Johanna Louise Baum

Narrative:

     Johanna Louise Baum was born on 17 Jun 1836 in Offenbach, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, of an un-married mother.^7,8,9
     She was baptized on 26 Jun 1836 in Evangelische Kirche, Offenbach, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, with her mother's future husband's sister, Susanne Louise Lebeau, as godmother.¹
     On 30 Aug 1837 Jean Frédéric Lebeau, the future husband of her mother, declared in a statement to the head priest of her parish that he was not her father, but nevertheless wanted to accept the child as his child. On 21 Jun 1839, after he had married her mother, he confirmed the adoption by declaring that he represented himself as her father.¹
     As was the custom, she was know by her middle name, Louise. After her adoption she used her step-father's surname.^2,3,19

Immigrating to America --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     According to family lore, Louisa immigrated about 1849 to Cincinnati, Ohio, smuggled out of Germany by the Moravian church at age 13. It supposedly took 3 months to travel to the U.S., and during the journey they had nothing to eat but dry bread and cheese. Her granddaughter, Evelyn Fenker, told the story that although bread was baked fresh once a week on the ship that they ate the leftover moldy bread before they ate any fresh bread. According to the story, she walked through the Cumberland Gap to get to Cincinnati.²⁰
     Louisa and her parents actually left Frankfurt am Main at 6:00 a.m. on 29 May 1854, traveling by steamboat down the Main River to Mainz. The boat then went down the Rhine River, arriving at Cologne that evening.²¹
     The next morning they boarded a train, expecting to arrive in Bremen by evening. They changed trains in Minden. They continued after a while but after traveling a short distance their train stopped because the preceding train had come off the rails and sunk into the earth. They were delayed for six hours at a tiny village called Hölzen.²¹ They finally arrived in Bremen at 2:00 a.m. the next morning. They stayed there for two nights at an inn.²¹
     At 2:00 p.m. on 2 Jun they left on a steamboat to the harbor, which is about 40 miles down the Weser River from the city of Bremen proper.²¹ They stayed overnight with Brother Riemenschneider. At 2:00 p.m. Saturday, 3 Jun 1854, they boarded the sailing ship Schiller. They traveled in the second class cabin, which they shared with 17 other passengers. There were eight passengers in the first class cabin, and 190 "between decks." The ship immediately went into the harbor, where they laid at anchor three days because of unfavorable winds.^22,21

Sailing Across the Atlantic --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     The winds remained unfavorable but the ship couldn't stay ashore longer. So on the morning of 7 Jun 1854 it weighed anchor and sailed to the North Sea. On the evening of 10 Jun they entered the English Channel.²¹ On 11 Jun, her 18th birthday, they reached the middle of the English Channel, having covered only 48 miles in eight days.²¹
     On 1 Jul, after sailing for 25 days, they had traveled under half way, 420 of the 1,000 miles to New York. They had had only had two hours of favorable wind and an almost constant headwind the entire month.²¹ On 6 Jul, a wind arose that carried them a good distance further, but the next morning, the sea was again as smooth as a mirror, so they hardly moved at all. Their own provisions were running low. Her adoptive father wrote that "these were sad prospects, as one can hardly survive on ship's fare alone."²¹
     On 5 Aug they had been under sail for nine weeks and still had 7 degrees (about 95 miles) to go. Her adoptive-father wrote that it "is miracle that we haven't gotten sick yet with the poor food; we are exhausted enough." The sea was smooth again like a mirror, but the sailors are cleaning the outside of the ship, a sign that they would soon be on land.²¹ On the 9th and 10th they finally had a favorable wind, a strong breeze. That was the only consistently favorable wind they had on the entire voyage. At 2:00 p.m. on the 10th they saw land. At 7:00 p.m. the ship was tied up in the harbor of New York. They we had been under sail for 66 days and aboard a ship for 69 days.²¹

Arriving at New York and by Train to Cincinnati --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     A doctor came aboard the ship to check for disease (another ship was not allowed to land because smallpox had broken out). They couldn't disembark until a customs official checked for items that needed to be declared. They couldn't sleep because their straw sacks had been required to be emptied outside the harbor. She and her parents went ashore for a walk between 1 and 2 a.m., having to climb over a higher ship to do so. But they didn't venture far for fear of robbers.²¹
     Louisa and her parents officially disembarked from the Schiller the next morning, 11 Aug 1854, after customs were cleared.^21,23 They remained in New York for three days, staying at an inn.²¹
     At 6 p.m. on 14 Aug 1854 they boarded a steamboat for a four-hour journey up the Hudson river, probably to Newburgh, New York. They departed by railroad at 11 p.m.²⁴ They arrived in Dunkirk, New York, on Lake Erie, at 6 a.m., and spent the day there, leaving at 6 p.m.²¹ They arrived in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 8 p.m., and tried to sleep in the rail car, waiting for their departure at 1 a.m. the next morning.²¹
     They arrived in Cleveland, Ohio, at 6 a.m., and had to stay there until 3 a.m. the next morning.²¹ They left for Columbus, Ohio, at 3 a.m., arriving at 9 p.m.²¹ They continued on after getting into good cars. Everyone fell asleep immediately. They arrived in Cincinnati at 2 a.m. on 18 Aug 1854.²¹
     She soon moved to Huntingburgh, Indiana, with her parents.⁴
     Her adoptive father died on 17 Nov 1854, when Johanna was 18 years old.^25,26,27
     She and her mother moved to Cincinnati after the death of her father.⁴

Marrying and Raising a Family --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Louisa married Johann Hinrich Wilhelm Fennker, son of Fredrich Hinrich Fenncker and Marie Margarethe Koop, on 11 Jan 1856 in Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., Ohio, with Rev. Charles Helwig, pastor of the Congress St. Methodist church, officiating.^10,11,12
     Louisa and William appeared on the 1860 Federal Census of Covington, Kenton Co., Kentucky, enumerated 11 Jul 1860, reporting no real estate but personal estate of $175. Their children John and Frederick were listed as living with them, as was Margaret Hoffman, age 13, relationship, if any unknown.²⁸
     Louisa and William and their family moved 642 Main St., where her mother and step-father, John M. Frey, had been living above his bakery, by 1870.²⁹ Louisa and William appeared on the 1870 Federal Census of Covington, Kenton Co., Kentucky, enumerated 20 Jun 1870, reporting real estate of $12,000 and personal estate of $2,500. Their children John, Frederick, Albert, Emma and Henry were listed as living with them. They were listed in the same dwelling as her mother and step-father.³⁰
     Louisa and William appeared on the 1880 Federal Census of Covington, Kenton Co., Kentucky, at 642 Main St., enumerated 10 Jun 1880. Their children Frederick, Albert, Emma, Henry and Theodore were listed as living with them, as were Louisa's mother, Christina Baum, a 15 year old servant, Mation Fryer, born in Kentucky of Prussian parents, and a Prussian boarder, John Hermany, who was a baker, perhaps at William's bakery.³¹
     Louisa and William moved to 1031 Russell St. about 1884.³²

Widowed --- Text Stolen from ReigelRidge.com !! ---

     Her husband died on 7 Oct 1888 in 1031 Russell St., Covington, Kentucky.^33,34,35
     Louisa moved to 1815 Scott St. after the death of her husband, where she lived until at least 1895.^36,37
     Louisa and her sons Frederick, Albert, and Theodore, all moved to Michigan in the late 1890's. Louisa, her mother, and Theodore seemed to have moved together, following the older two. Frederick and his wife settled in Detroit, while the others all settled in Kalamazoo.
     Louisa appeared on the 1900 Federal Census of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan, at 426 Woodward Ave., enumerated 2 Jun 1900. Her mother, Christina Baum, and youngest son, Theodore, were listed as living with her. She reported her occupation as landlord, apparently referring to her home on Scott St. and perhaps other property in Covington.³⁸
     Louisa returned to Cincinnati by 1904, when she was living at 930 W. 9th St. About 1906 she moved back across the river to Covington, Kentucky.^39,40 She appeared on the 1910 Federal Census of Covington, Kenton Co., Kentucky, enumerated 24 Apr 1910, having returned to 1815 Scott Street.⁴¹
     Louisa moved to the Bodman Widows Home, in the Mt. Auburn section of Cincinnati, about 1916, after selling her home on Scott St.⁵
     Louisa died on 4 Apr 1916 in Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., Ohio, at age 79.^13,14,15 She was buried on 7 Apr 1916 in Linden Grove Cemetery, Covington, Kentucky, in her husband's lot.^16,17,18