in Rostock. Did you ever hear that a Spilker did leave Unterluebbe to go to America in the emigration time of your ancestors?

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According to a transfer deed dated 11 Mar 1864, my great-grandfather, Louis
Huck purchased a 40-acre tract of land (SW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 32,
Hoyleton Twp.) from Louis & Louise Wehking a few years after emigrating
from Prussia (now part of Germany - around Minden in Westfalia). The Huck
family still owns this land - indeed it was part of the farm upon which I
grew up.
As a child growing up in the late 1930's, I remember an elderly gentleman
(also named Louis Wehking - probably a son of Louis and Louise). He was
the official bell-ringer at North Prairie Methodist Church - more than
likely given this job because his home was directly across the road from
the church-yard, meaning he could be depended upon to ring the bell
promptly and reliably in all kinds of weather and other emergencies. The
North Prairie cemetery has several Wehking gravestones, from which one
could reliably document birth and death dates.
My 1973 Washington County Plat Book shows Waldo and Theodosia Wehking as
owners of the 160 acre tract of land in Section 20, Hoyleton Twp - just
northwest of the North Prairie Cemetery, formerly owned by the younger
Louis Wehking. (Waldo Wehking was his son). Like many of my
contemporaries, Waldo and Theodosia moved away from the North Prairie
community to find employment elsewhere as consolidation of family farms
continued following World War II.

Morris G. Huck
Champaign, IL

LUDWIG married PEITHMANN KAROLINE LOUISE WILHELMINE on 22 Mar 1849 in Bergkirchen, Westphalia, Prussia; by Pastor Linkmeyer; date maybe Mar.3,1849. KAROLINE (daughter of PEITHMANN EBERHARD FRIEDRICH GOTTLIEB (RODEKOPF) and PEPER MARIE LOUISE) was born on 13 Mar 1833 in #16 Unterluebbe; Kreisminden, Wesphalen (Westphalia), Prussia; died on 27 May 1873 in North Prairie, Washington County, Illinois; was buried in North Prairie Cemetery, Washington County, Illinois. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

AN OLD PIONEER CALLED AWAY SUDDENLY

"In the middle of living we are embraced by death." This unpleasant truth was confirmed anew through the sudden death of Mr. Friedrich Hake from North Prairie. Apparently he had left his home and had gone with his son Alfred to the Illinois Southern Railroad to go to Huegely where he planned to board the trin to Nashville. About 40 acres from the house of Mr. Wm. Brink, Sr., Mr. Hake suffered a stroke and fell to the ground. mr. Wm. aussieker, who had set out in the woods and likewise was going to the railroad, saw him fall and hurried quickly to the place, but the soul had already passed. the deceased had fallen backwards and lay with the right hand stretched out and the left hand on the chest. Without pain, without struggle, he went to eternal rest -- he would never reach his earthly goal but did reach the heavenly goal, which he had always anticipated.
As soon as Mr. Aussieker was sure that the life was gone, he lifted the departed from the track and notified Mr. Wm. Brink, Sr., who with Mr. Friedrich Neuhaus, brought the body home. The sorrow of his relatives from the heavy blow of fate which took from them their husband and father is more to be contemplated than described. He had already had two strokes from which he fully recovered; in the past year he enjoyed good health.
The post-mortem examination was held on Tuesday evening and the report read death by heart attack. The jury consisted of Dr. Walter Burgess, Henry Hake, Jr., J. H. C. Wiese, Friedrich Wacker, Friedrich Krughoff, Sr., and Henry Maschhoff. Mr. Hake was born on February 8, 1834, in the farming community Hordinghausen, the parish of Lindorf, (Post Office Wittlage) in Hanover, Germany, and came in 1848 with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Friedrich Hake, Sr., to the United States.
From St. Louis they moved to North Priarie about a year later. On the 12th of August, 1860, Mr. Hake married Miss Sophia Hartmann, daughter of Mr. Heinrich Hartmann, the union of which was blessed with 15 children of whom 3 sons and a daughter preceded the father in death. He leaves behind, besides his grieving widow, 11 children: Louis Hake, Mrs. Lizzie Huck, Mrs. Martha Krughoff, George, Edward, Frank, and Miss Sarah Hake, Alfred, Joseph, Albert ad Lorenz Hake, as well as 22 grandchildren, a foster son and two brothers, Heinrich and Ernst Hake.
Mr. Hake was one of the first German settlers of this county and from very modest beginnings he brought it to prosperity through diligence, caution and thrift. When he came to North Priairie, everything was still a wilderness, but the hard working hands of the good German changed forest and prairie into fine farmland. The hard work and the self-denial radiated the character, and in the rigorous school of life, Mr. Hake became a man of unbending will and energy. His fellow citizens proved to him their respect because they frequently bequeathed honorary offices to him. He was, therefore, repeatedly Township Assessor, Justice of the Peace, and for over 20 years a school trustee. In famly life he was a loving husband, a caring father and saw his children grow up to be useful, honest people.
As a young man, he attended the German Methodist Church and helped to establish the first Methodist parish in North Prairie. About 40 years he presided as Superintendent of the Sunday School there wand worked at the same time as a local minister. Just last Sunday he preached in the Methodist Church in Hoyleton, but the thought never occurred to his listeners that they had heard his voice for the last time. The Sunday School pupils whom he had instructed so many years in the scriptures and the parishioners to whom he showed the way to salvation will preserve fond memory of him and through him the promise will be fulfilled: "The teachers will give light as the splendor of heaven and they direct so many to righteousness as the stars, always and eternally."
The funeral will take place tomorrow (Friday) afternoon in the church in North Prairie, whereupon burial will follow at the cemetery there. Our sincere sympathy is extended to the sorrowing survivors.
(Illinois Volksblatt, 15 January 1903)

FRIEDRICH W. HAKE LAID TO REST

On Friday afternoon the funeral of Mr. F. W. Hake was held in the German Methodist Church in North Prairie. At the house of mourning a short funeral service was held under the direction of Rev. Miller. Rev. Pannwitt said the prayer. The exceptionally large funeral procession moved to the church here, which was filled to such capacity with mourners that many could not gain entrance. The Chorus sang the favorite song of the deceased:
"Eternally with the Lord,
Shall be my life's fate
These words shall always be my hope
It shall close heaven's gate."
Rev. Pannwitt gave the prayer after which the elder superior F. Mahle from Belleville gave a comforting message about the words: Christ is my life, dying my victory." The deceased had chosen these words as his life's motive. At the end of the service, the mourners sorrowfully looked for the last time upon the countenance of their friend lying in peaceful slumber. The pastors Eirich, Katthain and Schroedel were present at the funeral service. Because the deceased departed so suddenly and the possibility of an apparent death could not be excluded, the burial was postponed. After the service on Sunday morning, the deceased was buried at the parish cemetery. His grave site is near the church in which he worked with great blessing almost a lifetime as a local minister and Sunday School Superintendent. While he slumbers in teh narrow chamber toward resurrection day, he will live on in the memory of loving friends.
(Illinois Volksblatt 22 January 1903)

FRIEDRICH married HARTMANN SOPHIA CHARLOTTE on 12 Aug 1860. SOPHIA (daughter of HARTMANN HEINRICH and UNKNOWN WILHELMINA) was born on 20 Nov 1842 in a German immigrant; died on 16 Aug 1925; was buried in North Prairie Cemetery, Washington County, Illinois. [Group Sheet]

COLON married MEYER CHRISTINE SOPHIE MARIE ELISABETH on 24 Mar 1822 in Bergkirchen, Kreis Minden, Westfalen, Germany. CHRISTINE (daughter of MEIER ZACHARIAS JOHANN CHRISTIAN and RODEKOFF ANNA MARIE ILSEBEIN) was born on 24 Oct 1801 in Rothenuffeln 1, Kreis Minden, Westfalen, Germany; died on 30 Oct 1854 in Unterlubbe, No. 1, Kreis Minden, Westfalen, Germany; was buried in Unterlubbe, Kries Minden, Westfalen, Germany. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

The Peithmann family tree has been traced back to 1380 and was called Poythemann (Wet Land or Fountain). After the Reformation the name was changed, the only family with a continuous record. In May of 1980 the Peithmanns are having their 600th anniversary reunion in Germany at Berg Kirche, the home church at Stathagen.

EBERHARD married PEPER MARIE LOUISE. MARIE was born on 14 Dec 1808; died in 1889. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Emigrated from Germany in 1848.
Application for Citizenship - January 2, 1855 (copy on page 12 in "The Hake Lines" as followed by Erwin E. Hake.

"The Hake Lines" by Erwin E. Hake 1970; 1st update by Norman Harvey Hake 1990; 2nd update by Lee Roy and Leola Michael 1998.

A BRIEF BUT GENERAL SYNOPSIS OF THE HAKE FAMILY
In the early 1840's, the people of Germany rebelled against their government and it was this internal strife that caused so many people to migrate to America during this period in history. Germany at that time, had compulsory military training and as a consequence,many families with boys of military age, left their homeland.
At this time, the Hake family lived in the small village of Hoerdinghausen, under the Council of Wittlage, in the Lutheran parish of Lintorf, in the kingdom of Hanover. The father, Friedrich Wilhelm, and the mother, Henriette Albertina, had three sons, Johann Heinrich, Friedrich Wilhelm and Ernst Friedrich. A daughter, Anna, died in her teens of diptheria. Since Henry would soon attain military age, application for passports to America was made. The family disposed of their small home, built of native stone, and disposed of most of their personal possessions. The father, a stone cutter by trade, walked eleven miles to the mountains and carried lumber to Hoerdinghausen out of which he built a large chest into which he placed those articles which they wised to take to their new home. In addition to being a stone cutter, the father was also the night watchman in the small village of Hoerdinghausen. He walked the streets, nightly, sounding an hourly blast on a horn furnished by the village. At midnight, his wife relieved him of this responsibility in order that he mihgt get a few hours of sleep prior to his returning to his chores in teh stone quarry. The editor of this compilation has a wooden mouthpiece which was used on the horn. It was received by him from his father, H. F. W. Hake, a grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm. A photograph of the mouth piece appears on a later pageof this compilation.
The family set sailacross the Atlantic early in 1848. Their ship was caught in a hurricane and was buffeted about for three months which ultimately forced the craft south of the equator. Anchor was finally cast at New Orleans, Louisiana, where the Hake family transferred to a river steamer and proceeded to St. Louis where they landed in 1848. The first family home was established in this city when the boys were aged 17, 14, and 12, respectively. A descendant has deducted that this first residence was in the neighborhood of Warren and 12 th Streets which is in the northern part of the city. henry, as he was commonly called, joined a Methodist Church in the vicinity. The father, Friedrich, though a stone cutter in Germany, did not follow this trade in his new environment but worked at miscellaneous jobs which he sought out.
There is an interesting side-light to the arrival of the family in St. Louis. Having announced to their neighbors in Hoerdinghausen their intention to migrate to the United States, they gathered for a farewell party prior to their departure. A neighbor handed a letter to Friedrich, Sr. addressed "August Schmoidt, America" and asked that he deliver it. Little did he realize the wide spaces in the United States. However, we are told that they did actually meet Schmidt in St. Louis and that he finally delivered the letter from Germany.
Henry was employed as a cooper and remained in St. Louis for several years where he joined the Washington Street Methodist Episcopal Church in 1850. Fred, the second son, atarted as an apprentice in the tailoring trade in Germany but did not care for that type of activity and turned to bookbinding in his new home. He became a great lover of books as was evidence by the vast library which he accumulated during his lifetime. He is also reputed to have learned the art of knitting in Germany. It was a common practice for the women of the families to do the spinning while the men often did the knitting. Ernst worked in St. Louis for a cigar maker.
Apparently, it was never the intention of the Hake family to settle permanently in an urban area. Rather, it was their ambition to acquire title to and to live on a portion of the vast prairies of the middle west. By coincidence, an acquaintance from near the present site of Nashville came to St. Louis to market some produce. Friedrich, Sr. accompanied him in his oxen-drawn wagon to Nashville and then continued, on foot, to the home of Herman Backs of North Prairie, a distant relative. He stayed overnight and revealed his ambitious plan to his host. The next day, he started back, on foot, to St. Louis where he discussed the matter with his family. They quickly packed their few belongings, after having been the the city for almost one year, and moved into a small log cabin on the Herman Backs farm. This farm is owned, today, by Herman Maschhoff and occupied by the Backs brothers and sisters, grandchildren of Herman. The farm is located on teh west side of State Highway #127. Incidentally, Henry remained in St. Louis, but the father, mother, and two younger sons made the move to North Prairie. The three men split rails, presumably to earn sufficient money to ultimately pruchase the land which they desired. Friedrich, Jr. worked, part-time, for the Henry, Carter and Kennedy families. Ernst worked for a family named Craig. Here the boys learned the English language. The Craigs were especially interested in teaching young Ernst.
Some years later, the father purchsed the farm which was later owned by his son Ernst, then by his son Julius and today by Warner Clark who married LaVonne, the daughter of Julius. The farm consisted of 160 acres and on it, the family bult a log cabin. Land, of course, was comparatively cheap. A short distance northwest of their farm stood a small Methodist Church erected and attended by the English settlers. The first German people also attended this church. Later, when the community became almost 100% German, a German MethodistChurch was organized and the same building was utilized for this purpose. Friedrich was a charter member of this new congregation. As the membership increased, a larger edifice was built on the Christ Brink farm. It was named the Emmanuel Methodist Church of North Prairie. The building still stands but the congregation has disbanded. Land was given by Fred W. Krughoff, Jr. for a cemetery. This ended the established practice of burying the deceased near their homes. Adults were, for many years, buried in rows and children were also buried in their rows. This practice originated in Germany because of a scarcity of land. This custom was later abolished in the North Prairie Cemetery and it became possible for afamily to purchase a burial lot large enough to accomodate the entire family after death. Another interesting German custom was, in the event of death, to hold brief services in the home of the deceased, then the body was interred after which mourners and friends entered the church for a memorial service.
Late in 1857, Henry moved to North Prairie from St. Louis and acquired the farm now occupied by Howard Hake, his grandson. he built a home for his bride-to-be. On March 18, 1858, he returned to the city where he married Louisa Blomberg. He had belonged to teh Washington Street Methodist Church in St. Louis but transferred his membership to the North Prairie church. Friedrich, the second son, married the daughter of a charter member of the Emmanuel Methodist church, Sophia Charlotte Hartmann. At tis time, Friedrich was 26 years of age and Charleotee was 18. This union was blessed with 15 children. As mentioned before, he was not only a lover of books but was a devoutly spiritual man. As a lay pastor, he filled various pulpits on innumerable occasions and served as Sunday School Superintendent for almost 40 years. He dispensed homeopathic medicines to his friends. Not being licensed, he was not permitted to make a charge for his medications. (His nephew, Henry, son of Ernst, later also become much interested in teh study of medicine and practiced homeopathy, also on an unlicensed basis, among his relatives without the benefit of remuneration.) He was also known as an expert horticulturist. Friedrich suffered a heart attack on January 13, 1903 while walking to Huegely Station where he planned to board a train for Nashville to transact business. Funeral services were held in teh Emmanuel Church on which occasion a sermon was preached by the Presiding Elder, the Reverend Moble of Belleville assisted by the Reverends H. W. Miller and Pannwitt. His wife followed him in death on August 16, 1925, attaining teh age of 83 years.
Karl Weber was, as has been pointed out, an adopted son of Friedrich, Jr. He came to live with the family about three months before his mother died. His father was confined to a hospital and probably died there. The Webers had lived in Nashville with their three children, Rebecca, Karl and Lenora. The mother died of tuberculosis. After her death, Karl went to live with teh Friedrich Hakes, the baby, Lenora, went to teh Ernst Hake home, and Becky made her home with the Henry Hakes. Lenora later lived with a Korf family who had no children of their own. Becky later joined the family of the Chris Fiekers. She married a man named Anderson, had one daughter and died at a comparatively young age. Mrs. Fieker was Martha Brink of North Prairie. Mrs. Karl Weber's mother was a sister of Henriette Albertina Hake, the mother of the three brothers which accounted for their willingness to give temporary homes to the Weber children.
Ernst, when his father could spare him, worked for a family named Craig. They were proud of this teen-ager and it was while he worked for the Craigs that he learned the English language and had the benefit of other related schooling. He was known as a man well versed in the language of his new country and a speaker of fluent English. NOrth Prairie was originally settled by New Englanders, a great many of whom were textile workers. They did the knitting, spinning and weaving in their homes being employed by a large textile company. They were, for the most part, poor farmers and did not meet with great economic success, so many of them moved to Kentucky and Tennessee. South of this area, where the Hakes lived, there were several Englishmen who were relatively successful in their farming ventures. Among these were the Henrys and Thompsons who lived their latter days in Nashville.
Ernst's wife, Sophis Schnakenberg Hake, came to America with a family named Brink. At the time, ships did not transport single women without proper chaperonage. Sophia as a young girl was named Tibke. She came to America under that name with her cousin, Vupke. She worked for an English family, the head of which once suggested to her that she choose a name more to her liking than Tibke. On an impulse, she selected "Sophia" and that became her legal name. In later life, she often commented about her choice and wondered why she chose it. Whether Vupke changed her name is not known. Those who knew Sophia agreed that she was a happy person. She used to tell her children and grandchildren about the street dances which she enjoyed in the streets of Hanover. She also described their colorful costumes and the flowers which were strewn in the streets during the festivities. Sophia and a brother in Schenectady, New York, who came to visit her on at least one occasion after he retired. She also had a sister in Sandoval with whom she frequently socialized. A humorous incident is associated with the wedding of Ernst and Sophia. Some of the young readers are probably not familiar with teh community participation in a charivari (commonly known as shivaree) following weddings of well known neighbors. The imminent wedding plans of this young couple were a well guarded secret. Only a few of their male friends were apprised of the coming nuptial event. They suggested to their wives that they get ready to make a trip to Nashvile on the pretext of business needs. Instead of going to Nashville, however, they stopped at a previously selected home where the wsedding was to be held and served as witnesses. This secrecy dampened the enthusiastic celebration which normally followed the knotting of marital bonds.
The original log cabin, built by Friedrich, Sr., stood on the sit of Warner Clark's garage which is located on a farm which our pioneer ancestor purchased and cultivated. During the latter years of its existence, it was used as a cattle stall and chicken house. It has disappeared from the scene although many descendants now living still remember it. The home which replaced the log cabin is pictured on a later page of photographs appearing in this study.
About 1857, H. W. Finke and his wife, Maria Elsaben, came to America from Hanover, Germany with their two sons, Heinrich and Casper. Heinrich married Lousia Joebker, a niece of Henrietta Albertina, the wife of Frederich, Sr. Casper married Mary Krueger. They lived in St. Louis and then North Prairie. Maria Elsaben, it will be remembered, was a sister of Friedrich. A study of the Finke family presents another challenge to the genealogist, but it ismentioned here only to show how the family is related to the Hake Line.
Pictured on a later page are the two churches which figured prominently in the lives of the early Hakes. The views at the top of the page are of the John the Baptist Lutheran Church in Lintorf, Germany where our ancestors attended. It is very likely that the stones came from the same quarry in which Friedrich worked although long before his time since the church is known to be about 1000 years old. It was originally a Catholic Church but became Lutheran following the Great Reformation. The Lutheran Church is today the state church in Germany and is supported entirely by public taxes. The two lower photographs are of the Emmanuel Methodist Church of North Prairie to which earlier reference was made. Friedrich, Sr. and his two older sons were charter members of this church. Ernst, while a regular attendant, was only 13 years of age at the time that the church was organized and is not listed as a charter member.
There are in teh United States and in the midwest, in particular, families who spell their name "Haake". If that branch is related to ours, the relationship is probably rather remote since the earliest records show our ancestors spelling their name "Hacke" which became "Hake" after arrival in the United States. The "Low" German dialect seemed to prevail among our ancestors. However, when the editor of this publication visited in Hoerdinghausen last summer the common language was more like the "High" German which he studied in college.

A HAKE REUNION, JULY 4, 1920
On one of the rare occasions when the three Hake families met for a reunion, the assembly was held on the Henry Huck farm at North Prairie. The exact date of the picnic has not been positively confirmed but believable evidence points to the above date. At the picnic, a band, quartette and baseball teams composed of members of the Hake families performed. Henry F. W. Hazke, son of Ernst, gave a talk in Low German in which he traced the history of the family. It was translated into Hihg German and reproduced in the Nashville Volksblatt. It appears below as carefully translated into English which is probably more understandable to teh majority of our readers. It is interesting to note that Frederich's wife, Sophia, and Ernst adn his wife, Sophia, were in attendance at this outing. The High German version is reproduced following the English Text.
The descendants of Mr. and Mr. F. W. Hake, who has increased within 70 years from 5 to 148 members, held a reunion in North Prairie on Monday. Pictures of the two ancestors had been enlarged by the artistic hand of young Herbert Hake (a great-grandson) from a photograph. A quartet composed of Elmer, Julius, Harvey, and Louis Hake sang familiar haymns and the Hake Band played appropriate music. The following people attended the reunion from a distance: Mr. and Mrs. Louis Hake and Miss Ella Hake from Benton; Martin Hake and wife, and Melvin Hake and wife from Centralia; as well as Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Hake, Bert Hake and family, and Miss Gertrude Hake from St. Louis.
Reunion speeches were made by the Reverend E. Hemke of North Prairie and the Reverend L. Duewel and Mr. Henry Hake of Nashville, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Hake of North Prairie. In his speech, Mr. Hake said, in part: "If I had a gift of oratory and the vocabulary of a William Jennings Bryan, this task would be much simpler, and I would be able to tell you the story of our family tree more eloquently. Since this is not the case, I shall be brief. In the year 1848, there lived in teh small village of Hoerdinghausen, in the district of Wittlage, in the kingdom of Hanover, in old Germany a family of five persons. To this family there came glowing reports of America, the New World, with endless forests and great prairies still untouched and still waiting for settlers. These reprots awakened in the family a tremendous desire to emigrate to the New World. The decision to leave Germany was quickly made, and preparations for the long and difficult journey were soon begun. The family home and household effects were sold at auction. Clothing and other personal belongs were packed into one large chest adn a single suitcase. thus, Father Friedrich william Hake with his wife and three sons boarded a sailing ship. They turned their backs on what had been their homeland in cramped and crowded Germany and eagerly faced the prospect of a new home in a spacious land of freedom. After almost three months on teh vast ocean, during which they were tossed by angry waves, forced to live on the ships's hard-tack, buffeted by storms, abandoned by favaorable winds in long days of calm, and weakened by seasickness, they finally arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi River near the city of New Orleans. Here, they were transferred with their meager belongings from a sailing ship to a steamboat which brought them slowly upstream to St. Louis. The river port was the first home of our ancestors in the land of freedom.
But it was never the intention of our patriarch to become an urban settler. His goal and desire were to live among the open fields. He wanted to build his home on the prairie, and after two years, he finally succeeded in doing so. In the year of 1850, here on the beautiful North Prairie of the American Egypt, a tract of land was purchased from the government. Amid the high grass of the prairie, a log cabin was built. The tough prairie sod was broken, fields were enclosed with rail fences, oxen pulled the plows, and the virgin soil was seeded. It was a labor of inspiration adn perspiraton, but Almight God, whom they had learned to trust in their homeland, responded to their daily supplications by blessing their endeavors. Food sprang from their fields in abundance, and flowering vines beautified their huble dwelling.
Years passed. The three sons grew to manhood. Looking upon the daughters of their adopted land, they found them beautiful, and each of them chose a bride. Here, then grew the main branches of our family tree. From these main branches grew twigs, which, in tim, became new branches, These, in turn grew other twigs. Today, we see this large tree in all of its beauty standing before us. When our eyes look upon all who stand in its shade, we say with the Psalmist: 'Greatly has the Lord blessed us. Let us be joyful!'
Our founding elders lived in this land of freedom for 39 years. For the past 33 years, they have been at rest. Three of the main branches of our tree, a mother and two fathers, have also crossed the Jordan and have entered the gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The other three main branches, two mothers and a father, are still with us, this afternoon. We are grateful that tehy are here. Whenever we hold their hands in family fellowhip, we are filled with wonder and gladness. The burdens of the day ahve been heavy for them, and the evening of their lives is drawing near. We pray that God will permit them to be among us for a little longer.
Our ancestor chose farming to earn his livelihood, and most of his descendantshave also chosen this noble occupation. But we are also represented in other professions. We could move to a different land and continue to have all the skills necessary to insure our comfort and well-being. We arenot only farmers who till the land, seed the land and, almost by magic produce bread from the land. We also have the miller, who guides the golden bounty of our fields through teh rollers and sieves and produces the white flour which our wives and daughters use to bake bread for us. We have the sawmill operator who takes our logs and converts them into boards, rails and beams. We have the carpenter who assembles this lumber and builds a sturdy dwelling with it. We ahve the plumber (also called a tinsmith) who can provide us with aroof and rainspouts. We have the decorator who cang ive our homes a beautiful appearance. We have the stone mason who can lay a solid foundation adn erect strong chimneys. We have teh blacksmith who swings his hammer beside anvil and forge. We have the storekeeper who takes our eggs in trade, candles them, rejects the bad ones, and weighs our sugar and other staple commodities. We have the artist who, with pen and ink, can transfer our likeness to paper so that our descendants can see how we looked, long after we have turned to dust. We have the locomotive engineer who sits with his hand upon the throttle and his eyes upon the rails, and who makes the great engine cough and thunder according to his will as it pulls the long train with ever-increasing speed behind it.
We have ministers of the Gospel who proclaim to us the good news of Zion, who warn the sinner, strengthen the weak and comfort the sorrowing. We have a trained nurse who attends the sick with dedication and compasssion. We have teachers, both men and women, who instruct our children and prepare them for their future careers. We have teh professor who continues to education our young people in college, after they have graduated from our grad and high-schools. We have also been blessed in teh field of music. As our grandfather blew his horn while serving as a night watchman in Germany, many of his descendants have followed his example by becoming horn blowers. But we do not merely coax music out of horns. We also play the piano, the organ, the violin, the clarinet, the accordian, the ocarina, the jew's harp, the roller organ, and the phonograph. Nor have we lagged behind in the art of singing. Among us, there are soloists, duet, quartet adn choral singers. Oh, this glorious Art of Song which has refreshed so many a weary pilgrim! Even in our early youth, many of us showed great aptitude for singing. The story goes that I began singing solos before I was a year old. Often in the middle of the night, when my father and mother yearned for peace and quiet after the day's toil, Mother accompanied my singing by marching back and forth with me as I sang. As I grew older, Father added a drum beat to my musical exercises, and this brought the concerts to an end.
Before I close, I should like tomention that, among us, we have never had a drunkard. Not one of us has ever had to spend time in jail. Not one of us has ever neglected his family. Not one of us has ever run away with the wife of another. We have never planted potatoes in the light of the moon, nor have we slaughtered our hogs when the moon was bright. Like a burr on a woolen stocking, we have always been attached to the church of John Wesley and to the party of Abraham Lincoln. All of us hope that, when we elect a new President this fall, we shall succeed in choosing a President who is, first of all, a loyal American, and that the welfare of the United States will be closer to his heart than the welfare of England and France. Let us elect a President who is willing to make an honorable peace with Germany, and who is willing to accept Germans and the descendants of Germans as human beings. Let us have a President who esteems our war-torn society and the conflicts which divide Labor and Management. Only then will we have peace, and the Star Spangled Banner once more
'...in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.'

FRIEDRICH married JOEBKER HENRIETTE ALBERTINA. HENRIETTE (daughter of JOEBKER JOHANN H. G. and LAHRMAN DOROTHEA C.) was born on 28 Jan 1798; died on 27 Mar 1882; was buried in North Prairie Cemetery, Washington County, Illinois. [Group Sheet]

HEINRICH married UNKNOWN WILHELMINA. WILHELMINA was born in 1808; died on 11 Apr 1891; was buried in North Prairie Cemetery, Washington County, Illinois. [Group Sheet]