Clara Holterhoff Willius's Siblings
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Clara Holterhoff had five brothers and sisters. Her two older sisters, Cornelia and Ida were five and six years older than she was and her older brother, Godfrey was two years her senior. Henriette was born two years after Clara, and the baby, Augustus, came three years later. Clara was especially close to Ida and Godfrey who were nearest to her in age.
The family came to America from Germany in 1850 and settled in Cincinnati, where they had relatives. The three oldest children were teenagers, Clara was 12 years old.
Three of the girls settled in Minnesota. How they got there is quite a story. It started when Ida's husband bought a farm near St. Peter, Minnesota where the young couple moved soon after they were married. Two years later Ida had a baby and wanted one of her sisters to come and help. Sixteen year old Henriette went, fell in love, married and stayed. Henriette got homesick and Clara was sent to keep her company. You guessed it, Clara also fell in love and got married to Ferdinand Willius a St. Paul banker.
Godfrey and his family stayed in Cincinnati. They are often referred to as "The Cincinnati Branch", since Augustus also moved to St. Paul.
The family came to America from Germany in 1850 and settled in Cincinnati, where they had relatives. The three oldest children were teenagers, Clara was 12 years old.
Three of the girls settled in Minnesota. How they got there is quite a story. It started when Ida's husband bought a farm near St. Peter, Minnesota where the young couple moved soon after they were married. Two years later Ida had a baby and wanted one of her sisters to come and help. Sixteen year old Henriette went, fell in love, married and stayed. Henriette got homesick and Clara was sent to keep her company. You guessed it, Clara also fell in love and got married to Ferdinand Willius a St. Paul banker.
Godfrey and his family stayed in Cincinnati. They are often referred to as "The Cincinnati Branch", since Augustus also moved to St. Paul.
Clara Holterhoff Willius Sibling Chart
The following condensed chart of Clara's siblings leaves out place names as well as birth and death dates. This makes it possible to trace most of the relationships on one chart. Detailed charts can be found under each of the siblings: Cornelia, Ida, Godfrey, Henriette and Augustus.
From Frieda's Scrapbook:
The top picture is of Clara and her younger sister, Henriette. It was taken before 1856. The photograph on the lower left is of Clara and on the lower right is one of Cornelia.
This picture is of Clara and Henriette. I think the one on the left is Clara but the photograph was not labeled.
This paper cutting by Ernst Meyer was exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.
Letters to Clara from 2 of her siblings:
"A Tree was Transplanted" has more on the family's life.
